Where is everybody?

I think we've lost alot of friends because they all have met goal, are having hard times, and are moving on. I know sometimes when we start gainning weight or are not successful in our journey, we walk away and hide.  This is the time we all need to support each other.  it is really tough times, financially, Holidays, and stress.  I know there are still alot of newbies and or lurkers.  Come on in and join us and support us, we will be there for you also.  the more of us the better, more suggestions, more opinions.  We need to build this site up again.  Please guys, post, share recipes, issues, where your at in your journey.  Lets start by sharing the one xmas tradition you always do. whether it be a recipe, or game.  OUR tradition, is our xmas SOcks,  my kids are 27 and 30 and have told us, if ever we don't share gifts, they MUST always have their socks.  I enjoy making them up.  and it is so cute, when I bring them all down, everyone is sitting like cute little, well trainned puppies, all lined up.  It is the only gifts we open all at once, we usually do our gifts one at a time.  We do our gifts on xmas Eve.  HOW ABout YOU??  Have a wonderful Day...

 Lets start by sharing the one xmas tradition you always do. whether it be a recipe, or game.

We have a couple, on Christmas eve, we have a teddy bear that tells the story of the night before Christmas, I bought it when Dylan first came to us, so on Christmas eve befoe he goes to bed we sit around with hot choclate and listen to the story and snuggle on the couch, he then puts out cookies and milk for santa and a bag of carrots for the raindear.

We open our gifts on Christmas morning, Stockings first same as Cheryl all together, and then we watch Dylan open his gifts, then we open ours.

I love your posts Cheryl, they always get me thinking and this one has me all warm and mushy inside with Holiday cheer!!

I am right here on this nice freezing morning!!  I am trying to get ready for work, but I am dragging my ass this morning!!  On Christmas morning everyone shows up here at 5am to watch my Little Prince(Frankie)who is now 6 open his presents from Santa, then we all go to my parents house for a big breakfast...well I skip the big part now..lol, then we just sit around watching Frankie play some more, I know that sounds tiring....then we come here and have a nap!!haha

I would love to share a recipe, but trust me I CANNOT cook or bake....it would be toxic!! I hope you have a wonderful day......rumor has it we are suppose to be getting some white stuff later....ughhhhhhh

I forgot to share an easy recipe:  I make this dip at all parties and holidays, but so many love it, I now make a double batch.  You can eat with chips or crackers or with a spoon as my Son does.

1 can Cream of Shrimp soup
1 lg. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 sm can shrimp (I use frozen shrimp/dethawed/ copped) makes bigger chunks
1t Wishtishire sauce(spelling)
1/2 t garlic powder

mix all together with mixer till smooth

We have a few traditions.......
Every year the kids and I always make a birthday cake for Jesus.  The kids make the cake, frost it, and decorate it....write on in...whatever THEY want!  It always ends up looking kinda messy........but it's THEIR mess...from THEIR hearts!!!!!  Not sure where we got the idea, but the cake always comes to my mom and dad's house with us on Christmas day for desert after my mom's wonderful, traditional ham lunch!

We also hang stockings Christmas eve, "Santa" fills them and they are the first thing the kids open on Christmas morning.

Christmas eve........we ALL go to Church...Mom, Dad, my brother, sister, me, DH, and all 7 grandkids!  We take up a whole pew or two!  It's the ONE time during the year that we ALL go to Church with mom and dad.......MOM loves it!  Then, we gather at mom and dad's and we eat a bunch of junk food......toriere (meat pies), salmon pie, bacon wrapped scallops...stuff like that! YUMMY!

Christmas morning, we read the Bible Story of the Birth of Christ, then the kids get to do stockings and we do presents here at home.  Then, it's back down to mom and dad's, lunch with them, presents with the nephews, and then gifts for mom and dad and from mom and dad.  Then, we all chill out at mom and dad's and just spend family time together! 

This is just such a wonderful family time of year!  I look forward to it every year......presents or not!   

