I only had 3 lessons for the day. I am thankful for the 3 though. Camille switched to Saturday and Emily switched to Friday so it isn't as if I lost lessons (thank goodness for that!). The lessons are pretty much about the same amount each day now so that is good. I still have room for a few more but then, that will be it. I don't expect to get to that point right now. I would be surprised if I did. It is a nice feeling to be where I am with lessons. I am glad they spread more during the week so I can rest and not overdo it. It is so easy to overdo it without even thinking about it.
I was so excited last night. I went and vacuumed the tile floor (dining room/kitchen/utility room). I did the dining room and kitchen and then rested. After about 30 minutes, I went to vacuum the utility room and the little 1/2 bathroom. I waited another 30 minutes and then went to scrub the kitchen area. Then I waited for the extra pain that often happens when I vacuum or scrub to arrive. It didn't arrive! That is right! Absolutely no extra pain, not then, nor in the morning. I was very tired, but I didn't get the muscle spasms that usually happen. I think resting in between made the difference. I usually try to do it all at once and then plan on lying down for the next few hours with muscle spasms running up and down the back of my legs. Well, the new plan worked well. I will be vacuuming the living room and the hallway tomorrow along with the stairs and the upstairs hallway. I will be able to keep up with the house cleaning much better now that I have a new plan and it works! Or at least it worked yesterday. I am hopeful it will work again. I am more tired today because of the housework last night, but I also expected that. I will just go to bed a bit earlier than usual. That won't be a problem. There isn't much on TV tonight anyways.
Rachel had her lesson as usual. She is now learning 3rds and how to skip notes. She is doing really well with that. She did super well with her flash cards. Rachel is just so cute. So are Benjy and Joiene, they had their lessons too. I don't think they have practiced yet, (they have had about 4 lessons now) but Benjy knows his hand position very well, which is surprising since he doesn't practice. I don't know what the problem is. They have a keyboard so that would work well but I don't know. I will do as best I can with them. I do like them a lot. They are so cute. Joiene is 5 and Benjy is 6. Monday is definitely the evening for my little ones. I didn't have Bob, my retired guy because he fills in for the information desk at the hospital when they need him and he had to fill in today. I think he will be filling all week long so I don't think he will have a lesson this week. It is a bummer, but he rarely misses a lesson. He tries to make them up instead but he doesn't think he will be able to this week since he is planning to be at the hospital all week. Tomorrow, Brooke will not have her lesson tomorrow because of a volley ball game right after school. I was disappointed but I will see her next week. I also have to schedule her younger sister, Breanne.
I have a bit of a bad headache now. I am not sure why except I get them rather easy. It could be from the cold, the weather, or just plain Fibromyalgia. It is hard to say with me. I am going to take something for it shortly and then go to bed. It also could be because I am overtired tonight. When I went to bed last night I had an upset. All of a sudden I started crying really hard. I was missing Mom and it just hit me really hard at that moment. After about a half hour I calmed down and went down to read for a bit before heading back to bed for sleep. I just never know when it will hit me.
It has been a good day. I do hope your day has been good too.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sunday 9-25
I stopped procrastinating on vacuuming the tile floor. I just finished the dining room and the kitchen. I am completely exhausted so I will do the utility room later after I have recovered. This is why I keep postponing doing the vacuuming but it has to be done and no one is going to do it for me. There isn't anyone here to do it for me. Maia used to but not anymore. I just have to scrub the floor now. I will do that tomorrow after lessons, I am too tired to do it now.
Not much happening today. I vacuumed, went on Facebook, and read. That really is about it. The vacuuming didn't take too long really, just a little bit, but man, you would thing I was doing a marathon! Anyways, I don't have much to do tonight except for plan for lessons which I love to do. I am hoping I am meeting Kelly Lynn on Wednesday to discuss competition and concerts with the young lady. We may do our concerts together depending on how many students we have total. If she has a small amount, she can have her concert with mine unless she would rather just have her own. Whatever works for her, works for me. I have some information about competition to give her. The basic info and the some of the other info she asked about. The biggest question is repertoire. When you are a new teacher that is always the question. Where do you get the repertoire from and how do you pick. I will let her rummage through my files to see what she finds so she can figure out what to give her students. I think most of them are younger, which is actually a bit easier to choose material for. I have to choose some material for Rebecca for competition plus the Christmas Concert. I don't know what I will have all my students do this year but I will figure it out soon. I am not passing out Christmas music for another week anyways so I have some time to pick the stuff. It will be interesting this year with my advanced students. i have several and only 1 really good advanced Christmas book. I may have to get another although i don't want to spend a lot on Christmas music because I have to pay the taxes and that has to come first. Maybe Kelly Lynn will have something I can borrow or Diane. I shall see.
I am going to start working on the judges in mid-October. I figure that is a good time to start. I have one judge so far and then I will need 4 to 5 piano judges per day and 3 voice judges. I will sketch out a plan in my notebook so I can see when they want to do what. There are 5 categories for piano, 4 for voice, 3 for guitar, and 3 for drums not to mention evaluation for all instruments. I am excited about competition this year. I have let my student, Katie know that if her parents can't attend she can stay with me. She is 18 and technically she is an adult, but I am just worried about a young woman staying in the hotel room all by herself. I don't really want that to happen and fortunately, she agrees. It isn't because I think she will have a party (I know she wouldn't), it is a safety issue. She is young and pretty and I would worry so much about her being in the room alone without anyone else with her. This way she is with me and I won't worry although if she would rather stay with Aggie, that would be fine too. Aggie isn't sure what she is going to do about a hotel room this year since it is so early, but that is perfectly fine.
My friend, Donna, has been very ill. What she thought was just a cold ended up putting her in the hospital. boy was she mad. I don't understand it but okay, she was super mad. I guess she could have not gone and refused but she went. She was there 3 days. I talked to her yesterday for a while. She sounds much better and she says she is feeling much better so that is good. My cold is still lingering, but it is still just a mild one. I don't expect it to get worse at this stage. I expect it to stay mild. That works for me! I did sleep an awful lot today. I was just so tired and I think the week caught up to me today. I slept until the afternoon today. I am very tired now because of the vacuuming, but that was to be expected. That always happens when I vacuum. I will call her again in a few days to see how she is doing. I hope by then she will be even better than she was yesterday.
I am watching the news. It is all about the 2012 presidential race. I don't know. It is just crazy at this point because it is so early in the race. On my facebook, you can see different friends who like different candidates. I usually refrain from commenting because one of the best things in this country is that everyone can have their own opinion and voice. That is just so amazing when you look around the world and see how many people can't do that without getting put in jail or tortured. what a wonderful country we live in. I know that I am thankful everyday that my parents chose to move here when I was young. On my facebook, you can see different friends who like different candidates. I usually refrain from commenting because one of the best things in this country is that everyone can have their own opinion and voice. That is just so amazing when you look around the world and see how many people can't do that without getting put in jail or tortured. what a wonderful country we live in. I know that I am thankful everyday that my parents chose to move here when I was young. It makes me think about an episode of Law and Order, SVU last night. The maid in the story (the victim in the story) was from the Sudan. I couldn't even imagine living in Sudan. This woman (in the story) was raped and then was charged with prostitution. She was not a prostitute. The soldiers raped her after they killed her husband yet, she is the one charged not the soldiers. This may be a fictional story but this is happening around the world. Women are being hurt and then they are blamed for the crimes. It is just insane. I don't understand how this can happen in the world today. Shouldn't we have learned by now to treat each other better? It just boggles my mind how much Hate is in this world. Anyways, I digress.
I do hope your day is good and I hope you have a good week. I have about 19 lessons this week so my week will be wonderful and music filled. I am looking forward to a good week.
