December Goals!

 

Well, my favorite month has come and gone. I am happy to report that all birthdays and anniversaries were celebrated successfully. My first Tennessee football game was so much fun, despite the Vols loss. We are headed into the month of December with brutally cold temps here in Raleigh, and a very full calendar ahead!

On the Calendar this Month:

1. I have 25 activities or special things planned for Cam now through Christmas.  Tomorrow on the blog I will share my specific Christmas advent calendar of events in case you want to borrow some ideas.

2. A lot of time in the kitchen! Here's a lineup of things I am making and baking this month: Christmas cookies, cinnamon rolls, hot chocolate bombs, peanut butter balls, chocolate chess pie, bacon-wrapped crackers, and graham cracker praline. 

What I read in November:

The Correspondent - #8 on the Amazon charts this week. This is actually authored by someone in Winston Salem and she lives in the same neighborhood as a dear friend of mine. Very neat! I enjoyed this book, but maybe not as much as I thought I would given it's hype. Maybe my expectations were a bit high. It was very good. The entire book is written as letters - loved the concept and the connection you as the reader feel to the main character as you see life unfold through her letters and e-mails.

What I'm Loving Lately:

I've done most of my gift shopping already! I really felt good about my ideas for this year and mostly got everything situated so that I won't be doing any last-minute shopping. 

Goals for December:

1. Enjoy the Christmas season with a carefree attitude and lack of stress. Even though we have so much to pack in these next few weeks, everything is meant to be fun and exciting. I am ready to abort mission on anything that I feel will add stress to my day. 

2. Mail Christmas cards and - new this year! - write personal notes with each one. I will admit that I was influenced by my reading of The Correspondent. :)

3. Make cinnamon rolls for neighbor Christmas gifts. 

I'm a long-time fan of The Pioneer Woman and this was her mom's tradition growing up. She has written about it a lot on her blog and talked about it numerous times on her TV show. I've made the recipe before and they are without a doubt the best cinnamon rolls I've ever eaten. I will never forget the hilarious reaction I received from our friends when they ate them at the Outer Banks one year - these cinnamon rolls where inhaled and loved by all! I want these cinnamon rolls to become a tradition in my own family, too! They are super easy but the process is a bit time-consuming. 

Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Notes on Cinnamon Rolls