Out with the Old

I love everything about Christmas,

 the food, the decorations, the family time, the charitable attitudes, the focus on Christ..... 

but I also LOVE reclaiming my home from the chaos and the clutter and the mess

This year especially, it feels good to be out with the old and in with the new.... 

With our new adventure just days away, 

it feels like so many parts of our life are getting a fresh start.

The past 14 months have been a crazy time for us since Wayne lost his job.

But we have been so blessed 

with many small miracles along this journey.

I think the biggest miracle of all has been

that I am keenly aware that I have a Father in Heaven

who is absolutely aware of me 

and of my needs and my secret desires.

I can't begin to name the small tender mercies that I have experienced 

the past 14 months that have proven this to me over and over again.

A quick recap of our year.....

T gave us a new grandson  in January.

E got married in March to an amazing man.

If we believed in arranged marriages, 

I doubt I could have picked someone so perfect for her!!

(... and she got some pretty spectacular in-laws as part of the package!)

Wayne started training to become a State Farm agent in April

...and graduated from that training in November...

So proud of him for all his hard work!!!

I got to quit my job at the pool & spa company in August

and got all my licensing to be able to work with him in our new business.

S started her Senior year of high school in September

(can't believe that come next fall... only my baby will still be in school)

In November,I got to take a week long road trip to Bear Lake 

to see my momma and spend some time with friends that I haven't seen for a while.

(Thanks for crashing your wheeler mom, 

so I would have an excuse to come spend some time with you!!!)

In December we started construction on the new office and that is almost wrapped up.

Most of the office is set up and ready to rock and roll

come January 2nd.

I have some awesome friends

 that have played an important part of my journey this past year 

and I know for a fact that God has a plan for our lives 

and that if we can humble ourselves to the point of turning our lives

over to HIM...

that He has great things in store for us...

 He has directed us to be in the right place at the right time

to reap some amazing blessings 

and to reconnect with friends that surely we knew in the pre-existence!

I sometimes have to pinch myself to believe that 

life is so good to us.

So here's to bigger and better things in the coming year!

May you all be blessed and comforted

and may we all remember what's truly important in our lives!

On the First Day of Christmas....

A few years ago I was in charge of the Christmas program at church....

and they wanted the program to be humorous...

They came to the right person...LOL!

I tried to get out of it since my son was getting married the week before Christmas 

and I had FIVE parties I had to attend in addition to the bridal shower 

AND the wedding 

AND the reception...

(It's a good thing I was the mother of the groom and NOT the mother of the bride!!)

So my overwhelmed mind came up with this.... 

mostly out of necessity to keep track of all I had to do to get through the month!!!

If you are an LDS mom, you will relate!!!

On the first day of Christmas, my calendar reminded me:

Don’t forget visiting teaching.

One the second day of Christmas my calendar reminded me:

To feed the missionaries

And don’t forget your visiting teaching

On the third day of Christmas, my calendar reminded me:

3 quilts to tie

To feed the missionaries

And don’t forget your visiting teaching

On the fourth day of Christmas, my calendar reminded me:

4 Jello Salads

3 quilts to tie

To feed the missionaries

And don’t forget your visiting teaching

On the fifth day of Christmas my calendar reminded me:

5 casseroles      

4 jello salads

3 quilts to tie

To feed the missionaries

And don’t forget your visiting teaching

On the sixth day of Christmas my calendar reminded me:

6 crafts to finish

5 casseroles

4 jello salads

3 quilts to tie

To feed the missionaries

And don’t forget your visiting teaching

On the seventh day of Christmas during sacrament meeting:

7 kids were crying

6 crafts to finish

5 casseroles

4 jello salads

3 quilts to tie

To feed the missionaries

And don’t forget your visiting teaching

On the eighth day of Christmas, my calendar reminded me:

8 lights are tangled

7 kids are crying

6 crafts to finish

5 casseroles

4 jello salads

3 quilts to tie

To feed the missionaries

And don’t forget your visiting teaching

 On the ninth day of Christmas, my calendar reminded me:

