Grandma's Butter Caramels

Hello, strangers.

How's your new year going so far?

I hope it's been great...sorry for you east coast folks...

I know the weather has been making life miserable.

Here's something to keep you busy and give

you something to satisfy your sweet tooth!

Homemade butter caramels.

They are soooooo amazingly delicious!

You'll hide them in your coat pocket so you can find them one afternoon

when you think they're all gone so you can have a sweet surprise!

Oh, wait...maybe that's just me.

These tasty caramels are part of the legacy that is my mother-in-law.

She passed away this past summer after a long battle with cancer.

This post is a tribute to her.

It was 16 years from her initial diagnosis to her death...

and let me tell you, she filled those 16 years with as much life as she could.

She traveled, she had good times with friends and family,

she spoiled her only granddaughter,

and just over 6 years ago she married a good man.

Who says you can't find love later in life?

She was tough, she was a fighter...but she was good-hearted and generous.

Did we always see eye to eye?

Of course not, we're family after all.

But we agreed on the tremendous love we had for her son, my husband,

and her granddaughter, our daughter, Sara.

She raised a son into a wonderful man whom I love more than

anything and I will forever be grateful to this woman.

Okay...on to the sugar.

You'll need a candy thermometer to gauge the temperature so

you don't end up with runny or rock hard candy.

I used a Pampered Chef silicone spatula to stir because they have a high heat tolerance.

You'll also need extra arms, because you'll be stirring and

stirring and stirring until you think the arms you have will fall off!

See? An action shot...of the incessant stirring...

Ahead of time, you'll want to prepare your cookie sheet or baking sheet for cooling.

I used a cookie sheet and lined it with parchment which

I also buttered so the caramel wouldn't stick.

Once they're cool, turn them out onto a large cutting board and use a heavy,

sharp knife to cut them to the size and shape you want.

Be careful.

Caramel is rather hard and you'll be using a lot of pressure on the knife to cut it.

I wouldn't want any of you to injure yourself in the name of sweets.

My MIL used wax paper squares to wrap her caramels.

I don't buy wax paper, so I have always used parchment squares.

The parchment I purchase has a silicone

coating so it works similar to the wax paper.

If you use a smaller pan to cool them, you'll get fatter caramels.

I kinda like them flatter...to me they're easier to bite...

but that's totally up to you.

You will have to excuse the Christmas tree and packaging.

I had fully intended to get this out to you in time for gift giving.

However, life gets in the way sometimes and we just have to adjust our sails.

So...just pretend these take-out boxes really have hearts

on them and give them away for Valentine's Day!

I asked her one time if this was a secret family recipe because I wanted to share it.

She laughed and said she had found it in some magazine

she could no longer remember and thought they sounded good.

She'd been making them every holiday season

since and loved to give them as gifts.

My husband's cousin's wife (got that?) got the recipe from

me in December so she could make some to take to Christmas dinner.

It was a heart-felt gesture and a wonderful surprise to her MIL,

my MIL's sister, and my MIL's husband.

They were very touched by her thoughtfulness.

A legacy of sweetness.

Grandma’s Butter Caramels

• 1 lb real butter
• 2 ¼ cups packed brown sugar (I used dark, she used regular)
• 1 cup Karo syrup
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla

1. Mix all but vanilla in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
2. Continue to stir and stir and stir until mixture reaches 243° on a candy thermometer.
3. Remove from heat, add vanilla, mix well.
4. Pour onto a well-buttered cookie sheet or baking pan, spread evenly.
5. Let cool; cut into squares or rectangles, or whatever your heart desires.
6. Wrap in wax paper or parchment squares.
7. Indulge often.

Printable recipe.

Make some caramels.

Hug the ones you love.

Sharing here:

Ivy and Elephants
Crafty Allie
What's Cooking Love
Upcycled Treasures

Bless'er House
Saving 4 Six
Lamberts Lately
From My Front Porch to Yours
Bloom Designs
Sincerely, Paula
I Heart Naptime
Reasons to Skip the Housework

Happy New Year! 2014's Top Ten!

Okay, well, I'm only slightly behind.

I mean, January's not quite half over yet, right?

It has been super crazy nuts around here the last few weeks.

