Mi Vida Loca, Y'all

Why my Clemson Tigers are already winners!!

2016-01-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

So tonight feels a bit like Christmas Eve. There is that little nervous butterfly feeling in my stomach as I try to go to sleep. Everywhere I went today in Greenville there were orange clad individuals roaming the stores, orange and white flags flying on cars, billboards and signs on businesses filled with good luck messages. There was a buzz in the air. Tomorrow, I have no doubt that the feeling will just intensify. Tomorrow a champion will be crowned. College football will be finished for the year.

Now, I wish that I could write this and say that I'm not worried, that I feel confident that my Clemson Tigers will crush Alabama. Unfortunately, that would be a lie. I'm worried; but I was worried before every game this season. I paced the floors before and during the game if I was watching at home. If I was at Death Valley, I was pinching the arm of those beside me and watching with one eye open. But each and every time, we prevailed. Each and every time we walked away a winner! Fourteen times; we won. Now, as tomorrow draws near, I pray that we walk away with the trophy. I pray that we get to wear the championship caps and spray the champagne and dance. We love to dance! But tomorrow will not define our season. We are already winners. This season has been special. I am so proud of the accomplishments and the leadership of this team. There has never been a more exciting time to be a tiger! Do I want another National Championship trophy to head back to Clemson, SC? Absolutely! Will all be lost if we don't win? Not a chance! Forever and Always....Go Tigers!!

Diddle's Wish List

2012-12-13T16:09:00.002-08:00

Last night we went to see Santa and take him Mary Chandler and Jackson's Christmas list. Diddle saw the photo when we got home and decided to make his own wish list and sit in "our" Santa's lap! His list was quite interesting and the kids cracked up when they read it!

On Dasher and Dancer and Zhu Zhu Pet and Monster Truck??

2012-12-12T08:20:00.002-08:00

The note left by Diddle this morning stated that last night at the North Pole Santa was doing a trial run hitching up the reindeer. Diddle asked if he could ride in the sleigh, but Santa said there was no time. Diddle decided that he would come back to our house and make his own sleigh and his own reindeer. He settled on a red barbie car for his sleigh and zhu zhu pets and monster trucks for reindeer! The kids giggled so loud when they saw their "elf Santa" waiting on the coffee table!

Hello my fellow elves!!

2012-12-12T07:52:00.001-08:00

So apparently our elf is friends with my friend Amy Faulkenberry's elf and they shared ideas while in the North Pole one night! (aka . . . this idea is stolen.) Diddle left the kids a note and told them that while he was in the North Pole the night before that he realized that he was a little homesick and was missing his elf brothers and sisters. He decided to make elf hats and put them on MC and Jack's portrait and appoint them honorary elves! He said that would help him to not miss home so much! The kids absolutely LOVED seeing this when they walked down the stairs that morning!

Diddle says Hi

2012-12-12T07:41:00.001-08:00

So on Sunday morning, Diddle showed up at MiMi and G-Daddy's house because the kids spent the night with them on Saturday night. They found him in the kitchen baking cookies! Mimi is sending the photos, so they will come a little later. On Monday morning, Diddle decided to dig into the candy jar and indulge in some M&M's. Jackson had left a few out for him a few nights earlier to see if he would eat them and when they were gone the next day, Jack got super excited and decided that M&M's must be Diddle's favorite candy. So, on Monday, Diddle was propped up by the candy jar covered in M&M's and he had spelled out the word "HI" with the candy.

Diddle and Elf Food

2012-12-11T08:21:00.001-08:00

So on Friday morning the kids woke up and found Diddle in the kitchen where he had made himself a little snack of elf food! He wrote to the kids that he had been really busy pranking them and he had forgotten how hungry he was! Then, Diddle thanked them for buying special elf food for him. He had found in the cabinet some mini pop-tart bites, Brownie Bites cereal, and Honey Nut Cheerio "elf doughnuts" . . . ELF FOOD!! He decided to prop himself up in an elf chair (aka- a Santa Claus wine bottle holder) and chow down!

