New beginnings

Today has been kind of a gloomy day. 

 It's been dark and rainy.  

I was sitting on my living room sofa and I saw a spot of color out in the yard.

  The first sign of spring!  A crocus.  So beautiful!

As I was pulling out my camera 

I was thinking about how 

I haven't had many reasons to pull out my camera lately . . . .

 I miss taking pictures!

The holly berries are still on our tree! 

 Usually a flock of robins will come and pick it clean.  

The birds are chirping outside (sounding like it is spring) 

but there must be plenty for them to eat 

because our tree hasn't been touched this year

 and the berries are starting to fall on the ground.

Here are some daffodils about ready to pop.  

They are usually the 2nd flower of the season

 to show some color.

The azaleas are budding also!!

Another new thing that has happened just recently is 

that McKay got his learner's permit!  ?  !  

Am I excited?

  

Yes, for him to be driving . . . . . no, for us to be teaching him to drive.  

He has already put almost 2 hours behind the wheel,

 and I am surprisingly calm. 

SuPrIsInGLy

Lincoln is the one panicking this time around . . . . .

 who'd'a thunk it? 

 NOT ME!

This picture, taken on McKay's dresser drawers says sooooooo much about him.

It says:

~ he got his learners permit
Maryland prints the license
vertically until the person is 21.
Smart egh?

~ he loves soda :) 

not necessarily 7up, 

but I bought some of that for him when he got sick last month. 

(the soda bottle has been there that long!)

~ he chews a LOT of gum

~ he plays x-box, namely Call of Duty . . . .

 when he saw me taking the picture of his permit

 he changed what was on the pile of games . . . .

 he did have the movie "What About Bob."

My kids have spent HOURS watching and laughing at

that movie.

~ see the air freshener? . . . . 

I think I've discovered that boys sTiNk!  

There's something about an oily headed teenager that just . . . . smells. 

 This freshener needs freshening!

~see the wooden snake? 

McKay got this on a cruise we went on.  

It reminds me of how the steward of our room

 kept hiding it in different places each time

  he cleaned up the room.

  

When we would come back into the room,

 the kids would be excited

 to try to find where the guy had hidden it! 

 This guy was very inventive in his hiding places!

~the necklaces? 

 gifts to the boys from our trip to Hawaii.  

Somehow McKay has ended up with more than one of them.

~candy wrappers . . . .

 oh boy, the candy wrappers!  

Just because I'm off most sugar doesn't mean McKay is!!!

McKay is growing and pretty soon will be gone . . . .

 I'm trying to treasure every moment.  

Each new step and new beginning he takes leads to an ending . . . . . 

Ah darn!  

 I think I need to go look at my crocus again!

Only if you love me

WARNING! . . . . only watch this if you love me and can forgive mistakes . . . . it is painful!!!  I can see that I need to take my guitar teacher's advice and use more economy of movement . . . . there are lots of "clunky, plunky" notes and I have horrible hand position!  I just can't get the "piano" curve out of my fingers and wrists.

For you dad . . .because I love YOU!

Up the creek . . . . . with a paddle

Sometimes while I am teaching piano my mind takes a vacation.

It happened today (the "mind" vacation).

While my mom was playing a very peaceful

and tranquil song entitled

"Canoeing"

I sat and thought about our family's

experiences with canoeing . .. . .

kayaking, to be more precise.

On one of our family trips we

decided to take a kayaking "Eco"

tour in the Florida Keys.

What I remember of this adventure was nothing

like the peaceful song my mother was playing.

On this occasion,

I was paired up with one of my sons . . . .

Chancy . . .

my ever so thin little 90 pound (if that!)

Chancy.

Our problem? 

We BOTH had a paddle.

He took the front of the kayak and

proceeded to tell me all I was doing wrong

and all I could do right to help him propel

the kayak in the right direction.

This situation became pretty heated

as I remember.

until he came up with a solution:

Mom, just PLEASE stop paddling!

With some reservation I took his advice.

Ahhhh peace!

My mom's piano playing could now be reminiscent

of the kayak trip,

other than, I felt guilt for letting my

90 pound boy paddle me

around while I relaxed and enjoyed the scenery.

I had to rewrite my post when I found this picture . . . . I had me SITTING in the front and Chancy weighing 107 pounds!!!
I have a BAD bad memory!!!

He did pretty well on his own!  This isn't the first time my kids have gotten me out of a bind!

Here is Justin and Halley.  Halley is sporting her VERY expensive Jamaican braids.  They hurt her head but I WOULD NOT
let her take them out, because they cost a pretty penny!  Nice mom, aren't I?

Good thing McKay wasn't in my kayak . . . . he'da had a hard time paddling me around!

Thanks mom, for the memories!

I'm glad you can't read my mind while you are taking your lessons!

Drama, Drama, Drama

I love this year of elections.  It gives my life drama.  I love the debates and have watched it seems like at least 10 of them (have there been that many???)  I love the mud slinging.  I love the controversy.  I love politics!  I don't let it get me down . . . . it pumps me up.  Saw this cartoon on facebook and it made me laugh.  It's funny . . . . I was kinda leaning towards Newt until he started slinging the wrong kind of mud on Romney.  It showed his true colors . . . . and the color ain't (sorry) Republican!!  He sounded too much like a Democrat for my liking. 

ENJOY!

Oh, and on a totally unrelated note to politics . . . . go and check out this blog post . . . . FUNNY!!!  I totally don't know this person . . . . just reading blogs of total strangers.  If you've ever seen the website "cake wrecks" this would totally fit there!

Need a laugh?

If you ever doubted that Mormons have their own language listen to this . . . .

I got this from my neices blog .. . . . even though it is geared to a younger crowd I understand Every Word!  Why?  Because I'm a mormon!