9 pies are baking

8 lights all tangled

7 kids are crying

6 crafts to finish

5 casseroles

4 jello salads

3 quilts to tie

To feed the missionaries

And don’t forget your visiting teaching

On the tenth day of Christmas, my husband needs to help:

One of Ten families moving

9 pies are baking

8 lights all tangled

7 kids are crying

6 crafts to finish

5 casseroles

4 jello salads

3 quilts to tie

To feed the missionaries

And don’t forget your visiting teaching

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my calendar reminded me:

11 gifts to wrap

10 families moving

9 pies are baking

8 lights are tangled

7 kids are crying

6 crafts to finish

5 casseroles

4 jello salads

3 quilts to tie

To feed the missionaries

And don’t forget your visiting teaching

On the twelvth day of Christmas my calendar reminded me:

12 dozen cookies     

11 gifts to wrap      

10 families moving      

      9 pies are baking              

8 lights are tangled     

7 kids are crying        

                       6 crafts to finish                                

                        5 casseroles                                 

              4 jello salads                     

                   3 quilts to tie                         

To feed the missionaries            

Oh ya…and don’t forget the wedding!     

Homemade Creamed Fudge

AFTER I made the fudge this year, I realized that I should have taken pictures of each stage so you can see what it does and what it looks like....

For now, you will just have to figure that out by trial and error....
This takes some time and you can't rush the steps, especially the creaming part.
If you have questions, you can message me or leave a comment and I will do my best to answer them.

I have to actually give credit for this recipe to Mike Howell.... 

He taught me to make it many years ago and it has become part of our Christmas traditions ever since.
 Most years, I end up making it more than once because it disappears so quickly...

A word of warning though... once your family has experienced it,
 you will be FOREVER stuck making it this way.
You won't be able to go back to the marshmallow fudge or other

 "cook and pour into a pyrex pan" recipes!!!

I tried making a new recipe this year using candy bars and sweetened condensed milk.... 

I ended up with a mutiny over it....

BASIC CREAMED FUDGE

4 cups sugar

2 Tbsp white Karo

1cup cream or evaporated milk (cream is preferred)

¼ cup water

6 Tbsp butter (not margarine)

6 Tbsp cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

Combine first six ingredients in a heavy bottomed 3 quart pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden paddle, until all ingredients are well blended. Continue stirring until it comes to a full boil. Wash down sides of the pan with hot water on a small pastry brush. Continue boiling until it reaches 240® on the candy thermometer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and place the pan in a sink of ice water. Leave it alone until it is fully cooled (about room temperature). Place the pan briefly in a sink of hot water to loosen the candy from the pan. Then carefully remove the candy to a heavy duty mixer. (Kitchen-Aid or Bosch) **CAUTION** This process works the mixer hard and a mixer that is not a very heavy duty type may not do the job or may burn up.

Allow it to mix at low speed until it starts to cream – it will lighten and change consistency. (As an alternate to creaming in a mixer, if you have a marble slab, you can pour the hot candy directly from the stove to the prepared moist slab. Allow it to cool and then cream it by hand with a wooden or heavy paddle). Then, add the flavoring and nuts if desired. Remove the candy from the mixing bowl and place on clear plastic wrap. Wrap up the candy and knead it until it is well blended and the shape you want. After it is shaped make sure it is completely wrapped in the plastic. Allow it to cool overnight. All of the heat does not leave the batch until it is allowed to rest. That is what makes it really creamy. It will then keep at room temperature in the plastic wrap – probably longer than you can keep it around.

Alternate versions:

For white fudge, omit the cocoa. Otherwise follow the recipe. This is good alone or as the center for dipped chocolates using different flavors instead of vanilla – mint for mint crèmes, maple for maple crèmes, orange, etc. I usually mix the flavors and leave the candy in a kneaded mound, wrapped in plastic, overnight and then shape the balls and freeze them for dipping the next day or later.

For Penuche, substitute one or two cups of brown sugar for the same amount of white sugar and omit the cocoa. Otherwise follow the above recipe. It is good alone or at the center of pecan logs.

