Preschool Staff Christmas Party

This past Saturday night was our Christmas party for the preschool staff. It was in the beautiful home of our director, Debi. She graciously hosts it in her home every year. We are told to bring a $5.00 ornament for the ornament swap game. We call it "Dirty Santa", but I believe it is called other names as well.

Here's an idea of what the ornament that I brought looked like ---

I couldn't find a picture of the actual one that I bought, but it looked like these, only it was a glass ball, not a bucket. I loved the feathers at the top of it! I got it at Pier 1. I love their ornaments, and everything else in the store!!!

I brought along my camera to take pics at the party, but ended up only taking pics of Debi's beautiful Christmas decorations!

This is the stairwell, in the foyer, that greets you as you enter the house.

This is the dining room, to the left of the foyer. She had many yummy foods here, for us to enjoy!

Take a look at ALL of these YUMMY desserts that were scattered across her kitchen island!! This was a dessert lover's paradise!! The large gingerbread house is just a decoration, but it looked SO real!



This beautiful fireplace is in the formal living room where we all sat to enjoy our yummy foods and also to have our ornament swap.



I hate that I didn't take any pictures of any of us that were there! I get shy about taking people's pictures, because you never know how they really feel about it. Someone did take mine and David's picture in front of the Christmas tree, but it didn't turn out so well.

Our ornament swap game was a lot of fun. If you've never played "Dirty Santa", it's a fun game to play at a Christmas party! Everyone brings an ornament (or some other cheap) gift and you take turns picking a gift from under the tree (or on the table). You open your gift and show it to the rest of the participants. The next person, in turn, can either take your gift or choose another from under the tree. The game continues around the room with everyone either choosing a new gift, or stealing someone else's! Our game lasted for a while because their were two ornaments that everyone seemed to want!!

This is the ornament that I was lucky to get --

I actually stole him from someone else!! Hahaaa! I love snowmen and the green and red match the rest of my Christmas tree ornaments! I was happy that he wasn't one of the ornaments that everyone wanted!

One Year Ago

WOW! How time flies by!! Last year, on Memorial Day weekend, my "baby" (Dtr. #2) graduated from HS. It was a hectic (but fun!) weekend, tho! Her high school usually does their graduations outside, on the football field. No such luck last year! For the first time in MANY years, they had to do the ceremony in the gym because of rain. The kids were not happy, nor where the faculty members, parents or other guests.

It was crowded in there and only 4 family members could attend because of space. That left MANY unhappy family members (some who traveled great distances to be there!) stuck watching the ceremony from the lunch room, the audiotoruim, and various class rooms.

"Our" seats weren't good, but they weren't bad, either. By the time that we got into the gym, the best seats were taken. I was thankful that we didn't have any other guests. I would have been upset that they couldn't sit with us. 

The poor kids were SO TIRED! They had practiced both outside and inside for days before, and just wanted this thing over with! The ceremony went very well despite the last minute changes.

After Graduation, we had a BIG party planned for Dtr. #2!! We went in together with her best friend's parents and rented a HUGE blow-up slide and invited everyone we knew to come slide, swim, eat hamburgers, hot dogs & cake.

We ALL had a blast!! It even rained, which didn't keep the kids (or us adults!!) from sliding!! I can't remember the last time I had SO MUCH FUN!!

Here it is, Memorial Day weekend... again. But, one thing is different --- I have NO PLANS AT ALL!!! I guess I should be thankful that it is not a busy & hectic weekend. I also guess that I should really use this weekend to focus on the real reason for it.

I know that Memorial Day is a day that was set aside to remember all of the men & women who died while serving in one of our country's armed forces. I didn't know anyone personally, but I know that many, many did lose thier lives so that I could live free. To them, and to all those who still serve and protect us.... THANK YOU!!