Attended the Walnut Beach Tree Lighting Ceremony & Even Waited for Santa Who Was Caught on I-95 Traffic. Great Evening for a Sunday Night Meal

I had brie, chicken, and mushrooms in the fridge and knew I wanted to make a dish, so I cooked the shrooms win wine sauce, got sage, thyme, and oregano, simmered the spinach and baked it all together in a cream sauce made with the brie. Let's just say it came out stupendous and after we heard Boys & Girls Club singers do many carols, including the 12 Days of Christmas, and Santa finally arrived, the tree was lit (although I had to take this photo because we left before Santa finished with the kids.

We lit Pam's tree and called it a night. I invited Bev, Leo, and Oona to Pam's for dinner to eat the entree, although I had no idea how it would turn out. It came out delicious.

I spent the day peer-reviewing articles, cooking (of course), and grading as a few more materials came in. I also folded and put away laundry, walked the dog (I could tell it warmed up because my feet were frozen to the sidewalk), and read some more YA texts. I also booked a few writers for Spring episodes of The Write Time.

I love the lights. I love driving at night to see all the lights and sitting in my living room to appreciate my own. Sadly, Karal stayed behind this evening as her energy can be a tad bit too much when having friendly gatherings.

It's the last week for graduate courses (although mine have ended) and I met with a few students to cover their final work for the semester. My house smells divine, and I'm guessing that was the brie, wine, and spices. The scent is magical. I'm also thankful to Bev for bringing great Tuscan bread which was awesome to soak up the sauce and will be wonderful with this morning's toast.

Yep. Another Monday. But we got this.