***HINTS***

The white fudge and penuche tend to be a little softer and keep well in the refrigerator, beginning the day after it has cooled naturally. If you find you have overcooked or undercooked the fudge and it is the wrong consistency or doesn’t cream right, or heaven forbid it sugars, just add some water and re-cook it and start over with the cooling and creaming process – provided you haven’t added nuts. In your final batch, experiment with additions, marshmallows & nuts for rocky road, raisins in chocolate, cashews are delicious in white fudge, pecans in penuche, etc.

Thankful

I am going to attempt to do the month of thanks this year...

Here goes!

Day 1

I am thankful that i don't have a job so that i could come visit my momma without having to ask permission from a boss (and yes, I did ask Mr. Gunn first)

Day 2 &3

Since i am a couple of days behind, today, I am also thankful for a cozy fire to snuggle up next to and most importantly for those who continue praying for people like my brother who are still without power back east!

Day 4

Today i'm thankful for family.... a brother that lets me spend the night with only a few hours notice, a brother that sends me thought provoking emails at just the right time, a brother that takes care of my momma when i cant be here, and for their amazing wives who have become my sisters.... and for a second dad (not many girls get to have two amazing daddys!) ?..and for two more brothers that showed up in my life....And of course for my momma .... I just cant put into words how i feel about her!

Day 5

Today i am thankful for all the people who have worked hard to restore power

 to the people that were affected by hurricane Sandy.

Day 6

Today I am thankful to live in a free country, where we have the privililege to vote for our lesders and shape our own future. Please use that freedom wisely!!! And ESPECIALLY today....may God bless America!

Day 7

Ahhhh.... there's NO place like home!!!! Today I am thankful for an amazing hubs (Wayne Gunn)who understood my need to take a week long road trip with only five minutes notice. Watching TV last night as, I was angry and afraid, I realized how much I love him and have come to depend on him.... Thanks for taking such good care of me babe!

Day 8

Today, I woke up with a sore throat (which convinces me that I really AM getting sick and the scratch that I felt yesterday was not just from pretending to be Adele for 8 hours yesterday in the car).... so today I am thankful that I can stay home in my pajamas and sip warm beverages 

and do my online training and GET PAID for that!
Day 9
Today I am thankful that I have been taught to pray and for the peace and comfort that brings to my life!
Day 10
Today I'm thankful for medication and how it helps me feel like a "normal" person!
Day 11

Today I am thankful for a dad who served this country in the Army and taught me to be patriotic and also for all of the men and women who continue to serve our country and protect my freedoms!

Day 12

As I have been trying to exercise patience today and NOT bang my head against the desk while trying to do training modules, I have a new found appreciation for everything that Wayne has been doing past several months! Today I am thankful for the "opportunity" to learn new things.

Day 12 Thankful part 2: Thank you Greg Deputy for going to rescue the kids that were stranded on the side of the road in the rain, in the dark, and then for driving "Leapin' Lena" to safer ground!

Day 13

Today I am thankful that my work network WASN'T working. It gave me the opportunity to go VT without feeling guilty for not staying home doing training modules instead!

Day 14

Today I am thankful for friends and for the wonderful examples I have of unconditional love and forgiveness (especially when I do stupid things... which happens... a LOT). When I grow up, I want to be as amazing as you!

Day 15

Today I am grateful for a son who is cheerfully willing to serve others in need. B, you are a great example to those around you and I am SO lucky to be your momma!

Day 16

Today I'm thankful for a daughter who is missing home and family. It tells me that she understands what's REALLY important in life... and E I want you to know that I look up to YOU... you are an amazing example of someone who loves unconditionally and forgives freely! Can't wait to see you next week!

