How I Spent My Birthday

The first day of being 50 started just like any other, but this was a special day.  Not just because it was my birthday, but because I had to go to another school to help with Kindergarten Screenings.  This is a time of year the Speech Pathologists (SLPs) actually look forward to because we get to spend a whole day with at least one other person with the same professional background.  It's also a nice break from the same ol', same ol'.  It's a time to catch up with each other between screening; there's some griping, but there's always some laughing.  Today was no different, especially when this one little guy came in.  I screened him, and I don't remember what he said that was so funny, but I got tickled and then he started laughing.  He had one of the most infectious laughs I've ever heard!  The other SLPs in the room started laughing, too, which just made him laugh more.  You've gotta love kids like that!

After I got home, I spent an uninterrupted hour or two with my flute.  I'm so glad that I decided to go ahead and buy it.  Then, I ran over to my see my beautician so she could get a look at what my hair's doing.  I'm going to someone new, and she hasn't quite learned how my hair curls and waves.  I think she was afraid to cut my hair too short, but I made sure she knew that she couldn't cut it too short (well, technically she could, but I know she wouldn't!).  She cut this one section of hair shorter to get rid of the hair bump, matched the other side, then shaped up my cut.

For birthdays, our family usually goes out to dinner as a family, but since YS had guard, MS had to work (so I thought, anyway), and OS is coming in on Saturday, we decided just to wait and do our family dinner on Sat.  CH & I went out for Chinese after he surprised me with a new charm:
Just in case you can't tell what it is:  it's a cell phone.  Of course there's a story behind it, and of course I'm going to tell you!  MS & I both were due for phone updates, and CH had gone by the cell store to see what kind of deal he could get.  They had a BOGO sale going on, and, after checking out the phones online, MS found a smartphone for free.  So, the original plan was that he would get that phone, and YS & I would split the BOGO.  We hit a snafu when we went into the store to get them, and found out that you had to use 2 upgrades for the BOGO, and YS isn't anywhere near to being eligible for one.  CH wanted YS to have a phone so that all of the boys would have Latitude and we can tell where they are.  So, MS & YS got the BOGO (YS used my upgrade), and I got CH's old droid (the first one that came out).  Did I play martyr?  Of course I did!  It's actually fine; I mainly wanted a smartphone for the navigation.  It's not the prettiest phone, but it is very functional!  So, he ended up getting a new cell phone (the charm).  He thinks he's funny that way.

And then CH had another surprise for me:
He did good, for sure.  I kept telling him I didn't want anything, but it sure made me happy!

I got the traditional phone call from my parents:  they sing "Happy Birthday".  You need to know this about my daddy:  He can't carry a tune.  Seriously.  It was a source of embarrassment when we were little, and I actually think it embarrassed him, too, but he's learned to embrace it and doesn't hold back during Mass.  It just makes it more special that he sucks it up and sings to us at least once a year!

I switched my shoes over from my winter shoes to spring/summer, and came across a box that has some memorabilia in it.  In the bottom was this:  One year  for Christmas, one of my sisters asked everybody to write something about each of our siblings and send them to here.  She compiled them all together, and each of us got a sheet with what our siblings said about us.  Our parents were included, too.  I had tears in my eyes as I read what my siblings thought of me.  A lot of my siblings (and both parents) mentioned my flute playing.  (I don't remember the year this was done, but all 3 of my boys had been born.)  After reading the sheet, I thought about how you just don't know what an impact you can have on someone else's life by just being you.  Both of my younger brothers mentioned something about me and how that helped them grow.  I think we all need to be reminded of that every now and then.  I need to remember to get that out every once in a while. 

All in all, not a bad way to start my 50's!  Oh!!!   I guess you're wondering about my Birthday Bandit!!!  For a finale, I got an Amazon giftcard, and they revealed who they were:  My oldest brother and his wife!  They knew what a tough time I had when I turned 40 (but that's a whole different story!), and wanted to "soften the blow" of turning 50!  I got my AARP invitation in the mail the other day, so I'm ready to get started on that!  Turning 50 does have its advantages!

