Hey, check out this story about my dad on the front page of their paper!
In other news, it's 39 degrees here in sunny Florida! I LOVE IT! Maybe I can actually wear jeans today! Bring on winter!
While I'm at it, here's Braden's 15 minutes of fame:
This one is from Christmas 2005
And this one is just a few weeks ago
Today was my Quickutz meeting at Violette's. We went to church and did our thing, then had a quick lunch and headed over to the scrapbook store, where Brian sat next to me and played on his computer while I made this cute project:
It was a lot of fun to make! The projects we do in the Quickutz club are awesome. This was only my second meeting and I totally love it! This store is one of the best scrapbook stores I've ever been to. It's just really big, decorated all cute, and set up in a great way. The staff is friendly and they always have food and drinks!
So now I'm in a scrappy mood and I'm going to work on my handmade gifts for Christmas. I have a lot to do still!
The coffee is brewing and I'm just taking a few minutes to say hello before we start our annual Christmas-treat-making!! We have set aside today to make food gifts. We'll be making our White Chocolate Mix, Hot Cocoa Mix, potato candy, and maybe some Peppermint bark. I think that's all, but Brian might come up with something else!!
Hopefully we'll get some gifts wrapped too! Our guest bed is full of unwrapped gifts. My shopping is DONE, hallelujah! Thank goodness for online shopping! I only made ONE trip to the mall! I do have a few more handmade gifts to finish up, and I hope to get those done today and Monday.
My house is decorated, my Christmas cards are sent out. We just did a picture card this year. This is the first time in years I haven't made my own cards, but we've just been so horribly busy!! So, I apologize to you all - I didn't even have time to write notes to everyone. I've been really bad about keeping in touch lately. I hope to do better in the new year!
OK, I'm off to make a grocery list so we can make our goodies. I hope everyone has a great weekend!
OK, here's another update on my "fall into reading" project. I'm saving some of these books for B and I to listen to on our long Christmas trip!
1. Main Corpse - Diane Mott Davidson
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
3. Sisterchicks Down Under - Robin Jones Gunn
4. While My Pretty One Sleeps - Mary Higgins Clark
5. The Note - Angela Hunt
6. Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult
7. Finding Noel - Richard Paul Evans
8. Still Summer - Jacquelyn Mitchard
9. Iced - Carol Higgins Clark
10. The Gift - Richard Paul Evans
11. Getting Rid of Matthew - Jane Fallon
12. Best Kept Secrets - Sandra Brown
13. Queen of Babble in the Big City - Meg Cabot
14. Running from the Law - Lisa Scottoline
15. The Quickie - James Patterson
16. Second Chance - Jane Green
17. Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea - Mary Higgins Clark
18. Miss Julia Strikes Back - Ann B. Ross
19. Peace Like a River - Leif Enger
20. The Grilling Season - Diane Mott Davidson
21. Prime Cut - Diane Mott Davidson
22. Home to Holly Springs - Jan Karon
BLUE = currently reading
PURPLE = finished
Well, the fam has come and gone and we had a WONDERFUL time! It was so great to be with everyone, especially Braden!! He is an absolute delight and he's just SO FUNNY! I thought I should share some pictures of our Thanksgiving week. Our first stop of the day was Magic Kingdom:
Braden on the Monorail with Papa, Daddy, and Aunt Sis
Braden playing trains on Aunt Sis' face while waiting for the ferry boat
Braden and Papa got to sing with the Dapper Dans on Main Street! (Shameless plug: some of the Dapper Dans are going to be featured on Papa's Barbershop Chorus Christmas Show in Ashland, KY on December 15! Don't miss it!)
Braden on the train with Papa and JoJo (and some people we don't know in the background!)
Braden and Daddy driving the cars at the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway!
Braden with his first ever Mickey popsicle!
Braden in line for "It's a Small World" with Uncle Brian & Aunt Sis
Braden riding "It's a Small World" with Mommy & Daddy
Our second stop of the day was Animal Kingdom. We rushed right in to ride the Kilimanjaro Safari! We saw lots of cool animals! (I won't share all of the animal pictures, there are too many!)
Braden and Mommy on the safari
Our last stop of the day was Epcot. We were all amazed and impressed that Braden was such a good boy for such a long day! Papa, JoJo, Uncle Brian, Aunt Sis, and Daddy all rode Test Track several times and loved it! Even JoJo! Mommy is pregnant so she couldn't ride, and Braden was too little, so they played in the car showroom and went shopping while the rest of us rode. At Braden's request, we had dinner in China. ;-)
Braden riding "The Seas with Nemo and Friends" with Uncle Brian & Aunt Sis. In the middle, Braden called out, "Hey Nemo! Is that you?" Aunt Sis loved it!
We were at the parks for nearly 14 hours that day! It was an all-around spectacular day! Hooray for Braden's first visit to Disney!!!!
Wednesday night we had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Braden wasn't so sure about the gorillas, but he loved the fish and the elephants! Afterward, we scooted over to the Contemporary where we hopped on a boat for the Wishes Cruise!
Braden & Mickey at the Contemporary
Braden got to drive the boat!
Braden and Daddy on the cruise
Uncle Brian & Aunt Sis enjoying the cruise
Papa got to drive the boat too!
Mommy, Daddy, and Braden cruisin'
Fireworks!
The whole fam as we left the Contemporary!
Well, those special adventures were lots of fun, but Braden's very favorite part of visiting Aunt Sis and Uncle Brian's house was playing with the cats! (Notice there are no pictures of Sam, he's the "grouchy and soft" cat!)
Braden & Max
Well, the fam is coming in tomorrow night! I am SO excited! We're having Mom and Dad, Brad and Kari (my brother and SIL), and precious Braden (my nephew) over for Thanksgiving! Tuesday we're spending at Disney, Wednesday night we're eating at Rainforest Cafe and then taking the Wishes Fireworks Cruise, Thursday is turkey day, Friday is shopping, and Saturday...well, we might go to a corn maze or something. We're gonna have a great time!
In other news, tomorrow is my first day teaching elementary music at Lake Mary Montessori. I'm nervous, excited, and stressed. I'll keep you posted!