Not much happening today. I vacuumed, went on Facebook, and read. That really is about it. The vacuuming didn't take too long really, just a little bit, but man, you would thing I was doing a marathon! Anyways, I don't have much to do tonight except for plan for lessons which I love to do. I am hoping I am meeting Kelly Lynn on Wednesday to discuss competition and concerts with the young lady. We may do our concerts together depending on how many students we have total. If she has a small amount, she can have her concert with mine unless she would rather just have her own. Whatever works for her, works for me. I have some information about competition to give her. The basic info and the some of the other info she asked about. The biggest question is repertoire. When you are a new teacher that is always the question. Where do you get the repertoire from and how do you pick. I will let her rummage through my files to see what she finds so she can figure out what to give her students. I think most of them are younger, which is actually a bit easier to choose material for. I have to choose some material for Rebecca for competition plus the Christmas Concert. I don't know what I will have all my students do this year but I will figure it out soon. I am not passing out Christmas music for another week anyways so I have some time to pick the stuff. It will be interesting this year with my advanced students. i have several and only 1 really good advanced Christmas book. I may have to get another although i don't want to spend a lot on Christmas music because I have to pay the taxes and that has to come first. Maybe Kelly Lynn will have something I can borrow or Diane. I shall see.
I am going to start working on the judges in mid-October. I figure that is a good time to start. I have one judge so far and then I will need 4 to 5 piano judges per day and 3 voice judges. I will sketch out a plan in my notebook so I can see when they want to do what. There are 5 categories for piano, 4 for voice, 3 for guitar, and 3 for drums not to mention evaluation for all instruments. I am excited about competition this year. I have let my student, Katie know that if her parents can't attend she can stay with me. She is 18 and technically she is an adult, but I am just worried about a young woman staying in the hotel room all by herself. I don't really want that to happen and fortunately, she agrees. It isn't because I think she will have a party (I know she wouldn't), it is a safety issue. She is young and pretty and I would worry so much about her being in the room alone without anyone else with her. This way she is with me and I won't worry although if she would rather stay with Aggie, that would be fine too. Aggie isn't sure what she is going to do about a hotel room this year since it is so early, but that is perfectly fine.
My friend, Donna, has been very ill. What she thought was just a cold ended up putting her in the hospital. boy was she mad. I don't understand it but okay, she was super mad. I guess she could have not gone and refused but she went. She was there 3 days. I talked to her yesterday for a while. She sounds much better and she says she is feeling much better so that is good. My cold is still lingering, but it is still just a mild one. I don't expect it to get worse at this stage. I expect it to stay mild. That works for me! I did sleep an awful lot today. I was just so tired and I think the week caught up to me today. I slept until the afternoon today. I am very tired now because of the vacuuming, but that was to be expected. That always happens when I vacuum. I will call her again in a few days to see how she is doing. I hope by then she will be even better than she was yesterday.
I am watching the news. It is all about the 2012 presidential race. I don't know. It is just crazy at this point because it is so early in the race. On my facebook, you can see different friends who like different candidates. I usually refrain from commenting because one of the best things in this country is that everyone can have their own opinion and voice. That is just so amazing when you look around the world and see how many people can't do that without getting put in jail or tortured. what a wonderful country we live in. I know that I am thankful everyday that my parents chose to move here when I was young. On my facebook, you can see different friends who like different candidates. I usually refrain from commenting because one of the best things in this country is that everyone can have their own opinion and voice. That is just so amazing when you look around the world and see how many people can't do that without getting put in jail or tortured. what a wonderful country we live in. I know that I am thankful everyday that my parents chose to move here when I was young. It makes me think about an episode of Law and Order, SVU last night. The maid in the story (the victim in the story) was from the Sudan. I couldn't even imagine living in Sudan. This woman (in the story) was raped and then was charged with prostitution. She was not a prostitute. The soldiers raped her after they killed her husband yet, she is the one charged not the soldiers. This may be a fictional story but this is happening around the world. Women are being hurt and then they are blamed for the crimes. It is just insane. I don't understand how this can happen in the world today. Shouldn't we have learned by now to treat each other better? It just boggles my mind how much Hate is in this world. Anyways, I digress.
I do hope your day is good and I hope you have a good week. I have about 19 lessons this week so my week will be wonderful and music filled. I am looking forward to a good week.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
busy Saturday!
I am just waiting for Katie to arrive for her lesson. That will be the 5th lesson of the day. I haven't been this busy with lessons in months and I do like it. I am getting hungry for dinner though. I am going to make dinner after Katie's lesson. I need to go to Walmart but I am going to go tomorrow. I am just too tired to do it today after all these lessons and I have no lessons scheduled for tomorrow.
Sandra, a new student, she has had 2 lessons so far, is doing very well. I really like her a lot. Camille moved her lessons from Monday to Saturday because of homework schedule. She has been getting so much homework on Mondays that trying to fit in piano lessons on that day just haven't worked at all. She is doing very well. She reads notes super well and is only having a bit of trouble with the new hand position today. This is the first day she has actually struggled with a hand position. By the time she left her lesson she seemed to have the new position down pat. The problem was that this hand position is one note different from another so she was getting the two mixed up. G was where F was and A was where G was and so forth so you can see how that would confuse a young lady like Miss Camille. She is such a doll. I simply adore all my students from the youngest of 5 to the retired gentleman. They are all awesome and I am so glad I teach them all. So far, the fall schedule is really shaping up well. I may have a new student start not this week but next week on Thursday at 6 pm. I believe it is piano. I was notified by the online company about the potential new student. That is pretty exciting, I think.
I am planning to go to the 25th class reunion next month. It is on Homecoming Weekend. There is the parade on Friday, the actual reunion on Saturday, and meeting at the Cider Mill on Sunday. I am not going to march in the parade like a lot of the alumni are with the alumni float. One - I could not walk that far and two - I don't know if my scooter would be able to keep up so I am just not going to do it. I will meet some friends Friday night for dinner so that will be lots of fun. I am actually looking forward to this reunion. It is shocking to me because when I graduated high school, I was like, wow, I never have to see these people again and now I want to. I think facebook has made the difference. I am face book friends with so many of my classmates and we talk enough where I want to spend a evening with them. It also helps that Kathy and her husband are going too. If Kathy wasn't going, I may have decided not to go but my friend, Jennie is going too and so is Karlyn so I have several friends who are going to be there. It shall be a good time. Depending on my teaching schedule, I may or may not be able to make the Yates Cider Mill thing. I will play that one by ear. I am excited to see some people I haven't seen in well, 25 years. I got to have lunch with my friend, Kathleen this summer and I hadn't seen her since high school. She is married and has 4 children, the oldest is 20 and married, then 14, 3, and 1. Yes, she started all over again! Her children are wonderful and I really got a chance to see the littlest one, Gianna. We had a good time, Gianna and I. Kathleen has since moved back down to Florida so she isn't sure she will be able to come to the reunion although she has tickets. I do hope that it works out for her so she can come.
I don't have any plans for tomorrow. I should do the kitchen/dining room/utility room floors but I may ignore them and do them Monday although I have lots of lessons on Monday. Hm, I better do them tomorrow. I have been putting them off a little too long. That is not a good idea. Yup, I will do them tomorrow after I go to Walmart for my medicine. I need to call in a refill for my meloxicam. I better remember to do that tomorrow. I also need to vacuum the stairs and hallway tomorrow. Tomorrow would definitely be a good day for housework because then afterwards if I need to, I can lie down and rest or read in the dining room or living room.
Tomorrow also is the start of a new season of Home Make Overs or something like that on ABC. It is a 2 hour premiere. I like that show because the houses that these people live in are so dangerous and wow, in horrible shape. They do all sorts of things in addition to the houses. First they send the family on vacation, often to Disney World or some place like that, then they help with other things too. For example, one family, the father was over in Iraq and the bank paid off his mortgage. Another had a chronically ill child and CVS helped start a fund to pay for treatments so it is pretty cool what they do. Tomorrow also starts the new show Pan Am, which sounds rather interesting. I may stay awake long enough to check it out. Tonight, I have no idea what I am going to watch. I will probably flip channels until I find something fun to watch.
With 5 lessons, what could be better?
Sandra, a new student, she has had 2 lessons so far, is doing very well. I really like her a lot. Camille moved her lessons from Monday to Saturday because of homework schedule. She has been getting so much homework on Mondays that trying to fit in piano lessons on that day just haven't worked at all. She is doing very well. She reads notes super well and is only having a bit of trouble with the new hand position today. This is the first day she has actually struggled with a hand position. By the time she left her lesson she seemed to have the new position down pat. The problem was that this hand position is one note different from another so she was getting the two mixed up. G was where F was and A was where G was and so forth so you can see how that would confuse a young lady like Miss Camille. She is such a doll. I simply adore all my students from the youngest of 5 to the retired gentleman. They are all awesome and I am so glad I teach them all. So far, the fall schedule is really shaping up well. I may have a new student start not this week but next week on Thursday at 6 pm. I believe it is piano. I was notified by the online company about the potential new student. That is pretty exciting, I think.