Fragmented Friday

Mommy's Idea

~  TGIF!  It's been a busy week, which is good because it made the week go back fast!

~  I've gone 5 days with just a "smidgen" of sugar.  I already feel better. 

~  Our tickets for "The Hunger Games" have been bought!  We're having to wait until Sunday since YS has a WinterGuard/Drumline competition on Saturday, and there's no way I'm going to see it opening day.  Our "twin city" has a brand spanking new theater that just opened last week.

~  MS has been on spring break this week, and has spent the week working on campus.  He knew better than to even think about asking us if he could go anywhere this year!

~  There was an amazing sunrise on the way to work this morning, but I didn't stop to get a picture.  It was still dark, but you could see the sun just starting to rise on the other side of the mountain.  The sky was an amazing pink color.

~  This is going to sound crazy, but our gerbils are being "potty trained".  We got a couple of metal lids, put a little bit of sand in them, and put them in the cages where they appeared to do their business the most.  They don't always go in the lid, but they're doing a pretty good job!

~  1 week down, 8 to go!!!

Springing into Wednesday Hodgepodge


1. The first day of spring is here...do you enjoy working in the yard? Weeding, raking, mowing, planting-your favorite springtime garden chore? How about your least favorite?
Nope.  Never have enjoyed in and I don't think I ever will.
 
2. What puts a spring in your step?
A good song, my boys doing well, a student making the /r/ sound.  I'm pretty easy to please!
 
3. Describe a time when you had to spring into action?
Gosh, with kids there are so many times you have to do that!  There was the time when OS had a seizure due to a spiked fever, or the time he pretended to be a vacuum cleaner and sucked up a grape into his windpipe.  We're still having to spring into action from time to time with MS.  YS has been our "easy child" so far:  I don't remember a time when I had to spring into action with him.  There was a time when he poked a pencil in his eye, but I was playing church volleyball when it happened, so CH was the one who had to spring into action.
 
4. We're having carrots for dinner...would you prefer yours raw or cooked?
Raw.  I'd much rather eat my veggies raw...except for potatoes.
 
5. Do you take the shampoos and other sundries from your hotel room when its time to check out?
Not usually.  It is nice to have  a couple of things, "just in case".
 
6. What's the most enjoyable team or club you've belonged to and what was it that made it so?
When we lived in SC, I had a great group of ladies that I played tennis with.  It was all for the love of the game.  I don't remember a whole lot of bickering...it was just ladies getting together and playing in the hot SC sun!
In my school days, I would say being a little sister to a fraternity is right up there with being in the band.  Oh my!  What good times we had!
 
7. Is cloning a sign of progress?
Cloning is a very scary thing.  I think we're messing with God.
 
8. Insert your own random thought here.
My "Birthday Bandit" has really made this birthday a special one!  I can't wait to see who it is.  Whoever she is, I hope she knows just how special she has made this birthday for me!

Work and Women Today

Yesterday wasn't bad....not bad at all!  I had no choice but to jump in with both feet since I start off my Mondays and Wednesdays at 7 45 with a group of 3 first grade boys.  But then I get to breathe for 45 minutes until my next student comes in.  After that (on Mondays), the day goes by really fast since it's pretty much back to back groups until 3:00 (with a couple of 30 minute breaks in between!).  It was pretty crazy yesterday since I've had a couple of transfer students at my schools.  It would be so much easier if every state and school system did things like we do!

I planned on swinging by the mall and then Curves (which is right next to the mall) after Adoration, but the Church is so close to my house, and the mall is in our twin city on the other side of town.  So, I opted to just call it a day and try to get out there after school today.  I bought the cutest dress at the mall, but when I got it home and put it on, I decided it was just a bit too big in the chest area.   **sigh**  At least it wasn't too little!

