From Orchestra to Karaoke

Since my last post we've all been very busy and had some nice time together over Thanksgiving week.

The boys performed in their All Region Orchestra Concert and it sounded so professional! They had a string section complete with cellos, basses and even a harp! When the video comes in, I'll post one of the songs. Justin had 3 small solos in one of the pieces and sounded very good. Both boys had a great time and really liked their conductor, a musician from California who also wrote 2 of the pieces they performed. It was a different world from what goes on in the average middle school band hall! I can't wait for the December concert - they are in the Wind Ensemble and are practicing their pieces in anticipation.

I made some progress in my bathroom over the Thanksgiving holiday - pictures to follow soon. I finished painting the toilet area including the baseboard trim, installed the new towel racks, toilet paper holder and cabinet hardware on all of the cabinets. I also sewed a pretty valance for above the little window. I'm almost finished sewing a new shower curtain and I'm repainting the frames on the mirrors to match the new decor. I was going to buy new mirrors because the old ones have 80's flowers painted on them but I decided to use a glass scraper to scrape off the paint and I think the finished product will be worth the extra work.

We spent Thanksgiving at Mary & Les's in Conroe and had a nice time. Mary was feeling pretty good and all 7 kids had a great time playing together. Debi's daughter Hannah had a High School Musical karaoke type game and they sang the songs, danced and acted generally like crazy kids. It was a good day. Oh, and so was the food!

Many pictures to follow in a couple of days ...

Dizzy, Bruised and Blind

I haven't blogged in quite a while - mainly because I've been sick and a little busy as usual. My "cold" lasted almost 2 full weeks and then, of course, I developed an ear/sinus infection. At work this past Sunday my ear infection made me dizzy (vertigo) and I fell in the street in front of the hospital. I was stepping off of the curb and next thing I know, a very pregnant nurse is helping me off of the pavement! I bruised my left knee pretty badly and scraped a good bit of skin from my right knee. I made it through the shift despite limping around with a hole in my pants trying not to walk into walls or fall on top of my patients. My knee is still swollen, but I only have one more day of antibiotics and should be somewhat back to normal! I am thankful that I work with doctors who will examine me on my lunch break and hand me a prescription to begin the healing process.

We made it through the last concession stand of the year and the band played at that last game. They sounded great and it was fun to watch/listen to them. The boys have started rehearsals for the Christmas Flute Choir and also have their All Region Orchestra concert on Saturday. They had a rehearsal on Tuesday night, have another one tomorrow night and then all day Saturday prior to the concert. Justin has a couple of solos since he is first chair. I spent several hours on my day off last week fitting the All Region band kids for their uniforms. They have to wear them for the upcoming concerts this week and then again next month. The boys were easy to fit, but the girls want their pants to fit like some brand of fashion low-rise jeans which just isn't happening! No designer labels on black polyester faux tuxedos!

I've finally decided to admit that I need glasses. I've been nearsighted for years but haven't seen an eye doctor since before the boys were born. I am really blind in the dark and have no depth perception while driving. The real epiphany occurred on Tuesday night when while driving the boys and one of their friends to the Orchestra practice, I drove into the drive marked, "Exit Only" and panicked when I saw a pair of headlights coming directly at me. I drove into what I thought was a parking lot only to hear 3 teenagers yell, "You're driving on the grass!!" Oh - THAT'S why there's a big tree in my path! I had to back up and go out the way I came in without hitting the bicycle rack or trash bin behind me. I had many people looking at me (one woman glaring) as I figured out we weren't even at the right school!! When we finally found our way to the correct place, the band director asked if we had any problems getting there(he had e-mailed me very long, detailed instructions). I said that it wasn't too bad but the boys started to tell the story of Mom driving on the grass and almost hitting a tree - in the middle of their tale, the flute instructor says, "Oh, that was you!!" Great ...

Ghosts, Ghouls and Styrofoam Spiders!

Not much to report today - I think I'm almost well and am going back to work tomorrow. I've been coughing too much for the last couple of days to take care of sick people, but tomorrow is another class and I think I'm almost germ free!

Today I did a little Halloween decorating outside while I was home sick and here are a few pictures. I think I bought WAY too much candy this year (seems like we ran out early last year) so I think I'll we'll all be eating it up for a while.

You can see the pumpkins I've carved over the last few days - my favorite is the Bailey Middle School one. We displayed it at the football game concession stand last night. Justin tried to sell it to some kid for $20 but I caught him in time! My fingers are tired from all that carving and we've received quite a few comments on it tonight - my Martha moment! The smiley face one is leaning backward because the back completely rotted out while sitting on my kitchen counter for the past 2 weeks! When I get sick not much gets done. Hopefully since I've had my flu shot, this cold is it for the season!

