Angel Tree Distribution

What an incredible experience! I've bought Angel Tree gifts before, but I've never been on this side of things. Wow. If you get the opportunity to do so, volunteer, it will change you and your outlook on Christmas, giving and charity! We were there from 8:30am to 6:00pm. It was a long day for me, but so worth it. I started out by handing out the assigned gifts to the recipients. Then the Salvation Army (Major is his title I think) guy in charge asked me to do his job of checking everyone in while he did his interview with the TV channel. So there I remained for the rest of the day. It was a little easier on me, no lifting. The other volunteers were so friendly and all worked their patooties off. There was a slow peiord right after lunch where we all pitched in to fill requests for the tags not picked on the public trees. It was fun to shop from all of the donations for these kids. Even though the choices were limited. I definitely learned what items to donate for next year. Boy things for sure. We seemed to be lacking toys and clothing items for boys. Also, items for both boys and girls ages 11 and 12. The older children don't receive as much as the little ones do. They also need more clothes and specifically shoes. Lastly, the most simple stuff like wrapping paper and tape. Most of these families can't even afford paper to wrap their gifts. Kristin and I gave money to a lady asking for paper so she could go buy some. The recipients were so humble and thankful. There were a few who cried when they saw the gifts that their children would be opening on Christmas morning. That was very thouching to see. The Salvation Army provided lunch which was so nice of them. My parents went on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Kristin went on Wednesday and Thursday. Cass and I just went on Wednesday. I was pretty beat up today, but of course we were both wishing we would have gone with the rest of them. Eric went down with Kristin today. They are there now, I hope he is enjoying the experience. I am so happy that I was able to help. I cannot wait for next year.

Celebrating with the Men

Gourmet Girls was last week and as usual we were awesome! We invited our Dad's or brothers or male friends to come along and taste the goodness. I think they enjoyed themselves. My dad and Kathryn's dad talked the whole time like a couple of teenage girls. Even had to shoosh them up at one point, lol. They both declared that the dad's should come every month to help us vote for the favorites. They are a funny two they are. Our theme was Sweet & Savory (appetizers). We each had to bring a sweet and savory appetizer and recipe cards for everyone. It was quite the event. I got home with some wingdingers though. I've already made one of the recipes. (Sweet Pretzel Nuggets) Of course I need to share some recipes with you, here are a few...

KATHRYN

PEPPERMINT BARK POPCORN
16-20 cups popped popcorn
1 lb. white almond bark
1-2 tsp. peppermint extract
1 box candy canes, crushed
3/4 cups semisweet choclolate chips, melted

Pop popcorn, remove any unpopped kernels. Melt almond bark, add candy canes and extract. Pour over popcorn and toss to coat. Spread out on tin foil to dry. Drizzle with semisweet chocolate, set sit until dry.

JEN

SAVORY PARMESAN BITES
1-8oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup parmesan cheese, grate and divided
2-8oz. cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven to 350. Beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup of the parmesan with mixer until well blended. Separate the dough into 8 rectangles; seal seams. Spread cream cheese mixture onto dough and top with peppers and parsley. Fold each rectangle lengthwise into thirds to enclose filling. Cut into 4 squares. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Top with remaining parmesan. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

JILL

PUMPKIN DIP
1-6oz. container whipped cream cheese
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. maple syrup

Mix cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, syrup and cinnamon with mixer until smooth. Cover and chill for 30 minutes. Serve with apples and ginger cookies.

VANESSA

LAVA FLOW
3 pints strawberries
1-1/2 cups lime juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup pineapple juice
2oz. coconut cream (not milk)
1 banana

Combine the strawberries, lime juice and sugar in a blender and puree. Put the mixture into the freezer until very slushy. Blend the pineapple juice, coconut cream and banana in a blender until smooth. Spoon the smemi-frozen strawberry lava into the bottom of a glass until 1/3 full. Pour the pineapple mixture on top of the strawberry lava. Top with more strawberry lava. Garnish with a straw and a slice of pineapple or lime.

