Vienna Boys Choir

Posted on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 07:34

I received a phone call offering us two tickets to the Vienna Boys Choir concert yesterday. Becky bought them way back in the summer not knowing she would be picking up Ryan at the airport from his trip to Africa that very evening. It wasn't hard to convince us to go. I had had that on my wish list since I knew the choir boys were coming to town... but I was never sure if we should spend the money. Vanessa and Brianna were pretty excited - though Vanessa wanted me to go instead of her, but as it turned out there were a few seats left and we were able to buy tickets for Christina and me.

The choir was awesome, of course!!!  I was particularly interested in how the choir director managed things = ) . The piano sat center stage with the boys on either side. The director played the piano and the guitar and directed with the bob of his head. They are so well trained they could do it all without him, I'm sure, but it was amazing for me to see and I think I learned a few new tricks. I especially loved when they sang A cappella. 

After a particularly concentrated afternoon of teaching Reflections it was a breath of fresh air to sit back and enjoy. I noticed they didn't have any 6 year old off -tune kiddos in their front row.... I have to work 100 times as hard as that director to get one tenth the sound. LOL! I was actually encouraged this week (as apposed to last week) that we just might be able to sing once or twice before the school year is ended. I've canceled all concerts until we have something presentable. Splitting up the choirs was like starting at ground zero. We have to rebuild piece by piece. Modeling, repeating, reinforcing, praying and then praying some more is the name of the game. We work VERY hard - well, I know I DO.

Echoes of Heaven made a big breakthrough yesterday. I'm thrilled! We'll be able to share soon. I made a deal with them. I told them I thought they needed to do Blaylock's vocal warm ups at home on a regular basis if they wish to improve their voices and the choir. I asked how many would be willing to give it a try and I collected orders for the CDs. It's important enough to choir that I told the kids that if they would use the cd on an average of 4 times a week until the end of the school year they would get their money back. I am not about to waste choir money.... but I needed an incentive to encourage them to do this. There were a couple of reluctant kids, but mostly they are game. The boys jokingly accused me of teaching them to gamble... they realize how difficult it might be to follow through.

Anyway, it was a delight to just sit back and enjoy a world famous choir and appreciate just who they are. The human voice is my favorite instrument. What an incredible gift from God.

I was chatting with the lady next to me. She was having a grand time. She asked if I went to the local high school. I had to gently break it to her that those teenage girls I hang out with -they  are my daughters... not just my pals. Ah, what acne at my age will do for a gal!!

Baby Pig

Posted on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 05:52

Christina's Project

Posted on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 07:15

It's not as easy as you think to keep those seams straight and pucker free!

Vanessa's New Quarters

Posted on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 05:57

We're enjoying the rich color on the walls.


Vanessa's loving the space and the big windows.

The closet doors are going up soon, too.

Post # 500

Posted on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 07:10

Can you believe it?
It says this is my 500th time to post on this crazy blog!

There are good things and bad things about blogging. I love how it has helped to keep our family connected. On my sister's blog I saw pictures of her  kids visiting their world famous neighbor in the Yukon. He's a photographer for the National Geographic and that was cool... but I loved the picture of 6 happy kids on one sled the best! My brother's family - all the way over in Africa - aren't able to email these days for some unknown reason, so we keep up by reading their blog. My dad, in Colorado,  provides us with a devotional thought every week or two.  My mom has a secretary who seldom writes... (maybe that's the some of the bad part) and lets us know that the orphan project in Tanzania is moving forward or when she is arriving home in Colorado.

On the flip side - I can be judged by what I say here by people who probably shouldn't be reading my blog. I've thought of moving to blogspot where I can have controls to let me decide who my approved audience is, but I've been here a long time now, nearly three years. . . And anyway, I am who I am.


I like how when I need a date of some event in our lives I can use the search box and up pops the information. Or maybe I need a refresher on what worked in the garden last year. I have all the information on when exactly those nasty earwigs will hatch in the lettuce patch at my fingertips.  It's like a diary, a photo album, a year book and a stack of old letters all combined. When I need encouragement I can look back at the way the Lord has led in the past and see that He has a plan for the future.

My writing skills are better than they were. I don't always have time to do a fabulous job, but when I do I try to improve my writing. May I only write here what pleases the Lord.


By the way... if you are all tired of my tulips you can just go away, 'cause I am blessed by them.

