the start of a new musical week 5-21

I was watching NCIS Los Angeles on USA.  It was from the first season.  I don't know why, but it suddenly dawned on me that the bad guys always have horrible aim even when firing machine guns and the good guys are great shots with only pistols.  I don't know why it hit me today, but it did.  Of course, I do want the good guys to catch the bad guys, I am just noting how they always miss or get lucky shots in, that's all.

The day after the concert is back to regular music.  The Muglia girls had their lessons today.  Natalie started voice after her piano lesson.  Both Hannah and Natalie are playing the same Clementi Sonatina.  It is one of my favorites.  Both girls fly through the sections that they know really well and then slow down when they don't know the part very well.  Lydia does the same thing too.  It is something we will be working on for a while I foresee.  Overall though, I am so happy with how they play.  They are really quite good at this point and they are getting into some beginning advanced music.  I am so proud of them. Sarah is almost ready to start a new position next month.  She is doing very well.  Their younger brother, Patrick plays several songs by ear so we are thinking that perhaps in September the young man might start piano.  We shall see if he is interested.  He will be almost 7 at that point.  They are a very musical family and I am glad they do what they can with keeping up lessons.

Rachel had her lesson this afternoon too.  She is such a doll and a sweet girl.  She also likes to pretend she is a kitten during the lesson at times.  Today it was while we were doing flashcards.  I always know when she knows the answer, she scratches the card like a cat.  Fortunately, she does answer the question pretty quick or it would be hard to finish the flash cards.  Rachel started a new book a few weeks ago.  She is in her 3rd book now.  Selma also is getting ready to start a new book.  She will be in level 2 next week.  I have to go and pick up her books this week because I had to order them.  They are in now.  I will pick them up tomorrow.  I also need to copy some music for David tomorrow too.  Isaac has decided to finish working on the Hedwig's Theme.  He played the main part of the theme for the concert and we are working on the second part for the next few lessons.  He is such a talented young man.  If only he would practice more!  I know he is very busy, but he is just so talented.

I also just remembered, need to call the guy to cancel cutting the grass this week.  It doesn't need it so I don't want it cut.  Sean cut the 2 trees down in my yard today.  He found an old hose under one of the trees and apparently, it has been leaking.  Yeah, I wonder how long?  So Sean turned the water off at the tap and thinks it is turned all the way off now.  I sure hope so.  Sean is such a nice young man, just like his sister, Carolyn.  In fact, the entire family is wonderful and so very helpful to me.  We also get together for dinner and a movie nights.  I truly enjoy being with them.  I am very blessed with the friends that I have.

This weekend, I am planning on picking up my girls (the Muglias) and going to see "Mirror Mirror" with them.  It is the Julia Roberts version of Snow White.  One of my favorite actors is in it.  He plays the king, which I know, is not a huge role, but that is okay.  He is still in it for a bit.  If it is not at the regular theatre we are hoping it is at the $1 one, if not, we shall see something else.  I just love hanging out with the girls.  They are really good kids and don't get to go out too much so I like to come and take them when I can.  Plus, then I have someone to see movies with!  So all in all, it is a good trade, I get the girls for a while, catch up on their lives, and we all see a movie or do something together.

I hope you had a good day too!  My arm is a bit sorer than usual tonight.  I am not sure why.  I took my pain medicine a bit ago so I am hoping it starts working soon.  I am going to lose myself in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for a bit now.

Concert Day 5-20

It was the Concert today!!!  All my students did so well!  One of my newest students, Brooke, went up there and place her hands at the proper place, but she didn't start to play!  I went up and she said she was fine, but then we sent Jillian (her twin) up and apparently, Miss Brooke was needing the music.  Oops!  After a long pause, Brooke played her song beautifully!  I am so proud of all my students.  We had some students who just wore nice outfits and others wore costumes.  The lovely Muglia girls and Isaac all dressed as Harry Potter characters while Brooke, Jillian, and Aubrey all dressed as Disney Princesses.  I was very happy that some had costumes.  All in all, I think it went very well.  I am thankful it went well and now it is over.  I went to go to Chipotles to pick up dinner but the line was very long so I drove thru Panera and got soup and a salad.  I love salads a lot.  I decided that at this point, I must lose weight so I will have the doctor adjust my blood thinners for me to eat salads almost everyday.  I have to eat more veggies and salads are the best way to do this so that is what I will do.  I also have given up all fast food because that has helped with the gaining of poundage.  Well, anyways, it was a lovely afternoon with a nice dinner while reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  I am in the middle of re-reading all of them again.  I am on number 3 right now.