Diddle finds a "picture machine"

2012-12-10T19:45:00.003-08:00

I am so far behind on blogging Diddle's nightly romps, so here is the catch up! On Thursday night, Diddle found a new "picture machine" in our kitchen and he decided to make some photos of himself. He left a note telling the kids that they should try it sometime! I am waiting to walk into the kitchen and catch Jack or Chan with their face in the copier!

Diddle the Decorator

2012-12-06T18:53:00.000-08:00

So last night Diddle wrote the kids a note saying that our tree was pretty boring and didn't have very much color. He decided that he would redecorate it for us by going into the sock drawer and gathering up all of the socks and gloves and tossing them all over the tree. Next, Diddle decided to hop into a monkey sock and become one of the decorations for the night. The kids were so excited when they came down the stairs and saw the "new" decorations!

Diddle's Photo Booth!

2012-12-05T20:43:00.000-08:00

Diddle decided that he wanted to borrow my camera and set up a photo booth! He met some Barbies that wanted to join in the fun, so they gathered some props and got the stuffed animal Grinch to be their photographer. After taking some cute shots, they printed off their photo booth strips so that they could have a reminder of their night! They also wanted to share the fun, so they printed some "human sized" props and left them for MC and Jack to enjoy!

"human sized" props and left them for MC and Jack to enjoy!

Diddle's Self Portrait

2012-12-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

Well, today Diddle decided to pull out all of the paint supplies and paint a self-portrait! He said that he loved all of the artwork that Mary Chandler and Jackson produced and he wanted to get in on the action! He decided that he would paint a portrait of himself so that the kids would remember what he looked like after he had to return to the North Pole! The kids LOVED it!

Diddle's Debut 2012

2012-12-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

Well, he's Baaaaccccckkkk!!! After much anticipation from my children. Diddle has returned. Jackson has been drawing pictures of him and writing him letters and telling random strangers that our elf should coming soon! So, last night after reading The Elf on the Shelf book, Diddle returned.

He "borrowed" some of my wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, ribbon, a sharpie, and some scissors and created his own bulletin board on our fireplace. He made a giant sign that said "I'm Back" and
and little bullet points that said things like "Santa says Hi."

Then during the creation of the bulletin board, Diddle got tangled in the ribbon and that is where he hung all night until my children woke up this morning with squeals of excitement!

So, Diddle is back and is ready to wreck havoc in the Keels house! If you'd like to follow the antics, check back on this blog daily! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from the Keels and Diddle!

2012-09-01T12:08:00.001-07:00

This is seriously one of my most favorite times of the year (if not the most)! I adore college football and everything about it! I love the tailgate, the food, the clothes, the rivals, the team colors, etc.! I love it, love it, love it!!! With that being said, I am a Clemson girl, and although I love to watch ALL college football, I will always cheer for my tigers!! I had to create something to post on here to show my love . . . what's better than being a southern belle and a clemson tiger?? NOTHING! Go Tigers!!

Dr. Suess Week - Suess Snack Mix

2012-03-03T15:15:00.016-08:00

It's been a while since I have blogged. There has been a lot going on in my life over the last few months and to be honest, my creativity has been in a little slump. However, this week all of my creative juices came back as my kids celebrated Dr. Suess week. Actually, at school they only celebrated on Friday for Dr. Suess' birthday, but at our house it started on Monday. My kids (and myself) have ALWAYS loved Dr. Suess. Actually, one of the first books that I bought for Mary Chandler when I was pregnant with her was The Cat in the Hat! So . . . in celebration of Dr. Suess we decided to get creative!

We decided that our family would present a gift to Jackson's 1st grade class in honor of Dr. Suess. The first thing on the agenda was a special "Suess Snack Mix." I researched online and found a few things (recipes), but not exactly what I was looking for . . . so, I came up with my own! I decided that I would write a poem that gave specific items from some of our favorite Suess books and I would find snacks to coordinate with those items. I would toss them all together and create a "Special Suess Snack Mix." The poem was typed up and taped onto the container. This is the poem:

Letters make words and
words make Suess books,
Which ones you ask?
Well, let’s take a look!