Look what I got this week!!!! These are the two newest limited edition alphabet gift sets from Quickutz. They are SO cute - and the packaging is just as cute as the alphabets! I never dreamed I could get them both, but this is my early Christmas present from my fabulous and amazing husband. I can't wait to get the foam on them and start cutting!
Friends, you will never believe what happened this week. A bunch of birds flew into my Kindermusik classroom and left feathers ALL OVER THE PLACE!! Now tell me, can you even believe that? At least the birds were pretty cute...and they DID help me clean up their feathers...
(Imagine That classes, ages 3-4)
My email is not working. :-( Something is wrong at Earthlink, which is where the site that hosts our email lives.
So - if you're trying to reach me, email me at kmwithkerri at gmail dot com. :-)
OH. MY. GOSH!!!! Brian and I are sitting here on the den floor, putting together the new futon we bought today. (My family is coming for Thanksgiving and we need a place for everyone to sleep!) AND we're watching The Biggest Loser, which we recorded earlier tonight. I was fast-forwarding through the commercials and I glanced up and saw the most beautiful words:
IKEA ORLANDO - GRAND OPENING NOVEMBER 14
I'm SO BEYOND excited! Great, now I probably won't be able to sleep!!!! Oh well, it's WORTH IT!!!! I've been wanting to go to Ikea FOREVER - but the closest we've ever lived to one is like 3 hours away (when we lived in Albany, there was one in Paramus, NJ.) I can't even believe there's going to be one just down the road!!!!
OK, who wants to come visit, go to Disney, and shop at IKEA????!!!!
I had to give up on another book - "The Infidelity Pact" by Carrie Karasyov. I tried to read it twice but just couldn't get into it. So I added another book to take the place of that one. :-)
However, I read a GREAT book - "Still Summer" by Jacquelyn Mitchard. It was EXCELLENT - a great story, suspenseful, well-written. Brian even got into it and we could never stop listening! I recommend it.
1. Main Corpse - Diane Mott Davidson
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
3. Sisterchicks Down Under - Robin Jones Gunn
4. While My Pretty One Sleeps - Mary Higgins Clark
5. The Note - Angela Hunt
6. Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult
7. Mercy - Jodi Picoult
8. Still Summer - Jacquelyn Mitchard
9. Iced - Carol Higgins Clark
10. The Christmas Thief - Mary Higgins Clark
11. Getting Rid of Matthew - Jane Fallon
12. Best Kept Secrets - Sandra Brown
13. Queen of Babble in the Big City - Meg Cabot
14. Daddy's Girl - Lisa Scottoline
15. The Quickie - James Patterson
16. Second Chance - Jane Green
17. Finding Noel - Richard Paul Evans
18. Miss Julia Strikes Back - Ann B. Ross
19. Peace Like a River - Leif Enger
20. The Grilling Season - Diane Mott Davidson
21. Prime Cut - Diane Mott Davidson
22. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons - Lorna Landvik
23. Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea - Mary Higgins Clark
24. Salem Falls - Jodi Picoult
25. Home to Holly Springs - Jan Karon
BLUE = currently reading
PURPLE = finished
OK, just to let you know how behind I am on reading blogs, I just now saw that Tara tagged me back in JULY for the 8 random things meme! Ugh. I have been way too busy. Sorry Tara! At least I caught up today on your blog and am continually amazed at the funny and important things happening in your life, your amazing work and boss, the brilliance of your child, your no-nonsense writing style, and our shared makeup fetish. :-)
So - here are my 8 random things:
1. I count everything.
2. I prefer that things I count be in multiples of four. I will go to great lengths to MAKE things into multiples of four.
3. I can't stand it when people use bad grammar. I also hate it when people misspell really common words, like too, you're, and definitely.
4. I honestly believe that my cats are going to live forever. =^..^=
5. I am probably the most hot-natured person that you know. When everyone else is comfortable or even cold, I'm sweating - and I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt!
6. I have started working out with a personal trainer - he pushes me so hard that I can barely walk out of the gym!
7. I'm really enjoying my thirties! What was I so afraid of?
8. I know binary. I learned it when Brian and I were dating. He was impressed. (Have you noticed my obsession with numbers?)
Now I have to tag some people:
Brad
Leslie
Mandi
Stephanie
Jason
Christi
(If some of you have already done this, sorry! I can't remember.)
I keep meaning to blog, but there just isn't time. And when there is time, I can't stay awake to do it!
Sunday, October 28, was our 7th anniversary. We celebrated by going to the beach for part of the weekend. We stayed at a beautiful beach house and just lazed around and ate pastries - it was divine and just what we needed! I have a picture of us on the beach but my camera is at my KM classroom right now. :-P I'll upload it later.
Life just seems to keep getting busier. I really need to lighten my load. Some changes are in the works, but I will post about those later after proper notifications have been made and decisions have been finalized. I could use a few prayers, too!
Here's some really big, important, exciting news: We are going to have yet ANOTHER niece or nephew! Yep, folks, my brother's wife is pregnant. Braden is going to be a big brother! I am just ecstatic! This will make #5 for us! We have Emma, Braden, Will, Angela is pregnant with #4, and Kari is pregnant with #5! Yay for Uncle Brian and Aunt Sis!
Kindermusik keeps getting better. The kids are really opening up and getting used to me, and to each other, and to class. At one point yesterday I had like 3 or 4 kids on my lap at the same time. I LOVED it! Lately, I hate for class to end! :-) I am so fortunate to be able to do this. I love it so much!
The coolest thing happened yesterday. Last week, I had been complaining and joking with one of my piano students' moms about how Florida is made of mildew and mold. She was saying they had just pressure washed their house, and I was saying how bad my sidewalk was looking again. (In case you don't know how crazy the mold and mildew can get, check out this post from last year when we pressure washed our porch and sidewalk for the first time!) Anyway, she said that they had a pressure washer and we could borrow it and she would bring it next week.
So yesterday, this student shows up and her dad and grandpa were with her and they brought TWO pressure washers with them and they pressure washed my porch, sidewalk, and driveway while I taught the lesson!!!! I mean seriously...people just don't do that kind of thing anymore! We're all too busy for random acts of kindness! I was just so thrilled, and so grateful, and so shocked, and so amazed! They are the nicest people ever! (Of course, I gave them several free lessons!) LOL Anyway, my faith in humanity was restored yesterday.
