Pretty Paper Valentine Flowers

With Valentine's Day approaching, I've been in a flowery making mood lately. So while searching around for inspirational ideas, I came cross THIS by Martha Stewart. It looks easy which, let's face it, is why it appeals to me. I like anything where I get maximum prettiness w/ little effort.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.



A Jack of All Trades

I thought for a while about how personal I wanted to get about a death in our family just last week. I am the type of person who will always answer, "I'm fine. How are you?" when asked how I am doing rather than go into a long monologue of all that is bugging me or ailing me. However, I figured this is my blog, my chronicle of sorts and I really enjoy the support of other blog friends. Luckily, it is filled with lots of highs. However, tonight I am sharing a low point which takes me a little out of my comfort zone. Yet, it feels like such a relief to put it all into written word......
My Grandfather, Jose Ramirez,  passed away last week. He was born in 1921 and as I recount an endless supply of memories of him, I keep thinking how blest I am to have known his unconditional love for me as his granddaughter and his never ceasing unconditional love for his family. He saw it all; silent films, the Great Depression, the wars, a new thing called Television, assassinations, the man on the moon, Elvis, the Beatles Invasion, Woodstock, 9-11, and the continued growth of his family who loved him so. I had been forewarned that his death would be soon, within a few days and to expect the call. As much as I braced myself each time the phone rang and mentally prepared, one never is really prepared when those types of calls come. He passed away peacefully in my mom's home which was filled with family at the time of his passing. We packed our bags for the long drive back to Texas for the funeral and I wrote down a few words to say at his funeral in the hopes I would be able to pull myself together enough emotionally to get up there and actually share what I had written without turning into a crying tearful sap. I decided to see how I felt about it at his funeral. If I felt I could do it, then I'd share a few words with other family members who were eulogizing my grandfather. I am amazed that I was actually able to do it....anybody who knows me, knows that my tear ducts seemed to be hardwired to pretty much every emotion I feel which makes me a perfect candidate as a Spanish Telenovela star. Nevertheless, I kept my composure and in retrospect, I am so glad that I shared what memories I had. I tried to focus on the little things about my grandfather...things I don't want to forget. It was so nice to hear all the lovely things everyone got up to share about him. This is what I shared......

