Hello, Reader.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Can you believe it? I sincerely hope it will be a restful and relaxing holiday for you as you gather with family or friends and reflect on God's bountiful blessings -- even if those blessings have been intermingled with griefs and sorrows this year.

Of course, the world won't leave you alone for long with those thoughts of gratitude, but will be right back in your ear on Friday -- the busiest shopping day of the year -- trying to convince you to buy, buy, buy!

I may not want to fight the crowds, but I'm all for getting a good bargain! That's why I'm offering a Black Friday sale of my own this week. Just use the code BF25 to save 25% off every ebook and print pack in my shop this week (code good through 12/3/25)

Free resources for you this week:

• ​Shifting Christmas Focus - because having a lot of stuff will never make you happy
• ​Smart Sale Shopper Quiz - can you quickly compute the purchase price for a given discount?
• ​Why I'm Staying Home on Black Friday - you can fight traffic & crowds if you want -- I'll opt out
• ​Free Cash Back with Rakuten - getting cash back makes online shopping even more appealing
• ​Gift Giving for Large Families - how our family handles exchanging Christmas presents

What I'm reading this week:

​Consider the Turkey by Peter Singer If you love turkey and dressing and can't imagine celebrating Thanksgiving without this traditional centerpiece to the day's feast, then steer clear of Peter Singer's illuminating book, Consider the Turkey. Once you learn what goes into raising and preparing the 210 million commercially produced birds that are bought and consumed in the US each year, you may never look at load your holiday plate the same way again. On the other hand, if you've ever considered adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, this book may convince you to give up eating this popular fowl sooner than not. 😕

What we're eating this week:

It's been a while since I made chickenless tortilla soup, so that's what I served for dinner last night. It is so yummy! I made a double batch, and my kids still polished it off in a single sitting.

This week's reader request:

I've gotten multiple requests for free printable prayer guides for siblings to use in praying for one another, so after publishing my new Prayer for Brothers last week, it's only fitting that I follow up with this Prayer for Sisters.

On the podcast this week:

Loving Life at Home: Episode 104 ​GIVING THANKS THROUGH HARDSHIPS​ I took a longer break from podcasting than planned, thanks to all that must be done for my daughter’s upcoming wedding. But I didn’t want to let Thanksgiving pass without encouraging you to count your blessings and to discuss the importance of giving thanks, even through hardship. Listen Now

Progress on last week's goals:

I finished nearly everything on last week's list: I ✅ sewed my daughter's bridal veil, ✅ decorated the dining room for Christmas, ✅ washed the walls in kitchen and laundry room, ✅ planned both Thanksgiving and wedding menus, ✅ decorated fence for wedding, ✅ recorded a podcast episode, ✅ printed our family Christmas letter, ✅ submitted request for husband's 2026 vacation, ✅ attended DBU homecoming, ✅ saw my nephew who's home for a week from South Korea, and ✅ altered my daughter's bridesmaid gown (but ❌ not the dress I plan to wear) for the wedding.

Personal goals for this week:

It's that time of year, and my to-do list is growing longer as I try to wrap up loose ends. What do you have on your plate this week?

• run/walk in Turkey Trot
• take family portraits
• host Thanksgiving dinner
• host wedding rehearsal/ceremony/reception
• design/print photo cards
• send Christmas letters​
• finish Christmas shopping
• wrap gifts/ mail packages
• finish decorating house for Christmas
• prepare party activities for co-op -- last class this year!
• pajama day at co-op
• finish stitching stockings for son-in-law and two new grandbabies
• send new memory passage to kids and grandkids

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Thanks so much for all your help! I'll be back next week with more links, reviews, and resources. If you have any special requests, please let me know. 😊