My lovely Natalie wants to start voice lessons tomorrow.  I have to copy some music for her.  I think she will do well.  She just wants the basics so that is what I will give her.  We are going to start with a couple of Broadway songs.  I am thinking of giving her Feed the Birds and another Disney piece.  I am not sure about an Italian song although it is what I give students her age.  Natalie is a wonderful pianist.  She is doing very well with her music.  I also had her and her sister, Hannah create the Spring Concert Program. I had 2 covers, one by Hannah and the other by Natalie.  The program covers turned out quite nicely.  I had asked Charlie for some pictures and a paragraph about himself for the program.  I called yesterday because I still didn't have it.  Turns out the email went to spam instead of my email.  I got the pictures and the paragraph in time so that ended okay too.  Usually, I have a newsletter spotlighting the senior, but since I have no reason to have a newsletter, I had the Senior Spotlight on the Spring concert program instead.  It worked out well.

Oh my!  My legs and hips are rather sore tonight because of the walking at the concert and my new flats, mostly the up and down to the piano and back.  I have the usual, after concert headache, which is not a surprise as this happens after every concert.  I think the stress of getting ready for the concert adds to the extra headache.  It is hard to tell with me.  One never knows.  Army Wives will be on in about 35 minutes so that will be good.  I love that show a lot.  It is a nice one.

the night before the concert

As usual, I am printing the concert program tonight when the concert is tomorrow.  This is normal for me.  I used to try to print the concert earlier in the week, but I always had so many changes that I had to print and reprint over and over again so now I print the night before or in the case of the Christmas Concert, until wee hours of the morning.  I am simply hoping to miss that part of getting ready for the concert.  I am printing the covers now, 1 set is done and it is on number 31 of 35 copies.  I sure hope 70 copies of the program is enough because that is all I am printing.  It should be enough since there are only 25 students and the rest are for their parents.  The little ones won't need a program though as some of them can't read yet.

I am watching Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix on ABC family channel.  Apparently, it is a 4 day weekend treat to watch the movies.  Yes, I missed the first four but as I have them on DVD, I can watch them at any time.  I love these movies.

Well, I will finish printing tomorrow morning.  I am really too tired to continue right now.  I have 30 printed so far.  I also almost forgot to make the disc for Bill.  It is done now.  Thankfully, I only am missing one disc.  Of course, it is one that I need but what can say?  It could have been worse, I suppose.  I am tired of going to get discs that are missing.  Well, sometime during the year I will get a replacement for it.

I can't wait until tomorrow with the concert!  It should be a good time.

Friday 5-18

I have the concert order done and who is announcing who.  However, I don't have the program finished yet.  I will work on that tomorrow and Sunday.  I do have to remember to get ink for the printer in case I run out in the middle of printing.  I am not sure how many to print.  There are 30 songs, but only 17 families so I am not sure how many.  I think 60 should be enough, then the students can have one each too.

I am working on losing weight.  That is my new thing since I got weighed at the doctors.  Yeah, needless to say I bet it is a miracle that I don't have diabetes.  My biggest problem is the vegetable food group.  I love vegetables but I really like salads.  The problem?  Lettuce has a lot of vitamin K, which would counter act the blood thinners I take for my blood disorder.  I am not sure if I should just have my medicine adjusted and eat the salads.  I just don't know.  It is a balancing act I am working on.  I have managed to mostly stop the drive thrus with bad food so that is good.  I am open to suggestions on what to do about this.  I have to lose weight or eventually it will be really bad for me.  I am not considering surgery at all because of the blood disorder and the massive amounts of side effects after the surgery.  It has been suggested to me but I am just not interested.  Also, it would take a year before I could have the surgery because of everything you have to do before the surgery.  I need to work on this with good food and increase exercise.  That always has worked for me.  I am hoping that when I lose the weight, I will be able to exercise more.  I have pulled out my Richard Simmons' Sit Tight DVD to help with the exercise part.  I am going to be doing some at night a few hours before bed from now on.  I just have to do this.  I tried last summer, but I didn't follow through.  This year (after getting weighed at the doctor's office) I have to.  I have just gained way too much weight.  I know a lot of it was from the Lyrica, but I was overweight before that and gained some since then.

