I am woman - watch me accomplish

Yesterday was my day to get lots done and fill fulfilled. My day started at the standard hour of 4:40 am, but I didn't make it to the gym yesterday (or at all this week) because I have been grading papers until my brain hurts. I have discovered that my new mission starting in January is going to be to teach students the great functionality of a period. Apparently learning it every year since first grade hasn't been enough exposure.

My freshman classes are presenting theme parks (there have been several that have been simply amazing!) and I wrote up a poetry test for my creative writing class, watched some more presentations and headed home, deciding that if I read one more mystery I was going to start having aggravating results on my students grades. When I got home, I whipped up some sweet roll dough, set it in the oven to rise, took Ellie to dance, found some stocking stuffers and presents for Will and Ellie's school teachers, picked up Elllie, grabbed Papa Murphy's on the way home and ate dinner.

When I got home, Enoch, Will and Catie were watching Swiss Family Robinson for the firs time. Those of you who are familiar, know that when the pirates are attacking, the family runs up the hill and has various traps, etc. set up to stop the pirate's advances. Will watched with great anticipation and excitement, smiling and laughing out loud many times, but when the dad chopped the ropes holding the logs up, Will jumped up with his arms in the "touchdown" position and screamed "YES!!!" Oh, it was a great moment.

Enoch and I started making braided pastries after that - some for the six ladies I teach in the English department with and several for the families that Enoch has worked closely with throughout this last year. I got 14 of them made, some smaller than others, all glazed, covered and ready to be delivered today. In between here, I had tithing settlement (with the additionaly chit-chat and fun conversation), Enoch's parents came to look at some lights in our garage (because I'm married to a contractor without a shop and everything, therefore, must go in my garage), negotiated our plans for today (because our babysitter is taking her son to catch a flight to spend the holidays with his dad), got the kids in bed, cleaned up the kitchen and got to bed at about 11.

I love days like this, even when I feel exhausted, because of the great satisfaction of a day well spent. The thought that is slightly daunting is that I could probably have two to three more before Sunday, but that's why Diet Coke was created, right?

My list before Christmas

My sister-in-law Harmony was mentioning on her blog that she had made a list of stuff to do before Christmas, and I thought that I should probably do that too, so I decided to post it here - lucky you for getting to read my list :)

1. Finish Christmas shopping - I think I just have to take my kids to buy presents for each other and Enoch, try to find something for my mom (since I know her so well that I bought her the same thing as she bought herself for her one Christmas item this year) my mother-in-law, my sister's family and something for the parents in my sister-in-laws family.

2. Get all the And Then There Were None tests and 3-6 page mysteries graded, along with all the miscellaneous stuff (I really want to have all my grades caught up by the end of this week)

3. I would like to make some really fun Christmas cookies. Kraftfoods has some really fun ones this year that are shaped like candy canes, etc. and since I have a Ellie who LOVES to bake, I thought that it would be a good thing to do.

4. Finish fine tuning the Christmas program and practice the other three songs that I'm now doing for the other Christmas program (the dinner one, not the sacrament one)

5. Theoretically write a Christmas letter... we'll see how that one goes. I tend to write those but then forget to send them off...don't be at all surprised if that great Christmas letter ends up on this and the myfamily website.

6. Bake braided pastries to take around to neighbors, co-workers, etc.

7. Clean my dang bedroom!! That seems to be the last thing I get to on all my lists - probably because it is my least favorite thing.

8. Get kids pictures taken - Will got some with his first grade class, but they cost almost three times more than if I just take them to WalMart so I will just take all three kids...I may even decide to just take them myself.

9. Update my blog with all the fun things that took place this last weekend but my camera is at my house and it will probably take a couple of entries to get all the different aspects covered. Check back soon for those updates.

Well, that looks like my list of stuff to do before Christmas...over the Christmas break is a whole different idea, but I figure I'll just take it two weeks at a time. :)