Countdown

The countdown to the New Year is on. Do you have big plans?
We spend our New Years Eve pretty much the same every year. My parents have open house. Lots of goodies for all our friends and family. Some pool and dominoes or cards thrown in. Makes for great entertainment.

This year we will be celebrating Christmas on the afternoon of New Years Eve. Hmm maybe some really great gifts to be shared.

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours.  We hope you had a Merry Christmas.  We had a wonderful day together, just the three of us.  We did the opening of the gifts, after the torture of The Boy.  My dad always did the torture on us.  He would have to have a cup of coffee and the traditional cinnamon roll.  Then take his time, with them before we got to go downstairs and open our gifts.  We have recently started the torture on The Boy the difference is we don't have downstairs to go to, so he gets to set next to the tree and just look at the presents.  We got him a new mountain bike, it was put in the dining room. He never seen it till Hubs sent him in there for some reason.  Oh how fun.  We then went to have Chinese food and off to the movies.  We will celebrate Christmas this weekend with my parents. Hopefully The Boy will be able to endure the torture from his Poppy.

Hubs, Jack and Putter



Toffee

Last night was my first experience of making toffee.  Why haven't I done this before.  I was just as easy as peanut brittle.  I used Lia's recipe from the day we spent at The Lodge.  I will be making this a few more times before Christmas.

this one is pecan with drizzled white chocolate

this one is sea salt

this one is pulverized candy canes

Hubs and The Boy have been great taste testers.

Peanut Brittle

I have been making peanut brittle for about 8 years now.  I really love this stuff, but I never knew how easy it was to make.  Hubs mom made it all the time, and I thought I would give it a try.  Well the first few times were something no one would eat.  Have you ever had peanut taffy?  Oh it was just a mess.  So after consulting with our neighbor, who got this recipe from Hubs' grandmother.  I found my niche.  After Hubs' mother passed away I inherited her recipe notebook.  Guess what here is the passed down recipe.

This recipe moves really fast, so it is best to assemble everything first.  You will also need a greased cookie sheet.

Add water, sugar and corn syrup to stock pan and begin to cook to boiling.

Continue to boil until it reaches hard ball stage.

Dump in peanuts and continue to boil.

I just let this boil away until it is a golden brown (paper sack) color.

Then it is time for the butter and vanilla. You can turn the heat off now.

Time for the baking soda, and this baby is going to rise up in the pan.

Pour onto your greased cookie sheet, and give it a little shake back and forth, to spread it out a little.

Now just leave it set for a hour or two.  Make sure it is really cool, all the way through.

Break into pieces and go for it.  Remember to give some away in cute cellophane bags.

This stuff is so addicting.

PEANUT BRITTLE

2 Cups Sugar

1 Cup White Corn Syrup

1/4 Cup Water

2 Cups Raw Spanish Peanuts

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda--Heaping

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Cook sugar, white corn syrup, and water, until hard ball stage.  Add Peanuts and cook until golden brown.  Add butter and vanilla.  Add soda and stir really well mixture will foam up, pour immediately onto greased cookie sheet.   Shake cookie a sheet to spread mixture out.  Wait until cool to break into pieces.

Sweets and The Pioneer Woman

First let me say I lost my camera and Hubs had to find it for me.  So I delayed doing this post. 

Back in November Ree had a giveaway to The Lodge on her blog.  Well like everything she gives away I submitted my comment to be a lucky winner.  Well guess what? Fate had plans that day because I no sooner hit the submit button and my friend Julie sent me a text and wanted to know if I would like to go to this baking party.  Well duh??  Who wouldn't??  I was so excited to tell everyone I was going to The Lodge.  Woohoo!!!

We headed over to Ree's last Saturday morning. First stop I meet Gina a winner from the Sushi party at The Lodge, she is great.  Then on to The Lodge to see Ree and meet some of the most wonderful women.  I had a blast.  We had an amazing Seafood Salad for lunch prepared by Chefs Lia and Tiffany, then it was decorating cookies with Bridget.  She is awesome I love her hair so curly.

We then had  to rest and chat.  Decorating cookies is hard work. Next was a  truffle and toffee making class.  Chocolate how could you go wrong?  Had a really great dinner and got to come home with little goody bags of toffee, truffles and the cookies we decorated.  Oh and we all got a little tub full of things for our own cookie making experience.

This is one event that rates at the top of my list. 

Of course no visit would be complete without meeting this guy.

Crosses

I love the cross.  I think they are so beautiful, not only for what they symbolize to me as a Christian, but the design of them.  Here are a few I have around me.

This one is in our bathroom.  I wanted something a little different, after Hubs remodeled this room.  I have several wrought iron wall hangings, but this by far is my favorite.

I have a couple in my office at work.

Of course there are always the one's The Boy made in Sunday School.  This is his favorite and I'm partial to it also.

Now my total favorite cross in the world would be this one.  My bestie Julie gave it to me one year for Christmas.  Not only is it a cross but it has my favorite hymn, Amazing Grace, on it.  I love love this cross.



Sky

Wow what a sky.  I was on my way home the other night and this is the picture that was painted for me.

The most beautiful picture's one can see are in the nature. I love to look at the sky. 

Of course these were both taken with my phone and through the car windshield.  I still think they are wonderful.  Love the colors.



New Do

I decided I really wanted to do something different with my hair.  I have had short hair, long hair, bleached hair and really dark hair.  So I just let my friend Sarah work her magic.

I went from this.

Sarah kept the work in progress from me until the very end.  I really had no idea what I was going to look like.  She just told me she was going to do something a little different and the color would be darker and chunky.

So I ended up with this

Wow what a difference hair color can make.  I really like the dark color.  I'm thinking of going all over dark next hair appointment.  But that will be a few months down the road.  I will probably have changed my mind by then.