I had Physical Therapy this morning, and yes, I mean this morning. Yes, it is rare that I am up in the morning but my appointment was for 10 am. The tech wasn't there today so I had the heat but not the ultra sound, which was fine. I did all my exercises and I do think they are helping. My hands do not seem to go numb as much as they used to. I am happy about that. It is an improvement.
Calli and I had a bit of a good giggle the other night. We were drinking tea (out of mugs) and she had a spoon in her mug. She was drinking her tea with her spoon. I was telling her how my mom totally freaked out at me when I drank my tea with my spoon. Not less than 2 minutes later, Heather comes down and sees Calli drinking her tea with her spoon. Heather told her not to do that. Calli and I looked at each other and started laughing. We told Heather why and she giggled too. Since we were not drinking tea from some fancy tea cup, spoons in the cups are not acceptable. It still makes me smile when I think about that moment with them. There are some funny moments in a house when you have children around. I am learning a lot by living with two children. It is very interesting.
The headache pain level is pretty high tonight. It has been all day. Heather had a really bad one yesterday. I think she is finally feeling better tonight although she is resting in her room. Acer is asleep like the Little Man should be. Calli is out with friends to an orchestra concert at her friend's high school. Josh is a very nice young man. I hope that I sleep okay tonight. I did have to take a nap this afternoon because I got up early and I was so tired. I am getting tired just not tired enough to go to bed. I seem to wake up every 2 or so hours at night. I have a couple of lessons tomorrow and then I will finish the errands I didn't finish today. I need to get some music for the students this week. 4 of the piano students need new books as they have finished the levels that they are at. Aubrey is moving to a new series. She is an amazing pianist. She really is. I have never had a piano student go through the first 4 books in just over a year before. The only other one who would be close to that would be Acer. Rachel and Faith need level 2 books and Brooklynn needs level 1B. I have ordered CDs that I need for Allison and a book for Isaac and Nick. Nick will be starting voice lesson on Tuesday. I am excited about that. Nick is doing well with piano. He will have piano first and then his voice lesson right after.
I have the card reader I need to download the pictures off of my phone now. I am going to download them in a few minutes. I have some awesome pictures of Mom on my phone that I want to post on face book. I think Andrew will like them too. I haven't heard from him in a while but that is nothing unusual for my younger brother. He is very busy and it just doesn't occur to him to contact me.
Time to download the pictures.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Midweek! 3-6
Wow, we are in the middle of the first week of March! It is hard to believe how fast time can flew. More stuff came in today from the old house. We now have a sofa, chair, ottoman, and a red velvet chair in the house. We also now have 3 pianos, 2 studio pianos and 1 electric piano. One of Acer's drum set is here. The other will be coming before the end of the week. Slowly, everything is getting to the places where they need to go. There are a lot of boxes that need to be unpacked and organized.
I have been taking the new headache medicine for 5 days now. I hope it starts to take effect soon. I do hope it helps the headaches. I am tired of them. I won't know for a few weeks if it will work or not. If it does help, then I will be weened off of the Amitriptyline so that would be a good thing. I still get some hallucinations because I am still taking the Amitriptyline. I figure that as the other stuff gets built up in my system.
Well, I am going to read for a bit and then head for bed.
I have been taking the new headache medicine for 5 days now. I hope it starts to take effect soon. I do hope it helps the headaches. I am tired of them. I won't know for a few weeks if it will work or not. If it does help, then I will be weened off of the Amitriptyline so that would be a good thing. I still get some hallucinations because I am still taking the Amitriptyline. I figure that as the other stuff gets built up in my system.
Well, I am going to read for a bit and then head for bed.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Tuesday 3-5
It is NCIS and NCIS Los Angeles night. I had a pretty decent day. My headache was just the normal one today. I ran a few errands. I had to resist taking Maisy with me because I didn't want to leave her in the car when I was in the music store so I couldn't take the little fur lady. I never expected to get so attached to a fur baby. What can I say? She is adorable and very snuggly. I just didn't think I would ever want one for myself and well, I do, someday when Maisy isn't here anymore.
Not much happening this evening except hanging out watching TV. I don't feel like cleaning the kitchen right now so I am going to do it later, more like tomorrow or before bed. It all depends on how I feel. I do have to run the dishwasher once I clean up the dishes, but that can wait too. Thankfully, everyone in this house is really relaxed on this stuff so that is good.
My student, Nick, is also going to start singing lessons next week. He is such a nice young man. He is very musical. Mary and Dan are back now. They had to take the entire month of February off because their mom had to work longer while the owners of her work were on vacation. I am glad they are back. Dan is excited about what I am planning to do for my birthday. I am planning to meet up with the students at the baskin robbins ice cream place. It will be a fun afternoon. It will also be on the 6th instead of the 8th since my birthday is on a Monday so we can't go then.
In 2 weeks is Calli's 13th birthday. I can't believe it is coming up so soon. It is just way too fast. She has a cheer competition on her actual birthday so I am not sure when we will be celebrating her entrance into becoming a teenager. It seems like yesterday at times that she was just turning 10. Acer is now 8 and that also seems so impossible.
I have been taking safflower oil and CLA with safflower oil for over a month now. I am not sure if they are helping, but my pajamas seem to be a bit bigger and so do some of my pants so I am hopeful that it is helping. I also have started taking the new headache medicine so I am hoping that will help with overall feeling somewhat better.
I did read today that they may have found a blood test to see if you have Fibro or not. It isn't something I am interested in taking as I know I have it but it will be helpful in the future for those who are unsure whether or not they have fibro or not. It is a good diagnostic tool for the future use. With the question for some of whether or not fibro is real or not, this will put some minds at ease both within the medical profession and the patients. I am fortunate that most of the people I know do not doubt me nor do they question me about it so I am lucky in that way. I do have people who can't handle that I am sick and I will not get better. I know that so I don't really worry about it. I don't see him much so it doesn't matter anyway.
