December to Remember

So far, the month of December has been packed! At school, of course, we were getting ready for Christmas and the end of the semester by reviewing what the kids learned, making ornaments for their families (my favorite is the clear ball ornament where we put their handprint on it from the bottom and I paint it so that it looks like five little snowmen (their five fingerprints) sitting in the snow (which is their palmprint at the bottom of the ornament). That's my favorite thing all month long to do with my kids because their parents are always so proud to receive that gift at our Christmas party.

Last week we had our Christmas party at school. The kids were so, so well behaved as a grandmother read to Christmas stories to them and all the parent helpers prepared their plates, as they ate breakfast together, as they so proudly gave their parents their Christmas ornaments, and as they opened their gifts from one another. It was a great way to end our semester.

This month Sam and I have been busy enjoying ourselves, too. We've begun working on our little idea, The Twelve Dates of Christmas. So far, we've seen Four Christmases, gone on a double date with Laura and a friend of hers, been to Automatic Slims, and have gone to several Grizzlies games. These extra dates, along with our new TV, are our gifts to one another this Christmas.

Last week at school, the teachers, assistants, and staff all brought food to share. Each day a grade level or group could bring appetizers or whatever they wanted to share. At the end of the week, a staff member compiled all the recipes everyone turned in from food they'd made; each teacher received our school's first annual holiday recipe book. Sunday I made Oreo truffles using the recipe from the school cookbook instead of a birthday cake for Sam. These things are delicious and very simple to make! You just need one pack of "Double Stuf" Oreos, an 8 oz. thing of cream cheese, one pack of almond bark, and wax paper. To make them, you just grind the oreos to a powder using a food processor or blender, then add in and mix the cream cheese. Then, you just roll the mixture into little balls and dip them into melted almond bark. Let them harden on wax paper. Yum! Next time I will probably do the same thing but also drizzle dark chocolate on top of each truffle to make them a little cuter. These are so yummy that today I will make more to take to all our Christmas celebrations tomorrow.

On Monday, we celebrated Sam's 27th birthday. He wanted a day of basketball. So, Sam, Tim, his friend Jeff, and I enjoyed two ball games that day. Sam and I left the house and headed downtown. We watched the Tigers basketball game (they won, of course!) and then had lunch at Rum Boogie on Beale. After lunch, Jeff and Tim walked a friend who could only join us for game to her car while Sam and I had Starbucks' signature hot chocolate (yum) as we waited for them. As Sam and I were sitting there, we noticed across the street that a Rockettes tour bus was pulling in to the Forum. I love the Rockettes, so the possibility of seeing them was very exciting to me! Next, we went to People's on Beale, where the boys played pool and I talked on the phone with Laura until my cell phone about died. The boys and I then headed to the Forum. Since we were playing the Lakers, it was packed. I hate to say that, but it's true. And who was there in the Forum lobby??? That's right... the Rockettes! I don't know what it is about them that fascinates me so much.... maybe it's their cute and classy and classic choreography, or the fact that they are my very favorite part of the Thanksgiving parade on TV every year, or the fact that they are so tall (I can't imagine being 5'5", much less 5'10"!), or the fact that I wanted to be a Rockette when I was little... I don't know. But, whatever it is, I was very motivated to get a photo taken with them! Anyway, the Grizzlies held their own for just about the whole game but came up short just at the end. It's okay... I still love the Grizzlies. Plus, I saw the Rockettes perform at halftime. It was a very memorable day, with Sam's fan apparel changes to represent each team, our nice lunch, Sam's and Tim's time hanging out together for a whole day, and my chance to see my beloved Rockettes! I am so thankful that 27 years ago Jerry and Sandy Morgan had baby #5, who is my favorite person and best friend.

This week I also discovered a cute new store here in the historic part of our town. It's called Celeste, and it's the cutest little gift shop. The store has lots of handmade jewelry, embroidered items, baby gifts, gifts for the home, cute little housewares, personalized stationery and home office items, gourmet dips/spreads/mixes, and all kinds of fun little things. I picked up a bracelet for Laura for Christmas, and I couldn't resist getting one for myself, too! Then, I told my mom about the shop; so, she wanted to go get Laura a gift, too. She picked up an embroidered kitchen towel that says ""I don't do four letter words... bake, cook, chop, wash" and a couple packs of dessert mixes. I think from now on, I will definitely shop there whenever I can for friends' birthdays and events.

Tomorrow is our busy day of holiday visits. I am so excited to give our families the gifts we've picked out, share my new little desserts, and spend time with everyone. I am so excited about the holidays and getting to enjoy time with everyone. Happy Holidays!