California McMillans

It was Sunday afternoon and I needed a sugar fix.  We are trying to go two weeks between Winco intervals, and there wasn't a lot from which to choose.  So I made vinegar taffy, after the recipe that Dan-o gave me, that I think he got from his grandma: Vinegar Taffy: 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup vinegar 1 T. corn syrup Stir vinegar and water together.  Boil all ingredients together with lid on pan until sides of pan have been washed free of any sugar crystals.  Boil on medium until it forms a hard ball when put in cold water (about 272 degrees on Taylor metal thermometer).  Cool in buttered pie tin, turn sides in once, then stretch with buttered fingers until opaque.  I lacked the candy thermometer but remember Dan-o teaching me what hard ball meant, and when it reached that point, the boys helped me pull it.  It was good and fun and reminded me of train watching in junior high and high school.  Once, we made taffy at

A couple of months late.... For Christmas we took the kids on a train ride. Danny, the biggest kid, and Scott like trains. I found a deal on groupon and we decided to give it a whirl for a christmas themed train ride. Morgan and the Christmas Bear (or something like that) is a book about a girl who lost her bear. Turns out the bear becomes life-size and alive. The cast did a great job and there was a lot of entertainment of singing, Morgan, the bear, Santa Claus, cookies and hot chocolate. The kids had lots of room to roam around and we all had a great time! The best part was Kira very seriously telling the characters where the lost bear was. She wanted them to solve the mystery. Great fun! Afterwards we met up with Seth, Bec and their adorable kids at the Sacramento Train musuem. They were in Sacramento the same day so it worked out perfectly. It was so great seeing them. I love walking around downtown sacramento but it was soooo cold that day so the musuem was the

This year I posted some thoughts on facebook to spread awareness for CHD Awareness Week (FEb.7-14). Day 1 of CHD awareness week (Feb.7-14). 1 in 100 babies are born with some type of heart condition. Spreading awareness is the first step to increasing support and blessing the lives of thousands of kids and adults who live with a CHD....like my Tyler. Day 2: Grateful for the surgeons, doctors, nurses, researchers, social workers, child life specialists, nutritionists and therapists. They helped beat the odds more than once for Tyler. They dedicate their lives to blessing heart kids and their families. They see loss, yet continue to care. They untangle lines, administer meds, explain things 100 times if needed, find better methods, give hope, comfort and support. Words can't express our gratitude. Day 3: While Tyler is doing well, their isn't a day that goes by that we don't think about his heart friends who have lost their fight with HLHS. Their lives were too

 Scott finally got the birthday party he has been talking about for two years.  Last year, Tyler was in the hospital so Scott didn't get any party.  This year, he invited over a bunch of kids for pizza, cake, and a movie. Another one of Pop's masterpieces.  I'm pretty stoked about this lot of 12 month clothes we got from craigslist.    Movie night was pretty loud, even though they sat pretty quietly to watch Hotel Transylvania. The TV has a built-in DVD player and the audio output doesn't have a strong signal, so they had the PIONEER at half power.   He got a bunch of gifts.  Thanks, everyone, for making Scott's 7th birthday a success!