Making candy canes with Kawka!

First off I want to tell everyone that doesn't know, the grandkids call my mom Kawka. Kyndall and Noah started calling her that whenever they were very young and it has stuck. My mom loves her name and wouldn't change it for the world.
This year we went and spent Thanksgiving with my family and while we were there Kawka had tons of fun stuff planned for the kids. One thing being to make candy canes. The kiddos were so excited to do this but it isn't very easy to do.
As you can tell, you have to mold the candy quickly into the cane shape because they start to get hard fast. The kids loved it and Maggie really enjoyed eating them. We always knew whenever she had been into the candy canes because there would be a red beard on her pretty little face.

Please listen to this

I couldn't get the whole story to post on here so I will give you a brief summary. This is the conversation between a little boy and a dj on KSBJ. This little boy lives in Nebraska and called into KSBJ to share with them the message that God gave to him. Please listen!

PJ Day at school

I was looking through pictures that I have uploaded to the computer and found a bunch that I hadn't blogged. I will be posting them periodically over the next couple of days in between cleaning the house.

This first set is from PJ day at school. A couple of weeks ago we had pajama day at school where everyone ( including the teachers) wear their pjs. Chloe loves to pose for the camera now so I thought I would have her pose before we left for school. Sorry everyone, there is no picture of me in my pjs.

Christmas Party

Here we are on our way to Shane's company Christmas Party.

My version of Cake Pops

Ever since I found Bakerella's blog I have been dying to make her famous cake pops. What are cake pops you ask? They are cake balls on a stick. You can visit her website for ideas and directions for making your very own cake pops.

http://bakerella.blogspot.com/

Here are the ones that I made for Kyndall's school. They were a huge hit!!!

Konner's Missing Tooth

The other day Konner was out playing basketball with some friends. I was inside on the phone when all of a sudden he comes in asking for a paper towel. His mouth was covered in blood. Being the great mom that I am asked him if he was okay and he said yes. He went back outside to play and I continued talking on the phone.

Fast forward to that evening. We had gone at to eat and as we were sitting at our table Konner said something about his tooth. I looked at him to see his front tooth dangling from the gums. He talked Shane into pulling it right there. He was so proud of it!!! This tooth was not loose to begin with so it will be interesting to see how long it takes it to grow back.

Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake

I made this delicious cheesecake for Thanksgiving and boy was it good. I would have to say that it scored right up there with the Cheesecake Factory's pumpkin cheesecake. I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman's website. Here is a copy of the recipe.

PW’s Caramel Pumpkin Pecan Gingersnap Cheesecake
also known as: PW’s Pumpkin Cheesecake
**Can be halved for a smaller springform pan
Crust:
12 ounces storebought gingersnaps
1/2 cup chopped pecans
6 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Dash of salt
Filling:
4 packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 jar caramel topping
Extra chopped pecans
Extra crushed gingersnaps
In a food processor (or large ziploc bag) crush gingersnps. Add chopped pecans, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt, and pulse (or mix) until thoroughly combined.
Press into bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Chill for 20-30 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and spices and mix again. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for 20 seconds between each addition. Add cream and mix until just combined.
Remove crust from fridge. Pour 1/2 jar of caramel topping on crust. (NOTE: CAN BE OMITTED; SEE NOTE ABOVE) Sprinkle caramel with chopped pecans. Gently pour cheesecake filling in pan. Even out the top with a flat spatula.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until no longer soupy. Cheesecake should still be somewhat jiggly. Cool on counter for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, pour the rest of the caramel topping over the top. Smooth with a flat spatula until evenly smooth. Cover and chill cheesecake for another four hours or overnight.
Remove rim from pan and slice. Sprinkle each slice with extra crushed gingersnaps.

Go ahead and try it for yourself!! And then head over to www.thepioneerwoman.com and check out all of the new and fabulous recipes that she has.

My Favorite Christmas Song

This is my absolute favorite song to listen to at Christmas. This is what Christmas is really all about. Make sure you have it turned up really loud!!

Laine and Abby's 2nd Annual Cookie Exchange Party

Laine and I started a tradition last year by hosting a cookie exchange party. It was so much fun that we decided to host one every year. This year we had about twice as many guests as last year and a tone of cookies to share with one another. Laine and I could kick ourselves because by the end of the night we realized that we had not gotten a group picture.

Visiting with Santa

Tonight the kids wanted to go see Santa and make sure that they got their requests in before it was too late. Konner was especially cute. He asked Santa for a real dog and then paused and looked at Santa and said, " Can you make a real dog?" Santa nodded yes and Konner said, "Great!" and then went on to list a bunch of other things. Sorry the picture isn't that great. I didn't realize my flash wasn't on.

Snow in Houston?!?!?!

Yesterday the weather in Houston was a warm 75 degrees. Today it never got above 35 and it started snowing. It continues to snow as I type this. It will be neat to see what it will look like tomorrow.