Christmas @ Bass Pro!!

Last Saturday we braved the crowds and had a family outing to Bass Pro Shop. Our kids LOVE to go there, it is especially pretty at Christmas!


Kaden, Kelsey, and Khara anxious to be "on the way"!!


We have arrived!!! :-)




They had a special "Winter Wonderland" area set up for kids.

Kaden, with a little help from his Daddy, target practicing.


They made candy cane reindeer ornaments.


LOVE the look on Karson's face!!

I was trying to get the kids in front of one of the Christmas trees for a nice picture, NOOO, Kaden decided he would rather hide.


Karson taking it all in. They have beautiful trees !!



Oh, and I had to include one of our baking days-- Candy Cane sugar cookies!! :-)

--Recipe for Toffee--

Super Easy English Toffee--

(esp. for Brenda, Adrian, & Missy :-)

2 c. (4 Sticks) butter
3 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cream of tarter
1 c. shopped pecans
1 1/2 c/ semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Butter or spray 15x10x2-inch jelly roll pan. Set aside.

Melt butter in large pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and cream of tarter, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 287-290 degrees on candy thermometer. (Hard crack). Quickly pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle chips over hot toffee. Let stand about 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate over entire surface of toffee. Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Press gently into the chocolate. Cool completely. Break into pieces. Store in airtight container.

Enjoy!! :-)

My first attempt at English Toffee--


WOW--we love this stuff!! Super easy to make, though it did take just a little longer than expected to cook which caused us to be a couple of minutes late to church last night.--ooops! I sent some home to my parents and hope to deliver some to my grandpa later today. I don't need a full batch of it sitting around--did I mention I really like it! :-)


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In other happenings, Mark celebrated birthday #32 last week! We had one of his favorite "cakes", Cheesecake! I still marvel at what an amazing husband, father, provider....God blessed me/us with!!






Karson, up early to say"Good-morning" before Mark left for work.


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Well, I'm off to put my nursing badge back on again. I feel like we have been hit with a plague these past couple of weeks. Khara came down with strep throat the Friday after Thanksgiving, Kaden was diagnosed the following Tuesday.

Early Saturday morning Kelsey came walking in our bedroom and let us know she had gotten very sick. To keep my readers from getting sick, let's just say I changed all the bedding, and all of her clothes around 4a.m. We had pictures scheduled for later on that day and I just knew that was off. Lots of prayers were prayed and thankfully, she never threw up anymore. I seriously feel like she was healed. We were able to go ahead with the appointment and have a great Saturday; went out to eat, watched the parade...a miracle.

Now we're on to Monday. Poor Khara must have caught it from Kelsey. I was up at least 15 times (and I'm not stretching that number) with her last night. She is still resting in bed at 12:00 and I'm hoping time and lots of rest will get her on the road to recovery!!!

If this is the last post for a week or two, you'll know I caught the dreaded bug!! AAAAHHHHH!!

A Very Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted-- time has a way of racing!

We had a great Thanksgiving. Mark's brother Gene, s-i-law Tina, and family came and spent a few days with us. We played tons of games, ate way too much food, stayed up way too late,...just had a wonderful time!!

I hosted the dinner at my house for the first time and besides a few small mishaps (the oven catching on fire, the pressure cooker blowing up,...just small things!!!!!) all was well. Seriously, I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to doing it again. :-)

Gene--the expert turkey carver!

I brought out the "fine china" for this meal. Can't beat disposable!!

Anxiously awaiting the feast!


I was so thankful for the nice weather. The kids played outside most of the day.


Karson's reaction to the meal--all smiles!



Poor Kaden, this picture may haunt him in years to come. :-) He wanted to get in on playing dress up with the girls, we're a little short on "male outfits".


That's the wrap up! We were so glad to have Gene, Tina, and family visit!!!!!

Pleasant Surprise

Look what came in the mail yesterday:

I was happy to be the recipient!! Ever heard of "Money Saving Mom" ??? I LOVE those give-aways!!