Salted Pecan Caramels

This is a delicious adaptation of a walnut based recipe, which I am (of course) allergic to.  They are perfectly melt in your mouth without being gooey and they are not over sweet.  A holiday favorite at my house.

2 cups cream
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup honey
1 cup sugar
4 ounces soft unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces pecans, toasted and chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, preferably Maldan

Grease bottom and sides of 9 by 9 inch pan. Line the bottom with
parchment paper. Grease the top of the parchment paper.
Combine cream, corn syrup, honey and sugar in a large pot. Cook
over medium heat, stirring often, to 260°F, about 25 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in butter, kosher salt and vanilla. Fold in
walnuts. Pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining sea
salt over the caramels. Cool. Run a knife around the inside edge of
the pan and invert on to a cutting board. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
Roll individually in waxed paper.

Wrap in parchment paper. Simply cut parchment rectangles approximately
one inch longer than the caramels, wrap the candy in the center,
and twist the ends.

Recipe adapted from The Holiday Table (holidaytable.net)

Boys will be. . . Well, boys I guess.

. . . and mine are no exception.  In a world that likes to tell us that all kids are the same and that gender neutrality is something to be desired, my boys are a glaring example that God made boys and girls very differently.  Who teaches a 3 yr old to wrestle his 1yr old brother?  Where do they learn this bizare primative behavior?  They don't.  It's born in them.  You see, apparently, boys are just different.
Having grown up in a family with no brothers, I was blissfully unaware of this truth until high school, when the strange and complicated nature of boys truly comes to a head.  At the time, I blamed it on hormones.  I was only partially correct.
Little did I know that my own sweet babies would exibit such odd and wild behavior practically from birth.  Who are these little creatures that feel the need to hit and kick and grab at everything, pound on toys and run (or crawl) furiously toward anything breakable?
My mother, having raised only girls commented quite honestly and truthfully on the subject.  "You've got boys".  That pretty much says it all doesn't it?
I've got boys in my house!  I've got dirt on my carpet, I've got matchbox cars in my VCR. I've got a poor little shi tzu being driven to neurosis by constant torment.  I go through 4 gallons of milk a week!  I have mountains of oddly stained laundry!  Yes, it is becoming painfully and blissfully apparent that I have boys!

The Pioneer Woman

Ok, I have to admit.  This woman is amazing!  If you are not familiar with Ree yet, you need to be and fast.  She's a mom and an amazing cook and homemaker.  She's like Martha Stewart for those of us who have no desire to be Martha Stewart.  She dishes out amazing recipes and ideas on everything from food and photography to homeschooling without a hint of boastfulness or condescension. All of her recipes look amazing and those I've tried do not disappoint.  If her family friendly food doesn't snag you, her honest wit and humor certainly will.
www.thepioneerwoman.com

'The Headless Horseman"

This is one of my favorite halloween traditions. I watch it every year, my kiddos are still too small to appreciate it, but I get a kick out of it still.

Welcome to the strange and wonderful world that is my life.  Actually, there is really nothing strange about it.  It's absurdly ordinary.  I live in a middle class neighborhood, I have a house and a minivan and a dog and husband I love and two beautiful boys that I hope will grow to be exceptional men.  Maybe that is out of the ordinary now.  Come to think of it, I know very few people anymore who live a "normal" life like mine, so in that sense I suppose it is a little strange, and absolutely blessed. I'm going to blog about my strange and ordinary little life so that I can share what works for a working mom of two and what doesn't and also, just maybe, it's a little cathartic for me.