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on my mind

    I bought a sandwich today for $9. It was really good, but seriously nine dollars?!!

    In case you are wondering it was the Roberto Benigni from Pasta & Co. and if I were the calorie counting kind of girl I’m pretty sure I would be appalled by the amount contained in that perfectly grilled sandwich.

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    Have you been watching the Sing Off? There are some amazing singers on that show.

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    This little boy learned to cross the monkey bars.

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    This one has walking pneumonia.

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    This one : what can I say. He’s spunky.Ā  We were thinking about naming him Wyatt when he was still living in my belly and while we love him as a #3, he really would have been a great Wyatt.Ā  It sounds like the name for a spunky little boy.

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    And this sweetness learned to crawl. She is very happy to be mobile.

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    She does not, however, enjoy being picked on by her big brother {remember the statement about him being spunky?}

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    See? Not happy.

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    For those of you who asked :

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    Remember a while ago when I was complaining about all of my hair falling out post-pregnancy? Now look what’s happening on my head:

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    some call those baby bangs : I just say they are crazy little hairs that don’t flatten. Oh the things we go through to birth our babies.

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    Have your ordered your Christmas cards yet? We are taking orders until friday december 10th

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    click the image for more information.

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    My mom made these caramels the other day and they were the best thing I’ve ever tasted. I’m totally serious.

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    I may or may not have consumed an embarrassing amount.

    I’ll be making a batch or two for a party next week. If you are looking for a holiday treat to take to a party or give to a neighbor {or consume on your own} here is the recipe created by the ladies of Liddabit Sweets courtesy of O magazine.

    Servings: Makes about 125 one-inch pieces

    Sea Salt Caramels

    • 1 3/4 cup sugar
    • 1 can evaporated milk
    • 3/4 cup heavy cream
    • 3/4 cup light corn syrup
    • 2 Tbsp. butter
    • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
    • 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
    • Oil or cooking spray

    Directions

    Active time: 30 minutes
    Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

    In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring sugar, evaporated milk, and heavy cream to a boil over medium heat. Add corn syrup and continue cooking until mixture reaches 230Ā°.
    Add butter and vanilla; continue cooking, stirring constantly, until caramel reaches 240Ā°. Remove from heat, stir in salt, and carefully pour into a lightly oiled 9″ x 13″ baking dish (parchment paper in the bottom of the pan is helpful).
    Let cool at least 1 hour. Invert onto a cutting board covered with waxed or parchment paper and cut into 1-inch pieces with a sharp, lightly oiled knife. Caramels can be wrapped in waxed or parchment paper or cellophane. (To serve candy-store style, wrap individual pieces in parchment paper and secure the ends with a simple twist.) Store airtight at cool room temperature (around 65Ā°) or in the refrigerator; will keep up to 3 weeks.

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    and that’s what’s on my mind.

    51 thoughts on “on my mind”

    1. I started having “baby hairs” or what my husband lovingly refers to as “Statue of Liberty Hairs” when I turned 25… I’m now 26 and never had a baby. What’s my excuse?? :)

    2. My daughter was born in February, and I too have full blown baby bangs. Since my hair is black, they look extra ridiculous, especially when I pull it back (which, chasing after an 11 month old, is all the time). I’m embarrassingly addicted to your blog, especially the tutorials…I even bought a glue gun! Thanks for your simple yet extraordinary inspiration.

    3. My caramels turned into more of a Granny Smith Apple Dip! Ha! Don’t know where I went wrong? It was hard to get the temp up without it boiling over. My dip is WONDERUL though…but my cute boxes I bought to wrap them up in will need some other goodies to fill them now. I have made 2 book page wreaths and they get RAVE reviews! One done with a very old copy of The Great Gatsby and the other with a book of Opera sheet music. SO CUTE! I actually went to 1/2 Price books for both & ideally wanted a Hymnal, but no such luck. The sheet music cut in half was perfect…weathered & yellow! Thank you for the gift tags too! School teachers are getting those along with some very sassy rings! I so enjoy this blog! Thanks and Merry Christmas!