I am still waiting for the physical therapy place to call me back with an appointment.  It has been over a week now.  I am not sure how much it is going to cost me either.

It will be a very busy weekend with the spring concert.

thursday 5-17

Hmmmm, it has been a rather quiet type day.  A few lessons, one of them new, then picking up yet another prescription from the pharmacy.  Sometimes, it feels like I am there everyday picking up prescriptions.  Oh my.  Anyways, my neighbor's daughter started lessons today.  She is 9 and very cute.  She did very well with her first lesson.  Her mom was supposed to go to the bank while we had her lesson, but she feel asleep instead.  We put her to sleep with our calm piano music.  I think this will be fun for both of us.  At any rate, she can just walk here to her lessons.  That will come in handy this summer.

Speaking of summer, I am not sure how many students will be stopping lessons for summer.  The last few summers, not many have stopped and several have started.  In June, it will be a year for my beautiful Rachel.  She started just before her 6th birthday.  I am so thankful for the students who started last summer because most of them are still taking lessons!  I will be finding out in the next few weeks who will be stopping for the summer.  Hopefully, not too many.

I have to work on the program tonight.  I kind of haven't started yet outside of listing everyone in the concert.  Natalie and Hannah are working on the program covers.  We will have 2 of them since each of them will be creating one.  They are so good at art.  I would have to use clip art for the cover otherwise.  I am splitting the concert in two with a brief intermission so I can change the students around.  Students can sit with their parents in the half they are not in except for the group song.  Acer has requested that both his songs be in the same half.  I forgot to ask Calli but as she is announcing, I don't think she particularly care where she is in the concert.  She is singing and playing piano in the concert.  As of today, there are 31 songs in the concert including the group song.  It should be a good concert.  I hope so anyway.

Can you believe that it is the middle of May at this point?  I can't.  Time moves so fast some days and then other days it drags.  Weird how that works.  I remember one day when I was in 4th grade.  I felt like I had been there all day and that it was time to go home.  I looked up and it was almost 12 noon.  Yes, what felt like all day was really almost 3 hours.  I remember feeling so upset at that time.  Now, of course, it seems like that was forever ago.  Time is such a weird thing, isn't it.

I woke up this morning (yes, I mean morning - about 9 am) with such a bad headache but instead of what I usually do, which is nothing just roll over and hoped it would go away.  Instead, I got up and went downstairs to take some medicine!  Yes, I actually did!  When I finally got up for the day, my head was down to the normal pain level.

I hope you are having a good day.  Mine was nice and quiet.

mid week! 5-16

It has been a good day.  I met my friend, Jennie for lunch 1/2 way between each of our houses.  She is planning to come over in June for both a voice lesson and for what we call, "friend squad".  Jennie helps me around the house with jobs I can't really do myself.  I am sure there are a few things I need to get done.  There is so much upkeep with a house.  I am doing pretty well with it.  I do have someone come once a month to help vacuum and scrub the tile floor.  I just can't do these tasks myself.  Vacuuming can cause extreme pain in my lower back, hips, and legs.  I only vacuum if I have absolutely no choice.  It is worth the money to pay Mariela to vacuum for me.

Since I got up earlier than usual today and due to a horrible night sleep, I am getting rather tired now.  I see me going to bed rather early and hopefully have a good nights sleep.

I am re-reading all the Harry Potter books.  I just finished the first one, AGAIN.  I don't know how many times I have read these books.  I really love them a lot.  It is a toss up which books I like best, Anne of Green Gables or Harry Potter.  It is a toss up.  i just don't know.  Both are such good books.  I want to watch the movies again too.

I am going to go and see how long I can use the exercise machine whose name I can't spell at this time.  I can't even remember its name.  Yup, good old fibro fog!  Anyways, it is in the family room and I do like it although I can't be on it too long because I am just starting to use it.

I hope your day was good.  I had such a good time at lunch with Jennie and the girls' lessons went well too.  Brooke, Aubrey, Jillian are so cute and so excited to learn.  It is fun when the student really wants to learn.

