Sure. I keep saying if I ever get time, I'm going to write a book about my own & the foster care animals I've had. If you have a 150 lb drooling dog that sheds hairballs the size of tumbleweeds, you better have a sense of humor about it. (grin) Linda

Okay - My china pattern is Lenox Holiday. I have been collecting it forever, I believe it was the first Lenox holiday pattern offered. The chargers are red plastic from CVS at a steal, and gold beaded placemats are from Target, not such a steal, but I loved them and know I'll get my money's worth. The hurricanes are from Williams-Sonoma a few years ago. This year W/S advertised "pillar sleeves" which come in 3 sizes. I had to wait a bit as the size I wanted was backordered. The sleeves work well when you want to "decorate" the hurricanes. Very versitile for any season! One thing to keep in mind with the sleeves, they do not have bottoms (open at both ends) so I improvised and used 2 of those small flavored olive oil dishes. They are white, but you can't see them at all when decorated, and they did stabilize the candles in the hurricane. I founds lots of ideas of what to use in the hurricanes. The decorated hurricanes are apparently popular as I saw them in many different catalogs during the holidays between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wanted to use the hurricanes in the dining room, but they seemed bland with just the pillar candle. Voila, W/S came up with an option! Thanks to all for the kind comments!

This looked so festive. I have always wanted to "do" pretty table, but year after year we eat off of disposables due to the number of us and the work. I have a set of china (not expensive) but one that my parents bought me in a whole set when I got married 36 years ago. I had registered a nice set of pottery at that time because it was more practical. We enjoyed it for many years. Since so many of my friends had registered both china and pottery, my Mom wanted me to have some. My set came from Montgomery Wards and is a service for 12. I think I have used it once. I vow to use it this next year some. I have been on a binge since Christmas to buy some pretty tablecloths and napkins. I have found some awesome deals and will try my hand at some tables. (But, I am not really creative.) I just love looking at all the tablescapes here, I have been so envious of all the pretty dishes and the variety of them. I don't have a clue of where I would store more. But, tonight it hit me that I could pick up only two or maybe some in sets of four and have a variety. It is just DH and me at home, except that DD (adult) is living with us at the moment. Betty, I was in CVS today and saw those blue snowman, snowflake dishes. They are adorable. I may just have to go and pick up a few tomorrow. Also, if you have a Kroger in your area, check them out. Ours has glassware that is clear and has blue and white snowflakes. I saw them a couple of days ago and they had a lot and they were cheap. However, I don't have anything blue. Now, I realize that I could pick up a nice set of dishes between there and CVS. Thanks for the inspiration. I also have a set of holiday dishes I got last year at the Salvation Army TS and some more at a church TS. They are both white and feature a Christmas tree in the center. They don't match, but do coordinate. I didn't even unpack them this year, but I will do so next year. I know have tablecloths and napkins for them. You ladies rock!

Here is the recipe for Tiramisu, from Bice Ristorante in Chicago; courtesy of the Infant Welfare Society cookbook. 4 cups strong coffee or espresso, cooled (I find I have extra of this mixture so you can probably cut it down) 1/2 C rum 1/2 C Kahlua 3 C sugar, divided 3 packages (24 each) lady fingers (the hard Italian style) 4 C whipping cream 2 lbs mascarpone cheese Strega liqueur, to taste (I skip this) 1 t vanilla 7 eggs, well beaten Cocoa powder Powdered sugar Chocolate shavings Line bottom and long sides of a 15x10" jelly roll pan with parchment paper or flour and butter bottom and sides of pan. (I just use a regular glass baking dish 9 x 13 or largest I have, and use a couple as needed; I skip the parchment and the flour/butter.) Combine coffee, rum, Kahlua and 2 C sugar in bowl. Dip lady fingers in coffee mixture. Cover bottom of the pan with lady fingers. (Note, if you have the soft lady fingers and they fall apart, just line the bottom of the pan with lady fingers and sprinkle the espresso mixture over until they are fairly moist.) Cheese layer: Whip cream with mascarpone cheese, 1 C sugar, liqueur and vanilla. Add eggs and mix well. Spread half of the cheese mixture over the lady fingers. Dip the remaining lady fingers into the coffee mixture and layer over the cheese mixture. The fourth layer is the remaining cheese mixture spread over the lady fingers. Chill. To serve: sift powdered cocoa over the top, then sift powdered sugar on top. Top with chocolate shavings and serve. Note: Here's how I make chocolate shavings; either from Martha Stewart or New Basics. Melt good quality dark chocolate and paint it in a thin layer onto the bottom of a smooth bottom pan. Cool in refrigerator for just a few minutes (until no shiny melty spots show.) Run a small metal spatula along the bottom of the pan in thin strips to form curls. If the chocolate shatters and crumbles into little bits it's too cold; let sit at room temp for a minute. If it smears, it's too warm and needs to be chilled a bit more. HTH!