Hope everyone gets to enjoy as special a holiday as we do!   ENJOY!!!!!!!
Peace!
Ruth

Hi  all     Our  or should i say  my christmas tradition  was started by my first mother-in-law  when my children  were  babies.   She did  goody boxes for every one.   She  is gone now  has been for  25 years and i have continured the tradition.   I make goody boxes for  my dad and his wife.  my  boys and there wives  and the grandchildren and my husband.

I look all year for good  junky stuff to put in them that  they can use.   Girls get candles  smelly soap nail stuff a little chocolate    cook books  and whatever  gift certificate  they are getting.

the men get   tools   smelly stuff   tooth paste   deodorant  and other stuff like that.  one son gets popcorn to pop  and  other   food stuff.

The children   get  whatever i  am buying  this year mp 3 players  loaded with music  and gift card for tunes.

My dad and his wife  get all sorts of  things  that i can find that  they will use.   I also get them   omaha steaks  and sees  chocolates.  and they get   gift certificate to hannaford.

But   they look forward to the goody boxes on christmas eve.

They also open there   presents  at my dads  on christmas eve then they go home and wait for santa

I  make  appetizers  and bring  Chinese  for supper  at my dads

My recipe is
one cup splenda
2   8 ounce  fat free cream  cheese
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
one half package  choc chips  melted and added to the above    or   you can add  one half cup  key lime juice and  leave out the chocolate  

cheese cake is my   thanksgiving and  christmas  treat  I  taste  to make sure sweet enough  if not  add more splenda



blend well bake in a  graham cracker  crust  at 300 for  60 minutes.

have a great day all

This year my kids and I are staying home and my parents are coming here.  My inlaws may come as well, not sure yet.  My mom will help me make dinner.  The boys will be able to open one present the night before and then they will leave milk, cookies, and raindeer food out.  In the morning they will do their stockings and then wait til everyone gets here, probably have breakfast inbetween there.  We will then open presents one at a time if they don't get too impatient.  We will have dinner around 1 or 2 then the kids will just play with their toys.

One recipe that I always make is traditional chex mix.  I only use rice and corn chex cereal with cashews and pretzels.  I only use blue bonnet marg, worsteshire sauce, and season salt.  And I microwave it so it's done in no time flat.

This year will be different, I will probably make chex mix (smaller batch), and I want to try to make the sf peanut butter pie.  I have another peanut butter pie recipe but I'm not sure if I can make it sugar free or not(from pampered chef..yum!)

Not having a family - I don't have the traditons that most people do.

I do have two friends who each year we go to Piper's Mountain to pick out our trees and then spend the day decorating and such for the holidays. We all love this day - it's one of our favorite days of the year.

Ugh....I don't cook much at Christmas - but my favorite thing WAS peanut butter balls - a jar of old fashioned peanut butter, real butter and confectioner's sugar mixed together and covered with chocolate. I haven't unpacked the recipe and it's not very WLS friendly - but they were yummy.

Our Christmas tradition starts on Christmas eve. In the recent past we had the whole family at our house for dinner [ our grown kids, DD's husband and son, my sister and her 2 kids, my brother, his wife and 2 kids plus my parents.]. DS makes a wonderful fish chowder and we also have another soup- a broth based meat and veggie type with breads. After dinner we go to Christmas eve service for carols and Bible readings. After that DH, DS, DD and family go back to our home to open presents.
On Christmas day we gather- usually at Mom's house for dinner- everyone contrbuting something to the dinner and exchange gifts with the extended family.

Holiday recipe- Cranberry Molded Salad.
2 small packages of sugar free raspberry jello, 2 cups boiling water, 1 cup cool water, 1 can whole cranberry sauce, 1 apple chopped, 1 stalk celery chopped. Fat free cream cheese, chopped nuts. 1/2 cup applesauce, celery seeds, 1/2 cup fat free sour cream

Cut cream cheese into 12-1/2" squares, roll into balls and roll in chopped nuts- set aside.
Mix jello with boiling water, add cranberry sauce and mix well, add cool water. Mix in apple and celery. Pour into 4 cup mold, when partially set add cream cheese balls to jello. Refrigerate overnight.
Dressing- mix applesauce, sour cream and celery seed.