Day 17

Today I am thankful for a daughter that is a great friend... I love the heartfelt chats we have and the fun conversations when she can't tell me a story unless I can see her tell it because she needs to add animation...♥ you S!
Day 18
Today I am thankful for the opportunity to teach Sunday School. I have such a wonderful amazing class and they inspire me with their knowledge every week. I so much enjoy being taught the Gospel by 16 year old kids! I am pretty sure that I have this opportunity, not for what I have to give, but more for what I have to gain!
Day 19
Today I am thankful for an amazing son and his ever more amazing wife and for the joy they bring to our family. Having them come over on Sunday afternoons for dinner is a highlight of my week!
Day 20

It has been just over a year since Wayne lost his job and I have thought a lot about that today.
I never would have dreamed where a year would take us.
So today, I am thankful for ALL of the tender mercies that our family has experienced over the past year.
So many people stepped up to bring us things at just the right moment....
fresh produce, thoughtful cards, kind words of encouragement, hugs,
many people stepped up to share their talents and resources to help us
 provide our daughter a wonderful wedding reception....
We have been so blessed to have a new opportunity to provide for our family
and there have been so many doors open to make that happen.
Wayne losing his job turned out to be such a blessing to our family in so many ways.
At the end of 2011, I was so happy to say goodbye to that year
 and look forward to 2012, with high hopes.
2012 has NOT disappointed.
As I look back over the past year and all the events..
big AND small...
that have transpired, I can't help but be grateful....
In fact, I am shamelessly filled with joy tonight
as I sit here typing this and all my family, including
a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law,
are all around me laughing and enjoying each other's company.
Life is indeed good!

Day 21
Today, I am thankful that all my chicks are going to be in the nest tonight... ALL NIGHT! Slumber party at my house :)
Day 22
Today I am just thankful... shamelessly-filled-with-joy thankful... for everything I have been blessed with and for all the awesome people that I get to share my journey with!
Day 23
Today I am thankful for Thanksgiving leftovers!!!1 Especially since I spent the day shopping and Twilight matinee with my girlies! Good day :) (note to self: black Friday matinee.... AWESOME idea!)
Day 24
Today I'm thankful for hot chocolate and the sun burning through the fog!
(That means no buckets of rain, so Wayne can hang the lights!)
Day 25
Today I'm thankful for warm blankets, a fireplace, a comfy couch and a heating pad.... I hate being sick
Day 26
Today I am thankful for Kleenex!
Day 27
Today I am thankful for the miracle of T and her family coming back into our lives!!! I am hear to tell you that sometimes prayers take over 20 years to be answered, just don't ever give up!!!!
Day 28
Today I am thankful for my doggy who loves unconditionally no matter how much I tease him and when I don't feel well, is always a little extra snuggly!
Day 29
Today I am thankful for Christmas music and for the feelings of love and hope and charity that it brings into our lives!
Day 30
Today I am thankful for the community in which I live and for the people who make up my little corner of the world... church members, neighbors, friends, and new acquaintances that I continue to make along the way.

'Twas the Month Before Christmas

‘T'was the month before Christmas

When all through our land,

  Not a Christian was praying

Nor taking a stand.

Why the PC Police had taken away

The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing

About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say

December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.

  Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod

Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa

In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down

At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears

You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si- ty

Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen

On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter

To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith

Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded

The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'

Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say

Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS,

not Happy Holiday!

Note: I did not write this, I copied it from an email. If you know the author, please leave a comment so that I can give them full credit!

Although I did not write it, I fully concur with the message!

Thunderstorms and Rainbows

Today is the beginning of a new future... not the one I had hoped for...

but a new one nonetheless.

Last night after the election results, I cried myself to sleep...

I will NEVER be away from home on the night of an election ever again....

I felt so lonely and angry and afraid!

I tossed and turned all night long 

and woke up this morning and puked!

I felt like the world was a dark place even though the sun was shining.

Last night a friend reminded me that the 

Book of Mormon is a type and shadow of our day...

If that's true, then I am truly disappointed to discover

that we are NOT at the Captain Moroni 

part of the story!

But I am glad that we can recognize 

what part of "the cycle" we are in....

It seems to me that the Gadianton robbers have taken control of the government, 

society is full of people who have an unjustified sense of entitlement,

 are clinging tightly to their favorite sins, 

and that there is more evil than good out there.

So today, on my 8 hour drive home, 

I had lots of time to reflect on a variety of things...

 I was going through a thunderstorm in a canyon and the sky was really dark and reflective of my mood

when I came around a corner and saw a rainbow...

I thought to myself, "oh look... a rainbow"

and just kept driving....

a few minutes later, I saw another rainbow...

