HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DAUGHTER

Has it really been 21 years? That's hard to believe. I'll never forget the first time I took you in my arms. What a wonderful feeling that was. But it seemed right and oh so natural for me to have you there. We've dragged you through many an adventure over the years and it was all the better for having you with us. We love you dearly and wish for you a wonderful day and year. May it be your best one yet.

Treasured Gifts

We had such a great Christmas this year full of gifts with lots of memories and meaning. One of the gifts that I will cherish forever is one that my daughter spent countless hours putting together. She took all of our old videos, etc. and transferred them onto DVD's. It was an amazing gift that will always me a lot to me and our family. Another gift that I loved was a picture album full of old family pictures put together by my sister. What a wonderful gift. We all spent many hours going over that album and laughing about the pictures and remembering days gone by. Another precious gift was a homemade game given to us by my sister-in-law. We didn't get it until a few weeks after Christmas which was perfect timing. Last Monday we got it out and gave it a try. I think you can tell by the following pictures that it was a success. I guess one thing that I learned this year is that gifts made with a lot of thought and by the sweat of your brow are gifts that are really treasured.









p.s. Jeff, I loved the gift you gave me and I'm glad you didn't try to make it yourself!!!

January

I personally love the month of January. For me it's a time to take stock, take a breath and take a nap! For a lot of people January is a let down. I was talking to a few friends the other day and we decided to get together this week for lunch. Being the impetuous person that I am I decided to invite them to my house for lunch. I thought it would be fun. So now I'm going to deep clean the kitchen and dining room, try a couple of new recipes for soup (the perfect food for January) and enjoy the day.

Last night I tried Sweet Potato Curried Soup. I wish I had some other people around, besides my kids and husband, to give me input. I liked the soup, Jeff ate it but didn't rave about it and the kids thought it sounded so horrible they would never even give it a chance to make that trip down their gullet.

So I'm putting out an official request for your favorite tried and true soup that you think would add a little sparkle to my luncheon and that I could make - but hurry, it is on Thursday.