Tuesday 5-15

Tonight is NCIS night.  I am relieved to find out that my beloved NCIS WILL be back next season.  I am so glad about that as I totally love that show.  The season finale was amazing and of course, a cliff hanger, which generally I don't care for but I have no choice in the decision to make them.  NCIS Los Angeles is on right now and it is a 2 hour season finale.  I love that show too.  They are my favorites at this point.  Mom liked them a lot too until she couldn't handle TV anymore.  I used to buy them on DVD but since I am able to pretty much watch them all, it isn't necessary to buy them plus they show the re-runs on USA.

It was so nice out today.  The sun was shining and a beautiful light breeze.  Oh my, was it wonderful!  I had to go and get some music today for my new student on Thursday.  She is a neighbor girl and I am very excited about this.  I have seen the young lady before and I have been at her house, but we have not been formally introduced yet.  Her mom is on the board of the subdivision like I am.  She is very nice.  I don't have much room for many more students, but I do have some room.

One of my student's mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer just last week.  Wow, I am stunned.  It is always a shock to be diagnosed with cancer because no one expects this type of diagnose.  Jasmin is such a nice woman.  She is a doctor.  Jasmin delivers babies.  Laith seems to be taking it okay but he is only 7. He is a darling of a student but a bit of a mischievous young man.  He likes to come in the house and pretty much dive to the couch, which of course means I have to go and get him.  This is his plan, of course.  I get him and put him on the piano bench and during the lesson he tries to get away to the couch. He has been doing this for a couple of months now.  Generally, his mom does not like that he does this, but that doesn't seem to faze the young man.  Once in a while, I do get upset with him on this and then he behaves very well, but generally, he plays in between the escapes so I don't complain too much and he does come back to the chair when I ask him to.  Charlie had his lesson today too.  He was absent last week.  Next week he will have an hour lesson to make up for missing last week.  We will actually be having 2 one hour lessons in a row to make up for another missed lesson.  I love how he makes up the lessons instead of just being absent.  David had his lesson and a make up lesson for last week.  I have to copy some music for him next week plus his sight reading papers.

I just realize (as I looked at my planner) I am having lunch with my friend, Jennie!  I am so excited about this.  I had to cancel last month because of Breanna and Katie's practice with the pianist for the audition.  I am glad I didn't have to cancel this month.  She is so busy with the family that we would have to wait until next month so I am glad we are going to be able to meet tomorrow.  I only have a few lessons tomorrow.

The first hour of NCIS Los Angeles is over now.  So far, the mysterious killer has killed about 3 NCIS agents.  I think, but I am not sure, (according to the previews) Sam gets killed.  I don't like it when they do that.  I really like that character a lot.  Okay - good news, he is NOT dead and didn't get blown up in the warehouse.  I am rather glad about that.

Pain level is normal today.  My hands and feet get numb so easy these days depending on what I am sitting on or what i am doing.  Sometimes, when I type on the computer my hand goes numb.  I just don't know.  It is just a part of Fibro, I think.  When I was taking Effexor, it did help with the numbness but not too much for the pain.  I stopped taking it in 2008 because I couldn't afford the medicine.  Once I was off it, it didn't seem too different except for the numbing of hands and feet.  I don't take an anti-depressant at this time.  I tried Lyrica too.  Oh my, I don't think it worked all that well but I did manage to gain about 80 pounds on it, give or take a few pounds.  I have NOT managed to lose those added pounds either so that kind of stinks.  I do hope by the end of summer to have some of those awful pounds gone.  That is my goal.  I will also eat at home more like tonight.

Mother's Day 5-13

I can't believe it is Mother's Day again.  Wow, how time seems to speed up some days.  I had a really good day.  I went to church and brought Donna, it was a great service with a good message about words and are we using them to build up or tear down.  It really gave us all something to think about.  Then Donna and I went to brunch.  We ended up at Burger King because Big Boy's parking lot was super duper full.  We chatted for a couple of hours before I dropped her off at home.  Then I came home and talked to my best friend, Kathy.  She was having a good day too.  Her twin girls gave her flowers in a pot for Mother's Day and cards they made at school.  We talked for a long time.  After that I took my usual Sunday after church nap.  I was invited to go to dinner and a movie at the Hubel residence.  It was a good movie and naturally, a wonderful dinner.  Sean grilled the hot dogs and we had salad along with beans and a few other things.  It was a wonderfully pleasant way to end the night.