I thought to myself, 

"wow... interesting how BOTH of those rainbows

 seemed to end right in the lane that I was driving in"

then after another few miles, there was a THIRD rainbow

that also ended right where I had to drive through it...

This time, with wet eyes...

I thanked a loving Heavenly Father for reminding me that He is still there and that He is aware of me and my thoughts and needs and for reminding me that in spite of my feelings about last night, I need to continue to look for the good in the world and in people.... and to continue to count my blessings for I have MUCH to be grateful for!

Fighting Back

For me, like most people, cancer is very personal...

 It is personal for every person who has been touched by it in some way. 

 Cancer stole my dad from me nearly 20 years ago, and so this year, 

on the 20th anniversary of my dad's courageous fight ending, 

I honor him, by FIGHTING BACK!!!

You all have a story of someone you love, who has fought the fight. 

Many of you have had the privilege of being caregivers

 for those you love as they battled with dignity and grace. 

And even more of you will continue to be affected in some way, by this disease. 

THAT is why I got involved in Relay for Life!

Cancer affected my dad at a time when there weren't many tools to fight with 

 that could have altered his fate... 

but there is so much happening now to offer new breakthroughs..

and hope!!! 

BUT ....

In order for that to happen, we all need to make a stand.... 

together....

and FIGHT BACK!

We are winning the battles, but the war is far from over.

Please help me honor the memory of my dad...

and YOUR loved ones...

and stand up for all those people who are not even diagnosed yet...

I need your help...

THEY need your help!

100% of the money that I raise will go 

directly to research and patient services,

so PLEASE help me make a difference!!!

You can make a pledge by going to

 www.relayforlife.org

Under the heading.. Find a Participant...

Type Wendi Gunn

and click search... then donate.

Every donation will make a difference and

PS...they are tax deductible!!!

Please help me 

Celebrate, Remember and FIGHT BACK!!!

Cancer is so Limited!

It can NOT cripple love!

It can NOT shatter hope!

It can NOT corrode faith!

It can NOT eat away peace!

It can NOT destroy confidence!

It can NOT kill friendship!

It can NOT shut our memories!

It can NOT silence courage!

It can NOT invade the soul!

It can NOT reduce eternal life!

It can NOT quench the spirit!

It can NOT lessen the power of the resurrection!

It can NOT overcome the power of God!

                                              

Author Unknown       

Fridge Scrabble

I got this idea from Pinterest where they used scrabble pieces with magnets and a cookie sheet
to leave messages for each other. 

Since I don't have any free wall space to hang a cookie sheet, I decided
that the front of the fridge would work just fine!

I already had an old Scrabble game that no one in my family ever plays...

mostly because I kick their trash...hehehe...

So I purchased two rolls of strip magnets from a craft store for a total of about $2.50.

I cut little strips and stuck them to the back of ALL the Scrabble pieces 

and...

So began our adventures with "Fridge Scrabble".

My hope was that it would be a great way for our family to communicate fun messages to one another.

I started it off by posting...

Since I knew you would want pictures, I went to the office to get my camera and when I returned, it said:

Wayne and S then proceeded to blame the dog for changing the letter!

Loving them to the moon and back, was apparently not enough for them to truly understand
the depths of my love for them, so I responded with:

Now THAT is true love!

Apparently my children don't know what a moon pie is because they said,
" that's not love, that's just weird!"

Conditional Love

And a little bit of randomness....

and having the last word...LOL!

 I can hardly wait to see what happens when E comes home!!!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Let me just start by saying that i am obsessed with pumpkin... I love the colors of them, I love the time of year they represent and I especially LOVE any food containing pumpkin!!!

So I started a Pinterest board dedicated to All Things Pumpkin.

I have an old family recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, which is probably where my pumpkin obsession started. These cookies are a right of passage each year in ringing in the fall season, which if you haven't guessed, is my FAVORITE time of year....

well, almost!

Christmas is actually my favorite time of year, so I sort of consider Fall, the beginning of the Christmas season. In fact, I have already added my Christmas playlist back on the ipod.

But I digress....

back to the reason you are here...LOL!