Brown Bar-Ba-Loot Bears and
White truffula fruit
Make for some very yummy “Lorax” loot!

“One Fish, Two Fish” swim about,
while “Horton’s Egg” tries to hatch out!

“If I Ran a Zoo” I would have animals galore with a large
“Cat in a Hat” and many, many more!

Enjoy your treat and smile as you eat,
and be glad in this snack that I forgot the “Duck Feet”!

(The letters were Alpha Bits . . . Bar-ba-loot bears were Chocolate Teddy Grahams . . . White truffula fruit were mini marshmallows . . . One fish, two fish were colorful goldfish crackers . . . Horton's Egg was mini Robin's egg candies . . . If I ran a zoo were animal crackers . . . Cat in the hat was mini graham crackers dipped in white and red candy melts)

Then, we wrapped up a new copy of "I wish that I had Duck Feet" to donate to the classroom library.

For an extra treat, we decided to make each person in the class their very own "Cat in the Hat" marshmallow pop. We took two marshmallows and dipped the ends in red candy melts. When they were almost dry, we put them on sucker sticks so that they looked like the hats. Next, we put them in clear candy bags and tied them up with coordinating ribbons.

Once we were done with all of our treats, we loaded them all up in a gift basket and headed to Mrs. Emerson's class to give them their gift!

Super Diddle and Doughnut Diddle

2011-12-21T18:13:00.000-08:00

Once again, I ended up getting tied up with Christmas comings and goings and have not had a chance to update the blog. So here are the last few days of updates from Diddle!

On Monday, the kids woke up to a letter from SUPER DIDDLE! He said that he was digging around in Jackson's closet and found the perfect super hero house. He said that he has always enjoyed playing dress up and super hero is one of his favorite things to play. Diddle was very excited to play in Batman's Cave and he even made his own super hero mask and cape! His message to the kids was to always do good and fight evil. He told them to always speak nicely to one another and to always remember the golden rule.

On Tuesday morning, we were in a hotel in Chapel Hill, NC. Diddle came to visit us and was in a Santa hat in the hotel room. However, we left before we could take any photos of him. Oh well . . . he was due for a paparazzi break!

Today, Diddle was SUPER excited! While we were in Chapel Hill yesterday, we stopped at Krispy Kreme on Franklin Street and ordered up a dozen holiday doughnuts to bring home. We ended up with 4 in the box by the end of the night. PLUS, we shared a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut milk shake. Oh. My. Goodness. It was heaven in a clear cup. You just have no idea how crazy good this gazillion calorie treat was to me. It was totally worth the calories. If your local KK has these, run . . . don't walk . . . and get one. You will not regret it. I digress . . .

So, Diddle was super jealous of our doughnut find and he said that there was no way the he could eat an entire doughnut, so he decided to make mini elf sized doughnuts. He used Fruit Loop and dipped them in melted white chocolate and covered them with sprinkles and colored sugar! Voila- Elf Doughnuts! Hope he enjoys his as much as we enjoyed ours!

Diddle- Weekend Update!!!

2011-12-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

So . . . the closer that we get to Christmas day, the busier I seem to get! Please forgive me for the lack of updates over the last few days. School parties, supper club, gift shopping, etc., etc. have kept me away from the computer. However, Diddle has been in full swing over the last few days, so here is his weekend update!

On Friday morning we found out that Diddle had a little run in with Mr. Grinch! Apparently, according to Diddle's note, when he got back from the North Pole, he saw Mr. Grinch trying to load up all of our gifts from under the tree into a bag! Diddle sprung into action to try and save all of the gifts by jumping on the Grinch. Unfortunately, the Grinch was bigger and stronger and he put Diddle in handcuffs and hung him upside down from our Christmas tree!!!