Next Monday, I am going to an educational conference on the new research that is being done on Fibro. Some of it is being done in Michigan at the U of M research facility. I haven't been to any conferences in a long time so it will be good to catch up on what is going on in the fibro world research wise. Robin is hoping to go. I don't know if Tillie and Maia are going. I am not going to call and remind them about it because the last time I spoke to Tillie and Maia, I was getting completely yelled at so I am not interested in repeating that experience. I told them about it so it is up to them to remember and go. I would be meeting them there anyway so it isn't like they would have to drive all the way out here before we go.
Well, I think I have to clean up the dishes and run the dishwasher so we have clean dishes tomorrow for breakfast. I will read for a bit after and then probably to bed!
Not much happening this evening except hanging out watching TV. I don't feel like cleaning the kitchen right now so I am going to do it later, more like tomorrow or before bed. It all depends on how I feel. I do have to run the dishwasher once I clean up the dishes, but that can wait too. Thankfully, everyone in this house is really relaxed on this stuff so that is good.
My student, Nick, is also going to start singing lessons next week. He is such a nice young man. He is very musical. Mary and Dan are back now. They had to take the entire month of February off because their mom had to work longer while the owners of her work were on vacation. I am glad they are back. Dan is excited about what I am planning to do for my birthday. I am planning to meet up with the students at the baskin robbins ice cream place. It will be a fun afternoon. It will also be on the 6th instead of the 8th since my birthday is on a Monday so we can't go then.
In 2 weeks is Calli's 13th birthday. I can't believe it is coming up so soon. It is just way too fast. She has a cheer competition on her actual birthday so I am not sure when we will be celebrating her entrance into becoming a teenager. It seems like yesterday at times that she was just turning 10. Acer is now 8 and that also seems so impossible.
I have been taking safflower oil and CLA with safflower oil for over a month now. I am not sure if they are helping, but my pajamas seem to be a bit bigger and so do some of my pants so I am hopeful that it is helping. I also have started taking the new headache medicine so I am hoping that will help with overall feeling somewhat better.
I did read today that they may have found a blood test to see if you have Fibro or not. It isn't something I am interested in taking as I know I have it but it will be helpful in the future for those who are unsure whether or not they have fibro or not. It is a good diagnostic tool for the future use. With the question for some of whether or not fibro is real or not, this will put some minds at ease both within the medical profession and the patients. I am fortunate that most of the people I know do not doubt me nor do they question me about it so I am lucky in that way. I do have people who can't handle that I am sick and I will not get better. I know that so I don't really worry about it. I don't see him much so it doesn't matter anyway.
Next Monday, I am going to an educational conference on the new research that is being done on Fibro. Some of it is being done in Michigan at the U of M research facility. I haven't been to any conferences in a long time so it will be good to catch up on what is going on in the fibro world research wise. Robin is hoping to go. I don't know if Tillie and Maia are going. I am not going to call and remind them about it because the last time I spoke to Tillie and Maia, I was getting completely yelled at so I am not interested in repeating that experience. I told them about it so it is up to them to remember and go. I would be meeting them there anyway so it isn't like they would have to drive all the way out here before we go.
Well, I think I have to clean up the dishes and run the dishwasher so we have clean dishes tomorrow for breakfast. I will read for a bit after and then probably to bed!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Monday 3-4
It has been a good day despite the extra soreness, even my hair hurts tonight and it has all day. I slept until 2 pm this afternoon. I was just so exhausted, I tried to get up, I just couldn't. I am hoping tomorrow will be better as I have a few errands to do. I need to return a package to target, go to the bank, pick up some music, and get gas. I need to get a new CD for the Musical Theatre Anthology Vol 2 for Mezzo/Alto because I can't find the CDs that I am sure I have somewhere. I also need to get the prescriptions that are ready to be picked up too. I plan to be up at the regular time so that I will be able to finish all the errands I need to run.
Maisy was so cute tonight. She was left here tonight while Calli, Acer, and Heather went to cheer practice. There really isn't any place for the little girl to go while the kids are practicing. Mostly she was okay. She likes Isaac especially because he gave her treats. Sam is a bit afraid of her but Rahul is not. Both boys had their lessons this evening. They are so sweet and cute. Sam is a bit sillier at times than Rahul but Rahul can get silly. Rahul is doing much better. Rahul is going to play "Jesus Loves Me" for the spring concert. I can't remember what song Sam is playing. His dad switched cars with their mom and the books were in the other car. Rachel had her lesson. She is ready to start level 2. I love how her grandmother always gives me the money ahead of time so I have it. I will pick up her music tomorrow too. Isaac is doing really well on his "Who Am I" from Les Miserables. He is playing it on the piano. He is also singing "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables" from the same play. He sings it very well. Isaac is a good singer.
I finally have ink for the scanner/copier. It has been several weeks since it ran out of ink so tomorrow Sammy can copy her music that she needs to copy and put in her binder. I also will be able to have Allison copy her music for her binder too. I will be copying the CDs I get tomorrow for Allison. She is singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from, you guessed it! Les Miserables! Natalie also wants to sing "On My Own". Since she is almost 13, she can. I don't generally let anyone under 13 sing love songs but she is so close to being 13, it is okay. Robyn is going to start with the Young Singer book this week. I looked everywhere for that book and I couldn't find it anywhere. I found it yesterday in the living room just like I expected. It was on the tea table next to the chair I like to sleep in. It is very comfortable for me. I have a hard time with the sofas at time but with the chair, it isn't a problem.