(And it was lost again today because I had to go to Walmart and you know how I feel about the way people act in Walmart!) Ugh!
All right. I have to go and do something useful. Hope everyone had a great Halloween! I promise to post pictures soon. :-)
Yesterday I joined the Quickutz club at Violette's, an awesome scrapbook store in Lakeland. They meet once a month and make a project or 2 and club members get either a special deal on QK products (yesterday it was buy one, get one free on all dies - even Revolution dies!) or some months we get a free die! Love it. So yesterday was my first club meeting ever. The store is about 70 minutes from my house, but about 20 minutes from church, and some of their meetings will be on Sunday afternoons. I had a rehearsal in Winter Haven last night anyway, so I rushed to Lakeland after my Kindermusik class. Here's what we made:
How cute is that??!! It's a picture frame - 12x12. I totally love it. And of course, I ordered the die that made the leaves - it's one die that cuts 3 leaves. Adorable. Everyone at that store is so friendly and nice, and I'm so excited to be a part of this club!
...from a book I'm currently reading, "Miss Julia Strikes Back:"
"Let me tell you. If you ever think you'll be throwin' up in public, I'd recommend against havin' a mustache. The combination is not a pretty sight."
Well, our weekend of Tim Holtz classes was awesome! I had a great time with Christy, scrapping, learning, and shopping. Here's the book we made in our class, Nostalgic Memoirs:
We actually learned how to sew a book binding! It was VERY cool! I'm pretty happy with the way mine turned out. The covers are canvas, and we learned how to use ink and blend it to make a unique look, and then we covered it with beeswax to seal the ink. Very fun! And then we junked it up with some cool ribbon and hardware.
And in the Mystery Class, we learned how to make this little mini-book out of a 6x6 paper pad, with no paper left over - no waste! Awesome!
How adorable is that! Yes, that swirl on the front is a piece of Grungeboard. It's SO cool! We also used some neat acrylic chips and fun hardware. I spent way too much time distressing and inking my pages, but it was so much fun! The right side of each page was a pocket page. I also won a door prize in this class - a 6x6 pad of Basic Grey Figgy Pudding with fibers and some hardware - LOVE IT! :-D
And - what's a weekend of scrapping without a little SHOPPING??!! Ruban Rouge is a great store and I picked up some goodies while I was there. I also stopped at another store in Lakeland on my way home - Violette's - I had no idea that was such a great store! All in all, here's my stash from the weekend:
Got some Prima sprites, AC Fall felt shapes, Fancy Pants biggest board, a few chipboard books (Maya Road - train, and Basic Grey - bracket), Heidi Swapp silhouette flowers, big blossoms (not shown) and ghost clocks, Prima paintables, assorted paper from Scenic Route, Creative Imaginations, KI, Basic Grey, and K&Co., some Bazzill scalloped cardstock, Tim Holtz GRUNGEBOARD (of course!), 7 gypsies photo corners, Tim Holtz Tonic paper piercer (retractable and so nice!), a Quickutz magnetic book (to store my cookie cutter dies), a mini score-it board, some Cosmo Cricket chipboard lacing cards, and some K&Co. wedding stickers (for cards). Yummy!!!! :-)
Who wants to come over and scrap?
I really don't have any business blogging right now! I'm going to Tampa tomorrow for the weekend and I haven't even started packing. I'm so excited - I'm going to Ruban Rouge - a very popular scrapbook store - to take some classes taught by none other than Tim Holtz!! We are going to be able to use (and buy!) some of his brand new products that will not be released until December. I'm BEYOND excited!
I'm meeting up with my friend Christy, whom I met at Lifetime Moments. Yes, that's a message board! We're going to just enjoy a girls' weekend and crop the days away! I will post pictures when I get back.
In other news, this whole week I've been experiencing night sweats. WARNING: if you are a guy who thinks girls should just "glisten" or "perspire," stop reading now! (I don't want to ruin the mystique for anyone!) I have woken up in the wee hours every night this week sweating up a storm. Last night I was so hot, I got up and turned the air down, and when I got back in bed, my pillow was soaked and so was the spot where I had been laying before. Gross! With that and the hot flashes I've been having for some time now, I'm wondering what in the world is going on with my body! (Could I be perimenopausal at age 34? Maybe...)
Brian and his friends got together and made a horror movie. It's about 6 minutes long and it's for a contest. You can go here to vote.
Just know that there is a bit of blood and gore, so don't watch it if you can't handle that kind of stuff. You can vote without watching it, just go down below the video and click on 5 skulls for the 3 categories.
Today is the last day to vote! Thanks, everyone!
Yay! My friend Leslie just told me about Fall Into Reading 2007!! I'm really excited to see how many books I can read! Anyone can participate, just go here to sign up.
And without further ado, here is my list for fall:
1. Main Corpse - Diane Mott Davidson
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
3. Sisterchicks Down Under - Robin Jones Gunn
4. While My Pretty One Sleeps - Mary Higgins Clark
5. The Note - Angela Hunt
6. Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult
7. Mercy - Jodi Picoult
8. Still Summer - Jacquelyn Mitchard
9. Iced - Carol Higgins Clark
10. The Infidelity Pact - Carrie Karasyov
11. Getting Rid of Matthew - Jane Fallon
12. Best Kept Secrets - Sandra Brown
13. Queen of Babble in the Big City - Meg Cabot
14. Daddy's Girl - Lisa Scottoline
15. The Quickie - James Patterson
16. Second Chance - Jane Green
17. Finding Noel - Richard Paul Evans
18. Miss Julia Strikes Back - Ann B. Ross
19. Peace Like a River - Leif Enger
20. The Grilling Season - Diane Mott Davidson
21. The Sunday Philosophy Club - Alexander McCall Smith
22. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons - Lorna Landvik
23. Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea - Mary Higgins Clark
24. The Christmas Thief - Mary Higgins Clark
BLUE = currently reading
PURPLE = finished
Well, the summer reading thing ended yesterday. I read ALMOST all of the books I wanted to read, but Kindermusik took up way more time than I thought it would! LOL Here's my recap:
1 The Blue Zone - Andrew Gross
2 The Sixth Target - James Patterson
3 Main Corpse - Diane Mott Davidson
4 Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
5 Sisterchicks Do the Hula - Robin Jones Gunn
6 Sisterchicks Down Under - Robin Jones Gunn
7 The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - Alexander McCall Smith
8 Lean Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich
9 Being Committed - Anna Maxted
10 While My Pretty One Sleeps - Mary Higgins Clark
11 Queen of Broken Hearts - Cassandra King
12 Heartstopper - Joy Fielding
13 Body Surfing - Anita Shreve
14 Divine - Karen Kingsbury
15 Dream When You're Feeling Blue - Elizabeth Berg
16 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
17 The Note - Angela Hunt
18 Where Are the Children? - Mary Higgins Clark
19 Dedication - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
20 Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult
BLUE = currently reading
PURPLE = finished
*How many total books did you read? Were you surprised by that number?