Last Saturday one of my sisters (the one who gives me stuff) and I went into the big city for the Women Today Expo.  This year's theme was breast cancer.  It was fun going to all of the different exhibits, talking to the venders, and doing a bit of shopping.  My sister even got her mammogram done while we were there!  We went in and got these neatest little things:  BraVage.  I haven't tried mine out yet:  I want to wait until I wear them for a day at home.  (Can't have the girls falling out  and flopping around at work!)  If you'll remember, last year I made my sister stand in line with me so I could get this:
Gretchen from "Real Housewives of Orange County"
And ended up getting this as a bonus:
  Slade (Gretchen's boyfriend)
This year, Guliana Rancic was there, but she was there on Sunday and we went on Saturday.  She seems like such a delightful person, but we were there on the wrong day.

As we were going through the booths, we hopped on a machine that wiggles your fat away.  It looks like a treadmill; you stand on it and it jiggles.  It's suppose to help your circulation while your fat jiggles off.  And only for $600 and up.  We also found a bar, and decided they should've had that one up front...there's no telling what we would've bought if we had found that first!  I'm not sure why they had both of them tucked away in the back.  We did see Claire Robinson , but we don't know who she is, so we just kept walking!   My sister even bought me a birthday present from the Jewelry TV booth (another charm for my bracelet!):
I'm thinking we need to make this a yearly event!  

The Party's Over

Well, Spring Break is over.  I sure could use another week to do stuff I didn't feel like doing last week.  Like:  cleaning my house.  Waking up at a decent hour so I wouldn't waste the day.  Making sure I got used to the time change. (It's not good to eat dinner at 8:00...but I guess it's okay if you don't go to be until 11:30/12:00 when you're used to going to bed at 10:00.)

I actually was up when my alarm went off...I was really worried I'd have trouble getting up since I was so tired last week.  Does anybody take Zyrtec?  That's what I usually take when I've got some sinus stuff going on, and I've not had any trouble taking it.  I'd been waking up with headaches, so I started taking it at night and it seemed to do the trick.  Now I'm wondering if that wasn't what was making me so tired because I didn't take one last night, and I'm not tired this morning; even after not sleeping well last night.  Of course, I'll probably be ready to take a nap around 1:00!

So...back to the ol' routine today.  Only 8 more Mondays until summer break!  (Not counting today, of course!)

Friday Fragments

 Mommy's Idea

~ I had good, no, GREAT intentions of blogging every day this week.  I also had good intentions of getting caught up with everybody in the blogworld.  But, instead, I was L-A-Z-Y this week.  Honestly, I had a real hard time getting out of bed this week.  I don't know what it is, but I'm just soooo tired. 

~  Ally did get to the groomer yesterday.  Here's a picture to prove she really is a schnauzer and not a miniature sheepdog:
~  So, what did I do this week?  I finished the 2nd book in The Hunger Games Trilogy (and started the 3rd book).  I let my feelings known on a retail development near our house at a neighborhood meeting the Small Town had. (I know it won't change anything, but they know how I feel, along with most of the people at the meeting.)  I painted the kitchen area...except for around the countertops since we're going to tile that area.  I made it to daily mass on Wednesday 'cause that was the day Pepper got me up in time.  I even made it to Curves a couple of times this week.  As for the rest of time...I have NO CLUE what I did.  I didn't watch any movies, didn't watch much tv, didn't do any yard work (even though it was beautiful this week!), did no cooking (since CH was in DC this week for work), and did very little cleaning.  I sure could use another week off to get those things done!

~  I met some friends for trivia Wed. night.  We had a good time, and did pretty well.  The questions seemed fairly easy this time, but we still ended up with no points at the end of the night.  We "go big or go home" for the last question, which is "Jeopardy-style":  you decide how many points to wager.  Even if we had gotten the last question right, we still would've lost by 50 points. 