I have a new student on Saturday, Jennifer. She is a singer. I also have a meeting with a young lady named Megan on Saturday. She wants to meet with me first, which since she said so right at the beginning of our communication, I don't mind. I only become upset if I don't know that is what the student or potential student wants. Jennifer wants to sing with her church choir. It is nice that when I have a student quit, another one starts. This keeps the balance for me and I need that. Sometimes, it seems I have a lot of new students because I don't often mention the ones that have quit. My handsome young man, Laith, is having his last month of lessons. He is moving and it is going to be too far for him to come to me. I am asking some of my friends for recommendations for teachers in his area. He is a good pianist and it would be sad to have him quit.
Aubrey is almost done with her books. She is doing amazing. She has blasted through levels 1A, 1B, 2, and almost 3 in just over a year. She started in December 2011 between Christmas and New Years. She is also 8, freshly turned 8. This is very unusual especially as she is not in the prep books for the younger students. I started her in the regular series that I use for students who are 7 and above when they start. Her mother said she reads very well, which is why I chose to put her in that book and she has just done really well with it. Her two younger sisters also play piano. They are in level C and they are 6. They just turned 6. They are twins and they are so sweet and do very well also. Brooke seems to like practicing better than Jillian, but they both practice. I owe Aubrey a $10 gift certificate as well as Laith and Sarah. Speaking of Laith, I need to get a gift certificate for Club Penguin. I better do this now.
On to looking up info for Laith and then reading!
Maisy was so cute tonight. She was left here tonight while Calli, Acer, and Heather went to cheer practice. There really isn't any place for the little girl to go while the kids are practicing. Mostly she was okay. She likes Isaac especially because he gave her treats. Sam is a bit afraid of her but Rahul is not. Both boys had their lessons this evening. They are so sweet and cute. Sam is a bit sillier at times than Rahul but Rahul can get silly. Rahul is doing much better. Rahul is going to play "Jesus Loves Me" for the spring concert. I can't remember what song Sam is playing. His dad switched cars with their mom and the books were in the other car. Rachel had her lesson. She is ready to start level 2. I love how her grandmother always gives me the money ahead of time so I have it. I will pick up her music tomorrow too. Isaac is doing really well on his "Who Am I" from Les Miserables. He is playing it on the piano. He is also singing "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables" from the same play. He sings it very well. Isaac is a good singer.
I finally have ink for the scanner/copier. It has been several weeks since it ran out of ink so tomorrow Sammy can copy her music that she needs to copy and put in her binder. I also will be able to have Allison copy her music for her binder too. I will be copying the CDs I get tomorrow for Allison. She is singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from, you guessed it! Les Miserables! Natalie also wants to sing "On My Own". Since she is almost 13, she can. I don't generally let anyone under 13 sing love songs but she is so close to being 13, it is okay. Robyn is going to start with the Young Singer book this week. I looked everywhere for that book and I couldn't find it anywhere. I found it yesterday in the living room just like I expected. It was on the tea table next to the chair I like to sleep in. It is very comfortable for me. I have a hard time with the sofas at time but with the chair, it isn't a problem.
I have a new student on Saturday, Jennifer. She is a singer. I also have a meeting with a young lady named Megan on Saturday. She wants to meet with me first, which since she said so right at the beginning of our communication, I don't mind. I only become upset if I don't know that is what the student or potential student wants. Jennifer wants to sing with her church choir. It is nice that when I have a student quit, another one starts. This keeps the balance for me and I need that. Sometimes, it seems I have a lot of new students because I don't often mention the ones that have quit. My handsome young man, Laith, is having his last month of lessons. He is moving and it is going to be too far for him to come to me. I am asking some of my friends for recommendations for teachers in his area. He is a good pianist and it would be sad to have him quit.
Aubrey is almost done with her books. She is doing amazing. She has blasted through levels 1A, 1B, 2, and almost 3 in just over a year. She started in December 2011 between Christmas and New Years. She is also 8, freshly turned 8. This is very unusual especially as she is not in the prep books for the younger students. I started her in the regular series that I use for students who are 7 and above when they start. Her mother said she reads very well, which is why I chose to put her in that book and she has just done really well with it. Her two younger sisters also play piano. They are in level C and they are 6. They just turned 6. They are twins and they are so sweet and do very well also. Brooke seems to like practicing better than Jillian, but they both practice. I owe Aubrey a $10 gift certificate as well as Laith and Sarah. Speaking of Laith, I need to get a gift certificate for Club Penguin. I better do this now.
On to looking up info for Laith and then reading!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Sunday 3-3
the last of the furniture that needed to move is officially gone. Karlyn now has a formal living room set, a bed frame and headboard for a twin bed, and a stair climber. She seemed very happy about that. Her younger brother and his friend, Hans came to take care of it. Bill helped too. The kids are downstairs playing and Heather is upstairs, possibly sleeping. She hasn't been feeling these past few weeks. I do hope she feels better soon. She is also super tired, something which I totally understand.
Now that the other furniture is gone, we can have the rest of the stuff from the "old house" as Acer calls it come here to the "new house". Then we can start organizing stuff.
I bought 3 boxes of CD sleeves so I can change out all the CD cases to sleeves. There is just no room in the drawer anymore for the CDs with cases. I am going to be changing the cases tonight. This will help the issue of the CDs not fitting in the drawer. I am looking for a certain CD but I can't find it anywhere and I am totally upset over this because I don't to have to buy a new one again but I need it so I will have to do this.