I decided to try a few new recipes this year to see if anything could possibly live up to the childhood memories I have of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Oh.My.Gravy... YES!!!!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles combine TWO of my favorite things into one little ball of awesomeness!

Since I don't have to eat a snickerdoodle AND a pumpkin cookie, I figure with this creation, I can simply have TWICE as many!!!

So here it is exactly like I found it on 

Recipe Girl

pumpkin snickerdoodles

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 25 min (plus chill time)

Cook Time: 10 min

ingredients:

COOKIES:
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup pure unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

ROLLING SUGAR:
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice

directions:

1. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter until fluffy. Add sugars and pumpkin puree and beat well. Mix in egg and vanilla, scraping down sides of the bowl to incorporate all of the ingredients.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Beat flour mixture into liquid mixture a little at a time just until incorporated.

3. Cover dough with plastic and chill at least an hour, or until dough becomes slightly firm.

4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or spray with nonstick spray). Mix rolling sugar ingredients in a small bowl.

5. Remove cookie dough from refrigerator. Use a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 Tablespoons) or a large spoon to scoop out dough and roll into balls. Use your hands to roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and make sure they're coated really well. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Use a glass with a nice, flat bottom to dip in sugar and flatten the balls.

6. Bake at 350°F. for 10 to 14 minutes, or until they are slightly firm to the touch. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes or so, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

tips:

*Store in an airtight container. These cookies freeze well too. Place them in freezer zip bag and remove from freezer when the craving hits.

Source: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from dlynz.com)

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

I ran across this recipe by clicking on a link in a link from a link kind of thing....

Let me just say ..I'm in Heaven!!!

This is so easy and I totally nailed it the first time.

I have included a link  in case you want to look at the actual site where I ultimately found the recipe.

Bakers Royale 

They have fabulous pictures and it only took me about 15 minutes to whip this up!

I am thinking it will be great in hot chocolate, hot cider, in cupcakes, the possibilities are ENDLESS!!!!

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

Makes approximately 14-16oz

1 cup sugar

6 tablespoons water

4 tablespoon butter

¼ c heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional, for salted caramel sauce)

Instructions:

Place sugar and water into a saucepan over medium low heat and stir the  until sugar has dissolved. Dissolve any crystals forming on the side with a wet pastry brush.

Once sugar has dissolved increase heat to high.

At this point do not stir the mixture directly. Now and then, using the handle, give the pot a swirl to keep the mixture moving. The mixture will start to bubble after a minute or so.

After 3-4 minutes the mixture will turn from a light amber to medium amber and then finally to a dark reddish brown color. Once the mixture starts to smoke, add the butter and heavy cream. The mixture will bubble wildly. Whisk to combine (bubbles will subside upon cooling). Set aside to cool completely.

Notes:

The longer the caramel cooks the harder it will become as it cools.

If after cooling the caramel is too hard, re-heat it and add more water, milk  or heavy cream to thin it.

If after cooling the caramel is too liquid-y, make a second batch and cook the caramel slightly longer, then mix the two together.

For a deeper caramel flavor add your butter and cream after the mixture has smoked for about 30 seconds. 

Grandma Maxine

I was cleaning out some old notebooks and I ran across the notes that I wrote for the life sketch that I gave at my grandma's funeral. So I thought I would post here, mostly so I can remember, but also for those of you who knew my Grandma Maxine. We sure do miss you!

Grandma's life taught us many lessons by the way she lived her life & by her example.

One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure

She gave new meaning to dumpster diving by purchasing the junk yard where she collected old bottles.

She also taught us about Consequences when certain grandsons (Jordon and Thad perhaps?), took their BB guns to the junk yard & shot up all her old bottles that she was aging in the sun.

Over the years her kids and grandkids learned what a "Scotch Blessing" was, but she always disciplined with love.

She taught us to be Competitive. She kept a  notebook which contained an official "Rummy Record" of the many, many games over the years... who played, who won (mostly her) and who lost (mostly everyone else).

She even kept score when she played solitaire.

she taught us the importance of Supporting one another and the importance of having a "fan in the stands" by making it a point to attend many ball games over the years of her kids and grandkids.