I read 15 books and am in the middle of reading 2 more. Yes, I'm surprised at the number, because it's so little! I can usually read more than this, but as I said, I'm working now and so I don't have as much time.
*How do you feel about what you read?
I liked every book I read and I loved several of them.
*What about your stretch book? Did you find that you enjoyed it after all? Are you planning to read more of that genre/author?
I had several "stretch" books, meaning authors and/or genres I had not read before. They are as follows:
1. The Blue Zone - Andrew Gross
2. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
3. Queen of Broken Hearts - Cassandra King
4. Heartstopper - Joy Fielding
5. Divine - Karen Kingsbury
I enjoyed all of these books, some more than others. I will probably read all of the authors again. My least favorite of these five was Karen Kingsbury, but I will still probably give her another chance. The rest will be added to my list of favorite authors, though I'm still a big skeptical about Cassandra King.
Ender's Game was very new to me - a new genre AND new author. Brian had recommended this book as he loves reading Sci-Fi. And it was really, really good - with a twist I absolutely never imagined. :-)
*Did you read as many books as you intended to? Or more? How do you feel about that?
As I said before, I wanted to read more, and I'm a bit disappointed, but it's really good for me to be working again and I'm enjoying reading more now that I have less time to do it.
*Was this fun? Do you want to continue (if so, sign up for Katrina's Fall Into Reading challenge.)
Yes, I will definitely continue. It was a blast!
As I left from my evening Kindermusik class last night, I smelled a fire burning. It reminded me of burning leaves and when my grandparents used to burn their trash when I was little. Bonfires, hayrides, pumpkin patches - that scent brought all things autumn to mind. Too bad we won't have any TRULY cool weather until November or December! (If you consider the 70s to be cool!)
Last week was a wild one. I interviewed again with the Montessori school to teach their elementary music, and thus started the figuring out of hours, salary, times, etc. I think we have it pretty close to being nailed down. I'm going again tomorrow to go over curriculum and do my final paperwork. I'm a little worried about being too busy, but I'm also excited at the prospect of doing something new. These are some great kids and I think they will be a lot of fun to work with.
My cousin Chris, who is the minister of music at our church, resigned last Tuesday. That was pretty weird. When he resigned, he made it effective immediately. So now we're not sure what exactly is in store for the band. The pastor gave us last Sunday off (a HUGE blessing, after the crazy week I had) and we're going to start putting things back together this weekend. I think we're going to be ok - I'm not sure who's going to lead. I'm not really sure about anything, but I know we love playing together and I'm really excited to see what God has in store for us. I've definitely shed a few tears over the past week, knowing things will never be the same, but I'm also anxious to see what this all means for us. I think we'll be taking baby steps and just getting a feel for how things will be.
Today I saw some love bugs. THEY'RE BACK! They come during certain times of the year, when the temperature is just right. They are a huge pain! I'll be glad to see them go - and get some cooler weather. Though it's starting to be nice in the evenings.
Well, I have one more class to teach in a little while, and then I'm done for the week. I also have a few new piano students! I went from doing nothing to doing everything! LOL Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share later.
It's been awhile! Although Kindermusik is going GREAT and it's so much fun I can't even believe I'm getting paid to do it, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. One of my marketing strategies included contacting a school about 30 minutes away whose Kindermusik program had to close down this year because the teacher moved away. In contacting them, I found out that they are looking for an elementary music teacher. This is a Montessori school and I'm very unfamiliar with their program, but I've now had 2 interviews with them and today I went and observed a class. They do blended ages, so 1st through 3rd grades are all in the same class and 4th through 6th grades are together. It's an interesting environment! Anyway, I think things are looking positive and it's only a few hours a week, so I'm seriously considering it.
I had one wild class last week - a class with 5 3-year-old boys. They were just crazy! I learned a lot from that class! I now have a strategy for this week, since we didn't really get anything done last week. Whew! Part of me feels like I'm an aerobics instructor! LOL I do get a lot of exercise during the classes. And it's SO fun!
In other news, I actually RAN on the treadmill this week! I know, I'm shocked too. I've never been able to run - I always get a side cramp! I can't even run to the end of the driveway! So I was pretty proud. I only ran for 2 minutes, and then I walked awhile, and then I ran for 2 more minutes!! That doesn't seem like much, I know, but for me - it's a big deal! LOL
OK, here are some pictures of my Kindermusik classroom! I'll leave you with those and maybe my life will become more interesting at some point so I can write about something besides kids and music! :-)
This morning I had my first two Kindermusik classes ever. (not counting demo classes) It was SO MUCH FUN! I loved seeing all the funny things the kids did and said. They really get into the dancing and singing! I can tell I'm really going to love teaching these classes.
OK, gotta go! I'm still horribly busy - I have to plan for 2 more brand new classes tomorrow, and then all the rest of the classes tomorrow and Thursday will be repeats. I love that I can teach the same class 2 or 3 times during a week - that way I don't have to do as much planning! Thursday should be super easy!
And just imagine - after 2 years, the curricula starts all over again, so I'll be teaching these same units in the fall of 2009. It should be REALLY easy by then!
Oh yeah - and my total enrollment is now 35. I'm thrilled! More later.
Well, in case you haven't noticed, Kindermusik has pretty much taken over my life. I actually scrapped last night, but the whole time I was scrapping, I was thinking of other things I should be doing! So today, it's back to work! 4 days until classes start, and counting.