I am planning to go to the 25th class reunion next month. It is on Homecoming Weekend. There is the parade on Friday, the actual reunion on Saturday, and meeting at the Cider Mill on Sunday. I am not going to march in the parade like a lot of the alumni are with the alumni float. One - I could not walk that far and two - I don't know if my scooter would be able to keep up so I am just not going to do it. I will meet some friends Friday night for dinner so that will be lots of fun. I am actually looking forward to this reunion. It is shocking to me because when I graduated high school, I was like, wow, I never have to see these people again and now I want to. I think facebook has made the difference. I am face book friends with so many of my classmates and we talk enough where I want to spend a evening with them. It also helps that Kathy and her husband are going too. If Kathy wasn't going, I may have decided not to go but my friend, Jennie is going too and so is Karlyn so I have several friends who are going to be there. It shall be a good time. Depending on my teaching schedule, I may or may not be able to make the Yates Cider Mill thing. I will play that one by ear. I am excited to see some people I haven't seen in well, 25 years. I got to have lunch with my friend, Kathleen this summer and I hadn't seen her since high school. She is married and has 4 children, the oldest is 20 and married, then 14, 3, and 1. Yes, she started all over again! Her children are wonderful and I really got a chance to see the littlest one, Gianna. We had a good time, Gianna and I. Kathleen has since moved back down to Florida so she isn't sure she will be able to come to the reunion although she has tickets. I do hope that it works out for her so she can come.
I don't have any plans for tomorrow. I should do the kitchen/dining room/utility room floors but I may ignore them and do them Monday although I have lots of lessons on Monday. Hm, I better do them tomorrow. I have been putting them off a little too long. That is not a good idea. Yup, I will do them tomorrow after I go to Walmart for my medicine. I need to call in a refill for my meloxicam. I better remember to do that tomorrow. I also need to vacuum the stairs and hallway tomorrow. Tomorrow would definitely be a good day for housework because then afterwards if I need to, I can lie down and rest or read in the dining room or living room.
Tomorrow also is the start of a new season of Home Make Overs or something like that on ABC. It is a 2 hour premiere. I like that show because the houses that these people live in are so dangerous and wow, in horrible shape. They do all sorts of things in addition to the houses. First they send the family on vacation, often to Disney World or some place like that, then they help with other things too. For example, one family, the father was over in Iraq and the bank paid off his mortgage. Another had a chronically ill child and CVS helped start a fund to pay for treatments so it is pretty cool what they do. Tomorrow also starts the new show Pan Am, which sounds rather interesting. I may stay awake long enough to check it out. Tonight, I have no idea what I am going to watch. I will probably flip channels until I find something fun to watch.
With 5 lessons, what could be better?
Friday, September 23, 2011
Friday 9-23
I met with Diane for lunch/tea this afternoon. It was so much fun. I have an idea of where to start for the judges for competition. I also have one potential judge already for guitar so I am happy about that. After leaving the restaurant and Diane, I headed to Joann's for a new table cloth. Unfortunately, they did not have any fall tablecloths. They had plenty of Halloween ones, which I already have one of those but none of the Thanksgiving or Fall in general ones. I will check Walmart tomorrow when I go to pick up some more cold medicine and a few other items. I will go after my lessons tomorrow. I have 5 lessons tomorrow so I am very excited about that. I think on Sunday I will make a roast. That sounds like a good plan.
Emily had her lesson this evening. She did very well with her lesson book song but is still struggling with her flash cards. I do hope that in the next few months she will know them well and be comfortable with her notes. Acer and Calli were absent this afternoon because they are on a retreat! I do hope they are having a good time. Heather, their Mom, is not feeling too well. She has a sore throat. She was able to go to the doctor and get medicine. Fortunately, she is not contagious so she can attend the retreat with her family. I do hope by next week she is on the mend. I am hoping that my cold is gone by the end of next week too. It is almost gone. It has stayed mild so that is great. I didn't have to cancel any lessons or anything except not attend the meeting on Sunday. That was the only thing that I missed. Thankfully, the meeting is only the thing I missed this week.
There isn't much on TV tonight even with the new shows. I am watching an old episode of without a trace. I haven't watched a lot of this in a long time. I remember liking the show when I saw it, I just never saw it a whole lot. I plan to go to bed a bit earlier than I usually do because I am getting up a bit early tomorrow for my lessons and I am still tired from this cold. I find going to bed earlier has helped me a lot this week. I have worked very hard to not read so late in the night. I was getting to the point I was reading until about 2 or 3 in the morning. It was just ridicules because then I wouldn't get up until 1 or 2 in the afternoon! I am a 10 to 12 hour sleeper. I always have been except for the time I was in college. Somehow most of the week I could survive with 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night. I did this for about 6 years before I just couldn't do it anymore. That was about the time that the Fibro really started making it hard to do anything. After college, I worked 3 mornings a week as a secretary and taught about 4 days a week. The rest of the time I was either resting or sleeping. My mom would wake me when she got up in the morning to help me get dressed and then I would go back to sleep until it was time to go to work or teach or start the day. Sometimes, the pain was so bad, Mom had to rub my legs so I could get out of bed. My mom was very supportive once the pain really took hold of me. My brothers would joke, where is Heather? Oh she must be in bed because I was in bed a lot. Turns out that was the worst I could have done but I didn't know what was wrong with me. I went to so many doctors until Mom started going with me. We stopped after that horrible doctor said I was emotional disturbed. After that Mom and I decided to stop going to the doctor to see what was wrong. Mom and I figured we would just do what we can do for the pain and fatigue. It wasn't until 2003, when I got the Vasculitis that we got the official diagnose. What a surprise it was to find that the doctor I had been going to since 1996 knew all about Fibromyalgia and I could have been diagnosed back then! When I switched to him, mom and I decided not to say anything about the pain and fatigue because of what had happened at the other doctors office. Turns out that was a bad decision. Hindsight is 20/20 though, isn't it? I thought I was doing the right thing at the time.
So anyways, I am heading to bed soon. I reading a really good book now called "Love Proof" by Catherine Palmer. It is a book I have read before, but I haven't read it in so long that I can't remember anything about it. It is one of the many books I found in my dresser drawer. I still have about 15 books to read again. I seriously can't remember most of those books when I looked at the titles. I still plan to get the rest of the O'Malley series but I have other things I need to pay for first. Eventually, I will have the entire set. I just need 2 books for the series, number 4 and the prequel. They are really good books. I am really enjoying re-reading a lot of these books. I also need to look downstairs and see what books I have down there to start re-reading when I am done with the ones in my room.
It has been a good day with fun visiting and fun phone calls. Georgette and I talked for over 2 hours this afternoon. I do hope your day has been fun too.
Emily had her lesson this evening. She did very well with her lesson book song but is still struggling with her flash cards. I do hope that in the next few months she will know them well and be comfortable with her notes. Acer and Calli were absent this afternoon because they are on a retreat! I do hope they are having a good time. Heather, their Mom, is not feeling too well. She has a sore throat. She was able to go to the doctor and get medicine. Fortunately, she is not contagious so she can attend the retreat with her family. I do hope by next week she is on the mend. I am hoping that my cold is gone by the end of next week too. It is almost gone. It has stayed mild so that is great. I didn't have to cancel any lessons or anything except not attend the meeting on Sunday. That was the only thing that I missed. Thankfully, the meeting is only the thing I missed this week.
