.::still blinking::.

This year we have been doing an Advent Calendar. We read of slip of paper with an activity on it and Gentry gets a small candy. The activities vary, but on Wednesday we went to Temple Square, in downtown Salt Lake to look at the Christmas lights.



I have not been to see this in several years, but I really thought the nativity scene set in the reflecting pool was so pretty.

As we were leaving we asked Gentry if he liked going to see the lights. He said that he didn’t like the lights, but that he did like looking at the big statue of Cheesus. He is referring to the large statue they have of Jesus in one of the visitor centers. He cracks us up.

I was tagged. And now you are too. If I didn’t tag you and you want to participate. I tag you as well.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago…
1.) Dating my first boyfriend.
2.) Camp outs in the living room of Davis 302. I love you girls.
3.) Very little studying.
4.) Hanging in the library a lot, but not studying.
5.) Learning to be independent.

5 Things on my “To-Do” list today…
1.) Vacuum
2.) Deposit my economic stimulus check. Yes, I JUST got my tax return.
3.) Sew a tree skirt.
4.) Fold the mountain of laundry in the hall.
5.) Shave.

5 Snacks I enjoy…
1.) Almonds
2.) Tea with small amounts of milk
3.) Sushi
4.) Fruit
5.) Celery

5 Things I’d do if I were a Millionaire…
1.) Pay off debt + mortgage.
2.) Buy a house for my mom or have her be my nanny and travel with me.
3.) Spend months of the year living else where. Italy. Japan. South Central Panguitch. Ely.
4.) Buy a highlander.
5.) Get more education.

5 Places I’ve Lived…
1.) Logan.
2.) South Jordan.
3.) Bryce Canyon.
4.) Herriman.
5.) JJ’s grandparents house.

5 Jobs I’ve Had
1.) Caterer.
2.) Grocery Checker.
3.) Graphic Artist/Marketer.
4.) Cow Girl. I swear. I should put some pictures up here.
5.) Personal Escort. I have only ever had one client.

5 People I tag
1.) Mary, she likes her privacy
2.) Boogie the dog
3.) Aubrey Jeppson, mother of Macie
4.) Katrina
5.) Annie
6.) Tiffany

Here is a recipe I get asked about quite a bit. It is for caramels that I make once and year and usually share with others at Christmas time. They take three hours to make that that is not including cooling, cutting and wrapping. So you really have to be serious about this. Also, this is a Martha Stewart recipe, she never does things the easy way.

If you received some of these last year I substituted light corn syrup for some kind of brown rice syrup, it is an earthy product and made them much less sweet, but a lot more rich. I think I was going to try half corn syrup this year and half rice syrup. Also, heavy cream is not terribly expensive at Costco and I think you have a little left over to drink. You know JJ is standing here with his face on the spout of the cream waiting for me to get finished.

Golden Caramels
4 cup heavy cream
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
4 cup light corn syrup
4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 16 peices
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1- Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spry. In a 2-quart saucepan, combine cream and sweetened condensed milk; set aside.
2- In a large saucepan (really large), combine corn syrup, 1 cup of water, sugar and salt. Clip on a candy thermometer. Over high heat, cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring with a wooden spoon, 8-12 minutes. Brush down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to remove sugar crystals
3- Stop stirring, reduce heat to medium, and bring to a boil. Cook without stirring until temperature reaches 250 degrees (45-60 minutes). Meanwhile, cook cream mixture over low heat until it is just warm. Do not boil. When sugar reaches 250 degrees, slowly stir in butter and warmed cream mixture, keeping mixture boiling at all times. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thermometer reaches 244 degrees, 55-75 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Immediately pour into prepared pan without scraping pot. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 24 hours without moving.
4- To cut, spray large cutting board with vegetable oil. Unmold caramels and cut. Wrap in cellophane or waxed paper.

Yum. If you want me to send you a few of these I totally will. Comment and leave your address and I will send you a couple. You will think you have died. If you live by me and are my friend in real life, not fake internet life, you will probably get some anyway. If you are my friend in internet standard time, comment and I will send you some.

Love,
Makayla

I made a cake last night for Aubrey’s birthday. It was loosely based on Better Than Sex cake, I would call it Better Than Fruity Sex Cake.

Here is how it went down:

1 cake mix + all the stuff that goes in a cake mix
1 package of strawberry jello
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tub of frosting to match corresponding cake mix

1- Make the cake. When finished, cool completely.
2- Give toddler a chopstick and have him poke lots and lots of holes in the cake.
3- Make jello and pour over the cake. Put in fridge and allow 4 hours to set up.
4- Pour can of sweetened condensed milk over cake and allow half hour to soak in.
5- Frost. Sing Happy Birthday and Serve.

