Candy Canes and newsy stuff

Lynn,   I think that anytime there are candy canes involved it means a darn good time!   In fact, while we don't have candy canes here at the moment, we were discussing them a couple of nights ago.  We came up with all sorts of wonderful things that one can do with a candy cane.


Here is a list of some of the things that we thought of the other night.

Stir hot chocolate with a candy cane.  Yum!

Decorate a tree or a wreath.

Eat them plain!!

Dip them in chocolate and then eat them.

Share them.

Crunch them up and put them on ice cream.



Wow, I'd better stop right there!  I could get a sugar rush just thinking about Candy Canes!  I can't remember the last time I ate a plain, ol' candy cane, but I'm sure it was a darn good, messy, yummy, wonderfully gooey time!  Those little ones are easy to eat.  But those large ones, well, they are another story!   Remember how, when you'd start to eat the rounded cane end, then try to peel the cellophane wrapper off as you went along, trying to keep your fingers clean?  I'd either end up with cellophane stuck to my candy and eventually in my mouth, or stick, gooey hands.... or both!   It has been a long, long time since I've enjoyed that kind of a treat.  They are special though, those possibly ooooey, gooey, messy, sugary, wonderful candy canes!


I think I can safely tell you the other Eric news now, too.  Since it's official and all as of yesterday.  : )   Eric is going to leave his job working at the prison and go to work for the railroad.  The timing is a bit "off", as 2 days after he got the original offer was the day they found out they are having a baby (Whooo-hooo!!!), but it will be ok.  The only truly big issue is that Eric leaves this Saturday for 15 weeks of training.  In Wyoming.  He will be gone for Christmas and 15 weeks of pregnancy.  Candice will be holding down the fort, pregnant, with the 4 dogs for company!  However, I'm pretty sure between her family and ours, she won't be left to her own devices unless she wants to be.

In other family news, Amber and Dustin are finally ready to move into their house!  They closed on the house the week after their wedding in August and have spent all this time working on things that they wanted done at the house.  Now, the new carpet is finally in, the new furniture has arrived and been delivered, the new bathroom is ready for use, and the extra large dog run for Pebbles and Bambam is ready to go.  It's been fun to see the changes that they've been making as they have gone along.  I have yet to see the carpet or the furniture, but I hear that the new couch is pretty comfy! 

Amy and Chris are in their final month in Des Moines.  Chris's internship ends the 23rd, then they will be home for Christmas, and back to Iowa City after that.  Their cats will also be leaving my house and going back to Iowa City with them!  They have kept their apartment in Iowa City while they've been gone, so it's pretty much a matter of clothing and personal stuff that they have to bring with them from Des Moines.  They've been staying with a friend there.  Chris will be back in school next semester at Iowa.  Amy has a game plan for getting back into school, but it doesn't involve being a Hawkeye.  Oh well, I can probably survive it if she goes back to Iowa State!  : )

We here are still trying to arrange the boxes in our house.  I had to leave work early yesterday and pick Jonah up from school.  He wasn't feeling well.  I came home and went to work on the kitchen part of the mess.  Whew!  I worked for almost 7 hours solid and there are still boxes in this house without a home!  I've thrown so much stuff away that I'm using Mom's trash can this week for our overflow stuff!  (One city dispensed trash can per household here.)  Fortunately, it is also recycling pick up week, because I have 3 large boxes of cardboard to send out with them.  I am making progress, it's just time consuming and messy and frustrating.  Oh that I were an organized person!!!!!!

We will be having a family meal on Thurs to wish Eric good luck and to say good bye for 15 weeks.   Maybe I'll fill a stocking full of candy canes to send along with him......