There isn't much on TV tonight even with the new shows. I am watching an old episode of without a trace. I haven't watched a lot of this in a long time. I remember liking the show when I saw it, I just never saw it a whole lot. I plan to go to bed a bit earlier than I usually do because I am getting up a bit early tomorrow for my lessons and I am still tired from this cold. I find going to bed earlier has helped me a lot this week. I have worked very hard to not read so late in the night. I was getting to the point I was reading until about 2 or 3 in the morning. It was just ridicules because then I wouldn't get up until 1 or 2 in the afternoon! I am a 10 to 12 hour sleeper. I always have been except for the time I was in college. Somehow most of the week I could survive with 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night. I did this for about 6 years before I just couldn't do it anymore. That was about the time that the Fibro really started making it hard to do anything. After college, I worked 3 mornings a week as a secretary and taught about 4 days a week. The rest of the time I was either resting or sleeping. My mom would wake me when she got up in the morning to help me get dressed and then I would go back to sleep until it was time to go to work or teach or start the day. Sometimes, the pain was so bad, Mom had to rub my legs so I could get out of bed. My mom was very supportive once the pain really took hold of me. My brothers would joke, where is Heather? Oh she must be in bed because I was in bed a lot. Turns out that was the worst I could have done but I didn't know what was wrong with me. I went to so many doctors until Mom started going with me. We stopped after that horrible doctor said I was emotional disturbed. After that Mom and I decided to stop going to the doctor to see what was wrong. Mom and I figured we would just do what we can do for the pain and fatigue. It wasn't until 2003, when I got the Vasculitis that we got the official diagnose. What a surprise it was to find that the doctor I had been going to since 1996 knew all about Fibromyalgia and I could have been diagnosed back then! When I switched to him, mom and I decided not to say anything about the pain and fatigue because of what had happened at the other doctors office. Turns out that was a bad decision. Hindsight is 20/20 though, isn't it? I thought I was doing the right thing at the time.
So anyways, I am heading to bed soon. I reading a really good book now called "Love Proof" by Catherine Palmer. It is a book I have read before, but I haven't read it in so long that I can't remember anything about it. It is one of the many books I found in my dresser drawer. I still have about 15 books to read again. I seriously can't remember most of those books when I looked at the titles. I still plan to get the rest of the O'Malley series but I have other things I need to pay for first. Eventually, I will have the entire set. I just need 2 books for the series, number 4 and the prequel. They are really good books. I am really enjoying re-reading a lot of these books. I also need to look downstairs and see what books I have down there to start re-reading when I am done with the ones in my room.
It has been a good day with fun visiting and fun phone calls. Georgette and I talked for over 2 hours this afternoon. I do hope your day has been fun too.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thursday 9-22
I had 2 students this evening, Laith and Logan. Laith is really doing well with reading his notes. He is just jamming! I am really pleased with the young man. He even has notes he hasn't played yet. Also, it is really weird, but the level B Christmas book is in a hand position they don't really learn until level C, but with his note reading ability, I am sure he will be fine unlike some of my others who aren't as strong in note reading as Laith. Logan is doing well with his song. We did some sight reading today too. He is doing alright with sight reading, but not as quickly as he and I would like. We did one hand at a time on the sight reading. He is getting better with the ledger line notes too. He is not confusing B, G, A in treble clef as he has been. He also is doing better with his bass clef notes. He flew through the flash cards. Next week I am going to give him papers that have the ledger lines above and below the staff. Overall, I am pleased with how my students are doing. I really am.
Tomorrow I am meeting with Diane to discuss competition since I missed the meeting. I just notice from reading the minutes that Georgette wasn't there. Hm, I will have to find out why. She wasn't home when I called. I will try again tomorrow. I am excited about competition this year. I don't know who will attend outside of Becca and Katie. It looks like Calli and Acer may attend this year. I will be typing out the newsletter for students this weekend so that I can pass out the concert and the competition info. I have printed the info, I just have to put it in the newsletter form. I wish that Microsoft would make publisher for macs but they don't. It is just not fair. It is not fair at all. I do use in design but it is an older version. I have no desire to update it either since I don't use it very often. I only use it for newsletters once in a while. I may see what word has as far as newsletters. They used to have something for that. I will check into that.
I didn't do too much today as I wasn't feeling so hot this afternoon so I came down and got some medicine before heading back up to bed. I think I slept on and off for a while more. I then went and got my hair washed and dried so today it looks really cute with poofy bangs and it is down, not in a ponytail. As winter is coming, I will be wearing it down more often. In the summer I wear it up a lot because it is cooler and I don't overhead that way. I also don't like hair sticking to my neck. It just feels weird.
I won't have the Little Man Acer and Miss Missy Calli tomorrow for lessons. They are going on a retreat for the weekend. I do hope it is a good time for them. I haven't been on a retreat in many years but I did enjoy them when I went. In addition to Bible Studies we played volleyball and other games. I haven't been on one in about 14 years. Wow, that was a long time ago. It is hard to believe that it was that long ago, but it was. I will have Emily tomorrow though. She has switched from Monday to Friday because it fits better for her schedule. Saturdays are now a busy day, thankfully. I have Sandra, Camille, this week, Rick, Katie, and then Rebecca. Sunday is the empty day for the week for a change. It has been that way for a few weeks now, but hey, whatever fits Rick's schedule is what works for me. I like to be flexible when I can. Next week I have a doctor's appointment and I am not sure I will be home in time for Laith's lesson. Thank goodness he switched just for next week. He started golf at school today. He says that he thinks he is going to like it a lot. I think that it is very cool opportunity for the young man.
Project Runway is on right now. They are designing for a new Rock band who won this contest for the Rolling Stone Magazine. Some of the designers have never done menswear so they are kind of freaking out. I would be freaking out, completely as I have never made anything for a man. The band is called Sheep Dog. They played a bit and they were good. I am anxious to start sewing again. I am going to make my students their Christmas Present. It will be the coolest ornament. I know it will turn out well because I have done something similar about 15 years ago. I did like they way it turned out then so I think it will be that way again. The sad part though is that Mom and I made them together as she helped me with all my students ornaments. Sometimes I would make her one too and she wouldn't know it.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will be out on DVD November 11, 2011! I am very excited about that!!! I can't wait for it! It will be awesome to have the entire series! I love Harry Potter so much. Mom loved it too. She would fall asleep any time she started to read anything longer than a couple of pages. I am getting ready to do my marathon of reading book 1 then watching movie 1, reading book 2 than watching movie 2, etc. Kathy came up with this idea. I am so glad that she did. It is an awesome idea. Oh, speaking of movies, Laura has decided that Sarah (Hannah, Lydia, and Natalie's little sister) can go with us when we see in at the cheap theatre. She won't have to do the school assignment though. She is 8. I think she is excited about it. I love those girls. I just do! I love all my students though.
Anyways, this is getting rather long and I just don't want to have any cut off. I do hope you had a good day!
Tomorrow I am meeting with Diane to discuss competition since I missed the meeting. I just notice from reading the minutes that Georgette wasn't there. Hm, I will have to find out why. She wasn't home when I called. I will try again tomorrow. I am excited about competition this year. I don't know who will attend outside of Becca and Katie. It looks like Calli and Acer may attend this year. I will be typing out the newsletter for students this weekend so that I can pass out the concert and the competition info. I have printed the info, I just have to put it in the newsletter form. I wish that Microsoft would make publisher for macs but they don't. It is just not fair. It is not fair at all. I do use in design but it is an older version. I have no desire to update it either since I don't use it very often. I only use it for newsletters once in a while. I may see what word has as far as newsletters. They used to have something for that. I will check into that.
I didn't do too much today as I wasn't feeling so hot this afternoon so I came down and got some medicine before heading back up to bed. I think I slept on and off for a while more. I then went and got my hair washed and dried so today it looks really cute with poofy bangs and it is down, not in a ponytail. As winter is coming, I will be wearing it down more often. In the summer I wear it up a lot because it is cooler and I don't overhead that way. I also don't like hair sticking to my neck. It just feels weird.
I won't have the Little Man Acer and Miss Missy Calli tomorrow for lessons. They are going on a retreat for the weekend. I do hope it is a good time for them. I haven't been on a retreat in many years but I did enjoy them when I went. In addition to Bible Studies we played volleyball and other games. I haven't been on one in about 14 years. Wow, that was a long time ago. It is hard to believe that it was that long ago, but it was. I will have Emily tomorrow though. She has switched from Monday to Friday because it fits better for her schedule. Saturdays are now a busy day, thankfully. I have Sandra, Camille, this week, Rick, Katie, and then Rebecca. Sunday is the empty day for the week for a change. It has been that way for a few weeks now, but hey, whatever fits Rick's schedule is what works for me. I like to be flexible when I can. Next week I have a doctor's appointment and I am not sure I will be home in time for Laith's lesson. Thank goodness he switched just for next week. He started golf at school today. He says that he thinks he is going to like it a lot. I think that it is very cool opportunity for the young man.
