LAURIE'S "BEST OF 2009"

As the clock ticks down on 2009, I thought I post a few things that were real highlights for me, all discovered during the past year.

Movies

The most enjoyable movie of the year for me was "The Blindside." It's an absolutely wonderful feel-good, go-out-and-make-a-difference movie. But for me, the most important movie of the year was an oldie that I saw for the first time--"Fireproof." It wasn't the most perfectly acted film, and it was certainly didactic and formulaic in places, but the lessons on improving a marriage, and the illustration of the sacrifice required to keep a marriage strong were inspiring, and I plan on buying copies of this film for all my kids. I might also make this a gift I tuck into all wedding gifts this year.


Music

The song I've played the most this year is probably Jon Schmidt's instrumental remix of "Love Story." The music is absolutely gorgeous, but watch the joy on the faces of Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson, the cellist, and you'll see why I love it so.


Restaurants

The Bonefish Grill, with The Cheesecake Factory running a close second. Both are eateries that can make your mouth water through each and every course at an affordable price, but The Bonefish's Bang Bang Shrimp and Calamari are amongst the best delights I've ever eaten.

Books

I've read so many wonderful novels this year, but I still have to confess that nothing I've read has the staying power--the ability to reach, teach and inspire like the scriptures. I make time for a chapter or two from them before I pick up anything else. Life is busy . . . and time is at a premium, so I invest it carefully, and this is where I begin.

That said, I have enjoyed some stellar fiction this year. I'd rate "The Good Guy" by Dean Koontz, the most heart-pounding thriller; "Counting the Cost" by Liz Adair the most heart-wrenching; and "Am I Not A Man" by Mark Shurtleff, the most enlightening.


Shopping

This economy has made all of us vigilant about value and quality. My two picks are notorious for providing both. I'm now a bonafide fan of Amazon Prime. It's well-worth the $75 annual fee to sit home and buy practically anything within two days, with free shipping. For walk-in shopping, Kohl's is now my numero uno place to go--great quality, stellar value and a wonderful rewards program.

So that's a brief list of items that impressed me this year. If I thought longer, I'd probably be able to add many more, but these certainly left impressions. What tops your list from 2009? I'd love to know.

Happy New Year.

ELF RESCUE PLAN

It's a bittersweet moment for we older wives and moms as we watch our daughters and daughters-in-law take up the torch and carryout their first Christmas celebrations. The joy and wonder of childhood memories seems to dim a bit as they realize what we have all realized at some point--"Making a wonderful Christmas is a lot of work!"

I heard this uttered from the lips of a young mother who was overwhelmed by the daunting tasks involved in preparing Christmas for only three people. "Try making Christmas Magic for fifteen people, including extended family," I thought.

I'd never say it out loud. Such reality is too much for a newbie Christmas elf who will learn all too soon that being the Christmas "elf" is much like a being a window. If all goes well, the recipients of your planning and labor will see right past the bags under your eyes, seeing only the beautifully wrapped and carefully selected gifts stacked under a perfect tree, surrounded by festive decorations festooning a tidy home boasting an abundant array of cookies, fruits and assorted holiday treats. Ahhhhhhhh. . . . . But miss a beat . . . let one ball drop, and somebody will likely utter a lethal satisfaction-killing line like, "What, no pecan pie this year?" or "Last year's tree was prettier," or the killer comment of them all, "This isn't the one I asked for." Arghhhhh.

For a moment, let's suspend the perfect, uncomplicated spiritual aspects of the Christmas celebrations and focus on the traditional, Santa-based revelry. It's a killer. Consider that the primary "elf" in the family begins Christmas prep as early as December 26th, setting up the next Christmas club, sale-shopping for next year's gifts, and picking up the discounted decorations to make the next year's decor festive.

Now store that stuff, (and try to remember where), as you take down this year's tree. The real shopping blitz may be a year-round exercise for bargain-hunters, but for those of us who can only do one thing at a time, the stress of playing James Bond to secure the secret "want-lists" from each family member probably only happens after the kids are finally nestled in school and the patio furniture is secured away. And then the real mission begins.

We shop, wrap, and calculate everything to be sure the checkbook holds steady while also assuring that each pile is equal in value and quantity. Then there's the shipping of gifts to faraway people. (Try stuffing a Holiday Barbie and a Fisher Price Riding toy into an economy-sized box!)

We select our cards, write a cheery letter, sign, stuff, address the envelopes, then mail them out, and one little check mark is all we get to place on our to-do list!

Moving on, we set the tree up, trim it, (and there's something sinister about tree lights. You know it, and I know it. Nuff said,) drag out the gifts, decorate the house from inside to out, shop and bake enough food to feed the equivalent of the Tabernacle Choir, and we do all this between maintaining the flow of life--laundry, soccer practice, bathroom cleaning, normal meal prep and, did I mention, hosting Thanksgiving?

