Kids Say (or Write) the Darndest Things...

After a tiresome battle of the wills, I ended up putting my littlest one (pictured here with her little cousin, Jillie) in time-out awhile ago in a guest bedroom of our home that doesn't get too much use. Long after "time-out" was over, I discovered this note left on a desk that my Little Missy had written to herself while incarcerated:



In case you can't quite decipher past her scribbles and spelling, it says:
"Wow. My mom put me in time out for nothing. My mom didn't think very well on where she put me cuz I thought that she would put me in the office, then she told me to come in this room...and I can color in here."

I laughed right out loud when I read it. Do you see her smug little smile in the drawing? And all the gleeful-looking flowers and grass alongside her? She thought she really pulled one over on her not-so-smart-mom. Little stinker. Heaven help us when she becomes a teenager.

What's on Your Bucket List for 2012?

Can you believe we are a third of the way through January already? I know...you may have thought I had fallen off the face of the earth, but I have been busy, busy recuperating from the holidays and pumping out new designs and making several of my patterns available for purchase online. I'm excited to share them with you here in a few days!

I'm one of those odd people that actually loves the month of January. I love the fresh start; the opportunity to reflect on the past year and look forward to the new. I love to put away the Christmas decor and declutter the house. I love to set goals and cross them off my list as they are achieved. I love to try to make life better in the upcoming year than it was in the last.

Each year (and throughout the year) I try to help my kids set new goals as well, but it is not always met with enthusiasm....till this year. I came across an article that talked about "bucket lists". Not just creating bucket lists for life, but writing bucket lists for the upcoming year---a smaller version of all you hope to accomplish before the year "kicks the bucket" so to speak. And not just writing the lists, but making a party out of it. Who doesn't love a party?

That simple change in wording from "setting goals" to writing our "bucket list" for 2012 made all the difference in the interest level of my kids. They thought it was funny and interesting from the get-go, and were eager to fill their paper up. I challenged us all to write as many things on our list as years we were old. My seven year old came up with seven items, my seventeen year old had seventeen. And me? Well, let's just say I had to get creative to come up with at least 29!

Some of my items were reading 10 books that I want to finish before the year's end (each one was a separate item), paying off my medical bills, releasing 12 new patterns, and completing the six classes required to regain my teaching license that I let lapse 11 years ago.

It proved to be a fun challenge, and got us all thinking of what purpose we wanted 2012 to have for our individual lives. I've provided our family bucket list form if you are interested....it's nothing fancy at all, but it's functional and already done for you. I altered an existing template found in Microsoft Word in about 3 minutes, and you are welcome to it.

One item on my list is to have three more "bucket list" parties throughout the year: One in April, one in August before school starts, and one last one in December...all to keep us focused and to provide some accountability for accomplishing our goals before the year kicks the bucket. I'll keep you posted! What's on your bucket list for the year?

Merry Christmas from the Keslers...2011

It's all here...a new version of the Crazy (non-)Target Lady, a little romance, some Ninja skills and wrapping paper sword fights, some impressive Broadway moves, lots of ugly Christmas sweaters, loads of ridiculous nonsense, plenty of "Jingling" and it all comes together with a big splash at the end. It's Christmas once again with the Keslers!



Wishing you the Warmest of Holidays!

Christmas Gift Exchange Part 4: Treasures that Tell a Story

I interrupted our Christmas Gift Exchange Themes series to address the Thanksgiving Holiday, but today I am back with the fourth theme that I presented over at Studio 5 last month. This theme touches the hearts of all who have received or given one of these types of gifts, as they are gifts with deep sentimental meaning. The theme?

"Treasures that Tell a Story"
In each of our homes, we have treasures or trinkets that are special to us or that have a story behind them. What a beautiful way to present these items to a family member in the form of a meaningful gift.

*Costume Jewelry:



My niece made these stunning displays for her relatives out of their mother's old jewelry when they passed away. She created the outline of the tree or shape on velvet with necklace chains and filled in with the assorted jewelry using glue like E-6000 and framed it. Aren't they gorgeous?


*Shadow Box Displays: Use trinkets and photos to create one-of-a-kind displays that hold fond memories of loved ones. This is a photo of my parents on their wedding day along with some random pieces of silver that I inherited after they passed away. It hangs above my pantry door, and I love seeing it daily in my kitchen.


*Recipes: Is there a family recipe that has been handed down over the years? What about making up a plate of the yumminess and writing up the recipe to be handed down once again? Pictured here is a version of my Grandma's Chop Suey Candy...(recipe to follow in an upcoming post!)


Recipe books also tell great stories of the meals and recipes that are important to a family. One of my favorite gifts was the year my hubby gathered all of my old, worn, misshapen recipe cards and printed them onto uniform cards and organized them into a binder that now sits proudly on the counter. All who enter my kitchen comment on it, and when they find out my husband did it for me, they are impressed all the more!


*Quilts: When my mother passed away, she had bags and boxes full of sorted and organized fabric scraps that she was sure she would use again someday. My siblings and I couldn't bear to throw them out! So instead, we began using them to create quilts.

We have laughed together as we reminisce about the fabrics we remember having dresses, prom gowns, or doll clothes made out of.


To date, we have made four quilts, and they have truly become treasures that tell many stories. Below is the beginning of the latest quilt we worked on a few months ago. It is always amazing to me how a few scraps of seemingly useless fabric can transform into something beautiful.


Of course, t-shirt quilts tell a terrific story as well, and can make a meaningful treasure. Never underestimate what can be done with old t-shirts!



*Photos: I got a little teary this past Mother's Day when I opened one of my gifts from my hubby. He outdid himself again with a simple, yet sophisticated gift that I love.