Acer is showing me his trumpet/saxophone toy. He gets so excited when showing me his toys. Anything musical and that young man is there in a minute. He loves music so much. I completely understand this because I love music so much too. He does think it is cool that for his lesson he just has to go to the living room. Now he has a saxophone toy. I think the majority of his toys are musical. Acer also has perfect pitch which comes in handy at times.
I am watching this crazy show called Amish Mafia. It is really weird, interesting, but weird. Definitely not the usual show about the Amish.
I had lunch with Robin today. It was so nice to see her. She brought me the case for my nook that I wanted. The sleeve is good, but this case is better. I can set it up to read or play games. I now have 5 types of Angry Birds games. I love that game for some reason. (Acer is playing a game of you order something and then he builds it - it is so cute. Acer is making me a bob-it-loop. Both kids are so creative!) I also have a new magazine that Robin suggested. It is called what the doctor knows. I will check and see if it is interesting enough to subscribe to it.
I have to contact the hospital on Monday. I need to find out if I had received the financial assistance. I hope I did for at least the ER visits that I have had. I hope to not have to go back there anytime soon. I do try to stay healthy enough. The latest visit was the infection under the skin. Something I hope to never have again. It was rather painful and well they can be rather serious so yeah, not interested in having it again.
Calli is back from working with her dog and doing her homework so we are going to play a game of uno. We both love that game.
Now that the other furniture is gone, we can have the rest of the stuff from the "old house" as Acer calls it come here to the "new house". Then we can start organizing stuff.
I bought 3 boxes of CD sleeves so I can change out all the CD cases to sleeves. There is just no room in the drawer anymore for the CDs with cases. I am going to be changing the cases tonight. This will help the issue of the CDs not fitting in the drawer. I am looking for a certain CD but I can't find it anywhere and I am totally upset over this because I don't to have to buy a new one again but I need it so I will have to do this.
Acer is showing me his trumpet/saxophone toy. He gets so excited when showing me his toys. Anything musical and that young man is there in a minute. He loves music so much. I completely understand this because I love music so much too. He does think it is cool that for his lesson he just has to go to the living room. Now he has a saxophone toy. I think the majority of his toys are musical. Acer also has perfect pitch which comes in handy at times.
I am watching this crazy show called Amish Mafia. It is really weird, interesting, but weird. Definitely not the usual show about the Amish.
I had lunch with Robin today. It was so nice to see her. She brought me the case for my nook that I wanted. The sleeve is good, but this case is better. I can set it up to read or play games. I now have 5 types of Angry Birds games. I love that game for some reason. (Acer is playing a game of you order something and then he builds it - it is so cute. Acer is making me a bob-it-loop. Both kids are so creative!) I also have a new magazine that Robin suggested. It is called what the doctor knows. I will check and see if it is interesting enough to subscribe to it.
I have to contact the hospital on Monday. I need to find out if I had received the financial assistance. I hope I did for at least the ER visits that I have had. I hope to not have to go back there anytime soon. I do try to stay healthy enough. The latest visit was the infection under the skin. Something I hope to never have again. It was rather painful and well they can be rather serious so yeah, not interested in having it again.
Calli is back from working with her dog and doing her homework so we are going to play a game of uno. We both love that game.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
I can't believe it is Saturday already and March 2!!!!!!
Where did the week go? I got home on Sunday from competition and pretty much flopped into bed. I had to get up earlier than usual Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday so I was rather tired. I am still really tired from competition. Tomorrow, Karlyn's brother, Ted and his friend, Hans are coming to take the furniture out of the house and store it in Karlyn's and Ted's mother's house. I am glad she can use the furniture and that this will help her. I like the furniture but it just isn't something I can use. I would have to re-stuff the cushions and really, it isn't for everyday use. It is company only furniture and I need everyday furniture in the living room since I have children and their parents coming for lessons. This way we will also have space for a TV downstairs too. That will be good and once we have everything sorted, it will work out much better.
I am pleased with how well my 3 girls did at competition. Sarah was ill and still was able to play. She received 3rd place in piano with her classical piece, Quadrille by Haydn. I was so happy for her because this was her first piano competition ever. Natalie and Rebecca did well too. Rebecca received 1st in all 4 of her categories and Natalie came home with 2 1sts, 1 2nd, and 1 3rd. It was her first competition too. I do expect that someday both Natalie and Rebecca will be in voice open and that Sarah will be in Piano Open. The open categories are for the very advanced musicians. With how ambitious Sarah is on learning the piano, I do expect her to advanced like she has been. She is a delight to teach, simply delightful. Sarah is eager to learn and learn correctly. She takes corrections very well. I am so pleased about that. It is so lovely to work with a student that wants to learn so much.
My nook had been giving me issues last night and today. I thought it was me. Well, to my surprise, it wasn't! Thank goodness for that! Everything is now downloaded and ready to read. I love my nook. Kathy has an iPhone now. She has been saving her birthday and Christmas money so she finally got one. She is so excited about it. I spoke to her on the phone for a long while today. It was so sweet how excited she was about her iPhone! Now, of course, I want one. Well, I don't need one and I just upgraded my phone so no new phone needed for me. I love my new phone a lot. It takes pretty good pictures too. i just have to download them on the flash drive and then copy them to my computer. This is supposed to be easily done so we shall see. I am not that technically advanced at times.
