Accomplishments

from this past weekend are as follows:
1) I made manicotti for my husband. When I cook, he tends to drop into a dead faint because it is a rarity. This time, he jumped for joy, and I even took some liberties with the recipe (due to the fact that I didn't have some of the ingredients). Even with the changes, he loved it! In fact, he is eating it for dinner again tonight. :)
2) We attended a Christmas party at the house of our friends, Eric and Katie Cross! It was a great time where we met new friends and caught up with old ones. It had a Mexican Fiesta theme, which I embraced due to my Texas heritage, and we brought Scott's Seven Layer Dip and I made homemade guacamole! A cool part to the evening was that they asked us to bring canned food items for a program called Micah's Bookbag. That made the party resonate with the Christmas spirit of giving.
3) I watched three movies. Yes. I sat through three movies. Well, actually, I wrapped presents and addressed Christmas cards while watching movies. :) I can't seem to just sit and watch a movie. They were "Charlie St. Cloud", "Toy Story 3", and "Eat, Pray, Love". My favorite? "Toy Story 3". Least fave? "Eat, Pray, Love".
4) I spent 6 hours grading papers.
5) We finally succeeded in taking the Christmas pic! I will post the out takes soon, which are hilarious! Per usual, the picture was taken on the timer. Scott figured out how to set it to take 3 pictures in 10 seconds, which assisted the accomplishment greatly! Hats were included this year! Hopefully, the Christmas card will be sent in the next few days!
6) I talked to my sister on the phone. This has not happened nearly enough in the past six months and it was good to touch base with her!
7) Scott and I were able to attend church together! Due to work schedule, this hasn't happened as often as we would like but it was a joy for me!
8) I took a nap. Before the nap, I laid in bed and read for 30 minutes, a book meant to be read by adults. A book where I didn't have to do intense thinking, I could just read. A book that is above the 7th grade level. (Not that those books are bad, but it is nice to realize I can live outside the confines of my occupation!)
9) Saturday morning, I slept in until 9:00 AM.
10) I struggled with a resurfacing of heartache, yet God's grace continues to be my heart's comfort. And, my husband is such a sweet gift from God. I can wait. I can rest in Him. In the meantime, Christmas is just around the corner and that makes my heart sing!

It was a fruitful yet relaxed weekend. I hope to post excerpts from my students' Santa Classified Ad writings later this week...I LOVE this time of year!