Is it me, or are Mondays after an extra-long holiday weekend just the worst?  You’re getting this post on Monday evening – sorry about that, friends.  I was very slow to get going this morning and just not hype at all about a full adulting day of going to the dentist and then tackling a calendar with multiple meetings and conference calls.  But I got through it and here I sit on the other end, with only four days to go until the weekend instead of five, and I feel like reminiscing.  This past long weekend was a good one indeed.  My parents arrived on Tuesday afternoon after a week in Florida, during which time I sat at my desk and scowled at their pictures on Facebook.  I worked Wednesday, but after that, Thanksgiving was in full swing and we enjoyed every second.  I spent Thanksgiving day cooking – no Turkey Trot for me this year – and I pulled together a feast.  We enjoyed dinner at home and then went to our next-door neighbors’ house for a delicious dessert.  On Friday, we worked off the Thanksgiving calories with a frigid hike at Great Falls – brrrr.  The rest of the weekend was low-key.  Nana and Grandad left on Saturday and we filled our time with the usual – farmers’ market, library, playground and soccer field – and squeezed in another hike on Sunday, after the weather warmed up a bit.  All in all, it was lovely and restful and I feel ready to tackle a busy holiday season now.  And we’re off to the races.

Reading.  In addition to working, cooking, entertaining and hiking, it was a busy reading week.  I finished Angle of Repose in time to send my dad back to the library to return it while I worked on Wednesday (thanks, Dad!).  Still in an effort to stay on top of my teetering library stack, I turned next to Autumn, by Ali Smith – which I liked, but didn’t love.  Around the same time, I finished off the last few articles in the autumn 2018 issue of Slightly Foxed – just in time for the special 60th issue to arrive on my doorstep!  But that will have to wait as I continue to do battle with my library stack.  Next up was Belonging: A German Reckons With History and Home, which I absolutely loved – I think it’s going to be one of my highlights of the year.  And now, still in library mode, I’m reading The Nature Fix, which has been on my TBR for awhile now – it’s good, but a bit more sciency than I was expecting or can focus on at the moment.

Watching.  As you can probably guess from the above list of books and other pursuits, not to mention my history – I’m not watching much.  Steve and I did finish off the latest season of The Great British Bake-Off and have decided that we love it just as much, even with the new team running things.  Other than that, nada.

Listening.  Just the odd podcast here and there – an episode or two of Vegetarian Zen and quite a few back episodes of Speak Up for Blue, which is quickly becoming a favorite.  I devoured the interviews with Asha de Vos and Naomi Rose – no surprise there, as both study whales – my absolute favorite animals.

Making.  Lots of making this past week!  The main thing I made was a gigantic Thanksgiving feast, which I will show you on Wednesday.  Everything from “three generations of appetizers” – I made dishes to represent my grandmother, my mother and myself – to a cranberry-apple spice cake with maple cinnamon buttercream and candied cranberries.  I even baked sourdough dinner rolls from scratch (and learned that The Decemberists, in addition to being the greatest band ever, make excellent kneading music).  But the other thing I made this week is even better: I made reservations for a summer vacation adventure that I am beyond excited about.  Steve and I will be escaping for a week without the kids, doing something cold, damp, and possibly a little bit dangerous, and as our friends know, we love things that are cold, damp and slightly dangerous.  So we’re extremely hype for summer 2019.  (We will almost certainly do another vacation with the kids, but one thing at a time.)

Moving.  I had a pretty good week!  On Tuesday morning, I ran the DC Wonder Woman Run virtual 5K (holla, Katie!) – it was tough, as I am seriously out of running shape after not doing much of any running over the last few seasons.  But I knocked it out!  The rest of the week was the usual – hiking and toddler-wrangling.  That is a workout, let me tell you – on Sunday, Nugget and I went to the soccer field and playground, and we ran soccer drills for an hour and then climbed a gigantic rope pyramid.

Blogging.  I will do my best not to flake on you this week.  On Wednesday, I’ve got Thanksgiving pictures coming your way – just a few, as I was busy in the kitchen and using my phone as a Decemberists album-player, not a camera, all day.  And on Friday, either my November reading recap or my November hiking recap – I haven’t decided yet.  Check in with me to see!

Loving.  The kids are at a stage where they both really enjoyed Thanksgiving.  Of course now that it’s over, it’s chopped liver and they’re on to Christmas, but I’m still basking in the glow of the gratitude they expressed over Thanksgiving week.  Their school makes a pretty big deal out of Thanksgiving, especially for the younger kids, so I’m sure that has a lot to do with it.  My heart was bursting to listen to their little voices talking about being grateful for their family and friends.  Seriously?  I love Thanksgiving.

Asking.  How was your Thanksgiving?  And what are you reading this week?