He gathered photos of my parents, grandparents, and children, and created a pictorial pedigree chart in Photoshop for me and had it framed. I love that my children can regularly see and remember who their ancestors are.

*Random Belongings: My sister inherited some old records from my parents that she and my other siblings listened to regularly in their youth (apparently, I was too young because I didn't remember them at all.)


She sent them to me after I talked her out of throwing them away, and I added painted clock hands and a battery kit. They have become unique clocks that are a reminder of happy days of my siblings' childhood. Almost any trinket can be turned into a treasure with a little imagination.

Whatever theme you choose, it is sure to leave your family with warm and fond feelings as you make some unique memories over the holiday season!

Tradition: Simple Ways our Family Embraces The Thanksgiving Holiday

tra•di•tion
   trəˈdɪʃ ən[truh-dish-uh n] noun:
the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.

The holiday season is the birthplace of many traditions that connect us as families and friends. Traditions give us something to look forward to, something to call our own, something to bind us to the crazy people we share bathrooms and living space with (and don't always get along with!).

Due to the fact that my husband often works on Thanksgiving, our family cannot frequently travel long distances to be with extended family. We've found that creating special traditions within our home helps make the day special---even if it's just the six of us eating together once again. This year will be no exception...we will miss celebrating with family and friends as my husband will be on call, but we are grateful for our ties that bind us across the miles.

Our traditions are not fancy or elaborate, but they are our own. Here are a few that we hold dear to our hearts:

1. Preparing the Thanksgiving Feast:


I'll admit, some days when we are in a rush for dinner to get to another activity, I dread those words, "Mom, can I help?" ( It goes so much faster if I don't have helping hands on those days...but I have a hard time turning down anyone who is interested in helping out in the kitchen, right?) Can anyone relate? But for me, Thanksgiving is different. When I just plan on spending much of the morning preparing to gather around the table, I love having the kids in the kitchen with me.


We take our time, we laugh, we learn some cooking tid-bits together, and the preparation of the food is as much of a pleasurable activity as eating it.

2. Expressing Thanks:


We began a simple tradition last year that will be a treasure to add to and to look forward to each November. It's simply our Thanksgiving Table Cloth. (You can see the larger version of it in the photo at the beginning of the post.) I purchased a plain cream-colored tablecloth and fabric markers from Wal-Mart, asked for family participation, and the tradition was born.

Before our meal, each person was invited to write his or her thoughts of gratitude right onto the tablecloth. (It was fun for the kids especially, to break the rules and write on something that Mom normally condemns!)

Looking back, I get a kick out of how life was a year ago....the misspelled words and thoughts of a sweet six year old. I adore her chunky letters and the care with which she wrote her feelings.


The simplicity of a 13 year old boy: food, football, girls.


That's probably on the gratitude list for most men, right?

Thankfulness for a day off... (some things haven't changed)


I'm looking forward to pulling this out again this Wednesday evening so everyone can see what he or she wrote, and prepare to add to it again this Thanksgiving Day.

3. Creating a Thanksgiving Craft:


My girls and I had a great time last year creating these little turkey favors. They are so simple: two knit gloves, a bit of ribbon, glue, googly eyes, and scraps of cardstock and rick-rack. Simple instructions for making them are here.


Aren't they goofy and darling all at the same time? The girls also felt it important to give them very original names...like Bob.



This year, these turkeys and acorns are the plan.






4. Memorable Place Settings:


Did you notice the plates in those pictures? My mother collected plates from a variety of places she visited during her lifetime, and I inherited them when she passed away, along with her glass goblets. We pull these out every Thanksgiving, and wrestle over which place we want to eat on this year. We think of Grandma Wray and it makes the meal that much more special. Something as simple as plates has a way of bringing us together.

5. Of course, Delicious Food!



Each family has their own version of favorite foods to indulge in on Thanksgiving. A few of ours happen to be Sweet Potato Rolls (my littlest has been begging for these for weeks now!) and...



Raspberry Pretzel Jello Salad---one that I first remember having with my sister in law, Connie. My sister ML serves this as well, and we now look forward to it each year.

"Family traditions are like spiritual and emotional cement in the foundation of a happy home. They create fond memories, and these memories bond us together as nothing else can."
Ensign March 1986

What are your Thanksgiving Traditions?

May you each have a bounteous and memorable Thanksgiving!

Christmas Gift Exchange Themes Part 3: My Favorite Things

We've been talking Christmas Gift exchange themes for the past few weeks, and we are rounding up with the last few themes I recently talked about on Studio 5. Today the theme is "My Favorite Things". I am in love with this particular theme, as it holds such great value for loved ones to share a part of themselves with one another, and it varies enough that families could use it from year to year.

The idea behind this topic is for the givers to give items that are their current favorites. Do you have a new favorite book or CD?


A new hobby? A fabulous recipe you've stumbled upon?


A favorite activity that you'd love to give away tickets to? What a great way to get to know the individuals in the family and to share items and activities that are important to one another!

Christmas Gift Exchange Themes Part 2: As Seen on TV

In part 1 of my visit to Studio 5 we chatted about "A Recycled Christmas." Now we move onto "As Seen on TV." This exchange theme can get a little crazy, but that's what makes it so fun. Haven't we all wondered how well the Shamwow really works, or if a Snuggie is really as cozy as it's made out to be?




Any guy would love the Tool Bandit, right? This theme gives you permission to buy something completely practical, or utterly ridiculous, and everyone will have a great time! Can you imagine Christmas Day, spending it trying out all these crazy products? I think it would be a hoot!


And fortunately, many of these products are sold at Wal-Mart, Target, or Wal-greens, as well as the internet, so finding them should be fairly easy.



What fun!