**Can add alcohol if desired; vodka, rum or tequila.

VANESSA

TANGY CANNELLINI BEAN DIP
2 cups cannellini beans (canned)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup e-v olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
fresh herbs (optional)

Drain and rinse beans. Puree all of the ingredients together in a food processor. Mix in fresh chopped herbs such as parsley, rosemary or thyme if desired. Serve with toasted pita triangles or pita chips.

MICHELE

SOY SESAME CHEESE SPREAD
1-8oz. bar cream cheese
soy sauce
sesame seeds
crackers

In a dish soak the bar of cream cheese in soy sauce for 8-12 hours. Press bar of cream cheese into sesame seeds completely covering the cheese. Place on a platter and serve with crackers.

CHRISTY

CLAM DIP
2-8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened
2 cans chopped clams

Drain clams, reserving liquid. Stir cream cheese until smooth; add in clams and mix until combined. Add reserved liquid fromt he clams until consistency is smooth and "dippable." Let sit in fridge overnight. Serve with chips.

AMY

SWEET PRETZEL NUGGETS
1-16oz. bag Pretzel Nuggets
2/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Place pretzels in a microwave safe bowl. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Pour mixture over pretzels. Toss to coat. Microwave uncovered on high for 1-2 minutes. Stir. Microwave 2-3 minutes longer, stirring after each minute. Cook until oil is absorbed. Cool to room temperature. Store in airtight container.

**I added a sprinkle of nutmeg, ginger and clove for the holidays. It was very tasty.

books

Today I went to Barnes & Noble. I went with the intention of buying a new Barbara Ann Kipfer book, 8,789 Words of Wisdom. Of course they had all of her books except that one, ha. I bought David Copperfield by Charles Dickens instead. I can't wait to start reading it. I'm a little intimidated by it, but excited at the same time. I love going to B&N, any book store for that matter. It's like a toy store for me. Surrounded by all of those books. I stopped and learned about the Nook's too. I think I'm ready to break down and get one. I've been holding out. Couldn't get used to the idea of not having the actual book in my hand, to own it and lend it out. Lending it out is a big one. I get so much joy out of sharing my books with others. It also makes me feel like I get my moneys worth out of them. But, today, browsing through the many books that I wanted to read I realized how expensive they are and how cheap I am. LOL! I usually buy my books from Half.com. They are used, but in brand new condition and just as the address suggests, half the price. I put everything back on the shelf. I couldn't bring my self to pay $15 or more for a book. Yikes. The Nook is an investment that I think works in my favor in the end. I read a ton, and I think I would come out ahead. The books aren't usually more than $10. And it is so convenient. My mom has a Kindle that I have borrowed and boy was it easy and addictive. With the Nook you can share books with other Nook owners. My girlfriend in NJ has a Nook and she also loves to read. It would be nice to share with her. So, I think this is it. Kind of a big deal for me, the Nook it is...now I just need $199 to start my new adventure. Soon.

14,000 Things To Be Happy About

My mom bought me the most wonderful book back when I was admitted to Stanford for my bone marrow transplant. The first day I was there, before I was confined to my room, she pushed me in the wheel chair down to the gift shop. Stanford's gift shop is amazing. We found this book by Barbara Ann Kipfer, "14,000 THINGS TO BE HAPPY ABOUT." It's just a collection of random things that made her happy. She would record them in notebooks. It is such a nice escape and it really doesn't lighten the load and make you smile. I wnt through the book one time and marked everything that made me smile. Then I went back a year later and did it again. It's so interesting how you can mark different things at different times. I guess based on your current place in your life. Unfortunately my original copy was lost, but I've since replaced it. I just finished marking this copy and it's taken quite a while to get through it. I am looking forward to going back through it again. This book is so special to me and I love sharing it with others. She also has other books: 8,789 WORDS OF WISDOM, THE WISH LIST , THE ORDER OF THINGS and more. Here are some items listed in the book...


