Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Candy Corn Day




Making homemade candy corn.
It tasted good but was a little hard. I think we cooked it too long!


 Putting words in alphabetical order.


Making "Mr. Candy Corn!"

Candy Corn Recipe 
from http://www.homemade-dessert-recipes.com/

1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup (2-1/2 oz) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups powdered icing sugar
1/3 cup powdered milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Red and yellow food coloring

In a large saucepan combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Bring to a boil over high heat while stirring constantly, then reduce heat to medium and continue boiling for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. Remove mixture from heat and add vanilla extract.

Combine the icing sugar, powdered milk, and salt in a separate bowl and add to the mixture in the saucepan, mixing thoroughly. Allow the dough mixture to sit until it's cool enough to handle.

Divide the dough into 3 equal parts and place each part in a small mixing bowl. Add orange food coloring to one part (a combination of yellow and red) and yellow food coloring to another part, leaving the remaining part uncolored or white.

Knead the dough in each bowl until smooth and stiff enough to hold its shape, and the colors are even. Wearing plastic gloves can help prevent your hands from being stained by the food coloring.

Still using your hands, roll each part into a long, thin rope, making each rope of equal length. You may need to use a long countertop or tabletop covered with a strip of waxed paper for this. You'll also need to be careful when rolling as the ropes can easily break if you form them too thin.

When you're done, lay the three ropes of dough along side each other with the orange dough in the middle and carefully press them together to make a long, narrow rectangle. A gentle, light rolling with a rolling pin along the length of the rectangle helps to press the rope edges together, but be careful not to flatten the dough so the rectangle stays as narrow as possible, plus you'll also want the kernels plump looking and not flat.

Finally, cut the dough into triangles. Allow the kernels to sit for a while and become firm.


Monday, October 29, 2012

Fall Festival

Scarecrow and Spiderwoman!





Thank you Aunt Shesha for making our scarecrow costume!!!

Our 2nd little Scarecrow!

Hayley, you are 15 months old! You are a complete Joy! You love people! You smile and wave at everyone. Your three favorite people are still Ivy, Papaw and Paw! You are walking and CLIMBING everywhere. You can say all kinds of words...Ida, Momma, Nana, Papaw, and today you gave Memaw a new name...you called her Moomaw. You give the best hugs and kisses. You squeeze daddy, Ivy and I so tight. You love to eat and laugh and run from your daddy. You call almost everyone a baby or babeee. You love to look at books but you want to turn the pages. You want to hold the spoon and feed yourself. Oh Hayley!!! God has given you the sweetest little smile and when people see you smile they automatically come over to you and want to squeeze you. 
God, I pray that you would save Hayley at an early age. Help her Lord, to develop in all areas so that she can serve you and bring You glory. May she grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus and may she have a strong biblical self esteem that is rooted in the knowledge that she is YOUR workmanship created in Christ Jesus. May she learn to read so that she may read Your word, may she learn to pray and share the gospel with many. Thank you for the gift you have given us in her.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Precious Memories....My 1st Scarecrow!

Ivy at 2!! A little Scarecrow! Ivy, I loved making your costume for you!

Ivy, you are Memaw's first little Scarecrow too!!!

Ivy, I love you so much! I am so thankful I get to be your mom. I am so thankful that God has allowed you to learn to read. It is fun that you can read this blog!!!

God has blessed me in allowing me to stay home with you. I am so thankful for getting to read books to you, make crafts with you, take you to violin and piano lessons, watch you do math, watch you get excited, listen to your laugh and watch you learn new things. God has been so good to me in allowing me to see you grow in your understanding of who He is. We just finished praying together before you went to bed. You prayed for me specifically in areas that you knew I needed prayer...you said "God, help mommy trust you!" Thank you for praying for me!
My prayer for you is that you will continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, that you would put your trust in  Jesus, that you would grow in love for others, obedience and respect and that God would shape you into the image of His Son. I pray that you would grow in your love for Hayley. I have watched you lately and I Praise God for working in your heart. It melts my heart when I see you hug her when she is sad, when you read books to her, when you pray for her to put her trust in Jesus.
Ivy, I love, love, love you! Thank you for being my first little scarecrow!

Cedar Cliff Hike




Ivy is trying to see where I hurt my leg.

Family! Can you see the pain on my face? Beautiful day! Beautiful time with family and the Wilsons! But...I fell and it hurt.....BAD!!!!



Such a beautiful spot! Notice we kept Hayley in the backpack for fear that she would run off the cliff!!



Naptime! "Thanks daddy!!!"

Monday, October 15, 2012

Field Trip with Memaw and Papaw

My mom and dad took Ivy and Hayley to the Cradle of Forestry.

God, Your works are wonderful and we thank you!

Ivy and the woodcutter!

Ivy and Hayley in the tunnel!

Ivy said Hayley LOVED the tunnel!


In the helicopter





The schoolhouse



I have a picture of Sharon and I in this same wagon when we were younger!

 Thank you Mom and Dad for taking Ivy and Hayley! Thank you for spending time with them!!!!
   
Ivy said this was a "spooky" bridge!