    4. Oh my gosh. My caramel was a total bust too!!! Perhaps my thermometer is broken, bur while I was waiting for it to hit 230 degrees, it was burning on the bottom!! Perhaps I was trying to do too many things at once. Two kids later, my multi-tasking abilities are not what they used to be. How long does it take to heat the sugar/cream/milk to the right temp ?

    5. Ditto on all the blog love commentary. I do have a question regarding the caramel action! So I gave it a try with epic failure as the result. Much to my tummy’s dismay, it turned out all runny! It’s now been sitting for approximately 24-hours and short of slapping it down outside my least favorite neighbor’s door, it’s not good for much. How did yours turn out? What size can of condensed milk did you use?

    6. Ditto on all the blog love commentary. I do have a question regarding the caramel action! So I gave it a try with epic failure as the result. Much to my tummy’s dismay, it turned out all runny! It’s now been sitting for approximately 24-hours and short of slapping it down outside my least favorite neighbor’s door, it’s not good for much. How did yours turn out? And what size can of condensed milk did you use?

    7. you are wonderful and beautiful and so creative and talented and I just wanted to thank you for sharing it with the world! I for one love everything you post! And these caramels could possibly be the highlight of my day as I am off to bake up a storm!!!! Thanks!!! Oh and I ordered 3 of those pilot hats! Most rockin price I’ve seen ANYWHERE! Thanks!!!!!!!

    8. I have baby bangs, too! I think we should look at them like a medal that we wear that says…”Look at me! I birthed a baby!” LOVE the Sing-Off…..how great was it when a pussycat doll says on national TV at 8:45 pm that “God is good” after she heard Committed’s first performance?!?!?! I got chills…..such a wonderful departure from what is typically on that time of night:) Must go check out Hannah Anderson’s website and get my baby boy some new hats. SO CUTE! Thanks, as always, for sharing! Love you! Merrrrrryyyyyyy Christttttmmmasss!!!

    9. I have to laugh at your comments at the end about your hair. I too right now have some ‘baby bangs’ growing. This happened with my first as well. I don’t know of anyone personally that it has happened too, though I was prepared for it, since I had heard of it. Its so bad in fact, that as soon as I saw the little hairs growing back, I had to get real bangs cut to disguise the growth in front of my head. Friends & family thought I was joking until I showed them. It doesn’t help that I have fair skin and dark hair =) Glad I am not the only one.

    10. Seriously the cutest kiddos ever! My little girl has that same Gap gingham shirt, and I’m sooooo now going to hunt down a little navy cardi. A-dor-a-ble :D Also, could you tell me where you found her little hat? I’m having the hardest time finding a hat for Izzy, they all seem to have some sort of character or glittery like stuff on them. I like to think she’s more of a classic lady ;)

    11. Thanks for sharing the hair comment! I’ve got a 10 month old girl and 2 year old boy… lost some hair in the process. I didn’t realize that it would actually come back post pregnancy. I told my husband it was growing back and he wasn’t half as excited about it as I was :) Love your blog!

    12. I also have the baby hairs!! So on my mind…where do you get all of those darling little sweaters for Audrey? Thanks for all of your inspiration!

    13. I have the baby hairs too!! I look crazy right now when I put my hair in a pony tail (which is usually how it ends up by the end of the day), I have DARK hair and all the crazy 3 inch long hairs stick STRAIGHT off my head…I kind of look like someone gave my head a serious rub down with a majorly static-y ballon…ALL the time. I can’t WAIT til it grows to a normal length :) Good to know someone else is dealing with it too :)

    14. When I was pregnant I grew what can only be described as peach fuzz chops down the sides of my face. It was awful. I resisted the urge to wax them thinking that the hair might grow in even coarser, and instead hid behind the glorious mane of hair that was a much *nicer* side effect of the pregnancy! Luckily a few months after delivery the chops fell out and never grew back. WHEW!

    15. love the sources for your paper…very great paper!
      All of your gifts look amazing all wrapped up.
      I, on the other hand, have bought two. 2. items for Christmas…so I’d say I’ve got a busy weekend ahead of me.

      As for the baby hairs….that didn’t happen to me…but the texture of my hair did change!!
      no fun…and neither are the stretch marks and extra skin that I have…but those crazy kids are worth it even on their worst days! :) Happy Day, friend!

