My very latest ploy at making the house feel more homey for our guests consists of one of the very worst things for you - SUGAR!  As someone who has been trying (and sometimes failing) at living a healthier lifestyle consisting of a lot of chicken breast with veggies for meals and intense exercising, you'd think this was the very last thing I'd want to have around, right?  Wrong.

See, when I was little and I had the opportunity to visit my grandparents' home every weekend, my grandma always had a little bowl, or a bag, or box of something delicious in the kitchen.  For a woman with almost 2 dozen grandchildren, she had to have a LOT of candy around, not to mention she had quite the sweet tooth herself!  And you know what I remember?  Walking into their home after giving both grandparents a big hug and reaching for a little something sweet.  It's such a lovely memory.  The sound of unwrapping the tasty sweets and my grandparents smiling down on their grandchildren is a vision I never ever wish to forget.

So how do I  bring this into my own home?  Well I got this gorgeous little crystal piece from some dear friends at one of my bridal showers (thank you Jennifer and family!) and I instantly knew I wanted it to always be filled with something yummy.  Then, when we got back from our honeymoon, we had this other little gorgeous piece left for us (thank you Rhett and Dee!), and it was undeniably obvious that these 2 crystal bowls would be paired up!

Just last weekend, one of our friends popped over to the house.  I was upstairs folding some laundry while the boys chatted in the living room and I smiled when I heard the familiar chatter over the crinkling sound of a candy wrapper coming undone.  Silly?  Maybe.  But it honestly made me feel great because I know and love that feeling of sharing a good laugh with a friend and tasting something sweet simultaneously.  What an awesome combo!

So there we have it... candy making memories and making a house a home!

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