Soc(cer) it to me, baby

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My youngest daughter, Andrea, was a soccer player. She got a late start at the game, first playing in high school, and only then because she wanted a spring sport but didn't want to run track. Her position was goal keeper, a spot no one else wanted. But she was a dandy keeper and even ended up getting a scholarship for college based on her soccer involvement. Our little Andie did quite well on the college level, too.

Our oldest grandson, Bubby, is now a soccer player, starting at a far younger age than his Aunt Andie. The week he, Baby Mac, and Megan visited in October was the week of his first soccer practice. So he missed his very first official instruction. Andrea, being the sole soccer player on either side of Bubby's extended family, gave him a few preliminary pointers while he was here so he'd be ready to roll once he returned home.

At three years old, being ready to roll...or pass or dribble or kick the ball into the goal is, understandably, a foreign concept. Right up there with not being able to touch the ball with your hands in the game of soccer...unless you're throwing it in from the side to your teammates whenever the confusing gameplay requires such.

Bubby's giving it the ol' college, er, toddler try, though, and Jim and I were fortunate to attend one of his soccer games during our recent visit. Here's a sampling of the action (Bubby's in the hood):

Like I said, it's a confusing game, especially for toddlers, I think. Even more confusing when you're the tiniest (probably youngest, too) peanut on the team. He'll get it though, I'm sure. He's off to a good start.

 

 

The best part—at least to Bubby, I think—is when the game is done and it's time to collect snacks to replenish after the hard work of playing.

Did Bubby and his teammates win the game Jim and I saw? I honestly couldn't tell ya. Soccer's a confusing game—especially when you're a three-year-old...or the grandma who had eyes only for that three-year-old out on the field.

Today's question:

What is your favorite sport to watch?

Thanksgiving recipe swap

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With Thanksgiving just one week away, I, like many, have food on the brain: What to make, what to buy, what to serve up to dazzle the guests.

Okay, the "dazzle" part is a bunch of hooey. At least for me. I'm not really looking to dazzle any of the family joining us on Turkey Day; I'm simply hoping to satisfy everyone's cravings for dishes tried and true. Which means I'll be serving up the basics, the goodies I've served up every Thanksgiving for countless years.

Which got me to thinking: Every family has certain foods that are tradition to their clan, often served up only on Thanksgiving. Today I want to discuss those here...including the swapping of the recipes for those so inclined.

So tell me: What dishes have a standing spot on your Thanksgiving table? Which are the family favorites? Which are your favorites? And which are on the table simply because they've always been there, always will be, regardless of the number of friends and family who actually eat them (I'm thinking specifically of cranberries...which I really do like and prefer whole over jellied).

I'll get the ball rolling by offering up a dish that has become tradition in my immediate family, a dish I first made 25 or so years ago and have served every Thanksgiving since, at least when I've been the one hosting the holiday meal. Megan now makes it for her Thankgsiving meals, which warms my heart to see one of my off-the-wall offerings on its way to becoming a recipe of Gramma's passed down through the generations.

The recipe likely once had an official name, but in my family it's known as Mom's Cheesy Corn Casserole. It's been posted in my Grandma's Recipe Box for quite some time, but I'd like to share it again here, for our just initiated (possibly to become annual) Grandma's Briefs Thanksgiving Recipe Swap:

Cheesy Corn Casserole

1 10-ounce package frozen corn, thawed and drained

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

6 slices white bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1-2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (yes, 300). Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle half the corn in the bottom, then sprinkle with half the cheddar cheese, then half the Monterey jack cheese. Cover with half the bread cubes. Repeat all layers. Beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour over all layers, pressing down the bread to be sure it's all moistened. Dot with butter. Bake uncovered for 90 minutes, or until puffed and dark golden on top.

Makes 8 servings.

(For big gatherings, you can double this recipe, using a 9X13 dish. Photo above is a doubled recipe.)

There you have it: My one and only out-of-the-ordinary, traditional-in-our-house Thanksgiving dish. The rest of the Thanksgiving spread is pretty much what you'd expect...including cranberries, that may or may not get eaten but without which it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving.

Now it's your turn! Let the recipe swapping begin!

Today's question:

What dish is a family tradition on your Thanksgiving table? (Sharing of recipes encouraged and appreciated! If you have the recipe posted on your blog, feel free to include the link. And yes, pie and dessert recipes are welcome!)

15 things you may not know about today's grandparents

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• The majority of today’s grandparents—53% of grandmothers and 54% of grandfathers—are Baby Boomers under age 65.

• The average age of becoming a grandparent in the United States is 48.

• There were an estimated 65 million grandmothers and grandfathers in 2010. By 2020, they are projected to reach 80 million, at which time they will be nearly one-in-three adults.

• The number of grandparents is growing at twice the overall population growth rate.

• A majority of those with grandchildren are women, in part because on average women age 45+ live approximately seven years longer than men. At the time the 2010 Census was conducted, there were about 124 grandmothers for every 100 grandfathers.

• Today’s grandparents are more likely to be college graduates (37%) and fully employed than at any time in the past.

• The grandparent-age share of the nation's income is 60%.

• The mean annual income of grandparent-age households was $68,500—about $500 above the mean income for all U.S. households. Among all grandparent-age households, about one-in-four had an annual income of $90,000 or more.

• They spend$52 billion a year on their grandkids.

• There are an estimated 4.5 million grandparentheaded households that include one or more of their grandchildren. That means approximately one in every nine (11%) grandparent households includes at least one grandchild.

• Three-quarters of grandparents are online. Forty-five percent are on social networks, and six percent have started a blog.

• 70 percent of grandparents see their grandchildren at least once a week.

• Forty-three percent exercise or play sports.

• Thirty-eight percent report having sex at least twice a week.

• Ten percent have a tattoo.

Sources: US Census Bureau, MetLife Mature Market Institute, Grandparents.com

Today's question:

What on the list surprises you...and what would you like to add?

This post also published as a guest post on Family Home and Life.

Shop early for gifts—plus 10 more things I didn't do in 2011

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Last December I swore I'd shop early for Christmas 2011, that I'd accumulate holiday gifts throughout the year so as to not have to rush around like a madwoman come December.

I didn't do that.

The metamorphosis into madwoman shall soon commence.

That's not the only thing I swore I'd do in 2011 that remains yet undone. Here are but a few:

• Order prints of the hundreds (thousands, maybe) of digital photos I'm behind on printing. "Behind" meaning the need goes back 8 years or so.

• Put a new Grandma's Briefs header into place, with an updated photo of granny panties on the line.

• Lose 20 pounds.

• Start riding my bike again (which would help with those 20 pounds).

• Paint the laundry room.

• Take up the hem on several of my favorite dresses to a more fashionable length. Yes, there's still time, but they're summer dresses...and will now sit on my sewing table until spring...at least.

• Learn Photoshop.

• Figure out how to be an active participant in Twitter parties without feeling like my head might explode. Or like a wallflower no one notices is in the room.

• Transfer a huge chunk of our CD collection to an iPod. (No way we'll manage to get all our music digitized...unless we set up a separate server for it. And no, Kate, we won't be following your lead.)

• Get caught up on reading my continually growing stack of magazines. Or just throw them all into the recycle bin and start fresh.

There are many more tasks, projects, and chores left undone, unfortunately. With the remainder of 2011 pretty much dedicated to holiday fun and frivolity, I don't see any of the above getting done at all before the clock strikes midnight on December 31.

Que sera, sera. There's always next year.

photo: stock.xchng

Today's question:

What did you intend to accomplish in 2011 but have now added to your to-do list for 2012?