Holiday Candies!

Butter Crunch
From Grandma Ruth, b.1917

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 Tbls water
1Tblsp. white corn syrup
I cup wanuts
4 oz. chocolate chips

Melt the butter in a 2 qt sauce pan
Add sugar
Stir until blended
Return to heat and stir until bubbly
Add water and corn syrup, mix well.
Keep heat low and cook until it reaches 290 degrees.
Remove from heat and add walnuts; pour on wax paper.
Place the chocolate chips over the top and spread.
Break into pieces and enjoy.

***

Divinity
From Grandma Ruth, b.1917

3 cups of sugar
½ cup white corn syrup
4 egg whites
½ cup water
1 cup of walnuts or pecans
1 tsp. vanilla

Cook the sugar, corn syrup and water until it reaches the crack stage at 260 degrees. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, beat egg whites and ¼ tsp. of salt until stiff peaks are formed (peaks won't fall over).

Pour hot syrup very slowly over the stiffly-beaten egg-whites, while continuing to beat the mixture until it peaks. Continue to beat until the mixture thickens, and starts to hold a shape (usually 4-5 minutes). Add nuts and vanilla; quickly drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Use an extra spoon to push the divinity off of the first spoon.

For more holiday recipes, check out the Holiday Recipe Exchange!

What Works for You Wednesday??

Help! Does anyone have any advice for me?? I'd like to think about homeschooling my daughter, Olivia. She is not thriving in traditional school, since we moved to the States a few months ago.

I hate to uproot her when we just began the school year, but I am afraid that I will continue to see her regress (emotionally and academically). She is teased at school for her accent, clothes, etc. and has a hard time with her new teacher's teaching style. She is also finding it hard to concentrate at school, since the school she came from was so rigid. Her classroom here can be noisy, a little chaotic, etc. (not abnormally so, but in comparison to her last school).

Does anyone have any advice for me? I have a teaching degree, so I feel that I could "do the job" and I have no problems with homeschooling her as I have done it for my son in the past. But, do you think it is a bad idea to begin it this year (mid-year)? Or should I wait until she has tried traditional school for at least a school year? She is asking me to be homeschooled, but I've told her I need to think and pray about it more. My husband is supportive either way. HELP! What works for you?

Thank you, all of you!!

It Smells Like Pumpkin (Cookies)

As a family, we haven't had a whole lot of autumns. Living abroad where the seasons have been wonky, this "whole fall thing" is delightful and amazing. Julian constantly tells me that it "smells like pumpkins." Now, either my son has the nose of a bloodhound or it is wishful thinking; either way, this is an amazing season.

Even before we moved back to the States, we tried to celebrate "Harvest" or, as my husband called it, "Fall-ish." When the hottest season of the year would begin to cool down, we would make apple cider, pumpkin pies, and zucchini bread. Our favorite thing to cook was pumpkin cookies, and I will now share the recipe! Enjoy.

Pumpkin Cookies

2 cups shortening (if you are a trans fat-hater, butter works - though not quite as delectably!)
2 cups white sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons milk
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar

Cream shortening, white sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

To Make Frosting: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Spread over warm cookies.

Good Things

Today was a blessing. My part-time job can sometimes be very challenging -- I teach a group of 40 refugee youth (ages 4-18!). I love my job, but it doesn't always come easily:) Anyway, today was a terrible day. Many of the kids are fasting for Ramadan and they get cranky throughout the day. So do I, but for different reasons. I was leaving my job and couldn't wait to get out of there and home to Jack and my tots ... and one of the girls excitedly ran up to me. "Teacher! Teacher!" she cried. "I forgot to give you my note!"

It said:

Teacher,
I like you, you are nice thank yo for being nice
I am glad you are here
Thank you for the doll. I miss you
Thanks for the doll.

Amina

Kids will be kids.

Tonight, one of my scrawnytots came up with a new nickname. Spongemom Smallpants.

(I'm hoping it doesn't catch on).

Julian's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Yesterday morning, Julian didn't want to go to school. This isn't really THAT unusual for a child his age, but he started crying and would hardly let go of my hand. "I will miss you Mommy," he said several times (way to break your Mom's heart!).

I tried to offer encouragement ("But you'll get to see Noah and Carter at school today!") and incentives ("I'll let you wear your Spiderman slippers when you get home!") and nothing worked. Until ... I had an idea. I ran to my bedroom and came back with a bottle of my perfume.

"Here," I said. "I'll spray some of this on your wrist, so that when you are feeling sad and lonely, you can smell it and remember that Mommy loves you." He seemed a little unsure. I spritzed a tiny bit on his left arm. He sniffed. He smiled. And after a hug and a kiss, Julian was on his way.

Works for me!

What I Believe: International Living

My husband and I have lived on four different continents and a plethora of different countries. Don't worry; I'm not advocating this as an ideal. What I do believe is that children (and adults!) need overseas experience and knowledge. For one thing, our society is a global one and having lived overseas can break down barriers. For another, international knowledge and savvy is a tremendous asset in your professional and business life. Lastly, living in a place where you are a minority is deeply humbling and promotes compassion, grace and tolerance.

Living where we do, in a large metropolis in the West, we are pleased to find that it was nonetheless a diverse area. We have neighbors of all different races, religions, ethnic backgrounds, and financial standings. Some might thus argue that this is a perfect reason why international living is unnecessary -- that we can essentially do this right here in America. And perhaps they would be right. However, my family and I have found great joy in being able to better serve, communicate with, and befriend these neighbors more easily because of our comfort and experience in relating to people of different backgrounds. I don't mean to assume or imply that someone who hasn't left the country can't be incredibly hospitable, gracious, etc. I am sure that is not at all the case. I just feel blessed that in my experience, it has been a very natural progression to friendship even with those that are tremendously different from me, and that I attribute this, in part, to our time abroad.

Secondly, both my husband and I have found that our abroad experiences have given us a proverbial "leg up" in job interviews and even social settings. I do not mean to say that this is something we are terribly proud of (overseas living is actually quite benign, in that anyone can actually do it). However, our unusual lifestyle has provided many opportunities for conversation, and it is often one of the first things we are asked about when we meet new people. In simple terms, it's a conversation piece, but a meaningful one. For example, one can infer that, having lived for a while in Africa, we are not terribly possession-oriented, that we like a challenge, and that we are open-minded and adventureous.

Lastly, and to me most importantly, living abroad has been a constant lesson in patience, generosity, and humility. In part because we are particularly drawn to developing countries, we have found great growth and meaning in living in a place where our possessions do not consume who we are, where we stand out as minorities and are thus challenged to live a life that is above reproach (notice that I say "challenged" ... we certainly do not always succeed!), and where we are constantly making mistakes. We make cultural mistakes constantly (in Addis Ababa, we would always wave to a certain neighbor but were perplexed when he came by to talk and have a long conversation each time, even when we were on our way out. It turns out that the hand signal we use for waving means "come here" in his culture). Making these kinds of mistakes, and constantly being at the mercy of others (not being able to read or understand the language at first, not knowing our way around, relying on others for help on where to shop, etc. etc.) keeps us grounded and is a sure-fire way to be reminded that we are not in control. God has taught me many lessons during my times abroad, but this was perhaps my most profound and enduring.

I certainly am aware that living internationally is not for everyone, and is not feasible for everyone. If you do have the chance, though, I urge you to take it! Or if living abroad is not an option, perhaps travelling abroad will have some of the same benefits. Happy Travels!