I have to go to the dreaded Walmart today. Ugh! It's SO not my favorite place, as you read in a previous post. But I have to get child locks for my cabinets, a doll to use during the baby class (to demonstrate with), and a plug adapter thing, because the outlets in my room only have 2 prongs and my heavy-duty fan needs 3. Brian is out at Target right now buying me this really cool stereo/speaker set for my iPod. That way I'll be able to upload the songs for class onto my iPod, put them in the correct order, and then use the remote to play/pause. I have high hopes for this to work without any tiny hands getting ahold if my iPod!
Besides that, the room is nearly ready. I have to hang a dry/erase board tonight (well, Brian's gonna hang it), and I must remember to take everyone's picture on the first day, so that I can put them on my wall - I got little music note die cuts for the pictures. I can't wait! I'll take pictures and post them when it's all done.
And I've been studying the curricula - I'm SO very excited about this and I know I'm going to love it. I'm nervous about teaching the actual classes, now that I've gotten used to the demo classes! But I'm more excited than nervous. I just have to plan the lessons and I think I'll be all set. Seems like there's no time lately to eat, sleep, clean the house, or relax - but I'll get there.
And, by the way...HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNI! I know, it was yesterday. Sorry I didn't even call you! We will talk soon. Hope you had a great day!
I can't even believe what is happening with my Kindermusik enrollment! It's less than a week until classes begin, and I'm having people enrolling left and right! Now I'm at 31 - 31 kids enrolled!! I can't even believe it! This is going to be a great semester. :-)
Yesterday morning when I left the house, my Kindermusik enrollment was 10. Last night, when I went to bed, it was 20!!!! I cannot believe that my enrollment DOUBLED in ONE DAY!! Things are going absolutely crazy. I had another few sign-ups today - and it's starting to look like I might break even or even make a little money this semester! This is wild and I'm loving every minute of it!
Mom and Dad are here - they got in tonight and they're leaving Saturday morning EARLY. They came down to get Nan and Pops' car. So tomorrow we're going to hang out, play cards, and go out to dinner. Brian is taking a half day off. :-)
OK, I have to go and place my materials order for Kindermusik! More later!
Well, I did five demo classes last week and they all went well. Now I'm in the midst of registration and enrollment - and I'm still marketing and networking and mainly sweating! I visited 2 different preschools today and dropped off brochures for them to put out, and I'm hoping for the possibility of teaching at one of them! I'll be following up on that soon.
Everything is like a whirlwind with Kindermusik - I'm still getting emails from new people every day, and I have 3 more demo classes to do this week, and I still have to organize some more of my instruments, and tomorrow or Wednesday I have to order the Home Materials for the people who have registered and paid, and there are still a few finishing touches for my classroom, and...whew! This is a lot of work, but it sure is fun!
Mom and Dad are coming on Thursday night for a short visit - they'll be leaving on Saturday morning. We're going to play lots of cards and relax and take them probably to Seasons 52 for dinner on Friday night.
No news on the scrapbooking front - there's just no time for that lately! :-(
On an entirely different subject, here's an update on the Summer Reading Thing. (I've slowed down a bit due to the busyness of my life! And I made another change to my list, because I just don't think I'll have time to read another "print" book this summer - but I'm sure I can fit another audio book in!)
1 The Blue Zone - Andrew Gross
2 The Sixth Target - James Patterson
3 Main Corpse - Diane Mott Davidson
4 Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
5 Sisterchicks Do the Hula - Robin Jones Gunn
6 Sisterchicks Down Under - Robin Jones Gunn
7 The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - Alexander McCall Smith
8 Lean Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich
9 Being Committed - Anna Maxted
10 While My Pretty One Sleeps - Mary Higgins Clark
11 Queen of Broken Hearts - Cassandra King
12 Heartstopper - Joy Fielding
13 Body Surfing - Anita Shreve
14 Divine - Karen Kingsbury
15 Dream When You're Feeling Blue - Elizabeth Berg
16 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
17 The Note - Angela Hunt
18 Where Are the Children? - Mary Higgins Clark
19 Dedication - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
20 Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult
BLUE = currently reading
PURPLE = finished
Well. I've got a few spare minutes to blog while Brian takes a shower and before we watch our nightly episode of King of Queens. So I'll try to quickly catch up!
The rest of the week at my parents' was wonderful and fun. We ate at favorite restaurants, I visited Dad's voice lessons, Mom and I cleaned out closets and dressers and stuff till our little hearts were content. We even got Dad to go through some old stuff and throw things away! AND we found a bunch of slides and had some GREAT laughs - and then we shared them with Nan and Pops in the car on the way to the airport. In Columbus I even got the chance to stop by Archivers, a fabulous scrapbook store. And I only spent $13 in there! Amazing. All in all, it was a great week with Mom and Dad!
I came back home to find that my Kindermusik postcard was in my mailbox! (I mailed out 2500 of them to people in my area, and of course I mailed one to myself.) I literally walked in the door to a ringing phone - everyone else had gotten their postcards that day, too. The phone calls and emails haven't stopped coming since then! Which is great - but boy, am I busy! I've got 8 demo classes set up; my first one is Tuesday. I'm so nervous and excited! I'm going to spend most of the day tomorrow preparing. I'm even going to run through the whole thing with Brian (little does he know that I'm going to give him one of my old Cabbage Patch dolls and say, "Here, this is your kid.") LOL
So, this past Thursday we took off for the condo in Ft. Myers with Tim and Christi in tow. We spent all day Friday there and most of Saturday - we lounged by the pool, went to see "The Bourne Ultimatum," (GREAT movie), ordered pizza, played lots and lots of cards, sat around and talked, ate at the Shrimp Shack, and just relaxed. It was great fun, even if lots of things were not quite right! (I'll save that story for another post - there's just not time!) But, suffice it to say that the "Spider Van" (sung to the tune of the "Spider Man" theme song) is now parked in our driveway! More later. ;-)
Last night we had a long rehearsal at church (we learned some new songs) and then I had to practice quite a bit when I got home. (And then I STILL messed up some this morning during the service, ugh!) So we went to bed really late, got up early, did the church thing, then went to the Sprint store - I needed a new phone and a new phone number. (I had never gotten a local Florida number and hey - I just realized that it was 2 years ago today that we closed on our house in NY!) Anyway, I got the coolest phone, it's RED, (love it), it's called the Upstage. Flip phones and I don't get along, so this phone is perfect for me. :-)
We got home around 3:00 (after fooling around at the Sprint store forever and then going to eat) - and we relaxed for about an hour and then we headed over to the Presbyterian Church to work on my Kindermusik room. We worked there till 8:00, cleaning out things, cleaning up things, vacuuming several times, scrubbing, taking down the bulletin board stuff, covering the bulletin board, and etc. and etc. My wonderful husband vacuumed up all the scary bugs, and then we moved a big shelf and there were some dead lizards under there, and he got rid of those too, while I ran away! LOL They were weird, too - they were like little skeletons. Gross! Then he went all the way around the room and scrubbed the baseboards! We washed windows and I scrubbed the countertop within an inch of its life. When in doubt, use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. This church is like 100 years old and the room I'm using hasn't really been used for years, and there were all kinds of stains and paint and stuff on it - and I got it completely clean and shining! Brian even washed the mini blinds. That room looks and smells as great as a 100 year old room can.
