I can’t believe I didn’t post this picture on here. I think I posted to Facebook and forgot about it.

My only real goals for this year are to continue to get good grades at Bellevue College and stay away from Facebook a little bit more.

I’ve been hanging out more on Twitter mainly to get that social fix but to find a place away from all the drama on Facebook.  I’ve wanted to clean up my “friends” list for a while now but honestly most of my friends are extended family.  As much as I care about them, all their drama is getting so tiresome.  But I just can’t bring myself to unfriend because I really do like having the connection.  (If you are my extended relative and you are reading this then you are most definitely not part of the problem.  Trust me.)  So less Facebook and more Twitter has been my answer.

Hope you all have a fabulous year ahead.  Love, Kel

So a week or two ago when a friend in the ward mentioned going caroling with some other ladies, I excitedly asked if I could tag along.  I’m glad they didn’t mind me inviting myself.  It was a lot of fun.  I hope they let me join them again next year.

Not a picture of caroling but one of us at Granny’s house Christmas morning.

And today’s tradition is another that didn’t happen this year but I want to include anyway.  Every year both our families trade names for our Christmas gift exchange.  A few years ago I started the tradition of making gifts instead of buying something.  The first year we had one of my brothers who had 8 kids at the time and Aaron’s brother and family.  This is a zipper purse for one of my nieces. I really want to make another one of these. It turned out so cool!

The next year, 2009, we had my oldest brother and Aaron’s younger sister.  I ended up so late on their gifts that I didn’t even get around to writing a post about them and only took pictures of a couple.

In 2010 we had my mom and Aaron’s youngest brother but my very favorite from that year was the mini Mario hat keychain I made for Aaron.

This year I decided against homemade all together.  Things are just a little too unorganized and crazy.  I hope to get a start on gifts for next year over the summer but we’ll see.

Anyway, I love to make Christmas gifts, It means so much more to me.  I don’t know if the receivers enjoy it as much I do though.

In 2004 we moved to Washington and made friends with a neighbor (I think that’s her window you see in the picture.)  She had a daughter who was a year older than Grayson and they got along like peas and carrots.  So that year we  made five houses again but invited them to come over and decorate the extra.

2007- Our Gingerbread Village

In 2010 we shared our fun with our friends, the Salas.  I’m sad that we didn’t do that again this year.  Next year, Dave!

Growing up we always got the Christmas tree put up and decorated on my Mom’s birthday, Dec 12th.  I thought that was a neat way to spend your birthday.  She seemed to enjoy it.

Forest was born Dec 7th.  I don’t remember at what point we decided to adopt the tradition but for several years our family has put up and decorated our tree on his birthday.  He enjoys it very much.  The last couple of years I’ve asked him to be sure that’s what he wants and he enthusiastically says that he does.  I hope that he continues to like this tradition for many more years to come.

We have actually never done this but I kind of hope it will become a tradition.

As I thought Friday and Saturday about the hectic Winter Break we have ahead I wondered if there was something we could do to encourage more love in our home.  By the end of most school vacations I’m at my whit’s end with all the fighting and bickering.

Earlier in the week I got to drive down to Auburn and attend my old ward’s Relief Society Christmas meeting. Some of the ladies shared Christmas stories and /or traditions.  I remembered how one of them talked about how her family would write letters to each other for Christmas and put them in each other’s stockings.

Our plan, and maybe a new tradition, is to write something nice about each member of our family each night this week and put them in their stockings.  On Christmas Day each of us will have a whole bunch of little notes of love to read.

I guess the hope is that as the kids have to write down nice things about each other each evening that maybe they will start to see the good things instead of the bad.  And maybe also affect how they treat each other.  Cross your fingers with me.

Most every year my mom would make a cheese ball or two around Christmas and even though I grew up with an aversion to most nuts I still loved this cheesy goodness on a cracker.

Well for the past several years, I have been making them too.  Although I find the log shape to be easier to cut off of.

This evening we had friends over for dinner and I had a couple of cheese logs out on the table.  While I filled the house with the smoky goodness of seared steaks everyone sat around the table listening to Dave’s stories and munching on crackers and cheese.  I’m lucky enough to have a thoughtful husband who snagged some on a little plate for me because it didn’t take long for the logs to disappear.

I even use the same recipe that my mom used, which she got from my dad’s cousin, Aunt Gale.  A few cousin’s on Facebook have asked for the recipe so here it is.

Gale’s Cheese Ball

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 C cheddar cheese, shredded
4 sm green onions, chopped
1 pkg chopped ham  (My mom told me the little packages of Buddig lunch meat, I just pull 6-8 slices out of whatever sliced ham I have and chop it up.)

