He is the Gift...

Hello all! I'm pretty sure I have fallen off the face of the stitching and crafting earth, as my life has taken a different turn for a while! Instead of quilting and dreaming up new stitchery designs, I have been teaching 5th grade in a local school, and my life has not been my own since. But I am enjoying it, and growing in ways I haven't for many years! However, my patterns are still available and my business is still running...even without brand new patterns being produced every so often. Hopefully, I'll get to design and sew once again, but for now my biggest projects are found within the walls of my home and classroom.

 As the Christmas season approaches, I did want to share this beautiful video that reminds us of the real reason we celebrate Christmas. He is truly THE gift. I'm so grateful for the Savior of the world, and that we get to celebrate His birth this month. May you have a beautiful holiday season!

 

 Love,

To Every Mother...

To my mother who gave me life and carved my life's path through her endless sacrifice, love, and example, to all the other mothers along the way who have taught me, strengthened me, and lifted me up through kindness and friendship ....Thank you and Happy Mother's Day!  I love you!

Gear up for Valentine's Day at My Etsy Shop...Free Shipping Available!

Are you gearing up for Valentine's Day? Over at my Etsy shop, you'll find a variety of pillows to help you catch the love bug, and prep your home for the season of amor. From now till the end of February, all shipping is half price. If you order more than one item at a time, shipping is FREE! Please take a look and see what item begs for you to bring it home. Have a wonderful long weekend!!!

-Shelli

 

Grandma Teresa's Chop Suey Candy

My sweet friend Dana recently left me a comment on Facebook about a chex mix that is a family favorite of ours. That comment reminded me that first, I hadn't made this recipe in much too long, and second, that I had promised to post the recipe along with the Christmas Gift Themes that I featured last holiday season.

Apparently, my Grandma Teresa used to make what she called "Chop Suey Candy". It was made with corn syrup, milk, cereal and other items I don't remember. My sisters told me they remember her making the candy then putting it back into the cereal box for them to take home. They all regarded that as a fond memory of her.

Since those days long ago, the recipe that our family calls "Chop Suey Candy" has evolved a great deal, although it is still something my kids associate with their heritage and evokes fond feelings of sheer joy when I make it for them. This is one of those recipes that are perfect for gift-giving and is sure to be a hit.

Here's our version of "Grandma Teresa's Chop Suey Candy". Enjoy!

Mix together in large bowl:
1 box Rice Chex or equal amount of a variety of cereal such as corn flakes
1 cup coconut
1 cup (or more if desired) sliced almonds or cashews

In sauce pan mix: 1 1/2 cubes butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo syrup

Bring to boil for one minute, stirring frequently, then add 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour over the cereal mixture, mix well, and spread onto cookie sheet. You can eat it as soon as it is cool enough, or let set for several hours and break apart. Either way is yummy!! Happy Holidays!

Shelli

I'm Back! Thanks to a Kind Commenter...

For those of you who have been wondering where I went, it has been a frustrating several weeks that ended up with a very simple solution! For whatever reason, I have been unable to access the inner-workings of my blog. Talk about wanting to pull your hair out. No new posts, no access to the details and set up. Nothing.

I also discovered that Google is pretty tough when it comes to finding anyone to help. The only way to express a problem is to leave feedback (which the site admits will never respond personally to you), or leave a "please help" comment on a forum. With any luck, someone (not hired by Google) may respond to your issue with a suggestion, but there is no guarantee. You find yourself at the complete mercy of some kind individual who happens along on your comment.

Fortunately, I finally had someone offer a simple suggestion to try a different search engine, and I was dumbfounded at the solution. You would think that Google Chrome would support blogs on blogger which is run by Google. But no...I switched over to Internet Explorer and sure enough.... Here I am talking to you good folks. Go figure! Anyway, it's good to be back...I have two yummy treat recipes to follow, perfect for the holiday season!

"It's Always a Good Time" with the Kesler Family! New Video!

 Where has the summer gone? Too much fun has been had, and too many happy memories made!

 We had the awesome opportunity of joining my sister's family reunion for a few days with her 7 kids, 6 spouses (yes, I have a 25 year old very available nephew if you're in the market!) and 24 grandchildren. It was most definitely the highlight of our summer. Each summer the Kesler family convenes at Island Park, ID for a week long reunion of water skiing, tubing, gaming, hot-tubbing, boating, swimming, kayaking, scavenger hunting, competing, eating, goofing, dancing, videoing,and just loving life. This is one of the most amazing families I've ever known. They are all such great individuals. They are a blast to be around, they are competitive, they are hilarious, and there is never a dull moment!