Project Runway is on right now. They are designing for a new Rock band who won this contest for the Rolling Stone Magazine. Some of the designers have never done menswear so they are kind of freaking out. I would be freaking out, completely as I have never made anything for a man. The band is called Sheep Dog. They played a bit and they were good. I am anxious to start sewing again. I am going to make my students their Christmas Present. It will be the coolest ornament. I know it will turn out well because I have done something similar about 15 years ago. I did like they way it turned out then so I think it will be that way again. The sad part though is that Mom and I made them together as she helped me with all my students ornaments. Sometimes I would make her one too and she wouldn't know it.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will be out on DVD November 11, 2011! I am very excited about that!!! I can't wait for it! It will be awesome to have the entire series! I love Harry Potter so much. Mom loved it too. She would fall asleep any time she started to read anything longer than a couple of pages. I am getting ready to do my marathon of reading book 1 then watching movie 1, reading book 2 than watching movie 2, etc. Kathy came up with this idea. I am so glad that she did. It is an awesome idea. Oh, speaking of movies, Laura has decided that Sarah (Hannah, Lydia, and Natalie's little sister) can go with us when we see in at the cheap theatre. She won't have to do the school assignment though. She is 8. I think she is excited about it. I love those girls. I just do! I love all my students though.
Anyways, this is getting rather long and I just don't want to have any cut off. I do hope you had a good day!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Wednesday 9-21
It is the third week of September already. This month is going pretty fast. I don't mind though. Tomorrow is only 2 lessons. Breanna is absent this week. I am disappointed because I enjoy her lessons but she has a lot of school work to work on this week. Then 3 on Friday with 4 on Saturday. Friday I am meeting with Diane to talk about the judges for competition. I think it will be fun. I missed the meeting on Sunday because I didn't feel so good.
The cold is doing alright. Nothing spectacular like getting healthy super fast or anything, but it isn't getting any worse so that is okay. At least it isn't getting worse. I just wish it would get better faster. I have discovered that I am not a great patient these days. I am just impatient to be over it.
Modern Family is on right now. I don't know why I watch this sometimes because sometimes it is just dumb not funny. Dance Moms is on tonight too. I think it is the last episode. I am not sure though. It is interesting though. The moms and the dance teacher are all crazy. They just are. However, it should be noted that the dancers are good dancers and not typical of their age. Most 6 year olds and 8 year olds do not dance as well as these girls do. I do like watching them dance. The dance teacher does come up with good choreography and these girls do win competitions. However, competition is only a part of education whether it is dance or music. I think if you want to go to competition, you should work hard and do your best, but I don't think competition is the end all. There is much more to music and dance than just competition. I think that is why it doesn't bother me if my students go or not. If they do, then I expect them to do well but if they don't want to go, that is fine too.
Dance Moms is a repeat. How disappointing.
Allison did very well for her lesson today as did Natalie. Beth is really coming along with her audition material. Natalie got another song today so now she has 3 as did Allison. I was a bit worried about Allison because she was late. I was kind of nervous because I didn't know if she wasn't coming or was just caught in traffic. She had only 1 lesson and with some of the track history with adults, however, she was just caught in traffic. Thank goodness it was only a bit of traffic. I am going to be starting to pull all the Christmas books out this weekend so i can plan who needs what book and what I need to copy since I have 3 students in the level B book and I only have 2 level B books. I have to teach them 3 new notes in the next little bit so they are prepared for level B. Acer is in level 1B and Calli is in level 3 so I don't have to copy anything for them. They can each borrow a book without needing to share. My 2 level A book students are siblings, so that works out even better. I am not sure if Breanna is going to want to play the piano for the Christmas Concert. She didn't for the summer one. Sandra is in the level 2 books so she won't have to share that one either. Logan, Breanne, and Brooke are the three that will have to share the most. I will have to copy their music for them because I don't have that many books for them. We shall see how this works out. I am not too worried as it will work out in the end somehow. It always does.
I think I am going to read for a bit and then head for bed. Tomorrow I need to pay a few bills and send another payment in to the property taxes. I have 2 bills I have to pay right away and the rest can go on the property taxes. That will be another $200 for them so I am excited about that. That brings this months total so far to $325. I will only need to send in $75 more next week and the monthly total is exactly what I thought I could pay! This is great news for me. I am very excited about that. I never thought I would be excited about paying property taxes. Never. Who knew?
It has been a good day with lessons. My cold is doing okay. It is slowly getting better just not fast enough for me. I do hope your day is going well too!
The cold is doing alright. Nothing spectacular like getting healthy super fast or anything, but it isn't getting any worse so that is okay. At least it isn't getting worse. I just wish it would get better faster. I have discovered that I am not a great patient these days. I am just impatient to be over it.
Modern Family is on right now. I don't know why I watch this sometimes because sometimes it is just dumb not funny. Dance Moms is on tonight too. I think it is the last episode. I am not sure though. It is interesting though. The moms and the dance teacher are all crazy. They just are. However, it should be noted that the dancers are good dancers and not typical of their age. Most 6 year olds and 8 year olds do not dance as well as these girls do. I do like watching them dance. The dance teacher does come up with good choreography and these girls do win competitions. However, competition is only a part of education whether it is dance or music. I think if you want to go to competition, you should work hard and do your best, but I don't think competition is the end all. There is much more to music and dance than just competition. I think that is why it doesn't bother me if my students go or not. If they do, then I expect them to do well but if they don't want to go, that is fine too.
Dance Moms is a repeat. How disappointing.
Allison did very well for her lesson today as did Natalie. Beth is really coming along with her audition material. Natalie got another song today so now she has 3 as did Allison. I was a bit worried about Allison because she was late. I was kind of nervous because I didn't know if she wasn't coming or was just caught in traffic. She had only 1 lesson and with some of the track history with adults, however, she was just caught in traffic. Thank goodness it was only a bit of traffic. I am going to be starting to pull all the Christmas books out this weekend so i can plan who needs what book and what I need to copy since I have 3 students in the level B book and I only have 2 level B books. I have to teach them 3 new notes in the next little bit so they are prepared for level B. Acer is in level 1B and Calli is in level 3 so I don't have to copy anything for them. They can each borrow a book without needing to share. My 2 level A book students are siblings, so that works out even better. I am not sure if Breanna is going to want to play the piano for the Christmas Concert. She didn't for the summer one. Sandra is in the level 2 books so she won't have to share that one either. Logan, Breanne, and Brooke are the three that will have to share the most. I will have to copy their music for them because I don't have that many books for them. We shall see how this works out. I am not too worried as it will work out in the end somehow. It always does.
I think I am going to read for a bit and then head for bed. Tomorrow I need to pay a few bills and send another payment in to the property taxes. I have 2 bills I have to pay right away and the rest can go on the property taxes. That will be another $200 for them so I am excited about that. That brings this months total so far to $325. I will only need to send in $75 more next week and the monthly total is exactly what I thought I could pay! This is great news for me. I am very excited about that. I never thought I would be excited about paying property taxes. Never. Who knew?
It has been a good day with lessons. My cold is doing okay. It is slowly getting better just not fast enough for me. I do hope your day is going well too!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Cold is still here
The cold is still a small cold, so I am a happy camper about that. I had the trial lesson and I believe it went well. We talked about what Brooke (the lovely young lady) wanted to play, perform and all sorts of things like that. She would like to incorporate other styles to her repertoire, which I am totally for. She would like to play some New Age and some Pop. I think we will work well together. She had a couple of technical questions such as what the trill symbol meant and the grace notes. We went over it and she has them very well. She has wonderful hand position and fingering. She actually reminded me of Anne when she played the piano. Not that the two look a lot alike outside of general coloring, it was just the musicality that she played with reminded me about Anne.
