Hello everyone. This post is brought to you today by the gentle proddings by my mother. Hehe, love you, Mommee!

It is going to take a few minutes to get the train wreck that is my brain these days to kick into gear. I'm betting the writing will get better as we go along, so I'll start with random stuff and see where we head.

Triskal decided to try something new and got fleas. It's safe to say that she is not a fan, nor is the rest of our family. After chewing holes in herself along her backside and tail, she went to the vet to get shaved so we could get a better handle on the fleas and the skin infection they helped cause. She's almost done with her antibiotics, is freezing her bum off when outside, and looks pretty forlorn. Sometimes lately I've wondered if she has Alzheimer's or if it just takes awhile to figure out how to sit down without aggravating her sore spots. Or possibly her hips are starting to ache; she is almost seven. Poor old thing. She's still as sweet as ever and it just about killed her to be either outside (pre-shave) or in the garage while we hosted Thanksgiving.

We hosted Thanksgiving! We had an almost-thre-month-old, three two-year-olds (yes, you read that right), a five-year-old, a seven-year-old, and a nine-year-old, a set of grandparents, and three sets of parents. And four pies. And cookies. And ham and sweet potato casserole and bread and salad and party potatoes (Kurth-ese for mashed potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese whipped in) and yeah, there was far too much food. Did you notice I started with dessert? We ARE Kurths, after all.

It was great having everyone here from Wedsnesday until Saturday. We played games and goofed off and really enjoyed watching the kids interact. I tried really hard to not hog the baby. That is very challenging for me!

The big kids have been busy with Scouts and Awana and school. We've been relatively germ-free, with one exception. Our resident seven-year-old did throw up on the bus on the way to school on Monday, and then was much better after a nap and was back to school for the rest of the week. Who knows what all that was about. I heard several people on Facebook mentioning similar symptoms. My Daddee would say the Tazmanian Punies are going around. Tis the season!

We have the Christmas tree up but not entirely decorated yet. A Christmas throw is over the big armchair, the construction paper cutouts from PaPa's teaching days are taped up in the windows, and our door decoration is a wooden Santa holding a sign which reads, "will work for milk and cookies". That cracks Carrie up every time she comes in the front door. The first time she saw it she was actually guffawing on her way in- that's the only word that works! Of COURSE a Kurth Santa would work for cookies!

The baking will begin in earnest this week and weekend, and I have a secret plan on how to divvy up the goodies so that our waistlines don't... um... bulge. I can't wait!

I really feel burdened to pass along some prayer requests, and this seems like a good place and time to list them:

It is very tempting for me to get caught up in The Busy, especially once I flip that calendar over and see that it's December and therefore time to freak out. I caught myself getting anxious about all the shopping and errands and trips I need to do, and then I headed over to my cousin Lizi's blog and read about how she physically can't get out and do all that. My sweet Lizi has Lyme Disease and it causes pretty much constant dizziness and nausea for her. Sometimes it's all she can do to make it from her bedroom to the kitchen. It breaks my heart that she is all the way across the country and I can't pop over to visit or take her lunch or hang out or fold her laundry. My cousin David also has Lyme Disease and one of his symptoms is chronic leg pain. He's only 18 and I can't imagine not feeling invulnerable as an 18-year-old male. Please keep my cousins close to your heart as you go about doing life, and remember that there are people who would love the opportunity to be physically able to run a million errands and shop to their hearts' content instead of being stuck on meds and/or housebound.

Please also pray for my small friend Asher. He was born in November with a hole in his diaphram, which means his intestines migrated up through the hole and displaced his heart and lungs. He's had surgery to repair the hole, but is having blood pressure issues as well as not eating as he should, which means he can't gain weight which means he can't be moved from the hospital, etc. He is quite the fighter and has been amazing doctors left and right with his recovery, but is going through a lot of ups and downs right now. His parents Dave and Colleen and big three-year-old brother Josiah would love to have him healed and home for Christmas!

My aunt Kay passed away this month after dealing with some serious health issues. She was incredibly shy and had a much bigger heart than she could share because of the shyness. Please pray for her husband, Mark, and for my mom and her remaining sisters and my Nana as they work through their grief and loss. Kay's gentle spirit will be missed, and I wish that I would not have taken her for granted. I suppose that's a good lesson to learn when going into the holidays, but I wish there was a better way to learn appreciation than through loss. Take the time today to tell your loved ones that you love them. Remember that God loved you enough to send you a very special Christmas present in Jesus.

I think that's it for now. Poor Damon has been watching TV for far too long while I cobbled this post together. I know there are pictures on the camera that need uploaded, so I'll get on that next. But first comes lunch and little Nomad's nap. Have a wonderful last few days of November (or Movember if you're growing your 'stache to bring awareness to men's health issues- good for you) and be blessed as you head into the holiday season. Take good care of you!