So, without further ado,

allow me to present to you the top 10 from 2014!!!

I know, I know...

you're thinking...didn't I only post ten times last year?

No...I actually did a few more than that!

:)

As always, I feel these numbers would be totally

different if posted at different times of the year.

10. Hauntingly tasty Cookie Dough Jack-O-Lantern Truffles

9. Taking you into the clouds in my Valentine's "heart-air" balloon.

8. Absolutely wonderful and totally time consuming Paper Rose Trees.

7.  The "I still love going in there just to look" Planked wall bathroom.

6. The "keep calm and eat breakfast" Cheesy Egg and Sausage Bake.

5. "I can't believe I ate all the frosting" GF Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting.

4. The secret makeover of Sara's purple palace.

3. The Chalk Painted Dresser of my dreams.

2. The great TV Console maker

and the single most popular post from last year...

The super easy customizable DIY personalized cutting board.

And there you have it!
I had lots of fun in 2014 doing all these projects...
I hope you enjoyed them, too!

2015 looks to be challenging for my blogging time.
I just changed jobs and have much less free time now...
although I am totally stoked for this new adventure in the new year.

I know I promised a sweet treat before Christmas...
I am hoping to get it out to you in time for Valentine's day.

Until then, keep smiling!

Sharing here:

Craft Dictator
AKA Design
Crafts a la Mode
I Heart Naptime
The 36th Avenue
Reasons to Skip the Housework
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
The Chicken Chick

Valentine's Cold Hard Cash Giveaway!

Update: This Giveaway has ended...

Enter to win $200 to spoil your sweetie (or yourself!) this Valentine's day!

I have teamed up with 15 other amazing bloggers to share

some love with you in the form of  cold hard cash money!

The winner will be chosen at random and paid via Paypal,

so you must have a Paypal account to receive the prize.

Anyonita Nibbles is a food blog obsessed with providing

recipes for flavorful food, like these triple chocolate eclairs.

 Dizzy Busy & Hungry provides easy, healthy, family-friendly food!

Natasha from 1 Epic Mommy is a lifestyle blogger sharing stories as a

single mom and advice to other single moms, including the infamous

How to Deal with Your Baby Daddy. Also, she shares blog hops,

reviews, giveaways, and much more! 

The Brunette Baker is home to a range of tasty desserts and sweets!

Kelly is a feisty redhead with paint under her nails and flour on her face.

Check out her ramblings about DIY, recipes, and home decor at The Moon and Me.

40eighteen is all about home and family and making

life a celebration! Make yourself at home!

Elizabeth is a food blogger at Food Ramblings where she

creates delicious but easy and low-cost recipes and

tries to put everything in a crescent roll.

Diane blogs about Simple Living, Seasonal Eating with the

Mediterranean Diet & Traditional Cooking from Around the World.

Sarah of Sarah Cooks the Books lives in California and cooks her way

through her massive cookbook collection, sometimes coming across recipes

to add to her permanent collection, like this impossibly good chicken and greens.

Nicole from 365ish pins is a Pinterest pin-tester discovering what

works and what doesn't, like How to Clean your Slow Cooker.

Natasha from Serenity You blogs about recipes, kids play ideas, crafts etc.

Her most recent craft was these lovely Twig Stars.

Christine from Foody Schmoody shares shortcuts to recipes ranging from

something as easy as Turkey Sloppy Joes to dishes that require a bit more

finesse such as Roasted Butternut Squash and Chicken Risotto

Pickled Okra is a fun blog that is 2/3 creative patterns and tutorials,

and 1/3 amazing and easy recipes like my "Loch Ness Monster" free

sewing pattern or my "Simply Amazing Toffee" recipe.

One TIPsy Chick is a place you will find simple time saving tricks, tips and

recipes like Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Vanilla Brown Sugar Scrub.

Mommy on Demand likes to focus and quick and healthy meals the

entire family will enjoy, like these Chicken Pillows!

Get your fill of cooking, crafting and gardening in the

North Maine woods with The Wilderness Wife.

Are you ready to win some money? Enter below!

Increase your chances of winning, come back each day and pin an

image to have your name entered 10 more times in the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Good luck!