I actually got to speak with Anne tonight!!! We talked for just over an hour before my phone was about to die. I think the battery is not doing as well as it should but I will have to get it checked out. I don't know if I am eligible for a free upgrade on a phone or not but I shall find out. Anne is doing well and went to a Renaissance Festival this weekend. I saw the pictures and she looked so cute on the camel! She got to ride a camel, how cool is that? I would love to ride on a camel! My friend, Debbie got to ride on one when she was in Egypt in high school. A man offered many goats for her hand in marriage too. Fortunately, her mother turned him down. It still gets a giggle from her to be teased about that.
Outside of lessons, I don't have any other plans for the week. Tomorrow I will have a new song for Natalie. I have to copy it for her tomorrow afternoon before the lesson. It looks like I will be off on Sunday again. Rick needs to have his lesson on Saturday again this week. It works for me as would have Sunday. I may go see a movie or watch a movie here at home.
My friend, Donna is rather ill right now. I think she got it from her granddaughter. She is finally going to the doctor tomorrow. I will probably talk to her tomorrow to see how she is doing. I was hoping to see her this Sunday, however, I will wait until she gets better.
NCIS is on right now. It is the season premier. I love this show so much. It does seem weird to be watching the season premier without Mom here with me. Another first for me, I suppose. I am tired of firsts. After October 18, 2011, all firsts will be over and the seconds will start. It is hard to believe that it is almost a year since I last saw my mom alive, since I last spoke to her. It seems unfair to be living without her here. It just does. I don't think it will ever seem fair not to have her here.
NCIS Los Angeles season premier will be on after the regular NCIS. It is a good show too. I remember when it first started, I didn't want to watch it but then Mom and I gave it a shot and we both liked it. I fortunate that Mom liked that show until close to the end. She didn't become afraid of this show however, when she became afraid with other shows, I did stop her from watching NCIS too. I couldn't take the chance of it upsetting her. It just would not be good for the little lady.
I have the cutest material for the Christmas presents for my students. It has Christmas music printed on it with other Christmas stuff on it. I don't know what I am going to make, but I will come up with something cute. I also have some Snoopy Christmas Music fabrics that I may use instead. It is hard to say. I like both fabrics a lot. I will see what I can come up with before I make my final decision. I like making ornaments out of fabric for my students because it is fun. I have pretty much made ornaments for my students almost every year for the last 20 years except for the last 2 years. I just couldn't do it those years. There has been the off year where i didn't make something and sometimes the students would be like, hey, you didn't make me anything this year. They liked what I got them, but some of them like the ornaments better. Several students still have them. I will play around with some scraps and then see what I will come up with. I don't have much to get for Christmas this year outside of my students. A few friends and their children and that is about it. I am pretty sure I know what I am getting my friend's boys but not her girls. The boys are easy because they are at the age where I have an idea of what they like but the girls like lots of different things so they are a bit harder. Sometimes that is how I come up with my best ideas for gifts. I love shopping for Christmas gifts. I plan to start shopping in October so that I will be able to get everything I want to get. If I wait until December, I will either have the choice of paying bills or purchasing presents. It is not a good place to be so I shop early.
I do hope you had a good day today. So far, it has been a good week despite the lovely cold. It is a mild one so that makes me happy. I fully expect this little cold to be history by the end of the week!
I actually got to speak with Anne tonight!!! We talked for just over an hour before my phone was about to die. I think the battery is not doing as well as it should but I will have to get it checked out. I don't know if I am eligible for a free upgrade on a phone or not but I shall find out. Anne is doing well and went to a Renaissance Festival this weekend. I saw the pictures and she looked so cute on the camel! She got to ride a camel, how cool is that? I would love to ride on a camel! My friend, Debbie got to ride on one when she was in Egypt in high school. A man offered many goats for her hand in marriage too. Fortunately, her mother turned him down. It still gets a giggle from her to be teased about that.
Outside of lessons, I don't have any other plans for the week. Tomorrow I will have a new song for Natalie. I have to copy it for her tomorrow afternoon before the lesson. It looks like I will be off on Sunday again. Rick needs to have his lesson on Saturday again this week. It works for me as would have Sunday. I may go see a movie or watch a movie here at home.
My friend, Donna is rather ill right now. I think she got it from her granddaughter. She is finally going to the doctor tomorrow. I will probably talk to her tomorrow to see how she is doing. I was hoping to see her this Sunday, however, I will wait until she gets better.
NCIS is on right now. It is the season premier. I love this show so much. It does seem weird to be watching the season premier without Mom here with me. Another first for me, I suppose. I am tired of firsts. After October 18, 2011, all firsts will be over and the seconds will start. It is hard to believe that it is almost a year since I last saw my mom alive, since I last spoke to her. It seems unfair to be living without her here. It just does. I don't think it will ever seem fair not to have her here.
NCIS Los Angeles season premier will be on after the regular NCIS. It is a good show too. I remember when it first started, I didn't want to watch it but then Mom and I gave it a shot and we both liked it. I fortunate that Mom liked that show until close to the end. She didn't become afraid of this show however, when she became afraid with other shows, I did stop her from watching NCIS too. I couldn't take the chance of it upsetting her. It just would not be good for the little lady.
I have the cutest material for the Christmas presents for my students. It has Christmas music printed on it with other Christmas stuff on it. I don't know what I am going to make, but I will come up with something cute. I also have some Snoopy Christmas Music fabrics that I may use instead. It is hard to say. I like both fabrics a lot. I will see what I can come up with before I make my final decision. I like making ornaments out of fabric for my students because it is fun. I have pretty much made ornaments for my students almost every year for the last 20 years except for the last 2 years. I just couldn't do it those years. There has been the off year where i didn't make something and sometimes the students would be like, hey, you didn't make me anything this year. They liked what I got them, but some of them like the ornaments better. Several students still have them. I will play around with some scraps and then see what I will come up with. I don't have much to get for Christmas this year outside of my students. A few friends and their children and that is about it. I am pretty sure I know what I am getting my friend's boys but not her girls. The boys are easy because they are at the age where I have an idea of what they like but the girls like lots of different things so they are a bit harder. Sometimes that is how I come up with my best ideas for gifts. I love shopping for Christmas gifts. I plan to start shopping in October so that I will be able to get everything I want to get. If I wait until December, I will either have the choice of paying bills or purchasing presents. It is not a good place to be so I shop early.
I do hope you had a good day today. So far, it has been a good week despite the lovely cold. It is a mild one so that makes me happy. I fully expect this little cold to be history by the end of the week!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday 9-19
The cold is doing somewhat better, thank goodness. I must say that this is, so far, just a small cold. I am hoping it stays a small cold and doesn't develop into a big cold. This week, already, 1 of my little ones also had a cold. I am always not sure when I have a cold whether or not I should teach. However, I have since noticed in the last few years that if it is just a cold, the kids come so I now teach unless I am coughing really bad or have a fever. If it is the flu, I don't teach. I haven't had the flu in many years since I started getting the flu shot. I will probably get it in a few weeks when I get my blood test done. It seems strange to be the only one to get one this year. Last year Mom and I both got them and she was not happy with me about that. I felt so bad, but I couldn't take the chance of her getting sick. She just didn't need to get the flu that is for sure. She was crying after she got the shot. Fortunately, the nurse who gave her the shot knew her very well so she sat with Mom until Mom calmed down. I didn't know she was upset until it was over. The nurses at my doctor's office are very good. Only one or two times did we have problem with his staff and I did complain because the office staff member yelled at mom on 2 separate occasions. I was furious to say the least. Fortunately, she didn't last very long at all. Apparently, many people complained. With many of his patients seniors, that particular woman really needed compassion and I think she totally lacked it. After that, I took care of everything at the doctor's. Mom was always with me so if she needed to say something she could, but I took care of everything else.
I don't have my Aaiyanna tomorrow but I do have my trial student at 2:15. That should be fun. I can sleep in too if I need too. I only have 2 lessons tomorrow total. The trial student and Charlie. My student, Camille has changed her day for lessons to Saturday. She is just having trouble getting her homework done and getting to bed at a decent time so her Mom called to see if she could change times. It wasn't a problem. Katie will have her lesson on Saturdays in the afternoon too. The schedule is really shaping up nicely. I am hopeful that the young lady I am meeting tomorrow at 2:15 will connect with me and then I will have 2 more lessons for the week. That is my goal. We shall see!
