Last weekend we traveled to see some good friends for a holiday party. I decided that Nora and I should decorate Christmas cookies for the event, as much for the experience of it as for the purpose of bringing something to the gathering - that is, besides J and his cocktail making skills. Somehow we only ate two cookies during the decorating process. I know. I can't believe it either. So I decided to take a picture because I was so proud of how uncharacteristically calm we were in the face of cookies WITH ICING ON THEM.

This week we're simply relaxing in anticipation of the holiday. I'm looking forward to my brother arriving at the house later this week because I'm happy we get to spend Christmas with him but also because he is really excited about "cooking lots of awesome things." I needn't clarify that I am totally ok with that.

...should be more along the lines of, "For Whom the Bell Tolls," by Ernest Hemingway, except not totally exactly true, as I am reading an average of four to five pages every two weeks, and the other night I went upstairs in my bedroom and got all comfortable on the bed for a minute with this mystery/suspense novel I'd randomly picked up from the bookshelf and I was like, "Huh, maybe I'll just take a peek," and then like 40 minutes later I'd read about 100 pages and, let's face it, I was gonna finish it before I'd return to Hemingway which, although magnificent, isn't what I'd call a "page turner," but I'm too ashamed to admit to you guys that I - an English major and once-total-nerd-as-far-as-literature-was-concerned - is having such a hard time finishing this one little (but not that little) book, so I'll just leave it up there until I do, thus making myself accountable to the whole entire online world.

Both of us showing unusual levels of restraint

The "I am reading..." tab