Happy Thanksgiving!

More Than A Day
As Thanksgiving Day rolls around,

It brings up some facts, quite profound.

We may think that we're poor,

Feel like bums, insecure,

But in truth, our riches astound.

We have friends and family we love;

We have guidance from heaven above.

We have so much more

Than they sell in a store,

We're wealthy, when push comes to shove.

So add up your blessings,

I say;Make Thanksgiving last more than a day.

Enjoy what you've got;Realize it's a lot,

And you'll make all your cares go away.

By Karl Fuchs

“Be aware of what you have in hand rather than to be for what you don’t. Everyone will be grateful to what you have.” —Kurt Avish

(photo from www.ageoldtree.blogspot.com)

"Try not to become a man of success but a man of value."

Albert Einstein

(photo from www.ageoldtree.blogspot.com)

Dance as though no one is watching you; love as though you have never been hurt before, sing as though no one can hear you, live as though heaven is on earth.

-Alfre Souza

(photo by deborah paauwe)

Diet and Your Dental Health

Diet and Dental Health

Doesn't it seem obvious that your diet would effect your dental health? Of course it does, then why do so many of us ignore this litle tid-bit of information? Well, ignore no more!

First the obvious is to cut down on sugars, the not-so-obvious is where to cut the sugars down from. Typically we think of candy and sweets, but here are a few other items to cut back on.

1.All sugars (including honey)
2. Soft drinks and lemonades
3. Nearly all cereals
4. Cakes, biscuits, and puddings
5. Jam on your bread, marmalade on your toast
6. Chocolates, sweets, and toffees
7. Peppermint sweets

Try replacing these items with fruits and vegetables, you will get the same "sweet" taste without the sugar.

As always, smile everyday!

Thanks for being a valued patient!

http://www.facebook.com/ "salt lake smile design"

(photo by Ann Marie Whittaker www.ageoldtree.blogspot.com)

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day, a humble day full of gratitude for my family, and I am sure for your family too. My grandfather served in WWII, he has many horrible memories, memories he will not share. But when I asked him why he did it he said, "for the family, to preserve the country and the family unit." This was not the answer I expected, I expected something more along the lines that he had to, that the country forced him to. But, I was wrong, he and the men he served with and knew did it out of love for their families and country.

I can not imagine going through what these men and women went through, it is inconceivable. To look at the photos he brought home is hard enough let alone having to see it first hand, in reality. My grandpa was one of the few men that could drive, so he was in charge of driving one of the jeeps, mostly driving the commanders around. One of the problems with this job was that the roads would have hidden wires strung across them, you could not see the wires while driving (as intended) and you could easily run into them, decapitating the passengers. After awhile the jeeps were outfitted with wire-cutters near the windshield to help save lives.

While grandpa was away at war grandma stayed home to raise the new baby, the women had to pull together and become a team. My grandma lived with her mom and sister. Her mom would spend the day out helping the sick and weary, her sister went to work every day for money for living expenses and grandma stayed home to take care of the home and babies. They lost a brother and many others during the war, but they were grateful their husbands made it home safely.

One of our favorite stories, one that my grandpa loves to tell is one day while in Germany, he was walking down the street and saw a figure that seemed familiar, he kept looking while walking closer to this gentleman, the gentleman was doing the same. After a few seconds he realized it was his brother! They saw each other and ran towards each other and embraced (just like a movie) neither one of them knew where the other was serving... what are the chances, and what a great reunion that day!

A humble thank you to all of you who have served our country, we love you!

Be Kind

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. ~Jesse Jackson

Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is so easy, whip it up for a yummy treat this fall, your family will smile for sure!

Ingredients
1 (18 1/4 ounce) box spice cake mix
1 (15 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin (the small can)
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup cream cheese frosting (optional)

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 350°F.

2 Spray cookie sheets lightly with vegetable spray.

3 In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and pumpkin with a fork or mixer until well blended; stir in chocolate chips.

4 Drop by large rounded spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet; they don't flatten out much so however you place them on the sheet is pretty much how they'll look after baking.

5 Bake for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.

6 Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for up to 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

7 Frost, if desired.

8 How many cookies you get depends on how large you make them of course - just increase your baking time if making larger cookies (it's truly difficult to burn these, but they will get crispier & less moist); Mine, made with a medium size cookie scoop, take 13-15 minutes to bake and yield about 3 dozen.

ENJOY!