Lazy Sunday in June...

Although the sun has graced us with it's shine at the moment the day started out raining with thunder and I'm sure lightening.  Don't really know about the later cause I threw the sheet back over my head and went back to sleep.  It's just one of those lazy days!

Besides doing absolutely nothing but reading the paper and catching up on shows ~ I've made several trips to the fridge to snatch a piece of caramel brownies that I made yesterday.  They are so much better today being that they are cold and they've firmed up!!!  My favorite part is the crunchy stuff I trimmed off of the outside of the brownies ~ full of caramel, crunchy and nutty!!!  I got the recipe from someone I work with and I'm happy to pass it on ~

Baker's Ultimate Caramel Nut Brownies
4 squares of BAKER's Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 pkg (14oz) caramels, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 pkg (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease foil-lined 13 x 9 baking pan.

Microwave chocolate squares and butter in microwavable bowl on HIGH 2 minutes or until butter is melted.  Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Stir sugar into chocolate until well blended.  Mix in eggs.  Stir in flour.  Spread 1/2 of batter in prepared pan.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until batter is firm to the touch.

Meanwhile, microwave caramels and cream in microwavable bowl on HIGH 3 minutes or until caramels begin to melt.  Whisk until smooth.  Gently spread caramel mixture over brownie batter in pan.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Pour remaining unbaked brownie batter evenly over caramel mixture, sprinkle with nuts.  (some of the caramel mixture may peak through)

Bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool in pan.  Run knife around edge of pan to loosen brownies from sides. Lift from pan using foil as handles.  Cut into 24 fudgy brownies. ENJOY!!!

(Note: I recommend making these and refrigerating them before cutting and definitely the day before you really want to eat them!!!)

A sign...

Today we've been inundated with thunder, lightening, hail, tornado's and even an earthquake

but amidst it all comes a

beautiful sign from above that

life is good...

To my youngest...

June 21st ~ known as the first day of summer.  But to me it's a very special day ~ my youngest daughter's birthday!  Nicole who is known as Nikki, Nikster, Nik, and of course Nicole Danielle when I'm really needing to get her attention!! 

My little peanut of a baby, who at birth weighed just 6lbs 13ozs, is turning 22 today!!!  Nikki came into the world on June 21, 1988 @ 3:15pm ~ the first hottest day of that summer.  It was 104 degrees ~ sweltering beyond words.   But I didn't care ~ I was having a baby and she was an absolutely wonderful baby!!! 

Around the time she turned two ~ a very  feisty, curly headed

 little girl emerged!!!

Even though she will always be my "baby" ~ my Nikki has grown into an extremely independent young lady!  The feistiness has remained but the curls have gone the way of being straight and the shade is forever evolving!

One of Nikki's traits that I am most proud of is that she can be compassionate beyond  words when it comes to those that are in need.  My heart swells with pride when I hear stories from others on 'good' things that she has done!!!

Happy Birthday Nikki!!!

I love you baby girl...

The joys of being a Gramma...

Today we get to have our granddaughter Cameron overnight so her mommy and daddy can go to a surprise party.   It was a bit tough for my daughter Cara to say goodbye to Cameron ~ it's her first time away from her overnight.  I texted her a couple of times in order to keep her informed as to what Cam was doing. 

Shortly after mommy and daddy left Cam ate and took a little nap!  When she woke up we played a lot!  It's so much fun playing with the grandchildren and not having to do "all the other stuff" that we did while raising our own children.

Some friends stopped by to see the little miss and she proved to be quite entertaining!!!  Uncle Dan and Aunt Amanda even stopped by,  and well ~ Uncle Dan is a bit crazy and Cam was the one entertained at that point!!!! 

Grampa, who was suppose to be home by 4:30 didn't get home till 8:15ish.  :(     He was able to spend a few minutes with Cam ~

but when the little butt went in the air and the head went down we knew she'd had enough and it was time for bed!  So Grampa got to do the honors!!!  She was asleep as soon as her little head touched the mattress ~

so stinkin' cute!!!

