Good News during this Crazy Time

Last fall Jonathan started grad school with a plan: complete his course work, hold down a part time job in the accounting lab, and study for his CPA exam. His goal was to pass all four sections of the exam BEFORE he graduated in May.

And so he studied, and worked, and studied some more. 

When he was home for the Thanksgiving and Christmas, he got up every morning to study, only coming downstairs for lunch before disappearing again until dinnertime.

He took part one of the exam, and passed.

He took part two, then part three, and passed both. 

Jonathan's tax professor told him that if he passed the last section, he would not have to come back to class.

Yesterday Jonathan found out he passed the last part of the CPA exam. Only 12% of people who take the exam pass all four sections on the first try. 

It was good news during a time of canceled plans, social distancing, and self-quarantines. 

It was good news when faced with the fact that his entire college career came to a screeching halt--after five years, without any fanfare or celebration, school is over. The rest of the semester will be taught online and the entire campus has closed.

It was good news for someone who has worked hard. 

Four friends, heading to Myrtle Beach before all the craziness hit. 

All will graduate this May with a master's degree in accounting. 

All four already have jobs lined up in Atlanta, three with the same firm. 

Spring Break and the Kindness of Strangers

Two years ago, when Nicholas was a senior at Clemson University, the Nonni let him and three buddies use their Myrtle Beach timeshare for spring break. It was their last moment of freedom before graduation.

This year, it is Jonathan's turn.

After four years of working every summer and holiday, this is Jonathan's first official spring break. He and his three roommates left Sunday morning and stopped on the way at Nonna and Nonno's house for lunch. In honor of Timothy's birthday the Nonni had prepared a veritable feast: grilled ribs, pasta salad, potato salad, bruschetta, vegetables, oven potatoes, and ice cream cake.

It was so nice to have those young men--all seniors--seated around the table. They talked about their plans for the future in the fields of accounting, business, environmental science, and marketing. They were all charming, polite, and paid attention to Timothy, the Birthday Boy.

Before they left we loaded their car with beach chairs, a basketball, a football, and a few bags of groceries.

They arrived in Myrtle Beach, checked in, and went to dinner at Myabi Japanese Steakhouse, a hibachi-style restaurant on Broadway at the Beach. It's a very nice restaurant. Seated at their table was a middle-aged couple who must have been impressed with our guys because at the end of the meal ... the couple paid for ALL FOUR OF THEM!

I think their spring break started off well.

The King of the Art of Chill

A few years ago when Nicholas was an engineering major at Clemson University, he asked if I knew who Bob Ross was. Well, of course I did, but I was surprised that my son knew of him.

"When I'm studying for a big test or a final exam, I like to have one of his PBS shows playing in the background," he explained. "It's very soothing."

And I totally understood. I could see how the soft-spoken voice, the references to fluffy clouds and happy trees, and the low-key commentary provided a calming backdrop to engineering textbooks, group projects, and all those math disciplines.

A few months later, Nicholas asked for some Bob Ross instructional books, paints, and drawing pencils for Christmas. He always had an artistic talent for drawing but wanted to teach himself how to paint.

Fast forward to today and Bob Ross is experiencing a resurgence. He's everywhere! Over Thanksgiving we played the board game, Bob Ross the Art of Chill, this past Sunday a character on the show, God Friended Me, was wearing a Bob Ross t-shirt, and yesterday I purchased a box of Bob Ross band-aids for stocking stuffers. Then, a fellow blogger listed that very same board game as a gift idea for office coworkers, and a quick Amazon search revealed Bob Ross bobble-heads, lunch boxes, puzzles, Pez dispensers, and even a Bob Ross Halloween costume.

Bob Ross the Art of Chill

The King of the Art of Chill is, evidently, very cool right now. And in this busy week leading up to Christmas, I will leave you with some of his quotes. Go ahead and smile. Just let it come.

Bob Ross, In His Own Words ...

As my son Steve says, just 'smoosh' it in there. It's not a real word, but people seem to know what it means.

Maybe in our world there lives a happy little tree over there.