Have I mentioned that I love my husband? He's fab. He helps me so much and supports me in my new little business. He's the best. :-D
So then we went and ate dinner and then went to the dreaded Walmart. I DESPISE Walmart and this trip did NOTHING to change my opinion. We were there for over an hour and I just needed help with one thing (I needed 6 storage bins and they only had 2, and both of those were broken.) Well, in the course of those 60+ minutes, I asked no less than 4 people to help me, and they all gave me some kind of big sob story about why they couldn't help me. Add this to all the random screaming kids, and parents screaming back at their kids, people dropping store merchandise at least 3 times and making large noises, crazy rednecks pushing their 2-year-olds around while cursing up a blue streak (the rednecks, not the kids, although it won't be long for the kids, I'm sure), the filthy store, the unorganized aisles, the mobs and mobs of people, most of them with B.O., the apathetic employees, and I'm sure more stuff I can't think of right now...........and ugh, you'll easily understand why I DESPISE Walmart. >:-( But, Brian got a Rubik's cube and that made it all better.
So now we're headed to bed. We're exhausted, but we've had a successful day! Tomorrow I'll take my instruments over and get the borders up on my bulletin boards, go to NY&Company and buy some shorts to teach in (they're on sale and they're comfy and long, so they're perfect), and study for the demo class. After Tuesday's class I can release this stress, since I'll be doing the same class 7 more times. Whew. OK, good night!
I'm coming to you live from my parents' house in Kentucky! I arrived in Columbus (Ohio) yesterday and Mom and Dad picked me up from the airport. Then we went to Max & Erma's and met Brad, Kari, and the precious and wonderful Braden. He is just the most amazing thing I've ever seen. He repeats everything you say, but he also just notices every single little thing in the world. If you have the tiniest little cut on your hand, he points to it and says, "Aunt Sis has an ouchie." It's the cutest thing! And he just thinks up funny things to say! Like, he just got all worked up and said, "I NEED some GWWWW-APES!" (grapes, but he doesn't always get the 'r' in there!) LOL Anyway, it was a wonderful time and I wish I could put Braden in my pocket and take him with me. :-)
So today was Brad's birthday and he's 29. Yay! We sang to him last night and Braden thought we were singing to him, of course! So cute. Anyway, happy birthday to my fabulous brother! I hope you enjoy the last year of your twenties!
Today I got up and Mom and I walked around the yard (me in my pajamas, of course) and talked about all her flowers. Then Dad and I went for a long walk in the neighborhood. The weather here is PERFECT. It's my dream weather. If I could live in a place where it was like this every day, I totally would. It's like 76 degrees or something, sunny, with a cool breeze. Perfect for shorts but not really hot.
After the walk we fooled around here and then Mom and I went through some of the clothes in their closets. Then I showered and we had lunch, and we got Dad in on the closet cleaning action. We have a nice big bag for Goodwill and hopefully we'll have more tomorrow. Then Nan and Pops came over for dinner. Mom cooked BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, homemade cornbread (she makes the BEST) and...GREEN BEANS! And not from a can either. The fresh green beans are my FAVORITE EVER and she cooks them in the pressure cooker. Yum!
But the highlight of my day was going to Barbershop practice with my dad tonight. My dad directs the Singing Kernels, the barbershop chorus here in Ashland. They sounded great! I saw more old men wearing shorts with white socks and black shoes than ever before!! HAHA! And one guy had on shorts and dress shoes (like wing tips!) with no socks! LOL But they really did sound wonderful. My dad is a fabulous director and I'm always amused when I watch him with any of his groups. They'll be singing, and I'll think, "Wow, the leads really need to watch the pronunciation of the word heaven." And they'll finish the song and Dad will go, "Leads, careful with the pronunciation of heaven!" LOL We think alike in a lot of ways about music. :-)
While I'm on the subject, I'll just brag on Dad a little more. He also sings lead in the Barons quartet. The Barons won the international championship in their division in 2003. I'm so proud of my dad and proud to be from a family with rich musical heritage. Now I could go into Dad's family and all their musical escapades and adventures, and tell you how his parents met at a singing convention, but I won't. It's late and I'm tired. Anyway, here are the Barons. Dad's on the left in the back, the one with the biggest smile. :-)
After barbershop, we came home and fooled around some more, and then Dad and I played a game of Gin rummy and Mom went to bed. Dad beat me, but I ALMOST made a comeback! But I still didn't win. At one point, he had like 400 points and I had ZERO, and then I scored THREE points, and we had a huge big laugh about that. After the game we talked about how we've always played games (cards, especially) and how it's hard for me to understand when people tell me they didn't grow up playing games! That's just about all we did - we played games and sang a LOT - and I'm so glad. We still spend the holidays playing millions of games (and singing a lot, too!) I love it. I love my family. :-)
Look what was on my porch when I got home today!!!! 
And then, look what happened when I brought the boxes in.
And here's all the fun stuff Brian and I unpacked from the boxes!
