Reflecting and slowing...

This past week was spent slowing down a bit and just enjoying all of the wonderful weather that was given to us.  Glenn and I also celebrated our 24th anniversary Wednesday along with Brendon's 23rd birthday yesterday.  He still reminds us that he was the best 1st anniversary present we could have ever received.  He's right.  We have come a long way from the meager beginnings we started from.  We have been truly blessed with every thing we have accomplished in our marriage.  We are truly very lucky.  We have wonderful children, a nice home, food on the table.  What else could we possibly need.

Nothing.

As long as we have each other it's all good.

I finally finished the hat I had been working on since last week.  I had to scrap the pattern that I was originally working with and just go with something out of my head.  Everything was wrong with the other pattern from start to finish.  Wrong cast on stitches.  Uneven decrease stitches.  It was a mess.  So I just winged it.  At least it came out looking like a hat in the end.  I'm no expert you know.  Now I just have to get my tail moving and mail it off.

 I couldn't sit still for long.  I had some great Fall colored yarn staring at me and decided to make a new table runner for the dining table.  So again I am winging it with something out of my head in hopes that it will look a lot better than the cheaply made thing that I ordered from a catalog a few years ago.  Anything will look better than what is there now.

We are hoping for a continued bit of the whole slowing down thing for the weekend.  Cooler, damp weather is suppose to be coming in so I'm making sure we have everything we would need for warm, yummy, comfy eats around here.  Nothing better than yummy eats, yarn time and lots of snuggling in blankets with weather like that.

Question for you.

What do you like better, knitting or crochet?

Personally I can't decide.  It's very hard for me because I love all the wonderful textures that both can give you along with all the fabulous creations.  I'm just happy that both give me lots of yarn time.

(squeal!!)

xxxx

Caramel goodness...

I know it's only one day after Halloween and there are plenty of sugary treats to eat all around.  But I couldn't resist making this yummy treat when I spied the main ingredient at the store.  We have been looking for it for weeks ever since I went to the quilt shop's holiday review and one of the girls made this for treats for all the invited guests.

So here's what you need.

 Melt the butter, Karo light corn syrup and brown sugar all together.

 Add the vanilla and baking soda.

Mix everything up and bake.

Yummy tummy treats!!!

It is so awesome, trust me.

Nothing but caramel melty goodness!!!

Here's the recipe:

2 sticks of butter (1cup)

2 cups of brown sugar

1/2 cup light Karo corn syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 bags Chesters puffcorn, butter flavor

parchment paper

Place the puffcorn in a large mixing bowl and set aside.  In a large saucepan combine butter, sugar and corn syrup and boil for five minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the vanilla and baking soda.  It will bubble up on you, so watch it.  Pour mixture over puffcorn and mix until well coated.  Place coated puffcorn on parchement paper lined pans and bake at 250F for 1 hour, stirring for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Then pace yourself as you are taste testing because you can go over board.  :)

It's that good.

*Just a little hint*

I mix one bag at a time in a large with bowl with half of the mixture to make sure all the little puffs are well coated.  While doing this place the saucepan back on the stove with the burner off so that the mixture doesn't cool off and harden and possibly boil over.  I also spray the mixing bowl with cooking spray so that none of the caramel mixture sticks to the bowl and gets wasted.  Can't have that.

Until next year...

 Another Halloween is over and done.

The pumpkins were carved from the patterns picked out.

The decorations had a good week to spruce up the place thanks to the girls.

They really helped out alot being I just wasn't in the mood for decorating this year.

Very odd.

The pink spider witch and the purple batterina made out like bandits on the candy front.

All that is left now is the ever important 'trading session'.  They are working out the details with that.

Now all webs, mice, spiders, gravestones, etc. are slowing making their way back to their bins to wait for another year to make their show again.

Hopefully it will be longer than just one week.