Grams Made It

Why I've Been Neglecting My Blog

2012-03-07T11:55:00.000-06:00

Neglect is defined as "failure to care for properly." That's how I feel about blogging lately, like I've been neglectful. I try very hard to blog at least twice a week. My preferred schedule is Monday and Thursday. But this winter has been tough.

I've been working more than usual. I shoot for working three days a week. As a substitute teacher, I can almost always get work on Mondays and Fridays. Then all I need is to pick up one other day and I've got my three days. Lately I've been working four or five days a week. It seems everyone has been sick this winter. Sadly, that includes me. I have had a cold or respiratory infection at least five times since October. I've been to the doctor three times and had four rounds of antibiotics, three steroid shots, and two packs of methylprednisone.

I thought I was over the last cold and went to work last Monday. By the time I got off at three o'clock, I felt horrible. All I wanted was to lay down. I came home and went straight to bed. I told Grandad that I was not cooking dinner. On Tuesday morning I still felt awful so I called the doctor's office. They agreed to work me in so I went and waited. It only took about 90 minutes. She gave me a shot and antibiotics again. I stayed home in bed Tuesday and Wednesday and felt a lot better. I worked Thursday and Friday and still felt good all weekend. We ran errands and cleaned our bedroom thoroughly. We even scrubbed down the walls to get rid of all the dust.

I have had problems with seasonal allergies for my entire adult life. Every Spring I have trouble with congestion caused by all the dust and pollen. I take Zirtec and Astelin every day all year long just to be able to breathe and keep my ears from stopping up. Honestly, I don't do a lot outside because it's just too hard to deal with the runny nose, scratchy throat, and stopped up ears.

That being said, Monday was a gorgeous day in South Texas. I thought it would be a perfect day for starting my Spring herb garden. I spent the afternoon planting rosemary, sweet basil, mint, tomatoes, bell peppers, and dill. I also re-potted a few of my succulents. As I worked, I noticed that the wind was picking up. By the time I was finished, it was very windy.

Just look at these gorgeous fabrics!

Yesterday, Grandad and I had early morning appointments with a new dentist. We took separate cars because the office is across town and we were headed different directions after that. I met some girlfriends for lunch then went to the fabric store to stock up on Spring fabrics for my Etsy shop. Next week is spring break and I'm planning to sew. I was in and out of the car several times and it kept getting windier and windier.

When I drove into our neighborhood, I thought there was a fire nearby. There seemed to be smoke hanging in the air. But when I got out of the car I realized that it was dust blowing from the farmland around our neighborhood. Our street dead ends into a field where they grow cotton, grain or corn ... depending on the year. The end of the street looked like a wall of white dust. The winds were gusting to more than 50 miles per hour. I had to go out in the yard and set flower pots upright and prop them against each other for support. I knew that the wind and dust would not be good for my allergies, so I did it as quickly as possible and came inside.

When I got inside I made sure all the windows were closed. The wind was so strong that dust was blowing down the chimney, I closed the flue and stayed inside the rest of the day and evening.

In spite of my best attempts, I woke at 6 a.m. with a throbbing head, itchy eyes, and a scratchy throat. Again today it's super windy and dust is blowing like smoke. I have now resorted to turning on the air conditioner. It's not really warm enough to need air conditioning, but it seems to filter the air inside the house and makes it easier to breathe.

So there it is, the story of why I've been neglecting my blog. On the bright side, my Etsy shop has been keeping me quite busy. I love sewing and creating beautiful but comfortable and practical dresses for little girls. I'm now doing special orders, so if you would like me to create something for you, send me a note.

Rest in Peace Davy Jones

2012-02-29T21:35:00.000-06:00

Photo credit

I'm feeling a little bit older today ... and a little bit sadder. Today my teenage heart throb and dream lover Davy Jones died.

I was 12 years old when The Monkees TV Show debuted in 1966. I loved their quirky style. I was quickly hooked on the television show and the group. I still think their opening production number Hey, Hey We're The Monkees is one of the most memorable ever. Every girl I knew was either a Davy Jones girl or a Mickey Dolenz girl. I was instantly in love with the diminutive Davy. He was cute and sweet and dreamy.

It was at about the same time that Tiger Beat magazine was first published. I waited impatiently for every issue so I could get every new picture of Davy. I must have driven my mother crazy asking her to buy me a new Tiger Beat every time we went to the grocery store. I immediately started collecting them and thumb tacking ALL the pictures of Davy to my bedroom wall. We lived in a rent house and were not supposed to put holes in the wall, so my father forbade me from tacking them up. So, I came up with the brilliant idea of gluing them together at the corners to form a collage that would only be tacked at the corners. What I didn't realize was that every spot of glue was going all the way through and sticking each and every picture to the wall. I got in so much trouble, but it was well worth it. I spent many happy hours in my top bunk bed dreaming of Davy.

Photo credit

The first record album I ever bought was The Monkees second album More of the Monkees.

I knew all the words to songs like Daydream Believer, Last Train to Clarksville, I'm A Believer, and Pleasant Valley Sunday. Truth be told, I can still sing along with them and I still have the albums.

I was thrilled a few years later when Davy appeared on the Brady Bunch. Showing up for Marcia's school dance seemed like just the sweet kind of thing he would really do.

I was also delighted in the 1980's when my daughter discovered The Monkees thanks to MTV. She found my old albums and played them over and over again. It did my heart so much good.

I have often heard The Monkees referred to as a "made up" group who didn't have any talent. But I must disagree strongly. They may have been the first of the boy bands, put together by a promoter as America's answer to The Beatles, but they also had real talent. A lot of people don't know that Davy Jones played The Artful Dodger in both London and Broadway productions of Oliver! He was nominated for a Tony award for his Broadway performance.

Rest in peace Davy Jones. I'll always be a Daydream Believer.

The Substitute Diaries

2012-02-25T21:24:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Storybook Character Day at the elementary school where I've been working lately. It was so much fun. The teachers and staff dressed as storybook characters. Second and third grade students who met their reading goals for last six weeks also were allowed to dress as their favorite storybook character. Pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade students lined the hallways for the parade of storybook characters.

Here are a few of the outstanding characters I saw and the books they represented. I was delighted to hear the principal remind the students that many of their favorite movies were books long before they were movies.

School principal

Resource teacher

One of the first grade teachers

I'm pretty sure this is the school nurse.

Student teacher ... please make note of the fact that she is en pointe.

The office staff

There were several Cats in Hats and Things 1, Things 2, and probably enough to make it to Things 8 or 9.

These two little girls wore my favorite costumes of the day.

These are just a few of the other costumes that the kids wore.

After the parade, all the storybook characters met in the cafeteria where they were treated to a screening of Puss In Boots.

I love seeing kids who are excited about reading. This love of reading will serve them well for the rest of their lives. I know they will be in for a lifetime of enjoyment thanks to the encouragement and enthusiasm they get at this exemplary school.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

2012-02-20T20:57:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite songs is Maurice Chevalier's rendition of Thank Heaven for Little Girls from the movie Gigi. I think of it often when I think about Our Little Princess and Her Highness. It is especially fresh in my mind today. Our Little Princess is three years old today and she is growing up in the most delightful way.

We spent the weekend in San Antonio celebrating with her.

Saturday was a cool, misty, and at times rainy day. Her birthday party was held at the Kiddie Park on Broadway near Breckenridge Park in San Antonio. The Kiddie Park has been there since 1925. The carousel has been there since 1918. The best thing about the Kiddie Park is that it's only for little kids. There are no scary rides or roller coasters, just a few rides geared for small children. I remember going there as a child. It has not changed substantially in the past 50 years.

We watched the weather and were hopeful that the rain would clear in time for the party at noon. There was a slight break, but it misted off an on most of the time we were there and it rained for short periods of time.

All three grandmothers were there. I was so busy taking pictures that I didn't get a photo of myself with the birthday girl. Katy did manage to snap this picture of me.

I know you're waiting for an update on the birthday cake. As it turned out, Omi made the cake. It was a Rapunzel doll cake from the movie Tangled. It was beautiful and, since Omi actually lives in San Antonio, it was great for me that she volunteered to take care of it. She also brought some beautiful cupcakes which made serving the little ones quick and easy. The quick and easy part turned out to be a very good thing.

The rain/mist stopped for short periods and the kids did get to ride the rides.

Then more clouds rolled in and we decided to eat the pizza, blow out the candles, and serve the cake as quickly as possible. We almost made it too ... almost. But everybody pitched in and held the umbrellas over the kids while they ate.

Then the rain started in earnest and we grabbed the presents and headed to the cars. She had to open her gifts at home, but it was like extending the party ... and it was warm and dry.

Sunday dawned with blue skies and bright sunshine. Wouldn't you know it!

Happy Birthday, Princess! You are growing up in the most delightful way. Grams and Pop-Pop love you more than you can even imagine!

On a whole different subject, I just got a message from Katy that Her Highness took her first steps today. She's 10 months old. Look out world -- here she comes! You can tell in this photo that she was just about ready to walk this weekend.

And, by the way, doesn't my hair look terrific. My next-door neighbor's granddaughter, Kandyce, cut it for the first time. She's finishing up at the Aveda Institute in Corpus Christi. I still think of her as a little girl, but I think she has a very bright future. She's really good at cutting hair.

My Funny Valentines

2012-02-14T22:36:00.001-06:00

When we were in Houston a couple of weeks ago we ran across an old style photo booth. We had the brilliant idea of squeezing in with the girls. It took the first three shots to get all four of us in frame. It was fun and funny! I love the eye contact between the two girls in the bottom photo. They are definitely my funny valentines.

Happy Valentine's Day! As we say in our family ... Happy Valenta's Day!

Butterflies and Baby Girls

2012-02-07T13:12:00.001-06:00

We made an impromptu trip to Houston this weekend for a little family time. The kids had decided to get together at Nick's house and invited us so they could go out on Saturday night and we could watch the kids. Never one to pass up time with our kids or our grands, we packed up and drove up on Friday afternoon. Nick gave us a hard time because we made it a leisurely trip. We left Corpus Christi around 4 p.m. and didn't get to his house until almost 9 o'clock. We stopped for coffee at Starbucks in Victoria and we stopped for snacks at Buc-ees in Wharton.

After we got to his house we went out for dinner. He took us to Iguana Joe's, which is a Tex-Mex restaurant, in Atascocita. I had stuffed avocado which was enormous and delicious. It's an avocado stuffed with shredded chicken, battered and fried. It was served with refried beans and rice. There was enough left over that Grandad and I had the leftovers for dinner the next night.

Saturday was rainy and cool so we had to do something indoors. We chose to go the the Cockrell Butterfly Center. This butterfly pavilion is one of my favorite places on earth. It is located at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, but admission to the butterfly center is separate. It was crowded on Saturday, but not uncomfortably so.

The entrance to the butterfly center is the Brown Hall of Entomology which has a lot of interactive exhibits designed for kids. The photo on the bottom left in the collage above is picture of pink katydids which are part of that exhibit. They look like flowers. They are behind glass and the glass was damp and foggy so it's not a very good picture. They were so beautiful. You can also watch butterflies emerging from chrysalis and flapping their wings to dry ... very interesting for the little ones.

Right inside the door is a photo op with a giant caterpillar where you can pose for a picture. The lighting in this hall makes it look like everyone has red hair. Some of us do actually have red hair, but not all of us.

The butterfly center is a three-story glass pavilion built around a central waterfall. If you go, dress in layers. It's very warm and humid inside which made me happy since I'm always cold. But everyone didn't agree with me.

It was a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon. As you can see, Our Little Princess was able to get a very close look at the butterflies. Even Grandad got in on the fun when a butterfly hitched a ride on his cap. You have to look closely at the button on top of the cap. Once he landed there, he stayed the entire time. We had to shoo him away before we could leave the exhibit.

Next stop was Katz's Deli and Bar on Westheimer, one of our favorite places to eat in Houston and only a short distance from the museum district. Katz's is a New York style deli with delicious food and beverages. Several of us enjoyed their Holy Mary which is a large Bloody Mary made with Absolut Peppar Vodka. Delicious!

After our late lunch, we headed back to Nick's house where Katy, Travis, and Nick headed out for a night at the movies and Grams and Grandad settled in for an evening with the grands.

It's hard to believe how much the girls have grown since we last saw them New Year's Day. Her Highness has three teeth now and she smiles all the time. Our Little Princess is getting taller and taller. They both enjoyed playing with Uncle Nick's dogs, Baily and Ralphie. Her Highness and Baily are very good friends. We had to watch them constantly or they were licking and kissing each other all the time. It's a good thing Baily is such a little mama dog. She is completely tolerant of the baby pulling her ears or leaning on her or whatever. She would even stand still and let Her Highness grab hold of her fur and pull herself to a standing position.

The main point of the weekend was for Katy and Travis to get some rest. Unfortunately, Her Highness didn't sleep well away from home. Katy was up until three o'clock with her both nights. Next time, Grams and Grandad will go to their house to stay with the girls so they can go away for a weekend and get some sleep.

I'm enjoying a day off today. I've put a pork butt in the crock pot, using the Pioneer Woman's recipe for Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork. I'll let you know how it is later. I've also cleaned my oven, by which I mean that I turned on the self-cleaning feature and ignored it all morning ... so much better than the old way with the stinky foam. I'll be spending the remainder of the day sewing for my Etsy shop. After today, I'm working the rest of the week.

What I Know Now That I Didn't Know Then

2012-02-02T23:34:00.001-06:00

Grams and Grandad love being empty nesters. But, getting to this point in life wasn't easy. We always knew that our kids would go to college and I was determined that they should have the experience of going away to college. I've told you before that I didn't want to know exactly what my children were doing while they were away at college. But again, getting to that point was probably the hardest thing I've ever done.

When we took Katy to San Antonio as a freshman, she had decided to go into the roommate lottery. She wanted to meet new people and have new experiences. At that time UTSA only had one dormitory, so instead, she was going to live in an on-campus apartment. Each apartment had four bedrooms and two bathrooms with a tiny living area and kitchen.

When we arrived on campus for "move in day" we checked in at the office, picked up the keys, and went to the apartment to start moving in. There were young people everywhere and upper class-men and student athletes who were helping new students move in. We opened the apartment door to find a stack of empty liquor bottles, empty beer cans, and a young man ~~passed out~~ asleep on the sofa. Clearly, there had been a party there the night before. It seems Katy had been assigned to an apartment where three of the rooms were already occupied by much older students. At least one of them was a senior, maybe even a 5th or 6th year senior. One of them was an art major whose artworks featured demons. The other had not arrived yet.

As you might expect, I was not a happy mama. I wanted to go and have her re-assigned to another apartment. She insisted that it would be okay. A small argument ensued and she finally said emphatically, "No, Mom. I can handle this!"

So we moved her in, unpacked her, took her out for dinner, and left her standing in the parking lot waving at us. Getting in that car and driving away was, without a doubt, absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I was crying when we left San Antonio, and I was still crying two hours later when we got home. But, she was right, she did handle it. She handled it beautifully. And at the end of the semester, she moved to an off campus apartment with only one roommate whom she had met at work.

Sometimes its hard to decide whether to hold on or to let go.

Surrounded by Books

2012-01-30T09:12:00.001-06:00

I have a very busy day today. I'm hosting The Book Snobs for dinner and discussion tonight. That means I'm cooking dinner for twelve, so I don't have time to write a proper post. Therefore, I'm taking the easy way out.

Last week Katy and Travis were unwilling participants in the large amount of rainfall that fell on parts of Texas. In spite of their new retaining wall, there was just too much rain in too short of a time period for the drains to work properly. They had water in their living room, not for the first time. This led to a decision to remove the carpet.

You may remember that Travis is an English teacher and has an impressive library which normally resides in that room. So, in order to remove the carpet, they had to move the library. While usually beautifully displayed in a very organized and lighted set of bookshelves, it has now taken up temporary residence in Her Highness' room.

I feel bad for them. They have already done a lot of work to clean up the mess and move the books. Now they're planning to stain the concrete floor and then they'll have to replace all the books and shelves. It's a big job. Ultimately they hope to put in wood floors, but first they've got to figure out how to stop the flooding in the future.

The bright side of this story is this beautiful photo of Our Little Princess that is a result of the temporary relocation of the books. Katy took this photo with her cell phone. I think it's gorgeous. I hope she'll always love being surrounded by books.

Have a great week!

She Thinks I Can Do Anything

2012-01-25T22:41:00.001-06:00

Grams reads a lot of blogs ... probably way too many. I have more than 100 blogs in my reader. There are about 15 of them that I always read and I have come to consider many of the bloggers friends, even though I've never met them in real life. The rest of them I scan and read if I'm interested.

One that I read every day is Cake Wrecks. It doesn't require a lot of reading, it's mostly pictures. It caught my interest because it features cakes by professional decorators that have gone horribly wrong. They include misspelled words, misunderstood instructions, baby shower cakes that require cutting into a baby (think Steel Magnolias and the red-velvet armadillo groom's cake), and strips of bacon that look like poop. (Just to mention a few.)

Photo credit

Six days a week their posts feature a hilarious assortment of god-awful cakes which make me laugh. But on Sundays the feature is called "Sunday Sweets." Every Sunday they have the most beautiful collection of cakes. They are amazing, cute, beautiful, fancy, plain, and some of them are actually feats of engineering. I adore them. It's what keeps me coming back for more.

At this point I should mention that I am a Wilton certified cake decorator. I've never worked professionally, but I have taken the classes. When my kids were little I often baked and sold decorated cakes for friends and friends of friends. I took the classes when I was on maternity leave with our first baby, realizing that I would spend the next 20 or so years making birthday cakes. I've never regretted taking the classes. Being able to decorate cakes and cookies has saved me a lot of money over the past 30 years. I'm a pretty good decorator, but not anywhere near the level of the decorators featured on Sunday Sweets.

Last time we were in San Antonio, I was perusing my Google reader on Sunday morning, when Our Little Princess noticed the cakes I was looking at. She climbed up on my lap and we spent quite a while looking at beautiful cakes. She was quite entertained and it held her attention for a long time considering that she's not yet three years old. I thought it was a fun way to spend some time with her and didn't really think very much more about it.

Our Little Princess will be celebrating her third birthday in February. She and her mom have been working on plans for her birthday party. She absolutely adores the movie Tangled and all things related to Rapunzel. They have decided to use Tangled as the theme for her birthday party. As part of the discussion Katy asked her if she wanted a Tangled birthday cake. She replied that she did indeed want a Tangled cake and she wanted Grams to make it for her because she wants one exactly like the one Grams has in her computer.

These are the cakes she wants. Aren't they beautiful. I don't even have any idea how one would start to make Rapunzel's tower, as featured in the photo on the right. I know how the Rapunzel doll is made, but I do not have that kind of artistic ability.

Photos from Cake Wrecks

These cakes are so far beyond my limited decorating abilities that it's not even funny. What is funny is that she actually thinks I can do anything. I hope that lasts a while. Even if I can't live up to her expectations, it feels good that she thinks I've got skills.

What I Know Now That I Didn't Know Then

2012-01-22T21:25:00.000-06:00

This photo arrived in my inbox one morning last week. It reminded me of all the birthday parties and Christmas celebrations that I've attended where I've seen kids open expensive gifts, only to spend the rest of the party playing with the box.

I love how Our Little Princess has her head thrown back and is laughing with absolute abandon. I also love that the two girls play so well together.

Women of a certain age and kids know that simple is better.

Grams Made Filled Peanut Butter Cups

2012-01-19T21:12:00.000-06:00

In looking over my blogs for the past few weeks, I realized that I promised you a recipe for the Peanut Butter Cups that I made for Christmas. They are so simple that it's hardly fair to call it a recipe. They are made with a mix and pieces of candy and they are delicious. I will definitely make them again.

