Black Licorice Caramels

 I love, love, love Black Licorice Caramel!  A friend treated me to some a few years ago and every once in a while I will treat myself to the 3 for $1.00  pieces when I run accross them.  So it occured to me that I could make it, DUH.... and for a fraction of the price.... and I get to eat the WHOLE pan...yummm!! 

I found this recipie on KSL.com and Jenn and I gave it a try.  It turned out perfectly.  (and we split it...so really I didn't eat the whole pan....and my kids had a little, very little.)  I can't wait to make this for my mom!

oops, this photo is a little distorted, but here's the recipie......

Black Licorice Caramels

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. butter (no substitutes)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 tsp. anise (licorice) extract
black paste food coloringMethod:

Grease 9"x13" pan with butter. Combine first five ingredients in heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture reaches 234 degrees on candy thermometer. (This will take 15-20 minutes.) Mixture will turn from pale yellow to golden brown. Stir in anise extract and enough black food coloring to make caramel dark black. Pour mixture in buttered pan and let cool. Cut into small squares and wrap each piece in waxed paper.

and last but not least...here's my fun recipie card.

What DID I get done today?

Ever have one of those days when you feel like you have accomplished nothing?  Thats me today.
So lets see what I did do...even if no one else can tell. 

I woke up a 7am to get the kids up for School.  Did 3 cute hair do's and put together equally as cute outfits for my little girls.....got myself pulled together......made my morning run to the JR. High to drop off Kylie....then headed to the Elementary School to volunteer.  Go figure I had to leave the Elementary a little early to go back to the JR. High and bring Kylie a notebook she had forgotten.  I stopped at my FAVE donut shop Madbrook for our usual Monday dozen and then home to start on my chores....I have a whole hour before my twins get home!  I scrubbed the bathrooms..... fed my girls..... then back to the bathrooms to spend another hour on the floor, baseboards and cabnets which really needed to be detailed....I broke out the cleaning toothbrush...I mean detailed!  I scrubbed everything and then orange oiled the cabnets...finally....why do I always wait so long, it makes such a big difference, they look amazing!
Deep Breathe.....
Off to pick up Ky from school.  When I got home I took some time to add cute scrapbook paper to my kids school work binders. A fun idea I saw on A bowl full of Lemons....one of my favorite blogs...thanks Toni!  I didn't have time to cut the vinal on my Cricut to add their names though....saving that for another day. (then I'll post pictures.)  Kenzie and Kaysn made it home and it was time for after school snacks (donuts...good thinking mom, that made it easy!)  Then we dive into homework, chores and stories about their days.  About and hour or more later...no after 5, I start dinner.  Taco soup tonight....yeah an easy one!  Switch laundry, and do a few more chores while waiting for B.  We all sit down and eat, more cleaning....  I check on my work for the night and download my files, I need to take a mental note of how big my night is going to be. 
I tell myself....okay, I can handle that.......
Then I leave the girls with B and take Kaysn to the Mall to pick out some pants....he really needs them!  I have to Brag...got two pairs of jeans at Aeropostale for $10. each!  I also bought him a more conservitive pair of jeans for $19.  and a t-shirt for $9.  (not as good of a deal but he had a gift card.)  This was our first trip to buy him clothes at an adult store.  He is a big, tough, football playing boy and just doesn't fit into kids sizes anymore.  We stopped on the way home and picked up Kylie from a friends...did I mention taking her to her friends house?  When we got home Kaysn and I did a little fitting and I pinned his pants so they can be hemmed.  He went to bed and I cleaned a little more then left my to hubby put them to bed.  I sit down and get started working.  I work an average of 5 hours a night from home...every little bit helps.  So now I'm done working and here I sit wishing I had just a few more hours in the day.  So many things I missed, so much I didn't do and wanted to. 

So there is a big, long, recap of my day.  See I did do something! 
I love my life and at the end of the day when I don't feel I am getting anywhere I need to remind myself sometimes of what I DID do....and after writing it out, it was a lot. 

