OH, Tracy! That is SO SWEET!!! Thank you! I've been cookin' up a storm! Enough complaining about making all the fudge for that vendor, as Dave called and told me that someone up there wanted to order 3 pounds of it from me!!! Yippee! So, had to make more fudge, plus that which my hubby wants to put in the "care packages" that we are giving to all the families on my side. And cookies... I had to run the fudge up to Des Moines today, but I had alterior motives for offering to do that - I wanted to badly to go to Michaels and get William some good art stuff. He is such a drawer! I got him a good sketch book, a set of oil pastels, a set of chalk pastels, and some good pencils and an artist eraser. It was all on the cheaper side - each of the pastel sets was $4.99 - no biggy compared to the sets I saw that were upwards of $80!! Anyway, last year I got him one of the cheap artist kid sets, and he has loved that thing! So, this year we decided to get him some "real" artist things. I still want to get some charcoal pencils for him, as I forgot to get those today - Lily was a bit distracting. Oh, and then I got Elizabeth one of the art sets that I got William last year, because she was so envious of that! She'll love it! I am getting so frustrated on waiting on packages!!! I waited until the last minute, but paid the crazy prices people wanted to get it shipped Priority, and figured if it was sent on Monday or Tuesday, I should get it in time! Only one of the 5 packages has made it yet! Then, the stuff I ordered from Amazon for my nieces and nephews - one of the boxes arrived as planned today, but there was one box that was supposed to arrive yesterday, and was in Indianapolis as of this morning. Later today is said leaving Des Moines and out for delivery. So, I watched and watched and watched - finally I looked again around 7 this evening, and it said "Checked back into Des Moines due to external prolems" I'm like, WHAT???? Ugh! Anyway, hopefully it will get here tomorrow or Monday!!! It has the stuff for all my nephews!! Would you believe I have 7 neices and nephews, and not one is over the age of 3??!! Crazy, huh? And here I am with my oldest being 14, and even having stepsons 22 and 23 (or something like that - my brain's not all here this evening!) Anyway, I am hoping my packages arrive, as they are ALL the video games I ordered for my boys!!! If not, I'll be having to go out and buy them new! Oh, then today I got an email with some really good deals for Lily at Amazon, plus William mentioned on other Bionicle he wanted (and I wanted to get, as all the other stuff he put on his list were video games) - but of course to get it shipped now for Chirstmas is $26!! So, we decided to order the goodies, and save the ones for Lily and put a note in William's stocking, saying that he has one more gift coming that's a surprise. That will keep him suspenceful! Okay, the boys have to be asleep by now, so it's safe to go down and get their stuff! Oh, Tracy, the supper sounds so nice! I'm happy you and Ed got to go out!!! My kids have that habit of trying to lick their plates - we always say, "You are NOT a dog!!" : ) (But it makes me feel good that they liked their food so much!) Okay, did I write enough to make up for my absence?? Becki

Our traditions when I was a child were fairly simple and mostly revolved around gathering family (grandparents, aunts, uncles cousins and honorary family) at a table for the meal and not a lot of other fanfare. Foods were specific to the holiday and pretty consistent over the years although my mom did love to try new things. Unfortunately the response more often than not, was to stick with the tried and true - kids can be so mean!! We didn't make big productions out of many of the holidays that are big events now. Halloween involved carving a pumpkin for/with each child then shoo-ing us out the door to trick or treat in whatever homemade costumes we came up with from the dress-up closet. My parents would never decorate our house and it never felt like anything was missing in our lives. Fourth of July was our village parade (with our decorated bikes) and speeches, then that night the fireworks. Memorial Day was more somber but also a village event. Being Jewish, I loved being invited to decorate trees with friends, but we had 8 nights of Hanukkah and the last night was the big family event with games, the traditional meal and presents. But other than the menorah and candles, no decorations. Passover was a huge production (I understand now how much work it entails), the High Holidays meant new outfits for temple, eating, fasting, lots of family in and out for the various services. My DH is not Jewish and came from a whole different set of (religious) traditions. Oddly, he didn't like many of them, even as a child and stopped participating as an adult. Of course, I get the blame for that! We forged new traditions with our sons, celebrating Hanumas or Christmakah. We topped our tree with a Jewish star for many years, until I realized no one else cared about the tree but me and when I stopped buying one they all said 'what took you so long?!' Last year we went to Washington for Thanksgiving. Our older son lives there in a tiny apartment in a national park. Tiny as in you can sit on the foot of the bed and open the refrigerator! Our younger son came from his college in CO, and the 5 of us (including DS1's girlfriend) stood shoulder to shoulder preparing the big meal. Nothing traditional, no turkey no stuffing no mashed potatoes - we had oysters, Dungeness crab, roast brisket..... and Mexican flan for dessert. Close quarters, limited equipment, borrowed dishes, no fancy table settings or decor but we laughed and felt so TOGETHER - it was probably the best Thanksgiving we've ever had! I love traditions but have come to appreciate the wonder of shaking things up now and then. In the end, though, it's all about the people I share the events with and have found simplifying things allows me to enjoy them much more.

LOL, lax! Had a good chuckle reading your "tips," even though I'm being very disciplined this holiday season. I've lost 10 pounds since Halloween, but boy oh boy, did I ever need to. At the company Christmas party, I only drank seltzer with lime, and ate a bit of fish and veggies. Had a few chocolates and cookies yesterday, but back to work today. Still packin' on way too many pounds :) So y'all enjoy those goodies for me! See you in January when we want to share dieting tips, LOL!

Lori, those look yummy! Artichoke Heart And Red Pepper Bites ==================================== From Perfect Entertaining website. These simple appetizers are something that we always have on hand for surprise guests. They freeze extremely well, are very easy to make, and are always popular. They go together very well with the rest of this festive menu and require no preparation time at all on a very busy day. Simply defrost and eat! Makes 60 bites 6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts in oil 6 ounces roasted bell peppers 1 small chopped onion 2 minced cloves garlic 4 eggs 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Dash hot pepper sauce Freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch baking dish. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving 2 tablespoons of the oil. Drain the roasted peppers and discard the liquid. Finely chop the artichoke hearts and peppers and set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for five minutes, or until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the remaining ingredients along with the artichoke hearts, peppers, and onion mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until pale golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into one inch squares. Tightly wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to a month. Serve cold, at room temperature, or gently reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5-10 minutes.