The Queens Came Too

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.