I have the coolest arrangement of On My Own and I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables for my students. I just have to dig out the original CDs and then copy them for the students. As a teacher, I am allowed to copy 1 copy of music and CD for each student. They cannot use it in a live performance, but for practicing they can. I have a new student starting next Saturday. Her name is Jennifer and she wants to sing in church. Kirbie had her last saxophone lesson for a while. Her dad has to take a 20% pay cut so out goes the lessons. I am sorry as she was such a sweet girl and worked pretty hard. She needed to learn how to tongue her notes and how to slur them. Now, Kirbie is an expert at those techniques. Kirbie also was fun to teach. Her mom was so nice too. We went over a few musical terms that Kirbie will be needing for band class. I hope to see her in the fall when things get better for them. I didn't have Brooklynn's lesson today. She got the week I was at competition mixed up. I will see her on Thursday before choir. I may be a bit late, but that will be okay. We often start a few minutes late to begin with. This past week, Carolyn and I were the only sopranos at rehearsal. We sang some new songs too. I really like the music that we are doing in choir. I just hope to be able to make it to church soon. My head is usually so bad at that early in the morning that I have given up hope on being able to go to church. I hope with the new medicine, it will work.
I started the new medicine last night. One of the side effects is actually weight loss. I am actually hoping to have that side effect as I manage to gain weight with every other medicine that has a weight gain as a side effect, especially Lyrica. 80 pounds in 6 months. Yup, not fair! Wouldn't it be nice if it was 80 pounds gone in 6 months? That would be simply beautiful, just beautiful.
So far, the new living arrangement is going quite well. Maisy is so cute. I went to take a nap the other day and she hopped up on my lap to join me. She is such a cute dog. I had no idea I would like living with 2 furbabies. Calli keeps her dog with her at all times so it isn't like he is running around. He is pretty well behaved too. He is good with Calli who can't sit still to save her life. He takes her moving around in stride. Maisy is very attached to Heather. She follows Heather everywhere. It is so sweet. She sleeps in the same room as Heather too. I like when Maisy comes up to me but basically, she just likes being around Heather. Acer and Calli have seemed to adapted to the new living arrangement. Acer even commented about something being at the old house so that is good that he is adjusting. Calli likes her new room. I think the bedrooms are a bit bigger but not by much. Our house looks bigger because the garage is attached. I think we 5 fit in here very well. I still have my room (which is in need of re-organizing!). I did have the option of moving into mom's room, but I really didn't want to because I really like my room. I am going to transfer the curtains in Heather and Bill's room to my room. It will brighten up my room and the way their bed is, they need shorter curtains. Bill brought the light out of Calli's old room to be placed in her new room since the light in there is hanging from the ceiling. All in all, I feel that this arrangement will really help all of us.
Well, onto copying my choir music from the flash drive and then to reading before bed!!!! :)
I am pleased with how well my 3 girls did at competition. Sarah was ill and still was able to play. She received 3rd place in piano with her classical piece, Quadrille by Haydn. I was so happy for her because this was her first piano competition ever. Natalie and Rebecca did well too. Rebecca received 1st in all 4 of her categories and Natalie came home with 2 1sts, 1 2nd, and 1 3rd. It was her first competition too. I do expect that someday both Natalie and Rebecca will be in voice open and that Sarah will be in Piano Open. The open categories are for the very advanced musicians. With how ambitious Sarah is on learning the piano, I do expect her to advanced like she has been. She is a delight to teach, simply delightful. Sarah is eager to learn and learn correctly. She takes corrections very well. I am so pleased about that. It is so lovely to work with a student that wants to learn so much.
My nook had been giving me issues last night and today. I thought it was me. Well, to my surprise, it wasn't! Thank goodness for that! Everything is now downloaded and ready to read. I love my nook. Kathy has an iPhone now. She has been saving her birthday and Christmas money so she finally got one. She is so excited about it. I spoke to her on the phone for a long while today. It was so sweet how excited she was about her iPhone! Now, of course, I want one. Well, I don't need one and I just upgraded my phone so no new phone needed for me. I love my new phone a lot. It takes pretty good pictures too. i just have to download them on the flash drive and then copy them to my computer. This is supposed to be easily done so we shall see. I am not that technically advanced at times.
I have the coolest arrangement of On My Own and I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables for my students. I just have to dig out the original CDs and then copy them for the students. As a teacher, I am allowed to copy 1 copy of music and CD for each student. They cannot use it in a live performance, but for practicing they can. I have a new student starting next Saturday. Her name is Jennifer and she wants to sing in church. Kirbie had her last saxophone lesson for a while. Her dad has to take a 20% pay cut so out goes the lessons. I am sorry as she was such a sweet girl and worked pretty hard. She needed to learn how to tongue her notes and how to slur them. Now, Kirbie is an expert at those techniques. Kirbie also was fun to teach. Her mom was so nice too. We went over a few musical terms that Kirbie will be needing for band class. I hope to see her in the fall when things get better for them. I didn't have Brooklynn's lesson today. She got the week I was at competition mixed up. I will see her on Thursday before choir. I may be a bit late, but that will be okay. We often start a few minutes late to begin with. This past week, Carolyn and I were the only sopranos at rehearsal. We sang some new songs too. I really like the music that we are doing in choir. I just hope to be able to make it to church soon. My head is usually so bad at that early in the morning that I have given up hope on being able to go to church. I hope with the new medicine, it will work.
I started the new medicine last night. One of the side effects is actually weight loss. I am actually hoping to have that side effect as I manage to gain weight with every other medicine that has a weight gain as a side effect, especially Lyrica. 80 pounds in 6 months. Yup, not fair! Wouldn't it be nice if it was 80 pounds gone in 6 months? That would be simply beautiful, just beautiful.