That's a crooked tree. We'll send him to Washington.

We don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents.

You need the dark in order to show the light.

Every make mistakes in life? Let's make them birds. Yeah, they're birds now.

This would be a good place for my little squirrel to live.

I can't go over 30 minutes, because we have a mean ol' director with no sense of humor.

Well, the little clock on the wall says we're just about out of time. God bless you my friend.

When the mice are away the Christmas penguins come out to play

Most of you know that I am not a fan of Christmas yard inflatables.

Sure they look festive at night, but during the day it's like a crime scene: there are poor snowman/Santa/reindeer carcasses sprawled everywhere.

But then there is my brother-in-law who is the OPPOSITE of me in that he thinks inflatables are the BEST. In fact, he believes you can't have too many and they can't be too big. A couple of Christmases ago, while I was preparing Christmas lunch, he gathered all the kids to help him set up an inflatable IN OUR FRONT YARD. I was tricked into coming to the front door and there they were ... two Christmas penguins on a sled.

After the laughter died down I had to admit they were cute. For several years they were dutifully displayed on our back deck (better viewing from our family room), but for the past two holiday seasons they've remained in their box in the attic because I've been rotating our Christmas decorations and their rotation just hasn't come up yet (really Patrick, I promise!).

Then, this past Saturday night Joe and I went out to celebrate our anniversary. We left Jonathan and Timothy home alone which, under normal circumstances, wouldn't be a problem. But evidently they had PLANS because the minute we left the house they went scrounging through the attic. Later, when Joe and I returned home, what to our wondering eyes should appear but ... 

TWO CHRISTMAS PENGUINS ON OUR FRONT PORCH. The yard spotlight was centered on them and they looked ready to sled down the porch steps. 

Again, though, those darn penguins are pretty cute.

And I guess I'm stuck with them.

Cappuccino and Cake

I'm coming to you in the darkness of the early morning because it's a special day.

It's a day which celebrates one of the things that is a source of daily joy for me, something which also happens to be the best  accompaniment to a good book, early morning prayer time, a rainy afternoon, and cozy chats with friends.

Today is National Cappuccino Day!

Oh, cappuccino, how I love thee! The daily ritual of firing up the espresso machine, frothing the milk, brewing an espresso, and then combining the perfect balance of thirds--1/3 espresso, 1/3 milk, 1/3 froth--keeps me grounded. It may sound melodramatic, but a cappuccino is a little smidgen of magic in an otherwise perfectly ordinary day because--and let's be realistic--although my cappuccino may be balanced, daily life can be anything but.

Which brings me to THE CAKE. The Confirmation cake I ordered for TIMOTHY, but with the words Happy Confirmation, Jonathan! (yes, the wrong son). When I shared this story, I received all sorts of helpful advice: take the cake back and have the bakery fix it, scrape off Jonathan's name and put lots of candles in the blank space, or change Timothy's confirmation name from St. Francis to St. John. Two people even offered to come over and share their professional baking skills to fix the problem.

But you know what? As I was enjoying my cappuccino the morning of Confirmation, I had an epiphany. Life is crazy. Life is wonderful. Life is funny. Life is a hodgepodge of the insane. And that cake, which had become a topic of conversation, a source of laughter, and the reason for a flurry of text messages and emails, was a metaphor for life. Our life. So it was absolutely fine--wonderful! great! fantastic!--to have a Confirmation cake with Jonathan written on top when it was Timothy's Confirmation.

In a strange, wonderful way, it made perfect sense.

So, on this National Cappuccino Day, I wish you a day filled with the zany, the wonderful, the messy, and everything in-between.

All of which pairs very nicely with a expertly frothed cappuccino.

Halloween Days of Yesteryear

This year, Halloween will be different.

This year, we won’t be building a costume around a hat plucked from the Hat Box, or scrambling to pull together a costume at the last minute.

This year, we won’t leave the Nonni in charge of giving out candy while we walk around the neighborhood talking to neighbors as our sons run up and down driveways.

