Daddy does hair

You are Beautiful!

Because we have been raising boys for the last 16 years, it often catches me off guard when Mark will take Brielle for me so I can get dinner ready and play with her dolls or do her hair.  This is an example of Mark's handiwork on Brielle's head!  She loved it!

Didn't daddy do a great job?

More is not necessarily better in this case

Honey Candy

A few weeks ago one of my boys begged me to make honey candy. It was not very hard to give in since our family loves honey candy and what a better time to make it than on a quiet Sunday afternoon in the middle of winter.  This recipe is from my sweet MIL and is really easy!

First, you melt 1/4 c. butter and 1 c. honey together in a 3 qt. pan. 
Then you add 2 c. sugar, 1/2 c. of water and 1/2 Tbs. vanilla. 
Slowly boil to brittle stage or 300 degrees on a candy theometer.

While the mixture is boiling set out a greased 15x7" cookie sheet. 
Make sure you have a hot pad under your cookie sheet as your pan will get very hot. 
When the mixture is ready, pour liquid onto pan.  Let cool for about 5-10 minutes.

When the candy is cool enough to touch,
take a small amount and start to pull it in your hands.
We always butter our hands really well so it doesn't stick.

I threw in this picture because I wanted to show off
the really cool aprons that my SIL, Toshia sent us for Christmas. 
They have come in handy several times!

When you can no longer pull the candy because it will get hard,
place it on another cookie sheet lined with wax paper. It's fun to make your own designs.
Allow to cool completely and then cover with another piece of wax paper
and hit pieces with a butter knife handle.  This will create the perfect size to suck on.

You can use the same wax paper to wrap the pieces in.  I like to store it in the fridge so it stays hard.  Even though these are loaded with sugar, these are a great substitute for cough drops.