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

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?

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!

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!

Rainbow Jello and Jimmer...What Could be Better to Celebrate the Tip Off of March Madness?

I love having something to look forward to. It prevents the doldrums of life's daily grind from taking over, doesn't it? Today I'm so looking forward to those two things: Rainbow Jello and Jimmer. Rainbow Jello is a pretty-much-once-a-year-tradition for us, since it takes some prep, and coordinates so nicely with St. Patty's Day. Just not something I get around to much at other times of the year, but definitely something to look forward to in March. I love how it looks, the creaminess from the added yogurt, and the melding of all those rainbow-y flavors. Yes, it's a St. Patty's treat for sure! Visit HERE for the recipe and the how-to's, along with some helpful photos.

And Jimmer? We've been a fan for a while now. Our family had the opportunity to see him play in person last year when he was still a somebody, but not quite the SOMEBODY that he is today. Jimmermania struck our house early this season, and we've loved seeing how he has taken the NCAA by storm.

It helps that basketball is in our family blood---my father played in the forty's in the Final Four for the California Bears as a guard; my hubby was a guard in the eighty's with his high school team that took the state championship his junior year and finished third his senior year; and all four of our tikes have played since they could hold a ball. Our oldest was shooting baskets almost before he could walk. This year all four were on teams...one on the junior high team, the others on city league teams with my two boys playing together. That was the highlight of my week, seeing each of my kids grow and learn on the court. Even my little gals became quite the scrappers and shooters; my littlest one scoring her first basket in her last game (she was the only girl on her co-ed team), and my older daughter scoring the winning points in overtime of her last game. And watching my two boys joke, laugh, pass, assist, and score together on the court was completely heart-warming from a mom's perspective. I am convinced that there are metaphors and plenty of life's lessons that are gained on the court and from participating on a team.

And... it helps that I am a BYU Alum. I couldn't be more proud of my Cougars and the way they have handled the intense media revolving around the highs and lows of their season. They are a class act team, and we're cheering for "Freddy Cougar" (my boy's nickname for Jimmer) and his posse to get further in the brackets than ever before.

So, find something to look forward to today. Make yourself some Rainbow Jello and enjoy the Jimmer Show and the rest of the March Madness entertainment. I'm certain that neither will disappoint!