CA Girl

There is a house in my town that is often referred to as, "The house with all the lights." It is called this for good reason. It is actually three houses combined with the one in the middle showcasing the main display. This is no ordinary show of Christmas Spirit and excitement throughout the season. Mike, the owner of the main house, begins his work of art in September and spends 5 hours a day for 9 weeks putting the lights and decorations on display. His wife also helps him in the task putting in long hours as well. Mike works the "graveyard" shift--which my daughter couldn't get a grasp on that meaning he worked from about midnight to about 8 the next morning. No, she was set on the term "GRAVEYARD." He works maintenance at the local Casino. I digress. Mike and his wife spend 9 weeks on the houses along with some help from their grandchildren and children. The house with all the lights has a show with music and lights set to the music. The ...

It is true what they say, that the older we get the faster time seems to fly by us. Christmas came and went so fast that I barely had a chance to even see it. My baby is now 4 years old. I have been married 16 years now. It feels like "forever!' haha. So what has happened? I made a new friend. And because of her, I have been inspired to keep up my blog. Hmmmm is this a good thing? Kristin made honor roll twice Emily was student of the month Ryan had some spills and thrills There was a family reunion School started back up with no time to recover from vacation Halloween had lots of fun and new adventures Thanksgiving was huge! December has been crazy. We are in the final stages of escrow now. We should be closing within the next two weeks. It's a grand way to end a decade and start a new one. I am not sure about making resolutions I can't keep, but I am sure I would like to improve upon myself so that next year I can truly say, "Wow! Look ho...

If you dared attempt the butterfingers, then the peanut butter cups will be a breeze. While they are also time consuming, there is no cooking involved--except for heating the melting chocolate of course. Here is what you will need: Peanut Butter Margarine Powdered Sugar Graham Crackers Melting Chocolate mini muffin cups mini muffin pans 2 Cups peanut butter 1 cup margarine (softened) 1 pound ( 3 & 3/4 cups) powdered sugar 1 package (11 sheets or 1 & 1/2 cups) graham crackers crushed fine Mix together Roll into logs then cut into small pieces. I don't have a measurement here. I just kind of eyeball it. Place a small amount of melted chocolate into the bottom of the muffin cup. Place the peanut butter center inside and cover with melted chocolate. Like the butterfingers, I put them in the fridge for a few minutes to help with cooling. This recipe makes over 100 cups. For some reason this year, my peanut butter center mix was a bit dry and crumbly. I simply added butter...

As promised I am going to be sharing some candy making with you this week. Normally these candies are made before Christmas, but this year that was just not an option. We got a call on Saturday morning that the appraiser was going to call us and make an appointment for Sunday. As it turns out, he is leaving town this week so it had to be done the next day. No rest for the weary. All of us scrambled all day long to clean and make the house presentable. We ended the day with some much deserved pizza. Sunday came and he quietly did his job. I have no idea if it went well or not. This appraisal is for the VA. They need to see if the house is worth what we are paying for it. It is. But they get the final say. Then after he left, I got the urge to start on the butterfingers. The butterfingers take at least two hours to make. It's time consuming yes, but I promise they are so worth it. Here is what you will need Sugar White Karo Peanut Butter Melting Chocolate Water Candy ...

I have never been so unprepared for Christmas as I was this year. Okay, so we are buying a house. Like that should make a difference. The week of Christmas involved a lot running around, signing papers, making copies, writing checks, scrambling and juggling the money and bills. So who had time for anything Christmas??? I spent the 23rd and the 24th wrapping and finishing up last minute shopping. I felt harried at times. But the thing is, Christmas comes just the same. Remember how the Grinch tried to steal Christmas? And it somehow or other it came just the same. I didn't get a picture on Christmas morning, but I did take one on Christmas Eve before Santa's visit. The kids had specific instructions not to wake us before 6:30 and not to wake their brother. I did say that if he was awake that would be ok. Well, according them he was up at 5:18. They did their best to keep it to 630. Next year we may have to push it back. Most of Christmas is on video. And I am far...