I hope your arteries appreciate this as much as mine did.

Here are some photos I took over the Thanksgiving weekend. I love the cuteness of these kids and the gorgeous light that made everything glow in this house.

Also, aren’t my Aunt Adele and her granddaughter Kate so precious. I mean seriously. These photos make my heart swoon and my eyes a little teary.

And do you see Jonas smiling with his eyes, I swear he is about to break out the jazz fingers.

I made this hot chocolate today and it made me glad that I did not have cocoa mix at my house. You should try it, you will thank me and your husband will too.

Look how cute my boys are.

We are home. We only fought once and only on the way home and it was because JJ doesn’t read my mind (the nerve).

I will write more as I took lots and lots of photos. I need to fill your little eyes with the perfect perfection that is my life and not yours. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. (stop evil laugh here).

That last part was for my sister Kateka, that is really the name we call her although not her real name. She and I don’t like reading blogs about perfect people and the same crap over and over.

Also, do you stay up at night worrying about your money or lack there of. My inner worrying alarm wakes me up pretty regularly at 3am to worry. We are fine. Seriously. But still I must worry. And it really disrupts with my hot, hot dreams about Daniel Craig. Or Hugh Jackman. Sometimes both. I wish.

Guess who is learning not to wet in his bed at night and doing a pretty darn good job of it. Go JJ! I mean Gentry. Eight whole days. How does this work you may ask.

35 days + no wet beds = new kitty

We are pretty excited and trying to pay no attention to the fact that I am allergic and have never owned a cat. Hopefully I can handle it. Hopefully. Because we all want one. And G is working hard on his control. He is doing stellar though and big boys don’t pee in the bed.

And moving right along. Lets talk about Holiday food. These topics go splendidly together.

I am making Sweet Potato Casserole, which sounds dull, but is really so delicious you would ask to live with your face in a dish of it for a week. Seriously. There is more sugar here than nutrition.

Sweet Potato Casserole
4 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup melted butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups sweetened condensed milk
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups chopped pecans (optional at my house)
20 large marshmallows

1- Cook your sweet potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes. Wait for them to cool before continuing or you will burn your fingers off. Remember the game hot potato? It is not a joke. When cool, scoop out the insides into a large bowl.

2- Preheat the oven to 375. Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking dish and set aside.

3- In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon, beat the potatoes, sugar, butter, honey and salt until thoroughly combined. Add the sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in the optional pecans.

4- Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

5- Remove the casserole from the oven and evenly place the marshmallows on the top. Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the marshmallows are golden brown and slightly melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

So I am working my guts out getting ready to hit the road for a bit and what is someone else doing?

Sitting on his butt making sure the lights are programmed to flick on and off while we are gone. This is crucial you know. Because we also have a corrugated man taped to a rotating train and a record player playing “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” And no one will suspect that we are totally not here.

Aren’t computers the best, best, best.

This post took 2 minutes. So I am totally validated in saying this.

I went to the doctor today. I will spare you the details because they are gross, except that I showed him 1/2 of the goods. And it was totally clinical, I swear. In return he gave me my ever coveted cough medicine.

So in about an hour I am going to go take my 7.5mL (is that right?) and feel the sleep come over me. It is such a lovely feeling. I totally don’t have a drug problem. I can stop at anytime I swear. Also, why would I take it when I can fall asleep on my own, but when I am coughing it takes care of the problem.

My first experience with this elixir of life was the week before I got married the first time. I was sick, because it was December and I worked in the computer labs on campus and students are disgusting. So I went the student doctors office, the doctors were not students. They gave me the medicine and forgot to mention that it was for night only. I took it all day everyday for a week thinking it was going to cure my cough. Which translates to, I slept through the last week of our engagement.

By “the goods” I mean, he looked up my nose holes with his pointy light.

Which has been agitated by intense weights workout the day before (sore muscles) and snorting non-drowsy medicine all day the previous day. I did not know it was non-drowsy, so I tried to fall asleep by taking cough medicine with codeine, which I save for special occasions. Also, I always try to get some cough medicine with codeine from the doctor. Yes, it is just a bladder infection, but this cough (hack hack) is really keeping me up (hack hack). I swear. Promise.

Ended up staying awake to 4AM watching reruns of SuperNanny and Grey’s Anatomy on my laptop. And the Office. And Kath & Kim. And wanting to jj to stop with the snoring already.

Now my bed is covered in partially used kleenex and every superhero in the house.