~ The big excitement around here is that Peyton Manning visited the Titans.  Honestly, if they would sign him, it would do amazing things for the franchise.  He seems like such a good guy, and Tennesseans love him  (well, most do, anyway!).  Not a whole lot of people around here (that I know of) care for the Titans, so now's the chance to get the state behind the franchise!

~ I've given up on snow for this year, and decided I'd better embrace Spring.  Time to change the banner and the background!

Spring Break: Day1

I had a hard time yesterday morning:  After taking the girls out, I had to decide whether to go back to sleep or get up and go to the DMV to get my license renewed.  After wasting time on Pinterest (Darn you, creators of Pinterest!), I figured I'd better get my boo-tay up and get to the DMV.  I have a list of things that have to be done before I can laze about and get caught up on blog-reading and movie watching.

I ended up at the DMV around 10:00.  I drove into the parking lot, thinking it wasn't looking too great. There were quite a few cars, and when I walked inside, it was pretty full.  Great.  It was going to be a long wait.  BUT, apparently if you're just going in for a renewal, you don't have to wait very long.  I asked the lady why I couldn't renew online, and she said that the state is linking the licenses to passports/birth certificates.  CH said that some states won't let illegals get licenses anymore, so that was why I had to go in.  I guess I didn't realize illegals were able to get a license, because we had to take our birth certificates in when we originally got our license.  Anyway, I was out of there in about 30 minutes.  And, my picture didn't turn out too badly, either.  At least it's something I can live with for the next 5 years.

After I got home and ate lunch, I taped off part of the kitchen to prepare for painting.  I figured that was enough for one day, and, honestly, do I really need to tape anything off besides the cabinets?  So what if a little bit of paint gets on the ceiling and doorways?  Will it really matter?  I just know that once I paint the walls I'm going to realize that the doorways and floorboards need to be painted.   This is going to be quite the ordeal, I'm afraid.

Then, I was too tired to do anything, so I decided to sit down and catch up on a little bit of blog reading.  I'm taking it one step at a time, people!

Curves was a must...it's been a couple of weeks since I've stepped foot in there.  Must get back in the habit of going and not make excuses.  Then to Adoration.

I ended up painting the kitchen area last night.  I figured it really wouldn't take very long, and that would give me tomorrow to do nothing.  When MS came in from class, he helped a bit, but then lost interest.  The walls are still yellow, but they're more of a "lemony yellow" instead of daffodil.  I'm not real sure if I like it.  Maybe once I get everything back on the wall I'll like it better..  And, yes, after I painted, I realized all of the trim needs to be repainted.  But, you know what?  It can wait until summer.

Start of Spring Break

Yesterday, I got to spend some time with one of my sisters.  We went to see a play:

What luck that I found out that a group was putting it on a couple of weeks after I finished reading "Anne of Green Gables"!!!  My sister hadn't read it, but at the beginning of the play they did a recap of sorts.  It was enough for her to get the background, anyway.  They did a good job:  the girl who played Anne had most of the lines:  I'm amazed at the job she did.  Of course, I don't know if she had cue cards in the back.  If she did, she did a really good job of disguising it!  One of the little boys was a little hard to hear, but he didn't have many lines, so it didn't affect the rest of the play.

We had a good laugh on the way back to the Small Town:  When we had to get back onto the interstate, with both of us being "directionally-challenged", we didn't know which way to get back on!  On the way to the play, when we got off of the interstate, I misunderstood her directions, so I took a wrong turn and had to turn around.  (She was reading the directions.), thus our confusion as to how to get back on the interstate.  Funny thing about how I figure out whether to go east or west when getting on the road:  I have to picture the state of Tn. to decide which way I need to go.  If you don't know anything/much about Tn.:  there are 3 very distinct parts:  West, Middle, and heaven  East.  When I took Tn. History in school, there was a map of Tn. divided into the 3 parts.  Sooo, I have to get that picture in my mind when I decide which way to go on the interstate.  Apparently my sister does too, but we didn't get the picture in our minds fast enough!  No biggie; this was an area of the big city that I was familiar with, so we just took a different way to get back on the interstate that leads back to the Small Town.  We had a good laugh about it!

