Caramel Brownies

These are my caramel brownies that my grandma used to make, they are amazing.

1 package (14 oz.) Kraft caramels
1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
1 package German Chocolate Cake mix
2/3 cup butter, melted
1 package milk chocolate chips (Guittard are best)
3/4 cup pecans (optional)
1 cup flaked coconut (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat caramels and 1/4 cup of the evaporated milk in small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Mix cake mix (dry), butter, remaining evaporated milk (3 oz.) and nuts (if desired). Spread half of the dough in ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 6 minutes exactly. Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips and coconut (if desired). Drizzle caramel mixture over top. Drop remaining dough by teaspoonfuls onto caramel layer, spreading evenly as possible. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until slightly dry to the touch. Refrigerate until firm.

Fruit Pizza!!!

This is quite possible one of the best things in the world. On behalf of Kristina's request, here's my fruit pizza recipe. Enjoy!!!

Crust:
2 yellow cake mixes
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 eggs
Mix dry ingredients in bowl until crumbly, and then add eggs.
Press dough into jelly roll pan and bake at 325 degrees for approximately 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove and cool.

Topping:
2 cubes (16 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
Mix with mixer and spread on top of cooled crust.

Arrange fruit on top in any design you like:
(these are the fruits that work the best)
Strawberries
Blueberries
Kiwi
Bananas
Mandarin oranges
Grapes

Grateful

Sometimes housework can be overwhelming, and let's face it who loves doing laundry??? Not me, that's for sure, so right now I'm so grateful for my mom who took 2 huge bags of laundry, washed it and folded it by the next day...I've got my own laundry service..life is great! Thanks mom for all your help!!!

Sometimes I wonder if all these posts I'm writing are just for me! I kind of look at it as a journal entry to help me remember good times, but it is fun to share it with people. So, if you are reading my blog, please let me know, even just a little comment to let me know you care, thank you!

I've Finally Got It!!!

Ok, so I finally have got a hang of having 5 children. I know, you might say, "well, the baby is 6 months old now??? What have you been doing???" With each of my other children it took about 4 months until things started to get a little easier. With this last one, it's taken a little longer. Maybe moving in the middle of it all didn't help, but at least now I am enjoying every moment with my kids, yes, even when they are fighting, rolling their eyes back at me when I ask them to do something, crying and just everything they do that makes them each special and unique. Having children is amazing. It's definitely the hardest thing I've ever done, this is including the actually pregnancy, birth and raising them, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. They are such wonderful people. I'm truly blessed for having the opportunity to raise such strong, amazing little spirits. I love Elena and how funny she is becoming. She reminds me a lot of me...ha ha ha. No, really, I did used to be pretty funny back in the day. I love how confident she is in herself, that is very rare in girls these days, just this morning as we were doing her hair, she asked me, "Mom, do you think everyone in my class thinks I'm the prettiest girl in our class?" I said, I bet they do, and she said, "I think so too." I love it, such innocent confidence. And, I really do think she's the prettiest!!! She is so great at coming up with creative, clever things to do. She's very artistic and loves writing stories. One day I think she'd like to be a writer. Tyler is so fun. He's always so sweet and loving. His heart is as big as they come. I think this kid has the memory of an elephant, he remembers everything!!! He is also such a hard worker, he reminds me so much of Scott. Just laid back, carefree and kind. I love it, I can ask that kid to do something, and he NEVER complains, he just does it. He has such a strong love for his family and friends, children like him are one in a million. This brings me to Mason, for those of you who know him, he's a very active, fun little boy. He is always making everyone laugh (or cry!). He's so passionate about learning, I always find myself so perplexed by the questions he asks me, I wonder how a boy who just turned 5 could be so smart. His brain is always thinking and wondering how everything works. So amazing. I'm lucky if I can remember my phone number. Mason puts on a tough exterior, but on the inside, he's a loving, sweet, cuddly boy. My favorite thing is to lay in bed with him in the morning and just cuddle. He acts so tough, but he does love to cuddle, when no one's looking. Onto our little Brooklyn, or as we call her, "Brookie!" This girl is so obsessed with the color pink, I can't believe it. If it's not pink or does not have ANY pink in it, she's not wearing it. It's so funny. I love her cute, squeaky little voice, and her big beautiful blue eyes. She's so silly, always dancing, twirling, running in dress-up shoes, singing, "Shake your bootie," pushing her dolls in strollers, playing "puppy" with the other kids or chasing her BIG brother Mason. She loves him, anything he does, she wants to do. Not sure if this is quite the path I want her to go down! J/K!!! When I want a really great hug, Brooklyn gives the best hugs, she just melts in your arms, it's so sweet. I love that her hair is always wispy and all over the place, I swear I really do her hair! Now for our baby boy, Ryan, whom my children have renamed, "GOOEY!!!" Not sure if they got this name from the CRAZY amounts of drool that flow from his mouth, or they just think he's so cute, but nobody seems to call him Ryan anymore. Sometimes I forget it's his real name. He even responds better to the name "Gooey!" He's sitting up now, rolling all around, saying "Da Da" and just the other day, he started scooting backwards. Call me crazy, but I don't REMEMBER my other kids doing this until at least 8 or 9 months. Maybe he's just has super-strength from all the exercising I did when he was in my tummy!!! Ryan has been so funny lately, he just knows that our whole family revolves around him, and he loves every minute of it. He is always getting attention from one person or another, and if he's not, he let's us all know about it. You can always find him with the biggest smile on his face, sometimes I wonder why he's always so stinking happy, but hey, I love seeing that cute, dimpled face light up. Time is going way too FAST, and he is just getting bigger every day! Before I know it, all of my beautiful children will be grown up having FAMILIES of their own. So, for now, I'm just enjoying every minute of it! I am truly blessed with a wonderful family!!