The recipes were adapted from recipes I found at both Betty Crocker and Pillsbury.

I made three different kinds of cookies using the same basic cookie. They came out so good that I used them for gifts. I will definitely make them again.

FOR THE BASIC COOKIE

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® peanut butter cookie mix
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
1 egg

Heat oven to 375ºF. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, oil, water and egg until soft dough forms. Form dough into thirty-six 1-inch balls (about 2 teaspoons each); press into ungreased mini muffin cups.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove from oven.

PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

36 Bite-Size Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Make the basic cookie. While cookies are hot and straight from the oven, press one peanut butter cup into each muffin. Cool in pan about 20 minutes before removing. (I think it goes without saying, but you must remove the paper wrapper from each Reese's Cup before pressing into cookie.)



SNICKERS CUPS


18 Bite-Size Snickers (1" x 1")

Make the basic cookie. While the cookies are baking, cut Snickers in half and press half of a Snickers bar into the peanut butter cookie cup when cookies are still hot and straight from the oven. Cool in pan about 20 minutes before removing.





SALTED CARAMEL COOKIE CUPS

1 bag of Brach's caramels
1 Tablespoon water
2 Tablespoons of sea salt

Make the basic cookie. While the cookies are hot, use the end of a wooden spoon to carefully press into center of each baked cookie to make an indentation.

In medium microwavable bowl, microwave caramels and water on high 1 minute. Stir; repeat until caramels are completely melted and can be stirred smooth.

Fill each cookie cup with about 1 tablespoon melted caramels. Sprinkle a few granules of coarse sea salt on top of each. Cool in pan about 20 minutes before removing.

I'm planning to make these again for Valentine's Day and fill them with chocolate fudge frosting which I will top with heart-shaped sprinkles. I can't wait to try them.

What I Know Now That I Didn't Know Then

2012-01-16T09:14:00.000-06:00

Today Grams is kicking off a new series intended to pass on the wisdom that comes with aging. Honestly, I'm kind of afraid that by mentioning it last week I've given it more of a build up than it deserves.

This new series was inspired by Anna, who I first met through her blog I Am Nanny Anna. Now she has a new blog, Mid-Life Mama. When she interviewed me for my feature it got me thinking about the things I've learned just as a result of getting older. Clearly women of a certain age have learned a few things just by virtue of experience and age.

Sometimes this will be a serious column intended to illuminate a serious subject. More often it will be tongue in cheek or clever. (I hope so anyway.) I'm also hoping to be able to reduce most of these observations to a one or two line graphic that could be pinned to a Pinterest board. "Hello, I'm Grams and I'm a Pinterest junkie." If you don't already, you can follow me on Pinterest.

So, when I started giving serious thought to things I didn't know about getting older, I realized that there are a few things my mother didn't tell me about ~~getting old~~ being a woman of a certain age. I don't know exactly why women in general haven't shared some of these less than delightful tidbits. I decided to start with this one.

I welcome your input and I will gladly share the credit. If you have words of wisdom to share that would be appropriate for "What I Know Now That I Didn't Know Then," please email me at vicki.valenta(at)gmail.com.

Why Time Warner Cable Loses

2012-01-15T20:45:00.001-06:00

Grandad and Grams have been Time Warner Cable subscribers since our local cable service became Time Warner. We've been using the same cable service since we got married in 1975. That's 36 years. Fact is, we've never even been tempted to switch.

Several times over the years, Time Warner has been involved in contract disputes with one or the other of our local television providers. When that happened, Time Warner would drop the local provider from their lineup and we would have to attach a switch and rabbit-ears to our television. The switch would de-activate the cable and we would use an antennae to pick up the UHF broadcast and watch the local station. When we were paying $35 per month for cable service that didn't seem like an unreasonable thing to do. It was a little inconvenient, but not too unreasonable.

In early December, we started hearing that Time Warner and KRISTV, our local NBC affiliate, were in a dispute yet again. On December 9, KRISTV announced that Time Warner would be dropping their feed. Approximately one day later, they did indeed drop all four stations that are either owned or operated by Cordillera Communications leaving approximately 80,000 customers without NBC. That includes KRISTV (NBC), The CW, KDF, and KAJA Telemundo. I don't know exactly what the details of their disagreement are. I believe its about rebroadcast fees. The local affiliate wants to be paid more, Time Warner doesn't think they should pay more for something that's available free without cable. Time Warner would have to pass the expense on to consumers.

We didn't react right away. We've been here before, it usually lasts a few days or a couple of weeks at most, then they kiss and make up and the television station comes back on. Not so this time. We have not had access to any NBC shows since December 10 and frankly I'm more than a little ticked off about it.

I have always preferred to get my local news from KRIS. I worked very closely with them on an annual back-to-school supply drive for many years. I start my morning with The Today Show and I always have. I even time my mornings by the show. I need to be finished with my coffee by the time the show starts. I have to finish my makeup before the second news segment starts and I must be out the door by the time the local news comes on. I also finish the day to The Tonight Show. Jay Leno and I go way back. I know he's not popular with the younger generation, but I really like his show. Not to mention, all the other NBC programs I've been missing.

It wasn't too bad over the holidays because everything was in reruns anyway, but since new programming resumed, I've become less and less tolerant. I didn't really complain too much until last week when I realized that I was going to miss Harry's Law and the 60th Anniversary of The Today Show. Thanks to whoever updates The Today Show on Facebook I discovered I could watch it on the internet, so I did.

I complained so much that Grandad offered to go buy an antennae and hook it up so I could manually switch to NBC when I wanted to. But, seriously, when you're paying more than $100 every month for cable services you shouldn't have to do that. At that price, I'll be damned if I'm willing to switch to an antennae for NBC.

In the past two weeks, both parties have stopped negotiating. Each of them points a finger and blames everything on the other party, but no one gives an inch. It's interesting to note that they have not shared the details of their negotiations so it's impossible to know who is right and who is wrong. I suspect it's a little of both. KRIS has now filed a complaint with the FCC asking them to order Time Warner back to negotiations. You can read what KRISTV has to say about it here.

For me, the bottom line is that there is only one NBC affiliate in our town and there are several cable/satellite outlets. So, the local affiliate wins and Time-Warner loses.

Today, we switched to Direct TV. The station line up is very similar and so far the reception is great. And we got it just in time to watch the Golden Globes. I do love me an awards show! And, as a bonus, we get service in the entire house for less than we paid for one television with Time Warner. We signed a two year contract with Direct TV, so we're not going back anytime soon. Sorry Time Warner, you lose!

Wisdom from Women of a Certain Age

2012-01-12T22:46:00.002-06:00

I almost forgot to tell you ... I am the featured "Woman of a Certain Age" over at Mid-Life Mama today.

Mid-Life Mama Feature

"Mid-life Mama, is a blog that was created by and for "Women of a Certain Age" who want to meet other mid-life mama's to share our experiences, support each other in this great time of transition, and learn from one-another in all area's of our new life from peri to post menopause, from empty-nesting to being grandparents, from retirement to getting and keeping our health in check."

Anna is the force behind Mid-Life Mama. She also blogs at I Am Nanny Anna! I encourage you to check out both of her blogs.

In recognition of achieving the status of "Woman of a Certain Age" I've decided to launch a new feature I'm considering calling "Things I Know Now That I Didn't Know Then." It seems to me that there are a lot of things that fall into that category. It will be an occasional post and I'm hoping you will help me out by submitting your own words of wisdom. I'm completely willing to give you credit. Please share. Check back this weekend for the first entry in this occasional feature.

The Substitute Diaries

2012-01-12T13:35:00.000-06:00

One of the things I really love about substitute teaching is that it's different every day. Some days I'm teaching literature to high-schoolers and some days I'm reading books to kindergarteners. It really is different every day.

This week I've been working with special needs students at a primary school. The class I worked with the last two days are high performing second and third graders. Most of these kids are autistic with a variety of challenges. Some are verbal and some are not. As a group, they don't like change and it takes them a while to warm up to new people. They much prefer to see the same people every day. I've worked with this group enough times this year that they know me now and most of them have let their barriers down to some extent and are able to interact with me.

I had planned to take yesterday off and work on laundry. I'm pretty sure that, if I stacked it all up, it would reach to the ceiling. But, when the district scheduler called around 7 a.m. yesterday, since it would be another day with this group, I took the work. I'm so glad I did. It was one of the most exhausting and fulfilling days ever.

I have friends who work in the nursing field who swear that the hospitals really are a crazy place to work during a full moon. It makes me wonder if there was a full moon yesterday. I don't know if the kids have just relaxed around me or if there was a full moon or what, but yesterday these kids were what I would describe as wound up.

First of all let me say that I have absolutely zero professional training or diagnostic ability. What I have is a lifetime of living with siblings who have special needs. All of my "diagnoses" are speculative and my best guess.

"J" is a very handsome young man who never stops talking. He takes almost all of his classes in this classroom, although he is mainstreamed for PE, fine arts, and lunch. He tries to engage anyone in the room in his fantasy play. Most days you can keep him calm enough to actually work for short periods of time. Yesterday that was mission impossible. He just could not stop talking. It was nonstop, constant, all ... day ... long! There was only one exception. Around lunchtime, when he would normally go out for recess, he went over to the reading area and picked out a book. He told his teacher that he wanted me to read to him, because I am a really good reader. He brought the book over to me, tucked his arm inside of mine, and lay his head on my arm while I read to him. It was so sweet.

Then there is a lovely young second grade girl, "E." When I first met E more than a year ago, she was just learning English as her second language. She's really grown since then and speaks English just fine when you can get her to talk. She doesn't interact much with other children and is unusually quiet. I've never seen her get excited like most second graders do. E fixates on pencils, pens, crayons, and markers. Her fixation on these object consists of holding them up to her nose, right between her eyes. She looks at them by crossing her eyes and will then begin to shake as if she's having a seizure. Usually, she does this a few times a day and when you tell her to stop she does. Not so yesterday, she was completely immersed in these objects and simply could not control herself. I accompanied her to music class. The teacher greeted her and put her in a chair right on the front row. I sat at the side of the room, a few feet away, with two students between us. The class is working on a performance which includes singing with hand motions. A few students will have speaking parts. At first E didn't participate at all. Then suddenly, it just seemed to click. She started moving her hands right along with all the other kids. It was so awesome to see. Every now and then she would look over at me, as if seeking approval. I would smile and nod and she would smile back and keep moving. The teacher came to me after class and told me that this was the first time E had ever participated. Always before she had just watched. She didn't sing, and I don't think she will, but just participating was a huge accomplishment.

Another student is a second-grade boy who is hands down the most polite child I have ever seen. He is very soft spoken and cute as a button. He is mainstreamed for most of his classes and comes to the resource room for reading. He speaks both Spanish and English, but he replaces the c sound with a t sound so "cat" sounds like "tat." He is just adorable. In addition to special help with reading, he receives speech therapy. Yesterday, at the end of the day, I was assigned to escort him to the front of the school where he would be picked up by a family member. We were among the first to be out of the school and had to wait for his ride. He picked up a pen and an eraser that someone had dropped on the front walk and stuck them in his pocket. Then he picked up this little green pony bead and held it out for me. He put it in my hand and said "This is a magic bead. Take it home and plant it in your garden and more beads will grow."

But my absolute favorite moment of the day came when I took two boys to their third grade PE class. One of them, "R," does not want to go to PE, EVER. His idea of a good time is to play computer games. They use computer games very effectively as a reward for doing his other work. He is an angelic-looking child, but can become loud and difficult when he doesn't get his way. They asked me to come and pick him up to go to PE because he has been giving them a hard time. When I arrived at his classroom, as expected, R said he did not want to go to PE because he does not like PE. I told him that I don't like PE either, but I had to go and if I had to go, so did he.

Photo credit

It was a beautiful sunny and warm day yesterday, so PE was outside. The class was learning how to jump rope as well as how to turn a rope for someone else to jump. The teacher paired my two boys with two "big boys." And by "big boys" I mean kids that will probably be football players once they get to high school. I could tell that they were not thrilled with this pairing but they were being good sports. I realized right away that in order for the two big boys to jump, I would have to help turn the rope. The concept of turning a rope for someone else to jump was beyond the abilities of one of my boys, so I tried to show them how to do it. One of them got it and was able to take his turn, the other did not, so I turned the rope. All four boys were able to jump rope by starting from a standing position and starting to jump on a 1-2-3 count. I was pretty surprised that both of my boys were able to do it.

About halfway through the class, the teacher blew her whistle and had all the students sit and watch as she had a student demonstrate how to run in and out of an already turning jump rope. I remember doing this as a child and I also remember that it takes a great deal of coordination and good timing. She told the students that they could try it or not. If they didn't want to try it, they should just continue with jumping as they had before. I was very surprised that both of my boys wanted to try it. One of the "big boys" went first. He got it on his first try. The second of the "big boys" tried repeatedly. He didn't give up and finally, after maybe ten tries, he was able to do it. One of my boys tried once and didn't want to try again. The biggest surprise of all was that "R" was able to do it on his third or fourth try. It was so exciting to see him participating and accomplishing what was surely a huge challenge for him. The two "big boys" rushed over and congratulated him with high fives. I have to admit that I actually had tears well up in my eyes. At the end of class, I complimented both boys on their willingness to work with my two boys.

I want to share this photo with you too. At the end of the day, while waiting in the car pick up area, I looked down and noticed a little girl wearing only one sock. When I asked her about it, she said the other sock felt "weird" so she took it off. Her teacher told me that this is a pretty common occurrence for her. It just made me smile, so I thought you might enjoy it too.

I have enjoyed spending a few days with these kids and I have a great deal of respect for people who do it every day.

The Queens Came Too

2012-01-06T23:51:00.001-06:00

Today, January 6, is the traditional day when Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. Epiphany originally celebrated four events, the baptism of our lord, the changing of the water into wine at Cana, the Nativity of Christ, and the visitation of the wise men or magi. January 6th is the twelfth day of Christmas and twelfth night is the end of the Christmas celebration.

We grew up enchanted by the story of the wise men. Even as a child back in the Baptist church we sang "We Three Kings."

A few years ago I bought a book called When It Snowed That Night by Norma Farber. It's a lovely little book of poetry that I include with my Christmas decorations every year. My favorite poem in the book is titled The Queens Came Late.

I have long thought that the gifts that the wise men brought to the Christ child were odd. I mean gold, frankincense, and myrrh? I understand the symbolism of all three gifts and I've even heard some pretty good explanations for what Joseph and Mary probably used each of them for. But, come on, what Mary really needed was someone to bring a casserole and some diapers.

I think most of us would acknowledge that the role of women in history has been diminished by the fact that history was written by men for men. But I do like to think that maybe the women of Bethlehem heard about the woman who had given birth to a child in the manger and did what women always do, made a casserole, gathered up some baby clothes, or wove a blanket and took them to make the Holy Family a little more comfortable. And Ms. Farber supposes that not only did the Three Kings make that long trip to Bethlehem, but the Queens came too.

Epiphany by Janet McKenzie
The Queens came late, but the Queens were there
With gifts in their hands and crowns in their hair.
They’d come, these three, like the Kings, from far,
Following, yes, that guiding star.
They’d left their ladles, linens, looms,
Their children playing in nursery rooms,
And told their sitters:
“Take charge! For this
Is a marvelous sight we must not miss!”

The Queens came late, but not too late
To see the animals small and great,
Feathered and furred, domestic and wild,
Gathered to gaze at a mother and child.
And rather than frankincense and myrrh
And gold for the babe, they brought for her
Who held him, a homespun gown of blue,
And chicken soup–with noodles, too-

And a lingering, lasting, cradle-song.
The Queens came late and stayed not long,
For their thoughts already were straining far-
Past manger and mother and guiding star
And a child aglow as a morning sun-
Toward home and children and chores undone.

From the Night It Snowed by Norma Farber
1909-1984 , children’s book author and poet.

This year the Catholic church will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany on Sunday, January 8.

This weekend we are in San Antonio staying with Katy, Travis and the granddaughters. Tomorrow we'll all travel to Corn Hill, Texas to celebrate Uncle Johnnie and Aunt Mary Ann's 50th wedding anniversary. There will be a mass followed by lunch and a Czech-style wedding dance. I can't wait to join in the wedding march. It will be a great day of celebration with family and loved ones.

I'll be back next week. I hope you have a great weekend.

Grams Made Cavatini

2012-01-05T13:12:00.001-06:00

Last night Grams hosted Bunco. My Bunco club is so much fun. We've been playing together for many years with occasional changes when someone moves away and someone new joins. Originally, we all lived in the same neighborhood, but over the years many of us have moved to different neighborhoods, but still in Calallen. Hosting includes serving dinner, snacks, and dessert. Adult beverages are optional.

I almost always know exactly what I want to make, but not this year. I just felt uninspired. So, I sat down at my computer and browsed, and browsed, and browsed. I just couldn't decide. I knew I wanted to make a casserole or something in the crock pot. I looked at soups, chili, enchiladas, tacos ... none of them appealed to me. Then I saw a reference to a dish that Pizza Hut used to serve that I loved, Cavatini. Cavatini is a pasta casserole with pizza flavors. Yum! I started with this recipe and tweaked it to make it closer to the way I remember the original.

Image source

I was very pleased with the way it came out. The recipe calls for a 9" x 12" casserole. I used two CorningWare skillet/casserole dishes. I have my mother's original Cornflower pattern and the one I got for a wedding gift back in 1975 which is Spice of Life pattern. They are about 9" square. I have recently rediscovered my CorningWare. If you have a ceramic cooktop on your stove, I highly recommend it. It seems to heat up much faster than my traditional metal pans, it doesn't darken or stain the ceramic top, and it's much easier to clean anything sticky out of it. Just soak it for a few minutes and wipe it away.

Cavatini

1 onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 package sliced pepperoni
1 can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 can sliced black olives, drained
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 (24 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce (I used HEB Puttanesca Sauce)
8 ounces penne rigate pasta
8 ounces rotini pasta
8 ounces cavatappi pasta (or macaroni)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
½ cup grated Italian blend cheese

In a large saucepan, brown ground beef with onions. Add green pepper, pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives, tomato paste, and spaghetti sauce. Cover, and simmer for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.

Mix together pasta and 2 cups mozzarella. Layer in a 9x13 inch baking dish, pasta, sauce, then top with remaining mozzarella and Italian blend cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

(You can make this recipe using almost any short, macaroni-style pasta.)

I served this with a simple salad and garlic bread. For dessert, we had old fashioned pineapple upside down cake. It was delicious and a big hit with the girls. Some of them went back for seconds.

Pinterest Inspired New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-04T10:33:00.002-06:00

It has been many years since Grams has made new year's resolutions. I just don't embrace the whole "new year - time to change" mentality. I don't diet any more. I committed to a lifetime of healthier eating choices five years ago when I had gastric bypass surgery. I could definitely resolve to exercise, but again, that's something I've already committed to do. I'm definitely not doing great with either of these, but I keep plugging away at it and I'm way healthier than I used to be.

But, I've seen so many blog posts and Facebook status updates about new year's resolutions, that it's really been on my mind. So I spent the first few days of the year thinking about what resolutions I could make that I could truly embrace. My favorite Pinterest board is one where I've been collecting words and quotes. I decided to go there and for inspiration. Here are my Pinterest inspired new year's resolutions.

First, I'm going to try to take time every day to notice when I'm happy.

Source: etsy.com via Vicki on Pinterest

When possible, I'm gong to avoid negative people.

Source: get-thinspiration.tumblr.com via Vicki on Pinterest

I'm going to look for happiness in everything.

Source: notsalmon.com via Vicki on Pinterest

I'm going to be content with what I have.