And, we realized we had something in common.  This sister's young adult life was very different than mine. Well, hers just took a different route than mine did.   She's a biiiig numbers' person...numbers don't mean a thing to me, and it absolutely floored her when I told her that. She's always been so responsible whereas I feel like I was pretty immature as a young adult.

When she walked into my front door, she took a look at Ally (my schnauzer) and said that she didn't know "that one".  She was really surprised when I told her it was Ally.  See why?

Yeah, she's got the "miniature sheepdog" look going on right now.  A visit to the "Beauty Parlor" is on the calendar for this week!

Friday Fragments: Spring Break style

Mommy's Idea

~It's FINALLY here!  Spring Break!  Woo-Hoo!  (I still have to get through today, then I'm scott-free for the week!)  I'm afraid the week is going to go by waaaay too fast...don't they always when you don't have work?

~  My plans are some reading, flute-playing, cleaning, and maybe some painting.  Our kitchen area really needs it.  After 8 years, I think it's time to spruce the place up a bit.

~  The temps are suppose to be in the mid-70's!  I just KNEW we'd get snow next week since we haven't gotten any this year.  Maybe we'll get some the week after as a sort-of "last hurrah" for winter!

~ I e-mailed the person in charge of a local community band, and he gave me the date to meet for next fall, so now I have a date to shoot for.  I don't think my fingers will ever get back to be as fast as they were, but if I can just get a little close, I'll be happy!

~ Don't forget to set your clocks forward on Saturday night!

Free Weekend!

Last weekend was quite the "free weekend" for me.  It started on Friday, when I received a card in the mail from Starbucks.  I had earned enough "stars" for a free drink!  YAY!!!
Saturday morning, YS & I ventured into the  big city to go to a music store.  This store has been in the big city for what seems like forever.  They are the ones who go around to the schools and bring supplies to the band kids/band director, rent instruments, and fix what is broken.  I went in to find some music that would help me bring back my flute technique, and also to buy a polishing cloth.  There were a couple of places on my flute (my, that sounds nice!) that were tarnished.  I was keeping my fingers crossed that a quick polish would do the trick; I really didn't want to pay for major polishing.  The employees there are absolutely wonderful.  One of them is one of the "Big Orange Banditos":  an ensemble sponsored by a radio station that will visit someone first thing in the morning (on a Friday before a UT football game) and given them a "Wake up call" (Rocky Top).  Here's an example (you only have to watch the first minute to get a good idea of what this is about):

Of course this is put on the radio for everybody to hear!  They have waken up the likes of Pat Summit, Bruce Pearl (former UT Men's Basketball coach) and David Keith (actor from "An Officer and a Gentleman"). 
What was my post about???  Oh, yeah!  So, anyway, I went into the music store and told him what I was looking for.  Not only did he get the cloth for me, he and another employee shined my flute for me!  The tarnished spots came right off.  He helped me find the music I needed, and, $99 later, we were out the door.  The free part in that $99 was the polishing, and they didn't charge me for the cloth.  YS said he didn't need anything when we were driving over, but then he decided he needed a metronome/tuner, and a cleaning kit for his baritone.  That was the bulk of the charge.  He did remind me that he hasn't cost us nearly what his brothers have.
Sunday I went into Starbucks after Mass ('cause if you go to Mass, you get a reward!) to get my free drink.  As the manager gave me my drink, she asked me if I was the one who like the gingerbread lattes.  Oh, yeah; you bet I am!  She pointed to the shelf and told me to take one of these:
There were only 3 left, so I guess she just wanted to get rid of them!  After I told her how much I loved her, I walked out the door with my free drink and free gingerbread syrup.  She's just the best manager EVER!
And no, I'm not too proud to be given free stuff!