    16. Get yourself to WalMart…or some other drug store…and get some Biotin. It’s just another vitamin supplement, but it’s for hair and nails. I take it religiously now and can’t remember the last time I broke a nail or saw that funny bald spot on my head. Then again, if you have more hair than you care to have, this is not the stuff for you. Oh, I also lalalalove Sing Off!

    17. oh! I’m a new reader.. love your site. How old is your babe? My little lady is 2 days shy of 8 mos. and is just crawling too! It’s so adorable. I love your baby’s shoes… where to buy??AND I’m also sprouting hair out of my bald spots. Lovely. I guess we should be happy that it’s growing back at all?

    18. Emily,

      Thank you for being so gracious and posting the info about your paper! About those baby hairs, girl, at least it is growing in, yay!!! You’re so thin you don’t have to worry about those calories from the sandwich or caramels, I’m so jealous. Oh and those caramels look yummy, hmmm something to do with me boys. I love coming here :)

    19. Thanks for the caramel recipe. I was so excited that I already had all the ingredients in my house, so I went ahead and made it. One question though, how do you keep it from boiling over?

    20. I totally have those baby hairs too!
      My hair started falling out at about month 4/5 and started growing back in about month 10? i am still trying to get those few hairs long enough to fit in ponytails. they are long enough now (14 months) to stay flat (mostly)

    21. Thanks for the recipe– I’ve been loving salted caramel lately. And, yes, the Sing-Off is fantastic. I went to bed smiling last night after watching it. The sheer talent and positive music put me in a good mood.

    22. Ah! I saw the photo of the caramels and got a little giddy – because I have all the ingredients and will be making them in the next few days as part of my candy box o’ fun for friends! So glad you enjoyed them – it’s always a little questionable trying out a new recipe.

      btw – love your site – there aren’t many must-reads that I make time for every day. But you’re one :)

    23. Look how your son {the one on the far left} is looking at your daughter. Priceless. Bless the boys that come to pick her up for a date {in the very distant future}.

    24. That is a lot for a sandwich but if it was from Pasta & Co I would probably pay it too…I love that place! I meant to pick up some of their gingersnap cookie dough when I was in town last! And since I don’t really cook too much I bought the jonboy caramels, but your mom’s sound amazing!

    25. My youngest is Wyatt, and is he EVER the spunkiest little guy. We also loved the name Mason. Good choices in my opinion! Tombstone is my husbands and my favorite movie, so Wyatt won out. :)

    26. The price of sandwiches is outrageous, I agree. Why does food cooked in someone else’s kitchen have to taste so darn good?! The caramel recipe looks divine and I’ve been dying to try salted caramels.

    27. my heair fell out in droves too—was forever cleaning out the shower drain (yuck!). then yes, my hair broke at the top likethat too. two years later…still dealing with it! BUT the babe’s totally worth every single hair that fell out and broke–and then some!

    28. i just made those same caramels yesterday but mine didn’t turn out so well. i cooked it too long and now it’s more like hard candy. round two today. :)

      1. I had the opposite problem with the caramels as gg. Mine are just goopy…not hard enough to cut even after being in the fridge overnight :( not sure what to do with a 9 x 13 pan of goop that tastes good…. :)

        1. you can place the “goop” back into a saucepan and reheat for another 5 minutes while stirring continuously, until it resembles melted caramel. Pour into a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, let cool and then try cutting.
          Hope this helps….

    29. Ah, baby bangs!! I just had my second, so it’s only a matter of time before I have them again too:). One way they behaved is to get an old toothbrush and spray hairspray on it and brush them down. Totally works!

    30. Your children are lovely! To keep the little hairs down, get a new toothbrush, spray it with hairspray nad brush the hairs down with it. Works wonders.

    31. My hair does and is even still doing the same thing (2.5 years after my 4th baby). But now, the hairs growing back around my face are coming in white, and wiry. Considering that my hair otherwise is a deep brown…this is a little dismaying. I don’t mind a silver or white hair every now and then, but must they be spiky and wiry and yelling at everyone for attention?

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