On Saturday morning, Diddle once again found himself at GaGa and PaPa's house. They live on a lake and Diddle said that seeing the lake made him think of one of his favorite hobbies- FISHING! Diddle said that he looked around the house and found all of the things that he needed to go fishing! He found a pole, a lure, some fishing line, and the perfect fishing hole! He said in his note that he wanted to remind Mary Chandler and Jackson that you always need to find time to have fun and relax! Hope Diddle caught some good ones!! Guessing he did not eat these for dinner!!

On Sunday morning, Diddle found himself in a new role - Indian Chief Diddle Wahoo! His note said that that he has always enjoyed playing dress up and one of his favorite things is playing Native American Dress Up! He found Mary Chandler's Cherokee project diorama in her room and decided that it would be fun to play the chief of the tribe! Diddle said that he loved to play and that there is a time for work and a time for play and he has been super excited to "play" at our house!

Diddle takes a ride on the Polar Express

2011-12-15T05:36:00.000-08:00

Well, this morning at our house was full of excitement and giggles. Today is Polar Express day at school and the kids got to wear their pajamas, take blankets and pillows and stuffed animals. Diddle was very excited about this day as well! His note said that he was very excited about Polar Express day and he really wished that he could go to school with the kids and take part in the excitement. Diddle said that he had been talking each night at the North Pole with Twinkle, the elf that lives in Jackson's classroom at school, and he was very jealous because of all of the fun things that they have planned. He decided that since he could not go enjoy the fun at school that he would make his own Polar Express day here at our house! He pulled out all of the toy trains, found some hot chocolate, and even found his own bell. Diddle believes! All aboard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diddle remembers the Reason

2011-12-14T06:18:00.000-08:00

On day 18, we found Diddle holding baby Jesus from the nativity scene in the hallway. His note was a very important one today. It was reminding Mary Chandler and Jackson that even though we have been having lots of holiday fun, that it is always important to stop and remember why we celebrate. Diddle's note said that he borrowed Mary Chandler's bible to reread the most exciting story ever told, Luke 2: 1-20. He wanted to remind them that it is important to take a moment throughout all of the hustle and bustle of December to just stop and remember Him. To just stop and remember that the little baby in the manger is the reason for the season. I think that Diddle's message is important for everyone to remember . . . Happy Birthday, Jesus!!!

Diddle trapped in the wrap

2011-12-13T05:15:00.001-08:00

Diddle found himself in a sticky situation on day 17. Apparently, he decided to be helpful and wanted to assist me with my Christmas wrapping. It ended up being an epic fail. Mary Chandler and Jackson found him tangled in paper, packing tape, and red curling ribbon! He said in his note that a long time ago when he was just a young 137 year old elf, that he worked for a few days in Santa's wrapping department. He said that he ended up getting fired from that job and after his failed wrapping attempt at our house, he totally understood why he was fired. He admitted that wrapping just was not his thing. He said that Santa was not mad at him because all Santa ever wants him to do is to try his best, even if it ends in a failed attempt. Then, he ended up telling the kids to always try their best! Thanks for the life lesson, Diddle!

Day 16- Diddle gives Kisses (ish)

2011-12-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

On Day 16 Diddle decided to raid the kitchen cabinets and make some treats for the kids to take to school. He said in his note that he wanted to do something sweet for the kids and teachers in Mary Chandler and Jackson's class. Diddle said that he loved kids and if he could that he would give everyone of them a kiss! So, he did the next best thing and he made candy cane pretzel kisses for MC and Jack to take to school! The recipe is very tasty and is also very easy, so he would like to share it below.

* Diddle's Candy Cane Pretzel Kisses *

Take a cookie sheet or baking pan and spread out a layer of pretzels. Next, take candy cane Hershey kisses and place them on top of the pretzel. Put them in the oven at 300 degrees for 2 minutes. (Until the kisses look glossy) Remove them from the oven and place another pretzel on top. Put in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes until they harden and voila- Kisses for everyone!!!

Also, he explained why there was no note yesterday. He said that he had spent all night parachuting from the top of the stairs down to the bottom, but during one of his flights, the heat kicked on and one of the vents shifted his path and he landed on the ceiling fan and got stuck! That is why he didn't leave a note, because he could not get down!!!

