Monday, May 27, 2013


Happy Memorial Day

It is hard to say "Happy" when this day is remembering those that lost their lives in the war they were serving in. But we celebrate those Veterans that have safely returned home. So that, THAT is the cause for "Happy". 

In my family, there have been servicemen. I do not know their names as they were generations past. I have a cousin who has been serving for some time. "Butler" (his handle) is a wonderful man who loves his wife and children. His whole family sacrifices so he can go and defend our country. There is no one I am prouder to know. He truly bleeds Patriotism! I salute him and pray for him daily.

The picture above shows two of my favorite things: the American Flag (Old Red, White, and blue) and the Holy Bible. I am an American and proud of it! I LOVE my nation! I am a Christian and thankful for it! I love LOVE my Savior, Jesus Christ! I pray for this great nation and thank the Lord, I live here where I have freedom to worship HIM. So I'll end this short post with 

GOD Bless America!!!



 
 
 
 
 
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Sunday, May 19, 2013

1st Birthday Balloon Party



 I just hosted my very first birthday party!!! I mean, really, no help from my Mom, no input from my Mom, no help from my husband. It was all me! And it came together perfectly! *Pat Pat Pat* I am so proud of me! 

My son Daniel (Danny) just turned a year old! WOW! Time really does fly! He is a blessing. We started with chatter and then moved onto cake. He liked the frosting-mushing. He really didn't eat the cake. But he enjoyed the mess anyway. He received some wonderful presents, toys and clothes alike. It was a good time of friends and family.

 
Received a Wisconsin Badger hat from MumMum & Papa
Pair of sun glasses to match the hat

Daddy enjoying Danny
the decorations
wondering what was going on

yawning...after his nap

playing with a huge balloon
playing with friends

playing with sister

"Nah that balloon is gonna miss me"

 We all enjoyed playing with the balloons. The wonder in his face as they floated and fell was priceless.
 I put the plate in front of him on his tray...and he looked at the cake like "what is that?" It was very funny.

I mush this Momma...I mush it really good...


      Penelope enjoying her cupcake and ice cream. She did a good job through the whole party. She knew it was Danny's special day. She truly is becoming a good 'big sister'.
                               Our friend, Abigail enjoyed her cupcake, ice cream, and snacks.
 Our friend Lilly, enjoyed the noise, balloons, and different toys.
 Douglas enjoyed Dennis. He just grin and chuckled the whole time was visiting.
 Just a little chocolate Mom...you know how to get chocolate out of fabrics right?

 Penelope and Grammy
Our new doll from The Mollie Shop (http://themollieshop.com/). Mollie Dollies are wonderful doll of high quality. This one was custom made form my son.





Saturday, May 11, 2013

Mother's Day

I want to honor my Mom publicly here on my blog.

She is the cause of Kiser Krafts. My Mom taught me everything I know. She is the one who encouraged me to make the ideas I see in my head and to not be afraid to try something new. Also to try again a different way if it didn't go as planned the first time. She is a corner stone God gave me to help support me, to help build me up, and to love me through all times in my life. So let us start with what her main influence in my life is...

Crafting


Crafting…from Mom to daughter, who passes it on to her daughter, who shares it with Grandma. It may sound confusing, but it really is not. It is the “Craft circle” that is in my family. My Grandmama was the master of the sewing machine. And she made sure each of her eight children knew how to sew. My Mother is one of them. She was taught at a young age, so she taught her children at a young age.  My siblings and I each started with sewing on buttons at 3-4 years of age. And I started with straight seams on Mom’s machine at 4. She taught each of us how to make our own pillows for our own beds. As time went on, more projects were introduced. I made my first skirt at the age of nine. Yes, it was a simple straight seam, casing wasted, elastic skirt, but I made it. On that skirt I was taught how to do a formal hand stitched hem. Then more things were added: pillow cases, skirts, dresses, slip covers, and pattern reading. Everything guided and taught by my Mom. She always had us creating something, with all sorts of items (mediums).  The memory that stands out is the Halloween where we turned our garage into a Hunted House. Each idea with in its haunted walls came from my Mom’s creativity.  There were all sorts of costumes she made and she included a number of my family members, including Grandmama (who was the Wicked Witch at the end handing out the tricks & treats). The characters she created were so detailed and vivid: a giant spider in a huge web (me), a Mad waitress (my sister) who served a live chopped off head (my Dad), a Giant wart-filled green Troll (my uncle), the headless horsemen (a cousin), and so many others. Each one sewn, painted, make-up, and put together by my Mom and us children. It was a family event. She is an inspiration to me. The very first sock I cut up was because my Mom told me I could. I get the joy of teaching my daughter. She has started to sew huge buttons onto a shoe string. And Penny threads pony beads onto pipe cleaners. And it thrilled my heart to watch at Christmas while Penny and my Mom sat at the table and crafted. They crafted Christmas trees out of ice cream cones, frosting, and sprinkles. It made Penny’s holiday to give key family members a tree that she made herself. 
Mum-Mum teaching Penny to 'paint' on the trees leaves


