It's beginning to look a lot like...

The tree is decorated. We had to start from scratch since we've never had a tree before (yay for first Christmas in new house!). Thanks to our mutual dislike of excessive glitter, and hunting through craft store and Pottery Barn clearance racks, we've ended up with quite a nice nature theme. Check out the owl and the cloisonne turtle...



Shopping is almost done, but cooking has barely started. A batch of granola for weekday breakfasts. Beautiful gluten-free rolls for Christmas dinner (promptly stashed in the freezer to stay fresh and uneaten until then).



Still to come: rosemary roasted pecans, chocolate chip cookies, gluten-free lemon olive oil cookies and chocolate mint bars.

The house is cozy (complete with a cute boy and a fire in the fireplace)!



And for Saturday dinner, a venture into vegan sushi:




(Yes, this is how I amuse myself when school's out.)

Now it's Monday, and I've finished my coffee, so it's time to start cleaning for the company which arrives tonight, and to make the big shopping run for Thursday's feast. Does anyone else want to come?

The office chalkboard says...

...the semester is over! I love making lists (and re-writing them to reflect reality after the fact) so much that I needed a chalkboard so as to do it more conveniently. I included Brooks' deadlines (which I crossed off for him) because, after all, no man is an island and all that, so his progress is my progress too. This was particularly important when he was finished last Tuesday and I had to keep working until Saturday.

Now I can make a new list of Christmas projects.