The gift card

I was listening to the radio the other morning and they were talking about giving gift cards for Christmas. I love the gift card, I think it's a great present to give and receive. I do know family members who think they are impersonal. If you know what someone wants, then by all means buy them a gift. I love buying gifts. I like figuring out what someone wants and then finding it. I'd rather give a present than a gift card but when it comes to people that I don't know exactly what to get, the gift card is the perfect solution. It's also easy to mail. Ryan's mom gave me a great present last year, a gift card to a salon where I could choose what to get. I ended up getting a massage, a facial and a pedicure. Wonderful! Would I rather have had a gift card to the music store instead of the Bon Jovi "Slippery When Wet" tape I got for my 12th birthday? For those who know me, the answer should be obvious.

My icy heart was warmed
Saturday I went with a couple of other teachers to volunteer as chaperones for Bear Hugs for Kids. Underprivileged kids are given the opportunity to shop for Christmas presents with a high school buddy and the Jazz Bear. What I found most touching about this day was how sweet the high school kids were with their buddies. It kind of restored my faith in teenagers and I hope that my girls get that opportunity to serve when they are in high school. The day would have been perfect if Shari wouldn't have screamed and nearly given me a heart attack when the Jazz Bear shot confetti at us. Lesson learned: Never go to a scary movie with Shari.

A yumtastic cookie recipe
I'm sharing this cookie recipe because Mary made it for the staff luncheon and everyone wanted it. I have to admit it is a great cookie. I'm not big on chocolate or mint but I wanted to eat a lot of these. I'm going to make some for the neighbors this week.
3/4 c butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 TBS water
2 c semisweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
2 1/2 c flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 packages of Andes mints
In saucepan over medium heat, cook sugar, butter and water. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate chips until melted. Set aside to cool. Pour chocolate mixture into large bowl, beat in the eggs one at a time. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. ( I would do it longer. The colder the dough, the better.)
Cook at 350 for 8-10 minutes
Put 1 mint on top of each cookie and put back in the oven for 1 more minute so the mint can melt. When mint is softened, swirl it on the cookie with the back of a spoon.

Next year might be the year of the camera and braces
I have a decent point and shoot Canon but I think it might be time to go a step up. Don't worry, I won't be starting my own photography business but I do want to take a little higher quality photos of the family. I took these of the girls in their Christmas outfits and couldn't figure out how to blur the background. So yeah, this is the best it gets.