Family - McKenzie Sue Makes

I have been waiting for the time to own and use th

I have been waiting for the time to own and use the Advent spiral in our home and since all of our stuff will be packed up for almost all of pre-Christmas time, I pulled it out early for a bit of fun. Hazel thinks it’s a toy but she understood the assignment: Mary has to get to baby Jesus in the middle! Building traditions for our family centered on Jesus Christ is one of my favorite things to do! What is your favorite Christmas tradition?

Autumn’s Gold. Literally the nickname of this tr

Autumn’s Gold. Literally the nickname of this tree - completely fitting. Every home should have this tree in their front yard - it is the prettiest and softest leaves I have ever seen. It looks like a field of flowers in the sunlight and creates the most amazing piles to jump into (and throw in the air). These leaves will forever remind me of the walks around the perimeter we took in 2019, the week we brought home our son in 2020, the leaf hunts my daughter and I took in 2021. I will find a way to own a Gingko tree someday because they are pure happiness in my book ✨🍂✨

Hmm…which one is Hazel’s? 😉

Hmm…which one is Hazel’s? 😉

If you haven’t already heard, @cakebycourtney’

If you haven’t already heard, @cakebycourtney’s cookbook is finally open for pre-sale! 🥳🎂👏🏼 I’ve done web work with Courtney for years and she reached out to me about the book at the beginning of the year and I was SO honored to work on such a beautiful and fun project! I worked hard to make sure her detailed cake recipes didn’t feel overwhelming, yet you could get as much information from the recipe that you could on each page. I spent hours upon hours perfecting every single detail of this book (and of course as a perfectionist it was hard for me to let go and be done, that’s why print scares me so badly!). But I am so proud of my contribution to the book and grateful to be part of the team behind this amazing cookbook. Courtney, Diana, and I went through this book with the finest-toothed comb we could find and when I went through issues with my eye health towards the end, they were so patient with me! 🥰😘 Can’t wait to see these books in your home and by gosh goly, the photos in it alone are to die for, so it is for sure an essential book to have in your home! My mouth was watering every time I worked on the book and you will be itching to make every single cake! Okay, I’m done, can’t you tell I love the cookbook!? Find it at shop.CakebyCourtney.com!

Two more toddler-friendly genealogy ideas - make a

Two more toddler-friendly genealogy ideas - make a book with family photos and their names on the other side (I used @pinholepress!). And I made a book about Hazel’s great-great grandmother Lucy through @cuentobooks back in February! It is the cutest book with the best illustrations. I love that I could have real photographs of her in the book as well! Hazel loves all of these books and I can’t wait for them to become family treasures, they already are for me!

I don’t have time/energy/budget to do something

I don’t have time/energy/budget to do something big for Dio de los Muertos this year but my genealogy-loving self sees this becoming a family tradition in our home! So today these generation frames I made in July are out and the Coco soundtrack is playing. I saw @latterdayfamily use this frame idea in a lesson and I loved it. It also works for Day of the Dead! I love learning more stories about my ancestors and I love the idea of having an entire day about honoring and celebrating the family that came before me. I am excited to decorate with vibrant marigolds, face paint, hang a bunch of photos on a mantle, and tell stories of my ancestors. Now I just need to find out more about the food my ancestors loved so I can make them for the kids. Grandma Lucy’s chocolate chip cookies are for sure one! #diosdelosmuertos #dayofthedead #ruckertraditions

I told you be ready for the James spam! I just lov

I told you be ready for the James spam! I just love our happy little guy so much, and this great photo deserves a spot on the feed. I am very proud of the fact that I made everything for our costumes and made sure they were the simplest version of Ghostbuster’s possible 😉. Hazel slept through half the ward Halloween party but she hasn’t stopped talking about how she walked around and saw ghosts and got candy for the rest of the night! #ruckerhalloween