Day 15- Diddle takes flight with an underwear parachute

2011-12-11T05:32:00.000-08:00

Well, Day 15 seems to be an exciting one for Diddle. The kids came downstairs this morning and found Diddle flying around on the ceiling fan. He had constructed a parachute out of a pair of Jackson's underwear! He didn't leave a note this morning. We are assuming it was because he got stuck on the ceiling fan. I am sure that he will explain why in his note tonight. When Mary Chandler and Jackson saw Diddle enjoying his ride they began laughing uncontrollably! What a wonderful way to start the day- with a house full of joy and laughter! Thank you, Diddle!

Day 14- Diddle takes a road trip to GaGa and Papa's

2011-12-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

Diddle came to a different place on day 14. Jackson and Mary Chandler spent the night at GaGa and Papa's house and that meant that Diddle would have to come there this morning. I could not wait to see what he was able to get into there! Seems like he found some fun activities. According to the email that I got from GaGa today, Diddle loves golf! GaGa and Papa have a "golf room"/ office at their house and that is where Diddle was found this morning. Seems that Diddle became friends with Troy (the doll from High School Musical) and they borrowed Sharpay's golf cart and Troy took Diddle to the golf room to play a few rounds! I think that he is a big fan of golf now!

Really???? Candy Houses????

2011-12-09T05:26:00.001-08:00

On Day 13 we found Diddle in the kitchen. He was sitting smack in the middle of Jackson's gingerbread house and was chowing down on an icing covered twizzler. His note proved that he was a little misguided on where the gingerbread house came from and why it was there! Jackson made the gingerbread house at school and we were able to bring it home to add to our kitchen holiday decorations. However, apparently Diddle thought that the house was custom built for him!! His note said, "Really??? An Elf house made of candy just for me??? Jackson, you really should not have gone through so much trouble to build me such a great house! I LOVE this and I may never leave! Who knew that you could make houses out of candy? So clever!!" He went on to say that he had been nibbling all night on the sweet house and that he was VERY excited about Mary Chandler and Jackson spending the night at their GaGa and Papa's house tonight. He said that he LOVED their house because there is so much to get into! I can't wait to see what he does at their house!!

Diddle needs a doctor

2011-12-08T05:21:00.000-08:00

Diddle is so very sick. On day 12, the events of the last week and a half finally caught up with him. His note said that South Carolina weather has been crazy and that 65 degree days in Moore during the day and below zero temps at the North Pole at night have taken a toll on his immune system. He came back last night with a fever and a terrible cold. He cuddled up on the couch with a fleece blanket, a roll of toilet paper for his runny nose (he fussed at us for being out of Kleenex), some peppermint for his sore throat, and loads of medicine. He said he plans on napping and watching his favorite movie, "Elf" today. Hope he feels better soon . . .

Day 11 - COME SAIL AWAY

2011-12-07T07:47:00.001-08:00

Well, it seems that the time that Diddle spent in jail and the long trek across the "great frontier" into the kitchen for "Project Smores for Peace" really wore him out! He really needed some alone relaxation time on Day 11. So he decided to make a boat out of a tin loaf pan, grab a frosty cold glass of kool-aid, his sunglasses, some reading material, Barbie's radio, and off he set sail in the bathtub! Hopefully he will be relaxed by day's end!

Diddle the Elf: Peace offering in the form of Smores

2011-12-06T08:04:00.001-08:00

On Day 10, Woody decided to free Diddle from his jail. Diddle's note said that Woody finally realized that the whole hat incident was a major misunderstanding and he decided to release him from jail. Diddle then decided that he would like to extend a peace offering to Woody and so they loaded up on Bulls-Eye and rode off in search of the great frontier (also know as the kitchen) where Diddle whipped up some Smores. I mean, come on . . . who doesn't love SMORES??? Woody was pleased with the gesture and now the two guys are great buddies! The Smores proved to be a bit messy . . . check out all that marshmallow on their faces!