Candy Day
Christmas 2013
The Sunday before Christmas was the second annual candy-making day at Momo's house. All eleven of my Fort Worth grandkids and Annette showed up to spend the afternoon making candy. It was a great opportunity--for the Stumbo and McPike parents to get some serious Christmas shopping done without kids, and for the grandkids to indulge themselves in a world of sugar and chocolate without parental supervision, and for me to spend a fun time with my grandkids.
The first to arrive were the McPikes/Englishes…..
Jon's three in back--Emily, Patrick and Christopher.
Laurie's three in front--Kinser, Kelson and Kayden.
They were dressed for the occasion from head….
Okay, so Chris's socks weren't exactly Christmasy, but he never misses an opportunity to support the Jayhawks.
He made up for it with the rest of his elf costume. (He doesn't look much like a Southlake Dragon football player, does he?)
Then the Cox/Tate crew arrived.
Maria created a celebratory hairdo for the occasion.
Annette, looking appropriately Christmasy.
And William, who played with Sadie Lou and did a little candy sampling.
Then the Stumbos arrived, festive and ready to make candy.
Jack, Ellis (chin bandage from a hot chocolate burn earlier in the day) and Georgia.
Hobart, our photographer, was ready to capture the moment.
The first order of the day was to pick the teams and then decide which candies to make.
Team #1--Kelson, Annette, Georgia
Team #2--Kinser, Ellis, Chris
Team #3--Jack, Patrick
Team #4--Maria, Kayden
Team #5 (not pictured) Emily and Momo, who assisted and cleaned up after the first four teams.
Soon everyone was focused and busy. Miraculously, twelve people managed to create and produce in one kitchen all at the same time. No one was injured in the process.
Marshmallow cream? Must be fudge.
Hey! Close the refrigerator door!
Jack is at home in the kitchen. Two birthdays ago he asked for, and got, The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook.
How does Georgia manage to get into every picture?
Any recipe that calls for Doublestuff Oreos has my full attention.
Where's the almond bark?
Hey, Chris, get your hands off our marshmallow cream!
Here. Have some chocolate chips.
Annette makes everything fun--even doing dishes.
This was Jack and Patrick's corner.
Georgia decided that we needed two batches of peppermint bark.
Everyone has a job.
Except Sadie Lou, who just hung around hoping for attention…….which she got.
THE CANDY
Rolo turtles--some were topped with an M for those who don't like nuts.
Dipped pretzels
Peanut butter clusters
Mints--Jack and Patrick got creative, adding both red and green coloring so they looked chocolate but weren't. Surprise!
Candy pizza
Peppermint bark
Kinser's unnamed concoction (which was delicious, I might add.)
Mice
Not pictured--buckeyes and fudge.
Then it was time to box it up in Christmas tins to take home--each person took home two containers of candy.
During the afternoon there were also other activities.
Posing for pictures…
Notice how empty the kitchen is when it's time to do the dishes.
Just cousin talk...
Horsing around…
Hey! The littlest one is on the bottom!
He's not heavy, he's my cousin!
Super Elf!
Making fun of Super Elf!
(behind his back)
Which one has not been eating sugar all afternoon?
Playing games…
Knitting…
(KNITTING?)
Crafts--making paper snow globes with Maria…
Watching TV in the master bedroom…
Playing the piano…
Visiting with Hobart….
(We're listening, Hobart. It only appears that we are texting.)
Pizza for dinner, and then the party was over and it was time to go home. Gather around for a group photo. Smile!
All my Fort Worth grandkids together at my house.
What a blessing. What fun!
The kids are gone. The candy is gone.
The memory remains.
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