We sat around for like an hour, playing the tambourine, checking out the kids' materials, hitting the cymbal and the triangle, banging on drums with various mallets, and playing the resonator bars. It was great fun! We were a two-man-band! The cats enjoyed the packing paper and getting inside the boxes and jumping out at each other. All that fun stuff to play with, and they play with the box.
This is really happening, folks! I'm going to be teaching Kindermusik VERY soon! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. And I have high hopes! I want lots of students! I've even had some inquiries already! Yay!
OK, calm...here's some really good news: I got my car back from the shop - it has a brand new air conditioner! I felt like I was driving a luxury car as I drove home from the dealership. Man, I seriously took my A/C for granted! It was miserable without it!
Truly, it's been awhile since I've had a real case of insomnia, but tonight I can't sleep. I went to bed, tossed and turned until about 3:15, and then got up. So here I am at 4:45 am, listening to a book, working on cards. I'm almost finished with the cards and then I'm going to do a scrapbook page. I'm behind on my challenges and I know I'll fall even more behind since I'll be out of town next week, so I want to try to get caught up this week. I've been so busy with Kindermusik that I haven't had much time to scrap.
Brian is in there snoring away with both cats curled up beside him! I checked on them a little bit ago when I went to get some (decaf) tea. :-) Precious.
I just heard the weirdest noise and it kinda scared me, but then I realized it's just our sprinklers coming on. Whew. Nice to know they're working, I guess!
I got an email today from FedEx saying that SIX boxes will be delivered to me on Thursday! It's my Kindermusik order! The boxes weigh around 20 pounds each, except there's one measly 4-pound box. I'm trying to figure out what's in there. Maybe it's my brochures. Or, maybe it's the beach balls - they're probably light!
Well, that's about it. I don't have any mind-boggling thoughts here in the wee hours. Just thought I'd tell everyone that I'm awake.
I've spent this entire day advertising, marketing, emailing every mom's group I can find, listing my website all over the internet, placing orders, and spending money, all for Kindermusik! I'm getting a bunch of the required instruments and teacher's kits from my fab friend Paula in NY - and I'm getting those at half-price. Thanks for saving me a lot of $$, Paula! And I ordered the rest of the stuff I need from Kindermusik today, including some yard signs, stickers, brochures (that I need to drop off at pediatricians' offices, kids' stores, schools, etc.), and etc. It cost a lot. But we knew it would, and I should more than make up for it with what I make during my first semester.
So, I'm slowly but surely getting my name out there. The publications I'm advertising in will go out around the first week of August. And I'm doing a direct mailing. I bought a list of 2500 names & addresses for $75, and then I was able to get 2500 full color (both sides) postcards for $402, and they will address them and mail them for me too, and that includes postage! I thought that was an excellent deal! For $477, I will reach 2500 homes in my area that have kids from newborn to age 7. Let the calls and website hits begin!
In other news, we went to see the new Harry Potter movie on Thursday night and it was really good! AND my mouth is SO much better, thanks to that crazy mouthwash I bought! (Peroxyl) So things are going well, but I feel busy. When the instruments and stuff get here, I'll be studying the lessons, and I need to plan some demo classes too, maybe at the library. So much to do!
Last Wednesday, on the 4th of July, we went to see "Transformers." (It was a GREAT movie! I would highly recommend it!) During the movie, B and I polished off a great big huge popcorn, yum! (We hadn't had lunch!)
The next morning, I woke up with a swollen gum on the upper right side of my mouth. I figured some crazy little kernel had gotten stuck in there. Well, I brushed and flossed, flossed and brushed, rinsed with Listerine millions of times, and it's not any better. Well, it's some better, but I can't chew on that side of my mouth. It's now been a WEEK and I'm starting to get worried!
Meanwhile, the NEXT day, I woke up with yet ANOTHER sore on the OTHER side - the upper left side, on the roof of my mouth, right by my back teeth. It felt like something sharp had poked me, like a chip (or maybe even the popcorn!). I did the routine of the flossing, brushing, and Listerine, and it got better, but now it's back. So I'm starving because I can barely eat.
Seriously, this morning I tried to eat some fruit. SOFT fruit. Melon. And even IT hurt. For lunch, I tried a sandwich - PB&J on SOFT bread. Pain. Brian thinks I should go to the dentist. I, however, realize that a teeny bit of soft food is hurting SO bad, so that makes me have horrible visions of the dentist's sharp tools!! :-( What should I do?
I remembered today that when I had my wisdom teeth out (ages ago), I had to rinse with this stuff that was supposed to help the wounds heal. So I set out on a trip to Walgreen's - I was determined to remember what it was. I did - it's Peroxyl - Antiseptic Oral Cleanser. It says I can use it up to 4 times a day. So I'm going to start tonight and see if it helps any.
Does anyone have any advice/experience with anything like this? It's not herpes! It's not cold sores! It's not a TOOTH problem! (Is it hormonal??) I know this is a pity-party post, but I'm seriously starting to wonder what's up!!
As you know, I've been reading lots of books this summer. So I've decided to post a few reviews, especially since I've been trying out some new authors.
"The Blue Zone" by Andrew Gross - I really enjoyed this book. Andrew has been writing along with James Patterson, and this is his first book writing alone. The story is a mystery with underlying tones of family and trust. It had some VERY interesting plot twists that I didn't see coming. And I usually see everything coming, so this was a nice surprise. There was some of what I consider to be unnecessary language, but I guess that's a given in most secular books. I would recommend this book if you like a good mystery.
"Heartstopper" by Joy Fielding - I had never read anything by Joy Fielding, so I had no expectations when I began this book. It's another mystery; I love mysteries! Anyway, right from the start she gives lots of clues as to who the murderer is...but then she gives more clues that allude to someone else than who you previously thought...and then even more clues pointing to someone else. I really liked this. At one point, I thought, "OK the murderer could be any of these people..." And then I went on to name like 15 people, and then I realized that I had just named practically every character in the book. :-) I loved that. But as it got nearer the end, I said to Brian, "I think the murderer is (a person who I won't mention here)." And I was right, even though the author TOTALLY tried to throw you off that person's scent.
This book was not a difficult read - in fact, the writing was a bit elementary for my taste. I like something a little more sophisticated. But I did enjoy it and I will probably read her again. (Even though there was also unnecessary language in this book, too.)
