Fall Treats

Candy or Caramel Apples are a simple and easy treat for the fall. I made them this year for the teachers at the boys' school. I wrapped them up in a little cellophane, tied them with ribbon, and they were all glad to receive them.

I melted caramel in a double broiler. Which is a fancy name for my version...a little pot in a bigger pot of boiling water. This is so the caramel won't burn. Remove the core and stick a wooden apple stick or skewer through the top. Dip the apples in caramel and quickly roll in nuts. (I used hazelnuts) I placed mine on a cookie sheet and cooled them for a bit. Then drizzled chocolate and decorated with sprinkles. The toppings are endless! Have fun!

Tagged!

I was "tagged" by my friend Carrie and thought I'd play along! Here are the questions she asked.

1. What is your favorite Bible verse? How did it become your favorite? Why?  Why you wanna make us pick??   I am nothing without the grace of God.   I love how Paul says...

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.   1 Cor 15:10

Also, John 6:35 because no matter what we are going through, GOD is our nourishment and we will never be hungry or thirsty in Him.


2. What is currently on your nightstand? Sudoku is always on my nightstand and I LOVE it.  The best thing on my nightstand, though, is my Kindle.  Michael called it my "boyfriend" once.  I just got through reading "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers...hello...talk about a good book.  Right now, though, it's anything to do with Isaiah because BSF is in full swing!

3. If you have a Saturday where there is nothing on the calendar (Yeah, I know you’re laughing right now!!), how would you most like to spend the day?   By the time I got done with it, there would be a hundred things on the calendar!  We usually go to the beach cabin or have friends over.  I love a dirty house on Saturday night.  That means I was surrounded by friends.

4. I’ve recently finished Dr. Kevin Leman’s book The Firstborn Advantage. Do you think there is anything to “Birth Order?” Do you see any birth order characteristics in you, your hubs, and/or your kids?  Is the Pope Catholic?  Heck yes there is something to birth order!  There is a scientific proven fact from the University of Somewhere that the oldest is bossy, a leader, a guinea pig to their parents, independent, driven, on-time, people pleaser.  Now, are you asking me if I see ANY of those in myself (ahem, oldest of five) or my oldest boy???  Certainly not! 

5. Do you plan to grow old gracefully or fight it every step of the way (within reason – i.e. age-fighting moisturizers, covering gray hair, etc.)?    Girlfriend, I've been fighting it since I was 15 with my Oil of Olay.  I think some of it is hereditary, but I'm helping it out as best as I can!  

6. Do you like Starbucks? And are you a fan of their seasonal coffees?  Is this question legal?  I think you get arrested if you blaspheme Starbucks in the United States.   
Love their Pumpkin Spice but I have to get the no-fun-skinny-non-fat-no foam-one splenda-Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce Latte.  I think it has a total of 2 Calories...

7. How do you decorate and/or prepare for fall?  Love it!  I put leaves on the banister, fake pumpkins on the floor, a cornucopia on the buffet table, and little welcome signs out front.  (gotta have the good fall smell in the house too!)

8. What is your favorite fall recipe?  Mmmmm...I love making soups.  Baked Potato, Cowboy Stew, Bean, Tortilla, etc.  Gotta love pumpkin pie though.

Thanks Carrie, that was fun!

Save the Jars!!

No, this isn't a political or environmental statement or post.  But! You really do need to save those jars.  Pickles, olives, jelly, frappuccino, sauces, etc.   Throw 'em in the dishwasher, remove the label and save for a rainy day.  (or a beautiful day!)  This is a great way to create a VERY inexpensive gift for anyone.  Take your jar and wrap some cute scrapbook paper around it and glue it.  Then, embellish the outside how you'd like... a flower, a tag, a stamped image, etc.

Then the fun part.  Choose what you'd like to put inside.  With Halloween coming up, this is a great hostess gift for those costume parties.  You can fill them with candy corn, chocolate, jelly beans, M&M's...  it's endless!  For Valentine's Day, cover a jar and cut strips of paper and list the reasons why you love your hubby or kids and place inside.   One of my favorite things to give is homemade sugar body scrub.  (yes, it really works and I use it!)  The recipe and free tags are available to print.   Great for teachers, moms, sisters, or friends.  Choose the scent you want by using up some of that Bath and Body lotion you have laying around.   You probably have all the ingredients at home already!

Have fun and send me pictures if you make any jars!  I'll post them to share.  I've included two jars for examples.

Kerrie

Boxers or what??

Well, I'm sure my boys will hate me when they are older if they ever get around to reading these posts...

It's funny how things sound to kids. When Caleb was little I would spin him around and he would say "Oh, I'm getting busy! I'm gettin' busy!" Instead of "dizzy." That's what he heard.

Growing up, my Brother-in-law thought the song "Dude Looks Like a Lady" was saying "Do Me Like a Lady." Needless to say, when my sister heard him say that for the first time, she laughed her head off! (it's still a huge laugh in our family to this day)

The one we still aren't correcting, for now, is Caleb's version of Tighty Whities. Here is our conversation...

Caleb: "Mom, I don't want to wear "tiny whiney's" anymore. I want to wear boxers like Jacob and Aaron."
(just to understand what I heard and plus I thought it was soooo cute I asked...)
Mom: "Now what? You don't want wear what?"
Caleb: "You know, tiny whiney's. Like my Batman or Star Wars underwear."
Mom: "Oh, okay. So you want me to buy you some boxers like Jacob, Aaron, and Daddy?"
Caleb: "Yes."

Let me clarify. I, as queen of the house, have ruled out ALL "tiny whiney's." None. Zero. Zip are allowed in my home. This has been this way for several years. It is just a preference and I'm sorry if that offends the "other side." Webster's defines tighty whities as "underwear worn for their support purposes, antonym of boxers. " We are just a boxer friendly home. We are the antonym of tighty whities.

The only glitch in this system is that they hardly offer cute little boxers for 2,3, and 4 year olds and we are stuck buying the Scooby Doo, Star Wars, Blues Clues Underroos from 1978. So, I understand where Caleb is coming from by wanting to be like his Daddy and big brothers. Thank goodness for Mimi. She found some cute boxers for Caleb and saved him from his "tiny whiney's."

Humbled yet again,
Kerrie