Andrew went to Mom's grave sight this afternoon to put flowers on her grave.  He took a picture of it and sent it to me.  I would have liked to have seen him, but I didn't know when he was going so maybe next time.  I know he misses Mom a lot too.  Andrew doesn't really talk about it too much, I am much more the talker in the family.  Yes, I know, shocking!  NOT!  I have ALWAYS been the talker in the family.  What can I say?  Chatterbox has been my nickname since I could speak for a reason.  I think as time goes on I miss her more than when she was first gone.  I think now the shock and disbelief has worn off and the reality of missing mom is more real.  I know it was real when it happened, I was there through it all, it just didn't seem like it could be happening and there was so much to do that I didn't have time to really think about anything.  There were so many decisions I had to make in such a short time.  I think, looking back, that I did make most of the right decisions.  She wanted to be buried in Canada and her ashes are buried with her grandparents.  Mom adored her grandmother so I am sure she is happy with that.  I had her in the hospice unit in the hospital in case something else happened medically that I couldn't take care of.  I am not sorry about all the time I spent with her.  I just wish there was more time with her.  I didn't in the last few years spend much time away from mom.  It was like I knew we were on borrowed time.  Anytime I was away from her I worried about her though.  What was she doing, was she upset, things like that.  I often was told to make sure I had enough time to myself and for some they thought I didn't take time for myself, I took what I needed.  The biggest thing I needed was to be with Mom.  I miss her and I know that someday I will be with her again.  Jesus has promised us that.  I am just so impatient to be with her again!  I have so much to tell her and to know how she has been doing.  My friend, Chantal says the same thing, she is so impatient to see her mother again too.  Someday, too, she will be with her mom again.  I hold on dear to that promise.

I do hope you had a great Mother's Day and celebrated it whether your mom is here on earth or in Heaven.  Mother's are such a beautiful gift from God.  I am so thankful for mine.  She was the best and still is!

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day 5-12

Yup, today is National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day!  I am not doing anything exciting about it other than posting it on my facebook.  Our local support group had a conference last Saturday.  I didn't attend as I had lessons so I needed to teach the lessons.

There is not much on TV right now.  For someone who has over 100 channels, you would think I would find something I would like.  Yeah, not so much.  Home Improvement is on TVLand right now.  I am getting tired and I have a bad headache tonight.  Tomorrow, I am getting up earlier than usual because I am picking up Donna for church.  It is only 15 minutes earlier but you know me, I want as much sleep as possible for as long as possible!

Carolyn is going to braid my hair tomorrow for church.  I am looking forward to that.  We 4 (Carolyn, Audrey, Melissa, and me) will look cute with our new hair dos.  We are singing one of my favorite hymns tomorrow, "He Leadth Me".  I simply love that song.  We are also singing some other old hymns that I must confess I have no idea what they are and have never sung them before.  Perhaps I should actually download them, that might be a good idea.  I know that the words are always on the back screen, but it is getting harder to read that back screen these days.  Yes, I need new contacts.  I hope to have them by the end of summer.  I know I also need to change both lens in my glasses too.  I may hold off on that.  I barely wear my glasses.  As a matter of fact, I think these glasses are about 10 years old and are still in great condition since they sit in the pink case all the time.  I love that my glasses case is pink!  The doctor's office was giving pink glasses cases out to women during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

I think I am going to rest for a bit.  My head is very sore tonight.  Time to take some more medicine for the headache.  I hope your day has been good.

Friday 5-11

I finished cooking the corned beef in the crock pot this afternoon.  It tasted pretty yummy.  I didn't use the new bags I bought so after I empty the grease out and clean it out, I will be able to exchange it since the high setting doesn't work.  At least I finally cooked it.  It has been in the freezer for a while.

