Confessions of a Tired Caterer: Burned to a Crisp

Yesterday, we began the yearly process of cleaning out all the fall decor, clearing off the mantel, putting away all the everyday pictures, knickknacks, etc....to make room for the Christmas decorating which we will start on Friday. As I was doing this necessary chore, with Christmas music playing in the background, I was filled with excitement and anticipation for the 2012 Christmas season while remembering all the wonderful recent Thanksgiving memories of our family and friends gathering together again. Truly, 2012 has been a wonderful year for our family, as well as extended family! We have been very blessed in every way possible and look forward to ending this year with sharing our blessings with others! As I was sitting there formulating a plan for the substantial Christmas decor, it occurred to me how important the clean out phase was to the overall scheme of things. If the clean out were not done and the old put safely away, then there would be no room for the new plan and all

Confessions of a Tired Caterer: Burned to a Crisp: YOU DO Make A Difference! : How many times have you thought I am only one person and what kind of difference can I make? Well...I want to give you some food for thought...

How many times have you thought I am only one person and what kind of difference can I make? Well...I want to give you some food for thought on that and hopefully you will realize that we ALL make a difference...we ALL have a part to play and that YOU may just be the difference in someone's life today! First of all....last week I had the privilege (yes the PRIVILEGE) of serving at Minnie's Food Pantry. This is one of my favorite things to do simply because of how it is run and what their mission is: yes to feed the hungry, but in a totally dignified and professional way that should be a model across the country! Minnie's operates just  a few hours a day, completely on donations, and this is why it works. "Guests" line up early (before opening) on benches out front. They are ushered in one at a time, registered (you can only come in so often), and given a shopping cart outfitted with a box of staples (that my group helps put together...canned veggies, soup, past