Toffee

I cannot remember a single Christmas as a child or an adult that we didn't have toffee. It is just part of Christmas. Get a tree, put up lights, hang the stockings, MAKE TOFFEE. But for some reason I never seem to write the recipe down or save it. Each year I have to call my mom and ask for it. This is the "recipe" she emailed me this year.

Each year I get less and less detail in the recipe she sends. My guess is next year she won't even include the line about Hershey bars or chopped nuts.

Luckily, it is a simple recipe and I do remember the rest. Please don't judge the pictures too harshly I made this at night.


Toffee
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)
3 teaspoons water
1 cup sugar
Hershey bars
chopped nuts


Spread a layer of chopped nuts, whatever kind you like, on a cookie sheet. 

Combine the butter, sugar, and water in a pan. Be warned though, do NOT use a non-stick pan. It won't work. I don't know why, I'm sure science could explain it, I just know it won't work. 

Stir the mixture constantly until it turns brown like the color of a paper bag.

Once it is brown pour out the mixture over the chopped nuts in an even layer. I'm sure this goes without saying, but DON'T TOUCH this stuff, it is hot! 

Break up a Hershey bar or two or three and drop it on top of the hot toffee every inch or so. 

The heat from the toffee will melt the chocolate and you can spread it out with a spatula. 

Let the toffee cool and break it into pieces. Enjoy!

Bubble Bath Paint

I'm not sure what rock I've been hiding under, but I just stumbled upon the blog Meet The Dubiens. It is full of beautiful photos, great kid lunch ideas (bento boxes!), and fun crafts. I've been trying to think of something simple and homemade to give to a few of Audrey's friends when I saw this tutorial for bubble bath paint and knew it would be perfect.

The recipe is simple. A little tear free bubble bath, some cornstarch and food coloring and you have bubble bath paint. You can find the exact recipe here over at Meet The Dubiens.

Audrey tried it out a couple of nights ago and loved it, she didn't want to get out of the bath. And just as Jill said, it didn't stain the bathtub at all. In fact it was probably cleaner after "painting" than before. Now if only I could figure out how to mix a little actual cleaning solution into the recipe I could make my bathroom cleaning woes come to an end.

Audrey's friends are each getting their own four pack of bubble bath paint along with a few paint brushes. A perfect, simple, and homemade Christmas gift for a toddler.

Posted at:

We Did It! Wednesday at Sew Much Ado

Felt Play Mat

I finally finished the felt play mat for Audrey's friend. I'm really happy with how it turned out, but more than anything I'm just so glad to be done. Especially considering I will be giving it to him seven months after his birthday.

The little boy's dad works at Campbell's so I made sure to include it on the play mat.

I also used super stiff fusible interfacing to attach the outside pieces and it worked so much better than trying to glue it.

Just like the other play mat I finished on time I used this tutorial from Cook Clean Craft.

Posted at:

We Did It! Wednesday at Sew Much Ado

Sick Days

Sorry it has been quiet around here lately. I came down with the flu. Which means I've spent much of the last several days as a slug on the couch watching way too many reruns of Felicity on Netflix, living off of peppermint tea, and whining to Bryce about how I think I am dying. 

Thankfully the worst of the flu symptoms have passed, but it seems they have been replaced with strep throat (or some sort of viral throat thing). I'm just glad that so far both Audrey and Bryce seem to be fine. I'm definitely trying to keep my distance.

I'll be back in a few days with something a little more fun, but until then, have a great rest of the week and stay healthy! 

Photo Friday: Her Father's Daughter

Audrey is definitely her father's daughter. I took all of these photos in a span of just 20 seconds and look how similar the expressions on their faces are in each one. 

Christmas Decor

I just love this time of year; the lights, the decorations, the tree, everything about it. I started doing a little decorating over the weekend. It is very simple, cost me next to nothing, and most importantly Audrey-safe. Here's a little look at what I've done.

Our "mantel". 

The Luke printable is from Betty Crocker Wannabe.

Our advent calendar. 

I made this for Bryce years ago after he mentioned he wanted an advent calendar. I had seen something similar in a Pottery Barn magazine and figured I could make it myself. What I didn't realize, not having had advent calendars growing up, was that Bryce was talking about the simple, one dollar, cardboard tree advent calendars you can buy at the Dollar Store. He was floored when I showed it to him, and years later I'm really glad we have it.

Advent candles. 

This is the first time I've done advent candles, but I think it is such a great tradition and reminder of what the season is really about. If you're interested I came across this great site for daily advent devotionals.

Our tree.

We started with a few ornaments towards the bottom of the tree also, but it was very obvious that that wasn't going to work with a toddler running around. Now we have a half-decorated tree. I think it is slightly pathetic and also a little endearing.

What about you, have you pulled out your decorations yet?