On the sixth day of Christmas...

many a board games we will play! Tonight my mom's family will get together at the farm, which I know is a lot of stress on my mom to get the house decorated, clean, food prepared, etc., but being at the farm reminds me of being little. So I digress, we like to play games, primarily one, Cranium...for those of you who haven't played Cranium this game is well fun because everyone has a category that they can be good at (even if they won't admit it). It is a family tradition at this point and a lot of fun...if you are looking for a great family game, check it out.

On the fifth day of Christmas...

a good place for wine and spirits is important...5 GOLDEN DRINKS! Have you been to RedX? If you haven't and have a holiday party to prepare for that will include adult beverages it is a great place to get unique and interesting beers and wines...and they are cheaper there than I have seen them anywhere in KC. I took my mom there last weekend and we had a blast going through the aisles. Take a drive up to Riverside and buy some holiday cheer!

On the third day of Christmas...

my oven is hot as can be, with awesome stencils to decorate I'm so happy I can hardly see?!

So these stencils are the bomb and were given to me as a gift from a friend...there are 4 to a pack and the came from Williams Sonoma, but I'm sure they have them other places. I decorated with sugar on Christmas Sugar cookies last weekend but plan to do some cupcakes soon!

On the fourth day of Christmas...

like a pretty red ribbon, gone a curling are we. Curling, yeah like the Olympic event, yep you can do it in KC. Crazy right? Nope just another day at SFP bet you wish you worked here too! So yesterday the entire office bundled up and headed over to the Pepsi Ice Center (135th and Quivera) and got a curling lesson from our very own Steve Pickle, our resident curling expert. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot about the sport and also that there is a Curling Club in our very own KC. Check out their website: http://www.kccurling.com/ There are leagues and everything, this could be a great Christmas present for someone who loves the ice and learning new things.

On the second day of Christmas...

the onery elf came out in me, I've had shared a funny holiday website for all to see. Check it out... http://www.faceinhole.com/, it is like ElfYourself with multiple poses...FaceYourself, FaceYourfriends, FacePeopleYouDon'tLike...have a ball!

On the first day of Christmas...

the grinch did by-pass me, but a box of Christopher Elbow Chocolates were found under my tree. Ok so if you don't know what Christopher Elbow is, then please familarize yourself now: http://www.elbowchocolates.com/shop_online/chocolates. Now they might seem a little pricey, but what a great unique gift for a hard to buy person and they are beautiful and delish! This picture isn't very good because I was so excited to break into mine but you can see in real life they are just as good as on the interwebs.

Rockettes and Opryland Hotel

I like a good dog and pony show, but when I went to the Rockette's on Saturday night with Jennie Schutte and Sara Thieding, I NEVER expected it to be a sheep and camel show. I had it in my head that all we were going to see was pretty girls in fancy outfits doing the famous kick lines you see on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but it was so much more. I would venture a guess that there were 100 performers in the show that included singers, dancers, ballerinas, dancing costumed characters (spoofing or paying honor to The Nutcracker), dancing flowers, Santa and Mrs. Clause and elves. The Rockette's were amazing with a combination of drill team moves, precision, tap dancing, musical playing and of course the famous kick line. The finale was very special and honored what Christmas is really about, the birth of Christ. They brought the story of Jesus' birth to life on stage and concluded with a living nativity complete with live sheep, camels and a donkey, shepherds, kings and their people. It was pretty spectacular, not to mention that I watched it all in the Grand Ole Opry building that just oozes tradition and history every time I enter the doors. After the Rockette's we took a walk through the Opryland hotel to see the upgrades and changes since the flood. Honestly we didn't see a lot of difference from a year ago except changing the names of some of the restaurants, updating the restaurants and a few less plants in the flowerbeds. There are approximately 15,000 poinsettias in the hotel varying in size, color and location with two giant trees made of poinsettia stacks that are spectacular. If your plans are to be in and around the Nashville area this holiday season I highly recommend to take in the Rockette's show, or catch them as they travel to a city near you, and take a little time to walk through the Opryland hotel and see the amazing Christmas display of lights including the live-sized Nativity outside the north entrance and their ridiculously light covered trees.

Cattleman's Club - Pierre, SD

Earlier this week I took a nice blustery drive to Pierre, SD...not only was I able to get my South Dakota Capitol photo, but I got a recommendation from a friend that if you go to Pierre, you have to eat at Cattleman's. So I did a little research and learned that the story behind Cattleman's was pretty inspiring and proves that if you don't give up on your dreams you can achieve them. The story in their own words in on their website: http://www.cattlemansclubsteakhouse.com/story.html. Now this is a classic South Dakota Steakhouse, head east out of Pierre on HWY 34 you'll wind along the Missouri River and come across Cattleman's just a few miles out of town. On this particular night I quickly knew I was going to be at home with a gravel parking lot full of running diesel pick-ups, inside the front door was a sampling of great turquoise jewelry (nothing as unique as TheTravelingCowgirl's Designs however), sawdust on the floor of a modest restaurant filled with cowboy hats and farmers caps. The menu is simple, but the prime rib was not plain, it was juicy, tender and cooked to perfection with real horseradish on the side. Complete the meal with Texas Toast, baked potato and a house salad (that comes with the optional toppings of diced onions, tomatoes, green peppers and shredded cheddar cheese served tableside) for $15 a meal that you can't beat. Hope that you can enjoy The Cattleman's Club next time you are in central South Dakota, an experience you won't want to miss.