So far, the new living arrangement is going quite well. Maisy is so cute. I went to take a nap the other day and she hopped up on my lap to join me. She is such a cute dog. I had no idea I would like living with 2 furbabies. Calli keeps her dog with her at all times so it isn't like he is running around. He is pretty well behaved too. He is good with Calli who can't sit still to save her life. He takes her moving around in stride. Maisy is very attached to Heather. She follows Heather everywhere. It is so sweet. She sleeps in the same room as Heather too. I like when Maisy comes up to me but basically, she just likes being around Heather. Acer and Calli have seemed to adapted to the new living arrangement. Acer even commented about something being at the old house so that is good that he is adjusting. Calli likes her new room. I think the bedrooms are a bit bigger but not by much. Our house looks bigger because the garage is attached. I think we 5 fit in here very well. I still have my room (which is in need of re-organizing!). I did have the option of moving into mom's room, but I really didn't want to because I really like my room. I am going to transfer the curtains in Heather and Bill's room to my room. It will brighten up my room and the way their bed is, they need shorter curtains. Bill brought the light out of Calli's old room to be placed in her new room since the light in there is hanging from the ceiling. All in all, I feel that this arrangement will really help all of us.
Well, onto copying my choir music from the flash drive and then to reading before bed!!!! :)
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Day After 2-25
Wow, competition is over. I am exhausted. I had a good weekend, the students did awesome. I tried to pace myself and pretty much I did okay. I have discovered though, I cannot room captain anymore. It is too much standing and walking back and forth. I had help because I cannot do that much standing. I will let them know right away because it causes too much extra pain. Because I have help, it wasn't so bad but without that help, I would have had to go right home and miss the awards because of the pain levels. I do other jobs before the competition and I like that. This way, if I need to rest, I can go and rest. It is important that I have time for resting.
The kids did really well while I was teaching. Calli has Q (the guide dog) with his harness on so everyone knows he is working and can't be petted or spoken too and Acer was playing quietly downstairs. It goes rather well. After I finished lessons for the evening, I finished making dinner that Heather had started. It was yummy and healthy. Heather made sure there were plenty of veggies in the dinner. It was good. Calli helped me clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher after dinner. She has also learned how to turn on the dishwasher. Mine is a bit different than hers but she knows how it works. Calli also learned to wipe the dishes before we put them in the dishwasher as we can't have any food in the sink because of the septic tank. Overall, I think it went well. She is a lovely assistant. We worked very well together. It is nice to have others in the house when I am not teaching. The quiet can get sooooo loud at times.
I have been rededicating myself to eating more healthy. I eat more veggies than anything. I also do make sure I have enough protein. I am now working on eating less bread and stuff like that. I take the CLA and Safflower Oil supplements that help with weight loss. I have been taking them for about a month now. I expect to have some results of my rededicated healthy eating habits in a couple of months. I have noticed that I am not hungry as much as I used to be. I also think this is because I now take all my medicines with water and nothing else so basically I drink at least about 12 ounces of water before I eat. I don't find problems too much with hunger during the day. It will be nice to actually be eating more at home with people instead of by myself. This is definitely a win for all of us.
I am hoping to see my friend, Jennie in a play this weekend. She is in an odd couple type play only with women as the main characters. I missed her play last time because I had a really bad headache. Since this one is in the afternoon, I don't expect to have too much trouble with a bad headache, I hope it is just the regular headache.
Thursday, I am planning to go to choir practice no matter what. I don't want to miss anymore. I am going to have to learn to function with them. I am just going to have to. I don't really have any choice at this point. They are here. I do see Dr. Rossi tomorrow. I am asking her to change my medicine. I am still having issues with the hallucinations at night in the dark but also because I had to go to the lower dosage and it doesn't really help all that much. It helps me get to sleep faster but that is about it. I do really like Dr. Rossi. She is determined to find something that will help me. I must say, it is a nice change because I gave up hope when the other 2 neurologists said that there was nothing they could do about an everyday headache. Dr. Rossi said that there is something that can be done and I should expect that someday I will not have an everyday headache. That will be an awesome day for me.
Well it is time to watch castle and then head for bed soon.
The kids did really well while I was teaching. Calli has Q (the guide dog) with his harness on so everyone knows he is working and can't be petted or spoken too and Acer was playing quietly downstairs. It goes rather well. After I finished lessons for the evening, I finished making dinner that Heather had started. It was yummy and healthy. Heather made sure there were plenty of veggies in the dinner. It was good. Calli helped me clear the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher after dinner. She has also learned how to turn on the dishwasher. Mine is a bit different than hers but she knows how it works. Calli also learned to wipe the dishes before we put them in the dishwasher as we can't have any food in the sink because of the septic tank. Overall, I think it went well. She is a lovely assistant. We worked very well together. It is nice to have others in the house when I am not teaching. The quiet can get sooooo loud at times.
I have been rededicating myself to eating more healthy. I eat more veggies than anything. I also do make sure I have enough protein. I am now working on eating less bread and stuff like that. I take the CLA and Safflower Oil supplements that help with weight loss. I have been taking them for about a month now. I expect to have some results of my rededicated healthy eating habits in a couple of months. I have noticed that I am not hungry as much as I used to be. I also think this is because I now take all my medicines with water and nothing else so basically I drink at least about 12 ounces of water before I eat. I don't find problems too much with hunger during the day. It will be nice to actually be eating more at home with people instead of by myself. This is definitely a win for all of us.
I am hoping to see my friend, Jennie in a play this weekend. She is in an odd couple type play only with women as the main characters. I missed her play last time because I had a really bad headache. Since this one is in the afternoon, I don't expect to have too much trouble with a bad headache, I hope it is just the regular headache.
Thursday, I am planning to go to choir practice no matter what. I don't want to miss anymore. I am going to have to learn to function with them. I am just going to have to. I don't really have any choice at this point. They are here. I do see Dr. Rossi tomorrow. I am asking her to change my medicine. I am still having issues with the hallucinations at night in the dark but also because I had to go to the lower dosage and it doesn't really help all that much. It helps me get to sleep faster but that is about it. I do really like Dr. Rossi. She is determined to find something that will help me. I must say, it is a nice change because I gave up hope when the other 2 neurologists said that there was nothing they could do about an everyday headache. Dr. Rossi said that there is something that can be done and I should expect that someday I will not have an everyday headache. That will be an awesome day for me.