You Make My Heart Soar - Hot Air Balloon Art

Have I told you lately...that I love you?

NO, really.

Sometimes you guys leave the sweetest

comments and I just grin from ear to ear.

I know, I know...I suck at responding...

but sometimes it's just not my fault.

But that's a whole other post...seriously.

But I wanted you to know...

You Make My Heart Soar

Cheesy, right?

Sorry, sometimes I'm just all about cheese.

Anyway...a long, long time ago...when I was in college...

I mean waaaaaay back when...

like, aaaaaallllll of my friends were elementary ed majors.

Seriously, what's up with that?

Not me, I was gonna be Indiana Joanie.

But that's a story for another time...or never.

So, I had this friend who needed an awesome idea for a bulletin board display.

She was kind of obsessed with hot air balloons...

I think her psychiatrist father had something weird to say about that...

but I digress.

I came up with this fabulous plan for a 3D hot air balloon

and I totally wish I had a picture of it now.

We made giant strips of paper and laminated them

at the library and she stapled them to the board.

I don't remember all the details, come on, that was twe....a bunch of years ago.

A bunch.

Let me tell you...it was really something and a big hit.

I have attempted to recreate that in a smaller version here for you.

I used a 9X12 canvas, construction paper, twine,

paint, washi tape and a little ingenuity.

I painted the canvas all cream...then mixed some other colors, shown above...

in swirly patterns to mimic whimsical clouds and

repeated with some pinks for a truly Valentine-y sky.

This picture shows you the basic shapes I used for the balloon.

I didn't take a picture of the basket, sorry.

I hot glued them to the canvas to make the balloon shape.

A gold paint pen was the easiest to write the swirly words...

I can't really write letters with a paint brush. Ugh.

Then I brushed some paint mixture over them

so they were more blended and wispy.

The glitter circles are just cut from scrapbook

paper and used to cover the twine ropes.

I used the washi tape around the edge of the canvas,

but didn't get a great picture of it.

I thought about spraying the whole thing with some glitter spray,

but was concerned it might make the paper splotchy.

So I didn't...

Up, up, and away!

So, if you ever find yourself in need of a

gravity-defying idea for a bulletin board,

or just a bit of whimsy...I hope I've tweaked your imagination.

You're welcome! :)

Well, I hope your heart is soaring...high above the clouds.

In a pretty pink hot air balloon.

Come back next week!

I'm hoping to have Sara's bedroom reveal ready.

{that was the secret project!}

If not, I promise it will still be something great!

Flying lessons here:

Put A Bird On It
From My Front Porch to Yours
 Crafts a la Mode
AKA Design
Craft Dictator
Love of Family and Home
Whipperberry
Horrific Knits
Jennifer Rizzo
Cheerios and Lattes
Serenity You
It All Started With Paint
Will Cook For Smiles
I Heart Naptime
Reasons to Skip the Housework
Maison de Pax
Dwellings
The Dedicated House
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
A Stroll Thru Life
Love Grows Wild
Life With The Crust Cut Off
Ivy and Elephants
Ella Claire
Embracing Change

Valentine's Pink Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Hello luv bugs!

Are you feelin' all warm and squishy?

If not, I've got just the thing...

PINK Peppermint Hot Chocolate!

Sweet peppermint...

creamy white chocolate...

piles of fluffy whipped cream!

Who needs a Valentine?
Grab a cup of this and curl up on the couch
and sing swoony ballads to your cocoa.

You'll need some dry milk,

and a little of this:

...A smidgen of this:

And some of this if you feel a little more

pinkness is needed in your life:

It was actually pink with just the crushed peppermint sticks...
but adding a little powdered food coloring
will give it a definite pinky color.
{you can find it wherever they sell cake and candy supplies}

Then you can divide it up into individual servings for giving:

Ta da!!!!!!

Red striped treat bags...

Fuzzy heart stickers...

Washi tape...

Twine and a tag...

Ready, Set, Valentine!

Pink Peppermint Hot Chocolate

• 2 2/3 cups dry milk
• 1 cup ground sweetened white chocolate
• 1/4 cup crushed peppermint sticks {I cheated and used the already crushed kind}
• {optional} pink powder food coloring (about 1 tbsp)

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container in a cool place.

