Appetizer: What was the last game you purchased?

I'm pretty sure it was Checkers games for my daughter's classroom. I love to play games but hubby does not so I don't buy games for my house anymore.

Soup: Name something in which you don’t believe.

I don't believe in protecting children from normal disappointments or consequences. They are part of life and part of maturing. Parents who let "little Bobby" win every game of Candy Land and don't keep score in T-ball or don't make "little Susie" finish the season because she made a commitment to be part of a team are the ones who wonder what happened when Bob goes to jail for beating up the pitcher who struck him out in high school or shooting the guy his ex-girlfriend is dating. And they don't understand why Sue has such a hard time keeping a job for more than a few months at a time. You can't learn to be a good loser if you're always "protected" from losing or to make a commitment to anything if you're never held accountable for your actions and decisions.

Okay, I'll get off my high horse now but, keep in mind, the Chef handed me the reins!

Salad: If you could choose a celebrity to be your boss, who would you pick?

Oprah! My guess is she treats her employees with respect, fairness, and generosity.

Main Course: What was a lesson you had to learn the hard way?

Almost all of them!!!!! Some of them I still seem to have trouble really learning so I occasionally have to repeat "the hard way" lesson. Seriously, it would take hours......

Dessert: Describe your idea of the perfect relaxation room.

The room would be in a modern log cabin in the middle of the woods away from all traffic. There would be large, unadorned picture windows overlooking a large porch and then a small lake (small enough you could see the deer drinking on the other side) and it would be snowing big, fluffy snow flakes. There would be a fire in the huge stone fireplace and overstuffed leather furniture with soft, warm throws to snuggle up in and plump throw pillows for napping - or pillow fights. The coffee table, at one end, would hold a carafe of hot cocoa and a sugar bowl filled with mini marshmallows. There would be a plate of fresh baked nut breads (I'm thinking pumpkin, banana-walnut, and cherry-pecan) to snack on. A large three wick candle would sit in the middle, lit and emitting a "safe at home" type scent like cinnamon roll or sugar cookie, and a multi-translation Bible would sit at the other end. There would be no bright, glaring overhead lights but the end tables would hold lamps for reading. There would be no TV, just a radio/cd player. Opposite the fireplace would be a desk area with plenty of paper, pens, pencils, and markers for writing or drawing. Much of the rest of this wall would be bookshelves lined with books of all kinds organized into genres' and then alphabetically either by author or title. There would also be shelves for cd's and books on cd. There would be a nook area next to the door with a small table(about the size of a card table) and two chairs for working jigsaw puzzles or playing games. The room would have a minimum of knick-knacks, just a few souvenirs from various travels and family photos. Over the fireplace there would be a large family portrait with everyone in jeans so they looked relaxed and like themselves. There would be a dark, thick pile rug between the sofa and the fireplace and another one , runner style, in front of the window for the dogs to sleep on. Opposite the windows would be a small, well-appointed kitchen separated from the room by a half wall with a bar top so you could eat and enjoy the view out the window. At one end of the bar would be a closet with an assortment of puzzles, board games (Scrabble, Yahtzee, decks of cards, Uno, Cranium, chess, Chinese and regular checkers) and classic toys (wood blocks, Tinkertoys, Etch-a-Sketch, jacks, coloring books and crayons, etc.). There would be a small cabinet near the windows with lots of film, special lenses and three cameras - a digital and two manual 35mm's, one loaded with color film and one with black & white. A closet near the door would hold hats, gloves, scarves, and coats for playing in the snow and ice skates in various sizes in case the lake gets a good thick layer of ice. I think I'll take a camera and go outside and look around now but since the Chef only asked for a room, I'll have to leave you here......