This year, we won’t gather around the kitchen table with the evening’s bounty, everyone burrowing through the pile looking for their favorite treat—a Babe Ruth (me), Sour Patch Kids (the boys), Hershey’s bars (Joe), Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (Nonna), or any candy bar (Nonno, who likes it all).

This year, for the first time in over 20 years, we won’t have a child trick-or-treating. There will be no puppies, court jesters, Mr. Potato Heads, cattle rustlers, Harry Potters, Luke Skywalkers, pirates, football players, or Uncle Si.

Which is why this year ... I am thinking of all the Halloween days of yesteryear.

Two for One 'Brffed Day'

Our son, Jonathan, is coming home this weekend.

It's his BIRTHDAY weekend.

Except, it's not really his birthday. It's later this month. But he has plans on his actual day that don't involve mom and dad (say what?), so he's coming home now so we can celebrate with family.

But yesterday, as I planned meals for the weekend, wrapped presents, cleaned his room and bathroom, and spent over an hour at the grocery store to stock our pantry, it dawned on me that I have a very smart son.

You see, as much as we will celebrate this weekend, as much as Jonathan will be pampered and coddled and loved on over the next few days, I will still feel the need to acknowledge his actual birthday later this month. I mean, he can't get nothing on his actual birthday!

So I will send him a care package.

On his birthday.

Which isn't this weekend.

This sweet little guy will turn 22 years old on his brffed day.

Speak to Me Sunday, vol. 7 (a quote and an idea for seven books)

This week I have two golden nuggets of inspiration. One quote and one idea ...

~1~

This past Friday we traveled to Milledgeville for Jonathan's initiation ceremony into Phi Kappa Phi, an all-discipline honor society. During the ceremony, Dr. Samuel Muttiti spoke about his work in Kabwe, Zambia where a 100 year old government-run mine and smelter has resulted in highly toxic levels of lead, cadmium and zinc in the soil. Here, in one sentence, is the point of his talk:

"Whatever you do, whatever your major, do it honestly, ethically,

to the best of your abilities, and in the service of others."

~Dr. Samuel Muttiti

keynote speaker, Phi Kappa Phi Initiation Ceremony

~2~

Today we are headed to Columbia, SC for my nephew's Confirmation and, per our tradition, we are gifting him seven books representing the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The list changes depending on the recipient and his/her interests. For example, with our eldest son (an avid reader) I included many literary classics, but with our middle son (who would rather dribble a basketball than read a book) I included several sports biographies. Sometimes the list includes the Bible (if they don't already have one) with their name engraved on the cover. Sometimes I explain which book represents which gift of the Holy Spirit, and sometimes I let them figure it out; mostly, I try to find books that are appealing, inspiring, thought-provoking, and stand the test of time.


Dear Thomas,

For your Confirmation, we wanted to give you seven books representing the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. As you read these books, we pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal his gifts so they will help you grow in your faith.

Be a gracious receiver of these gifts! St. Teresa of Avila said, “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours; yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion is to look out to the earth; yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good; and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now.”

Thomas, allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and watch in amazement as God works through you, with you, and in you.


Love,
Uncle Joe, Aunt Maria, Nicholas, Jonathan, Timothy

1. The Gift of Wisdom gives us the desire for the things of God.

The Robe (by Lloyd C. Douglas)

2. The Gift of Understanding enables us to know more clearly the mysteries of faith.

Of Mice and Men (by John Steinbeck)

3. The Gift of Counsel helps us to see the difference between right and wrong.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

4. The Gift of Fortitude strengthens us to do the will of God in all things.

The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)

5. The Gift of Knowledge enables us to know oneself and to know God.

The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

6. The Gift of Piety gives us a deep respect for God and for the Church.

Daily Meditations with the Holy Spirit

7. The Gift of Fear of the Lord enables us to recognize an all powerful God.

Unbroken (Laura Hillenbrand)

St. Joseph Feast Day Box

Today is the Feast Day of St. Joseph, or la festa di San Giuseppe! It's a big celebration in southern Italy, and it's one we celebrate as a family. Some years we go all out and host a big party, inviting the parish priests and setting a table filled with Italian food and wine; some years we celebrate quietly with just the family; one year I hosted March Bunco and shared the tradition with my friends.


