Okay so picture us all in a large hall. There's a magnificant table (bare) before us with a large number of chairs around it.

I'll let others step up and dress and set the table but I'm providing one of the entree, I'm making my large pot of Italian sauce and my wonderful 5 layer lasagna layered with meat and cheese.

Okay what's everyone else bringing or doing? those that can't cook, can help dress up and set the table.

Love it.

Love you

CaringSister54

I'm bringing lots of garlic bread and white wine. Cheers.

Well, If you're bringing lasgagne, then I'll bake the bread. Foccacia perhaps.. Or something rustic with a hard crust that we can tear and dip in EVOO (as Rachel Ray keeps saying).

And you have your choice. Either cheesecake or homemade custard ice cream with shortbread cookies.....Or I suppose we could have both? But I'm leaning towards the cheesecake. My favorite is a choice between chocolate chip. It's an oreo cookie crust with a white filling with mini chocolate chips in the filling. Or I make one with layers like a bullseye, chocolate and vanilla. Both are yummy. And the best kept secret is that as soon as you cut them all the calories run out! I have it on good authority..my mom. And there was nothing that she didn't know! :rolleyes:

NEXT?

And what a good idea Caring!

Well someone better 'dress' the table? we can't eat on bare wood! Whose got heirloom tablecloth -- describe it -- whose got the hand-me down plates -- they don't have to match!

Come On Deb, you're cleaning out the house, whatcha got?

Love

Oh and the cheesecake please. Whose bringing meat, vegetables, etc.
I mean come on ladies, we're going to do it right -- this should be a 7 course meal, but its going to take a long time for us to enjoy.

i want to be so full and fat, I can't move from the table of your love

Caring

Hello friends....
I just have a quick minute this morning as I'm headed out for a day shopping with my son, also to look for a birthday gift for mom who turns "60" next week. But I wanted to put my two cents in for dinner.....

Since I cant cook worth a hill of beans and you'd all be running for the phone to order pizza, I'd like to take care of the decorating. I'll fill the hall with beautiful brightly colored balloons and streamers to represent "life" and "happiness".
I'll also set a beautiful candle (two for some people) at each place setting to represent each of our loved ones, together with a single rose for each wonderful friend at the table.

Menu sounds great already, I'm getting hungry!!!

Love, Caroline xo

OK you caught me with only a few minutes before I have to leave. Husband is having a meltdown for me to wrap-it-up. Geez he can be impatient. Let me think while I'm gone today and I'll check back later.

I've already told you all that I'm an ordinary cook, not a great one, so maybe a wonderful ilatian salad????? I think I could handle that dish. I do make a wonderful salad dressing that my family loves.

Got to run........he's starting to pace behind me........MEN !!!!! ;)

Love Chris

CHRIS!!!!

TELL HIM TO BACK OFF!!!!

We can hardly wait!!!!:bouncing::bouncing::bouncing:

Hummm..... I was the one with the wonderful table cloth that led to Mom's Christmas melt down so I will sneak it and use it on the table. Do anybody care that it has cross stitched Christmas trees all the way around the border and an amazing cross stitched center? Each stitch is perfect as only my Mom could do. There are also 24 matching linen napkins with the same Christmas tree on them. That should be enough. Christmas is such a celebration of hope and love that it seem appropriate.

My fortay in cooking is turkey dinner. So I will bring the turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings. I only cook it about 5 times between Thanksgiving and Christmas so one more in February will keep me in practice. My chicken and dumplings are always requested to I will throw that in for those that are not in the mood for turkey and dressing. Perhaps collards?? I am such a traditional southern cook :)

Oh..... And we have to make sure that IBake/Jill's soap box is placed at the front of the room. I will attend to that detail hehe

Chris, we will create a distration for hubby!!!

Love, deb

How about something to dip on before the dinner is served. For our Christmas party at work I always bring the Pita chips w/spinach dip and all I ever hear the rest of the day is: Who brought the dip??? Little do they ALL know (some people I do tell the truth to) the dip is from COSTCO's but it has been a big hit at work. I will bring that to our dinner! Can't wait!

Love Pauline

I can make a pretty good German style cucumber salad called Gurkensalat - made with a sour cream sauce and lots of dill.

Set a place for me!

Love,

Martha

One large tray of cheese and fruits plus one chocolate cherry cake plus a few good bottles of cabernet (that means whichever ones are on sale!)

I hope you all don't mind if I come dressed comfortably..which for me means no bra and in my comfiest bathrobe..ahhhhhhh.
(but I'll wear heels if you insist)

Love, Meg

LOL Meg, I like the way you think......I will come dressed comfortably as well!!!!

You know I can actually make a pretty nice Trifle, so I will bring along to go with IBakes desserts!! You can never have enough dessert with these women around!!!

How about I bring a photographer also to take a nice "family portrait" after dinner???

Yeah, I like that idea!!!!

Love, Caroline :)

Pictures?! Uh Oh..I better wear a bra...

:D Ah that's funny Meg......but dont even worry about it......as my lovely grandma used to say "just let' em swing".........

Thinking about the "let them swing" comment made me think of my dad.

I happened to be well endowed for a small person and my father would bust my mother and I when we sneeze. he's say, better have them in a bra because if not, you're liable to fracture your kneecaps with them.

Our dinner is coming along nicely. Not sure about the picture but Meg if you are bra-less, we'll hide you behind someone if you insist.

I need the recipe for dumplings.

Love to all
Caring.