Feeling a little flat, we try to recapture the lagging Spirit of Christmas by reaching out to others in service, watching the traditional Christmas TV fare like "It's a Wonderful Life," "A Charlie Brown Christmas," or "The Nativity Story" and we plan for the reading of the Christmas Story from Luke 2. "

When Christmas Eve rolls around, (it feels like it comes about six days after Thanksgiving), we elves are generally so sleep-deprived we become an unstable entity who, like nitro, could go off at any time, melting into a puddle of tears, or feeling so giddy that they're likely to bust a move to a Nat King Cole carol, much to the horror of the entire family. It's not pretty, and we're not proud of it. We're just really, really, really tired.

So rescue an elf. You know where to find us. Give us a hug and a pat for this year's effort, and promise to don some gay elfen apparel and join us next year. And while you're at it, a foot rub and somer peppermint cocoa would be really nice!

A 52-WEEK FOOD STORAGE PLAN

Here's a link to a great 52-week food storage plan that is easily incorporated into the family budget and menu-planning.

If you've tried and failed before, or if you've collected the food but wasted a fortune on seventeen-year-old spaghetti sauce that you never rotated, try, try again. This plan will probably be perfect for you.

And if you're a person who doesn't see the need for stashing away cans and jars of food when there's a perfectly good grocery store down the road, let me share my personal testimonial about the wisdom of storing and rotating a food supply.

We've found ourselves in need of, and grateful for, our food supply over the years. Several times we were out of work, and having that stockpile of staples and treats was a budget blessing and a source of great comfort. A parent's worry eases when they know they are still providing for their family even when a paycheck isn't coming in, because in their time of plenty, they prepared.

It's also a great convenience to have your own little grocery tucked away. Many is the time I've been able to avoid a trip to the store because a needed item was already in my storage. Likewise, when all your neighbors are in their bread-milk-eggs-and-toilet-paper panic because of an impending snow, you can sit tight and know that whatever befalls you, including power outages, you are in a position to help yourself and others if need be.

Lastly, and perhaps the most practical reason why I love my storage, is that I am no longer at the mercy of store pricing. I can now afford to wait until items are on sale to buy them, because I have sufficient goods on hand to wait out the price increases.

So give this plan a try. It's easy and can be adjusted to suit your own family's tastes. I didn't design it, but I'd love to shake the hand of the person who did.

THE BIG DIG

I could be referring to the "Blizzard of '09'", but sadly this big dig is about my house. It never ceases to amaze me how far the crumbs from a single slice of pie can travel, or how many blankets one family can drag out for the viewing of a single movie.

In any case, life is sweet and messes can wait. For now, at least, because my get-up-and-go got up and went about a week ago.

On to books and writerly stuff. . .

Despite all my marketing efforts--radio ads, planned book-signings, and the blog tour--the Christmas push to sell "Dawn's Early Light" took a shot in the foot when Covenant ran out of volume one, "Dark Sky at Dawn."

Covenant ran an emergency printing and the books are back in, so now we're working to reschedule the signings for January and push the book along.

Thank you to all the readers who have taken a moment to email your reviews of the book. Each note has been a treasure. Thanks also to each of you who've felt "Dawn's Early Light" is worthy of a Whitney Award nomination. I appreciate each vote like a nod of affirmation, so thank you, thank you. The link is up there in the corner if anyone else would like to nominate the it.

I'm working on book four, "The Morning Breaks," and I'm salivating to get back to work on my romance/mystery, so I've got a lot of traveling and writing on the horizon. I'm sure you've got a busy calendar as well.

So here's hoping each one of you have a restful week and a wonderful New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wishing each of you the very merriest Christmas filled with the love of Christ.

"ON THE ELEVENTH DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS. . ."

AN EASY, SPECIAL CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST

Between the exultant unwrapping of presents, and the dash for pies, candy canes and other holiday treats, lies most mothers' dilemma--What to fix for Christmas Breakfast that doesn't take forever and leaves her time to enjoy the morning.

Here is my answer, a delicious, hearty, make-the-day-before Christmas Casserole. Enjoy!

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Breakfast Casserole

Description:
This is the most delicious Put-It-Together-The-Night-Before recipe I've ever found. Perfect for a busy but special morning event.

Ingredients:
1 pound spicy pork sausage 1/4 cup onion 2 1/2 cup hash brown 5 large eggs 2 cups shredded cheese 1 3/4 cups milk 1 cup Bisquick 1/4 t. salt 1/4 t. pepper

Directions:
Cook and crumble sausage and onion together until sausage crumbles. Stir in the hash browns and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the sausage is no longer pink. Drain on paper towels, then place in a 9X13 baking dish. Mix together the eggs, cheese, and the next four ingredients. Pour over the pork mixture. Chill overnight or at least 8 hours. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in 350 degree oven, then remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Category: Breakfast
Servings: 8

THANKS FOR THE LOVELY ARTICLE!

Thanks to the LDS Women's Book Review for the lovely interview. Some of my favorite Christmas traditions are included in the interview.