Ah, with the weather turning cooler here in South Carolina, our thoughts here at Chez Ouiz turn to hearty stews, fuzzy sweaters, mugs of hot tea, and...

acorn people.

You know how certain things just "stick" with your children, and without realizing it you made a new tradition? Well, it's been that way with us and acorn people.

These are just two that I could grab rather quickly in the kitchen, but trust me -- these little guys are everywhere! I find them looking down from the shelf as I'm folding laundry, or sitting on the counter as I'm cooking supper, or nestled among the fall decorations.

I showed the kids how to make little dolls out of wooden balls, pipe cleaners, felt, and acorn hats about five years ago, and it was an instant hit. No sooner does all the swimming gear get put away then I am asked, "When are we going to make acorn people this year?"

I begged them to at least hold off until after all the birthdays were over... and so we had a great time pulling out all the stuff this past Friday and spending a cold, blustery afternoon making all sorts of little guys. I am amazed at the creativity they put into them, year after year... and I hope that this is the sort of thing they remember about their childhoods -- the little traditions that make up our family life.