Mix well, shape and roll in chopped pecans.  Refrigerate, preferably overnight.
~Gale Keim

He’s been learning Italian on his own for the past several months so an Italian cuisine seemed like a perfect surprise.  Aaron and I based our plan off of what Google says is a traditional Italian meal and then found recipes and ideas to fit.

We started out our evening with sparkling ciders for our aperitivo and plates of meats and focaccia for our antipasto.

Our first course, the primo, was Zuppa Toscana.  Holy moly this soup is a keeper.  Try it out, you will love it.

Then Italian Pork Tenderloin with roasted vegetables for the secondo and contorno.

For dolce we had panna cotta with mixed berries (complete with a candle on top.)  Such a delicious treat, Grayson asked if we could have it for his next birthday.

Lastly we had cantaloupe and provolone cheese for Frutta con formaggio.

We skipped the digestivo and caffè.  There wasn’t any room left even if we had had it.

Happy Birthday Forest.

We had a fun but easy-going day: Aaron’s lumberjack pancakes for breakfast followed by a coma.  Then he got his presents, two RC helicopters.  It has been non-stop flying, charging, flying, charging…  The kids always get to choose their dinner; Ethan’s favorite is Chicken & Dumplings then fudge brownies with rocky road ice cream.  We finished off the night watching Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

I love my monkey boy!

I am fascinated with names and their spellings.  I love to hear people’s names, especially full names.  I used to say I was bad at names, making excuses for not remembering them but then decided I was done with that.  I find weird associations to help me remember.  I may have to ask a couple of times but I don’t feel silly when I have to ask anymore.  Usually if I repeat it a few times, right away, it helps.  Each new soccer season I play a game with myself to see how quickly I can learn the kids’ names.  My husband and I like to be able to use their names when cheering at the games and he always has to ask what they are.

I think my fascination with names and spellings is associated with my own name and my genealogy.  I’ve asked Mom where my name came from but she can’t remember.  Just that Dad decided I would be KeliAnn Marie.  My birth certificate is in all caps but I have always capitalized the A.  I just like it that way.  So about my name and the identity crisis that goes along with it.

KeliAnn: Like I said, I don’t know where my dad got this from but it’s what he wanted, spelling and all.  Kelli is a Celtic name that means Warrior Maiden, which I have ALWAYS loved!  The meaning feels totally right to me.  I also like it because I have Kelly ancestors on my mother’s mother’s side.  Ann, I have never even looked up a meaning for.  I just think of it as a cute little suffix for Keli.  Part of the reason might be the fact that the first 12 years of my life I wasn’t called KeliAnn or even Keli.  My family somehow came up with the nickname Kelsi for me and that’s who I grew up as.  In 7th or 8th grade I decided it was too young sounding and wanted to be KeliAnn.  People had a hard time with the compound name so I settled for Keli.  Now I totally miss being Kelsi.  I’ve been told that the next time we move I should introduce myself as Kelsi but I think I’ve confused people enough.  I still have cousins who call me Kelsi and I love that.  Aaron calls me Kelsi when he’s upset, which I don’t love.  I will answer to either Keli or Kelsi but KeliAnn doesn’t always register immediately.

Marie: Yep the second most popular middle name ever.  I don’t mind because I think it’s pretty and as much as I don’t really feel like a KeliAnn, I love the way KeliAnn Marie sounds, definitely feels like me.  Weird, I know.

Madrid: I. LOVE. MY. MAIDEN. NAME.  I have always loved it and what it represents.  The funny thing is, it isn’t the name it really should be.  My dad’s Dad was born in Torreon, Mexico in 1908.  His family moved to Flagstaff, AZ when he was 3 years old.  His mother died shortly there after and being so young his father couldn’t take care of him.  I believe he worked on sheep farms and spent a lot of time out on the range (is that the right word?)  So my Grampy was fostered by a family with the last name Madrid.  He was never actually adopted but he took their name and so began the Celso and Varis Madrid family.

His parent’s names were Christobal and Basilia Gonzales.  Part of me always wanted to name a daughter Basilia but I knew it wouldn’t be a great name to have in this day and age.  Besides Aaron wouldn’t have it.

Wilkins: Although not part of my given name it’s still a part of my heritage and you’ll see why I include it.  My mother’s parent’s names are William (Bill) and Fay Wilkins but this surname is also not accurate.  My grandfather, born William Andrew Lorenzen, didn’t get along with his father and when he was 16 he left home and took his mother’s maiden name.

I find it very curious that both my grandfathers had different last names than what they were born with.

So that is the story of my name, KeliAnn (Keli or Kelsi) Marie Madrid Dean.