Busy, busy, busy!

So much going on these last few days. I've been busy shopping and wrapping Christmas gifts. I'm nearly done! WOO WHOO!! Paul and I are meeting at the mall after he gets out of work today. My hopes are to get DONE! Honestly, I don't have much left to buy. I have our kids done. Which is a huge accomplishment for me. I even have all their gifts wrapped already. Another HUGE accomplishment for me. My goal is to get everything bought and wrapped this week. Then, next week, when Carly is off for Christmas break, we can bake and make cookies.

I will likely be absent from blogging over the next several days. We have so much going on. Not just finishing up with all the shopping. I have Carly's Christmas party at school on Friday. Saturday we are heading to Kalamazoo, bright and early. Ashleigh graduates from WMU at noon! Then we're all heading out to eat and celebrate. Which reminds me...I need to get her a graduation gift. Sure hope I can find a Congratulations to the Graduate card this time of year.

The following recipes are a couple that Carly and I will be making next week.

Golden Caramels

1/2 lb butter (2 cups)
1 lb sugar (2 cups)
1 C light corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 C broken/chopped nuts

Melt butter and add rest of ingredients. Stir constantly. Using a candy thermometer, allow temp to reach 240. Remove from heat and add nuts and vanilla. Pour mixture into buttered pan and cut into squares. Wrap each square in wax paper.



Turtles

2 pecan halves on un-greased pan. Place a caramel (store bought, not the above caramels). Place in oven at 325 for 5 minutes. Pull out of oven and press down on the caramel with the backside of a buttered spoon. Work quickly. Then place a Hershey kiss on top!