Operation $40K

May you, and your family have a blessed time this holiday season!

Nothing like the holiday classics performed at school - enjoy!

I know a picture is worth 1,000 words...so here are two pictures. Yum 1 and Yum 2. This year we ended up with minty chocolate meltaways, peanut blossoms, 7 layer bars, sandbachles, Andes candy cookies, gingersnaps, chocolate crinkles, Neapolitan cookies and more! It is SO worth it if you are a busy mom - to get together with a few friends for a few hours and have only one baking mess to clean up! Try it next year - you won't be sorry!

This is one of my favorite "go to" soups on cold winter days -- it is easy to make and warms the spirit. I hope your family likes it as much as ours does! Cheddar Beer Soup Saute the following in 1 stick of butter: 1 cup diced carrots 1 cups diced celery 1 cup chopped onion. Make a roux out of 1 cup of butter and 1 cup of flour. (combine the two and boil) In your soup pot, combine: 1 gallon chicken stock 1.5 cans of beer 1 tsp garlic powder Boil the mix and then stir in the boiling roux to thicken it. Then, add sauteed veggies. Reduce heat to a simmer and slowly add in 1 1/2 pounds of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, some parsley flakes for color and a little salt and white pepper to taste. This is where I add diced kielbasa or smoked beef sausage -- it makes it a little more interesting and rounds out the protein. There is nothing like sitting with a warm bowl of this on a snowy evening...

Need another quick little gift idea? This is a Jiffy Popcorn container that now looks like a snowman! I added a white card stock circle to the insert, chalked pink cheeks, punched black card stock for the coal button eyes and mouth. Add a quick carrot nose and a simple hat that can open up and hold a gift card and the magic is ready to gift away! The metal handle fits over a 2 litre soda bottle perfectly, when you bend it slightly and the hat opens up to hold a gift card for the local movie rental place. This is easy to make in less than one hour - and is impressive when you put it all together! Thanks for looking!

One of the things I love about the Karate Studio Ms Sarah goes to is Mr Peterson. He is SOOOOO good with the little kids! He works beautifully with their short attention spans and really instills the desire in them to improve upon their skills and be respectful at the studio, as well as at home. You can't help but like him and the students all seem so eager to please him. =) Here, you see Ms Sarah with him - she has just earned her orange belt...it's a BIG thing for such little people. What is super cool - they present the belts to the little people in front of the bigger kids in the next class. These kids all applaud the "Karate Kubs" to the extent that the little kids are beaming with pride in their accomplishment. It's a great reminder to applaud the positive in life! Everyone loves praise if you always catch them doing something right and let them know how awesome that their effort is... Who can you cheer on today?

This is the time of year to remember your blessings and give back to those who haven't had as good a year as you...it's the third year of the recession and a tough time for so many. How can you help? Grab a name off the local giving tree, but a toy for local tots, ring a bell for the salvation army or create a food drive to help the local pantry. We choose the food pantry for our big drive and put together a collection of others that were on the same page. Step #2? Get the word out the best that you can -- facebook, craigslist, local newspapers, we even got a blip on the local news. There is still time to make an impact on your local community - if everyone gives give a little of themselves, it all adds up to an amazing miracle. Blessings to you -- Dannelle

I have been pretty sick with this pneumonia thing and not really wanted to eat, let alone cook...but have been better over the last week. This week brings us the holiday - so a bit of variation as we have a large family and potluck some of it. =) Here is the list: Breakfast will include: -yogurt with granola -cold cereal -Scrambled eggs and sausage links -Fresh fruit -oatmeal (It's getting colder...) Lunches as normal (sandwiches, soup, left overs, tappas plates) and for dinner... Monday - Beefy Rice Burritos with Corn Casserole Tuesday - fridge clean out! Wednesday - meatless night - baked Mac n Cheese with mixed veggies Thursday - Cheddar Beer Soup (I didn't make it last week and have smoked sausage to use up) Friday - Christmas Eve: glazed ham loaves, hashbrown casserole, creamed peas, popovers, and bread pudding w/caramel rum sauce for dessert. Saturday - Steak, baked potatoes, glazed carrots Sunday - Brunch (no idea - we are going to my Dad's) What are you going to fee...

A Prayer For December: Dearest God, Please never let me Crowd my life Full to the brim. So like the keeper of Bethlehem’s Inn, I find I have no room for Him. Instead, let my heart’s door Be ever open, Ready to welcome The newborn King. Let me offer the best I have To Him Who gives me everything. --author unknown