"Where Are the Children?" by Mary Higgins Clark - Disclaimer: I've loved everything I've read by this author. She really has a knack for storytelling, and it's often hard to guess what will happen next. I had NO IDEA who the killer was in this book until she revealed it. It was really a great read, and none of her books have any language in them, which I appreciate. What's interesting about that: she creates some really nasty characters who, in real life, would probably use profanity. But she manages to make them evil without using unnecessary language; I think some other authors (ahem, James Patterson) could take a lesson from Mary. I would totally recommend this book and anything else written by this author.
"The Sixth Target" by James Patterson - Speaking of Patterson, I might as well go ahead and review this book. I should start by saying that I am a fan of James Patterson. I've read every book he's written. It's hard to beat his "Alex Cross" series. I practically RUN to the library whenever I hear he's written something new. This book is the 6th book in his "Women's Murder Club" series.
With that said, I was pretty disappointed in this book. I felt like it was lazily written and there was lots of "filler." In other words, there were big sections of the book that didn't have anything at ALL to do with the story, and they were boring and could have totally been cut out. Maybe he was trying to make a word quota, who knows. But there were many times when I looked at Brian and said, "I don't CARE!!!! What's going on in the court room??!! Who is the killer??!! What has happened to (name of character, don't want to give anything away)??!!" I couldn't possibly care less about the main character's love life, her walks with her dog, or the details of her dinner. *rolling eyes*
I don't know if I would really recommend this one. I would, however, recommend his "Alex Cross" series and most of the other books in the "Women's Murder Club" series.
"Divine" by Karen Kingsbury - Another new author for me. This is a Christian author, so I was excited to read her. But I'm pretty picky when it comes to books, and her prologue was so long, drawn out, and boring, I almost gave up on the book. But I'm glad I didn't because it was a great story.
The main complaint I have about this book was the author's writing style. (I told you, I'm pretty picky!) This is a modern-day Mary Magdalene story. Well, this was a Christian writer trying to tell a "difficult" story and she just didn't do a good job with parts of it. At one point, there was this horrible drug-dealing pimp, and he would say things like, "Be quiet, little girl." I mean, come on. Drug dealing pimps don't say that! They slap people around, scream "Shut up! Shut up, or I'll give you something to cry about," or something.
Again, that said, this was a great story of grace and forgiveness and there were points of suspense that were well-written and exciting. I would recommend this book if you can stand a childish (my opinion) writing style.
"Body Surfing" by Anita Shreve - This is the second book I've read by her, and while she's not on my "favorite authors" list, I have enjoyed her books. Interestingly, the family in this book lives in the same house as the family in her other book I've read, "The Pilot's Wife." Several times in the book, they speak of buying the house from that family. Anyway, this is another story of family, love, and loss. It is a pretty good read. The plot was predictable at times, but I still liked the story.
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In other news, life has just been pretty normal around here. I've been working away at getting my Kindermusik business going. It costs a LOT for advertising and to order all the instruments and stuff! I wish it would hurry and start so I could MAKE some money to pay back all that I've been using to get everything going!
Oh, I almost forgot to say...Brian and I are going be an aunt & uncle AGAIN! For the FOURTH time! Jason (Brian's brother) and his wife Angela are expecting. We are SO excited at the prospect of a new niece or nephew to join Emma, Will, and Braden.
In a few weeks, I'll go visit Mom and Dad in KY. Mom and I are going to clean out, organize, throw away, and clean out some more. I'm hoping to get a good look at all her pictures. :-) I'm also hoping to get to Dayton for a day to see sweet, precious Braden (and I guess Brad and Kari too, ha!)
And lastly, I've been scrapping a ton! Scrapfest at LM REALLY SUPER motivates me! I will attach a few more recent pages:
OK, I've had to make a change to my summer reading list. I started reading "Natural Born Charmer" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, but it was BORING, so I've replaced it with "While My Pretty One Sleeps" by Mary Higgins Clark. I just love Mary Higgins Clark. And Susan Elizabeth Phillips was one of my new authors I was trying out, so I guess I can mark her off the list! Ha! Anyway, here's my progress so far:
1 The Blue Zone - Andrew Gross
2 The Sixth Target - James Patterson
3 Main Corpse - Diane Mott Davidson
4 Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
5 Sisterchicks Do the Hula - Robin Jones Gunn
6 Sisterchicks Down Under - Robin Jones Gunn
7 The Good Husband of Zebra Drive - Alexander McCall Smith
8 Lean Mean Thirteen - Janet Evanovich
9 Being Committed - Anna Maxted
10 While My Pretty One Sleeps - Mary Higgins Clark
11 Queen of Broken Hearts - Cassandra King
12 Heartstopper - Joy Fielding
13 Body Surfing - Anita Shreve
14 Divine - Karen Kingsbury
15 Dream When You're Feeling Blue - Elizabeth Berg
16 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
17 The Note - Angela Hunt
18 Where Are the Children? - Mary Higgins Clark
19 Dedication - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
20 Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult
BLUE = currently reading
PURPLE = finished
I will write more about life in general later. Right now, I'm busy scrapping! :-)
It has been a wonderfully relaxing weekend, just what I wanted for my birthday. ;-) First, on Friday night, Brian put up some shelves in my scraproom for me. Here are the before and after pictures:
I am SO HAPPY with them!!!! And I did go to Home Depot and get one more shelf to add to the top, finishing it off. Thus, I scrapped some on Saturday and for most of the afternoon/evening today. Saturday evening, Brian took me out for a romantic dinner at a little Italian restaurant. I had THE BEST lasagna I've EVER had - the waiter told us everything was homemade and I can believe it. They even make their own pasta noodles. It was TO DIE FOR! And I had tiramisu for dessert, and that was delicious too! Here we are at the restaurant (me, complete with rudolph nose, I don't know why, I always wear sunscreen, *sigh*):
Thanks to all of you who called or emailed with birthday well wishes. It was a quiet weekend with my husband, just what I wanted. Fabulous!
Oh, and here's my new favorite scrapbook page! I did it yesterday (it's a partial scraplift, which means I "borrowed" an idea from someone else) - it's the title page for our cruise book:
