obsession.

If you haven't tried this yet(many of you have since I've personally made about 10 batches since the holidays and lucky for you I decided to share!), please do. I am absolutely addicted to the stuff. I thought perhaps I'd get tired of it after making so much but apparently not. I made it for holiday treats, gifts and well, I had to just keep making more because I seriously could not stop eating it. And since I was having some good friends over for wine the other night, I, of course needed a treat. I had my heart set on this caramel corn because well, it's been like 3 whole weeks since I've had any! And then realized I only had about a half cup of brown sugar left instead of the cup it calls for. But like I said...my heart was set. So, I threw in half a cup of white sugar instead and couldn't tell the difference.

I've made separate batches with peanuts, pecans and toasted slivered almonds. All delicious though I think the toasted almonds are my favorite.

A bit of advise if you decide to whip up a batch...

~have everything ready before you start(vanilla, baking soda, popped corn, lined baking sheet, utensils...)because once the caramel reaches temp, you have to move pretty fast.

~do not try this without a candy thermometer. Disastrous!

~I used Newman's Own Natural microwave popcorn. I've used both the simply salted and reduced salt varieties...both good.

~plan on making more than 1 batch because it's that good.

So good, in fact, that I ate an entire jar yesterday morning. Really. It goes great with coffee. Do you suppose a big jar of caramel corn counts as breakfast?

On another, more serious note...
I've been thinking alot about the people of Haiti. Well, trying not to think alot about it actually because it weighs so heavy. I watch the news everyday and it gets to be so heavy that I can hardly breathe and the tears well up every time. I watch and want to stop watching and can't. I feel inadequate and small. Like there's nothing I can do to make a difference. To help all those people who are lost in so many ways. And I think it feels that way to alot of people. Like it's never enough. It's not. It's not enough. But contributing in whatever way you can is something and all of those somethings add up to something much greater. It's still not enough because with all that heartache and need, how could it be? But it is something.
Although there are many, many ways to give, this is one of my favorites. Craft Hope is accepting donations to sell in their shop and 100% of the proceeds go directly to Doctors Without Borders. I'm looking into donating something(though I've heard they are so overwhelmed with donations that they're not accepting any for a short time to try and catch up...how great is that?!) and will definitely be making a purchase in the near future. Check it out because what a great way to make a difference, with handcrafted, made with love goodies.

Finally, I feel I have much to post and not enough time but coming soon...
~some recent crafting and
~the incredible transformation of the insanity of a basement filled with half unpacked boxes which have been sitting there for a year and a half(this is my weekend project and a big part of my new year, new me resolution). Wish me luck!