Last year I painted a bunch of wooden Halloween figures with the intention of wiring them together as a garland of sorts. Since that never happened, this year I just taped them around my front door - a little too symetrical maybe, but I think they look cute! Underneath the picture of my Halloween porch is a picture of my "descending arachnids" from the Martha Stewart website. They are my handmade Styrofoam spiders that actually lower when the door is opened. One little girl almost had a heart attack when 2 of the spiders fell from their string! I also have some scary music playing from the computer speakers that are sitting in the window which didn't help that situation. The boys love the theme from Halloween, so we've played it more than a few times!

Progress reports came home yesterday and the boys have all A's. Their geometry grades are up significantly and I think that the semester average should be an A for each of them. The problem now seems to be Language Arts - we will all be glad when the class is finished with "Great Expectations."

Until November ...

I hope Cheez-Its are a cure for the common cold ...

I don’t usually complain in my blog, but now I will just a little. Today is my day off this week and I woke up with a cold. My throat is sore, my head hurts and I’m stuffy!! I guess I need to list a few thank-you’s to make me feel better.

1. Although my house is a BIG mess right now, I’m happy to have a house and all of the junk piled all around it.
2. I’m blessed to have beautiful flute accompaniment to my mundane household chores on an almost daily basis.
3. I’m glad my dog, Angel, likes Cheez-Its as much as I do so that I always have someone to share with (the boys don’t like the cheddar-jack flavor). We are full now.

I got up with the boys today and took them to school early so they could help set up for the Bailey pep rally that the band is playing in today. I had planned to go to the pep rally, but since I dropped them off wearing my red pajamas and pink jacket I decided to come back home and lay down for a while. Right now I should be at the store buying groceries and I’m also supposed to be baking something for the All Region auditions being hosted at their school tomorrow (brass and percussion). At this point my big goal is to get into the shower soon! I think the baked goods will come from the store (Wal-Mart has a fine selection).

I have to pick the boys up in the band hall after school, drop off my Crock Pots there for tomorrow’s event, bring them home for a wardrobe change (into their costumes – minus hair and make-up), and take them to Rachel’s house for her “Saw Movie Marathon” party. In the past I have not let them watch horror movies because of the obvious mom reasons, but they declare that they are old now and can handle it. I bet they don’t go into the bathroom alone for at least a week! After I drop them off I need to head back to the school and set up some tables and Crock Pots for tomorrow. I have to work at my paying job tomorrow so am trying to help as much as possible on my off time. I accompanied the Booster Club Treasurer twice this week to haul loads of food from Sam’s Club. I don’t ever want to see another can of Nacho Cheese as long as I live! The boys will work at the school all day tomorrow along with most of their friends.

The boys have started practicing their duet that will be used in a couple of competitions later in the year. It sounds so pretty and to me they sound so good!

Okay, I think I’ve taken all the Zicam and Vitamin C my stomach can handle (the Cheeze-Its helped) so it’s time for my shower and re-entry into the real world. I’ll worry about cleaning some other time!

Thing 1 & Thing 2 make Chair 1 & Chair 2!!

The Bailey Middle School Band attended the All Region Band tryouts today. The boys competed against about 150 other flute players. They go through the first round of auditions just to see if they made any band, then if they make that cut they audition again to be placed in bands and in chairs. There are 3 levels of bands: the top band is the Wind Ensemble, next is the Symphonic Band (actually broken into 2 bands itself) and then there is the Concert Band.

Last year Justin made Symphonic Band (I think 5th chair) and Ryan made Concert Band (I can't remember which chair). That was very good since they were 7th graders and it was their first time to audition. This year they both made WIND ENSEMBLE - JUSTIN MADE 1ST CHAIR AND RYAN MADE 2ND CHAIR!!!! They were absolutely overjoyed and I am so proud! I've attached a picture of most of the kids who also made it from their school, some flute players and some clarinet. There is one saxophone player who had left earlier. The top 4 flute chairs of the Wind Ensemble are also in the Symphony Orchestra (I have to learn more about this). They will all perform in a concert later in the year usually held in The Woodlands.

When we returned from that it was time for costumes, hair and makeup in preparation for the costume party they were invited to by one of their band friends. You can see from the picture that they have a lot of hair!! I put lots of mousse, teased it up and sprayed it with blue hair spray. They don't like the makeup very much, but I think they look cute! Hopefully they have fun at the party.

Time to catch up on cleaning and laundry before I pick them up in a couple of hours!