Source: browneyedgirlandbeau.blogspot.com via Vicki on Pinterest

I'm going to remember that a bad day is not a bad life, it's just a bad day.

Source: facebook.com via Vicki on Pinterest

I'm going to embrace the time I spend doing the things I enjoy.

Source: papermojoblog.com via Vicki on Pinterest

I realize that those are some lofty goals and resolutions. I don't expect to be successful with all of them all of the time, but I think if I can build these into my daily life, I will be happier and healthier and 2012 will be a great year.

2011

2011-12-31T22:44:00.001-06:00

As 2011 dwindles down to mere hours, I thought I would take a minute and look back over the year that was. I'm going try to just hit the high spots.

Grandad had yet another cardiac ablation last January. It has taken all year, but the good news is that finally, after so many procedures I've just about lost count, his heart has healed. He's feeling tons better. Now we just have to work on his stamina and endurance. Our kids got us new bicycles for Christmas, so we'll start with those and move on to walking.

Grandad assembling the new wagon while OLP strikes a pose. He would not have been able to do this a year ago.

In April we welcomed the newest member of our growing family, June Frances. Named after two of her great grandmothers, she came into the world on Monday, April 11, while I ate lunch. Seriously, I left the labor unit and went downstairs to get a sandwich for me and for Travis. While I was gone, Katy delivered her without the benefit of an epidural. It seems the doctor "missed" when he injected the medication.

Katy with June Frances ... Her Highness ... Kid Destructo ... can't really settle on the nickname

In June our daughter-in-law, Marie, received the sacrament of confirmation. We spent the weekend in Houston to witness to this beautiful ceremony. It was held in a beautiful new church in the Diocese of Houston where the ministers dressed in traditional Philippine vestments. We were delighted to see Marie finish this step in her faith formation.

Nick & Marie at her confirmation

At the end of June, we traveled to North Carolina for the wedding of my niece, Andrea in Charlotte. We went a couple of days early and visited the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. I had long wanted to visit the Biltmore Estate and it did not disappoint. I was amazed at its size and grandeur. The gardens were spectacular! Well worth the trip.

Andrea & Louis

Grandad and I have made a concerted effort to enjoy living in Corpus Christi. We saw the 4th of July fireworks over Corpus Christi Bay, we attended the annual free performance of Handel's Messiah, Katy, Travis and I walked across the Harbor Bridge, we've attended several local theater performances, and we took Our Little Princess to the Texas State Aquarium. Corpus Christi really is a great place to live so we've decided to embrace living here.

Our Little Princess at the Texas State Aquarium

Late summer was a time for reunions. In August we gathered with members of the Morgan Avenue Baptist Church Youth Group from the 1970s. It was great to reconnect with old friends ... so much better than a high school reunion. In September we gathered with the Skelton Family for our second annual reunion. Getting to know these cousins has really been a blessing. It's kind of funny how alike we are even though we haven't seen each other for years.

Around the first of October I launched my Etsy shop. It's been more successful than I expected. I've sold all but one of the dresses I started with and I have an order for quite a few more. Stock is very low right now, but I expect to have more dresses for sale soon.

I've been working hard to de-clutter and reorganize my house. It's a much bigger job than I expected, but we had a fairly successful garage sale earlier this month and hope to have another one in the next couple of months. We also packed up quite of few boxes of "stuff" that our kids left here when they moved out and delivered them to their houses. I reclaimed both of their closets and am in the process of organizing my sewing and crafts utilizing the newly reclaimed space.

We have been blessed with good health for our children and grandchildren. It's been a tough year for some of our dear friends. We have two friends who have children who have serious illness. My good friend Sandy's 6-year-old grandson Liam is now in hospice care. And my friend and neighbor Deanna's 16-year-old grandson Jack has had relapse of Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He's already beat it once and is now fighting it for the second time. Both of these families are on our hearts and minds daily.

Christmas was wonderful and we're ending the year with Grams and Pop-Pop's Rockin' Toddler New Year's Eve. It's the first year and will hopefully become a family tradition. We're keeping the kids this weekend while their parents enjoy a weekend without kids, culminating in New Year's Eve celebrations. We've had a lot of fun so far. The weather has been perfect. We've toured the neighborhood in the new wagon we got the girls for Christmas. Today we went to the park for playtime. And we finished up tonight with a trip over the Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge. Our Little Princess has named it "the rainbow bridge." We'll take them to church and breakfast tomorrow morning. Sometime tomorrow afternoon, we'll meet Katy and Travis in Three Rivers and make the exchange.

New Year's Eve with Our Little Princess and Her Highness

I mentioned "the rainbow bridge" above. It is Our Little Princess' favorite Christmas thing in Corpus Christi. It was lit with a partnership between the Texas Department of Transportation, the City of Corpus Christi, the Port of Corpus Christi Authority and American Bank. It is spectacular. Every night Our Little Princess asks Grandad if we can drive across the rainbow bridge. I took a few photos with my cell phone. They don't do it justice, but you'll get the idea.The entire show takes about 15 minutes to watch.

Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge - Our Little Princess' Rainbow Bridge

It's about 11:10 p.m. and both girls are finally sleeping, almost time to pop the cork on the bubbly and toast the new year. There are fireworks going off very nearby even though there is a burn ban in almost every county in Texas. Burn ban or not, if they wake up our babies I'm going out to kick some serious butt.

Here's wishing you a Happy New Year, a safe and fun celebration tonight, and a prosperous, healthy, and happy 2012.

Ten Moments from Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T23:44:00.000-06:00

Christmas 2011 was wonderful. Grams and Grandad like nothing better than having our house full of children and grandchildren. We had a wonderful weekend together. They were all here before dinner on Friday. Katy and Travis came in early Friday afternoon and stayed until Monday morning. Nick and Marie got here in time for dinner on Friday evening and had to be at the airport before noon on Christmas Day for a flight to El Paso to visit her family.

As I think about it, I realize that I will remember this Christmas in moments.

Moment Number One
Since we knew that Nick and Marie had to leave early Christmas Day, we decided to serve brunch instead of our traditional roast beef lunch. We always stay at my mother-in-law's house late on Christmas Eve playing cards and celebrating. So we prepped everything for brunch early. That included frying up two pounds of bacon so all we would need to do on Christmas morning is warm it up. I would just pop it in the oven with the baked french toast and it would be warmed at the same time.

Now, we knew there was a risk involved in cooking the bacon ahead of time. You see, our kids LOVE bacon. There has never, never, never been any leftover bacon in our house. NEVER! If we fried ten pounds of it, they would eat ten pounds of it and ask if there was more. So we waited until they went to the movies on Christmas Eve and fried it. Then we hid it in the refrigerator in an opaque Tupperware container. We only had to keep it hidden less than 24 hours. We thought we would be safe.

After we came home on Christmas Eve, I was sitting at the dining room table checking my email when the kids got hungry. In their words, they wanted "real food," not any of the sweets that were everywhere. They went to the refrigerator searching. I had made a big pot of stew on Friday and the leftovers were right in the front of the refrigerator. I thought they would take it out, warm it up, and snack away. Instead they decided to see what else was in there. They started moving things around and looking in containers and they knocked the bacon container out of the refrigerator. Katy caught it in mid-air before it hit the floor. She opened it and they both looked inside. Then came one of those moments in life where I would have given anything to have had my camera in my hand. As they peeked inside, the looks on their faces resembled the rapture of angels at the nativity. They both looked as though they actually heard angels singing alleluias. They turned as one and looked at me beseechingly. I informed them that it was for Christmas brunch. They both reached in and said "only one piece." I didn't have the heart to refuse them. Oh how I wish there had been a camera handy.

Moment Number Two
We were getting dressed for the six o'clock mass on Christmas Eve. The family royalty (Our Little Princess and Her Highness) were last. When we put Our Little Princess' dress on, the front seam unraveled. We took her to church in a red dress held together with safety pins and ribbon. She still looked gorgeous, if I do say so myself. I made both dresses.

Our Little Princess & Her Highness under Me-Maw's tree

Moment Number Three
This led to moment number three. We arrived at church in the rain and cold to discover that there was no power. The candles were lit and people in the pews were holding cell phone flashlights. We squeezed into the family pew and realized that we had lost one of Her Highness' beautiful new red velvet shoes. No chance of finding it in the dark. Then, just as the nativity play was about to start, the lights came on. Divine intervention? I think so. Every Christmas Eve, the children of our very small parish present "Las Posadas," a reenactment of Mary and Joseph going from house-to-house searching for a room. Liberty, our eight-year-old niece, was an angel this year. Again, I didn't have my camera. This one is from my sister-in-law's cell phone. That's Libby on the right.

Libby is the angel on the right

Moment Number 4
On December 17, our nephew Chase, graduated with a fine arts degree from North Texas State University. Katy and Travis had expressed interest in buying one of the paintings that were part of his senior show. When we were opening gifts on Christmas Eve, everyone was very surprised when he gave them one as a gift. Katy was actually moved to tears. His paintings are beautiful and valuable. It was quite a gift and they will treasure it always.

Travis with painting from Chase

Moment Number 5
Watching the young men in the family open their gifts in their annual weapon's exchange. That's right, they exchange weapons. After all, this is Texas ... they hunt, they fish, they kill things ... Merry Christmas!

The Annual Weapons Exchange - Clockwise from left Casey & Chase, Dustin & Nick, Nick and McKenzie

Moment Number 6
Watching Our Little Princess opening presents and checking out her stocking. This is the first year she's really old enough to understand opening presents and we had as much fun watching her as she did opening gifts.

Our Little Princess

Moment Number 7
Playing cards with family and having my nephew Casey ask me if I'm one of those "tree hugging, save the world, liberals." To which I replied with a smile "Why yes! Yes I am!"

Chase & Casey

Moment Number 8
Seeing how comfortably Nick and Marie handle the baby girls. It shows me that they will be wonderful parents to their own children.


Marie & Nick both with Her Highness

Moment Number 9
Looking up as we waited to start opening gifts at my Mother-In-Law's on Christmas Eve and realizing that both mother and daughter were having a bottle.

Katy & Her Highness both enjoy a bottle

Moment Number 10
Having the entire family together for Christmas ... truly priceless and the best gift of all! Not only did we have our entire family at home, my Mother-In-Law had her entire family right down to the great-grandchildren ... every single family member was there on Christmas Eve. It was a rare treasure.


Travis, Katy holding Our Little Princess, Grams holding Her Highness, Grandad, Nick & Marie

Grandad's family.

Clockwise from left -- Danny, Patrick (Grandad), Ruth, Gary, Janelle, Laurie

Unfortunately it was raining and cold outside and there was no place we could get a group picture of everyone together. Maybe next time.

So that's how our Christmas was. Not big and not spectacular, but full of excellent moments. It's the small moments that make life grand and this holiday was made up of many moments. And all these moments made up a wonderful holiday.

The Vanecek Christmas Party

2011-12-26T21:19:00.000-06:00

The Vanecek Christmas Party is an annual family tradition. My mother-in-law's maiden name is Vanecek. There are four Vanecek siblings who were raised mostly by their father, Pete, in San Patricio County in Texas. Aunt Estelle lives in Sinton, Aunt Marilyn lives in College Station, Uncle Peter and Aunt Margaret live in College Station, and Ruth (my mother-in-law) lives in Corpus Christi. They get together every December, usually the weekend before Christmas, for the Vanecek Christmas Party.

This year we gathered at Joejoe and Brooke's home. Joejoe is Aunt Estelle's grandson. They have a lovely home with a huge great room that will hold The Vanecek siblings and their descendents.

Sometimes it's been a year since we've seen each other, so the party starts with friendly greetings.

Then, while the adults visit and talk, the kids play.

Joejoe and Brooke prepared chicken and beef fajitas as the main course. We always have tamales too. Each family brings a covered dish or two. There is always plenty of food and lots of leftovers.

The highlight of the party is always the gift exchange. We play "Dirty Santa." Every adult brings a gift for the exchange. Years ago, we originally started out with "white elephant gifts" but we have evolved over the years. Most gifts are valued between $10 and $20 and often include wine, small appliances, gift cards, etc. Usually "gag" gifts are accompanied by a modest gift card, so most people feel like they got something good.

I think everyone knows how to play "dirty Santa" but, basically, everyone draws a number. The game starts with number 1 choosing and opening a gift. Number 2 can then either choose another gift or take the one that number 1 chose. If number 2 takes number 1's gift, number 1 gets to choose another gift. It goes on until everyone has chosen. The third person who gets a gift gets to keep it.

One other note, children are not included in "Dirty Santa" because most of the items exchanged would not be appropriate for children. Since there are quite a few children who attend the party, each child's family brings a small inexpensive gift for them to open. They don't exchange gifts, they get to open whatever their parents or grandparents bring for them.

This year, as in most years, there was a gift left over at the end of the exchange. (I'm pretty sure that Aunt Marilyn always brings an extra gift.) It was clear to everyone that it was a stick horse. So our eight year old niece, Libby, opened it and handed it off to one of the little boys. I'm not sure who had it first, but I thought you would enjoy the video of the ensuing fight. Jaxon and Junior are first cousins. Suffice it to say, they didn't exactly agree on possession of the stick horse.

In spite of this little incident (wink, wink) between the cousins, everyone had a good time. It's so good to gather with family and catch up on what everyone is doing this year. Thanks to Joejoe and Brooke for hosting a lovely family gathering.

Coming Home for Christmas

2011-12-23T11:15:00.001-06:00

Grams and Grandad have had a busy week. For the first time in a few years, we'll get to have both kids home at the same time for Christmas. They both always come home at some time around Christmas, but they also take turns with their in-laws, so they don't always get here at the same time.

Katy and Travis are coming from San Antonio and should arrive somewhat early in the day, probably in time for lunch. Although you know how it is when traveling with toddlers. Even the two hour drive from San Antonio to Corpus Christi can turn eventful and require several stops. But sometimes you get lucky and they nap all the way here.

Nick and Marie will be a little later. It's about a four and half hour drive from the north side of Houston to our home. And with Christmas traffic in Houston, just getting across town can take an extra hour some days. And I don't expect them to leave early. Marie didn't get to Houston until sometime after midnight.

If there was a prize for longest trip to visit your in-laws for Christmas, Marie would definitely be in the running this year. Last summer Exxon-Mobil reassigned her to an offshore rig in the North Sea. She is stationed out of Stavanger, Norway. She was scheduled to be helicoptered off of the platform early Wednesday morning where she would then spend the night in Stavanger and fly home Thursday morning. The weather in the North Sea did not cooperate and the helicopters could not fly on Wednesday. But they were able to get her off the platform early Thursday morning. And the folks at the Exxon travel office were able to re-arrange her flights to get her home in time for Christmas. She flew from Stavanger to Chicago to Houston. That's approximately 5,000 miles of air travel in a 24 hour period. That much air travel is daunting any time, but during this busy travel week it is sure to be challenging. I was up late finishing my gift wrapping when I saw her post on Facebook that she had made it to Houston sometime around 12:30 this morning. I was so relieved. I know that Nick's Christmas would not be complete until she made it home. Plus, it will be good to have everyone home together.

After this year, we will begin a rotating schedule where we should have all the kids every other year for Christmas. They will spend the other years with their in-laws. If it actually works out that way, I'm thinking we may take a cruise or other trip in the years they don't come home. Grandad is decidedly not on board with this yet and probably won't be as long as his mother is living. Time will tell.

While I'm on the subject of Christmas, let me climb up on this soapbox. I'm dismayed at the number of businesses that are open very late on Christmas Eve and even open on Christmas Day. It bothered me when I saw businesses opening on Thanksgiving Day and I steadfastly did not go shopping that afternoon. The fact that some will be open on Christmas Day bothers me even more.

When stores and shops open on holidays, that means their employees have to work. I saw an ad that announced that Toys R Us will be open 24 hours on Christmas Eve. Really people? Midnight on Christmas Eve? If you're shopping then, somebody will be working then.

I also noticed signs at all our local Starbucks announcing that they will be open on Christmas Day. Now you know how I love my Starbucks, but I'd definitely be willing to do without a trip to my favorite coffee shop so their employees could have the day with their families. Come on people, it's one day and everyone deserves Christmas Day off.

It's December 23rd and the kids are on their way. I'm off to the kitchen to put on a pot of stew. I'll keep it simmering so everyone can eat whenever they arrive. Then I'm baking three kinds of peanut butter cookie cups ... one with Reese's Cup centers and chocolate frosting ... one with Snickers centers ... and one with salted caramel filling. If they turn out good, I'll post the recipes.

Tonight we're going out for Japanese food and to look at Christmas lights. The packages are all wrapped, the house is clean, the oven is warming, the kids are on their way home ... all is right with the world.

Safe travels to all who are traveling today. I hope you all get home safely for Christmas.

Learn Something, Make Something, Love Someone

2011-12-20T00:44:00.002-06:00

I am unspeakably sad. I've been trying to decide whether or not to write this post for several days now.

I have a very good friend who is going through great sorrow this holiday season. Sandy and I have been friends for a very long time. We're about the same age. Her son, Matt, and my daughter, Katy, are the same age. And her daughter, Abby, and my son, Nick, are also the same age. Sandy and I worked together for many years at our local United Way. We actually tried to get our kids to date, but they were friends who hung out together while their moms worked together. When Matt and Katy graduated, our friends had a celebration for Sandy and me, complete with cake and tissues, because we were pretty emotional about our firstborn children graduating.

Sandy and I have a lot in common. We both love coffee and books. We're both still married to our original husbands. And we both love our children and grandchildren to the point of distraction. We can go for months without seeing each other and then just pick up like it was only yesterday. I love her like a sister.

Matt was the first of our children to marry and he and his lovely wife, Amy, had children right away. So Sandy was a grandmother before me. Yes, I was very jealous! You can read about Sandy on her Grilled Grandma feature over at Grandma's Briefs.

Just over a year ago, Sandy's eldest grandchild, Liam, was diagnosed with leukemia. He received a bone marrow transplant from his little sister Mary which put him in remission for a while. When he relapsed last summer, he was moved to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis where he received another transplant. Last week, Liam and his family returned home to Abilene where Liam began hospice care. Liam's parents have taken their six year old home for the last time. They are spending this holiday season making a different kind of preparations. No one should ever have to endure what this lovely and caring family is enduring.

They've asked for friends to respect their privacy and their need to be together as a family. They've been keeping us up to date with a Caring Bridge site since he was first diagnosed. I marvel at their ability to communicate at all during this time. And I know that their friends in Abilene are taking good care of them. I wish I could be there to help.

Liam is a remarkable child who is full of life and love for the whole world. His parents, Matt and Amy, have done such an amazing job with their family. When Liam relapsed several months ago, they decided that every day in the hospital they should "learn something, make something, and love someone."

As part of loving someone, Liam learned about how many people around the world don't have access to clean water. As a result, he launched a project to build wells in Africa. The project is known as Liam's Wells. Liam's friends and family have funded two wells that have already been built in Kenya. But more people want to help, so Liam's Wells is a continuing project.

If you can make a charitable donation during this holiday season, please consider donating to Liam's Wells. Grams and her family have already contributed. We invite you to help Liam "learn something, make something, and love someone," by joining us. Click here to go to the donation page.

And please remember this family in your prayers. Then give your children an extra big hug and remember what is really important. We all need a little help with perspective at this time of year.

Hold your children a little tighter this Christmas and be a little more patient and tolerant. Be gentle with them when they're cranky and overtired or overstimulated. Remember what is important and what is not. So what if you can't get them everything they've asked Santa for. Take a break from wrapping presents and wrap your arms around your children. That's what really matters.