A Flicker of Hope ~ A Trip to the Luthier

Posted on Monday, February 22, 2010 at 07:06

The only thing she wants for her 15th birthday is to be able to play the violin again, and so, we made a trip to the violin shop hoping they might be able to adjust her violin "set-up".


We've been several times over the years. I think this time they saw something in her eyes that made them pull out all the stops.
Two and half hours of fitting and adjusting...

fitting and adjusting again...
she was able to keep her spine straight and still hang on to the violin.

They called her a long stem rose. She wasn't naturally built to hold a violin,
so the project was to build up the violin to fit her.



We came home with a strange, temporary pedestal of a chin rest to try out for a couple of weeks.
If it works - then they will build her a custom chin rest.
She also came home with the luthier's prize video.

A comment from the Peanut Gallery:  "And people think harp is a big commitment!"

Brianna still has pain - of course, but now she has hope!

You KNOW You Have the BEST Husband When...

Posted on Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 09:40

You leave him stranded and he uses the time to go the extra mile house cleaning.

Last Wednesday we cleaned the carpets in the whole house. They really needed it! Steve did the majority of the work and he wasn't quite done when I left for choir. He asked me to take his car since he needed to pick up supplies at the hardware and return the carpet cleaner on his way to his eye doctor appointment. I grabbed his keys and went off to teach choir.

At the end of choir I was gathering my music and collecting my things when I made a HORRIBLE discovery.

I had taken both sets of keys.

I raced home feeling very upset for leaving him stranded and making him miss his appointments only to find him happily carpet cleaning the stairs. He wasn't the least ruffled and he had rescheduled his appointments. I know I married the right guy.  Now, whether he married the right gal.... that's still up for debate

How Can I Tell It's February?

Posted on Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 07:50

Visit #2

Posted on Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 07:56

Awesome!
Happy and quiet... or happy and loud, it could be either, or.



Officially 6! So funny... he asked for some "smoke for the Happy Birthday to me candles".



The weather was a total answer to prayer!

Thank you Lord!

Tulip Garden

Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 08:27

It's feeling springy!!!
Yesterday was warm and sunny and today promises to be just as beautiful!
I even have tulips - - -
growing in the house.




I love gardening... even in winter.
These are the bulbs I planted in the fridge back in December.

By the way, the mystery of the disappearing cat has been solved.
Our neighbors way down the road had been caring for her
and when she returned home
it was their turned to be worried.

The girls were busy baking and making carrot juice.
About that time I recieved a call from Robert Kinney from FV. He said, "I wanted you to have those carrots and here I found a check on my desk. I"m ripping it up! Enjoy the carrots!"
Wow! How very kind.
Thanks

Deer Hart!

Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at 07:54

Reporting from biology class once again.
This is a heart from a deer that a boy in the class donated from his hunting trip.
This was no bloodless specimen!







Last week the class studied blood cells. They poked each other's fingers and typed their own blood.
The next day the CHIP program was starting at Valley View and Steve was asked to draw each participant's blood so they could have their cholesterol levels tested, etc...
Vanessa decided she was going to go with him and watch. She actually learned a lot and was able to help. Steve then took her to the hospital lab and they gave her the grand tour and showed her how they spun the blood and tested it and all that. Then they took her to the blood bank and showed her everything there. Everybody knows Steve at the hospital so she got the royal treatment. They ended the tour at the latte stand for an Iron Man drink before heading home. It was a good opportunity to get a little more driving practice in, too, so by the time she came home Vanessa was pretty pumped.
Near the end of the CHIP program they will need all the participants to have their blood drawn again. Brianna's determined to enjoy the learning experience.

This and That

Posted on Monday, February 15, 2010 at 06:57

Our internet has been crummy for several days.  I thought maybe it was the computer acting up and I did a thorough cleaning and ran the anti-virus and rebooted, etc... only to find it is still the same. Now I realize it can't be the computer because I'm trying to post using Vanessa's mac and it has taken me 15 minutes to just get the webpage to load proper.  It wouldn't be so bad except I have a nasty job on my hands that requires mindless sitting and while my hands are busy I would like to listen to audio-verse or other internet streaming but it's like three words... buffer, three more words.... buffer...

My nasty job is this: I am stitch ripping. I quilted the entire quilt with the sewing machine today. There's nothing like it for encouraging carpal tunnel symptoms :-) Anyway, I hate how it turned out so I'm stitch ripping the entire thing....ALL 12 full length seams.  Because of the thickness of the batting somehow the feeder wasn't moving the fabric along smoothly so I have these uneven stitches and some are incredibly tight. Like I said, NASTY. I might be stitch ripping for the rest of my life. Thinking we might just tie this quilt...