Well it is time to watch castle and then head for bed soon.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Competition Weekend
I am very tired but pleased with how well the competition turned out. Everyone of my 3 who went did well. I will post more about it tomorrow. Right now, I am very tired and sore. I am extra sore, which I expected. I did pace myself pretty well.
More tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
More tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
getting settled 2-19
Tonight will be the first night that everyone will be sleeping here: Bill, Heather, Acer, Calli, Q, and Maisy. Q sleeps in Calli's room and will be gated it. Maisy sleeps with Heather and Bill so the fur babies are all set. Acer is in his new room and Calli's was completely set up today. She is all set. Now on to unpacking, putting things where they belong, and all of that type of stuff. Heather isn't feeling too well right now. I think she got what I got a few weeks ago except that she also has ear aches and a sore throat, which I, fortunately, didn't get those symptoms.
Calli is doing her goalball exercises. She is a very serious athlete and has goals to be in the para-olympics either in 2016 or 2020. With her determination, I believe she will be there. Calli does her exercise every night without fail. Acer is already in bed and hopefully, asleep. I read him his book tonight because Heather just can't talk very well. She has pretty much lost her voice.
So far, the move has gone very smoothly outside of Heather not feeling too well. I do get a good giggle at the thought that there are 2 Heathers in the house. I am sure Heather will think so too when she feels better. Calli brought down my laundry for me and took up some laundry too. She is very helpful. Acer, Calli, and I went through one of the photo albums. I took out all the pictures of us and labeled the photo. I plan to put up a lot of pictures around the house. Richard would like his baby picture. I will take a picture of it and then ship it to him. Andrew doesn't want me to give him his. He would prefer that I take a picture of it and put it on face book then tag him in it. I am moving my baby picture to my bedroom. The hallway paintings of Mom's will also be coming down. I will also take a picture of them before they get donated. I am keeping the living room ones and the ones in my bedroom. Mom painted those for me so I am keeping them. I also have a collage of pictures of my friends to put up in my room too or in the hallway or family room or dining room. I am not sure right now.
Competition is coming up this weekend. Sarah is very well prepared. She is such a nice young lady. I really like her a lot. Breanna and Natalie have their lessons tomorrow. They are both pretty prepared so is Rebecca. I am glad about that. I am looking forward to competition. My job was to get the pianos and it is on track so I am glad about this. I think it will be a good weekend. Only 1 more day before competition.
Well, I think it is time to read and relax for the night. I do have a medium bad headache tonight but the good thing is, I didn't have it all day, just in the morning and the evening. During the afternoon it was okay.
Calli is doing her goalball exercises. She is a very serious athlete and has goals to be in the para-olympics either in 2016 or 2020. With her determination, I believe she will be there. Calli does her exercise every night without fail. Acer is already in bed and hopefully, asleep. I read him his book tonight because Heather just can't talk very well. She has pretty much lost her voice.
So far, the move has gone very smoothly outside of Heather not feeling too well. I do get a good giggle at the thought that there are 2 Heathers in the house. I am sure Heather will think so too when she feels better. Calli brought down my laundry for me and took up some laundry too. She is very helpful. Acer, Calli, and I went through one of the photo albums. I took out all the pictures of us and labeled the photo. I plan to put up a lot of pictures around the house. Richard would like his baby picture. I will take a picture of it and then ship it to him. Andrew doesn't want me to give him his. He would prefer that I take a picture of it and put it on face book then tag him in it. I am moving my baby picture to my bedroom. The hallway paintings of Mom's will also be coming down. I will also take a picture of them before they get donated. I am keeping the living room ones and the ones in my bedroom. Mom painted those for me so I am keeping them. I also have a collage of pictures of my friends to put up in my room too or in the hallway or family room or dining room. I am not sure right now.
Competition is coming up this weekend. Sarah is very well prepared. She is such a nice young lady. I really like her a lot. Breanna and Natalie have their lessons tomorrow. They are both pretty prepared so is Rebecca. I am glad about that. I am looking forward to competition. My job was to get the pianos and it is on track so I am glad about this. I think it will be a good weekend. Only 1 more day before competition.
Well, I think it is time to read and relax for the night. I do have a medium bad headache tonight but the good thing is, I didn't have it all day, just in the morning and the evening. During the afternoon it was okay.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Ah Tuesdays, 2-19
I love Tuesdays. It is NCIS night and I loooooove both of those shows so much. I am fascinated with detective and that type of stuff shows. NCIS is on right now and it is almost over. NCIS Los Angeles will be on next. I had a couple of students today. Bob had his lesson today instead of yesterday because he was working. Amy had her lesson today. She just finished her level 1 books and has now started level 2. She is doing very well. I am pleased with her progress. Of course, I am mostly pleased with most of my students' progress. There are only a few who don't practice very much. Isaac is doing well now that he has a song for piano that he likes. I have decided that I need to do something a little unconventional with him. He likes to play but I think lesson type books are not his thing. Not everyone is made for lesson books and need a different way to learn. He is playing a song from "Les Miserables". Isaac really liked the movie. I knew he would. We were talking about it during his lesson when I pulled the book out and he was really happy about that. I bought the big note arrangement with him in mind. I know it is a bit above his level at this point, but he is beyond the 5 finger arrangement so I would rather him be challenged than bored. He is a really neat young man. His father, David, is actually my older brother's childhood friend so basically, I have known Isaac since he was born and his dad has known me since I was born. Isaac and I think that is really cool.