 As has become tradition, the youngest daughter Kelsi has produced a summer video for your viewing pleasure! One of the fun things about the Kesler videos is the inclusion of inside jokes or back-stories that outsiders might wonder about. Let me fill you in on a few of the insider snippets to watch for in this reel: 

1. The family with bear spray, singing "it's gonna be alright": So, no lie, the Keslers had a full-size grizzly bear ravage their belongings two nights in a row on the porch of their cabin. They actually watched it through the window the second night, which was apparently pretty spine-tingling! Bear spray was purchased STAT.

 2. The creepy doll: This was my sister's doll growing up (who is ML, the mom of this crew), and I actually remember playing with it myself, and loved it: scary eyes, faded dress, balding head, and all. Not sure how it ended up at the cabin or in this video...

 3. The dock dancing: All of us sisters grew up dancing, and my sis ML owned a dance studio for many years. Consequently, each of her children grew up with rhythm in their bones, and fortunately, the in-laws can boogie as well.

 4. The fellas with their skis on the dock: These men all belong to their own established organization, EMSA, the "Early Morning Ski Association". Each morning these guys rise before the sun to ski when the water of the lake is like glass. It's serious business... they own printed sweatshirts and everything.

 5. The wave runner: This portion of the video contains my little fam. You'll see me driving, and my husband flinging off the back. Later on, we all try to pile onto it before our combined weight dumps us into the drink. Lucky for us, none of us suffered any head injuries as we crashed into each other and the dock.

 6. The two boys on the dock: Yes, those happen to be my two oldest kiddos. Not sure how or where they learned to work it quite like that. Should I be worried?

 7. The playing cards and the three guys at the table: This is part of a long standing tradition of the Keslers called, "Crap on Your Neighbor". Lovely name, I know! But not what it first sounds like. It's a card game the adults play when all the little kiddies are in bed. It has ten rounds in which high card trumps all, and takes the pile. Points are kept for each round won or lost, and the risk increases with each round. The kicker is that there is always a penalty for the bottom two or three losers at the end of the ten rounds. In the past, penalties have included jumping into the hot tub fully clothed, jumping into the lake at midnight, walking across sharp rocks bare-foot, and so on. You get the idea. This particular night of filming, the losers had to ingest a packet of hot chocolate powder within a certain time limit. You can see it wasn't going down all that easily!

 8. And lastly, Caleb at the very end of the video: This is Kelsi's husband. Sadly, he was unable to attend this reunion due to work and other obligations, so he was left behind in Washington, D.C. to continue working while the rest of the family partied at the cabin. He danced alone in his kitchen...

 Well, I hope this gives you a little insight to the Kesler family and their fun video for this year. I can vouch truthfully...It's always a good time with them!

 Happy last few weeks of summer!

 

Hats Off to our Graduates! A Simple and Inexpensive Graduation Gift Idea

Where does the time go? I have missed you all and missed blogging, but have been busy running to ball games, finishing the school year, and keeping up with family. I hope your summer is off to a great start!

This may be a little late for this year, but I had to share a darling and inexpensive graduation gift idea that I stumbled upon HERE.  Just add it to your archives for next year's gift giving!

 The supplies are simple:

 1. A pack of Jones soda in a coordinating school color(or any brand for that matter...Jones happens to have a nice black lid for creating a graduation hat, but I also used other brands without black lids, and they still looked just dandy. I will admit, the Jones packs were a bit tricky for me to round up, and there were limited flavors and colors.)

2. Black paper cut into 2" squares.

3. Embroidery floss in the graduate's school colors--double an 8" strand and tie into a knot.

4. Hot glue.

5. A coordinating "Congratulations" printout and/or the graduation announcement.

 You can see how easy this goes together right? Simply glue the floss tassel to the middle of the squares, and then glue the squares onto the lid tops.

  



 If desired, create a little "Congratulations" sign and cut it in the same dimensions as the soda box, then adhere. We got a little "punny" with our saying as you can see here:





I also trimmed and glued the graduation announcement onto the opposite side to personalize it further.  These came together in a matter of minutes, and my little gals thought they were so clever and great fun to create. And they are adorable for the graduates that you want to recognize and honor without breaking your bank.

 

Hats off to all you graduates and our leaders of tomorrow!
 

Video Spotlight: A Little Luv from "You Can Make This"

What a treat to see this video spotlight on some of my patterns available at You Can Make This! Here's a little sampling of a few of my designs...

Celebrate Spring with a Free Chevron Table Runner Project!

Hey! Remember me? Yes, it's been a while! Life with four kiddos and their multitude of activities, along with a hubby and his busy work schedule leaves my head spinning sometimes, and sadly, I don't get to all I want to do...like blogging. But it's good to be back today!

So it's officially Spring today, the sun is shining in my neck of the woods, the trees in my yard are budding, and I couldn't be happier about all of that. To celebrate, I have a new project ready and waiting for instant download over at You Can Make This, and it's free!



You'll chase away the last of the winter doldrums with this Spring-y and bright Chevron-inspired Table Runner. The easy and detailed instructions are yours for the taking, so enjoy!


Happy Spring!

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!