Hope Springs Eternal

Grams is not going to review 2010. I've already done that in my Christmas letter post. Instead of looking back, I'm looking forward to a new year with hope.

On Sunday, Grandad and I will travel to Houston. We've set aside Monday for him to recover from the trip. On Tuesday, he will again become a patient at the Texas Heart Institute. Tuesday is set aside for pre-operative testing. On Wednesday, Grandad will have his second Cardiac Ablation. He'll stay overnight in the hospital then will rest in Houston until at least Saturday.

That's where the hope comes in. He had this same procedure last June and for about a month after had no atrial fibrillation and no heart flutter. Over the last five months it has become more frequent and more persistent again. The doctor tells us that this indicates that the ablation procedure will work to correct the problem, but the ablation may have to be repeated several times to achieve long-term results. The doctor also says that this time he will be more aggressive with the procedure.

I'm hopeful that this second time will be the charm. The heart has to heal six months between each ablation. That's a long waiting period if the fibrillation returns.

We'll be staying at our son's house in north Houston. I will have internet access but I'm not sure whether I'll be up to blogging or not. I will at least post an update.

As always, your thoughts and prayers will be appreciated.

These are NOT Resolutions!

Grams doesn't make New Year's resolutions. Never have! Never will! But my friend Lisa over at Grandma's Briefs published a list of things she will not do in 2011. I like the idea so much that I'm following suit. Thanks for the inspiration Lisa. 

1. I will not become a neat freak. Anyone who knows me will realize that there really is very little NO danger of this. I will admit to being a little OCD in some areas of my life. Yes, my spice cabinet is arranged in alphabetical order, but that's organized, not neat. Come on over, I'll show you baseboards and ceiling fans that haven't been dusted in years ever.
2. I will not be miserable or wallow in self pity. I choose to be happy! Sometimes life sucks, but I reserve the right to be happy anyway. I have smiled and laughed my way through a great many hard times. Some days I get by with just putting one foot in front of the other and doing what has to be done, but I choose to be happy ... and I truly believe that happiness is a choice.
3. I will not abandon hope. Specifically I will keep hoping that eventually we will find a doctor or a procedure that will make Grandad well again. Chronic atrial fibrillation is one of the things that sucks. Some days hope is all that keeps me going. (Here's Grandad's health story.)
4. I will not give up Starbucks no matter how much my kids make fun of me. I like the coffee, I like the atmosphere and I need the caffeine. Hey, I gave up sugar and fat, I'm not giving up my coffee. They'll have to pry the cup out of my cold dead hands. Did I mention that I like the coffee?
5. I will not stop looking for the good in people or the good in any given situation. To do so would be to compromise who I am. I try as long as I can to find the good ... but I'm not stupid and I'm no Pollyanna. Eventually I learn that there are some people who are just not good ... and, unfortunately, I'm related to some of them.
6. I will not correct grammar on Facebook. No matter how many times someone uses your when they should use you're; how often they confuse their, there, and they're; or how many times they say orientated when they should say oriented, I will not turn into the grammar police. Not too often anyway.
7. I will not give up my reading. I love to read, probably more than anything else I do. Reading provides an escape. It takes me places that I'll never go in real life and introduces me to people from all over the world and from other times. It improves my vocabulary and relaxes me. It's better than Calgon for taking me away!
8. I will not run a marathon, half-marathon, or even a 5K. In fact, I won't run anywhere. Just thinking about running makes my knees hurt. I will, however, commit to riding my bicycle and walking more in 2011. Since Grandad's a-fib returned, I tend to just sit in the living room with him. That's not really working for me. I will may get my rear-end moving in 2011. After all these are not resolutions!
9. I will not take up playing Wii or X-Box nor any other expensive and time-stealing video games. But I'm not giving up blogging, Facebook nor solitaire. Let's not get crazy!

There are many other things that I will probably not be doing in 2011, but these are the highlights.


Happy New Year!

How about you ... what are you NOT going to do in 2011?