dyeing your hair its natural color
something hand-painted
pima cotton
a fireplace big enough to stand in
a time you would like to live over just as it was
a poker game for the unwary
a photography medium that scatters light
reflection and reasoning
loose-leaf notebooks
the silent question "Why?"
puppetry
dirt farming
the smell of rain-washed hair
shuffling across the riffles of a country stream
cleaning out your wallet, purse
fountain pens and fresh paper
a small turret room at the top of the stairs
the itch that means healing has started
putting together a picnic basket
satirical passages
the leisurely feeling of New England's coastal towns
a free jukebox
a stainless-steel martini shaker
weeding between the patio rocks
a bagless vacuum cleaner
cranberry relish
seeing Haleakala Crater on Maui
a nice family movie
dividing your books into daily reading portions
a lucky fisherman
going to the family reunion
cottage cheese containers

Happy Birthday Cali

My sweet Cali Girl was born on December 6, 2008. I can't believe she's 2 years old already. I guess cause she's so small it seems as though she is still a pup. We are used to a puppy that was her size when he was born, lol. She is so silly and loving. She makes us laugh every day. She loves her mommy and that makes me feel special. I miss her when we are away and she fills a void for me that is so precious. She is joyful and I am so grateful that she is mine.

We had to shave her down cause her crazy hair was matted all over! She looks naked to me, lol. But it's grown on me and she looks so cute.

Christmas Wishes

Ok, so you know you have a Christmas Wish list in your head. You probably don't want to share it. Don't want to seem greedy. Well, I don't think I'm greedy, and it is Christmas time and my 40th birthday is just around the corner. I decided I'm going to share mine...meaningful and wantful. Truthfully, mostly wantful. lol

MEANINGFUL
peace
tolerance
cure for diseases
faith
love
friendship
end to hunger
understanding
equality
end to homelessness
forgiveness

WANTFUL
flat iron
Barnes & Noble Nook
B & N gift cards
grey knitted Uggs
Me by Ricky Martin
Decision Points by President Bush
Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls
The Wish List by Barbara An Kipfer
iTunes gift cards
carpet
pie dish (I broke the one D got me last year)
large roasting pan with rack
extra set of square and circle cake pans
tennis shoes
tea pot
external hard drive

HAPPY CHRISTMAS LISTING!

One of my favorite songs from a Christmas movie!

Decorating help...

So, I'm trying to decorate the house for Christmas this weekend and it took me two days. It is a lot of work, and I even get some help from D. I got a few giggles through it all though from my wonderful pet-children. Both the Oscar and Cali have now become obsessed with a snowman blanket and pillow that I now have to fix each morning and Oscar has taken to sleeping under the tree. They are such funny little beings. I love them.

Vegas Turkey Shoot

Cassidy had a soccer tournament in Vegas over the Thanksgiving holiday. Danny and I went with Cass and Michele to help out. We left on Thanksgiving day. We stayed at the Golden Nugget down on Fremont Street. It was pretty nice and very reasonably priced. The ride down was smooth and uneventful. Cassidy's team is no longer affiliated with the La Roca Club, they are now a part of the Forza Soccer Club. They had just enough time to get some temporary uniforms to wear to the tournament. We had a nice time despite the sharp bitter cold wind that Vegas provided. We had Italian for for Thanksgiving dinner that was delicious. (Good thing we had a mock Thanksgiving a few weeks prior when the Amador's were visiting.) We got to eat at our favorite pizza chain, Round Table. That's always a plus. Cass' team won the tournament for their division. It was a successful trip...until we had to drive home. It took us 10 hours to make a 6 1/2 hour drive. There was a snow storm and a back up from an accident in So. Utah. It was a long day. We finally got home around 2:30am. Whew. I don't want to do that ever again. Here are a few pics....