Reading:
I finished Stiff by Mary Roach and have started Lives in Ruins by Marilyn Johnson. Nonfiction is where it’s at. I feel inspired to extend Nonfiction to November to Nonfiction THE REST OF 2014! Perhaps Nonfiction 2015? I don’t know, I’m just really nerding out on the nonfic right now and it’s incredible.

Cooking:
America just celebrated the national holiday of cooking: Thanksgiving! I cooked at home for my immediate family. There was one wee disaster involving a melted thermometer but everything was golden after that.

We had a very traditional turkey dinner, including a spicy corn casserole that is my all-time favorite side dish. I hope all of my American friends had a great holiday and that my non-American friends enjoyed the millions of food pictures on Instagram.

Loving:
The photos that I had taken of my kiddos turned out wonderfully. I can’t wait to frame, wrap, and give them as gifts to assorted family members. (Let’s hope they aren’t peeking here!) Here’s one of my favorite shots:

Not Loving: 
We had to have our furnace worked on. Isn’t it just the best when you have to drop a big chunk of change on a home repair right before Christmas? I recommend it, har har.

Celebrating: 
We finally named our newest family member. Meet Myrtle! (As in Moaning Myrtle…Meowing Myrtle?)

Shopping:
I didn’t head out on Black Friday and I sure as hell didn’t shop on Thursday. I think the only way to stop the consumerism madness is for more of us to stay home. I’m doing my part. It’s not even the proverbial drop in the bucket, I know that. But I feel better about myself when I don’t participate in the crazy. There’s nothing wrong with wanting that great deal. There is something wrong about minimum wage workers being forced to work on a day we are supposed to be filled with gratitude for the things we already have. Gross.

Sharing:
I talked about my Christmas baking traditions and shared a recipe for cutout cookies in a guest post on I’m Lost in Books. Thanks so much for asking me to participate in your Holiday Extravaganza, Becca!

Anticipating:

Christmas decorating and baking and music and wheeeee! It’s almost that time for me. I can feel the spirit coming. It’s not quite here, but it’s close.

Are any of you attempting a bookish tree this year? If I can figure out where to put one I might just give it a whirl myself. New kittens and trees don’t mix. Come to think of it, new kittens and piles of books don’t mix either. Hmmm.

Drinking:
A cup of Premium Arabica. (Extra Bold European Blend!) I don’t know what any of that means, but that’s what it says on the k-cup label. It’s coffee and it’s delicious.

Cooking:
I made some yummy dinners this past week, including this tasty quinoa with mushrooms and green onions. I’m looking forward to the culinary Olympics this week. I’m talking ’bout Thanksgiving! I’ll be making the usual dishes, including a spicy corn casserole that has made grown men cry.

Blogging:
Oh look at this…another week with nary a post. Could someone inspire me? Anyone? If you can’t inspire me then can you arrange for me to have an extra hour every day? That would work quite nicely, thanks.

As always, I had PLANS. For instance, I planned on writing up more posts for Nonfiction November. Sigh.

Loving:
You may recall that I had some photos taken of my kids last week? I went to the proofing session early this week and was incredibly pleased. I ordered scads of photos and I hope to share them with you soon. (They are for Christmas gifts but I’m pretty sure family members aren’t hanging out here.)

Reading:
I finished Yes Please. (Hilarious and heart warming and everything you’d expect from Ms. Poehler) I’m currently in the middle of Stiff by Mary Roach. What a gem! So informative and so funny. I knew it was going to be good. I didn’t know it was going to be this good.

Sharing:
When I get a minute I’m going to head to Sophisticated Dorkiness to talk about the Nonfiction November readalong of The Restless Sleep.

Estella’s Revenge, Girlxoxo, and Traveling with T are hosting A Month of Favorites in December. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

Squeeing and Muppet Arm Flailing: over our new kitten! If you follow me on Instagram you’ve seen a few pictures and you know that she’s cuter than can be and that she doesn’t have a name. Still.

We’ll get there but it’s hard to for so many people to agree on something. If only I could choose it myself. I’d have named her Nancy Mew (GET IT?!?) and have been done with it. Sadly, I’ve raised kids that have pesky opinions.

I’ll keep you posted.