I am doing the I made a payment on the property taxes dance tonight. I am so excited! It is a small payment, but I figure if I wait until I have a big payment, I may not be able to pay the total amount. Small payments add up! That is the important thing to remember! Small payments here, small payments there, and then add them together and they equal a big payment! I owe a lot, but I know I can do this! I am trying to be very diligent on this. I really am. It is certainly teaching me thriftiness and planning ahead. I just wish I had learned this skill when I was younger. Perhaps I would not have spent so much money and have some savings at this point, then again, with the issues of what happened with the store, my savings would have been gone. Anyways! I am pleased with myself. I was not able to make a payment last month so that puts a big strain on every month that I have left. I will do this. My home is at stake. I know I can do this. I will also be making another payment at the end of the week when I get my online teaching company check. I was going to wait until I got the paycheck, but I thought, no, I better not. That would be too easy to spend somewhere for something and then I am short how much i needed to pay for the end of the month. I have a couple of other bills that need to be paid to, but they are smaller payments so that is good. This being in charge of everything including bills and house stuff is tough. How did Mom do when I was young and in my 20s? I certainly think she did so much more than I had thought! She was definitely a super Mom with all this. She was excellent in stretching a dollar as much as possible, she kept up on major repairs, minor repairs, and house and yard work. I am so inadequate compared to the little lady. Someday I hope to find my footing but right now my footing is running on a slippery surface. I know that I am slowly getting my grip, it is just taking a long time to do this. I will eventually get this right.
I will be heading to bed soon. I am hoping I get a good night sleep. I hope you are having a good day too.
I don't have my Aaiyanna tomorrow but I do have my trial student at 2:15. That should be fun. I can sleep in too if I need too. I only have 2 lessons tomorrow total. The trial student and Charlie. My student, Camille has changed her day for lessons to Saturday. She is just having trouble getting her homework done and getting to bed at a decent time so her Mom called to see if she could change times. It wasn't a problem. Katie will have her lesson on Saturdays in the afternoon too. The schedule is really shaping up nicely. I am hopeful that the young lady I am meeting tomorrow at 2:15 will connect with me and then I will have 2 more lessons for the week. That is my goal. We shall see!
I am doing the I made a payment on the property taxes dance tonight. I am so excited! It is a small payment, but I figure if I wait until I have a big payment, I may not be able to pay the total amount. Small payments add up! That is the important thing to remember! Small payments here, small payments there, and then add them together and they equal a big payment! I owe a lot, but I know I can do this! I am trying to be very diligent on this. I really am. It is certainly teaching me thriftiness and planning ahead. I just wish I had learned this skill when I was younger. Perhaps I would not have spent so much money and have some savings at this point, then again, with the issues of what happened with the store, my savings would have been gone. Anyways! I am pleased with myself. I was not able to make a payment last month so that puts a big strain on every month that I have left. I will do this. My home is at stake. I know I can do this. I will also be making another payment at the end of the week when I get my online teaching company check. I was going to wait until I got the paycheck, but I thought, no, I better not. That would be too easy to spend somewhere for something and then I am short how much i needed to pay for the end of the month. I have a couple of other bills that need to be paid to, but they are smaller payments so that is good. This being in charge of everything including bills and house stuff is tough. How did Mom do when I was young and in my 20s? I certainly think she did so much more than I had thought! She was definitely a super Mom with all this. She was excellent in stretching a dollar as much as possible, she kept up on major repairs, minor repairs, and house and yard work. I am so inadequate compared to the little lady. Someday I hope to find my footing but right now my footing is running on a slippery surface. I know that I am slowly getting my grip, it is just taking a long time to do this. I will eventually get this right.
I will be heading to bed soon. I am hoping I get a good night sleep. I hope you are having a good day too.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sleepy Sunday
I think I must have slept most of this day thanks to this lovely cold. It isn't a bad one, thank goodness, just enough to be annoying. I ended up missing the MMA meeting because I just didn't feel well enough for it. I had called Diane last night about it so she wouldn't be surprised that I wasn't going to be there. I do need to get some stuff from her about Judges. I figure starting the first week of October would be good to start getting the judges. I am nervous about this as I have never done this before but on the other hand, it is good to do something out of the comfort zone at times. I called Kathy today and found that she has a cold too. That makes both of us slightly miserable. I asked if the kids were taking good care of her and she laughed. I expected that answer. She did say they had been rather good while she isn't feeling well so that is definitely a plus! I don't remember Mom being sick a lot except with migraines. I do remember one time Andrew and I made Momma dinner and we were going to bring it in her room. So we carefully brought up the TV tray for her and then her dinner. Then we told her that dinner was ready (she had asked us to let her know when it was ready - I was the cook for the day). Momma kept saying I will eat downstairs and we kept saying no Momma you eat here, you are sick. Eventually Andrew and I won. Momma at her entire dinner in her room. We kept her company and we were trying to be super quiet for her. Then we tucked her back into bed and took the tray and empty dishes downstairs. We then ate our dinner. We were so proud of ourselves because we were taking care of Mommy. Poor Momma, she got such migraines at times. I think that is one reason when I started to get sick that she really fought for me. She knew what it was like to be in such pain and she didn't want me to suffer like she had at times. She was definitely a fighter. Of course, she was in the air force and the army so I guess she really was a fighter! I remember one time I went to a new doctor for my headache (this was before I had the great doctor I have now). Mom came with me in the appointment because I was so out of it from the pain. That doctor told Mom that I was emotionally disturb and that there was nothing wrong. Oh my was she super angry at that one. We left rather quickly and Mom wrote the AMA people in Michigan about the appointment. Thankfully, many years later, (like sooooo many I know) I finally got the proper diagnose and am able to mostly control the pain. I mean, at times it is out of control, but mostly I do okay and am able to at least still do what I need to do.
I think I am heading back to bed again for the night shortly. I am so tired. I have the music I need for my girls tomorrow so that is good. I have to books by the front door so I can't forget them. I have a houseful of lessons tomorrow. It shall be nice! I hope you are having a good weekend!
I think I am heading back to bed again for the night shortly. I am so tired. I have the music I need for my girls tomorrow so that is good. I have to books by the front door so I can't forget them. I have a houseful of lessons tomorrow. It shall be nice! I hope you are having a good weekend!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
ugh, I actually have a cold
I had hope to bypass much of this lovely cold. Yeah, that didn't happen. It is here. I did go and get more nighttime medicine for it because I used the last one last night. I am trying Day Quill and NyQuil. I have used it before and it has worked but I am still going to ask the expert (that would be Kathy as she is a Mom) what works best for her. I already called Diane to let her know that I may possibly not be at the MMA meeting tomorrow as I am ill. I was pretty fine for most of the day. Sandra's lesson went super well as well as Rick's. I am so pleased with how well both of them are doing. Sandra is concentrating on learning the C position in bass clef as she is not as comfortable with bass clef as she is with treble clef. This is mainly because she played the organ as a child and didn't use bass clef as much. Rick is really coming along on the Friend Like Me Song. We spend a lot of time on it because it is so difficult. So far we have most of it down pat. There is one part at the key change that we have trouble with. We should be working on it next week. I get so excited when I teach. I took a bit of a nap between Rick and the Bowman-Tomlinson kids lessons. I slept for just over an hour and boy did I need it. Calli did so very well. She finished her In My Own Little Corner song today. She works very hard. Her Ave Maria is really coming along. We will work on the 2nd verse next week. Calli is also singing In the Bleak Midwinter. Acer wants to sing a veggie tale song. I am not sure where we can get the music for it so I will have to start looking for it. Both need to think about what piano Christmas music they would like to play. Everyone is starting to think about what Christmas music they want for the concert. Aggie is going to be singing Oh Holy Night and she is deciding on another piece. She has a couple to check out. I am not sure when she is coming home again for another lesson. She sounds like she will be home on class reunion weekend on that Sunday so I may or may not see her that day. Whatever works for her as long it is NOT Saturday evening.
