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Hello, Reader.

Extended family members will begin arriving this afternoon to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow. Family always ranks high on the list of blessings for which we're most grateful. But right up there with it is the Savior whose birth we'll begin celebrating as soon as the plates are cleared and the leftover turkey is stashed in the refrigerator.

Since Thanksgiving came so late this year, we don't have much lead time before time for Advent begins, along with all the fun and meaningful ways to count down the days until Christmas. So I'm sharing a few of our family's favorites in this week's link list.

Free resources for you this week:

• ​Advent Scripture Chain- short, daily verses detailing the coming of the Messiah
• ​Christmas Book-a-Day Countdown- this is especially fun to do with younger children
• ​Design Your Own Bucket List - keep your cards in a jar and pick one every night after dinner
• ​Countdown to Christmas Bucket List- our favorite things to do as a family during December
• ​5 Things that Would Make Christmas Better- a minimalist bucket list template for you to use
• ​Candy Kiss Christmas Countdown- remind your kids: "Do something sweet to get a treat."
• ​Christmas Conversation Starters- liven up the table talk between now and Christmas

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What I'm reading this week

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In Biblical Modesty in a Post-Christian World, author Melissa Holmquist suggests modesty is less about a legalistic list of rules and more about a posture of the heart (although that heart attitude will undoubtedly be reflected in the way we speak, act, dress, and carry ourselves). I found this slim book to be both balanced and insightful, and I love the spirit in which this book was written -- one of gentle encouragement to younger women, just as Titus 2 prescribes. Any book club enthusiasts out there? This would be a good selection for group reading, as the author kindly includes an appendix full of discussion questions for each chapter.

This week's reader request:

Ever since I published 31 Verses to Pray over Your Husband, I've been getting requests for a similar prayer calendar for men to use in praying for their wives. So that's the project I tackled this week. It's now finished, posted, and ready to be download it here: 31 Days of Praying for Your Wife​

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On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 68 ​THE TIME MY HUSBAND NEARLY GOT A VASECTOMY (& WHAT CHANGED HIS MIND)​ Doug and I decided very early in our marriage to leave our family planning to God. But friends have been surprised to learn that his resolve wavered a bit after our eighth was born. In this episode I explain why, how that struggle affected me, and what ultimately convinced my husband to forgo surgery and stay the course. Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I made great headway on my to-do list last week: I ✅ attended DBU's homecoming, ✅ planned our menu for Thanksgiving week and ✅ got my grocery shopping done early, ✅ thawed the turkey in plenty of time to roast for tomorrow, ✅ filmed a simple STEM video (although it'll need some editing before it's ready to submit for the family competition my son sponsors annually), and ✅ reviewed the delightful Painting to Gogh Glad Tidings kit Timberdoodle sent me last week.

The only thing I didn't get done was ❌ making Christmas gifts for our co-op teachers, but I still have the weekend to get it accomplished before our last school day of the year, so I'm carrying that goal over to this week.

Personal goals for next week:

• visit with family who are in town for Thanksgiving
• host 40+ people for the noon meal tomorrow
• get a group photo (even though our shutterbug son won't be here to take it)
• ​stuff Christmas cards & get them in the mail
• update Christmas print pack and add it to our shop​
• make/ deliver gifts to co-op teachers
• plan itinerary for upcoming family trip to San Antonio
• complete four more pages in my advent-themed devotional journal​

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