    
I am so glad the “Circle” will not be broken.  And I can carry into the future the crafting my Mother taught me.

Second influence...

Mothering
I am a Mom. Praise the Lord! I am a Mom!!! To two beautiful, healthy, intelligent, and cuddly children! Penelope came first and boy, I am I glad she did! She is a happy child who was an easy baby. She starting sleeping through the night just after turning 6 weeks old. She made being a 'first time parent' a breeze.
Penelope Louise-Mae
She truly made life brighter. Penny has a personality that just draws you to her. I can see her being a leader. Penny was and is a very good girl. She is tenderhearted, compassionate, joyful, humorous, and the 'light' in this dark and dreary world. A smile from her can turn a day from troublesome to terrific! For all the horror stories I had heard of Motherhood, Penny pushed ALL those out of my mind. She made being a Mom: easy. It helped though to know, MY MOM was only a phone call away!! And I hear myself tell Penny things my Mom told me. "Wear a clean pair of underwear each day." "Make sure to wash your hands before you eat." "Stepping on your brother, is not loving your brother." "You must wear sock with tennis shoes." Each time I say a statement from my Mom, I think about her and 'thank her' silently in my head for the good advice. 
Daniel came second...and WOW! Not easy at all! He ate all the time...in a sense came out eating. He still doesn't sleep all the way through the night. He is in constant need of my attention (which I have problems giving except nothing else would get done) and seems to always need something to eat. 'Garbage Disposal' is the best way to describe it. Danny is a joy, though. He is happy and jolly. His eyes suck you in and his grin melts the coldest of hearts. My Mom told me "I hope you have five boys, Kelly, just like you." Well, I don't have five boys (Praise the Lord) but I do have one little boy who is as busy as five boys. Danny is very observant and curious. Then he gets into things he ought not to. My Mom told me I "kept her on her toes ever while sleeping." Growing up I never truly understood that statement. I do now! I feel like I should sleep with my eyes open and my ears tuned in. I am so glad my Mom demonstrated calmness when dealing with me and my siblings. It taught me how to handle my own children with a calm tone of voice. He is close to turning a year old. My how the year has flown. Danny is my exercise program and a way to enjoy exploring the world in a whole new light.
My Mom shows me so much in so many different ways. Whether, it is with work, play, or my own children, she has the wisdom to share when I ask for it. She works hard, plays harder, and loves to the core of who she is. I can only hope to be half of the Mom, women, she is. I love you Mom.


   

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Saved by Frosting!!



Who doesn’t like frosting? Yeah not many people…but my kids had a chance to enjoy it in a new way!

You know those moments where everything happen ALL AT THE SAME TIME?? Yeah we had that happen. Penny fell so she was crying. Danny was crabby due to teeth pain and nothing I was trying to help, helped. And husband woke up on the wrong side of the bed. And me, well, I was starting to lose my patience with all of them. 

Krazy life moments call for Krazy Krafting! 

Here is what we did: Frosting Paint.

 


Seems pretty simple, right? It was a quick distraction for everyone. First, I grabbed the normal Cream Cheese frosting tub I had on hand in my pantry. Second, I grabbed our food coloring. After all white frosting is not that much fun to ‘paint’ with. Good to eat, yes, but not so for painting. So I used red, yellow, and blue. Primary colors to help teach how to blend to make secondary colors. 