Grams Made One-Dish Dinner Scramble

Grams has made this one-dish dinner a couple of times now. It's quick, easy, high in protein, and delicious. Grandad really likes it. I especially like that it doesn't make a big mess in the kitchen and you can throw it together in just a few minutes. I got this recipe from Food.com. The original recipe called for scallions, but I don't keep them on hand so I substituted onions.

1 lb ground turkey breast
1/2 of a sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 (10 ounce) bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
5 eggs
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup salsa

Cook turkey in a little olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet, stirring occasionally, until the meat is almost done, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in scallions, red pepper, mushrooms and spinach.

Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs with the garlic salt and pepper. Stir the eggs into the skillet with the meat and vegetables. Cook, stirring until the eggs are firm and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Stir in salsa and serve.

Meet Me On Monday

Today's post is part of a meme hosted by Java at Never Growing Old. Every Monday she posts a list of questions to help bloggers get to know each other better. Here are this week's questions and my answers.

1. What are your New Year's Eve plans?  We quit going out on New Year's Eve many years ago. We'll probably take in a movie and then go out for a late dinner. Odds are pretty good we'll be home for a champagne toast before midnight.

Image by Free-StockPhotos.com

2.  How tall are you? I'm 5'1" if I stand up very straight. While we're on this subject, Grandad is 6'5". That makes a 16" difference in our heights. We look a little like Mutt and Jeff.

3.  What is your favorite pudding flavor? I don't like pudding, it's a texture issue, so I don't have a favorite flavor. I do, however, like bread pudding with bourbon sauce. Does that count?

4.  What room of the house do you blog the most in? I only blog in the living room. I sit in my favorite chair in front of the television with my laptop on my lap and write away.

5. What is your best physical feature? I have beautiful hair and lot's of it. It's heavy and straight so I keep it short. It's brown with red highlights. Okay, truthfully. nowadays it's brown with red and gray highlights, but I keep it colored. Some day I'm going to get brave enough to just let it go gray, but probably not any time soon.

  

This is a blog hop.

Merry Christmas

Bailey & Ralphie, my grand-dogs, are here to wish you a Merry Christmas.

The Calm Before Christmas, Baby Cheese & A Special Request

Today is one of the days that Grams enjoys most at Christmas. Today is the day that everything is ready. The pre-holiday frenzy is over. In the tradition of women everywhere I've spent the past month getting everything ready for Christmas. Here's an abbreviated list of all that's been made ready.

Photo from here

• Cards mailed
• House decorated
• Shopping done
• Stockings ready to stuff
• Gifts wrapped
• Bows tied
• House cleaned
• Baking finished
• Menus planned
• Groceries on hand

Today is the day I sit back, breathe a big sigh of relief, and anticipate the fruits of my labors. Tomorrow, family will arrive and the pace will pick up again. Today is a day for savoring.

I've already shown you our Christmas tree. Now take a look at some of my other decor. I'm proud to say that I only spent about $25 on new decorations this year. I bought battery-operated LED lights for my mantle garland, berries to add to the same garland, and a package of scrapbook paper to make the Merry Christmas pennant banner. It was a bit of a challenge to photograph, but here's my best attempt.

I made the banner by using Jenn Balcer's pennant banner instructions from Split Coast Stampers. I didn't think the pennants were substantial enough so I added the rectangular card stock behind each one. I'm very pleased with how it came out.

Last year, I went to Hobby Lobby's after Christmas clearance sale and bought three rolls of black and white paper. I used it to wrap our gifts this year. Then the packages were tied with brightly colored bows. I buy remnant fabric ribbons on clearance and keep it on hand. On Christmas morning, after all the gifts are opened, I sit and patiently roll all the fabric ribbons and stash them to reuse. Some of these ribbons have been used at least five years. I like the effect of the black and white with the colored ribbons.

 

Our Little Princess and her parents visited last weekend. They're spending Christmas with her other grandparents this year, but they were able to join us for the Vanecek family Christmas party. It was fun watching her open presents with her cousins. She really liked the baby doll and carried it everywhere the rest of the weekend.

On Sunday we took her to mass with us. After mass, I took her out in front of the church to show her the Nativity Scene. She walked right up to the lighted plastic figures  and was able to name many of them. The day care center she goes to is affiliated with a Baptist Church and they've obviously been working on the real meaning of Christmas. Her mom had told me that they had a birthday party for Jesus where they sang Happy Birthday. 