Celebrate everything! Messes and mistakes and good grades and bad grades are part of life and life should be celebrated. Slow down and spend time with them. In the grand scheme of things, it won't matter if you bake one more batch of Christmas cookies or not. Sometimes let go of the chores and read a book with them. Your housework will wait, but your children won't.

Make a commitment to follow in Liam's footsteps this holiday season ... learn something, make something, and love someone ... every day!

Things To Do and Fruit Loops

2011-12-19T09:33:00.000-06:00

Grams is feeling the pressure of my Christmas to-do list. I am determined to finish my gift shopping today. That leaves tomorrow for finishing Our Little Princess' Christmas dress and buying groceries. Then on Wednesday, I'll wrap gifts in a marathon session. I'm turning the cleaning over to Grandad for the next few days. I'm lucky that way. He's ready and willing to help. I simply have to direct him.

Now that you know that I really don't have time to blog, I just thought I'd show you my little Fruit Loops.

I can't wait for them to arrive on Friday. Christmas is going to be so much fun!

Scented Memories

2011-12-15T20:26:00.000-06:00

Grams rarely wears perfume or cologne. My sense of smell varies greatly. Some days I smell everything much too acutely and some days I can't smell much of anything at all. If I happen to be wearing scent on one of those "hyper smell" days, I smell it all day long and it eventually gives me a headache. So, except for now and then on special occasions, I avoid wearing scent at all.

I also have an issue with those plug-in aroma warmer thingies. While I really like the way some of them smell, some of them trigger an allergic reaction and my head gets so stopped up that it takes weeks to go away. That allergic reaction happens even though I take two allergy medications every day, just to be able to breathe in South Texas. It is really a problem for me when I substitute in a classroom where the teacher has a plug-in scent. I usually unplug them and set them aside while I'm there. I try to remember to plug them back in at the end of the day when I'm leaving, but sometimes I forget. I suspect that it ticks some of them off.

In my experience, the olfactory sense is the quickest way to bring back pleasant memories. The smell of pine and cedar takes me right back to my childhood in the piney woods of Northeast Texas. Eucalyptus reminds me of my sister-in-law Nancy's house which is always cozy and welcoming. Fresh cut grass reminds me of summertime mornings spent lying in the damp grass watching clouds go by. Aqua Velva, Lectric Shave, and Old Spice will always be associated with how my Dad smelled after his afternoon bath. Fresh-baked cornbread has a strong association with my Mom's kitchen. And a whiff of Aramis men's fragrance has me recalling that first boyfriend back in the 1970s.

A couple of weeks ago we attended our community's free performance of Handel's Messiah at First United Methodist Church. It was wonderful. I can't say enough how much I love this annual gift to the community. This is an all volunteer chorus that gets together annually just to do this one performance. I've attended many years.

Grandad and I are in our late fifties. Suffice it to say that we were among the youngsters in the audience at this performance. We were surrounded by a crowd that I would say were mostly in their seventies. There was a definite prevailing scent of "little old lady" cologne. I don't know exactly what that scent is, but it's distinct and consistent. Anywhere there are lots of older ladies, there is that scent. It's not unpleasant, but in large quantities and closed spaces it can be overwhelming.

I use scented candles to add a pleasant aroma to our home. I keep one in each bathroom and one in either the living room or dining room. The living room and dining room are really the same room. Our house was built in the 80s and has a great room. I vary the scent according to the season. Right now I have apricot in one room, acorn and fig in one room, and marshmallow fireside in one room. Before the family arrives for Christmas, I'll switch the one in the living room for fresh balsam. It smells like a Christmas tree and, since we use an artificial tree and garlands, lends the scent of Christmas to the house. I think the marshmallow fireside and fresh balsam will be a great combination in the great room.

Source

Where was I going with this post? Oh yeah, now I remember! Last year for Christmas, the kids gave me a Kindle electronic book reader. I love and adore it. As of today I am carrying 92 books in my purse all the time. I can take it out and read any time and any where. It even marks my place automatically and when I'm at school I can password protect it so teenagers don't read it when I'm distracted. (They've been known to do that.) I've really grown attached to my Kindle. At first I had to adjust to not holding a book and not turning pages. But those adjustments came pretty easily. I got used to the lack of heft and stopped missing the tactile element of books. The only thing I really miss is the smell of a book. The scent of a book carries with it a real sense of anticipation: the joy of meeting new characters, of understanding their lives, of traveling on their life's journeys with them for a while. You just don't get that with a Kindle. I actually noticed that someone is marketing an "areosol e-book enhancer" called The Smell of Books. It comes in several variations including New Book Smell, Classic Musty, Eau You Have Cats, Scent of Sensibility, and Crunchy Bacon Scent. I have to say, some of those fall in the category of disgusting for me, but to each his own. And, no, I won't be buying any aerosol book enhancers.

Source

I recently received a copy of Best Kept Secret by Amy Hatvany. It's the January choice for the Great Books Book Club and they gave away a few copies. I was thrilled to be one of the recipients. When it came in the mail I opened the package and was immediately drawn in by the scent of a freshly printed book. It smelled of paper, ink, and glue. For me, that smell brings with it the hope of an interesting story that promises to transport me to another place or another time when I read it. I found myself sitting and hugging this book to my chest as I inhaled it's essence.

With the exception of a few leather-bound volumes and a couple of autographed copies, I don't save books. The subtropical climate we live in makes them get musty and smell of mold and dust. This is just one more allergen I don't need. Plus, I sell them at Half Price Books and use the money to buy books for Our Little Princess and Her Highness. It's a good deal for me and a treat for them.

I hope your holiday season is full of pleasant scents and wonderful memories.

Christmas Decor Done

2011-12-15T09:42:00.001-06:00

Grams spent yesterday cleaning house and finishing up my Christmas decorating. By the end of the day, both knees and hips were hurting. When it was time to make dinner, all that was left was sweeping and vacuuming. I didn't get those finished so, those, along with laundry, are on today's agenda. I'm also planning to spend some time sewing a Christmas dress for Our Little Princess. That seems like an ambitious to-do list. We'll see how far I get.

Here is a short recap of the Christmas decor. I added a wreath to the front door. I think it was just the right finishing touch. The glittered "joy" was purchased at an after-Christmas sale last year it's just chipboard and glitter. I paid one dollar for it and it also included two glittery Christmas trees.

Our Christmas tree is quite an undertaking. I've collected ornaments for our entire married life so there are hundreds of ornaments. Grandad helped me decorate it this year. We put White Christmas on while we decorate and sang along with all the familiar songs. Decorating the tree has definitely become more of a challenge for me in recent years. At 5'1" decorating the top of the tree requires a stepladder for me. Grandad decorated the top of the tree while I unwrapped the ornaments and decorated the bottom of the tree.

I photographed the tree with three different kinds of lighting and camera settings. I'm such a novice photographer, but the photos are each very different and I think they give you a pretty good idea of the way the tree looks.

Then I tackled the fireplace. I made two big poofy bows with the metallic netting that was leftover from the front door. I covered the top of the mantle with an artificial pine garland that I use every year and added the bows to each end. I used a removable decal on the front and I nestled a wreath upcycled from felted sweaters. The glittery Christmas trees were in the same package as the glittered "joy" that's on the wreath that's on the front door. Right next to the fireplace is our back door which has a window. I replaced its usual curtain with a folded tablecloth in Christmas colors and added another glittered chipboard purchase from last year's after-Christmas sales. It says "Happy Holidays" and also came with the two snowflakes that you'll see in the picture. All the glittered pieces are hung with fishing line so it's invisible.

I feel so much more prepared for Christmas now that I'm done with the decorating. Tomorrow Grandad starts his vacation. He'll be off until the day after Christmas. He and I will do a marathon shopping day tomorrow.

For today, I need to go start my laundry and make my second cup of coffee.

My Pinterest Inspired Christmas Door

2011-12-13T20:50:00.002-06:00

Grams is hooked on Pinterest. I know that I'm not alone in this. Katy and I were discussing it today and she said "it's kind of like peeking in on someone else's style." I think she's right. We also agreed that it can be a huge time suck. Probably more than, dare I say it, Facebook. When I start looking around Pinterest, I'll look up and suddenly hours have gone by.

I've seen a few Pinterest Challenge posts around the blogosphere. The one that I can remember was by Sherry over at Young House Love. She made the cutest Christmas ornaments during the Fall Pinterest Challenge.

When I found this door on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to do something similar.

Source: southernfrieddreams.blogspot.com via Vicki on Pinterest

I wanted to replicate it, so I started shopping for the elements. I found the mesh at Hobby Lobby. It was affordable but I couldn't find a print like the one in the picture. Instead I bought a roll of white metallic mesh (which came from the bridal department) and a roll of red metallic mesh. The white mesh is 21 inches wide and 30 feet long and cost $9.99. The red is 5 1/2 inches wide by 30 feet long and cost $4.99. I used one roll of each.

I looked for the oversize ornaments in a lot of places in both Corpus Christi and Houston. Unfortunately, the only oversized ornaments I could find were from $4 to $12 each. I didn't want to spend that much so I started looking for an alternative. I considered several things and had decided on the idea of wiring a group of 5 or 7 ornaments in a cluster to use in place of the oversize ornaments.

Then I went to Dollar Tree where I found these beautiful glittery bells. In case you don't have a Dollar Tree where you live or if you've never been there, everything at Dollar Tree is $1. Seriously! I love Dollar Tree. So I bought three of each color and spent a total of $9 on the bells.

The red ribbon with green glitter polka dots is left over from my Christmas tree garland. I bought it three years ago. It cost me nothing this year.

I also used one value-size package of 3M Command small wire hooks. There are 9 in a package; and I used 7 of them. They cost approximately $8 at Wal-Mart. The Command hooks are awesome. It's the first product I've found that works on our vinyl siding without any damage. I will be buying some larger ones for hanging wreaths and other decor on the exterior of our house.

The only other expense was a package of chenille stems (previously known as pipe cleaners) which cost less than $2 for 100 stems at Wal-Mart.

Here's my finished front door. I'm pretty satisfied with how it looks; not identical to the Pinterest door, but inspired by it.

Total cost ... less than $35. Not too bad.

I was not compensated in any way by any one for this post. I paid for all the materials used in this project.

I'm linking this post the the Pinterest Make Me Challenge Weekly Link Up at Mummy To Five.

The Pop-Pop Effect

2011-12-03T13:37:00.001-06:00

Grams and Grandad have had a busy morning. We moved our old entertainment center out of the family room into the garage and put a for sale sign on it. We also finished getting our new television and components set up in our new tv stand. We still need to put a safety strap on the television, but I assure you it will be done before Our Little Princess and Her Highness arrive in a couple of weeks. Neither of use tends to climb on the furniture, so I'm pretty sure it'll be okay for a couple of days.

Anyway, when we sat down the recuperate from moving a very, very heavy piece of furniture, I spent my time browsing through photos. In doing so, I notice what I'm calling "the Pop-Pop effect." We seem to have a large number of pictures of Grandad holding sleeping babies. He's big, he's cuddly, and he's warm. Just kind of makes me want to curl up and sleep too.

Happy Saturday everyone. I hope you have a chance to cuddle up with someone you love for a nap.

A Sweater Dress for Our Little Princess

2011-12-01T10:38:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago Grams was doing what Grams does almost every evening. While Grandad watches television, I keep one eye on the television while I surf the web. On this particular evening, I ran across this tutorial, from Make It and Love It, for upcycling an adult sweater into a child's sweater dress. When I saw this dress, I knew I had to make one for Our Little Princess.

As luck would have it, I had exactly the same sweater in the stack of stuff I had set aside for my garage sale. So I went out to the garage, dug the sweater out, followed the directions, and produced the cutest little sweater dress. The tutorial calls for beautiful little satin flowers. That was the only thing I changed. Instead, I made rolled felt roses which are pinned on and can be removed for washing. Our Little Princess insisted on wearing all three roses at the same time.

The roses are super simple to make and will be for sale soon in my Etsy shop.

If I make another upcycled sweater dress, I'll make it a little wider through the hips. She wasn't nearby for measuring so I had to eyeball it. I think it'll be okay once she gives up her pull-ups for panties, which will hopefully be soon.

While we're on the subject of pull-ups and panties, Katy is looking for any constructive advice you might have about potty training. Our Little Princess will be three years old in February and is not in the least bit interested in using the potty. Please share any advice you might have in the comment section and I'll pass it on.

Happy Birthday Baby Boy

2011-11-23T10:47:00.001-06:00

Thirty years ago today we welcomed our bouncing baby boy. Nicholas Patrick Valenta joined our family early in the morning on November 23, 1981. He came into the world in a big way, weighing in at 10 pounds 5 ounces, and he's been larger than life ever since. He embraces life at full tilt and has never lost his childlike enthusiasm for fun.

I love the book Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. It always makes me think of Nick. I gave him this book when he left for college. We both cried.

"I'll love you forever
I'll love you for always
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be."

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T22:33:00.001-06:00

As Thanksgiving approaches I'm taking the time to count my blessings which are many. These are the seven that are at the top of my list today and every day. I am so thankful for this beautiful and remarkable family. Every single one of them makes me proud!

This post was inspired by a similar post at Grandma's Briefs. Thanks Lisa!

And, in case I don't have time to post again for a few days, Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all of you.

My Secret Weapon for a Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-17T07:55:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, both Grandad and Grams had the day off. We're still working on cleaning out closets and cabinets in anticipation of a big garage sale this weekend. We spent the morning running errands which included a drive to a credit union which is located on the other end of town about thirty miles from home. Fortunately, there's a Starbucks nearby which made the drive worthwhile. While riding around together, we used the time to discuss and firm up our plans for our Thanksgiving meal and the weekend.

My mother was not a great cook. I really hated a lot of the things she cooked on a regular basis; her chili mac comes immediately to mind. But, she always did and outstanding job of putting together a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Meals at my mother-in-law's table were always delicious, and her Thanksgiving meals were always outstanding. As newlyweds, we always ate two, yes two, Thanksgiving meals. My mother served Thanksgiving lunch and my mother-in-law served Thanksgiving dinner. So we would go to my parents for lunch, watch a little football with them, then later in the afternoon, we would pack up the kids and make the 45 minute drive to my in-laws house for dinner. No wonder I once weighed 300 pounds.

In recent years our Thanksgivings have changed drastically. My mother-in-law is in her eighties now and doesn't cook any more. My parents have both passed on and my siblings don't often get together for Thanksgiving. We all have kids of our own and have started our own traditions. You can read about our last Thanksgiving gathering here. I will admit that I feel a little bit guilty about not hosting a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to include my mother-in-law. But she has two grown daughters who have never hosted Thanksgiving or cooked the meal, so I've decided that I can deal with my own guilt. Bylinda will be picking Kay up from her group home and taking her out to lunch with them. As long as someone makes sure Kay is taken care of, I'm good.

My mother's Thanksgiving menu was set in stone and never, ever changed.

Mom with Nick circa 1986

Appetizers

Celery stuffed with pimento cheese (it had to be Price's pimento cheese, no substitutions allowed)
Deviled eggs
Cheese ball with assorted crackers
Crudite with Hidden Valley Ranch Party Dip

Meal

Roasted Turkey
Cornbread dressing (never stuffing)
Cranberry sauce (the jellied kind straight out of the can)
Green bean casserole
Broccoli and rice casserole
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top (the marshmallows were always burned to a crisp)
Giblet gravy (this was the one thing that was AWFUL, Mom just didn't do this well)
Fruit salad (always forgotten and left in the refrigerator until we were finished eating)
Dinner rolls

Desserts

Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Coconut pie
Chocolate pie
Chocolate cake with walnuts & raisins (not every year, but often)

Yes, that does look like a lot of food and it was. But keep in mind that my parents had six children. As we married and had kids of our own, it got to be quite a crowd. We needed a lot of food.

I remember my mom would get up very early and put the turkey in the oven. My dad, who always woke up early, would get us kids up early and whip us into a frenzy about watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. He liked it as much as we did. Watching the parade with him is one of my sweetest memories. Meanwhile, Mom would slave all morning in the kitchen. Then we would all gather round the table and feast. After lunch there was football, the Aggies vs. Longhorns and the Dallas Cowboys.

As the years went by and our parents got older, Bylinda and I took over the cooking and hosting responsibilities. Bylinda's menu is even more impressive than the one listed above. My children would probably kill someone for her macaroni and cheese. She also adds ham and mashed potatoes to the menu.

The last time I hosted while Mother was still alive, I decided to try something a little different. We still had the usual roast turkey and dressing with all the usual sides. However, neither Grandad nor I really like the sweet potatoes with marshmallows, so I went looking for a different way to prepare them. I found a recipe from Chef Emeril Lagasse for Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes.

I looked over the recipe ingredients and decided that it would work nicely. It had enough molasses that it would still be sweet, but not sticky with marshmallows on top. I wasn't really worried about the potatoes containing bourbon because I've always heard that the alcohol cooks off when you prepare food and two pounds of potatoes only has a quarter of a cup of bourbon.

I don't remember exactly who was at Thanksgiving that year. I think it was a mix of my family and Grandad's family. Grandad and Bylinda made the turkey and dressing and then we all worked on the sides.

It wasn't until Thanksgiving morning, as I was making my Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes, that I realized that the bourbon was not cooked into the sweet potatoes. It was added during the final preparation stages so it was not cooked. But, by then it was too late. I was committed. When we served, Mom expressed disappointment at not having our traditionally prepared marshmallow sweet potatoes but she dug into the Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes enthusiastically.

At this point, I should tell you that my mother was a teetotaler. Only once in my entire life did I ever see her take a drink. That was a pina colada at Red Lobster which she only took about two sips of before being giddy, giggly, dizzy, and visibly drunk. (And a lot more fun than usual.) After that she absolutely swore off of all liquor. She wouldn't even taste anything that had any small amount of liquor in it and she was kind of rude and condescending about it. I should also mention that we didn't tell her that the potatoes had bourbon in them.

Needless to say, Mom really liked the mashed potatoes. She liked them so much that she had seconds and then thirds. She liked them so much that she kept on eating them until they were all gone. She kept saying how good they were and eating more of them. Before long she was smiling happily and soon she was giggling. We never told her about the bourbon.

My friend Lisa over at Grandma's Briefs is hosting a Thanksgiving recipe exchange today. So, in the spirit of sharing, I'm sharing this recipe which came from Good Morning America. It's my secret weapon for making everyone enjoy Thanksgiving just a little more.

Emeril Lagasse's Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes

1 3/4 to 2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Lightly rub the sweet potatoes with the olive oil. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon their size. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle.

Peel the sweet potatoes and transfer the flesh to a large bowl. Add the cream, bourbon, brown sugar, molasses, and salt, and beat on high speed with a hand-held mixer until smooth. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

There's A Rat Among Us

2011-11-13T21:26:00.001-06:00

This is not a humor blog, although from time-to-time you'll find some humor. The story I'm about to tell you is completely true and maybe a little bit funny.

You may recall that on Saturday, Grandad and I undertook the cleaning and de-cluttering of our garage. Like most suburban homes in South Texas, we have a two-car attached garage. We use it primarily for storage and I park my car inside. Before Saturday, there was so much clutter that I could just barely fit my mid-sized SUV in it. Lots of stuff gets stored in the garage including the lawn mower, weed-eater, Christmas trees, outdoor holiday decorations, Grandad's tools, fishing equipment, just to name a few. It also serves as the collection point for anything to be donated or sold. Our bicycles used to be stored there until they were stolen a couple of months ago, when we carelessly left the door open one night.

We used to be really good at cleaning it once a year and making a donation to Goodwill and/or having a garage sale. But in the five years that Grandad was sick, we've not been able to get it done. A lot, and I do mean a lot, of stuff has amassed there. There was so much that we didn't know where to start. We just dove in and started.

