Our Gift to Christ this Christmas season

Here is the cleaning crew after our two hours of cleaning - look we are all smiling. It was a great feeling to be a part of something that made a postive difference.

After stacking tables, putting volleyball nets in tubs and all other general tidying this is the result. The stage is still an ugly place, but at least it is not a hazardous zone for now.

This is the after photo. As I said - only a woman's touch.

This is the before photo. This is what happens when no one cares.

This was how the stage looked before we started.

Apron #2

This is my second apron. I used the same pattern , but I should try a different view if I make another one. The daughter of my friend who I gave the last apron to really liked her Mom's. I decided I had another reason to sew another one. Found out her daughter's favorite color "electric blue" and this is what I came up with. The button says "smile".

Christmas 2011 humble decorating

Here is my decorating method as taught to me by my Home Interiors Consultants from 25 years ago. You place your decorations among your regular decor. So here you have it.

Fred buys me poinsettas every year. There are three lush and beautiful plants plus the second little scrawny one is the one I took to work and over the first weekend it shriveled up. I brought it home and am trying to revive it.

Scott made this for us one Christmas. By the looks of the tee shirt he is wearing it was around 1997. I think it's the tee shirt that had the name Derek on it. That was the name of Corinne's boyfriend that year.

This is our little 4.5 foot artificial tree. Since Scott is not home to put together our big one....this is it. At our staff Christmas party on Friday, the two little trees there were decorated with just poinsetta picks and I thought how darling and easy that looked. So I dug out my Home Interiors poinsetta candle rings and this is the result. Just as pretty and easy.

This is a little angel star ornament given to me by a work friend in recent years that I found today. I thought it was a perfect topper for our little tree.

The end.

Suzy Foodie Maker

I'm not sure why I got the idea to make a quiche for today. I haven't made it in years.... So I bought the swiss cheese last night. I knew I had frozen pie crusts and chopped up ham at home in the freezer. So before church I pulled out a box of fiber blueberry muffin mix, but it did not include the streusel topping. What's a muffin especially when next to an egg dish without streusel. Suzy came out and looked up a recipe in a cookbook and whipped up a special home made batch of buttery, sugary topping. Thus I walked into the church right at start time.

After church I pulled out the pie crusts - argh - expired like February 2011. Pulled out my mother in law's pie crust recipe. No plain shortening....the can downstairs expired in 2008. So I went ahead and used butter flavor shortening that was good. Do you see a pattern here? I don't bake anymore. boo hoo....

Even though this is a picture of leftover food.....it was quite heavenly and I always feel so good when I go to the extra effort to make something from scratch.

I'm finished!

It's hard to believe, but I bought this fabric I think last Christmas when Shannon and I went shopping at JoAnns. Shannon started making these darling aprons and I thought it was a great little project. So now a year later, I finally finished it. It took two evenings. Just the perfect amount of time for such a cute product.

In case you forgot.....I love PINK!

Aren't these buttons just cute as can be?

Thanksgiving moments

Here is my Dad. I take him for granted. He can do anything. I called him in the morning and asked if he had potatoes because I only had one. He said he would get some and get them ready. Then I called him back and asked if he could bake us a loaf of his homemade bread for dinner. He said sure! He comes over with his electric knife and heavy duty turkey carving gloves. He makes the mashed potatoes, home made gravy and carves the turkey. We actually worked quite well together in the kitchen at the same time. I had the easy stuff to do. I love my Dad. He is a great man. This is Fred and Bryce. We know Bryce from the time we served in the Young Single Adult Ward. He is a Yeoman in the navy. He holds a special place in our hearts. Fred finally had someone to play some Wii games with.

Disney's The Lion King Las Vegas style

Here is Shannon & I after the show.

This is the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino that we went to see the show.

The costumes were amazing and the production was remarkable.