This year I wanted to give the means for our older boys to carry on the tradition no matter where they are in the world, so I prepared a St. Joseph Feast Day box and mailed it to them. The contents included: a small St. Joseph statue, prayer cards, a published article I wrote on St. Joseph, the story behind the tradition, a package of pasta, a container of breadcrumbs, and fava beans.


Now, I don't know if my sons will do anything more than open the box and give its contents a cursory glance. And that's okay. But maybe, on a March 19 in the future, they will share the tradition with a girlfriend or some roommates; maybe one feast day they will prepare a simple pasta dish and set out a bowl of breadcrumbs signifying sawdust of St. Joseph the carpenter; and maybe there will be a year when they will need the comfort of family and tradition and reach for the box.


St. Joseph will be waiting for them.

**********************************************************************************


You can read about our traditions below:


I Never Knew, a published article about my affinity to St. Joseph


Celebrating Italian Style, how we celebrate St. Joseph's Feast Day


Photo collage of St. Joseph celebrations through the years ...

Lenten Friday: Oreos and Fortnite

Things haven't changed much around here. One year our little guy gave up all cookies for Lent EXCEPT Oreos ... when all he ate was Oreos. This year our not-so-little guy gave up computer games EXCEPT Fortnite ... when all he plays is Fortnite.


"Mom," says our little guy yesterday. "Don't put cookies in my lunch. You keep forgetting that I gave up cookies for Lent."

Now, as we are having this conversation he is sitting at the kitchen counter with a tall glass of milk and a stack of 6-8 oreos. Dunk - munch, munch. Dunk- munch, munch.

"What do you mean?" I ask. "You're eating cookies right now. You've been eating cookies ever since Lent started!"

Dunk - munch, munch.

"No one gives up Oreos for Lent," he explains matter of factly. "I gave up all the other kinds, like chocolate chip."

Huh. I'm thinking that's like someone giving up all sodas for Lent except Diet Coke ... when all they drink is Diet Coke.

He smiles, a very oreo encrusted kind of smile.

Okay, then.

I reach for an Oreo and ... dunk - munch, munch. After all, I did NOT give up cookies (of any kind).



How Popeye-with-the-Harley-tattoo helped deliver an early Christmas present

Once upon a time (a few days before Thanksgiving) Joe and Maria had the brilliant idea to get Timothy his very own workbench for Christmas. So they took advantage of a Black Friday deal at Lowe's and snuck out to purchase it; in fact, the deal was so fantastic that they decided to use part of the savings and have it assembled simply for the wow factor on Christmas morning.


That was the last time anything went according to plan.


On Monday Maria went to the service department to pick it up and a few minutes later a Lowe's employee wheeled out a HUGE, fully assembled workbench on a trolley. Now before you ask if Maria had looked at the measurements before ordering, please know that, yes, she had looked at the measurements beforehand. But you know Maria and math; numbers don't translate into the real world for her which is precisely why she married an engineer. She leaves all the math stuff up to Joe.


"Gosh, will that even fit in my van?" Maria asked the Lowe's employee.


He was willing to try so they walked outside, opened the back of the van, and contemplated the space. It was obvious that ALL the seats would have to be folded down. No problem! Maria knew how to do this! She folded one, two, three seats, but couldn't get the last one down even after she crawled in the back of the van to get better leverage. After a few minutes of huffing and puffing she crawled back out to let the Lowe's employee give it a try. He huffed and puffed and couldn't do it either.


They stood in the parking lot wondering what to do when suddenly a behemoth of a man walked out of the store. He was Popeye with a beard, Harley tattoo, and leather boots. His biceps were the size of Sequoia trees (and he didn't get that way from eating spinach). Maria and the Lowe's employee looked at each other and then he timidly bravely asked Popeye-with-the-Harley-tattoo for help.