Tomorrow is laundry day and rehearsal day along with Camille's lesson.  I just called her mom and Camille can attend.  We will have a 1/2 hour to hang out while we wait for everyone to arrive.  I am nervous a bit about this rehearsal but it will go well, I am sure.  I am always a bit anxious when I am trying to something new.  I have much anxiety before a concert until it is completely over.  I have to remember to order Charlie's cookie.  I just wrote it in my planner.  I even wrote to pick up the cookie because that is half the job.  I have had some other anxiety the last few months too.  I am not sure why.  At least, as of tonight, I have not had an anxiety attack, thank goodness, just a lot of anxiety.  I am planning on talking to the doctor about it.  Some days it is okay and other days, it is bad.

Calli had her lesson first today.  Usually, Acer is first but Calli had a birthday overnight to go to.  She accidentally locked herself out of her bedroom.  They are hoping that Bill will be able to get into her room so they can drop some clothes off to Calli for the sleepover.  Calli was very excited about the party.  It is a classmate's birthday.  Acer did pretty well except he can't find the CD that has the song on it that we got higher.  This is a bad thing because that was the only copy.  I sure hope Bill did put it on his computer so that we have it.  Otherwise, we would have to use the original which is actually too low for Acer.  I do not want him to sing accapella though.  I want him to use music.  I sure hope Bill has it or knows where it is.

Next week I need to make sure I have all the students songs on my computer so I can make the disc for Bill for the concert.  All week I will be working and thinking about the concert since it is a week from Sunday.

Mother's Day is Sunday.  It is making me miss mom a lot since I always made a big deal out of Mother's Day.  We usually had a special dinner when we were younger and in my 20s.  When the boys moved out, I would take her to a movie and out for dinner.  The boys would always get her something nice too.  The last few years, I tried really hard to make it a great day for her.  I am dreading this day.  I would like to just stay in bed and completely pretend the day doesn't exist but that isn't a good and healthy thing.

I think I am coming down with a cold or something.  My ears are hurting a bit.  Last night it was the right ear and tonight it is the left one.  I hope it is nothing but one never knows.  My head hurts a bit more than usual tonight.

Choir Night 5-10

Tonight was choir practice.  We worked on 3 pieces that we will be singing in the next 3 Sundays.  We are also going to be teaching the congregation a new song during corporate singing.  It is a song we sang in choir for special music a few months or so ago.  It is a nice piece that I think the congregation will like. I won't be in church a week from Sunday because of the Spring Concert.  I have put it in PCO to let them know I won't be there but I wanted to let the director know ahead of time.  He chuckled when I said I would most likely be printing the program on that Sunday.  He was a teacher so he totally understands.  I don't create the program too far in advanced because there are always changes or mostly always.  For the last few concerts, I haven't had to change too much.

My new crock-pot does not work on high.  Once this roast is finished (it is being cooked right now) tomorrow, I will have to clean it and exchange it.  I am very bummed about this because I love using the crock-pot.  I will take care of this on the weekend.

I was working on the subdivision newsletter when I realized I accidentally erased the Easter Bunny pictures.  I was rather upset with myself but fortunately, Carolyn has them on her computer so she will copy them again for me.  I am glad about that!  Now I can finish the newsletter this weekend and have it printed and passed out.

I called the tummy doctor again but I missed the person who has the results so I need to call tomorrow after 10:30 am.  I will call again tomorrow when I wake up because it WILL be after 10:30 am.  The only day I am usually a morning person would be on Sunday for church.

Melissa was at choir practice tonight.  She is home from college so she is coming to sing in the choir with her sister.  Carolyn and Melissa are both such nice young ladies.  Actually, all 5 of them are wonderful.  There are 2 boys and 3 girls in the family.  Both Carolyn and Melissa have good voices.  We three sing the second soprano part when it is called for.  I no longer can hit the super high notes I used to be able to hit.  Most of the time it doesn't bother me but sometimes it does.  I don't think I appreciated the sound on the high notes that I had.  I miss them sometimes now.  On Sunday, Carolyn is going to braid my hair the way she braided hers and her sister's hair.  Looks so cute.  It is a french braid the stars on one side of the head and go around to the other.  I really liked how it turned out.  I have to be at church even earlier now so I can get my hair braided.  I am also picking up Donna, as of right now, anyway.  I am supposed to call and remind her on Saturday and then call on Sunday to wake her up.

I am getting tired now.  It is almost time for bed so I will read for a bit and then head for bed.  I hope your day was good too.