TLC Camp...

Let the fun times begin!!!!

Last night was the first staff orientation that kicked off the 28th year of what will be a fun filled week of TLC Camp.  This years theme "Under The Big Top" will surely provide an exciting week for the campers! Many think the TLC stands for Tender Loving Care but in reality it stands for'T'ogether through 'L'ove and 'C'aring".   This is the name that the ladies back in 1982/83 gave this special camp and it is so fitting ~ we spend a year planning, we come together with love and we care very much for these very special campers.  Although we do give lots of tender loving care to each of the kids ~ they in return give so much back to us!! 

I began my love of TLC Camp back in 1990 and since then I have (co)chaired Arts & Crafts, Sports & Games, PR, or helped out wherever it was needed.  In 1999 I co-directed TLC Camp with my fellow Jr Lucy H.!!!   Our theme was "Feelin' Groovy"!  Camp went retro with 106 campers!  One of  my favorite memories of TLC "Feelin' Groovy" was a little girl named Teagen ~ it was her first year attending and this very sweet 5 year old brought her lunch to camp in a lunch box on the first day!!!  It wasn't that she needed anything special to eat, cause we do provide for each camper if they have dietary restrictions, it was cause she "wanted to!".  Teagen is now a lovely young lady and continues to come back to camp ~ but now it is as a counselor giving back to the 'next generation' of campers!

For the last several years I have been on the Food Committee.  I love, love, love this committee!!!  First off ~  "food", who doesn't love food??!!!!  Secondly, but most importantly ~ they are the nicest group of women, who for quite a few years, have chaired the Food Committee.  They have the process of feeding approximately 100 campers and just as many staff members breakfast, lunch and snacks for one week down to a science!   They always have a smile on their faces, they always appear calm and they manage to keep things running smoothly.  Their mission of making the campers/staff happy and their tummy's full is always successful!! 

Along the way I have acquired the "job" of standing at the food room door with my bottle of hand sanitizer to make sure that everyone entering gets a little blob of the sanitizer and rubs their hands together before they can get in!   In the beginning of having this position my dear, sweet, youngest child, Nikki, nicknamed me "Soap Nazi" cause you really couldn't get in the room unless you let me give you that little squirt of sanitizer!!!!  Not even the janitor who only wanted to get the bag of garbage!!!  The job remains the same but the name has changed to "Queen of Clean"!!!   Sounds much nicer!!!   Somebody has to do it and I'm glad it's me cause I truly love being able to see each and every one of the campers/staff as they come through!!!

my followers...

I recently wrote about my blog addiction and the nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/  blog that I follow.  Well, including nienie's I follow a total of 15 blogs. I check in each day to see if they have updated and of course go from there if they have!!!  I love reading them all ~ from those that I know personally to those that I only know through blogville!  I love picking up great decorating ideas as well as delicious recipes ~ although my hubby drew the line on homemade flour tortillas.  Too messy in his opinion ~ maybe if I had Pioneer Woman's kitchen?!!!   I can only dream  ~ but then he'd be dreaming that I loved to cook!  And we all know that just isn't so!!!!

I know I will never have hundreds of blog followers, but I'm okay with that!!! I'm proud to say that I now have 7 followers and I know each and every one of them!!!! 

Love you all my faithful followers!!!

dog days of summer...

ahh, to be so lucky to do this ~  not just once a day but several times..

To me ~ there's nothing better than taking a nap in front of a window with a soft breeze flowing in!!  In Sunday's paper there was an article of things that are 'must do's' for summer ~ one of them was to enjoy a nap.   Guess that just made it okay for me to do so!!!!   I feel as if I've earned my 'right' after many a night being up with the kids.  Either when they were little or as teenagers out for the evening ~ heck, I still find myself waking in the middle of the night to make sure the youngest (who will be 22 in two weeks) is home.

I'm gonna enjoy the summer days and sneak in a nap or two along the way ~ hope you will too!!! 

Picture update...

It was worth every second of making it...