She knew Mary and Joseph. She recognized the shepherd and pointed out the three kings. Then she walked over to the manger, pointed at the baby, and said proudly, "Baby Cheese." That made me smile. 

I will admit, I've had a bit of difficulty accepting the idea of not seeing them at Christmas this year, but think I've finally gotten a proper perspective and am going to enjoy celebrating with the rest of the family. Nick and Marie arrived in time for dinner this evening. They've gone to visit friends tonight, but will spend the rest of the weekend with Grandad and me.

Our holiday traditions include attending Christmas Eve Mass with Grandad's family, followed by a family dinner at my mother-in-law's home. We'll exchange gifts there on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we'll open gifts at home. That afternoon we'll take in a movie and then come home for a roast beef dinner.

We'll be busy celebrating with family for the next few days so I will probably not be blogging. But, I have a special holiday request for all my readers. Please remember six-year-old Liam in prayer. Liam is the grandson of my dear friend, Sandy, and was recently diagnosed with leukemia. They are a family of great faith and I know they will appreciate your thoughts and prayers. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May the "Baby Cheese" bless all of you!

My Favorite Christmas Pageant Ever

While Grams was dusting, doing laundry, and just generally cleaning house today, I ran across some photos of my kids in Christmas pageants. I have a couple of them framed in my living room and they were dusty. It reminded me of how much I loved their school performances and how much I miss them. See, my kids are not kids any more. Katy is 31 and Nick is 29. It's been many years since they were in school programs of any kind.

So I spent a little time looking through my albums and boxes of old photos looking for the pictures from these treasured memories.

The stories of my two children and their various performances are vastly different.  Here's Katy's stage debut at day care.

Nick's was a little different. He's supposed to be standing in line with the other kids on the stage. Instead, he's sitting on the front of the stage and smiling as the crowd giggles at him.

For at least two years, Katy was an angel in the Christmas pageant. It was a non-speaking role. I like to think that real angels have beautiful red hair that glows like hers. She always wanted to be the Blessed Virgin, but I think the role of an angel fit her perfectly.

Nick played the little gray donkey that carried Mary to Bethlehem. This was the Nativity story told from the animals' point of view.

Katy and Nick were both elves at various times.

Over the years there were many other performances. I have pictures from some that I don't even remember.

And then there was my absolute favorite Christmas Pageant ever! 

Nick was in kindergarten at Annaville Elementary School. It was a neighborhood school with a real family feeling. Everyone knew everyone. We were neighbors and friends. The school has been closed for several years now as the district has moved to a primary, intermediate, and middle school format. The kindergarten school pageant was always a big event. Families crowded into the cafetorium and strained to see their little ones on stage. Because there were so many kids, the performance had several acts. All the kids in Nick's group were dressed in clown costumes because they were Jacks-In-The-Box. Moms had sewn the costumes and the kids had rehearsed for hours. Nick was a very cute clown. In fact, all the kids were just precious as only kindergartners can be.

The program started and the kids sang their song. I don't remember what the song was, but the kids were performing beautifully. During the song, the Jacks were to pop in and out of their boxes several times. All was going well until the little girl next to Nick tried to pop-up out of her box and fell over. As you can see in the picture above, she's already having trouble with her hat falling in her face. What happened next was heart-warming and touching. Nick looked over and saw that she had fallen and was crying because she was embarrassed. It was then that he purposely knocked his own box over and fell right next to her on the stage. You see, he realized that she was embarrassed and thought that she would feel better if she wasn't the only one who fell. The crowd laughed a little then broke into spontaneous applause.

While what some people saw was Nick clowning around, I saw the kindness that is innate in his personality. I've never really had to worry about him being a bully or not standing up for the underdog, because it's just part of who he is to be kind and generous.

I do so wish that I had that performance on video. But this is one of those cases where I try to do as Luke 2:19 tells us the Blessed Virgin did. "Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." For me, it was the best Christmas pageant ever.

I can't wait until Our Little Princess and her sister have school performances. You can bet I'll be there if possible.