Welcome All Hallows' Eve -- New Stitchery Design

It's that time of year again when the ghouls and goblins will soon embark upon us in full force... Welcome the season with a new stitchery pattern from Needle in a Haystack! Bedazzled with glitter and crystals, this new home decor design will glam up any bleak corner of your home. You can find the pattern HERE.

Happy Haunting!

Make a "Sweet" Pin Cushion: Free Project!

Oh, the "sweetness" of this free pin cushion project! Head on over to get the latest freebie that I just finished up for You Can Make This. The possibilities are endless with this simple-to-put-together craft item. You have complete instructions to make a parfait, a cupcake, or the niftiest little pin cushion that attaches to your wrist. (I am so loving mine since I no longer misplace pins when moving from room to room while trying to work on a project.... it seems as though I can't ever stay in one room for too long before some little child needs me somewhere else. Too often, I leave a trail of pins and fabric throughout the house!)



These pin cushions also make great gifts for the sewers in your life....even if you don't sew yourself! There is a little cutting, a little hand sewing, some stuffing, and gluing. That's it! Perfect for the beginner crafters, and quick and simple for those with more experience.



I think you'll find that it's "sew" simple....enjoy!

Quick Granola Recipe

Seriously, I am addicted to this stuff. This is my new favorite go-to snack and breakfast food. My sweet friend Christina gave me this recipe before jaunting off to Germany for two years...(Miss you, my friend!) It is so easy and quick to make, and to die for! I think I've made about 8 batches in the last two weeks. (Okay, perhaps a slight exaggeration, but it's pretty close!)

Not only do I love the flavor, but the chewy texture with the crunchy cashews just reels me in. I crave this in my sleep...not even kidding.



Christina serves it warm from the oven with yogurt and fresh fruit (which is heavenly), and my little gal and I also love it like cold cereal in milk. It's one of her new favorite after-school snacks. Let me know what you think!

Quick Granola (This is a small batch...I usually double it)
2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. honey
1/3 c. oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
cashews (or any type of nut)

Bake at 400 for 8 minutes (stirring half way through)for a soft, chewy texture. Bake a little longer if you like it crunchy.

This is the basic recipe, but of course you can add sunflower seeds, flax seeds, almonds, wheat germ, coconut, raisins, or anything else you love. Enjoy!

A Tribute to Summer: The Keslers on Studio 5

Okay, friends! Our local NBC affiliate, Studio 5 has picked up on the Kesler Family... If you are in the Utah viewing area, tune your t.v. to KSL's Studio 5 on Thursday, August 25, as the Kesler's latest video will be featured on the show as a tribute to summer. Come join the fun!

It's Friday!! New Kesler Video...

Chances are, if you have a teenager, you may be familiar with the popular (or rather, unpopular) version of the song, "Friday"...

Well, the crazy Kesler family who brought you the "Jump" and "Deck the Rooftop" videos now has a new video to Glee's version of "Friday".... A fitting song to kick off the weekend!

Filmed at their recent week-long family reunion, you'll see once again the silliness and fun that permeates the entire clan (2 parents, 7 adult kids, 6 spouses, and twenty-something grandchildren). Watch for the famous belly flop, and notice the two dozing off at the very end---yes, they're truly asleep.

It's Friday!!! Eat your heart out, Rebecca Black.

Family Reunions with the "Cardboard People"

Summer, as always, has been jam-packed for our family, and there are still a few weeks left to enjoy! Many of you have enjoyed family reunions already, and perhaps some of you still have some to look forward to. Here's a little idea for those of you who may be in charge of your next get-together: Invite some relatives from the past to join you! Sounds a little weird? Not really....read on:

Last summer, my siblings and I were in charge of our extended family reunion for all the aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mother's side. This is one of those events that only happen every other year, and one in which it is tricky knowing how to make it special when you really don't see these people very often, and there is not much time for getting reacquainted. And, we wanted to figure out how to connect us all, being that our grandparents and most of their children (our aunts and uncles) had passed away.....

My sister came up with a fabulous idea for bringing our grandparents to the reunion, and it involved a little help from the Cardboard People at Advanced Graphics.

You've seen the life-sized posters at the theaters and party shops of Harry Potter, Elvis, Luke Skywalker, and a million more. Many of those are manufactured and distributed by some friends of mine that own Advanced Graphics. Not only do they print cardboard cut-outs of famous people, they will customize life-sized cardboard print-outs of your personal pictures for your own event. What fun!

So we sent them a photo of my grandparents, and within a short amount of time, we had in our possession, a life-sized image of them to display at the reunion. (As a side note...the variance in the color that you see in the photo of the cut-out is a result of some lack of clarity in the original photo.)



Needless to say, the poster of our beloved grandparents was the hit of the reunion. My aunt started crying when she first saw their images greeting all of our relatives on the lawn, and of course, before they left, everyone wanted their photos taken with Grandma and Grandpa. It was a hoot!


These two in the photo below won the "Look-alike" Contest...can you see the resemblance to our grandparents in these cousins of mine?



So, the next time you have a get-together, consider inviting some relatives from the past and allowing them to join your party with a little help from the Cardboard People at Advanced Graphics. It is sure to make for some fun memories and some great photo ops!

Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

I hope everyone had a fantastic 4th! Summer is flying by and I just had to share with you this cutest treat that my darling neighbor Judy brought to me...Don't let these "ears" deceive your eyes! I know...I did a double take too! My kids all had to look twice too, and they thought these were the coolest.

Corn on the Cob Cupcakes...how clever! So I had Judy give me her secrets to this deceptive goodie (and they are VERY simple). All you need is the following for each ear of corn:

* 3 baked yellow or white cupcakes in white cupcake papers
* 1 corn on the cob tray
* 2 corn holders
* white frosting
* yellow Jelly Belly jellybeans for the kernels (I think she used Buttered Popcorn flavor and Lemon)
* one yellow Starburst candy for the pat of butter
* black sugar for the pepper(apparently found on the cake decorating aisle of the craft stores---unfortunately I'm not too familiar with that aisle)

Assemble the cupcakes in the tray, frost, add the Jelly Bellies in rows, and add the pat of butter and black sugar. Insert the holders to each end and there you have a fun, unique, and "corny" summer treat.

Enjoy!