Hello from New Brunswick! I’m at the wedding of a very close friend today. I’m posting this too early to write all about my trip, but it includes seeing my (pregnant!) sister, my 92-year-old grandfather, and lots of friends, plus delicious food and plenty of celebrating. All that to say, it definitely ranks as one of my “favourite things” of November. I hope you’ll share your favourites in the comments.
Non-Fiction Books
Here are two fascinating books that I read this month. I won’t go into detail about them right now, but if you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them in the comments.
Push Back: Guilt in the Age of Natural Parenting by Amy Tuteur
Joy: Poet, Seeker, and the Woman Who Captivated C. S. Lewis
by Abigail Santamaria
Picture Books
Locomotive by Brian Floca
Shh! Bears Sleeping by David Martin (illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher)
Activities
- Some friends came over for a teddy bear picnic and even brought a cake decorated with teddy bears! (It was warm enough to eat outside; was it really a month ago we were playing in the snow?)
- Andrew has been doing some work in a nearby mall and I’ve enjoyed taking the kids to the play area there and eating lunch together.
- One evening I went shopping for clothes and kids’ boots at Value Village when everything was 50% off; another day I bought Christmas decorations using coupons. (Can anyone explain why we have Black Friday sales in Canada and why they start before American Thanksgiving?!)
- Over the past two weeks Christmas lights have popped up all over the neighbourhood; they provide endless fodder for discussion as I take the kids for walks before supper.
- I participated in National Novel Writing Month for the second time and managed to reach 50K words on Nov. 24. Winner!
Bible Verses
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
– Jeremiah 17:7-8
“Then he said to them, ‘Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.'”
– Nehemiah 8:10
Music
I rarely recommend music on the blog, but here’s a song I can’t get enough of. (Maybe I’ll remember to share more songs in future.)
We forgot to discuss Joy! Skype date soon…
I think you had other stuff on your mind! Yes, we can set up a Skype date whenever you’re ready. 🙂
Really enjoyed this list and the October one.