Grandad had many terms of endearment for his family. He called us Mija or Mijo, Preciosa or Precioso. We called him Dad, Grandad, and a whole new generation, the youngest generation, called him Pepa.
I had asked Grandad not too long ago how he would define his life's work. He thought for a moment and said he would have to say that he was a "Jack of All Trades."  Behind those kind soulfull eyes was a man of many talents and skills. But, what I think preceded him most was his love for all of us. It could be seen in his warm smile as he came to anyone of our homes ALWAYS carrying a white bag of sweet bread, a package of freshly made tamales, or a bottle of Crown Royal.....and if we were lucky, sometimes all three.
Many of us know that Grandad crossed the border when he was five at Christmas time holding his mother's hand. He always told me that he remembers it snowing on the night they crossed the Texas border. Imagine that! He had also told me that he remembers Brownsville when there were both horse and buggy and cars in the streets and how over time there were less and less horses and more cars to where there were no horses and buggies at all and only cars.
As I grew up in my Mom's home, my Grandad always had his very own place at my Mom's dinner table. It seems like the whole world was discussed with my Grandfather and whoever else was present at the time whether it be aunts, uncles, cousins.
We all know that Grandad had an unending curiosity for the world and the events occurring around him. This curiosity kept him young and vibrant. I was remembering on the drive to Texas the various flower shows I would attend with him before we moved to Florida; hibiscus flower shows, rose shows, and African Violet shows. He would pull me over to a flower and point out why it was his favorite. He would stand and admire the colors of a single bloom as if it were a Monet or a Botticelli.
***McDonalds----those golden arches were always the start to his day and before any of us started our day. Gosh, as far back as I can remember, grandad always had his breakfast and coffee at McDonalds where he hung out with other old crooners like himself who he considered his friends.
***Music----Grandad loved music and I think we'd agree that he was such a suave dancer. I have precious memories of dancing with him at Los Molcajetes and at my wedding. He slow-danced like he had learned in the 1940s--a very gentlemanly way, very suave, very sophisticated.
***Granddad's Cars----He always drove a standard & was often in 3rd gear before he was to the end of the street. Who remembers the bumper sticker he had that read, "Down Mexico Way"?
***The Ranch in Hualahuisis, Mexico high up in the Sierra Madres----For those of us who were able to experience this with him know to NEVER EVER accidentally drop a bar of soap down the water well.....or else! The summers we spent with Grandad at the ranch will always be dear to me and I am also so happy that my husband, David, spent time at the ranch with Grandad, as well. On the long exhausting drive to the Ranch, Grandad was the King of the Road...just like the old song. And, negotiating in Spanish and using a little cash on the sly, he was able to get all of us, our cars, our gadgets and goods, across the Mexican border hassle free. We would then be off and continue our extremely long drive up the mountain into the deep interior of Mexico to the ranch where Grandad was born and where he was in his element amongst the mango-scented kitchen, the parrots who flew over us each morning, the countless stars in the night sky, the corn field, the cold mountain river where we bathed daily, the bougainvillea, and the dirt roads where monarch butterflies hovered during their annual great migration.
It is the little things that are the most important which Grandad taught us. Little facts that I recall are that he saved little milk creamers from restaurants to give to stray cats. He loved the color blue not green. He said he preferred Gold-Toe brand socks and chocolate.....he said he liked a yellow box of Whitman's Samplers the most.
I once told him that he looked like Ricky Ricardo in photos of when he was younger.He said that my daughter reminded him of Shirley Temple.
On one of his birthdays, I asked him how old he was and he said, "83" and I teased him saying,"Wow, Grandad! You don't look a day over 80!" and he laughed and laughed at my comment--A hearty laugh that comes from way down in the belly where even your soul joins in. The type of laugh where you have to catch your breath in the middle of it and even when you are done you are still smiling. That is the laugh we shared over this comment and I will always remember how grandad's eyes sparkled with the kind of tears that only come from a good deep laugh. It had made me feel so content inside to know I had caused such a happy laugh and was able to share it with him.
No matter how old Grandad became, he always knew how many kids, grandkids, great grandkids, and even great-great grandkids he had. He never had to stop and do the math or count them out on his fingers. His family was something he was greatly proud of even when we didn't always make him proud. He knew the names of our spouses and never got anyone confused with someone else and he knew who's children were whose. It was a lot to remember. But for him, it was a piece of cake. This is a testament to how much he loved us. Every year, we each received a telephone call and a birthday card from him, without fail, from the Hallmark store. I wonder if he sometimes received a group rate on cards. I rememeber the first Birthday of mine, about 3 years ago, when I did not receive his card. I think that was when I first had to acknowledge and recognized the shift in his aging and how for the first time, Grandad, though his heart and mind were young, had become old.
Grandad taught us how to grow old while staying young on the inside. He also taught us how to get our food ordered in a jiffy at a restaurant by using a stern voice and a respectable level of impatience. It was often comical to witness his impatience with waiters and waitresses.
Grandad's hearing, we all know, had diminished overtime. However, there is no doubt he can hear us now in Heaven and hear how much we love him, how thankful we are to have experienced his love, and how blest we are to be counted as his descendants, his family.

Well, I shared a slightly shorter version of the above at my Grandad's funeral. While retyping it tonight, it gave me more time to reflect and add the detail that I absolutely do not want to forget about him and the details that made him who he was, my Grandad.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten
S.W.A.K.