We worked for several hours and got a lot done. We filled both our trash can and our recycle bin to the point of overflowing. There were several domestic accidents that mostly included broken glass. There were no injuries, so it was okay.

After 36 years, I have come to realize that I am married to a potential hoarder. If I let him, Grandad would keep EVERYTHING! He comes by it honestly. It took several days and several collection bins the size of 18 wheelers to clean out his Dad's shed.

My Father-In-Law's shed

I have decided that we've just got to have some rules.

We now have a plastic cabinet with three large drawers to hold "shop rags." He can keep all the rags that will fit in that cabinet and no more. Any more than that must go into the trash.
We will only keep a limited number of pieces of plywood. He probably has 15 different scraps of various sizes of plywood leftover from various projects. They have been in the garage for at least ten years without being used. Plywood is readily available and not expensive. We will no longer be storing plywood scraps in our garage.
Dangerous and poisonous substances that are stored in the garage must be moved to a safe place. We often have little ones here, therefore everything must be moved out of reach of little hands.
We will get rid of all the stuff that we've been saving to use for nonspecific projects, especially those that have been waiting for several years.

We made a lot of progress, but we only got about halfway done. Sometime around 3 p.m. things went horribly wrong.

We moved a cabinet from one side of the garage to the other and in doing so uncovered a stack of posterboards. I was kind of happy to see them, because some of them were the signs we used for our last garage sale. All we have to do is darken them up a little and I won't have to make new signs. So I picked them us and stacked them to one side and turned back around to see what was on the other posters. I picked up the next one and behind it was a rat ... not a mouse ... a rat ... a big, black rat. It actually hissed at me. I screamed and ran out the garage door into the yard. The rat ran through the kitchen door into the house and ultimately into our bedroom. Grandad attempted unsuccessfully to close the kitchen door, thereby keeping the rat out of the house. Instead, he bumped into two 8 feet long glass shelves that had been destined for the garage sale, causing them to crash and fall onto the concrete floor and explode into millions of pieces.

Grandad pursued the rat into the house where he found it under our bed against the back wall of the house. In a flash of genius (?) Grandad decided that he should just shoot the rat with a pellet gun. I suggested a shotgun, but he thought that would be too messy. Grandad closed and sealed all the doors thereby trapping the rat in the bedroom and went next door to borrow a pellet gun. Meanwhile, I camped on the swing in the front yard.

He returned 20 minutes or so later, with not a pellet gun, but with a bb gun. While I stayed on the swing, he went in and started shooting. He did manage to hit the rat several times, but not enough to kill it. So now we had a bleeding rat in the bedroom. When Grandad came out of the bedroom, the mouse hid. At this point I decided to go buy a rat trap. I made a quick trip to HEB and returned with a very large trap and peanut butter. We set the trap, closed the door, and waited. Nothing happened. Around 7 o'clock, Grandad went and bought sticky traps and placed them around the room, also baited with peanut butter. He spent quite a long time looking for the rat and could not find it. We picked up something for dinner and continued to wait. Around 9 o'clock I announced that I would be sleeping on the sofa, Grandad said he'd take the recliner. I had Grandad get me a pair of pajamas out of our room and I went to the bathroom on the other side of the house for my shower. Grandad bravely decided to shower in the master bath. While he was in the shower, the rat emerged and got stuck to the sticky trap. More precisely, the mouse's back feet got stuck. His front feet were still on my floor. He was so big that he was dragging the trap around the bedroom.

Grandad ran to the garage and grabbed a shovel and a box. He had to whack the mouse a couple of times with the shovel to knock him out, because he kept running, with the sticky trap attached. He was approximately 9 inches long, not counting his tail. We both breathed huge sighs of relief. Neither of us was looking forward to sleeping in the living room. But mostly neither of us was happy about sharing our home with a 9 inch rat.

We have now moved the sticky traps to the garage. Hopefully, he doesn't have any brothers or children.

Grandad has taken the day off tomorrow and again on Wednesday to work on finishing the garage and getting it ready to set up for a garage sale on Saturday.

We Have Too Much Stuff

2011-11-11T20:48:00.001-06:00

I'm still on my clean out and de-clutter crusade around the house. Today's target was Nick's room, more precisely, Nick's closet.

Nick graduated from high school in May of 2000, then left for college in August. After that he came home for summers, and then he lived at home for about eight months after graduation until he found a job. For the most part, he's been gone for more than ten years now. But the problem is, he never completely moved out. Oh sure, he's married and has a house of his own (which is more than twice as big as ours), but he's never really moved all his stuff. It's like he's trying to keep a foothold here in case he ever needs to come back home.

My question is ... do they every really move out? Don't get me wrong ... he's gone, but his stuff is still here. And by stuff, I mean clothing that he hasn't worn in many years, shoes and boots that he occasionally wears when he comes home to go hunting, college textbooks and notes, photos of his high school friends, the suit we bought him for job hunting, a catalog case from his first job that he can't remember the combination to unlock, notes from a basketball camp he went to in 1996, assorted trophies and medals from high school sports, both high school and college letter jackets, a beautiful onyx chess set that has never been taken out of the box, and a variety of other "stuff."

Now, in all fairness to Nick, we also found a bunch of other stuff that we had just been cramming into his closet for the past ten years or so. I had stored pillows, mattress pads, quilts, blankets, picture frames, books, a picnic basket, stacks of magazines, a bunch of clothes that Grandad has outgrown, a briefcase, several overnight bags and suitcases, boxes of memorabilia from the kid's school years, a pair of lamps I want to rewire, and assorted other "stuff."

In short, even though I've been working on it for months, we still have too much "stuff" all over the house. Next up on the clean out list is my craft closet and then the closet in Katy's room. My goal is to get it done this week and have a garage sale within the next couple of weeks. My real goal is not to end up like those people on Hoarders. None of this stuff is coming back into my house. Anything that doesn't sell goes to Goodwill.

"Anyone who has ever cleaned out a closet and taken stuff to Goodwill knows how liberating it is. You feel lighter, your mind feels clearer." - Cecile Andrews

What I Want To Be

2011-11-07T23:22:00.000-06:00

Grams and Grandad enjoyed a short visit from Our Little Princess and Her Highness this weekend. Their parents celebrated Travis' birthday by spending a weekend sans children. Bonus for us! We loved having the girls. We make the exchange in Three Rivers. It's only a little more than a one hour drive for all of us. We got them on Saturday morning and returned them on Sunday afternoon.

Our Little Princess will be 3 years old in February. She's beginning to go through that shy stage where it takes her a while to warm up to anyone that she hasn't seen in a while or meets for the first time. But after a few minutes she definitely comes out of her shell. Her Highness is seven months old and is now crawling and pulling herself up into a standing position. I think she will be walking in very short order and when she does, big sister better look out. There will be no stopping her.

A couple of hours after they returned home on Sunday evening, we received an email with this video. It was so cute that I had to share it. Our Little Princess is wearing parts of the Tinkerbell costume that I made her for Halloween.

If you listen all the way to the end, you'll hear her tell her dad "I'm on TV."

A Quick Post

2011-11-02T14:14:00.001-05:00

This is just a quick post to let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. The past two weeks I've been sick with a sinus infection. It's so common here in South Texas that we actually call it the Corpus Christi Crud. I've been to the doctor and completed a round of antibiotics, but I'm not better yet. I just don't feel good enough to do any writing or sewing or anything. In fact, I've only worked two days in the last three weeks. Hopefully, I'll feel better in a few days and I'll be back to posting on a more regular basis.

The Substitute Diaries - Serendipity

2011-10-20T20:56:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday Grams substituted for Ms. Story's second grade class. The night before, at the PTA meeting, the second grade had presented their annual program. So the next morning, they performed the program again for the entire school.

It was serendipity. There is little I love more in this world than primary school programs that include singing and dancing. This one did not disappoint. The theme was Surfin' Safari and it had everything ... hula girls in grass (plastic) skirts, sharks, straw hats, cardboard surfboards, leis, tropical flowers, limbo dancers and a few other things I probably don't remember.

Fish

Leis, flowers & sunglasses

Hula dancers in grass skirts

Cardboard surfboards

The director of this musical extravaganza was Betty Murphy. Betty has been a PE teacher at our school district since my kids were in elementary school. You can just see her in the photo below leading the audience participation section of the program. She has been involved in these programs at least since My Favorite Christmas Pageant Ever which would have been sometime around 1986.

My favorite part of the program was Ms. Murphy's instructions to the students in the audience who were all primary school students. She spent the first few minutes explaining to them how an audience behaves. Her instructions included how to applaud properly, the importance of staying in your seat, and being respectful to the performers. She touched on how it's not polite to laugh if a performer makes a mistake and how proper audiences don't hoot and holler. I was very impressed.

She also took a moment to speak to the performers about the example they were setting for the other students. She explained that the kindergarteners and first graders would be learning how to put on a performance from watching them.

Grandad and I regularly attend live theater performances in Corpus Christi and occasionally in San Antonio. I am often appalled at the lack of proper etiquette exhibited by audience members. I can only hope that these young people grow up to be proper theater patrons.

These photos were all taken with my HTC Evo Shift phone. Considering that I was sitting at the very back of the cafeteria, they're not too bad.

Discipline & Bitchiness

2011-10-17T22:53:00.002-05:00

There are a few things that make me absolutely crazy. Over the years of our marriage, I have tried to identify and minimize these things. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much.

In the 36 years we've been married, we have spent countless hours searching for keys. That was easily remedied by hanging a set of hooks that are designated for keys. No one is allowed to put their keys anywhere else. I even had to impose this rule for our adult children and their spouses when they visit. Life is too short to spend it looking for keys.

When our kids were little we once lost a set of keys at my in-laws' house. One of the toddlers had been carrying them around and playing with them. After many hours of searching, they were found inside of a pair of cowboy boots in a bedroom closet. From that day forward, keys were no longer toys for the babies.

Now that the key problem has been successfully solved, there are places in our home that have become "drop spots" for a variety of things. The worst, and the one that's making me crazy right now, is the dining room table. When the kids lived here, we ate dinner at the table every night so it was not a problem. We had to clear it every night before dinner. Now that it's just the two of us, we eat in the living room in front of the television so the table doesn't get cleared regularly. We come in from the garage, through the kitchen, and drop whatever we're carrying on the dining room table. I can't blame it all on Grandad, we both drop stuff there. Here's what is on and around it tonight.

a stack of t-shirts I picked up Saturday at Goodwill's half price clothing sale (to be upcycled for my Etsy Shop)
an old non-working VCR that Grandad took out of our bedroom two weeks ago
two bags of candles from Bath & Body Works sale last weekend
a Tupperware cake-carrier that's been wating about a month to be returned to storage
one of my sweaters which needs to go back to the car
a new jacket that needs to be put away
a bottle of Tylenol that should be in the medicine cabinet
a metal repair kit that my son left there when he was home last about three weeks ago
two baseball caps
my purse
the bag that I take to school when I sub
a couple of empty plastic grocery bags
a couple of reusable shopping bags that I made last week
several note pads
a few receipts that need to be put away
an e-mail that Grandad printed
the dirty t-shirt and shorts that Grandad wore to mow the lawn on Saturday
a folding cooler and a clock that we got last week at our electric co-op's annual meeting
and, on the floor right next to the table, Grandad's huge Crocs (size 15 shoes are a tripping hazard)

The two pedestal cake plates with covers are the only things that actually belong there. Everything else needs to be put away. We just don't seem to be disciplined enough to do it on a regular basis.

I don't really have a solution for this other than discipline and bitchiness. I will have to discipline myself not to drop and leave things there or to clear it off every night. And, if Grandad doesn't take the hint, I'll have to get bitchy about it. I'll let you know how it goes.

It's A Big Day

2011-10-11T21:53:00.000-05:00

Today is a big day in the Valenta household.

Yesterday, Grandad saw his cardiologist here in Corpus Christi. They discussed the results of the nuclear stress test he had last month. I am so happy to report that the results were really good. They have taken him off of Coumadin (warfarin), the blood thinner he's been on since his initial heart surgery about five years ago. He is now off of all prescription drugs except for two that keep his blood pressure and heart rate under control. The really big news is that she released him to begin exercising for the first time in a long, long time. The last two or three times they send him to a medically supervised cardiac rehabilitation program. Each time they made him stop within minutes because of irregular heart beat. We started walking tonight. Last time we tried walking, he had to tell me to slow down. If you take our 16" height difference into account, it should be the other way around. Tonight, we walked for 25 minutes, which is not very long and not very far. But we did it ... and he kept up. That's a big deal!

The other thing that happened today is that I shipped my first order from my Etsy shop. My shop has been open about two weeks and I've been eagerly anticipating my first order. When I got home from work yesterday, there it was in my inbox ... my first order. I got so excited I called my kids to tell them and I confess, I did a little happy dance. Here's my first shipment ready to go in the box.

I made a quick trip to the post office this morning and it was on its way! So, I guess I'm actually in business. That's another big deal!

Liver and Peas ... Like Mother, Like Daughter

2011-10-05T12:06:00.001-05:00

Her Highness is five months old now and is eating baby food. As instructed by their pediatrician, they introduce one new food at a time over a period of several days before adding a new one. This allows time for any food allergies or sensitivities to show up and be isolated quickly and easily. So far, so good.

When we were there a couple of weekends ago, it was time to introduce a new food. And the new food of the week was peas. Katy was cooking dinner so she handed me the container and asked if I would mind feeding Her Highness. She's not quite sitting up without support yet, so we put her in the Bebepod chair and set her on top of the dining room table. I'll get back to this story in a minute, but first let me give you a little background.

Flashback about 30 years to Katy at about the same age, sitting in another infant seat on another dining room table with her dad feeding her. She's been eating for a while now. As a matter of fact, back then, we started feeding babies cereal at about six weeks old. But on this day, she was about four or five months old. She had already been eating different kinds of cereals, fruits, and vegetables. We had recently introduced baby food meats, chicken, beef, pork, all ground to complete mush, with limited success. She ate them less than enthusiastically. But on this night her dad had decided that she should try liver. Yep, that's right, they actually make baby food liver. GROSS!

(As an aside here, let me just tell you that Grams doesn't eat liver. I don't like the taste and the texture is yucky. Because of my distaste for liver, I would never offer it to anyone, but especially not to my precious baby girl.)

Dad took the spoon, dipped it into the baby food jar, and gave Katy a bite. She took it on her tongue and closed her mouth. He turned around and gave me a self-satisfied look as he said "See I told you she would like it." Just about the time he turned back around to give her another bite, Katy opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out. The spoonful of liver was still sitting atop her tongue. She proceeded to scrape her tongue across her top gums, pushing all the liver off and out of her mouth where it then plopped onto her bib. She then closed her mouth and with great determination refused to take another bite. I had to retreat to the kitchen because I was laughing hysterically and trying not to say "I told you so."

Now, back to Her Highness perched atop the dining room table in her chair. I dip my spoon into the container of baby food peas and give HH her first taste of peas. And, you guessed it, she spit it right out. I tried again, and she took it tentatively before spitting it out again. On the third bite I could tell that she was tasting it and testing it and she swallowed it. But I don't think she really liked it.

Parenting has changed a lot in the thirty or so years since Grams and Grandad were starting out with babies. Parents today seem so much more knowledgeable than we were. And there are so many more gadgets and goodies. Our granddaughters eat organic and often homemade food. We'd never even heard of organic food and, in our day, only the most fanatical moms made their own baby food.

What are the biggest changes you've seen in parenting babies?

Eating Soup With Chopsticks

2011-10-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

Last time the entire family was together we were in Houston at Nick & Marie's house. They have a lovely home that has plenty of room for everyone. We usually cook in their fabulous gourmet kitchen. On this particular day, the guys had been golfing and the girls had been shopping all day. No one felt like cooking, so we went out to dinner. The kids chose an Asian restaurant that specializes in sushi. We were all tired, but Our Little Princess and Her Highness were exhausted. Not a problem for HH, she just took a nap in her car seat. OLP was almost falling asleep at the table, but she was determined to eat. Needless to say, the sushi didn't appeal to her. I don't really eat sushi either, so I ordered a meal which came with miso soup. She wanted the soup which was fine with me.

If I had to eat all my meals using chopsticks, I would undoubtedly be much thinner. In fact, I might starve to death. But both of my children and their spouses eat with them quite skillfully. OLP was determined to use them too AND she was tired and grumpy so we just let her do what she wanted in order to avoid a meltdown. Did you know that you can eat soup with chopsticks? Well, more specifically, with one chopstick. It also helps to have a spoon. Please allow Our Little Princess to demonstrate.

First, wear your new dress that Grams made for you, especially if it fits in with the Asian theme of the restaurant. Then you'll need one bowl of Miso soup, one chopstick, and a spoon.

Second, dip your spoon in and fill it with soup. Use your chopstick to push the soup onto your spoon. Be sure to concentrate!

Third, keep one eye on Mommy. She'll sneak her fork in and try to eat your mushrooms while you're not looking. If you're alert, you can block her with your chopstick while still eating with your spoon.

Fourth, be sure to use the proper technique. Bring both the spoon and the chopstick to your mouth for each bite. Be careful not to stick the chopstick into your nose.

Try not to fall asleep until after you've eaten all your soup.

A Day At The Zoo

2011-10-01T23:50:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, Grams and Grandad joined Our Little Princess and Her Highness, along with their parents, for a day at the San Antonio Zoo. We started early, before it got too hot and only stayed until early afternoon. Our Little Princess enjoyed showing Grandad all the animals.

I especially like the butterfly pavilion. The butterflies are so colorful and delicate and sometimes if you stand very still, a butterfly will land right in the palm of your hand. We tried, but didn't have any luck this time.

There are so many interactive exhibits and things to do. Our Little Princess fed the birds, went fishing, played in a babbling brook, got a close up look at a snake, played with other kids, and climbed on the lion sculpture.

It may be fall on the calendar, but in South Texas it's still the season of blooms. The beautiful flora was everywhere around the zoo.

Her Highness was along for the ride and she really seemed to enjoy it. We hardly heard a peep out of her. She seems to love being outdoors in the fresh air. The children's area even had a frog waterbed where she could roll around and stretch out for a while. Of course, her big sister had to get in on that fun too.

And no outing is complete without a little snack, so we stopped for popsicle and to cool off a little bit before finishing up.

I highly recommend spending a day with your grandchildren at your local zoo. There is little to compare to a wild family adventure at the zoo.

Meet Baby Houdini and Check Out My New Etsy Shop

2011-09-27T23:39:00.000-05:00

Those of you who have been reading for a while will remember the conundrum I went through in finding a bloggie name for Her Highness. Well, it seems I may have been premature in choosing "Her Highness." I believe "Baby Houdini" might have been a more apt choice. Here is the evidence.

This is not just a naked baby. If you look closely you will see that she's holding her diaper in her hand. That's right. At five months old she has learned to remove her own diaper. Pretty much as soon as you put it on, she starts picking at the velcro closures in the front. As soon as she gets it open, off it comes. I won't be surprised when I walk in and find that her parents have had to resort to duct tape to keep her diaper on.

You may have noticed that Grams Made It has a new design. It's been redesigned to match my new Etsy shop banner. There will be a few more changes over the next few days as I add some widgets and links related to my new Etsy shop. As of today, my Etsy shop is officially open for business. Find it at http://www.Etsy.com/shop/GramsMadeIt. I've only got three items listed so far, but more will be added tomorrow evening. It takes longer than I expected to add each one. I hope I get faster with practice.

I'd love to know what you think about my new look and about the items in my shop.

Where I'm From

2011-09-21T15:16:00.000-05:00

I am from cast iron skillets, from Mother’s Oats, biscuits and gravy, grape Kool-aid, and sweet tea.

