Carmel Chocolate Pretzels and a Swearing Jar...

Ever since last Christmas when my cute sister Teressa made and sent our family the most delicious carmel chocolate dipped pretzels (she made a thousand of them!), I've been drooling, dreaming, and deciding that those were the delicious little morsels I would make and take to neighbors, friends, colleagues, etc. for a little Christmas treat this year. I mean how hard could it be to dip thick pretzel sticks into carmel then into melted chocolate?

Ummm, Teressa, where'd you get the candy making gene?

Obviously, after 2 abysmal attempts, the first one resulting in such a sticky mess that a filling was almost yanked out of my mouth, it is clear that I still don't have the gene, and I don't think I ever will. Suffice it to say, that after my ranting and yelling over overflowing carmel on my stovetop, Kourtni felt we needed something to control her mother's harsh words, so she has made a "swearing jar". Yep, she said that, in addition to our "burping jar", we need to have a "swearing jar" and every time Mom says a "bad" word, one dollar from the mama needs to go into the jar. "Bad" words? More like well deserved words after sweating over a hot stove and watching your delicious confection bubble over the top of the pan like a science experiment.

Next year I'm giving out candy bars while singing this tune:
(You can sing it to yourself to the tune of Jingle Bells...)

Dashing from the mall
with groceries yet to buy,
Lessons, work, and housecleaning,
Life is so crazy, why?
Bells on our phone ring,
The machine will take the call,
We have no time for family or friends
It drives us up the wall.
Oh, how are you?
How's your life?
We'd really like to know. We'd love to chat and hear the news
But please don't talk too slow.
How are you? How's your life?
We'd really like to know. Are you ready for Christmas? Now maybe it will snow.
A day or two ago, we thought we'd make a treat.
A special homemade goody (carmel chocolate covered pretzels)
For all our friends to eat. Our intentions were top-notch,

But our schedule would not budge (well the schedule really had nothing to do with it, just dorkiness in the candy making department)
So here's this year's rendition of homemade Christmas fudge.

By the way, we all hope you had a very Merry Christmas and if you received any pretzels from us, please don't send us your dental bill.