{ Sugar Plums }

Just a little invitation for you to mossy on over to my other blog, Raphael's Bakery , and check out the lavendery-purpley yummy cake ball "Sugar Plums" I made for my daughter's class to enjoy after a field trip to see the Nutcracker. I will be posting anything yummy over at Raphael's Bakery .

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Gingerbread Extravaganza }

This month, my daughter and I enjoyed the Jacksonville Historical Society Annual Gingerbread Extravaganza. We hadn't even opened the doors to the downtown building and we could already smell the sweetness of gingerbread houses. It was a great way to spend a December afternoon. We voted on our favorite which was the house from the Disney movie, Up. Plus, I am sorta partial to that film b/c the old man is named Mr. Frederiksen which is my maiden name. But, my true favorite was the Jax Beach Life Guard Tower gingerbread display. Or maybe it was the one of Times Square that was my favorite. Ohhh! They were all awesome. I'd be a terrible Gingerbread House Judge.

The house from the Disney movie, Up. (above)

Jacksonville Beach Lifeguard house and tower (below)

My absolute favorite! How adorably cute are the sugary snowman and snowgal???? I like how they are made to resemble beach sand.

The Gingerbread display of New York's Time Square was awesome and made from 100% edible materials. Even the Broadway advertisements were printed on edible paper. The New Year's Eve glass ball made from rock candy was the perfect finishing touch. Oh, and all those little yummy gingerbread people waiting for the new year's eve countdown. How cute is that?!?

Some more impressive stuff

Obviously someone is a Hello Kitty fan like my daughter....and well, I am still a fan too.

Okay, let it be know that the cutest thing under the sun from this day forward is 2 little gummi bears in a little row boat. I mean, C'mon. It just doesn't get any cuter!.....well, except for babies, baby animals, puppies, and kittens. But after that it is gummi bears in row boats. Totally!

There were so many. I took pics of our favorites. My daughter, the Queen of Fairies and Mermaids, has total faith in my abilities as a mother because while headed home, she said she wanted me and her to make one to enter in next year's competition. We shall see.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Raphael's Bakery }