Hmmmm, I can smell the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. The christmas table cloth and stuff s a wonderful addition. Love the toughts.

caring, this board is great. Im sitting here crying . Im so sorry in having so much self-pity , we all need each other. no matter what. pain is pain no matter what. thank you so much for listening to me. disney world, faye

Can I borrow some of that overabundance of boob? I was born flat chested and except for 3 pregnanices have always been so. No one notices if I leave off the bra! But I know just what to wear - I bought a pink jogging suit at a garage sale for $2 and it is the most comfortable thing I own ... warm too!

Love,

Martha

Dear Friends,

I need this dinner really soon. Take me away. My husband has been retired since December 31st of "08". Its been a VERY long 7 weeks.......very long. Come spring he'll be busy. Until then I need prayers. He is stuck to me like glue. Now I love this man dearly but he is starting to get on my last nerve. LOL

To my younger friends here, some advice..........Don't encourage your husband to retire in the winter!!!!!!! Not a good thing. He goes to the gym and has his hobbies, all outside hobbies, its too cold here now for "outside hobbies". I wanted him to retire early. What was I thinking???? ;) OK, I'm done ranting about my impatient, retired early husband.

I never thought about my chicken and dumplings. Now I started to try to fix these with Grams help when I was about 20. I finally got them right at 30. Gram said they tasted exactly like hers. So from then on I fixed them for any family function. They are good if I do say so myself. Very fluffy, never tough. That was Grams rule.

Love,Chris

Meg,

If you're putting on heels, dont' foget the thigh high heels....Chris, put on the heels and hose...trust me you can then get rid of your hubby for awhile because he will be all wore out!

Thigh high boots?!
Holy moly...I might as well wear chest hi thereby eliminating the need for both boots AND bras...
I woke up this morning wondering how the dinner went...did we have it yet?
Love, Meg

Chris, the thoughts of hubby retiring gives me the shivers. He was off for two weeks over Christmas and I was babbling. You need a "honey do" list. When he gets on your last nerve then send him off on an errand. Honey could you please do that for me? The part that annoyed me the worst, was having to fix lunch. Not run in the kitchen and grab a cup of soup and bring it back to the computer but actually fix lunch and sit down at the table. Isn't once a day enough?

I will be happy to give you some of mine Martha. They are not worth the hype. They fall down, men can't look into your eyes, and they make your back hurt. I kept thinking that when I lost weight some of them would depart but noooo!! OH well :)

Now that we are talking about chicken and dumplings I want some!! Instead I am making a huge pot of vegetable/ham soup from the left over ham I cooked last weekend. Hope the dumpling urge passes soon or I will be back in the kitchen.

I'm going to dress up and put on my heels. ...... and I want to dance. Anybody going to dance with me?

Love, deb

hey ladies,

you are talking to the queen of dance. Jitterbug, Lindy, Peabody as well as the modern dances. My kids (especially my daughter) loves to tell people that her Mom once danced as a worker in a go-go bar. No it wasn't a pole dancer but a stand on the box on the side of the stage box. We had to come off it to dance with the men to came into the club by themselves for the slow numbers but I didn't have the gum-sum to do it for long term, but it was fun and got me into the club for free.

I won a jitterbug maranthon dance contest at my Dad's company many years ago. I was very young and everyone was surprised that I even knew how to dance that dance.

So, music will be, dancing is on, the chicken and dumplings are bubbling, the turkey is browning, and the lasagna is waiting to be served.

The table is set with Deb's heirloom christmas tablecloth. We have the balloons all around and everything is starting to look festive in our minds.

Can we all see it? Come on, close your eyes and think real hard.

I'll finish up this message string real soon by getting our menu done and restate it for everyone. I'm feeling so full, that I'm not going to move anytime soon but doesn't Turkey make everyone start to feel tired?

Now wouldn't ya know it....I'm late for the party! I brought a centerpiece...white roses and daisies in Mom's old copper pitcher...it looks beautiful on the Christmas tablecloth!

(sniff, sniff) Smells wonderful...but I'm a vegetarian...........think I'll mosey over to the dessert side of the table! Hope you all enjoy this old family recipe of banana cake with broiled frosting...brown sugar, butter, coconut, pecans....MMMMMM

Caring...I'll dance with you! I used to be in a clogging group...7 "over40" women who even traveled to several states putting on shows....those were the days! I could also get my hammered dulcimer out and play a few tunes for you to get your dancin' feet warmed up!

How wonderful it is to see you all....hope my sequined tennis shoes (borrowed 'em from my daughter in the 80's and never gave 'em back!) look O.K. in the pictures!...........Pam;)

The sequined tennis shoes are smashing Pam. I have a pair, with a matching hat, that are painted with flowers and with stars. From some old 80's song about Utopia. Yes, that is what we are creating for ourselves..... an afternoon in Utopia :)

Pam, I will make a veggie casserole just for you. :)

Keep on dancing :)

Love you all and thank you!! Deb

Well thankyou Caringsister54 for the invite,
looks like you got everything you need for the dinner,
and the desert is sewn up as well with all the lovely cheesecakes and trifles( Yummy)

So how about I bring Afterdinner mints to go with our coffee, (after the wines of course)

Pam, Love your centerpiece, (white roses are my fav flower)
and Im with you at the desert table,No, im not vegetarian, just a sweet tooth,

Also up for a dance, love dancing, think we gonna need a virtual gym after we have eaten all this food hehehhe


Thankyou everyone here for the laughs, just what I needed,you all a great group of people, and so glad I found you

Love Helen