Wednesday Hodgepodge


1. Did March come in like a lion or was it something less ferocious in your neck of the woods?
Definitely a lion.  Tornadoes were all around us, but oddly enough, our county didn't have a warning.  At one point, CH went outside and commented on the weird blue light that he saw when he saw the lightening.  It was really weird.
 
2. Speaking of lions, which one's your film favorite...The Cowardly Lion (Wizard of Oz), Mufasa (The Lion King), Elsa (Born Free), or Alex (Madagascar)? You may notice I left Aslan off the list. Including him would have made this question way too easy for many of you.
The Cowardly Lion always got on my nerves, to be perfectly honest!  Mufasa has to be my favorite, since I've never seen Born Free or Madagascar.
 
3. What's your favorite spot from which to view the sunrise or sunset?
There's nothing like a sunrise/sunset at the beach.  Sadly, it's been a while since I've seen it, but I do get to see a beautiful sunrise on my way to work a few days/week.  I didn't get a picture of it this morning, but I did take this picture with the clouds hovering in the mountains:
 
4. To what extent is knowledge power and to what extent is truth power? What's the difference?
I have to defer on this one.  It's just going to make me think too hard!
 
5. What's something peculiar you've seen recently?
I can't believe I can't think of anything!  Nothing is coming to mind at all.
 
6. Bottled water...your thoughts?
I know it's crazy, but I actually prefer to drink water from a bottle rather than a cup.  I have a Nalgene bottle (actually a couple of them) that I fill up from my refrigerator every day.
 
7. What's your strongest sense?
With my eyesight, it's definitely not that!  I'd say "smell"; if you know me, you'd probably laugh:  One of my family's traits is a good-sized nose!  (But some of my siblings managed to escape that trait!)

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Crazy blogger.  My post for yesterday managed to show up right under the one from the 4th, so I republished it.  If you missed it, you can find it here

Songs that Make you Move

As I was in the bathroom at Moe's on Saturday, a song came on and I just had to start moving.  You know what I'm talking about.  No matter where you are, there's some song that comes on and you have to just start moving, even if it's just your shoulders.  This was the song:


Here's the weird thing:  this song followed Super Freak.  Completely on the other end of the spectrum, but what a classic!


It may not make you "move", but it will make you sing!  Does anybody else like to watch Hugh Grant shakin' it?  2 of my favorite parts of the movies "Love, Actually" and "Music and Lyrics" are the scenes where he's dancing.

What songs make you move and/or sing?

My First Love!

Well, I guess I enticed you to come back today to see how I was reunited with my first love.

Look what I got!
Isn't it just beautiful?
When I was in jr. high/high school, I absolutely LOVED my flute.  I had just about the best band director in the world up until my sophomore year in high school:  he and his wife taught me everything I knew about music.  At the end of my freshman year, he dropped a bomb:  He was leaving.  I don't know of anybody who wasn't bummed about the news.  He arranged our marching music; I had no idea you could actually buy field music until the next year.  When anyone asks me who my band director was in high school, I say it was this man, because, honestly, my music education was completely stagnant for the next 3 years.  We begged the new guy for more difficult music, but he said no.  That was the beginning of the dwindling numbers in the Small Town High School's band.  When I was a freshman, we had 1/3 of the school in the band; there were about 300 students in the high school, and 100 of those were in the band.  We had to take 3 buses everywhere we went.  These days, the football team has more people than the band.  The band is down to 1 bus and the football team needs at least 2, some years they need 3.  On the bright side, though, when I moved back to the Small Town, there were only 18 people in the band, and now there are around 50.