Popeye-with-the-Harley-tattoo (who seemed even bigger up close) looked at the seat, looked at the strap, and with one finger ... JUST ONE! ... pulled up on the strap and the seat folded down. Just. Like. That.


Later that night when Timothy was in the shower, Joe and Maria went into the garage with the intention of taking the workbench out of the van and carrying it upstairs to the attic until Christmas morning.


Except, when they pulled it out of the van they realized (again) how big and cumbersome it was. And then they thought about having to carry it up the front porch steps, through the front door, up the steep steps to the second floor, and then up another flight of steps to the third floor attic. Joe couldn't do it alone and Maria ... well, by then she was kind of tired of that workbench.


Where was her Popeye-with-the-Harley-tattoo when she needed him?


In the end, here's what they did: Timothy finished his shower, came downstairs, and on a Tuesday night the last week in November and exactly five weeks ahead of schedule, Joe and Maria took him to the garage and yelled, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"


The End.

Because everyone needs a turkey on their head

A few years ago our entire family celebrated Thanksgiving on Hilton Head, and to commemorate the occasion Nonna gave everyone turkey hats. Most of us wore them indoors -- under duress (no hat, no food!) -- but these two wore them everywhere. And they got lots and lots of attention.

We still have those hats. They're in our hat box. You can borrow them if you'd like. 

 

two turkey walking on the beach

a turkey taking in the view

two turkeys playing cards with Nonno

Candy Rules on Halloween

Dear Sons,


On Halloween night please remember to ...


1.      Be a Smartie as you’re walking around and watch for cars.

2.      Don’t rush; there are Good & Plenty houses to visit.

3.      Don’t let that last house at the end of the street slip through your Butterfingers … they are very generous.

4.       Remember Now and Later -- say thank you now rather than later.

5.      Tonight there will be an almost full moon, so look for the Milky Way.

6.      If your baby brother doesn’t want to visit the Haunted House, no Snickers!

7.      When Mom asks how much candy you ate, don’t tell a Whopper.

8.      Later, if you Rolo-ver with a tummy ache, Mom will give you a Rolo-aids to feel better.

Love you to Reese's Pieces

and wishing you Mounds of Almond Joy on Halloween night!

Love,

Mom




P.S. To make this cute ghost, go to see this post: Recipe for a Ghost

The Hat Box

Yesterday afternoon I received a text informing me that a Halloween costume (of some sort) was required for Bunco that evening.


Yikes. I'm just not good at this kind of stuff. The last time I wore a Halloween costume (several years ago) I dressed up as Mona Lisa (Joe was Leonardo da Vinci).




Halloween Bunco a few years ago.

Shaggy and Thelma, Leonardo da Vinci and Mona Lisa.
At a Halloween birthday party for a friend.

Since the text message also reminded us to wear Halloween colors I thought, "Ah Ha! I'll wear black! That's a Halloween color and I have LOTS of black!" Shocking, I know.


(That last sentence was sarcasm at its finest.)


So I wore a black, long sleeved shirt, black palazzo pants, and black booties. I accessorized with glittery earrings and 4-inch stack of glittery bangles.


Then, because it was Halloween I dug through our Hat Box. Yes, we have a huge box containing an assortment of hats: pirate, gangster, hippy, Viking, clown, cowboy, circus, princess, Storm Trooper ... you name it, we have it. We love our Hat Box. When the boys were little it was the source of never-ending make-believe, and it always came in handy when we hosted Mad Hatter Dinners.




The Mad Hatter Dinner: No hat, no food.
All hats come from The Hat Box.

This time I decided that, since I was all in black, some red devil ears would be perfect.


A devil in disguise. Easy Peasy.

Fifty and a Day

Yesterday was my birthday ... my 50th birthday, to be exact.


Did it bother me, turning fifty? Scare me? Make me feel old? The answer is no, no, and no. I felt the same yesterday, on my birthday, as I did the day before. I feel the same today as I did 10 years ago. A birthday is a birthday is a birthday.


