Norma's three-way yummy caramels

One of the first things My Angel said to Aunt Norma when we saw her over Thanksgiving was, "When are we going to make caramels?" And our sweet Norma, who hadn't been planning on making caramels, taught her how to make caramels. Norma makes the best. christmas. candy. ever. and we look forward to her sharing it with us all year.

Most caramel recipes that I have found use sweetened condensed milk. I think what makes Norma's extra delicious is the whipping cream.

3 cups whipping cream
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine and stir constantly until firm ball about 45 minutes.

#1 Pour into a buttered cake pan. Norma has a silicone pan that makes it easy to get the caramel out when it sets up. I'm not lucky enough to own one, but a disposable foil pan works about the same way. After it sets up well, cut the caramels and wrap in wax paper.

#2 While still warm in the pot, before pouring into the buttered pan, stir in chopped nuts of your choice. After set up, as in #1, melt chocolate and spread over the top. I tweaked this one a little bit, because we didn't put the nuts in the caramel. So after I spread the chocolate on top, I sprinkled chopped peanuts on top and pressed them in lightly. Little bit like a snickers...YUM!
When set, these can also be wrapped in wax paper, or just cut in squares.

#3 (My personal favorite...) Dip pretzel rods in the caramel while it's still warm in the pot. Put them on parchment paper to set up. Then dip in chocolate (Norma uses the real stuff, I just use chocolate almond bark), then drizzle white almond bark over them.

enjoy!

a season of miracles

From Sydney Reynolds
A God of Miracles

'With Moroni of old, I believe in a God of miracles. Moroni wrote to the people of our dispensation, “Behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, … and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are” (Mormon 9:11). Moroni proclaimed that Jesus Christ did many mighty miracles, that many mighty miracles were wrought by the hands of the Apostles, and that a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever must be a God of miracles today (see Mormon 9:18; Mormon 9:9).

Just as important as these “mighty miracles” are the smaller “private miracles” that teach each of us to have faith in the Lord. These come as we recognize and heed the promptings of the Spirit in our lives.

How do we access the quiet miracle that the Lord works as He transforms us, His children, into worthy heirs of the kingdom of God? I believe it is made possible because “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). I believe it comes as we yield to the enticings of the Spirit, put off the natural man, and are filled with the love of God (see Mosiah 3:19). “Through the Atonement of [Jesus] Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” (A of F 1:3). All mankind—that includes me, that includes you—we can each have part in the Atonement, the greatest of all God’s miracles.'

I also add my witness that God blesses our lives with miracles every day. We've always said that every family needs an angel  like ours.  The experiences that we've had since she has been born have changed our family's perspective and strengthened our relationship with our Heavenly Father. You can't help but recognize the miracles and the small ones become just as important and appreciated as the mighty ones. 

It seems like during the Christmas season it's a little bit easier to recognize those miracles.  It also seems a little bit easier to be the miracle worker in someone else's life. I love to look back and reflect on the people that the Lord has blessed our life with to this point, the people who have been placed in just the right spot to be there when we were in desperate need, and sometimes even when we didn't even realize that we had a need.  It becomes a testimony that Someone always knows what we need and will bless us, and that with His help and guidance, we can and will make it together.

Keep Smiling!

gingerbread houses

Somehow a few years back it became tradition to make gingerbread houses at Nana's house at Thanksgiving. All week long the kids all ask, "Is today the day we're doing the gingerbread houses?" "Can we do the gingerbread houses now?" In fact, even in the middle of the chaos of fixing thanksgiving dinner there was pleading for making the gingerbread houses!! Nana always makes sure that every family that is there has a house to decorate together. Most of the time it is a kit. Last year she baked all of the houses and made all of the frosting and bought all the candy. Ya, she's kind of a power-woman like that. But I have to say, I don't think that one will be happening again...

This year was the best ever. It's called "PRE-ASSEMBLED." No slipping, no sliding, no holding for hours the roof to the walls...

happy crafting!

'reeses' peanut butter leaves

Ok, I'll admit. This is a treat that we make in the fall, in the winter, in the spring and you get what I mean. It is one that we definitely have to share with neighbors and friends, because I could seriously eat the entire large pan by myself.

Reeses peanut butter bars

2 cups peanut butter
6 cups powdered sugar
1 1/4 cup melted butter

Mix and press into a cookie sheet.

Melt 12 ounces of chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes. Spread over top.