I had big dreams for myself and my flute:  I wanted to be the first female flautist on Lawrence Welk (he only had male flautists...watch reruns and you'll see what I'm talking about).  I even wanted to be a studio musician at one point.  If you don't know what that is, Barry Manilow wrote a song about them:


But, with a stagnant music education, and going from a big fish in a little pond to a little fish in a big pond (also called college), I realized I wasn't going to set the world on fire with my flute playing.  I majored in music for a total of 1 semester, then started looking for something else to do with my life.  Music has always played a major role in my life:  during college I played in the concert band a year or 2, and was in the flute choir. Even after college,  I worked with high school bands as a guard instructor, and I continued to play my flute at church and a couple of weddings.  Then came babies.  Eventually, I decided that my flute had been neglected long enough, and I knew there had to be some child out there who wanted to learn to play the flute but didn't have the funds, so I donated my flute to a local middle school band.  I did it with the stipulation that whoever uses it takes care of it and loves it as much as I did.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago:  With YS in band, that yearning came back.  I looked on eBay and talked to someone who owns a pawn shop.  One of my high school friends was playing in the community band, and told me about it.  I told her I needed to get a flute, and she suggested looking in the pawn shops.  Only I never made it into one of those shops.  I called the flute teacher that our high school uses, and she offered to look at some for me.  I kind of put in on the back burner, until one of the band moms (who also was on the flag corps with me in college) mentioned that a friend of hers had a flute that her daughter played for a couple of years.  She was trying to sell it.  I believe in signs, and I definitely think that's what this was.  Her friend got the flute out, took it to a music store, got the pads replaced, and got an estimate on what she should ask.  Y'all, I really got a steal.

(Side note:  Yesterday in Mass, the priest's homily was about recognizing signs.)

Okay, so that was 2 years ago.  I drug my feet, and even let a band dad who has a flute player in middle school know about it.  I saw him a month ago, and he said they hadn't done anything about it.  Another sign.  I met the friend's friend a few weeks ago, and she said she still has it.  I told her I just needed to go ahead and get it.  After the band clinic weekend, the love was rekindled!  I got back in touch with her, made sure the price was the same, and jumped on it.

We were going to meet on Wed. night, but we had a monsoon that night so it was postponed until Thursday.  I took it home, got it out, rearranged it until it felt familiar, and off I went!  I was a little shaky at the very beginning with my tone and some of the fingerings, but it started to come back after a little while.  Here's the crazy thing:  I remembered how to play the field show when I was a freshman (except for one run in Punchinello and our opener).  When I was a junior, I switched instruments on the field from a flugelhorn to a piccolo for a flute solo, but Thursday,  I didn't even know where to begin to start playing that song.  Think my first band director had an impact on me?

I am sooo excited to have been reunited.  This flute is almost exactly like the one I had.  There are a couple of groups nearby that I hope to eventually get into, but I've got a whole lot of practicing to do first!

Question for the day:  Is there something in your past that is tugging at you?  Maybe a talent you had in high school (or earlier or later) that is tugging at you to revisit it?

Friday Fragments

Mommy's Idea

~  The end of another week already???  YS starts "Spring" Break today.  One more week and then we'll both be off!  

~  I was reunited with my first love yesterday.  Check back on Monday for the story!  (I know, I'm SUCH a tease!)

~  This will be my first weekend in 3 weeks that I didn't spend it with a bunch of teenagers...it's going to be semi-quiet.  I say "semi" because all of the boys will be at home.  Part of the time, anyway.

~  It'll be nice to get my laundry done on Saturday instead of rushing to get it done on Sunday.  I loathe doing laundry on Sundays.

~ The Chocolate Chip/Oreo/Brownies I mentioned on Wed.?  You can make it like this, or you can make it like I did:
Spray a 13x9 pan.  Press a roll of cookie dough on the bottom.  Put a layer of Oreos on top of that.  (Don't crush them, just put them on top of the dough)  Mix up a batch of brownies.  (I used the dark chocolate mix)  Spread that over the oreos.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Check, and if a toothpick doesn't come out clean, bake in 5 minute increments until done.
Easy Peasy!

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