I am from a house so small almost anyone could reach up and touch the ceiling and from water drawn with a bucket from a well. I am from wringer washing machines and clotheslines and chickens scratching in the yard.

I am from pine trees, red ants, and red bugs (known in other places as chiggers). I am from blackberries picked along red dirt roads and from daffodils that sprang back to life every spring. I’m from sweet gum trees with rope swings and from lightening bugs in mason jars.

I am from big Sunday dinners and from short, round, country folk and from bald-headed men, from Skeltons and Chapmans and Zacharys and Lees, from Dotsie and Charlie and Jewel and Boaster.

I am from hard-working men, from mechanics and farmers, and from women who cooked from scratch and “put up” for winter. I am from sisters who sang hymns while we did the dishes at night and from a maiden aunt who saved her nurse’s wages to send her nephews to college.

From Hank-n-Scratch, "be home before dark," and “that’s with the bark on it” (which I still don’t understand). From women who talked as they shelled peas on the porch. I am from bedtime stories told by a loving Granny, from Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Little Pigs and The Three Billy Goats Gruff.

I am from Baptists who walked to church on Wednesday nights and twice on Sundays and who said grace before meals. I’m from hellfire and brimstone preachers and from The Old Rugged Cross and Bringing in the Sheaves.

I am from the South, from Texas, from Bryans Mill, Texarkana, and Corpus Christi. I am from oatmeal cookies, watermelon rind preserves, purple-hulled peas, and snow ice cream.

From soldiers, Confederate and American, from heroes decorated with Purple Hearts, from men who were in the first wave on the beaches of Normandy and men who commanded tanks under General Patton and men who stalked the jungles of Vietnam. I am from wives and mothers who served by waiting and by keeping the home fires burning and by doing whatever they had to do to keep body and soul together.

I am from a tattered box of jumbled sepia-tones, black-and-whites, and faded color photos kept on a shelf in Mama’s closet and only opened with permission at the dining room table with everyone gathered around to carefully pass our family’s memories from hand to hand while we learned where we came from.

I am from a long line of love.

**********

This is a writing prompt from Mama Kat's Writer's Pretty Much World Famous Workshop. I must say this template, which is titled "Where I'm From," is one of my all-time favorites. It's a great exercise. I recommend you click over to here, copy it, and do the prompt yourself, even if you don't blog. It's a great exercise.

Skelton Family Connections

2011-09-20T22:18:00.001-05:00

Gail, Dotsie, Rita, Rodney, Kay Charlie, Vicki (Grams), & Bylinda

Grams and Grandad attended the second annual Skelton Family Reunion last weekend. The descendents of Charlie and Dotsie Skelton met at the Dogwood Trails Camp and Retreat Center in Larue, Texas for a day of family fellowship.

Our branch of the Skelton Family is not big. Our Grandparents had five children, three boys and two girls. Neither of the girls had children. The three boys had a total of 13 children. One is deceased. That leaves only 12 surviving cousins. Eight of us were there for the reunion.

We were all pretty close growing up. We all lived in or near Texarkana, Texas and we all spent lots of time at Granny's house, often together. One summer almost all of us lived in Granny's tiny little house. That closeness ended when we moved to Corpus Christi, which was about 500 miles away. About the same time, Uncle Buster's family also moved to Plano. After that, we hardly saw each other at all.

I was ten years old when we made that move. The older cousins were able to stay in touch over the years, but there wasn't much connection among the younger cousins, so we just lost each other. There were a few individual visits over the years when one of them would visit my parents. And, Grandad and I visited Aunt Suzy once. Other than that, we only saw each other at funerals.

Early last year we organized our first reunion. Last year was sort of just getting to know each other again. This year was even more fun. We shared memories of Granny and Aunt Nava. As well as family stories of things we recall from our childhoods. After lunch, we gathered round the piano and sang old hymns as Nancy played the piano. Many of us were moved to tears when we sang the song that Rita sang a capella at her brother Tommy's funeral and wondered at the strength that must have taken.

It was a beautiful day and we were able to spend part of the day outside. A few of us pitched washers while the rest of us sat and talked.

I realized that, although many of us are virtual strangers after all these many years, we have a real connection. We have a shared history that transcends all the years we've been apart. I believe we are growing closer, even after just two years. Not only do we have a shared history. We have a shared responsibility. Together, we are the keepers of our family destiny. We owe it to those who came before us to maintain our Skelton family ties.

In the two years we've gathered, we have not been very successful in getting our children together. I realize that they are not even acquainted with each other. Most of them have never even met. I realize that traveling halfway across Texas to spend time with people you don't even know is asking a lot, but I'm hopeful that, as the years go by, they too will get to know each other and join in the preserving the Skelton family connection.

"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future." – Alex Haley

Grams Made 1965 Huguenot Torte with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

2011-09-14T17:38:00.000-05:00

My mother-in-law had five children, three boys and two girls. The oldest boy and the oldest girl share September 12 as their birthday, twelve years apart. We traditionally gather for a dinner in honor of their birthday. This year I made dessert.

A couple of weeks ago I was watching The Food Network and someone mentioned this recipe and said it was an old recipe from The New York Times. I don't remember what show I was watching, but I did an internet search and found that it was indeed published in The New York Times back in 1965. It sounded really delicious, so I decided to give it a try. It was a huge hit. The original recipe called for whipped cream with almond extract. Instead I made cinnamon whipped cream. Delicious!

I will warn you that the recipe says it serves 8, but those are not generous servings. Next time I make it, I will double the recipe. It is supposed to sink in the middle and be gooey with a crisp top. By the way, the cinnamon whipped cream was a huge hit with the family. It was just the right touch for the torte.

1965 Huguenot Torte

2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup peeled and chopped tart cooking apples (I used Pink Lady Apples)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat eggs and salt with until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar.

Using a hand-held whisk, fold in apples and pecans. Add vanilla, flour and baking powder. Pour into a well-greased 9" x 12" baking pan at least 2 inches deep. Bake for 45 minutes, until sunken and crusty. Serve warm or chilled, with whipped cream. Serves 8.

Cinnamon Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chill bowl and mixer's beater attachment in freezer for 10 minutes. Beat whipping cream on high speed until it begins to thicken. Slowly add sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Do not over-beat or cream will begin to separate and break down.

September 11

2011-09-12T14:55:00.003-05:00

For some reason I'm really struggling with this post. I've started it several times and taken it in several different directions. I'm not sure what I'll end up with, but I'm just going to sally forth and see what I end up with at the end.

This weekend, Grams didn't have much time to spend reflecting on the tenth anniversary of September 11. I was much too busy holding Her Highness and chasing Our Little Princess upstairs and down. And I wouldn't trade the time spent with them for anything. But I did spend about an hour on Sunday morning watching NBC's coverage of the ceremony at Ground Zero. The roll call of names still moves me. I think of all the lives lost and all the people whose lives were changed forever that day because they lost their mother or father or son or daughter or sister or brother or best friend or a casual acquaintance or because complete strangers were lost. The truth is that every one of us has an impact on so many people every day ... an impact that we're not even aware of. In the course of living every day, we all influence and change each other's lives ... the butterfly effect.

September 11th was a pivotal moment in American history. As Americans, it changed us in ways we never expected. But it also didn't change us. What changed and what didn't change?

On September 11, 2001, Grandad and Grams were beginning our second year as empty nesters. Our children were both attending college in Central Texas. Nick was a sophomore at Schreiner University in Kerrville and Katy was in her fourth year at the University of Texas in San Antonio. Up until that morning I thought they were both mostly safe. I worried about all the normal things that moms of college students worry about, underage drinking, unsafe driving, unprotected sex, and the like. After September 11, I had completely new things to worry about. San Antonio is the home of several major military installations. It seemed like an obvious target for future attacks. Kerrville is a quiet little town in the hill country, seemingly safe from terrorists or military action. The threat there was completely different. My son and his friends were suddenly interested in joining the military so they could go get "whoever did this." Believe me, we had a very blunt conversation about how different real war is from video game war. Ultimately, he stayed in school and got his engineering degree without joining the military. Don't get me wrong, I would certainly have supported his decision to join the military, but not under those circumstances and not in the fervor of youthful enthusiasm he was caught up in at the time.

We live in the suburbs of Corpus Christi. It's not unusual for us to hear planes overhead on a landing approach to Corpus Christi International Airport. It's not a big airport and there are not a lot of planes. We also often hear the buzz of small planes as they crop dust the fields surrounding our neighborhood. Both plane sounds are so commonplace that we usually don't even notice them most of the time. After September 11, 2001, the silence was deafening. For three days there were absolutely no flight sounds around our neighborhood. When the flights resumed, sometime on Friday, September 14, we again began to hear the sound of planes overhead. But now it was different! We stopped and listened to every plane that buzzed by. To this day, anytime a plane sounds a little different, whether it's a little louder or a little lower, my heart skips a beat and the thought of what could be happening goes through my mind. I don't think that doubt will ever go away. I can't unlearn what I learned on September 11, 2001.

A couple of months later, on our first flight in the post-September 11 era, we flew to Las Vegas to attend my nephew's wedding. It was our daughter's very first airplane flight. We flew out of San Antonio accompanied by my sister Bylinda and her husband. It was extremely disconcerting to see the presence of armed military in the airports. There were five in our party and two of us got selected for the newly implement random searches before boarding the plane. Katy was among those chosen, but she just took it in stride. It was her first flight and maybe she just didn't know any different. I must admit that it still makes me extremely nervous. Every time I get on a plane, I should probably be selected for search based on my extreme nervousness. Sometimes I think maybe I have something to hide that even I don't know about.

So many things have changed as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11. It was a landmark event in American history, similar in nature to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the assassination of President Kennedy. Ask anyone where they were that day and how they heard the news and they can tell you exactly. It was a notable day, not only because so many innocent lives were lost but also because another generation of Americans lost their naivete that day. September 11 changed us to the core. We became more suspicious of people who don't look like us, we became more alert in our every day lives, and patriotism and flag-waving became more commonplace and more accepted.

Less than a month later, I remember standing in my driveway one evening and talking with my neighbors about the military action that had just been launched in Afghanistan. By then we knew what Al-Quaeda was and we knew who Osama bin Laden was. What we didn't know, although many of us suspected, was how widespread and lengthy the military action would be and how it would grow to include Iraq and Saddam Hussein. We also didn't know how many more American lives would be lost.

Over the past ten years, our lives have somewhat settled back into the everyday groove. Some things have just become part of our everyday experience. We know what we can and cannot take on board an airplane. We expect to remove our shoes when we go through security. We've learned to speak up and "when you see something, say something." But we've not been lulled back into complacency; we know we're vulnerable, partly because we are a melting pot of the worlds nations. We don't all look alike or worship alike or act alike. Each of us has "certain inalienable rights." Those haven't changed. America is still a great nation partly because of our diversity and our tolerance. I'm still proud to be an American. That hasn't changed either!

Summer Recap Redux

2011-09-08T22:45:00.001-05:00

Grams substituted at the high school today. The teacher I was there for was a "co-teacher" in every single class. That meant that in every single class there was another teacher who presented the lesson. I either sat in the back of the room or walked around to make sure everyone was on task. It was not challenging in any way. Although I did enjoy listening to some of the discussions and readings.

So, as I was sitting through my third English class with pretty much nothing to do I started looking around the classroom at the posters on the wall. Then I remembered that one of the writing prompts from Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop this week was "Your summer recap in a poem and pictures."

Now, I'm not a poet by any means, but it was an English class and all the posters on the wall were examples of different kinds of poems. So I thought, what the heck, I might was well give it a shot. The poster closest to me was an acrostic so that's what I decided to try. I also realize that I've already done a "summer recap" post. My apologies for repeating myself, but I'm trying to be creative here.

Sunshine, sunglasses, sundresses, sunburns
Undulating heat waves over urban streets
Monotonous meteorological monitors
Margaritas, mojitos, merriment
Exploding fireworks on ebony evenings
Red hot sidewalks

Reunions of relatives & friends
Easy living every day
Colorful toes in flashy flipflops
Aquariums and afternoon naps
Playgrounds, parks, and plays

I'll be spending the next few days enjoying the company of my family, especially these two beautiful granddaughters. I'll be back in touch early next week. Have a good weekend and stay safe.

Summer Recap

2011-09-06T23:17:00.001-05:00

It has been a long hot summer here in South Texas. I mean it ... really long and really hot. We've broken records this summer for heat and drought and there hasn't been any sign of a break in the weather yet. Although, our local weather guys are reporting that we should not have any more days over 100 degrees this summer. For the past couple of days its been a little bit cooler in the mornings, although the fires in central Texas have sent enough smoke our direction so that it's not pleasant to sit outside.

I thought it might be fun to celebrate the end of summer with a little photo recap.

In June we traveled to Houston where we spent an evening at Minute Maid Park watching the Astros lose to the Braves. But the evening ended with fireworks so it was fun. We were also honored to be there when our beautiful daughter-in-law, Marie, received the sacrament of confirmation that Sunday evening.

Early in the summer, while the rest of her family went camping, we had a week-long visit from Her Highness. We've seen her several times this summer, and she's really growing fast. Her mom reports that she's teething really hard right now. So even more changes are in store. I'm planning to hold her as much as possible this weekend.

Then we spent several days in North Carolina where we visited the Biltmore Estate and attended the wedding of Andrea and Louis. Andrea is my sister Jan's daughter. It was a beautiful wedding and we were so glad we made the trip. Bylinda, my other sister, traveled with us. We especially enjoyed the two days we spent in Asheville where both the mountains and the weather were absolutely lovely.

In August we visited Katy and Travis in San Antonio and attended a long anticipated reunion with my high school church youth group. It was a day to remember spent renewing old friendships and reminiscing. I had not seen most of them since the mid 1970s. And, of course, a trip to San Antonio naturally means spending quality time with the Grands and their parents. (By the way, Our Little Princess snapped the photo of Grams and Travis. Is it possible we have a budding Annie Leibovitz?)

When we returned from that visit we brought Our Little Princess home for a week of Grams Camp. We had so much fun just spending time together. We played with the water hose, we went to the mall, we spent an entire day at the Texas State Aquarium. It was so much fun that we're planning to make Grams Camp an annual tradition.

Now that summer is winding down, I've gone back to work as a substitute teacher; so summer is over in practice although not in reality. I've worked the past five working days in a row. I will admit that getting up at 6:30 a.m. has been a bit of an adjustment for me. My natural body rhythm is more along the lines of going to bed at midnight and sleeping until 8:30 or 9 a.m. Last week was really tough, but I'm doing better this week. Thank God for coffee!

We have several events coming up in the next few weeks. The annual family golf tournament will be held this weekend in Navasota, which means we'll be traveling to Nick & Marie's house on Friday where Katy, Travis and the grands will join us for the weekend. The men will golf on Saturday while we have a girls day out. I can't wait!

The next few weeks are going to be really busy for us. We'll be traveling to Tyler for the Skelton Family Reunion coming up on September 17 and then in October we'll go to Corn Hill for the Annual Valenta Fall Family Gathering. It is, hands down, my favorite family event. Every October the descendents of Adolph and Louise Valenta gather in Corn Hill for a day of family fellowship. I'll tell you more about it later.

I've been sewing like crazy and am just about ready to launch my Etsy shop, which will also be called Grams Made It. I'm finishing up some behind the scenes details like a separate bank account and photographing my creations. I expect to launch next week. Watch this space for a formal announcement and sneak preview.

I'm sending positive thoughts and prayers for all those in danger from the terrible fires that are burning across Texas. It truly is horrible and resources are stretched to the limit. KRIS TV, our local NBC affiliate, will hold a benefit on Thursday. Details are available on their web site. Please do what you can to help. I'll have more information on how everyone can help in my next post.

Back to School Book Review & Giveaway

2011-09-02T22:18:00.000-05:00

Grams has gone back to school this week. It's the second week of school here in South Texas and I've substituted four days in a row. That means I'm behind on everything. My laundry is not done. In fact, I'm down to wearing that underwear that I don't like to wear. (Admit it, you know you have some.) I had hoped to launch my Etsy store this weekend, but it's going to be a few more days because I haven't sewn a stitch this week. In the meantime, I've got a treat for you.

Once again, Grams is teaming with Scholastic Press to review a new book and bring a giveaway to my readers. Meet Bailey by Harry Bliss, the dog who goes back to school.

About the Book (from the publisher)

Meet Bailey, a dog who surprises and charms his fellow human classmates with his irrepressible antics.

Follow Bailey the dog as he gets ready and goes to school. Should he wear the red or blue collar? Both are so fashionable! Will he be late? That squirrel is a distraction! And what about Bailey's homework? Would you believe he ate it? That is what dogs do, after all.

In this funny new book from the best-selling children's illustrator Harry Bliss, school proves to be an unexpected place for Bailey to do all sorts of things he loves: reading, fetching, painting, digging, singing — and making friends!

Grams Review

Harry Bliss, cartoonist and cover artist for New Yorker magazine, has written a fun and beautifully illustrated book for primary school aged children (ages 4-8). It covers the basics of going back to school; everything from the importance of good grooming and punctuality to remembering to have fun and make friends with your classmates.

I love that Bailey uses "the dog ate my homework" excuse and his school day ends with reading time. And I love that Bailey loves books. He loves reading them as well as eating them. You'll find that Bailey's day ends, pretty much like it starts, with Bailey running for the bus.

I haven't shared this book with Our Little Princess yet, but I'll be seeing her next weekend and you can be assured we'll be reading Bailey. We'll be at her Uncle Nick's house. Coincidentally, Uncle Nick has a dog named Bailey and I think she'll really get a kick out of reading a book about a dog named Bailey.

Giveaway

Scholastic Press will give three lucky readers a copy of the new book Bailey by Harry Bliss. Entry is simple. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post before Midnight (Central Time) on Thursday, September 8, 2011. Make sure your entry includes either an email address or a link to your blog so I can notify you if you win.

Disclosure

Grams received a copy of Bailey in exchange for writing and posting this review. Scholastic is also furnishing the three copies which will be given away to my readers.

You can buy the book at The Scholastic Store.

Grams Made A Book Wreath

2011-08-26T12:17:00.000-05:00

Grams and Grandad have lived in the same house since 1984. We moved here just before our oldest child started kindergarten. We weighed our options which were Catholic school or a new house and chose the new house.

We chose the plans for this house out of a book at the architect's office. There are a lot of things that I would change if I could.

First and foremost, I let Grandad choose the kitchen style he wanted, because he was the chief cook in those days. Now that I'm the cook, I ~~hate~~ detest his galley kitchen. It's too small and there is not enough cabinet space.

Our master bathroom is roughly the size of a postage stamp. We bump into each other anytime we're both trying to get ready at the same time. And the door opens into the tiny room, which means, if you're standing at the sink and someone opens the door, you get hit in the butt. As soon as our last child left home, I moved my stuff into their bathroom on the other side of the house. It's bigger and I don't have to share it with Grandad.

We don't have a separate dining room. Our living room, dining room, and kitchen are basically one room with the kitchen separated from the living room by one wall. The dining space is too small for our growing family.

Our kid's rooms are very small. Well really, all our rooms are small except for our great room. The great room is 20' x 20' which has proven to be just perfect. But, now that our kids have kids, the whole house seems tiny when everyone comes home.

For the past 25+ years, I have tried to find something to hang in the space above our entertainment center. I tried several things over the years and nothing looked good there. I've hung photos, paintings, textiles, shelves, and various other things there, but nothing ever suited me.

Then, a few weeks ago, I started seeing some Pottery Barn inspired wreaths that were made out of the pages of old books. I saw several different styles on numerous crafty blogs and decided that I wanted to make one of my own. I chose this one from Lee La La because she had an easy-to-follow tutorial.