The kitten came back. She's not telling where she's been. Where in the world could a little thing like that go for a whole week and survive? We had a coyote trying to get past the dog mid-morning today and I know he had kitten vittles on his mind. Holly's a good protector. I know I said it before, but she takes her self-proclaimed job of mothering those kittens seriously. She even shares her bread with them. Now bread is her most favorite food in the whole world, but we have all seen her give half of her treats to the kittens. She'll stand there and watch them gnaw on their portion of a bagel and only lick up the crumb they leave behind. So, now that you are thoroughly impress, I'll tell you she's also become a thief. I noticed through the window that she had two very large, very nice rawhide bones in her mouth yesterday. Since I KNOW we didn't buy any  she had to have stolen them and she was in a big hurry to find a good place to bury them. I called for the kids to go rescue them and return them to the rightful owners in the neighborhood before she succeeded, but they were not fast enough. By the time they got out there her nose was caked with soft brown dirt. (Sorry, I know I used four them's in a row...it's just too bad this isn't writing class. I'm not going to correct THEM. Anyway, Mrs. Voorhies doesn't read my blog.)

I finished painting Vanessa's room. I really like it. It's a deep, rich orange. The whole room was done in one color. I figured we were safe with a dark color on all 4 walls because there are 5 large windows and it is a very sunny room. Vanessa sanded all the window sills today. Steve will wash the carpet tomorrow and Wednesday she'll move in.  YEAH! Finally.

I need to come up with birthday gifts for the twins birthday on Friday. Girls I know what to do with... I could whip up a half a dozen dazzling cute dresses between now and then if I wanted to, but what to do for the boy!! I haven't a clue. Part of the problem is that I don't know what he needs yet. I'm all about fulfilling needs. I really could give a hoot about buying for the sake of buying. Now, if I could think of something to make... boys just don't go for cute homemade clothes :-).

Okay here goes... if this won't post I probably won't try again for a week.

Today

Posted on Friday, February 12, 2010 at 09:57

From the Top

Posted on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 09:17

The weather was incredible. For a whole week the place had been socked in with fog and mist... but suddenly it was sunny. There was an interesting inversion and while it was freezing cold in the parking lot, it was gorgeous on the mountain.


The previous week of mist had decorated the trees perfectly for filming.


and the view was stunning!


But watch out for falling snow...


Actually, we saw more than just snow falling. In full view of the whole set up Mrs. B dangled 20 feet in the air from the chair lift. She hung on for dear life and her husband was clawing at her trying to keep a grip... before they could get the net positioned she fell into the very deep snow that nearly buried her. We are grateful for the angel's protection... a woman in her 60's shouldn't have come out of that unscathed. Her husband, still stuck in the air had nothing to do but to video the digging out and rescuing of his wife. . . I think they were both a little traumatized.


The filming was completed in record time. They were aiming at 35 minutes... and they think they were close to 45 minutes, but in all fairness the kids really stood there for an hour.



Then it was back down the mountain for a picnic lunch.


I really enjoyed the time I spent with other moms on the trip. Cindy and I were together, of course, Patty, Wanda, and some of the others - we had  good visits... but it was really fun to get to know Laurie (was Penner) all over again. We were friends when I was about 8 years old in Ontario. Then later we both lived in Kamloops, BC. Here we are in our 40's with big teenage kids. She's really into taking pictures, too :-)


Here's a pic of Laurie, her mom Carol, and her son Trevor helping with the picnic meal.


It was sad to say goodbye.... but at the same time we were tired and so ready for our own beds and schedules. At the top of the mountain I was thinking I must be pretty low on gas. It was all downhill to the border, though, and I managed to do the whole trip in Canada without buying any fuel. The mileometer read 535 miles when I finally fueled up at the first gas station this side of the border. I wouldn't have wanted to go much further as I had no way of knowing how much fuel I used up just idling.

The drive home was sleepy!~ I don't know what I would have done if the girls hadn't gotten silly and started singing the alphabet song in 4 part harmony to entertain themselves.

We are home and eating Fountainview organic carrots. I only bought 25 pounds and the kids were each given a bag as a paring gift.

Kettle Valley Railway

Posted on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 06:53

Or I used the flash and the whole candlelight effect was gone.

We took a motel in Penticton and slept like logs. I let the kids sleep extra long since we had our own vehicle and were not dependent on the FV coaches.