The Guessing Game...........

see if you can guess what this is a picture of???





Our Christmas Tree 2008!!! I had some fun with adding red lights with the white ones wrapping around some ribbon I had left from last year...... adding some big chunky stars some big bells, clumping the snowflakes together and wal-- la our Tree!!








Ok the next one....... Guess what this is?





Looks like a place setting

A great table center piece............

The dinner party!!

I cooked dinner for 10 cute teens! Before they got all dressed up to go to the Christmas Dance......






The handsome waiter!!!!!!!!!



The cute cook!
The show stopper desert!!
The hungry guests..........





The four DUDES all dressed up and making it through the grueling pictures!! Come on guys it's not that BAD!!










Last one.......... Guess what this is???




keep guessing.........


you got it yet??





Big CLUE!!




Bigger CLUE............




That's right making cookies with Ali!! Isn't she the cutest little chef?? She had to have an apron on like I did so I found Alysa's apron when she was little!!



My hug a bug!!
BFF's!!



Karson really got into making cookies................




The finished product!!!!!!!!!!!




YUM YUM!!!

~Tuesday Tip!~

"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all thirty feet tall."
-Larry Wilde

W

hile Charles Dickens images might flash through your mind, most families also experience War of the Roses moments during the holiday season. A few conscious steps pre-holiday can maximize your memorable moments and minimize your headaches.

Dream a little: Take an hour to clearly think about what type of holiday you want to create and what memories you want to last. What's most important to you? We can't have the holiday we desire, if we don't know what it is we want.

Let go: Don't let external expectations extinguish your holiday spirit. Focus on the list you made each day to keep your priorities in focus.

Create versus compete: Instead of trying to out-do last year (or any other year), have a contest to add a new tradition. Choose a simple prize and have all the family members reveal their idea at dinner.

Take some time to have each family member share his or her favorite holiday moments (excluding gifts received!) from years passed. Talk about how you can all pitch in to create many more memories this season.

~Monday Makeover~

"Courage is only an accumulation of small steps."
~George Konrád

P

eople often crave a feeling of confidence to support difficult steps. Many of us would like to feel that, when faced with adversity, we act in courageous ways. Many of us search for a strong "center" to guide our actions. Konrád's quote offers the simple formula for developing courage, and it is within reach for all of us.

We build courage not by taking risks, but by taking steps. As we take small steps forward in our lives, we build confidence. We master the art of taking the small step, and then we can take a little bigger step, and then another. Courage is the art of moving forward instead of standing still.

What area of your life has been challenging you to develop courage? Where have you been caught in indecision or blame instead of action? We cannot accomplish anything, or move forward, when we are rooted in indecision. What steps will you take this month to foster a courageous life?

I am courageous. Each day I challenge myself to be my personal best.

Food 4 Thought Friday ~ This week's questions

Breakfast
Do you have a real Christmas tree or an artificial one? Much to my families demise I have to say a FAKE one! I just about consented this year but then I get scared that the house will burn down!! ( I know a bad phobia)


Lunch
Do you give a Christmas gift to your nearby neighbors each year? Yes we do! I always get a headache coming up with a new idea.


Dinner
Have you ever done the 12 Days of Christmas or had it done to you? Was it anonymous? We love to do the twelve days of Christmas! It is one of our favorite traditions. We have never been caught!!!!!!!!!!!!


Midnight Snack
What time do you typically get to bed on Christmas Eve? It is usually pretty late! Even though my kids are big I still like to put out the milk and cookies and watch as Santa places out a few surprises!!!!!!!!!


Recipe for this Week (instead of your recipe for life - what is it for just this week?)
It is taken from an address by President Thomas S. Monson~

If we are to have the very best Christmas ever, we must listen for the sound of sandaled feet. We must reach out for the Carpenter’s hand. With every step we take in His footsteps, we abandon a doubt and gain a truth.

It was said of Jesus of Nazareth that He “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Do we have the determination to do likewise? One line of holy writ contains a tribute to our Lord and Savior, of whom it was said, He “went about doing good … ; for God was with him.”

My prayer is that at this Christmas season and all the Christmastimes to come, we may follow in His footsteps. Then each Christmas will be the best Christmas ever.

PLEASE PLAY !!!! Come on you know you want to!

Friday Fillins~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Friends are my sanity.

2. Good health; it's the only way to go.

3. I'm ready for snow! I love snow for the holidays, it's just not the same with out it.

4. spices are one of my favorite perfumes or aftershaves or smells.

5. The oldest ornament I have are The ones my kids made in school.

6. Take some flour, sugar, eggs,soda and milk, mix it all together and you have sugar cookies!!!!!.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to taking care of John (he had a tooth pulled), tomorrow my plans include making sugar cookies with Ali and Karson, making dinner for Alex and 9 friends before they go to the dance and Sunday, I want to finish our puzzle! Of course after we go to church!!

Tuesday Tip~
"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!"-Charles Dickens

O

ften we think "visually" when decorating, but sound and scent both appeal to the senses, too, and can help set the stage for the holidays.

Fa, la, la, la, la: Dig out your Christmas music or find a local station that carries twenty-four hour Christmas music. Whenever you are at home, make sure to turn on some Christmas carols in the background.

Jingle all the way: Adding jingle bells to your main doors is another way to use sound in your decorating.

Simmer Scents: Kitchen potpourri is easy to make and a delight to have filtering throughout the house. Place a pot on the simmer burner of your range. Add oranges studded with cloves and cinnamon sticks to some water. Let the pot simmer on a cold winter day, to infuse your house with spicy aromas and a little extra humidity.

Candles: Burn candles or use air fresheners scented with cinnamon, cranberry, orange, pine, coffee, cocoa, cider, or other scents loved by your family.

For the birds: Use bread dough to make circular wreaths. Press wild-bird seed into the wreaths, then bake as directed. Tie a ribbon and Christmas bow for hanging. Decorate an outdoor tree for a feather-friendly holiday.

Tell me your holiday tips to tease the senses........

Happy Birthday Kim! What a fun sister! Kim was born into our family after I was married! My mom made the announcement that she was having Kim the night before I got married!!!! I was there when Kim was born, in fact the doctor let me cut the cord!! Even though I am 22 years older than Kim and feel more like her mother than sister she has been a great friend and soooooooo much fun to be with. Now in my old age Kim keeps me hip. Always letting me borrow accessories and teaching me the latest trends. Kim is a student at Utah State. She is smart, creative and soooooo beautiful!. She is such a great aunt to my kids!!!!!!! They have grown up together and have become great friends. We love you Kim and hope you have a great day!!!!!!!!!!

"The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing."-Michael E. Gerber

W

hen we create our lives, we are filled with energy. When we passively react to our lives or wait for "our ship to come in," we become tired and bored.

Just like everyone else on this planet, I have a long list of sorrowful experiences that could leave me feeling pessimistic, with a chip on my shoulder. I, like everyone else, have excuses that could allow me to reasonably choose to wait for life to bring me something instead of going out and risking heart and soul day after day.

You know what, though? When we disengage and become passive, we also become negative and complain a lot. I tried it once and got tired of listening to myself within two days. I didn't want to be around myself, so why would anyone else-or life's gifts-want to come to me? Furthermore, doubting life and doubting ourselves is a dark place. No one can bring the light to get out of that darkness to you. You have to choose to ignite the light-and you have to choose that day, after day, after day. It is the only way to live fully.

No matter what obstacles you face or have faced, realize you can't live fully if you choose to stay in the darkness. And if you choose to stay in the darkness, darkness is all you will see. There is always a light. Realize that you have the power to light up your life.