Oh.... Mom & Dad.... The First Teachers... a Child has.... The Special " TOGETHER" times... The "FAMILY"times.. The ONE on One Sharing and Teaching, Loving.. . and Giving, Sure is seen in this Precious Young Lady... A Little Princess for sure... A Young Lady... who with this family background is sure to grow up to be a WONDERFUL ~~ Wife, MOTHER and TEACHER herself... as she will follow in teaching her young ones.... LOVE, Kindness, Thoughtfulness, and the Blessed Gifts... are the ones that come with a bunch of thought and planning...not with the POCKET BOOK !!!!.... It is a Wonderful Thing, a Blessed Thing... when a Parent receives back from their child.... the Rewards of all the time put into training them to be thoughtful!!!!!! Thank You for sharing this special Gift and Story with ME!!! I appreciate you and your family !!!! Happy New Year 2008 !!!!! Looking forward to many more great~~~ Loving Stories from your family !!!! God Bless!!! Susie

I'm not trying to be hokey here, but seriously, the best gift I received this year for my kitchen (besides my kitchen!) was having my friends and family IN my kitchen on Christmas. This was our 14th annual hosting of Christmas Day & dinner and just to have all our loved ones gathered around in our new room was so rewarding. My brother (who is a real foodie) said he thought it was our best dinner yet :) Hearing everyone's lovely compliments let us know our planning and hard work has really paid off. Here's hoping the warm glow of the day lasts throughout the New Year!

I would get tickets to something. Dh and I learned we really like plays and musicals a few years back. We went to the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals "Phantom of the Opera" and "Wicked" and absolutely loved them. We've taken the kids to "A Christmas Carol", "Wizard of Oz", and a few other productions. They loved those. If he's more into bands, you could get tickets to that. Likewise, you could do some sort of ball game. You could do professional, sports, or something like the Harlem Globetrotters. They are always fun. Something else fun is just to have a road trip adventure. My crew loves to watch the Travel Channel with all of the food shows. Pick a unique restaurant or dive an hour or two away and drive there for lunch or dinner. Enjoy some local scenery or go window shopping.

It wasn't a gift, but when DH and I were at my Step-father's on Boxing day to help him eat the desserts, he mentioned that a neighbour's wife had died of cancer this summer. This was a total shock to me. My parents live on a court, and I "know" of the man he was talking about because I remember when he got his little long-haired doxie as a puppy. We got such a kick out of him training this teeny-weeny dog.....he was scared of the grass, wouldn't walk on it. The couple is about my age. When we were leaving I told hubby to drop me off at the guy's house. He had his Christmas lights on, and I knocked. I told him who I was, and that how sorry I am, etc etc. We both had tears in our eyes and we rubbed each other's arm; (didn't hug.) He was so touched that I would stop and see him. His wife died 3 weeks after Mom. I'm so glad I did that, and I still tear up thinking about him (as I am now)