"Are they gone yet?" I asked my wife as I put the finishing touches on my latest article. The boys had been out ham joint size guide the hallway messing about for the last ten minutes. Now that they're reaching the pre-teen years even Daniel (the once "class pet" ) has developed an acute phobia about going to school. Each morning it's like pulling teeth just getting them out the door on time. She grinned and nodded. I jumped out of my chair ready to attack the day.Before you cook your slow cooker ham, you will need to soak it in a bucket of water for two days changing the water every 12 hours. Don't forget that it has been sitting in a salt brine for a long time so if you do not soak it, it will be inedible. You will need to plan ahead to ensure you give yourself enough soaking time if you are to be serving it for guests or at your restaurant.This amazing cooking ham Pinot Noir is from one of my personal favorite wineries Cancilla Cellars which is located in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon that I call home.A tin of fresh baked Christmas cookies. Baking cookies and sharing them with your neighbors is a friendly and warm gift. Putting the extra effort in these gifts make them unforgettable! However you can always buy a variety of cookies and mix and match them.Realize as well that the Thomas Kinkade Christmas paintings are an ideal but somewhat unrealistic. They are images of what we would really like to experience, but very few do. Most of us are like window shoppers looking at those soft, fuzzy images of Kinkade's classic christmas ham scenes, but we do not have the ability to buy into it so we never go inside. We stand for a little while gazing at them and imagining ourselves there. Wouldn't it be wonderful just to be there? Away from all the problems and violence in the world. Away from our own struggles and sadness. Then we turn away, and the scene fades.It's an unfair situation. You share all the same responsibilities as the parents, but with the deck stacked against you. You are not the parent, and the children know it. You have to, very delicately, find a way to fit yourself into the family structure without crossing any lines.Using some of these dos and don'ts when planning your next Christmas party should help you have a successful, fun-filled Christmas party, enjoyed by everyone in attendance. For other tips on planning a successful Christmas party, check out the Better Homes And Gardens website. They have many ideas available their for Christmas decorating, food, etc. for that Christmas party you may be planning.