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Showing posts with the label traditions

And it begins...

Our traditions are a big part of our family life, from apple picking in the mountains to choosing a Christmas Tree from the same corner lot every year. These traditions are what the kids talk about when they look forward to the next year. This is what they will remember thirty years from now when they think back to time with our family. The people who are a part of these traditions are just as important as the tradition itself - our neighbors, friends and family join in the fun each year too. For countless years, we have invited neighbors over to build Graham Cracker Houses. We glue the crackers with edible Royal Icing (recipe below photos). We add an assortment of candy for decoration and voila, a beautiful table decoration and an on-going snack for the passerby is created. As the kids get older their participation and imagination have grown. This year was the best yet, with many doing most of the work on their own, leaving the ad...

Trimming the Tree Traditions

  For over 13 years, Ryan and I have been buying our Christmas Tree from the same lot near our home. This tradition has a lot of details to it: we get it the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day, we take a photo of us at the lot and we choose a Charlie Brown tree from the sale rack. Sometimes we get short and stout, others times, full on one side and naked on the other. This year we have tall and skinny. It's a 4 week commitment, we can cope. What's your Christmas Tree tradition?

Magic Marker Monday: Graham Cracker House

This is a family tradition dating back to the 1970's when I was in second grade. My teacher, Mrs. West, taught us all how to make a Graham Cracker House. We used our individual milk carton from school lunch as the base, graham crackers for the walls, Royal Icing as the edible glue and lots of candy to decorate. Over the years with the help of a carpenter husband, the house has grown in size and intricacy. One year, the roof made from Big Red gum, looked like slate. Now with the kids involved, we make the building and the kids decorate. For the past two years, we have had a Graham Cracker House Building Party and several families from the neighborhood join us. Each family brings their own house setup and we all share the candy we bring. It's a lot of fun! Directions • Approx a 12” x 12” cardboard or baking pan covered tightly in tin foil. This will serve as the platform for the house. If you use a baking pan, make sure it is not one you will need soon. • A cardboa...