My Little Slice of Joy this Season

It might not look like that exciting of a picture, just some dirty dishes, but to me, they are so much more! With the background that I have in pastry, I love the candy cane and gingerbread Christmas themed stuff, for several years I had the honor of assisting on gingerbread works of art at the Westin and I am forever changed. In my soul I wish I was in the Midwest snowed in a baking cookies and other such holiday traditions that are cultural like that. So a few years ago, when I saw this set of mugs and dessert plates with joy on them, I decided it was something that I had to have. They have been very safe in my cupboard, although they have been lonely. Since getting them in 2008 I had yet to use them. Tonight was the night that that changed and it was wonderful! Not only did I get to use my plates and mugs, I got to cook for friends, which is one of my favorite things to do in the whole world. Erica and Maren came over for our advent conspiracy type craft night. I really didn't do much, I was more in a management role really. I had hands available to hold a tight knot or take excess trash away. Erica was the mastermind behind it all, doesn't she look crafty!
Maren, well, she gave a good effort, you can see that she had a few challenges. I kid, Maren is the craftiest of the crafties. She just happened to have a little bag of hair clips and earrings that she had made (who makes jewelry more or less wear it???) and left the cutest pair of little purple flower earrings that I think a certain 5 year old will be pretty happy about in the morning. Anyway, back to our night. I could go on and on about how we laughed, made a mess and sent Jared to the grocery store. It is a good story and I suspect pieces of it might end up out in the blogoshpere from my partners in crime. But for me, I just liked having friends over, a lot. I have been really blessed to get to have two moms like this close enough that they can come over, even if it is a two hour drive.