I am really liking this new schedule that I have 25 lessons. I am so excited about that. Natalie, Rebecca, and Katie, my every other week girls, all have lessons this coming week as well as the Muglias, my once a month girls. I am so excited about that. I need to pull Christmas for the Muglia girls. Since they have once a month lessons, I need to make sure that their Christmas music is ready for the concert. I am not going to start Sarah on her new music for Christmas as she is just starting the level B book so I need to give her some stuff in the book before we start Christmas music. However, her sisters are definitely ready to start working on their music. I just love all my students, from my little ones, to my older ones to my retired ones. All of them are so awesome and so excited to learn and seem to really enjoy lessons. I am excited about the coming season. I have started planning ahead like I usually do. I didn't really do a whole lot of planning starting in October but I had started planning in September. Once I lost Mom, I just couldn't do anything. It took a few months to even function outside of lessons. Thank goodness I have taught so long now that I could still teach while being very sad. I am doing much better with lessons at this time. I am especially thankful for how many I have. I have a trial lesson this week that I am looking forward too. I am really hoping we will click and then I will have 2 new lessons. Wouldn't that be nifty? I certainly think so.
It is getting late. I have a couple of things I need to do before I head up to the little bedroom. I did have to send Aggie up to get a original CD because I can't find the copy. I know I had it a couple of years ago, but now it is not here. Aggie will make a copy of it and give back the original. She is very good about that. I also know that she doesn't care what my bedroom looks like so that is good too. She is such a good student and person.
I do hope your day was fine. Despite the yuckiness of the cold, I had a good day with all my lessons.
I am really liking this new schedule that I have 25 lessons. I am so excited about that. Natalie, Rebecca, and Katie, my every other week girls, all have lessons this coming week as well as the Muglias, my once a month girls. I am so excited about that. I need to pull Christmas for the Muglia girls. Since they have once a month lessons, I need to make sure that their Christmas music is ready for the concert. I am not going to start Sarah on her new music for Christmas as she is just starting the level B book so I need to give her some stuff in the book before we start Christmas music. However, her sisters are definitely ready to start working on their music. I just love all my students, from my little ones, to my older ones to my retired ones. All of them are so awesome and so excited to learn and seem to really enjoy lessons. I am excited about the coming season. I have started planning ahead like I usually do. I didn't really do a whole lot of planning starting in October but I had started planning in September. Once I lost Mom, I just couldn't do anything. It took a few months to even function outside of lessons. Thank goodness I have taught so long now that I could still teach while being very sad. I am doing much better with lessons at this time. I am especially thankful for how many I have. I have a trial lesson this week that I am looking forward too. I am really hoping we will click and then I will have 2 new lessons. Wouldn't that be nifty? I certainly think so.
It is getting late. I have a couple of things I need to do before I head up to the little bedroom. I did have to send Aggie up to get a original CD because I can't find the copy. I know I had it a couple of years ago, but now it is not here. Aggie will make a copy of it and give back the original. She is very good about that. I also know that she doesn't care what my bedroom looks like so that is good too. She is such a good student and person.
I do hope your day was fine. Despite the yuckiness of the cold, I had a good day with all my lessons.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Friday 9-16
It is amazing how fast my schedule can change. I don't mind. I am flexible so that works just fine. So tomorrow I only expected to have Sandra (a new piano student) and Aggie's lessons. Well, I will have the new student, Sandra, Rick, Calli, and Acer's lesson along with Aggie's tomorrow. It certainly makes my day busier! Thank goodness because really, my day was looking rather boring. Not now! Now it will be full and fun. Calli and Acer's parents are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. That is just so cool so they are out tonight and will have lessons tomorrow. I also will have a new student on Tuesday to see if we are a good match. Her piano teacher just retired so she and her sister are on the lookout. A friend of theirs gave them my name and number and here we are on Tuesday, trying out a lesson. I don't normally like trial lessons but in a case like this, it is a good thing. With the students coming from another teacher that they worked very well with, it is important to try out before committing to another teacher. I do hope it will go well so both she and her sister will have lessons!
I now have a cold. Yup, a cold. I was really bummed out this morning when I woke up with this cold. I had a really bad headache most of the day because of this cold. My nose is running but not stuffy yet. I am hoping to be able to bypass the stuffiness with cold medicine. I will have to get more tomorrow night because I only have enough nighttime cold medicine for tonight. Yuck. I am heading to bed much earlier than usual because I am very exhausted with this cold. I also need to be up by 11:45 am tomorrow for my lessons. I want to be fresh for them. I haven't really taught on a Saturday regularly since spring when 2 of my teenagers quit supposedly just for the summer although I have not heard from them since and school has started. I am hopeful that Amanda will at least start up again.
I had Beth's lesson this evening. It has been the only one today, which was good since I was laying down a lot because of this cold. She started 3 new songs, 2 from Jekyll and Hyde, and one from South Pacific. She is going to audition for Jekyll and Hyde in October for her community theatre. I do hope she gets in the chorus since that is her goal. We have a new strategy for this audition. She is going to try out for a part and hopefully get in the chorus. She is a good singer and her voice is improving a lot. Her breathing is better. Her air placement is better too, so overall she is doing very well. I am pleased with her progress.
Calli has been working on Ave Maria - the Schubert version, and In the Bleak Midwinter. Both songs really show off what the young lady can do. For piano she is working on the Village Dance out of her level 3 book. Acer is working on something in the 1B book. I will start them working on Christmas songs by the beginning of October. This month the Muglia girls will be starting Christmas Music on Monday at their lessons. I am looking forward to that. I have to pull some Christmas Songs for them tomorrow or Sunday. They are looking forward to starting Christmas Music. I am hoping that after Christmas I will be able to purchase the Harry Potter 7B Music. I also really like the 6th movie's music too. I am focusing on Christmas and competition music at this point.
Kelly Lynn won't be able to go to the MMA meeting after all. Her Grandfather is very ill and has entered Hospice so on Sunday they are all heading to go and see him. I totally understand that. She needs to be with her grandfather and family. Chances are huge that she will see me again, she most likely won't see him again so Kelly Lynn needs to spend as much time as possible with him. It is so hard when a life is ending or near the end. I hope she gets the chance to see him a few times before he heads for Heaven.
It has been an okay day as far as days with a cold can go. I hope tomorrow is better. We shall see. I hope your day was good too.
I now have a cold. Yup, a cold. I was really bummed out this morning when I woke up with this cold. I had a really bad headache most of the day because of this cold. My nose is running but not stuffy yet. I am hoping to be able to bypass the stuffiness with cold medicine. I will have to get more tomorrow night because I only have enough nighttime cold medicine for tonight. Yuck. I am heading to bed much earlier than usual because I am very exhausted with this cold. I also need to be up by 11:45 am tomorrow for my lessons. I want to be fresh for them. I haven't really taught on a Saturday regularly since spring when 2 of my teenagers quit supposedly just for the summer although I have not heard from them since and school has started. I am hopeful that Amanda will at least start up again.
I had Beth's lesson this evening. It has been the only one today, which was good since I was laying down a lot because of this cold. She started 3 new songs, 2 from Jekyll and Hyde, and one from South Pacific. She is going to audition for Jekyll and Hyde in October for her community theatre. I do hope she gets in the chorus since that is her goal. We have a new strategy for this audition. She is going to try out for a part and hopefully get in the chorus. She is a good singer and her voice is improving a lot. Her breathing is better. Her air placement is better too, so overall she is doing very well. I am pleased with her progress.
Calli has been working on Ave Maria - the Schubert version, and In the Bleak Midwinter. Both songs really show off what the young lady can do. For piano she is working on the Village Dance out of her level 3 book. Acer is working on something in the 1B book. I will start them working on Christmas songs by the beginning of October. This month the Muglia girls will be starting Christmas Music on Monday at their lessons. I am looking forward to that. I have to pull some Christmas Songs for them tomorrow or Sunday. They are looking forward to starting Christmas Music. I am hoping that after Christmas I will be able to purchase the Harry Potter 7B Music. I also really like the 6th movie's music too. I am focusing on Christmas and competition music at this point.
Kelly Lynn won't be able to go to the MMA meeting after all. Her Grandfather is very ill and has entered Hospice so on Sunday they are all heading to go and see him. I totally understand that. She needs to be with her grandfather and family. Chances are huge that she will see me again, she most likely won't see him again so Kelly Lynn needs to spend as much time as possible with him. It is so hard when a life is ending or near the end. I hope she gets the chance to see him a few times before he heads for Heaven.
It has been an okay day as far as days with a cold can go. I hope tomorrow is better. We shall see. I hope your day was good too.
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