Put it in the fridge to set the chocolate up for 20 minutes or so. If you wait too long, the chocolate will crack when you cut them and it's not so pretty. If you don't wait long enough it just kind of gooey's all over. If you actually forget about them and leave them in the fridge too long, you can set the pan on the top of a warm oven and it will soften back up pretty well. Aren't you glad that I make mistakes to find such helpful solutions for you? They can be cut into bars, but I like to use seasonal cookie cutters. Besides, then someone has to eat what's left over after you cut...

Enjoy!

turley the surly turkey

There once was a turkey-quite a beautiful bird-
Who could talk just like us! Don't you think that's absurd?
When hearing his story, folks would travel a week.
Their eyes popped! Their mouths dropped
When they took their first peek!

With his unusual talent, Turley only caused pain,
For this gobbledy fellow could only complain
'Bout the farmer, his food, his coop and the weather;
He even complained 'bout the size of his feathers!

In one ear and out his words quickly flew,
And although he could talk, there was nobody who
Really wanted to listen to this ungrateful bird
'Till soon what he said was not heard - not one word!

Then on a morning close to Thanksgiving Day
Turley went to speak, but no word could he say!
He strained and he struggled, but nothing came out.
Not a peep nor a mumble or a gobbledy shout.

So poor Turley sat down, pulled his feathers all in,
And rubbed at his throat again and again.
He was sad; he was lonely. What could have gone wrong?
He sat there and thought, and he thought all day long.

Turley thought of the nice things he'd almost once said,
Wond'ring why he had not said those nice things instead.
His tail feathers trembled when he thought of his friends,
Of crunchy grain, his warm coop....
"Hmmm, I must make amends."

Now old Turley's feathers continued to shake
As he counted his blessings for his own turkey sake.
The more that he counted, the harder they shook
Until Turley stood up and took a much closer look.

Oh, my! Oh, my goodness! Are these feathers all mine?
Unbelievable! Incredible! They're simply divine!
For on each turkey feather of this marvelous bird
Were written Turley's blessings in capital words!

Why, this turkey, once known as ungrateful, was now
A turkey most thankful and humble - not proud!
Turley gleamed and he glowed! Turley gobbled with glee!
What a warm glowing feeling to be thankful as he!

As Thanksgiving arrived, Turley had nothing to fear.
He was cordially invited to spread holiday cheer.
Each blessing was counted, each thanks said, sincere,
His feathers now showed what to him was most dear.

(author unknown)

It's fun to look back and see how our perspective on blessings has changed and grown over the years.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.”

It's important and even necessary for us to see the good in our lives.  There is always something that we can be grateful for.  Every single moment we have the choice to be grateful or not.  Let's keep on looking for those blessings and miracles in our lives, whether they be big or small. They are the things that change who we are and who we need to become.
Happy Thanksgiving, all.

Keep Smiling!

family snuggle quilt

Whew. This has been the week of work. My mom was visiting a couple of weeks ago and-in a very kind way-mentioned that I seem to be starting a lot more projects than I'm finishing. It was good for me to step back and recognize that unfinished projects in my home and in my brain = chaos in my home and in my brain. So instead of making lots of fun harvest creations, I've had a week of what I like to call 'ketch-up'. Which was BOO HOO because there are so many fun harvest things I wanted to create, and Christmas as well! But it was YAY because I finished a lot of projects that have been waiting for me for ummmmmm.... we'll just say a long time.

Some of these projects included:

sewing a baby gift for my niece born in September,





 refurbishing a dresser I started in August,

 fabric watch bands for my mom and a friend and Our Princess promised in May,









and this quilt that I swiped from my mom in January. I was also able to start on a Christmas gift project that I can't wait to share (when they're finished, of course. Which may be next Christmas, so don't get too excited...)

Anyway, this quilt is a fun one!  I made it for my mom a couple of years ago for Christmas.   It has a block stitched for each member in our extended family, couples together, kids on their own. We've had a bit of a baby boom going on the last couple of years in our family, so I decided in January when I had some free time I could add them in so I brought it home to work on it.  And my excuse for not finishing it yet is because we've had two more babies born this year!!

The size of the blocks depend on how big you want the quilt to be and how many people are in your family. My blocks are around 8 inches.

I just hand-drew the simple basic shapes, dresses on girls and pants on boys, then as I stitched them, I added little embellishments to make each of them unique, trying to match hair color and type as best I could.  Count Studley is one of the favorites, as I only put hair on the sides of his head, leaving the top bald...
I put the names on each block as well, so the grandkids could each find their special block. 