This wreath cost me absolutely nothing. I used an old paperback book that we got from my husband's grandparents' house. We saved it merely because it was old and looked aged. The print was actually in Czech, which was kind of interesting. It was some kind of Catholic almanac, but had no value other than sentimental.

Cardboard, pencil, scissors, glue gun, hatbox lid (for tracing a circle) ribbon for hanging, and book (I only used the smaller one on the right).

Close-up of the finished product.

Here's how it looks above the entertainment center. I love it!

I was so pleased with how the wreath came out. Katy liked it too and I had enough supplies left from the one book to make a second wreath, so she has one hanging in her dining room. It looks great there too.

I'm not going to re-write the instructions from Lindsay's tutorial. Go over to Lee La La and use her's. They're perfect!

The Class of 2015

2011-08-24T14:06:00.000-05:00

This week, Grams has been enjoying lots of Facebook posts of kids on the first day of school. Those are always some of my favorite photos. They remind me of my daughter's first day of school back in 1984. We had done all the recommended things to make sure the day went well. We had taken her to the school to meet her teacher and principal. She toured the school and talked about how it would be to move from day care to school. We reviewed the procedure for being picked up after school. In short, we thought everything would be fine. We were ready. She was not!

On the first day of school we paused at our front door and snapped a picture, which her brother insisted on joining her in. As usual, we were running late. We arrived on campus and I walked her to the classroom only to be re-directed to the cafeteria. The one thing they didn't tell us when we toured the school was that all students gather in the cafeteria every morning and are then dismissed to their classrooms when the teacher comes to pick them up.

That morning, that cafeteria was crowded and extremely noisy, not at all a place my quiet and somewhat timid daughter found appealing. Even to me, it seemed like controlled chaos. As soon as she heard the noise, she latched on to me and would not let go. And ... she started crying. I stayed with her until the teacher arrived to move them to the classroom, thinking it would help. And, I will point out here that I was not the only mom who stayed. The teacher tried to take her hand and soothe her. She was having none of it. The more I tried to separate, the tighter she held on and the louder she screamed. By the time I finally tore myself away, the teacher was physically restraining her by holding her around the chest as she clutched at the air screaming "Mommie, mommie, mommie!" Needless to say I cried all the way to work that day. This same scene was repeated daily for almost two weeks, until I finally felt comfortable just dropping her off with the staff at the front of the school.

For years afterward, other Moms would come up to me and comment about how difficult that day was. Someone actually came up to me at her graduation and said, "I remember your daughter on the first day of school." I just smiled and nodded. Little did I know that a few months later I would be the one who wanted to latch on and cry when I left her in her first college apartment.

This time of year also brings one of my other favorite things, Beloit College's Mindset List. They compile this list every year to help their faculty understand and relate to the incoming class of freshmen. Here are a few facts from the Mindset List for the Class of 2015.

Ferris Bueller and Sloane Peterson could have been their parents.
They have no memory of George Herbert Walker Bush being president.
To "swipe" doesn't mean to shoplift, it's something you do with a credit card.
"Don't touch that dial" has no meaning for them, but they know "Yadda, yadda, yadda."
They may think that LBJ stands for LeBron James.
There has never been an official communist party in Russia.
Arnold Palmer is a drink, not a golfer.
As infants, they were put to bed on their backs, not their tummies.
Sears has never sold anything out of a big catalog.
They grew up wanting to be like Shaq or Kobe and they probably don't know who Michael Jordan is.
When they were 3, their parents probably stood in a very long line to buy them a Tickle Me Elmo.
There have always been altar girls in the Catholic church.

The entire list is 75 items long. These are just a few that stand out for me. I think it's fascinating to watch the progression of each year's class as the world evolves and pop culture changes. I also like to think about how different the world will be for my Grands. I wrote about that here.

And, since the beginning of school always makes me think it should be autumn, I thought I would share our local forecast with you. I copied it from KRIS-TV. As you can see, we're going from merely hot to "scorching." I'm sure wishing this long, hot summer would be over.

I just keep telling myself that next winter when y'all are all covered in snow and ice, we'll be enjoying 70 and 80 degree weather. It's a trade off.

Updates on Grandad, the Grand-Girls, and Etsy

2011-08-21T18:19:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday afternoon. Grandad is playing "Words With Friends" on his new HTC Evo Shift phone while relaxing in his recliner. We both made the switch to smart phones this summer and we're both addicted to "Words With Friends." If you play, hit me up for a game. My name is "v2valenta." I've just finished watching The American President on television. It's one of my all-time favorite movies. I've seen it many times and I still love it.

Grandad is finishing up his last week of wearing a 30-day heart monitor to verify that he is no longer going into atrial fibrillation. He is still experiencing symptoms several times a week which include tightness in his chest, shortness of breath, profuse sweating, and extreme fatigue. However, several months ago when he last wore a monitor, he did not go into a-fib a single time during that 30 day period, in spite of experiencing those same symptoms. The electrophysiologist believes that these symptoms may be caused by another problem that has not yet been detected. So, on September 13, Grandad will have a nuclear stress test to see if they can find anything else.

The granddaughters are growing like crazy. Her Highness is big enough for her baby doorway jumper and she loves it. She started day care this week for the first time when her dad went back to teaching high school English after a summer of taking care of the girls. She did not seem to take right to day care and had a rough few days. You may remember that I told you she wants to be held all the time. This is still the case, and the day care ladies said she cried a large part of the day. But by the end of the week she was doing better and seemed to be adjusting.

Our Little Princess is also getting big really fast. She's big enough now to enjoy arts and crafts. She loves going to day care and spending time with all the other kids. She made the necklace that she's wearing here.

I've been busy sewing. I have an entry in the WholePort Creativity Expo. Voting is a two-step process. First you have to "like" WholePort on Facebook. Then you have to look at the entries and vote for mine by clicking "like" on the picture. Here's what my entry looks like. I would really appreciate your vote. The ten winners will each get a $50 certificate for craft supplies from WholePort. Voting is open through the end of the month.

I also made this kimono-style dress for Our Little Princess. I'm very proud of it. I think it's one of the best I've done so far.

I took two outfits for each of the girls when I visited them a couple of weeks ago. But, since I didn't take photos of the other two, I'll have to show them to you another day. I've asked Katy to send me photos of both of them.

And I have some fairly big news to share with you. For several years now, friends and family have been encouraging me to sell my homemade items. So I've been thinking about it for a while now and I've decided to take the plunge. I'm going to open an Etsy shop. I'm working on getting some stock made and I'm hoping to open it around Labor Day. I wasn't really planning to announce it yet, but Katy told all our Facebook friends yesterday, so I thought I would let my readers know today. I'll be starting out with dresses and clothing for little girls and the summer-weight cotton baby blankets that I've been making for years. I'm hoping to eventually add some items for little boys. You are also likely to see a variety of other crafty items like wreaths and such from time to time. Basically, whatever I feel like making.

School starts tomorrow, so I'll be back to my substitute teaching gig, probably by the end of the week. The best part of substitute teaching is that I'll have lots of down time. I will be the first to admit that it's been a long summer with no income from me. It's still a few years until I'll be old enough to start drawing on my retirement. If I can get a little income from sewing and crafting, which I love to do, maybe next summer will go a little easier.

Watch this space for an official announcement about the opening of my Etsy shop. It won't be more than a couple of weeks.

It's still unbearably hot and dry here in South Texas. We don't really expect a change in the weather until around the first of October. We've got a very busy autumn coming up with family reunions on both sides of the family, the family golf tournament and our annual Valenta wive's day out. I'll keep you informed. I hope you've had a great summer and that your fall is cool and colorful.

Grams Camp

2011-08-17T16:26:00.002-05:00

Last week, Grandad and Grams enjoyed a 4-day visit from Our Little Princess. She's been to stay with us before, but that has usually been for the convenience of her parents, usually because they needed babysitting services. This was a purely recreational visit which I hope will lead up to an annual week-long "Grams Camp." What I envision is that one week every summer, all of our grandchildren will visit and spend a week just doing fun things with Grams and Pop-Pop.

We were in San Antonio for Grams' reunion with old friends, so it was convenient to bring her back home when we came home on Sunday. Honestly, since she's 2-1/2 years old now, I expected some separation anxiety and some crying for her mama, especially at bedtime. I was pleasantly surprised that there was none of that. We kept up her routine of taking her bath, drinking her milk, reading a story, and going to bed and had very few problems getting her to bed. The last night she was here we did have a bit of a problem. She Skyped with her mom and dad just before bedtime and then she cried for them and didn't want to go to bed, but after I rocked her for a while she finally settled down.

Grandad was working in the daytime, so she and I mostly just played at home. We're still dealing with a terrible drought here in South Texas and it's way too hot to let her play outside. By Monday afternoon we were ready to get out of the house and I had to water my plants. I took her out in the front yard with me and when I unrolled the water hose, she wanted to play in the water. So like the white trash neighbors that everyone loves, I just stripped her down to her panties and handed her the hose. You're only two years old once.

On Tuesday Grandad took the day off and we all spent the day at the Texas State Aquarium which is located on Corpus Christi Beach. It's been years since we went there and I must say, it's so much more fun with a little one. Plus they've added a water play area that just opened this year. Needless to say, she loved that. Her favorite part was definitely the water park, followed closely by the Nemo tank. As always, I love the jellyfish tanks. For such nasty little stinging creatures, they sure are beautiful.

Just before we finally took her to the splash park, we took a trip to dolphin bay. It's beautiful and a fun place to take pictures. This is my favorite from the entire day.

She had so much fun at the Splash Park. She absolutely loved it. I walked around with her trying to stay dry since I didn't have my swimsuit. Needless to say, some of the big kids thought it was fun to get me wet.

She had so much fun at the aquarium. This is what she looked like as soon as we got in the car. Seriously, we were not even out of the parking lot yet. You may notice that we also acquired one sparkly pink stuffed sea turtle.

Wednesday, we stayed home except for a short trip to HEB. Then by Thursday afternoon, we were a little bit stir crazy and had to get out of the house. With the temperatures in the upper 90s, it was too hot to go to the park and I can't stand McDonalds. So the two of us went to the mall. We road the train, which at $5 per person for a very short ride is too expensive. Then we went to the play area and finished up with a cookie. La Palmera Mall has a very nice play area for children 5 years old and under. That makes it pretty safe with no big kids running around. And, I must say, she played really well with other kids.

We thoroughly enjoyed having Our Little Princess come for a visit. I'm hoping to make it a summer tradition to have all the grandchildren for a week every summer. Time will tell whether we have them all together or a few at a time.

"Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children." – Alex Haley

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2011-08-16T00:55:00.001-05:00

Grams was one of those students who always dreaded the first day of school because every year the teacher had us write that essay "What I Did On My Summer Vacation." The problem was, we never took a summer vacation. While my friends went to Disneyland, Disney World, New York City, etc., we always went to the exact same place. Every June, as soon as school was out dad took his two week vacation we drove eight hours to North East Texas to visit my grandparents.

My grandparents lived about 30 minutes apart. So during the two weeks were were there we spent plenty of time at both places. Granny, my paternal grandmother, lived way off the beaten path in a tiny house nestled in the piney woods. My maternal grandparents lived near Lake Texarkana (it's now called Lake Wright Patman) where my Grandaddy ran a bait shop.

Those summer visits were so routine for us, that I didn't realize then what wonderful getaway vacations they actually were. There was lots of time for us to just do nothing, which I now know is what my parents loved about it. There was also lots of time to visit with the myriad of aunts, uncles, and cousins who lived nearby. Daddy usually went fishing at least once, which I know he loved.

This summer, we used our vacation budget to go to my niece Andrea's wedding in North Carolina. I've already written about the wedding here. But as long as we were in North Carolina, it was a must to take a side trip over to Asheville to see the Biltmore Estate.

I've seen the Biltmore Estate on television for years and wanted to visit the house that's described as America's largest house. When they call it that, they're not kidding. I knew it was big, but really I had no idea how humongous it is. Seriously, it's bigger than most hotels. Think about it ... 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. There's a swimming pool, bowling alley, and gymnasium in the basement. In addition, the basement also has servant's quarters, kitchens, pantries, walk-in refrigerators, guest quarters, changing rooms, and even unused rooms.

Sadly, I have no beautiful photographs of the interior of the home to share with you, because photography is not allowed. Only a small portion of the home is open to visitors. The family has not lived there since the late 1950's so much of the home has fallen into disrepair and is not safe for tourists. But let me just tell you that it's HUGE. Even the parts that are open to tourists are unbelievably large. I knew the Vanderbilt family was wealthy, but until I saw the Biltmore Estate, I had no concept of how wealthy they were. It was so big that I got tired of walking through it long before we finished the tour. Their website has a short video that shows some of the rooms that are open to the public. I was very interested the displays they had that show how they are recreating the fabrics and wallpapers that were original to the house. They are beautiful and I wish I had photos to show you, but here are some exterior photos that will give you some idea of its grandeur.

After touring the house, we moved on to the gardens where I was able to take pictures. The gardens are spectacular. They were my favorite part of the visit. The house is surrounded by a huge grassy lawn, but the rest of the estate is all gardens and forests. We were very interested to hear that, when the house was built, the entire property was clear cut and all the trees were planted. The forest is beautiful and was amazing to this coastal plains girl. The knowledge that the estate was planned right down to the trees in the surrounding forest really made me understand what an undertaking the Biltmore Estate was and how much attention to detail there was.

I've never seen such beautiful gardens. These photos are from the "walled garden." The prevailing scent when we were there was lavender which I love. I could have just sat in the garden and smelled the lavender forever.

We also enjoyed the rose garden which was also in beautiful bloom. As you can see, some of the rose bushes where as tall as me.

If you have the opportunity to visit Biltmore you should definitely go. But be prepared to walk a lot. Lots of stair climbing is also required. There is an elevator available inside the house, but it's very small and you'll have to wait in line for it. Even the gardens are up and down flights of stairs (not just a few steps). We were all exhausted from the stairs and the walking.

So, unlike the vacations that my parents took us on, this vacation was in no way relaxing. It took about a week for my knees to stop hurting from the stairs. But Biltmore House really is something to see. I had no idea what the term "gilded age" really meant until I saw this house.

On the day after the wedding, we arrived in Greenville a couple of hours early for our return flight. We decided that we should venture into Greenville and find something good to eat to finish off our trip to the deep south. We searched for nearby restaurants using our navigation system. We knew that Carolina barbecue has a reputation for being different from Texas barbecue so we chose a barbecue place that was highly rated on the navigation system.

The Tom-Tom directed us to Smokin' Stokes. It's such a small place that we drove right past it and had to turn around and go back and look for it. It was kind of funny that once we got there, they offered "Texas beef." The barbecue was excellent. I tried their Cheerwine Barbecue Sauce which was really good. Apparantly Cheerwine is a burgundy red soft drink that's made in North Carolina. The one thing we found consistently everywhere we ate in North or South Carolina is that you have to order your iced tea unsweetened or you automatically get Carolina Sweet Tea. The owners greeted us, took our orders, and served our barbecue. These guys learned to barbecue on the contest circuit. It was delicious. If you're ever in Greenville, SC find this place and eat some Carolina style barbecue. It was the perfect way to end our trip.

Reconnecting With The Friends Of My Youth

2011-08-14T22:51:00.001-05:00

Grams graduated from Corpus Christi's W. B. Ray High School in 1972. That means, next year my high school graduating class will hold its 40 year reunion. Now, I love the idea of a reunion. The thought of getting together with old friends and ~~rehashing the way things used to be~~ reminiscing appeals to me. But the reality of such a reunion just didn't work out for me. I've only been to one of my high school reunions. That was in 1982 when we gathered for our 10 year reunion. The class of '72 at Ray HS was huge -- several hundred students. I had few friends who were actually in my class. The few kids from school that I ran with were a year older than me, so they were not at the reunion that I attended. Very few of my friends were there.

The reunion committee did a great job planning activities for the entire weekend. The class met at a local barbecue place for dinner on Friday night, there was a family picnic at noon on Saturday, and then a dinner and dance on Saturday night. In 1982, Grandad and I had two small children and not much money. We spent what was at the time a significant amount of money to attend. About halfway through the weekend, I realized that I had wasted that money. These were not my friends. These were not the people I wanted to see again and I was not having a good time. I turned to my husband and said something like "I didn't even like these people in high school. What am I doing here?" Needless to say, we've never been back to another reunion.

When I realized that my 40 year reunion would be next year, I started thinking about it and realized that there is actually a group of people that I would like to see again. I was privileged to belong to a church youth group that was very active and very close. There was a core group of about 50 kids with another 25-50 who came and went over the years. These were the kids that I ran with.

I remember feeling like ~~all~~ most teenagers feel with the kids at school. You know the feelings -- not good enough, not smart enough, not wealthy enough, not pretty enough, and so on. But, with this large group of teenagers at church, I don't ever remember feeling that way. For the most part, we were all accepting of each other. We went to summer camp together, we hung out in the youth room at church several times a week, we dated each other, we took summer mission trips together, and generally we spent a lot of time together. I don't ever remember anyone being alienated, bullied, or treated badly. Everyone was welcomed with open arms.

Don't get me wrong, we were kids.We did the same things all kids do ... we rolled houses, we drove too fast, we went parking, we got into mischief, but the important thing is we liked each other and we were open and accepting to new kids in the group. Now, 40 years later, I realize how rare and wonderful that group was and how fortunate I was to belong to such a group.

This youth group was part of Morgan Avenue Baptist Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, which no longer exists. But thanks to Facebook, several of us have gotten back in touch. We started kicking around the idea of a reunion for the MABC Youth Group of the 1960s and 1970s. We spent a few months tracking down as many of our old friends as we could. Then last Saturday, we met in San Antonio for a 3 hour reunion. We ate, we talked, we reminisced, we took pictures and we even sang. It was a blessing. We were also delighted to be joined by Scotty & Thelda Jefferies who were two of our adult leaders. They are the couple seated on the front row.

We're making plans to get together again next year, possibly in Corpus Christi. In the meantime, we'll be working on tracking down a few more of the people from that youth group. Next year we're going to include the entire church membership in our reunion.

If you are a former member of Morgan Avenue Baptist Church, there is an alumni group on Facebook that you should join. The name of the group is Morgan Avenue Baptist Church alums. Nancy Kay Rodman Smith is the group moderator. Nancy also maintains an email distribution list for former members of MABC that is separate from Facebook. If you would like to be included on that list email Nancy at nkrsmith(at)gmail(dot)com.

I can truly say that the years I spent as part of the youth group at Morgan Avenue Baptist Church were wonderful. Every child should have friends like that and adults who care and set such a good example. These people helped make me the person I am today. I am so happy to once again be in touch with these old friends.

Morgan Avenue Baptist Church may no longer exist as a place or a building, but it is alive and well in the friends of my youth.

Grams Made Slow Cooked Moroccan Chicken

2011-07-28T20:08:00.000-05:00

Grandad has been on the South Beach Diet for just over two weeks now. I'm not complaining. I've lost eight pounds. It's a great eating plan and, mostly, I don't mind it. But the first two weeks are very restrictive when it comes to carbohydrates. That means for the past couple of weeks I haven't been cooking any of my usual rice, orzo, ziti, capellini, sweet potatoes, or potatoes of any kind, etc. You get the idea.

Taking those items completely out of my cooking severely limits my meal planning. As of today, he is officially through the two-week induction period of the diet so now I can slowly begin adding a limited amount of healthy carbohydrates back to our meals.

