Happy Sunday! I can’t believe it’s the beginning of another week … and that Christmas is only ten days away! I hope that your holiday season has an abundance of joy and laughter, and a minimum of stress.

I’m back home with my family for the holidays and it is soooo nice! On Friday night I went with my mom to her office holiday party, and we had a blast. They set up a “casino night” and we spent a large chunk of the evening playing black jack. It was my first time playing black jack, but luckily the dealer was very sweet and gave me hints about what I should do. {Apparently that doesn’t happen in Vegas! Haha.}

I’ve been busy preparing for my cousin Julie’s bridal shower next weekend. Longtime blog readers might be experiencing deja vu: last Christmas I threw a bridal shower for Julie’s sister, my cousin Amanda. That party turned out beautifully and a lot of fun was had by all. This year, it’s Julie’s turn!

The rest of the weekend has been spent running errands, wrapping presents, baking, decorating the house for Christmas, watching made-for-TV holiday movies, and goofing around with Mr. Murdog.

Hope you’re having a productive and/or relaxing weekend! Now, on to goals …

Here’s how I did on my goals for the week of 12/1:
– write 15 pages of new material
– prepare for Steinbeck Center reading on Wedsnesday
– exercise at least twice
– finish reading Girls in White Dresses {this book is aaaamazing!}
– order holiday cards
– publicize Winter Writing Camp
– connect with two friends

Here are my goals for the week of 12/15:
– write 10 pages of new material
– take cookies & cards to the nursing home
– exercise at least twice
– finish reading The Tea Rose
– order holiday cards
– teach a fantastic Winter Writing Camp
– throw a wonderful bridal shower for my cousin Julie
– connect with two friends

And here are some of my favorite holiday treat recipes!
– aunt elaine’s peanut butter blossoms
– mom’s classic chocolate chip cookies
– eggnog cookies w/buttercream frosting
– gluten-free oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
– gramps’ favorite lemon bars
– reeses pb cup brownies
– chocolate-covered popcorn
– white chocolate pretzels

Questions for the day:

• What are you thankful for this holiday season
• What are your favorite holiday cookie recipes?
• What are your goals for this upcoming week?