Jean Hemming Trick

I mentioned my son and I went shopping for his first mens sized pants.  The lengh was all wrong but they fit him so much better everywhere else...and I got a killer deal.  I didn't want to ruin them by hemming them myself because I hate the way they always look like 'I' hemmed them.  So I hired my good friend and amazing seamstress Chenelle to fix them for me. 
When I picked up Kaysns jeans she shared her trick to saving the origional hem on jeans with me.  It is so simple and looks great!  I hated that the stiching never looks the same after jeans are hemmed and being 5'4" I can rarely find pants off the rack that fit me well either....shorts are to short and regular lengh is ususally a little to long.  This fun trick allows me to keep the origional hem and distressing and get the length I need.  Thanks Chenelle!

If you look close you can see the stich line right above the origional hem...but it is totally unnoticable when your wearing them.

 She cut off the pants about 1 1/2 inches above the origional hem, then reattatched it, right sides together just above the origional hem. 
 She left a good inch and a half to allow for zig-zagging the edge and it helps eliminate the bulk from all sitting at the seam. 

I can't wait to try it the next time I buy pants.  They are much easier to sew because your putting less bulk through the machine and don't have to worry about getting the perfect sized hem.  Here is my handsome boy in his favorite of the 3 new pairs...the others aren't quite so trendy.  He looks great and finfally has jeans he is comfortable in. 

Perfect size perfect lengh!

Whats for Dinner? Catalina-Ranch Chicken

Catalina-Ranch Chicken

I haven't made this in forever, but I love it! It's really complicated...ready?

6 Chicken Breast
3/4 bottle Ranch Dressing
3/4 bottle Catalina Dressing

Just take the Chicken straight from the freezer and put it in the croc pot, then cover dressing. You could use less dressing or use a little more of the ranch if you don't like it quite so tangy, but leaves it pretty saucy which is yummy over potatoes or rice. That's it! I start it on high at about noon just to get it started and then drop it to low once it's heated up. Just cook until the chicken starts to fall apart.

I'm tring to get all of my favorite recipies onto cute cards....love it!

Tame it or Toss it: Desk Baskets

I have these three baskets that sit on top of the desk that's in our Gathering Room.  They are OUT of CONTROL!  They are meant to hold a few odd shaped items that we USE.  But they seem to have become  a collect-all for things that my family doesn't want to throw away. 

This is what you see from the staircase...not attractive.

Think I have my work cut out for me?  I threw away 80% of this stuff.  Took 10% to their rightful homes and was left with something much more manageable.

Tah-Dah!!!  much better!  Now I wont make a million excuses as how they got this bad, but it is so liberating to have them TAMED!  I haven't done the rest of the desk yet, that's why you don't get to see it.  But I will get to it eventually.  I wish I was more systematic about getting organized, but I kinda just go with what is driving me the most crazy or what I'm in the mood for.  I'm funny like that, but hey...as long as something is getting done right?  Hmmm, what to do next?

Why blog? What Details?

I have wanted to start this blog for a while now.  I titled and opened it a few months ago, and wasn't sure I was ready.... so I let it sit. I am ready now.  I have spent the last 13 months recovering from back surgery (one on 12/14/2009 and a second on 6/14/2010) and I spent the few months prior to that simply surviving terrible back pain.  It has been a slow process and has been very difficult for me to take a back seat and not be able to do all of the things I love. I greatful to my amazing surgeon for giving me the opportunity to truly have a quality of life again!
I am still not 100% but after months of my DH and children taking care of our home....doing everything from laundry to gardening, dishes to decorating. We are all ready for me to get to back to 'normal' again. My house may very well be past the point of no return, but I want to start getting it re-organized, re-paired and re-vamped...probably shooting a little high, but I can at least get started....after all it took a year to get this bad.
I love all things creative, especially if I am creating for my home and family.  I believe in the phrase 'Love is in the Details.' Wether its a note in a lunchbox, redecorating a room, a card, a party, a clean fridge, a craft, or picnic at the park; I believe the little details show the people in your life how much you love them. (They may not notice the time you spend doing these things but it is a service and gives them a piece of who you are.)   So I try to ADD the little details, to NOTICE the little details and to DOCUMENT the little details.
I'm not sure where this blog will take me.  For now it is a place for me to show I am getting somewhere, that I took the time to do something special for my family, and that I can create beautiful things.  A place to record the little Details.