This is My Angel's block.  Is she cute or what?

and the brand-newest addition to the fam!

Every other block is a stitched family member.  The other blocks are just raggy plaids and fun country-type prints.  We tend to lean in that direction in our family... I used the furry fleece for the back and that's what makes it fun and snuggly.  It is 'built' all at once, so the front and the back of each block are attached at the same time. I cut the squares for the back 2 inches bigger than the front blocks were, this is what gives the furry border in the front.



So, when your blocks are all cut out -my final blocks were 8 inches, and the furry back squares were 10 inches- lay it all out and decide the best placement of blocks.  (WARNING: that furry fleece is M.E.S.S.Y. I wouldn't recommend cutting or sewing it over carpet, just sayin!) I didn't keep families together, in fact, I made sure that the couples and kids were spread out randomly because I was sure that there would be additions to our family and didn't want it to look weird if I one day decided to add them in.

This is the only frustrating part of the whole process.  You have to take the front and back blocks, wrong sides together, pinned together,  and place it on the block that will be next to it, BACK sides together.  I just picked them up as I went from where I had them laid out.  You only have to stitch up the one side that connects the two blocks.  Then pick up the next block, and place it back to back with the one you just finished, making sure it matches up where you want it and is turned in the right direction. As you can see, I took absolutely 0 pictures.  I was too busy holding that fleece together... It is not easy to sew the furry fleece.  It slips and slides and sometimes gets caught in your machine if you don't keep the fur pushed out of the way while you are sewing.  Pins make a world of difference, and if you have a good machine and you pin it all together, it's not so bad.  I kept my seam 1/2 inch in from the front fabric, which left about an inch-ish of the furry fabric coming through.  After you have stitched a whole row together, start on the next.  Then use the same technique to line up rows back to back and pin, pin, pin to keep the squares lined up with each other because I promise you that baby will move!  The raggy edges give you some leeway for imperfection, though.  Mine is far from perfect!  But that's what makes it fun is the raggy.
When all the rows were sewed together, I stitched all the way around the edges of the quilt to secure them. Then I used the furry fabric to add a border around the edges to finish it off, which is also very forgiving.
I ended up adding on two more rows.  So I just un-picked the binding on one side and added the new rows there.  When I finished the binding on the add-on, I even pieced in little squares in a couple of spots because I was low on fabric, and it would take some serious seeking to find where I did it because of the furry fluff. My new blocks were a little bit smaller than the old ones and my mom will notice for sure.  But I'm pretty sure the grandkids won't, and it is soft and comfy and absolutely darling. Yes?

happy crafting!

turkey drumsticks- of the best kind

I saw a picture of these in a magazine when Our Princess was in first grade (which just so happens to be a really long time ago...) and thought they would be fun to try. She still gets excited about making them, probably just for my sake, and we do it every year.
I was so excited (and astonished!) that we were able to make them together this week! She has been pretty non-existent around these parts the last little while with school activities, and it was fun to get to have that time together.

We use the basic rice krispie treat recipe:
3 tablespoons butter
40 large marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies

In the microwave, melt the butter and marshmallows for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Add Rice Krispies, stirring until well coated.
Here's where it changes up:
Let it cool slightly, we wait about 7-10 minutes. Rub butter all over your hands and pull out a gob of mixture. Form it into a drumstick shape, round and fat at one end and small and skinny at the other. Place on waxed paper to set. It should make about 12 or so, depending on the size you choose to do.

After they set up for a while, spread peanut butter all over the fat half.  I have always used a knife.  Our Princess discovered that a spoon works really well for spreading around all the curves, though.

Roll it in Chocolate Krispies...

Done.

Enjoy!

perspective

Life is such an adventure. It seems like as soon as I figure things out, change happens and I start the cycle all over again. I'm recognizing that often I'm living every day in 'crisis mode' just trying to survive. The moments are flying by and I sometimes find myself screaming inside, 'Stop the ride! I want to get off!!' But I can't. And I won't. And crying about it isn't going to help anyone.(except maybe me). When life gets hard, in the quiet moments I can turn to my Heavenly Father and pray to know how I can best approach and learn from the experiences that I'm blessed with. Because they really are blessings. And I can embrace these opportunities to learn and grow. And I will become the person that He sent me here to be. And I will do the things that only I can do to make a difference.

This incredible gal has become quite an inspiration for my girls and I. Especially My Angel. I know that she has as many bad days as anyone, but her perspective is amazing. She has influenced profoundly the way that we see life and the hard things that happen.