Source

I have a lovely true story to share with you about my other new blog...a food blog--- A story about Angels. And not just any angels, but the 3 Archangels---Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael. This story is especially about the archangel Raphael. And so here it goes: Back in late 1992, the 3 archangels made an appearance in a high-crime neighborhood of Houston, Texas. Houston is a huge city. Like all big cities, it has it's far share of dangerous neighborhoods. This one in particular in located in Southeast Houston just off Griggs Rd and is mostly a Hispanic neighborhood. The news had started to report that a little girl in this neighborhood was seeing the 3 archangels in her backyard. In fact, the news reported that the angels, according to the little girl, were there day and night and often slept on her roof and spent the days sitting under the tree in her small backyard. She reported that they were all extremely tall and taller than her house. This was odd and sounded familiar b/c my mom has always told us a story of how she had once seen her guardian angel in her room when she was small. She said that the angel was very tall and that it's wings went past the ceiling to where she couldn't see the tops of the wings. According to the little girl, the 3 archangels had arrived for a short time to bring messages of peace to such a high crime and gang infested area. The news created curiosity in many Houstonians and we(my parents, my fiance, and my younger sister) were amongst the many who drove to this neighborhood to witness this event. We had our doubts, but, being a Catholic family, we also wanted to believe. When we arrived to the neighborhood, we saw that the line to the home went around the block not once, but twice. We stood so long in the line and eventually even the sun had set before we were able to enter the backyard. There were groups praying the rosary and singing songs. The little girl pointed to the 3 area of the back yard where the angels were standing and told that as we got nearer we would be able to feel them. We were told two were sitting and one was standing. We walked towards the area of the sitting angel which we were told was Raphael. We did not see anything, but what we felt, was truly amazing. For me, it was as if I was touching electrified air. My whole body could sense it and it was beautiful. The air felt different...sorta like that moment between lightning and thunder. I can't describe it any other way than like touching lightning with out getting hurt. It is something one would never forget. A few days later, the news reported that the little girl was very sad b/c the angels had left and that their purpose was served. Now you must understand that I was raised in a Catholic home and school. My mom often prayed the rosary and we went to Sunday Mass. My Dad, even though he went to Mass w/ us, was not Catholic. He is from Denmark and was baptised Lutheran. A few years after the angel experience, he converted to Catholicism. In early 2000, he said he would like to become a Catholic Deacon and entered the church's educational system and earned a degree in Theology and was shortly thereafter was ordained a Catholic Deacon. A few days before his ordination, I asked him why he felt he had been called to the church in such a profound way. He said that many years ago, when we had gone to experience the archangels, that he had been so moved by the experience and made a promise to be closer to the church and be a servant of the church. It was such a lovely moment to see how hard my Dad had worked...all his life and at this, as well. He is awesome that way. While shopping at Dillards for something to wear to the ordination, I had decided upon a pair of dressy capris and the designer label said "RAPHAEL" on it. I laughed to myself thinking how odd it was and it made me like the capris even more so. On the day of the ordination, as I took the capris out of the closet, I noticed the label again and thought to myself wouldn't it be nice if the 3 archangels, especially Raphael, who my dad had made a promise was at the ordination. I remember even thinking how neat it would be if they were watching from the church rafters. I had thought back to that night long ago when we stood so long in a line and how the experience was so amazing and worth it. After the ceremony, a reception was held for my Dad in the church gym. I had walked over to admire the cake and the lady in charge of slicing it had told me no one had offered to sponsor the cost of the cake and that the church would pay for it. I walked back to where my husband was standing and told him the cake situation and we agreed to go back and tell the lady that we would pay the cost of the cake. After saying hello to old friends and familiar faces, I walked back to the cake lady and told her that after the reception, my husband and I would cover the costs of the cake. She was so happy to tell me that someone else had come up and told her that they paid for the cake and left the money in the rectory. I asked her who it was so that I could say thanks and she said she did not know who this person was and that he had asked to remain anonymous. How strange, I thought. I took a slice of cake from her and after taking a bite, I realized the cake was not just good, it was delicious! Super Delicious! I asked the lady which bakery made the cake and she said, "Raphael's Bakery". I was so surprised. Being born and raised in Houston, I had never heard of a Raphael's Bakery. I asked her where is this bakery and she herself did not know where it was and had not heard of it either. I asked her how she knew and she said, the anonymous person said it had come from Raphael's Bakery and was willing to pay the costs. Of course, she did not know how significant this moment was to me. I walked away after devouring the slice of delicious cake with such a happiness in my heart at this rare situation of angelic proportions, in my opinion. Later that day, at home, I searched the Internet, the Yellow Pages, and other resources for a Raphael's Bakery and found nothing. It was strange. I decided to chalk it up to divine intervention. This is now the inspiration behind my new blog, Raphael's Bakery . It is a chance to share that I believe angels really do exists and make themselves known in the most peculiar ways...whether it be to a little girl in a harsh crime-infested neighborhood of Houston or to my mom as a little girl, or in the form of a cake and an anonymous sponsor at my Dad's ordination. I will, of course, keep my blogging fever going with this blog, K{IR}STEN, as my main blog b/c it is afterall my mixed bag of life. But, I will be posting all yummy good things that come out of my kitchen on Raphael's Bakery. So stop on over when you are craving an angelically inspired treat. I will enjoy seeing you either here or there.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ Advertising Shmavertising }

