Christmas Cookies, My Secret Santa Box, and a Holiday Selfie

If you know any teachers, you know we live for Christmas break. School events pile on top of each other day after day during the school year until we can't remember when we have taken a good deep breath.

Last week I did lots of deep breathing. Happily.

Selfies are harder than they look. Especially if you are trying to include two non-social-media types and a sleeping baby. But, somehow, everyone was smiling. 

I only wish our Chicago tribe could have stuck their heads into the shot, but maybe next Christmas. 

My sweet daughter-in-law came over one day and we baked and decorated cookies. (The blue are coconut, the yellow lemon, the red peppermint, the orange are orange, and the green almond.)

We made up some of my Super Secret Prize-Winning Chocolate Chip Cookies, too. (Back when I was a stay-at-home mom, my recipe won second prize in a contest at Wal-Mart. I won a mixer.)

I also baked some pumpkin bread, some homemade cinnamon rolls, and the aptly-named Angel Biscuits. We shared a delightful Christmas morning brunch with family. For the first time, I used my mom's dishes. The table was lovely, I think.

My Secret Santa box arrived. Did I get the best Secret Santa of all? I'm pretty sure I did. Coffee, toffee, three wonderful books, and, yes, that's a real Eiffel Tower from Paris. Thank you, JMill at JMill Wanders!

Believe it or not, both my husband and my son and daughter-in-law got me books for Christmas. 

Here was another surprise. My husband is a gem cutter, and he cut a gemstone for me from one of the bigger garnets I found in Montana last summer!

Lots of other wonderful surprises, too. Gifts from the children at school including a homemade book. A rosary from Jerusalem. A handmade beaded cross. Beautiful scarves. 

But the best gift this year, of course, is my darling Annie. 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them,and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book. Click here to join the Salon.

The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news and recap the past week.

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share books that we found in our mailboxes last week. 

 It is now being hosted here.

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which you can share the books you've acquired.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between!  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from! I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is now being hosted at The Book Date.