I’m singing with Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof … Traditions!  I Love Traditions!! My tradition? Grandma Keri Days!

Which started with Pumpkin Patch Day … when I had grown pumpkins in my garden for the first time and had the little ones over for pumpkin carving and hot dog eating.

I was a working Grandma and quickly found out if I wanted to enjoy the company of these funny, quirky, entirely unique and wonderful people I would have to schedule the time … that’s when annual Grandma Keri Days began.

Initially they were holiday based … Pumpkin Patch Day, Gingerbread Day, Valentine’s Day, and Easter Egg Coloring Day.  Then I added in things like 24th of July Pioneer Day, then separate Grandson & Granddaughter weekends (sleepovers & activities). We had Family Field Days for a few years, and Service Project Days at Thanksgiving time. Friends and extended family are always part of the fun and often messy excitement.

I don’t have favorites … I love, love, love each Grandma Keri Day … they are like my children & grand-kids; wonderfully unique … but Gingerbread Day might certainly be close to the top.  Like all traditions it started small; I made gingerbread, then we’d all cut, bake and frost gingerbread men (or at least my very patient mom, daughters, daughters & son-in-law, who did most of the building & frosting those first years). One of the first invitations included the story of the Gingerbread Man who yelled, ‘you can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man’.

One year we tried graham cracker houses … now that wasn’t the best idea … it took a LOT of TIME. But from the smiles on the little’s faces it was worth it!

This year I found the coolest cutter & recipe to make the gingerbread houses.  The fruit of many online searches was the  “Swedish Gingerbread House

Pattern Cutter from Fancyflours and a gingerbread construction recipe that uses margarine, no spices, and no leavening (they are sweet, but pretty much inedible) … I spent most of last Monday making, cutting, and baking 20 house kits (like 9 – 10 hours baking). The dough was easy to work with and baked up to an almost indestructible house component.

The ‘older’ boys couldn’t quite get in the build a house mode  but hung around laughing and teasing and 4 of the granddaughters had to work … I really missed them!

This year  was my youngest grandson Bodie and my first Great-Grandson Silas’ first Grandma Keri Day … oh! and I’m not Great Grandma Keri I am gma-squared. LOL.

Life is Good and I am Blessed.  

I wish you all of the Peace, Joy and Love that comes from knowing our Savior Jesus Christ, not only at this time of year when we celebrate his birth, but in all ways in throughout the year.

Love and Merry Christmas!