She taught us Moderation by warning against the "ginger quick step" if you eat too many of her famous ginger cookies.... trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way.... more than once!!!

She taught her kids to Work Hard & then Play Hard. If they got the cows taken care of and the housework done, they could go into town for iron port & cherry. Her kids in turn taught their kids the same lessons about balancing work & play.

She taught us to be Frugal by burning mail & tree clippings for heat. She saved melted ice to water the plants. Her most famous "recycling" was for old polyester fabric in the many quilts she made. She made nearly 100 quilts for family members, plus the many quilts she made for others and for the hospital auxiliary. Landis called her finished quilts the "mysteries of the basement". If you had ever been in her basement you will truly understand what that means..LOL!

 She taught us to be Self Sufficient. Many times she suffered in silence because she would do anything to NOT inconvenience others. when she was 90 years old, her furnace went out and instead of telling someone so they could have it repaired, she just built herself a fire to keep warm. When people would ask how she was doing, her favorite reply was "I'll be better tomorrow"

She taught us Dedication by decorating the graves of family members... even relatives she didn't know. She also taught this by her faithful church attendance and supporting meetings when she didn't feel well, just because someone made the effort to plan it.  

She taught us to be Creative  and what Imagination was all about by building small animal pens out of sticks in the dirt. She also mesmerized us grand kids for hours with matchbox cars, crayons and 

who can forget the marbles.....

She taught us to Share  by never taking the last cookie or piece of pie.

She taught us about Organization when she misplaced my parents wedding license by moving the day before their wedding.... ok, that was an example of what NOT to do :)

She taught us to be Fearless  and to Persevere with her saying "This too shall pass"

She taught us Determination  when she mistakenly brought a cow home from the bottoms

 to milk that turned out to be a range cow... but she milked it!!!

Grandma taught us to be Thankful & Grateful.  

Thankful is from the head and Grateful is from the heart.

She taught us about Patience & Reward  in the huckleberry patch. She picked berries until she was 89 years old and she somehow ALWAYS had huckleberries in the freezer.

She taught us the Law of Viva . That is the benefit of Viva paper

towels over a tissue....

 just as soft and much more absorbent!

She taught us the importance of Family.

She made a promise to Everett that she would keep the family close & she did indeed keep that promise. even though the family was scattered about the country, the cousins were able to become friends. It seems the more we lose, the closer we get. Her family and the church were so important to her & she proved this one Christmas by giving all the grandkids their own set of scriptures. I still use mine today over 30 years later.

I think the biggest life lesson she taught us was Unconditional Love by always standing by her family and fighting for them through the many trials and hard times. every member of her family - either by birth or marriage knows they were special to her in their own unique way.

Grandma, we continue to miss you every day, but your life lessons will always be with us.

Dragonfly

Several weeks ago, S was headed out the back door to do her best imitation of a sun goddess. 

She opened the back door and stopped DEAD in her tracks. 

On the rug was a perfectly intact DEAD dragonfly with about a 6 inch wingspan! 

I touched it and it didn't move.

 She was a still a little reluctant to step outside for fear it would fly up her pant leg...  

but she mustered up enough courage to leap over it and out the door.

Once she was comfortable settled with her sunglasses and ipod, I thought to myself... 

Self.... it would be a shame to waste a perfectly good dragonfly..

(insert evil laugh here)

So I scooped it up and carefully placed it in the shower on top of her shampoo bottle...

oh ya... you know what's coming don't you???

Most of the family was over for dinner that afternoon and 

everyone but S knew what was waiting upstairs....hehehe!!!

Later in the evening, she went up to take a shower...

hehehe.....

We all waited....

and waited....

and waited.....

for a reaction

 and NOTHING.... NADA!!!!

Then I hear the water shut off and immediately the bathroom door opens and she yells....

"WHO DID IT?!?!"

SCORE!!!!

Crash, Bang, Boom

E is an accident magnet!

If any altercation involving a motor vehicle is going to happen to one of my kids,
 it will happen to E.

(Except for the three bumpers that D replaced on the Probe)

She has had several incidents of "contact"... 5 to be exact!