Sometimes I think the hardest of days are the ones where we have to watch our kids experience their hardest of days. Who knew that the seventh grade lunchroom experience could be as painful to a thirteen year old girl as any major surgery? Who knew that being a sister of a special needs 'celebrity' child could be such a struggle every day, affecting how one feels about themself and how one acts and reacts in every situation in their life? I feel strongly that these beautiful girls of mine will learn and grow from the challenges that they face and become amazing women. I already see it happening, and I know, with the Lord's help, they'll make it. And make it well! It makes my heart swell to see them turn to heaven for help and receive strength and answers as they experience their own hardest of days.

Change is inevitable. Change is important. Hard things do make a difference for good. Seriously, how blah would life be without challenges? The secret, I am learning (probably slower than I should...), is the cheerful part. And I will keep looking for opportunities to laugh. And making opportunities for my family to laugh. I can't wait for the perspective that will come when I'm all used up, and can look back and say, 'Ah ha! That's what He was doing with me!'

Keep smiling!

rustic pumpkins

This is a quick and easy project that can make a simple yet significant difference in your harvest decor!  All you need is a 4 x 4 post cut into three different sized chunks.  Mine are 9 1/2", 7 1/2", and 5 1/2".  The more beat up the posts, the better for this project.  Mine have big cracks down the side but it just adds to the rustic look.  The tops are just cut up branches (leftover from fall pruning...)  Use a drill bit the size of your branch to drill a hole in the middle of the top. Sand lightly the really rough edges on the cuts, but for the most part, just leave it rough.  Then paint the 'pumpkins' the shade of your choice.  I used acrylic paint because there was a greater selection of colors to choose from... 
After it dries really well, glue the branch in the drilled hole. I just used my old friend Mr. hot glue gun and he is holding really well!   I chose to keep it simple by just tying a jute bow on them, but if you're more extravagant than me you could add berries and leaves, etc... 
How easy is that?

Happy Crafting!

stew in a pumpkin

This is a warm fall comfort food all the way.  And the presentation is pretty unique and beautiful as well.  And did you know that pumpkins are pretty darn cheap the day after Halloween?
The stew recipe that I use is a simple favorite that a friend shared with me WAY back in my college days that I still love. It calls for:
1 lb. stew meat (or round steak cubed)
4-5 potatoes cubed
4-5 carrots peeled and chunked
1 onion chopped (or 1 pkg. onion soup mix)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can milk or water
I also add in sliced mushrooms and chunks of zucchini and water chestnuts.... yum!
And of course, salt and pepper and seasonings to your liking...
The trick is to throw the stew ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning.  It will just cook and make your house smell good all day long. Cut a nice wide lid on the top of a basketball sized-ish pumpkin at some point during the day and clean out the guts really well.  About an hour and a half before serving, line a cookie sheet with foil, (makes for easy clean up!!) put the pumpkin on the tray, dump the already cooked stew into the pumpkin, put the top back on, and bake it in the oven at 375 degrees until the pumpkin is soft.  Scoop out the cooked pumpkin with the stew to serve.

Enjoy!

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giving thanks

From: The Divine Gift of Gratitude- Thomas S. Monson Oct. 2010

"This is a wonderful time to be on earth. While there is much that is wrong in the world today, there are many things that are right and good. There are marriages that make it, parents who love their children and sacrifice for them, friends who care about us and help us, teachers who teach. Our lives are blessed in countless ways.

We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues.

When we encounter challenges and problems in our lives, it is often difficult for us to focus on our blessings. However, if we reach deep enough and look hard enough, we will be able to feel and recognize just how much we have been given."

keep smiling!

simple scarecrow

This is an easy and different twist on your average scarecrow. I made these guys to display on my front porch with some corn stalks. Which I never grew. And never bought. So they are lonely, but they are definitely fun! All it takes is a couple of 2" x 2" posts, one longer than the other. I just used scraps that we had around the house. Like actually, I think some of it was leftover handrail from our basement stairs... not even actually square, but works just great. If you are going to stick them in the ground, you'll want to cut a wedge on the bottom of the long one to make it easier. I cheat and tie them on to my porch railing.

I screwed the short post (4 ft.-ish) on to the long one (6 ft.-ish) about where I thought his arms should be- just below where the hat would hang. I found the lovely flannel shirts at a local thrift store. I screwed the straw hat on the top of the pole, buttoned their shirts, and there you go!


happy crafting!


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