While shopping at a popular toy store this month, I noticed various signs along the aisles advertising, "SAVE NOW" by texting a certain code to the toy store's phone app.  I figured why not give it a try? I texted the code only to receive a reply text message from the store saying I had signed up to receive text messages alerting me of sales and promos. Urg! That annoyed me b/c I can't stand junk e-mails and texts. I assumed that at any moment I would receive a text saying, "SAVE NOW" with some sort of Willie Wonka style golden ticket that would allow me to save on my current purchase. No such luck. Zero-Zip-Zilch-Nada. During my shopping experience a sales lady walking down the aisle looks at my basket and says, "It looks like you are spending more than a $100. Would you like a coupon for $10 off today's purchase?" To which I respond with, "Sure. Thanks!" I still had not received a text with some sort of special savings on toys. Nevertheless, after loading the basket with a few more toys, I go to the register feeling super special with my $10 Off Coupon. The clerk rings everything up and gives me my total. I present her with the store coupon and she tells me it doesn't apply to pretty much everything I bought i.e. Barbies, Wii Games, DS Games, Ipod speakers, etc. URG! But, in her best fake Customer Service 101 smile, she says that I can purchase $65 more of the "eligible" toys, i.e. cheezy boring toys my kid will never play with, in order to get my $10 OFF. Okay, this makes ZERO sense to me. I tell her no thanks and she responds with an "Okayyyy" and a sort of huffy sigh as if I am making some huge mistake. I try to remain in the Christmas spirit which means I ignore all this, say thanks, take my purchases, and leave. 

I received my first text from the store's app this evening at 10 p.m.-----a chance to "SAVE NOW after Christmas on all skateboards and gear." The fine print---"Online Purchases Only" Neither of which we need.

Sealed With a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 25 }

"Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!"

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 24 }

It's Christmas Eve! Time has flown and yet, stopping every day to blog a 25 day countdown has helped in making me stop to ponder the moments before they fly by faster than Santa's sleigh. Today has that special sense of sacredness to it. My daughter is in the children's choir at our church. We went to a very special children's Mass this evening in which she and her choir mates sang like cherubim on high. I love how formal and traditional a Christmas Eve Catholic Mass can be with all the priests of our parish, the deacons, alter boys and girls. The blessing of the manger and the Baby Jesus was especially beautiful. Afterwards, we went out to eat and had an awesome Italian dinner of mussels, clams, pasta, hazelnut crusted trout, wine, and dessert. We came home and watched A Christmas Story while Saylor kept an eye on the clock and with each passing minute her anticipation grew. In her new Christmas pajamas, coat, and slippers, she scattered food outside for the reindeer, left her shoe by the front door(a Danish Christmas tradition), and left cookies and milk for Santa. And, as if things couldn't have been more perfectly well timed, far off in the distance, as far as possible, but still visible, a flashing light was slowly moving across the sky at the same exact time that Saylor went outside to search one last time for Santa's sleigh and listen for his sleigh bells. The timing could not have been more perfect! She saw it and she hurried off to bed in a fit of giggles, squealls, and blissful excitement. This is our 5th Christmas away from family and friends in our Texas hometown of Houston. I sometimes get very nostalgic and melancholy during holidays being so far from loved-ones, and yet, at the same time, it is nice creating Christmas traditions and memories with my husband and daughter in our corner of the world.

Merry 24th Day of Christmas!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{25 Days of Christmas---Day 23}

"He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more! And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of *ten* Grinches, plus two!" from Dr. Seuss--How The Grinch Stole Christmas. This is my favorite part of the story. Such pretty words and so true too!

Merry 23rd Day of Christmas to You!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 22 }

Warm winter boots. And Ed Hardy ones to boot!

Merry 22nd Day of Christmas to You!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.



{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 21

Paper garland. I cannot think of one time in my childhood when I have made this. I've made tons of things and yet, I don't ever recall making a simple paper garland. Every year I see it in magazines, in my daughter's classrooms, etc. and I always think that it would be enjoyable to do and then time slips away from me (especially in December) and I never get around to making it. So this year, I cut out pretty paper strips, grabbed the stapler, turned on a Christmas movie, sat down with my daughter, and we paper garland the afternoon away.