The latest was the worse, since it pretty much totalled her car.

She was stopped at a traffic light with one car in front of her when
another car hit her from behind....

HARD.... like didn't even kind of slow down.

The freaky thing is, this is the SECOND time that has happened to her,
 so this time, she watched it happen in her rear view mirror,
since she is paranoid about that from the first time.
The other odd thing is that when she got in her car, she thought to herself,
"what if I get in an accident?"
Then a couple of minutes later, that very thing happened!

So the car hits her from behind, which propelled her into the car in front of her,
which deployed the air bags, which exploded the windshield!

She had three different impacts!

She doesn't remember the bags deploying, so she lost consciousness after the first impact and woke up in the middle of the intersection with the air bags deployed and the windshield in a million pieces.

The car she hit fled the scene... cowards or criminals.... not sure which!

And to make matters worse....

 the girl who hit her lied to her insurance company by telling them a contrary story to what she told the cops and what actually happened, so now there is a discrepancy with the insurance comp paying her which delays closure and that is a problem since they are headed back to Idaho in a few days :(

After seeing the car in person, I am absolutely convinced

 that there are guardian angels looking out for her

because she only ended up with a twisted pelvis that can be fixed with

 massage, chiropractic, and a little PT.

(I have to admit, I am a little jealous of the required daily massage part)

 But thankful that nothing was broken, nothing was bloody and nothing was worse!

Flavored Syrup Racks

Let me just say that my hubs is freaking amazing.

He tolerates a whole new level of crazy by patronizing my wild ideas 

and they usually turn out WAY better than I ever imagined.

I brought home some wooden pallets from work because I was inspired by all the cool pallet ideas on Pinterest and my friend, Mandi has this really cool rack in her kitchen made out of pallet wood, that she keeps her bottle of flavored syrup in....

So the intention today was to make something like that 

...or rather let my hubs make something for me :)

Then I was out in the back yard and I spied with my little eye....

My old antique Pepsi crates that I bought about 15 yrs ago on Ebay thinking that someday I would do something really cool with them.

They have mostly sat around collecting spider webs and dirt and rotting.

But today....

A couple of them found a higher purpose!

Meet my new racks to hold my flavored syrup, 

my cinnamon Dolce and my favorite balsamic vinegar...

It was sooooo freakin simple I can't believe I didn't think of it YEARS ago!

He removed the metal hardware that was holding one side on the crate and moved the side to the top of the crate and re-attached with the original metal hardware....

BOOM.... 10 minutes... no power tools required!!

Drinking the Lemonade

Confession time!

Last week I had to work 48 hours Monday - Friday getting ready for inventory...

Then I pulled a 14 hour day on a hot Saturday

sitting at work and babysitting a bunch of adult juvenile delinquents

while they counted the inventory.

Not my idea of what I wanted to be doing on the first day of summer

...Ok, so August 4th is not actually the first day of summer....

but when you live in the Pac NW, and you literally count the minutes

 that it has been above 80* all summer long,

a day that gets near 90* FEELS like the first day of summer!!!!

Needless to say, today (my only day off in 2 weeks)

needed to be a day of rest...

literally!!!!

 So I decided to skip church...

I know... I'm such a sinner!!!!

I just needed a day where I could step out of the rat race and regroup...

mentally as well as physically.

So I find myself on a lazy summer Sunday,

sitting outside on my swing near the pond,

drinking the most fabulous lemonade

that my hubs bought me yesterday...

LOVE that man!!!

As I was just swingin... and sippin...

I started thinkin...

about nothing really..

except how wonderful it feels to just STOP for one day.

I really needed to recharge my batteries in this way...

I think I'll drink the lemonade more often!!!!

S2D Senior Pics

I love taking pictures.

Sometimes my kids just roll their eyes as I make them pose for the camera

but they have learned that if they humor me

the pain of it will end much sooner.

Recently I had a fun evening taking Senior pics of Nana 

and her friend...Nana...LOL!

I have often said that a network should do a reality show about them...

The Adventures of Savanah Squared!!!

Oh the episodes they could make...

They would run Duck Dynasty off the air...LOL!!!

Here are a few of my fav's