One of the emails I subscribe to is a Healthy Recipes publication from Better Homes and Gardens. As luck would have it, yesterday's edition had a recipe for Slow-Cooked Moroccan Chicken. It looked really good to me and pretty healthy. I will admit that it was a little unconventional. Yes, it has carrots and chicken cooked with ~~dried plums~~ prunes. I was afraid that Grandad would balk, but he said he was game to try it. I put it in the crock pot about mid morning and it cooked for 10 hours on low. It smelled wonderful all day long. I served it over brown rice with a side of sauteed yellow squash and onions. It was as good as it smelled.

The original recipe called for eight bone-in chicken thighs. I substituted four boneless, skinless chicken breasts because Grandad doesn't eat dark meat.

Slow Cooked Moroccan Chicken

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (½ cup)
8 oz. baby carrots with tops, trimmed, or baby carrots, halved lengthwise if large
½ cup pitted dried plums (prunes)
1 14-oz. can reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1¼ teaspoons curry powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker combine onion and carrots. Add plums and broth. Top with chicken. In a small bowl combine curry powder, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over chicken.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Remove chicken, fruit, and vegetables from cooker with a slotted spoon. Spoon some of the cooking juices on each serving. Makes 4 servings.

Be brave ... try this recipe. You won't regret it. It's delicious!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-27T22:21:00.002-05:00

Sisters

Corpus Christi, Go See The Producers!

2011-07-25T13:31:00.001-05:00

Grandad and Grams spent Saturday evening at the Aurora Arts Theater. Their current production is The Producers ... and it's great!

I'll confess right up front that I am a huge fan of live theater ... particularly of musical theater. I also embrace local theater. I think there are a lot of talented people who work for a living and I love seeing them shine in local theater.

We've been to several shows at the Aurora over the past couple of years. It's an intimate, 100-seat theater. Some shows have been better than others. But we've enjoyed every one of them. It's great entertainment for a really good price.

The Producers features an exceptionally strong cast. Right from the beginning when The Usherettes open the first act with a strong performance of "It's Opening Night" to the end when the entire cast closes with "Goodbye," this show is funny and entertaining.

Standouts for me were Michael Mora, whose performance as Max Bialystock is spot on, and Peter Lopez, who is riotously funny as Roger De Bris. Both deliver strong performances, sing beautifully, and have impeccable comic timing.

Holly Crowley is beaming as Ulla. Her smile and her voice absolutely light up the stage. Travis Jordan as Leopold Blum is believably young and naive. And Jordan Bruster is hilarious in the role of Carmen Ghia. Ian Schoolcraft's performance as Franz Liebkind was funny. He brings a larger than life personality to the role that actually makes a Nazi charming. And the "little old lady chorus" cracked me up with their precision walker routine.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Charlie Chapa, who is making his stage debut at the Aurora. Charlie, who is very convincing in the role of Mr. Marks, has stepped into a leadership role to keep the Aurora Theater up and running after the sudden death earlier this year of his brother, Eddie Chapa.

The entire cast of The Producers is delightful and their performances are strong. Kudos to Director Patrick Crowley, and to Choreographer Carolyn Atwood, who did an exceptional job of staging this "big" musical production in the Aurora's small space. The Aurora sets and scene changes always fascinate me. You've got to see it to believe it. They do a lot with a little.

The Producers runs weekends until September 4; Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $14 with reduced prices for seniors, students and military. You definitely should go see The Producers. As I said earlier, we've seen several productions at this theater. With each production, this local theater group is getting better and better.

If you are one of those people who says "there's nothing to do in Corpus Christi," I have a message for you. There is a lot to do in Corpus Christi! Stop complaining and get out and DO SOMETHING! If you don't know what to do check out Joe Hilliard's web site 40 Things To Do in Corpus Christi.

Photos are from a flash mob performance at La Palmera. You can catch the flash mob performance on YouTube.

The Space Age Has Been the Time of My Life

2011-07-21T13:03:00.003-05:00

When Grams was born in 1954 the space age was in it's infancy. I grew up with America's space program. I was seven years old when President Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon within the decade. I remember when Alan Shepherd became the first American in space and when John Glenn became the first American to actually orbit the earth.

The names Gemini, Mercury, and Apollo were synonymous with exploration, adventure, excitement, and the advancement of America. And while we soared with accomplishment there were hardships and sacrifices along the way.

I was amazed when Edward White of Gemini 4 walked in space. That was 1965 and I was 11 years old.

I remember coming home from school in 1967 to learn that Gus Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee had died in a fire on the launchpad while rehearsing the launch of Apollo 1. I was 12 years old.

It was Christmas in 1968 when Apollo 8 became the first flight to actually break free of the earth's orbit. They sent beautiful pictures of planet earth along with Christmas greetings on the mission that orbited the moon for the first time. I was 14 that Christmas and was especially moved to hear the crew read the beginning of the book of Genesis from space. Go here to see and hear it yourself.

Just a year later, I sat on the living room floor with family and friends and watched a live television broadcast from the moon as President Kennedy's challenge was met. There were easily a dozen people crowded around that 19" television. We watched silently with anticipation and pride. We cheered when Neil Armstrong took that monumental first step. We heard him speak the words that still ring through history "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." That was July 20, 1969 and I was 15 years old. I distinctly remember walking outside that night and looking at the moon as it hung in the night sky. It has never seemed the same to me since Neil Armstrong took those steps.

For my generation, every single launch was an event worthy of celebration and national pride. There were only three television networks back then, but all three of them preempted programming for every launch and splashdown.

In 1970, the entire nation held it's collective breath when Apollo 13 was almost lost. The mission had to be aborted when the module was damaged by an explosion. Jack Swigert reported "Houston, we've had a problem." From April 14, when the problem was reported, until April 17, when the module splashed down, we watched and listened with morbid fascination, wondering if there was going to be yet another tragedy. Their safe return was a huge accomplishment and the nation was relieved. The crew of Apollo 13 received the Presidential Medal for Freedom from President Nixon in 1970.

The idea of space exploration has never lost it's mystique for me. If there was a television nearby, I watched every launch, splashdown, and landing. We got a close up view of the Space Shuttle Enterprise at the Louisiana World Exposition in 1984. As of September 2010, only 518 people had flown in space. I actually got to meet and talk with one of them. I met Astronaut (and now NASA Administrator) Charles Bolden when he came to Corpus Christi to speak at a United Way luncheon.

When researching for this post, I realized that the first space shuttle flight took place six months before my son was born. He'll be thirty years old in November. For him, spacecraft have always landed like airplanes. He never saw astronauts emerge from a module that was floating in the ocean and then be lifted out to the deck of a U.S. Navy ship.

In 1983, I was 29 years old, when the space program reached two big milestones. In June of that year, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. And in August of the same year, Guion Bluford became the first African-American in space. The flight of Sally Ride really struck home with me. She proved without question that women really could do anything men could do. The sky was NOT the limit! When these two joined the elite ranks of people who had been to space, in my opinion, the civil rights movement had succeeded and truly anything became possible.

I was watching when the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated on liftoff. I saw the unusual smoke pattern or vapor trail and thought it was odd. But I didn't understand right away what I had seen. As the news coverage continued and it became clear what had happened, I was heartbroken. I knew my children were watching in school that day in anticipation of a lesson from space by teacher Christa McAuliffe. I knew I would have to explain this tragedy in words that my third grade daughter could understand. The year was 1986 and I was 33 years old.

I had just turned on the television on the morning of February 1, 2003 when I heard that Mission Control had not been able to re-establish communication with the Space Shuttle Columbia after their re-entry into the earth's atmosphere. Then I heard that the vehicle had broken up and the entire crew was lost. I was packing for our first cruise that morning. I was 49 years old. Later that week, we sailed from Galveston. In traveling to the ship, we drove right past the main entrance to NASA and witnessed the huge gathering of media there for a memorial service.

I've been wowed by photos taken by the Hubble Telescope. I've been amazed at the length of time individuals have remained aboard the International Space Station. By the way, the record for longest continuous stay in space is held by Russian Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov who spent 437 days, 17 hours and 58 minutes in orbit from January 8, 1994 till March 22, 1995.

Many items that we take for granted are by-products of the space program. Such everyday items as hand-held vacuums, smoke detectors, foam insulation, cordless power tools, water filters, and light emitting diodes (LED) are all items developed by or for the space program. Products like Tang and Velcro, which have long been associated with the space program, were not actually developed for the space program but were used by it.

Scratch resistant lenses are possible because NASA needed the technology for helmet visors. Memory foam and temper foam were developed to ease the impact of re-entry. Infrared ear thermometers that take baby's temperature in the ear are possible because of NASA's need to measure heat in space. Athletic shoes use NASA technology to put that spring in the insoles and provide shock absorption. Modern telecommunication is the direct result of NASA and their satellites. Smoke and gas detectors were developed for Skylab. NASA was the first to experiment with safety grooving of concrete to remove water from landing surfaces making it safer. We use it on highways for the same water removal.

The need for small computers was driven by the space program. That led to the development of micro-chips and laptops. Prior to that, computers took up entire rooms.

Many advancements in medical technology have resulted from the space program. CAT scanners and MRI technology are both results of technology that was developed for lunar imaging. Invisible braces are a by-product of NASA's ceramics research.

Mammograms are more precise and breast imaging is safer as a result of NASA video imaging. Solar cells (used on spacecraft) have been coupled with X-ray imaging to reduce radiation exposure for patients.

Robotic microsurgery and laparoscopic surgery resulted from micro-technology originally developed for the space program. Cardiac devices, telemetry, angioplasty, the use of catheters and lasers in heart surgery have all been improved and enhanced by space program technology.

So when I woke up this morning and tuned my television to The Today Show, I saw video of the Space Shuttle Atlantis landing for the last time at the Kennedy Space Center. I am 57 years old. Not only did I grow up with America's space program, I've grown old with it. The end of the American manned space program is sad. What will drive the development of important technology? What will fuel our need to explore and expand? I can't help but feel melancholy. The Space Age has truly been the time of my life.

Sources
Space.com
NPR
NASA
Lunar and Planetary Institute
Hubble Site

All photos from NASA web site.

Grams Made Black Olive Hummus

2011-07-18T22:17:00.001-05:00

Grams has been taking care of Her Highness since Thursday while her family went camping. She has been the best baby! She wakes up happy and smiling every morning. She laughs and plays most of the day. She rarely cries. The only exception to that no crying has been bath-time. I have only bathed her every other day. I tried the bathtub, the kitchen sink, and the bathroom sink. She screamed every time! I'm talking about blood-curdling, murderous-sounding screams.

My next-door neighbor brought her the cute little dress that she's wearing in this picture. Sorry about the quality of the photo. I took it with my cell phone and no flash. I can get a better picture quality if I use the flash, but when it flashes, she bugs her eyes out and it looks pretty funny.

Meantime, Grandad has been dieting. He was not happy with his weight when they weighed him at the doctor's office last week so he's put himself on South Beach Diet. When he came home tonight he brought the ingredients for hummus which will be his afternoon snack, along with celery. It's super simple to make and delicious, so I thought I would share the recipe with you. Most hummus is made with tahini (sesame paste) which is challenging to find and a little bit pricey. This one uses a little extra olive oil in place of the tahini. My recipes uses twice the amount of chickpeas called for in most recipes. I actually like it better without the tahini.

Black Olive Hummus

½ cup pitted Kalamata olives packed in Cabernet
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil

Drain olives and reserve Cabernet.

Place all ingredients except oil and Cabernet in food processor and pulse until a paste forms.

Turn food processor on and drizzle in olive slowly to achieve desired texture. Add a couple of teaspoons of the reserved Cabernet if it needs further thinning.

Store in refrigerator.

NOTE: If you can't find Kalamata olives packed in Cabernet, just use any Kalamata olives and drizzle in some water instead of Cabernet if you need to thin the hummus.

This is really good served with pita chips, but for a lower carbohydrate treat, serve with celery or carrots.

News from the Medical Front

2011-07-14T14:18:00.001-05:00

Grams and Grandad spent most of the last week in Houston. It was time for Grandad's six-month follow-up visit with his electro-physiologist and Nick was also having some medical tests. Grams was along for cooking and driving.

In the six months since his last cardiac ablation, Grandad wore a cardiac monitor which sent data about his heart rate and rhythm to the cardiologist. The doctor reported that, during that 30-day period, there was not one instance of atrial fibrillation (A-fib). There were a few times when his heart had irregular rhythm in the lower chamber, but not significant and not related to the A-fib.

That's excellent news ... but ... it does not explain Grandad's continuing issues with shortness of breath and tightness in his chest. These have been happening with increasing frequency for the past month or so. They are severe enough to limit physical activity. When they happen, he has to stop what he's doing and sit down or lay down.

After some in-depth discussion, Dr. Rahsek agreed that those may be side effects of Multaq, the medication that regulates the heart rhythm. He instructed Grandad to stop the Multaq at once and see if the symptoms go away after a week to 10 days. Then, Grandad will once again wear a 30-day heart monitor to insure that his A-fib does not return. If it doesn't, he will be released by Dr. Rahsek.

He also instructed Grandad to go back to his local cardiologist and request a new stress test. The last stress test he had was five years ago, before his initial heart surgery. The symptoms he's experiencing could be yet another different problem with his heart or it could just be side effects from the Multaq. Time will tell.

As for Nick's medical issues, he has been complaining for some time now that when he swallows he feels "something in his throat." The results of the tests he had on Friday were good. He has GIRD (gastro intestinal reflux disorder) that has caused some minor damage to his esophagus and larynx. Those problems will go away with treatment of the reflux. That part should be fine with continued treatment. During the testing to identify that problem, they discovered a growth on Nick's thyroid which will need to be biopsied. After preliminary examination by an endocrinologist, the doctor is "concerned" and has scheduled a biopsy for next week. Marie is home for the next few weeks, so I won't have to go back to Houston for these tests.

On the bright side, I'm enjoying a 5-6 day visit from Her Highness. Her family will be camping for the next few days, so we picked her up yesterday evening and will have her until Monday or Tuesday. She slept from 11 p.m. last night until after 10 a.m. and she's napping again now. It's my Grams super power ... I'm able to make babies sleep. It's a gift.

Luckily, I'm a "glass half full" kind of girl when it comes to medical issues. I choose to think everything will eventually be okay for both of the men in my life. I just can't look at it any other way.

July 4th

2011-07-05T14:11:00.000-05:00

Grams and Grandad had a quiet 4th of July. I'm living on memories of our fantastic trip to Boston last July. In fact, my cousin Rita and her family are there this week. I've been living vicariously through her Facebook posts. I often think about going back to Boston, but there are so many other places to go that I don't know if we will or not. We've never been to the West Coast, so maybe next summer calls for that. Time will tell.

We live in a suburb of Corpus Christi. Between Calallen, where we live, and downtown Corpus Christi is an industrial area of the Port of Corpus Christi. We drive right past several oil and gas refineries and all the supporting industries. We can see the ships in the turning basin and the ship channel off to the North. It's so normal to us that we don't even notice them most of the time. But since September 11th, all of the crane companies do a little something special along the highway on all the patriotic holidays. Yesterday evening on the drive in to see the fireworks I snapped a few photos that I want to share with you. They were taken at dusk from my car which Grandad was driving down the interstate at 70 mph, so they're not great photos, but I think you'll get the idea. The flags look kind of normal sized in the photos, but in reality they are enormous. It's a very moving site.

Because of the extreme drought, many places in Texas had to cancel their annual 4th of July fireworks shows. In Corpus Christi our shows are held over the Corpus Christi Bay, so there is very little danger of fire. There is always a nice ocean breeze so even when the weather is hot, it's comfortable outdoors in the evening. Plus, the seawall is actually a series of steps down to the water, which makes it a perfect place to gather and watch the fireworks. The fireworks are shot off of the deck of the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay and they're sponsored by H-E-B Grocery Company. I shot the fireworks photos with my new cell phone which is an HTC Evo Shift. It takes pretty good pictures and it shoots significantly faster than my Canon Power Shot. It wasn't the Boston Pops with fireworks, but it was enjoyable. I think it's pretty cool that you can see the ship in the pictures when the fireworks light up the night.

Here's my favorite photo from the 4th of July. It was taken at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio. Their fireworks were cancelled due to the risk of fire, but the family festival went on as planned. Katy reported that there was almost no one there. More fun for Our Little Princess.

However you chose to celebrate (or not), I hope you had a great 4th of July.

Let Freedom Ring

2011-07-04T15:53:00.001-05:00

Grams and Grandad are celebrating at home this Independence Day. Last year we spent the week leading up to July 4th in Boston. It ranks among my favorite vacations ever. On July 4th, we spent the entire day in the park waiting to see and hear the Boston Pops and the fireworks over the river. It was fabulous!

Faces in the crowd from Boston 2010

This year we're having a small shrimp boil at home. Then we're heading down to the Corpus Christi Bayfront for the fireworks. Corpus Christi is one of the few areas in Texas where the fireworks show has not been cancelled due to the drought. It's not that we're not in the drought area, but our fireworks are shot from the deck of the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay over Corpus Christi Bay. Therefore the danger of fire is minimal.

As the sun goes down tonight, we'll be sitting somewhere along the seawall enjoying the sea breeze and waiting for the fireworks which start at 9:30.

Corpus Christi Seawall

It may not quite measure up to the Boston Pops and the Fireworks Spectacular, but it should be an enjoyable evening.

While you're celebrating today, don't forget that freedom is not free. Here in Corpus Christi this afternoon, the Patriot Guard is standing along the street leading to the Corpus Christi Airport. They are there to welcome home the body of Marine Cpl. Mark Goyet of Sinton, Texas. Cpl. Goyet and his family made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I think it's suitable to welcome him home on this day.

Photo by Jim Reaves

I saw the Patriot Guard a few months ago when they provided an honor guard for another fallen marine from a neighboring community. It's a very moving site to see.

However you celebrate Independence Day, I hope it's spectacular!

The Grams Effect

2011-07-02T22:03:00.000-05:00

Last week while traveling to North Carolina, Grams and Grandad flew in and out of the San Antonio airport. One of the big disadvantages of living in Corpus Christi is that, almost everywhere you fly to and from requires an extra "hop" to get to Corpus Christi. Since we were flying on Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, we opted to drive to San Antonio. It saved us a couple of hundred dollars. That's the down side. The up side is that Our Little Princess and Her Highness live in San Antonio, so we get to see them both coming and going. BONUS!

Our return flight didn't get to San Antonio until 11:30 p.m. so we spent the night at their house. Katy then asked if we could hang around the next day and watch the girls while Travis repaired their washing machine. Hmm ... let me think ... spend the day playing with my Grands. I think I can work that into my schedule.

I spent the morning happily holding babies, reading books, and playing games. It was glorious. Katy had a break in her appointments so she came home at lunch. We all went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Then Katy had to go back to work and we went back to the house. That's where the plan went wrong. Our Little Princess saw her mommy driving away and went into meltdown mode in the front yard. I coaxed and prodded her for a few minutes. But, since it was somewhere around 100 degrees, my patience didn't last long so I manhandled her into the house, locked the front door, and let her continue with her crying and rolling around on the floor. I just left her in the front room and went about my business. Let me just say that she is a champion. She went on and on for quite a long time. Every time I would go back to check on her, she would start over again. After while it got quiet, so I tiptoed in and this is what I found. She had cried herself to sleep wanting her mommy. I decided that it would be best just to let her sleep right there.

Meanwhile, Her Highness started crying in the adjoining room. I picked her up and tried to calm her down. After a while I gave her a bottle and burped her and this is what came next.

This little one loves to be cuddled. Every time I hold her close and cuddle up with her, she goes right to sleep.

Katy says I have a magic touch with putting them to sleep. I just call it the Grams effect. It wasn't feeling so magic that day. But we left both the babies sleeping and headed home. We love to travel, but it's always good to be home.