Third, I placed small amounts on the painting surface. Danny had his highchair tray and Penny had a cookie sheet with wax paper taped on it. 

Then I let them go. It was fun to see them smear, mush, and mix the frosting. Danny really didn’t like the taste of the frosting. But Penny ate her ‘paints’ all up! 

I was hoping for left over frosting to frost my birthday cupcakes. But they used up all the colors. At least I had some still left in the tub to frost cupcakes. Penny enjoyed getting messy.


For a quick distraction, frosting painting just might help you! It certainly helped me.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Birthday Bash!



Wow!! What a wonderful weekend!!! 

May 3rd is/was my birthday! So Friday was a relaxing day of fun with the kids and no cooking! We had Papa John’s for lunch and McDonald's for dinner! 

Papa John’s was amazing!!! I got to order my favorite pizza: Canadian bacon, black olives, green peppers, and mushrooms!!! With extra cheese! It was ooey, gooey, fattening goodness!!! I loved every single bite!! And they have chicken poppers that are very yummy. The bread sticks were soft and yummy. Pizza is my hips worst enemy.
McDonald’s was an afterthought. I thought it would be: a) nice not to cook; b) to get out of the house; and c) let the kids run off some extra energy in the play land. It was a loud, energetic, wonderful time! The food…well…we know tons of issues with the food, but it was yummy none the less. It was fun to watch Little Miss and Little Man run around and plays with the other kids. As a Mom, it was one of the best gifts I received. 

I had a beautiful arrangement of flowers delivered from my Brother-in-law and his girlfriend. It is so neat that flowers can be sent or delivered from states away. It is so elegant and lovely.

Then on Saturday, we went over to my In-laws home for cake and ice cream! They blessed me with my favorite cake: angel food cake and mint chocolate ice cream. It was so yummy! The gift I received from them was so thoughtful! They bought me yarn, two crochet books, and buttons for animal eyes! I was floored!
The main gift, though, was keeping my two tykes overnight. It was so relaxing to enjoy a delivered meal of Chinese food and snuggle on the couch to watch movies with my hubby. It was a blessed time! And my hubby’s gift came in the mail. He bought me the exercise program ‘Rock’n Body’!!!!(no picture of that - sorry -here is the site: http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/rockin_body) EEK!! I am super excited. I hope to get healthier in 2013 and to lose the ‘baby weight’ from both pregnancies. He did a wonderful job pick out the gift! Just what I wanted!

I also entered an awesome Birthday Giveaway over at my friend’s blog, Verte Photography, http://vertephoto.blogspot.com/  . She shares my birthday. Which in it’s self is awesome! But I WON!!! How random and cool is that!?! Those prizes are EPIC! And a wonderful blessing to receive on my birthday! 

Really exciting thing is I have more gifts coming!!! My family is sending one big box together! So my birthday celebration is going to continue into this coming week! 
Here is my birthday girl photo! Another year older! ☺

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Epic Help

I love when help comes just when you need it! Lu & Ed's (http://luanded.com/) owner, Cody, came over and shared EPIC thoughts on taking photos and editing photos.

It was a fun time! We talked, played, and took photos. She really opened my eyes to the importance to a well taken photo. It was fun to take out all Kiser Krafts stock and re-take their photos. A few of them misbehaved, falling over and turning around. ☺ So while my background is wrinkled, here is what I learned.

White or solid background helps someone view the details on the animal. And if the picture is off set cropping helps. And within the editing program I can fix the lack of light issues. (I learned how to edit a photo!) Below are a few of the edits I did from our photo shoot. These will not be used in the shop but to show what I learned today.

unedited
edited

edited
unedited
unedited
edited

Sorry...I can't figure out the photo layout. I apologize. But here are a few edit attempts. I know I'll get better as I go along.

I found new power or control with this new knowledge of changing/editing the photos I take. It will be fun for the shops products as well as the pictures I take of my family and friends!

Again thanks to Lu & Ed for all the help!