Monday, December 01, 2008
 Yesterday we woke up to find snow outside. The excitement level in our house was extremely high. The first snow always does that to the kids. Anyway, Caleb couldn't wait to eat some snow. He's been waiting for months and confesses he likes to eat it like an acoholic confesses he drinks too much. It's like he knows he shouldn't but he can't help liking it. So Hunter took him out on the porch and they tried catching snowflakes on their tongues. But a snowflake or two wasn't about to quench Caleb's thirst for snow, so he scooped a handful off the stair railing and smiled the biggest, most satisfied grin ever. Ah, finally.
When the twins and Denver woke up and saw the snow it was a sealed deal--we had to go play in it. There wasn't even enough snow to cover the lawn but that didn't stop us from having a snowball fight and building a "baby snowman." The kids jumped, or rather slipped around on the trampoline, breaking up the snow into chunks and throwing them at me. And I tried hitting them with snowbombs over the net. Then because our snowman was so tiny, we took turns pushing him down the slide and then putting him back together again. Eventually the snow turned to rain and we had to go inside and eat breakfast.
For breakfast we had Rainbow French Toast. While we were in PA we picked up a loaf of Rainbow Bread from Isaac's. It was super-duper dried out by the time we got home so it was perfect for french toast. The kids all thought it was pretty great and Denver and Mark are already scheming on how to make their own rainbow bread.
 Once the kitchen was cleaned up and the twins were down for a nap I made the fourth treat of Christmas:
Grandma Stout's Caramels.
4 cups whipping cream
4 cups sugar
2 cups white corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 can evaporated milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup nuts (optional)
In a large pan mix sugar, syrup, salt and 2 cups of the cream. Bring to a boil and gradually add remaining cream. As mixture cools down slowly add evaporated milk. Cook to firm ball stage, STIRRING CONSTANTLY. (Mixture will get darker and begin to pull away from side of pan. This takes approximately 1 hour and 17 minutes. I've timed it. So be prepared to stir for a long, long time.) Remove from heat and add vanilla and nuts. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Let stand 24 hours. Cut into bite size squares and wrap in wax paper.
If you missed the third treat of Christmas it was Pumpkin Roll, I just didn't tell you it was the third treat cause I'm sneaky that way.
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 tsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
Beat eggs on high speed for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice. Sift together remaining ingredients except walnuts. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Spread into well-greased (or parchment paper lined) cookie sheet. Top with finely chopped walnuts. Bake 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Turn on towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll loosely and cool.
Cream Cheese Filling
1 cup powdered sugar
6 ounces cream cheese
4 Tbsp. margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla
Beat all ingredients until smooth. Unroll cake and spread filling over cake. Reroll and chill.
Anyway, I had to make it for Noah because he was having his tonsils out the next day and we didn't know how long it would be before he could have more and homemade caramels are his favorite. While I made the caramels, Mark and Caleb set up the Christmas tree.
When the caramels were finished and the tree complete, the big boys, Mark and I played a game of Blockus. Love that game! By then the twins were awake again and everyone was dying for their turn to trim the tree. So we pulled out the decorations and got to decoratin'. Mark and I put the candle lights in the windows and hung the mistletoe and the kids hung all the ornaments on the tree. We ate leftover Thanksgiving dinner for our Lunner (that's lunch and dinner combined) and then sat down to watch Home Alone 4 and eat caramels and pumpkin roll and Wilbur chocolate buds and chocolate covered pretzels and peachy penguins. It was the most perfect, cozy day and the perfect ending to our Thanksgiving weekend. And things around here are definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas. They taste that way too and you know that commercial where the lady orders a "can my butt look any bigger" burger? That's how I'm beginning to feel too. But hey, it's Christmas and it sure tastes good!
posted by Shana # 7:04 AM 
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