Merry 21st Day of Christmas to You!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 20 }

Is everyone as baffled as me that Pillow Pets are the most popular toy at the moment? My kid and the kids of my friends all have one on their Christmas list. My daughter asked Santa for the Lady Bug Pillow Pet. How many times while out and about have I told my daughter to use her stuffed animal as a pillow when she gets sleepy in the backseat? Hence, a stuffed animal pillow. Why didn't I think of this concept and sell it for $19.99? The same goes for Snuggies. I've been using my robe as a blanket for years.

Merry 20th Day of Christmas to You!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ For the Teacher }

So I totally snagged this idea from my friend, Julie, over at Jam-n-Jilly.blogspot.com . It's organic sugar infused with perhaps one of the best things on the planet--vanilla beans! Julie is always showcasing such wonderful yet simple ideas on her blog. So when it came time to think of a perfect gift for my daughter's teacher, I remembered her organic vanilla bean sugar post. I really like this and the sugar is perfect for adding to coffee or in Christmas cookie recipes.....plus, anything infused with vanilla bean makes me feel fancy shmancy. This little gift is so easy peezy lemon squeezy. Just get a pretty storage jar, fill with organic sugar, and add vanilla beans (I used 2). Decorate the jar with something pretty and a label. I used a pear-flavored candy cane to top off the jar. My daughter's teacher totally loved it.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 19 }

Who cares if the snow was man made. Who cares if it was blown over the kids via a snow machine. To my daughter it is SNOW---pure, simple, magical.

Merry 19th Day of Christmas to you.

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.



{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 18 }

Without purposely doing so, it has become a little tradition of ours to go to a Live Nativity every year as part of our Christmas outings. I love live nativities and the re-enactment of the little town of Bethlehem and the night Jesus was born. It is quite endearing to see the surroundings transformed into the town of Bethlehem and people dressed up in period clothing as merchants, beggars, villagers, etc. Of course, at the time of Jesus's birth, the great census was taking place. So we as visitors all get to play the part of distant travelers who have arrived into the City of David to be "counted" for the census.

This little girl, who was part of the live nativity, looked very much the part of a local village child. It is as if she stepped right out of a Pre-Raphaelite painting.

Merry 18th Day of Christmas to You!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.



{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 17 }

One never knows where the Elf on the Shelf will be sitting each morning.......assuming a certain someone has a good memory the night before. Happy 17th Day of Christmas! (I'm so tired, I almost put Happy 17th Birthday.)

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 16 }

Guess what I did this evening?---yup, filled out Christmas cards to drop in the mail manana. I must say, self adhesive stamps are one of the greatest inventions ever. On the flip side, I can't get over the fact that each stamp is 44 cents. Geesh!

My daughter created the artful angel at school. I think it is so adorable and I love the Christmas carol paper she chose for the angel's dress. I think the angel is singing, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm yours!"

I love filling out Christmas cards and recalling old friends and neighbors and loved ones near and far as I flip through my address book. I was also in luck because one of my all time favorite Christmas movies was on this evening---White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney which was perfect for an evening spent filling out Christmas cards. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas with every Christmas card I write........

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.



{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 15 }

It's that time of the year where we are bundled up, heated car seats on, heater cranked up full blast, and Christmas songs

playing on the radio.....and that's all before we have even pulled out of the driveway! Merry 15th Day of Christmas to you!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.



{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 14 }

More than all the ornaments, more than all the pricey Christmas displays, I think the little handmade Christmas arts my daughter brings home from school are the best. I love this little clay nativity of Joseph, Mary, and Baby Jesus.

Merry 14th Day of Christmas to You!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.

{ 25 Days of Christmas---Day 13 }

Why didn't any of the 3 pigs make their house out of Gingerbread? These houses are so gosh darn hard to eat. The gingerbread walls are like cement. There is no way the big bad wolf would have blown it down. Merry 13th Day of Christmas to you!

Sealed with a Kiss, Kirsten

S.W.A.K.