BUT, it is an important milestone and I had some definite thoughts as to how I wanted to approach it. The first thing I decided was that one day wasn't enough; that is, I didn't want to focus on a single day but make the entire year one big birthday adventure. So I said no to a big party, but yes to a weekend in Atlanta; I said no to jewelry, but yes to a one year membership for the High Museum of Art; I said no to a spa day, but yes to a road trip. I plan to do things I've never done, eat food I've never tried, hang out with people I've never met, and visit places I've never seen.


Lord Byron wrote that there is pleasure in the pathless woods, and that's how I want to move forward.


That's my plan. This is how I will celebrate.


Of course, I did have a lovely weekend. Friday night my parents gave us tickets to the Italian American Club Pasta Festival, after which we traveled to Uganda, Philippines, and Guatemala via The Compassion Experience. Saturday afternoon Edible Arrangement #1 arrived, and later we had dinner at my parents' house where they decorated the dining room with all things 50 -- banners, balloons, and signs. My mom (per my request) made homemade pizza (because it's the best) AND  homemade cannoli (again, the best). On Sunday I woke up to two heart-shaped Boston cream donuts, went for a morning hike in the woods with Joe and the boys, and graciously shared my day with the Super Bowl while we munched on Edible Arrangement #2. (I have a funny story about those Edible Arrangements, so stay tuned.) That evening I logged on to Facebook and read email and felt the love.


The whole weekend was warm and fuzzy, just the way I like it.


Believe me, fifty is a big deal. And it should be celebrated. And it does make one introspective. But more than anything it left me floating on a cloud of gratitude -- for this life God has given me, for my husband and sons, for my friends and family, for morning hikes and midnight walks, for the imperfect and perfect.


And for adventure found in pathless woods.

photo 10/16

There Is Pleasure In The Pathless Woods

– By Lord Byron
(from Childe Harold, Canto IV, Verse 178)

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more,
From these our interviews, in which I steal
From all I may be, or have been before,
To mingle with the Universe, and feel
What I can ne’er express, yet cannot all conceal.

A Goodwill Find

A couple of weeks ago, on a hot, steamy Friday night heading into a long weekend, we decided to go walk around the Goodwill bookstore and café. We don't go there often, but when we do everyone usually comes home with something.


And that Friday night was no exception.


The boys bought books (including a sports almanac and a music book), Timothy purchased an iPod case, and I found an absolute treasure.

There on a shelf, still wrapped in cellophane from when it was originally purchased, was a Catholic Family Album published by Regina Press and stamped with an authentic Vatican Library Collection Seal. It was beautifully decorated with religious artwork and Sacred Scripture, with thick photo framed pages to insert pictures.


And with my mother's 70th birthday a week away, it was meant to be.


Love it when things work out like that ...

In which we lie ... repeatedly

To plan a surprise 70th birthday party for my Mom whose birthday was yesterday (Sunday, July 3) we all had to tell some fibs ...


Fib #1: "Since we were all together three weeks ago for the cruise, and since last weekend we all returned from trips [Bia to Lake Tahoe, Laura to Myrtle Beach, and David to Haiti] we just need this weekend to recover." said Maria.


Fib #2: "What are we doing on Sunday? We have a church picnic," said Laura.


Fib #3: "How about you come here on Monday instead?" suggested David.


Fib #4: "We'll celebrate your birthday NEXT weekend," all of us said.


Fib #5: "It's my turn to do Sunday lunch, so come here and we'll have a small pre-birthday celebration. But come later -- more toward 1:15 -- because we are biking on the canal in the morning." said Maria, who needed time for everyone to get here before i Nonni.


I don't know how we pulled it off, but we did. Maybe it was all that fibbing ...

Christmas Quick Takes: The un-Gift, My Favorite Gift, The Best-Priced Boots, and What I Didn't Do

The Gift I Didn't Give

I ordered a Dean Martin Italian Love Songs cd from Amazon with the intention of giving it as a gift. But when it arrived, all the songs -- That's Amore, Volare, On an Evening in Roma, (Ma Come Bali) Bella Bimba, Mambo Italiano -- made me smile! So, yeah, Merry Christmas to me.