To make a cup...mix approx. 1/2 cup dry mix with 8 oz. HOT water {just below boiling}.

Stir until melted...add a little cream or half and half and top with whipped cream.

It's delightful, it's delicious, it's delovely!

But don't take my word for it...

indulge yourself with a Valentine treat today!

Sprinkling Sweetness Here:

My Craftily Ever After

Anyonita Nibbles

City Farmhouse

Savvy Southern Style

Life With the Crust Cut Off

The Blissful Bee

Lamberts Lately

From My Front Porch to Yours

Put A Bird On It

Ivy and Elephants

Saving 4 Six

Live Laugh Rowe

Embracing Change

Accidentally Wonderful

Persia Lou

AKA Design

Craft Dictator

Jennifer Rizzo

Love Bakes Good Cakes

Love of Family and Home

Whipperberry

Crafts a la Mode

 Horrific Knits

Lil' Luna

Cheerios and Lattes

It All Started With Paint

Six Sisters Stuff

I Should Be Mopping The Floor

Will Cook For Smiles

Averie Lane

Dwellings

The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen

The Dedicated House

Stone Gable

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Love Grows Wild

A Stroll Thru Life

Reasons to Skip the Housework

Carole's Chatter

Pink Poker Night ~ Girls' Night In

Looking for a fabulously fun night with all your BFFs?

Host a pink poker night!

A couple of weeks ago we had a girls' night in at my house.

I decided to do pink poker night cuz it sounded fun.

Not that I'm a great card player.

On the contrary...I just make up the rules. :)

Kinda like everything else I do.

I found this kit on Amazon.

But you don't need it...just find some pink poker chips and cards.

Bicycle brand has several pink card versions.

I got these chips on Ebay.

Don't forget all the frills...

tiaras and feather boas are a must!

Make sure everyone gets in the spirit!

The box kit included invitations, but those would be simple to make.

It also suggested having everyone bring one fun item

to make up a "bling" pot for the last hand.

You could make it whatever you wanted.

Oh, and if you just happen to have some pink

spray painted folding chairs, be sure to use 'em!

Striped straws...don't they make you smile?

I actually found these in the party aisle at Hobby Lobby for about $3.

Oh, that's where the tiaras came from, too.

Of course you need some fabulous finger food...

including pink peanut butter hugs.

Below are some peanut butter pretzels

drizzled with pink white chocolate.

Does that even make sense?

We had some pink sangria, but I was having so much

fun, I forgot to take any pictures of that...or of

anyone enjoying the party for that matter.

Oh well...I guess having fun was the bigger priority. :)



The sangria was delicious and easy!

1 - 2 liter bottle of 7up Zero

1 - bottle white zinfandel

1 - bottle white cranberry strawberry juice

sliced oranges to float in the pitcher

All chilled and mixed together

SoOoOo yummy and refreshing!

Even if your sister dumps a whole glass on her chair...

and doesn't at least use a straw to suck up what she can.

Oh, look...there's one cookie left for me.

My mom showed up with these beautiful roses.

Love her. :)

We had all sorts of other finger foods, some store bought.

No need to tire yourself out getting ready!

You need to save your energy for all the laughing

and carrying on that's sure to happen.

{shrimp cocktail is easy and hey, it's PINK!}

I'm also thinking...watermelon,

strawberries, pink lemonade...

It was so much fun and definitely what everyone needed.

A whole night of just us girls with a whole bunch

of laughing and goofy shenanigans!

But I have one little confession to make...

We never actually got around to playing poker!

We were having too much fun NOT playing.

:)

The next day I got texts or emails from everyone

thanking me for such a fun night!

I said next time, we won't even pretend we're gonna play.

Does this sound like a great time to you?

Check out the Pink Poker Night Pinterest board I started.



 If you host a pink party, send me pics...

since I forgot to take my own.

Ha!

Dealing a perfect hand here:

I Should Be Mopping The Floor
I Heart Naptime
Love Grows Wild
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Home Stories A to Z
Lolly Jane
The 36th Avenue
Live.Laugh.Rowe
Embracing Change
A Peek Into My Paradise
The Dedicated House