Maisy came yesterday to check out her new digs. I think the little puppy likes it here. She explored everywhere while we were all working. Okay - I didn't do much since I can't lift too much. I did help move some boxes so that Bill could get the filing cabinets into the family fun room and out of Calli's bedroom. Acer was so cute. He was using the stair climber. He said that perhaps we shouldn't have this one go anywhere so he could do his exercise. Acer looked like he was having a good time with the exercise machine. Right now things are just in a jumble in the family room because we don't have the furniture moved yet. It will get all in order soon so I am not worried about it. More things will be moved in tomorrow. I think beds and things like that. I have PT at 1 so I will be gone for a while. I ran out of bread and milk so I may have to go to the store tomorrow. It will be much easier to actually have food in the house when we are all here. I don't keep a whole lot because I don't use much. I am working on eating healthier so I have salads everyday as well as a healthy soup. That is what I do most everyday. Sometimes I do get a burrito bowl from Chipolte. I do like that restaurant a lot but I find that I can't eat it too much because it is not conducive for losing weight so I limit myself from having it too often.
I almost have all my tax info collected. The only thing left for me to do is get my phone bill information. Other than that, I am ready for my taxes to be done. I have the info now so that is good. I just have to drop it off. Well, I think it is time to add things together for Julie! Then, I will read for a bit before bed.
Maisy came yesterday to check out her new digs. I think the little puppy likes it here. She explored everywhere while we were all working. Okay - I didn't do much since I can't lift too much. I did help move some boxes so that Bill could get the filing cabinets into the family fun room and out of Calli's bedroom. Acer was so cute. He was using the stair climber. He said that perhaps we shouldn't have this one go anywhere so he could do his exercise. Acer looked like he was having a good time with the exercise machine. Right now things are just in a jumble in the family room because we don't have the furniture moved yet. It will get all in order soon so I am not worried about it. More things will be moved in tomorrow. I think beds and things like that. I have PT at 1 so I will be gone for a while. I ran out of bread and milk so I may have to go to the store tomorrow. It will be much easier to actually have food in the house when we are all here. I don't keep a whole lot because I don't use much. I am working on eating healthier so I have salads everyday as well as a healthy soup. That is what I do most everyday. Sometimes I do get a burrito bowl from Chipolte. I do like that restaurant a lot but I find that I can't eat it too much because it is not conducive for losing weight so I limit myself from having it too often.
I almost have all my tax info collected. The only thing left for me to do is get my phone bill information. Other than that, I am ready for my taxes to be done. I have the info now so that is good. I just have to drop it off. Well, I think it is time to add things together for Julie! Then, I will read for a bit before bed.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
The Start of A Musical Week 2-17
Competition will be here next weekend. Oh my. I am not sure if I am ready for this or not. Natalie, Breanna, Sarah, and Rebecca are ready. The measures are all numbered, CDs are made so all that is left is arriving and registering at the hotel. Katie Rose is coming up to have dinner with me. She wants to hear some of the students. I don't have as many as I did when Katie was competing but that is okay. If I didn't have anyone who wanted to go that would be okay. If all of them wanted to go, that would be fine too.
Becky is coming to take the last two exercise machines tomorrow. That means that the only things that are left are Karlyn's. She should be coming in a couple of weeks to get the furniture. The mattress on Andrew's old bed is going. It is old and in such bad of shape but the bed frame is in good condition.
Lydia looked at the material today and pick a few things out that she liked. The rest of the material will be donated as I don't expect to actually use much of it. I am keeping the satin and matching tulle material in case Calli wants me to make a dress for her. She isn't sure at this point. That is okay, I am not ready to make anything at this point. I want to get an adjustable dress form for me so I can make some nice dresses and skirts for when I lose weight. I think I have lost a couple of pounds, but I suppose I have to start somewhere, right?
Patrick, Lydia, Hannah, and Sarah were over this afternoon to watch a movie with me. We saw "We Bought a Zoo". it was decent, a few not so appropriate comments but overall it was decent. Hannah and Sarah made popcorn and I made them all hot chocolates. It was the first time that Patrick has joined us for an activity. They have all given up sweets for lent so no ice cream, which really worked out since I don't have any money for it right now. With being sick for an entire week really hurts but it could have been much worse. I am much better now that is for sure. My voice is almost completely back. It was almost completely gone at one point.
I am getting a bit tired. I think I am going to read for a bit before bed.
Becky is coming to take the last two exercise machines tomorrow. That means that the only things that are left are Karlyn's. She should be coming in a couple of weeks to get the furniture. The mattress on Andrew's old bed is going. It is old and in such bad of shape but the bed frame is in good condition.
Lydia looked at the material today and pick a few things out that she liked. The rest of the material will be donated as I don't expect to actually use much of it. I am keeping the satin and matching tulle material in case Calli wants me to make a dress for her. She isn't sure at this point. That is okay, I am not ready to make anything at this point. I want to get an adjustable dress form for me so I can make some nice dresses and skirts for when I lose weight. I think I have lost a couple of pounds, but I suppose I have to start somewhere, right?
Patrick, Lydia, Hannah, and Sarah were over this afternoon to watch a movie with me. We saw "We Bought a Zoo". it was decent, a few not so appropriate comments but overall it was decent. Hannah and Sarah made popcorn and I made them all hot chocolates. It was the first time that Patrick has joined us for an activity. They have all given up sweets for lent so no ice cream, which really worked out since I don't have any money for it right now. With being sick for an entire week really hurts but it could have been much worse. I am much better now that is for sure. My voice is almost completely back. It was almost completely gone at one point.
I am getting a bit tired. I think I am going to read for a bit before bed.
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