The gift I kept

The Boots with the Surprise Price

Spotted, one pair of cognac boots. They were originally priced well over $100, but they were on sale and I just couldn't walk away. Except ... oh, except when the Macy's salesperson rang them up, he told me the price was $22. After Christmas Sale + Macy's One Day Sale + Door Buster Sale = Ridiculously Happy Me. (The truly amazing thing ... I was at the mall by accident and I didn't even know there was a sale. So you see,  it was destiny.)

These boots are made for walking

Game Night

Over the holidays, the two older boys played a lot of board games. A lot. Most were strategy games, but their favorite was this vintage football game from Joe's childhood.

Even the dice are vintage 70's

Game Night with Mom

Occasionally (okay, once) they let me play with them. Settlers of Catan. Evidently I am a bad settler and would have never survived the first winter. But I can't help it that someone had a monopoly on wheat and the other someone wouldn't give me any bricks to build a furnace. And who needs roads, anyway?

The older boys, playing a game. 
I loved hearing them laugh, talk, and tease each other.

What I Didn't Do

I didn't go to the TaxSlayer Bowl to watch Penn State vs. UGA. Shocking, I know. But we only had four tickets, and Timothy has never been to a bowl game, and so I let all the boys go to Florida for a boys' football weekend. Besides, I needed a break. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having everyone home. I LOVE cooking and making things homey. But let's face it, while everyone has a Christmas vacation (the boys were off school, Joe took off work) I still did the same stuff I always do ... except more of it. Let me just say I had a glorious 36 hours at home. By myself. And I got some new boots.

My Favorite After Christmas Gift

This year I hosted Christmas Bunco, and one of my Bunco friends made these 12 Days of Christmas Calendars for all of us (12 boxes each -- there are 12 of us -- so you can see how this was a labor of love). Similar to the concept of an Advent Calendar, there was a box for each of the twelve days of Christmas beginning December 25. Inside each box was a laminated verse from the song "Twelve Days of Christmas", the Catholic meaning behind the verse, some chocolates, and a daily activity/kind deed.


It was such a lovely, thoughtful gift, and every morning I looked forward to opening a box.

I placed the 12 Days of Christmas boxes under my alpine trees

A Catholic explanation of the song, "Twelve Days of Christmas"

A verse, a good deed, and some chocolate

After opening a box, I moved it from under the alpine tree and placed it
near our manger scene in the kitchen.

What We Celebrated

EVERYTHING: Christmas Bunco (I hosted), Our 25th wedding anniversary, Christmas with my family (we hosted), Joe's birthday, Christmas Eve, Christmas (lunch here with my parents), New Year's Eve, and Nicholas' birthday (his 21st).

What we made yesterday ...

Tortellini.


Over 600 of them.


And it was a family affair.


When the older boys arrived home from college on Friday, we made the announcement.


Us: "Tomorrow we're having lunch at Nonna and Nonno's house. Nonna is making homemade minestrone and bread."


The boys: "Yeah!"  "Sounds great!"


(They really, really like Nonna's minestrone.)


Us: "Then, as soon as we're done eating we're going to make tortellini!"


The boys: Silence.


(I'm positive they would have preferred to do ... anything else.)


But they were good sports because on Saturday, after enjoying Nonna's delicious homemade minestrone and bread, we got to work.


And three and a half hours later, we had a little over 600 tortellini lined up on the counter.

Nonno: official tortellini dough roller

How old is this pasta machine?
Next April my parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.
This pasta machine was a wedding gift.

Home from college and put to work.
(But they were good sports.)

Joe, Nicholas, Jonathan: official rollers of tortellini filling

Bia & Nonna: official folders of tortellini
(the two of us folded all 600+ tortellini)



Giving Nonno a break at the pasta machine.

Timothy: official tortellini transporter (from kitchen table to counter),
and official tortellini counter

Tortellini lined up on the kitchen counter.

A family Christmas tradition.