Blueberry Season

It's blueberry season again so Samantha and I decided to go to a local U-Pick Farm and pick a few pounds of blueberries.  Samantha was a big help this year.  Though she still ate quite a few, she really got excited about picking berries.  What's funny is that when we get home with the berries, she's not as excited about eating them, but we use them in pancakes, smoothies, breads/muffins, and I just like to eat them frozen!  :)  I love this time of year with all of the fresh fruits coming into season!

Ready to pick blueberries

Looking for just the right berries...

Ok Mom, I'm done now.  I'm just going to
rest in this wagon for a bit while you pick.

Dressed for Spring!

Spring brings a whole new set of wardrobe possibilities and while I have never been known for being fashionable, I love to dress up Samantha!  Give me a hoodie and a pair of jeans and I'm happy, but Samantha?  Yeah, I love finding cute clothes for her.

Ready for church!  Love the coat!

First attempt at double French braids! :) 
(Yay, Mommy!)

After church and a fun day in nursery!
I love the cute ruffle socks!!

And...the goofy pose - puffing her cheeks!

NATS Vocal Adjudications 2013

Every year, the Puget Sound Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) holds vocal adjudications.  I haven't participated the last two years, so I was excited to be a part of it again this year.  To add to my excitement, one of my voice students entered to sing as well.

Since one of my students was also singing, I had the opportunity to be an adjudicator.  That meant that I got to listen to others sing, provide written feedback, and, along with the other judges, select first and second place winners, and other students to receive an honorable mention.

This was a great experience.  I enjoyed learning new pieces, providing feedback, and rubbing shoulders with other voice teachers.  The best part?  The fact that my student received an Honorable Mention on his first time in the NATS adjudications!

As for me, I was in a tough category.  I got to listen to 4 other students in my category and I must say, I was so impressed with the singer right before me that when I found out she received 1st Place, it neither surprised nor upset me.  She truly deserved it!  I also got the opportunity to sing in the same category as my sister.  It's so much fun to have something we can do together!  She recorded my pieces (though due to technical difficulties, the first piece didn't record).  At any rate, here are two of my four pieces :)  I received an Honorable Mention in my category!

Birthday Celebration!

I am feeling much better today!  In the mood to celebrate, even!  That's a good thing, because my family is going out to The Olive Garden tonight to celebrate my birthday.

As our family has grown :) and it's difficult to go out with kids, we get a babysitter to stay with Samantha, Thomas, and Riley so we can go out for dinner.  It was fun to spend time with my family.  Afterward, my family came over and we had ice cream cake and opened presents.

Dairy Queen ice cream cake - one of my favorites!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I love St. Patrick's Day.  We celebrate it every year...oh wait, that's because it's also my birthday!

This year, my birthday falls on a Sunday, which means we will go out to celebrate tomorrow evening instead.  I was looking forward to a quiet day with my family...I was not counting on a migraine headache all day long!  Ugh!  I felt so crummy most of the day - we didn't even sit down for dinner until 9pm!

Oh well - maybe tomorrow will go better! :)

Happy "Pi" Day!

Yeah, I know, it's corny.  Kind of clever, but definitely corny.  It's "Pi" Day!  ...Because it's 3/14 today, (3.14).  You know, Pi, the Greek letter, the mathematical constant, 3.141592654...

So, in honor of Pi Day, or maybe it's just an excuse to eat yummy food, I made Pizza Pie for dinner!

Mmmmmmm, pizza....

Cooked to perfection!

 And, while the rest of the world cleverly celebrated with actual pie...I made Apple Turnovers! :)  Yeah, I don't like pie crust very much, but flaky, puff pastry dough?  Mmmmmm...

Did I mention the filling is homemade, canned fresh last Fall?

And the frosting?  Nope - this didn't come from any can!!
You know you're jealous!  :) 

So, corny as it may be, I'll take the excuse for this yummy dinner and treat anytime!