Books...

Seriously these books are page turners... they are super controversial... I read them anyway. I hate that people are calling them "Mommy Porn". Thats horrible. If I had a teenage daughter I wouldn't want her to read them, but married adults can make that choice for themselves. 

I didn't read them as fast as I did the Twilight series, but there were a few 3AM nights (one when I was in CA visiting agents!) while I was reading them.

Now I am on to reading the Mortal Instrument Series... book 5 just came out. Melodi recommended them too. I am just a few pages into the first one, but is pretty good already. 

Love reading!! Wish I could get my nephews to love it too!! 

An Introduction

Like all kids, the boys love to bang on my piano. I let them. It honestly doesn't bother me at all. Little Brian will sit and play 'songs' for me and they actually sound like songs! I think he has a musical ear and if not he at least has an interest in piano. Kenny, Brian and I talked about it and we took the plunge this week and are getting started him lessons. He will join me this summer on Tuesday nights to take lessons from my teacher, Jackie Fry.

This morning I was texting my mom and mentioned that I was excited about Little B's first lesson. She said he was excited too. I was shocked he even remembered!. 

My brother brought him up to the office to meet me at 4PM and we drove across town together. At first he seemed a little shy to be alone with me, but once I told him I had a new game (fruit ninja) on my phone the awkwardness was gone.

Jackie did an amazing job with him for his first lesson. He was very curious about her house and wanted to look around everywhere... I wasn't sure but this seems a little odd, but she didn't care. He was very impressed by her wall of instruments. She let him pick one out, took it down and let him touch it while she explained what it was an how it was played. During his lesson whenever he would get distracted or bang on the keys when it wasn't time to she gently got him back on task. When he messed up, she was encouraging. He really did great for his first lesson. She said I am gonna teach you how to count. He said, "I already know how to count" and she said, "Music counting is a little different, let me show you" It was so much fun to witness. He is becoming such a big little boy! 

It will be a team effort to keep him in piano... between getting him to his lessons, paying for it, keeping him up his practices it will be a lot of work for all of us adults, BUT what a sweet reward if he continues with this and learns to play!!

After I dropped him off and was about to leave he ran up and gave me the biggest, tightest hug ever. It was so dang sweet. 

Garden Update- Week 9

Look! The Corn has tassels! 

And the corn silk is peeking through! 

The tassels later in the week 

You can see the whole ear of corn now! 

Cantaloupe continues to grow...

The Sunflowers I planted sprouted midweek

Watermelon 

 Green Beans... still nothing

Sunflowers Later in the week

 green onions

I got a few plants from a woman on freecycle this week. This one is called a Moon Plant....

 I saw it before when we were hiking in Fossil Creek! Those crazy spiky balls are really something I have never seen before. I thought it was a weed when I saw it on our hike. Turns out it is deadly poisonous and also known as Devils Weed... yikes! I had to get rid of it! 

I planted my cactus garden this week too: 

Kenny got me this awesome bee for my garden : ) He said every garden needs bees so he had to get it : )

Here is a random picture of my vicious dogs playing ball after watering the garden.  

Glass Blowing FOR REAL

The 3rd time IS the charm! 

Tonight we FINALLY got to BLOW GLASS 

Kenny and I bought amazon deals for glass blowing last year. We went to the class in February with Jereme and Melodi... we didn't get to blow glass OR use colored class as the deal described. I wrote a letter and complained. The owner was very responsive and we arranged a repeat class to make ornaments (where you can actually blow glass and use color). Jereme and Melodi couldn't make it so we were going to take Beverly and Lloyd.

We arrived at the studio and there was another class going on! After much discussion we discovered he had scheduled us for the wrong night! I was super upset because it is always hard to get all our schedules to align and the night was a bust! Lloyd and Beverly are super easy going and weren't upset at all.

The next morning I found my e-mails confirming he had the wrong date. After confirming the was the error was on his part he offered us the class for Kenny and I and 2 of our friends FREE (a $200 value!). We asked Beverly and Lloyd, but they had a graduation to attend so we asked Jackie and Kris to go with us.

We have never been on a double date with them and were really excited they were available! We had dinner at The Original Hamburger per Kris' recommendation and it was delicious. It is a lot like the Chuck Box in Tempe and they have mutual ownership. 

When we arrived at the Studio the owner was in the front room. He gave me a strange look and pretended we were there on the wrong night... I said, "Really? Again?" And he laughed and said, "No, I am just messing with you! We have you 4 all signed up!"  

Kris and Jackie 

The class was pretty neat. With the help of the 2 instructions we pulled a blob of glass from the furnace, dipped the blob of clear into a tray with the color of your choice, jam the blob with color into another furnace to heat it up and then bring it to the table where your partner is waiting to blow in the tube... Yes many, many jokes were made here...

At that point your partner blows into the tube. You have to blow a lot harder than you think to get the bubble started! Once the bubble is started you softly breathe/blow into the ornament to get it to the size you need. 

Me and Kenny 

 They added a little loop of glass so you can hang the ornament and wahla its done! They put it in a special oven that cools the glass down slowly so that it won't crack.

I can finally cross this off my bucket list! Woot Woot! 

We all had a fun night and want to go back for more classes. 

Krissy's 8th grade promotion

Tonight we went to Krissy's 8th grade graduation/ promotion. 

Brian and Jacob

Krissy did the pledge of allegiance because she was the 8th grade president 

Jacob, Kenny and Little Brian

The boys were SO excited to give their sister their flowers and cards.

Little Brian, Krissy and Jacob

Little Brian, Krissy, Brian and Jacob

Little Kenny, Me, Krissy, Brian, Krissy's dad and step mom (and child) and Little Brian and Jacob

Jacob and Uncle Kenny 

Brian and Krissy 

We didn't get much time with Krissy, but it was nice to see her and she was thrilled we all came. Little Brian was so cute when we got in the car he said, "That was a great night!" So cute and not what I expected after hours of sitting on bleachers, waiting, watching and more waiting in the heat... but to him seeing his sister was worth all that. Such a sweet boy!

Garden Update- Week 10

Week 10

Its summer... everyday is now over 100 degrees... 

The corn is doing great- 

One ear of corn! 

 Watermelon 

 cantaloupe

Green beans... still no buds

green onions 

Stress with a capital S

This week was STRESSFUL!  

Not only did I have to travel to CA for most of the week for work, but it was also the one year anniversary of my grandma's passing and my first piano recital... 

My work trip went without a hitch and I visited 8 agent office and attending the UVIS trade show. I got home on Thursday night. While I was gone Kenny had Truly Nolan come to the house for our initial visit. That was a HUGE weight off my shoulders. Seriously after I knew all those black widows were on the outside of the house I couldn't sleep without worrying about them! When I did sleep I would have spider dreams!! 

Saturday morning Kenny, me and Brian attending the Foam fest at MacDonald Ranch in Scottsdale. 

It was seriously a HUGE disappointment! They advertised huge mud pits, lots of bubbles, a human car wash and more... it was lacking ALL water and FOAM!! Even the water stops were out of water and we ran in the second heat!! The obstacles were kind of fun, but we had to wait over 30 mins to do them! We skipped some just because we didn't want to wait anymore. It was very hot out and we were so thirsty by the time we finished the 5K race!! They did have an awesome mud pit... at the very end of the race, but it had a huge line like all the other obstacles. We didn't feel like getting all muddy just to wait in line for the shower before we could get back in our car. 

That afternoon was my very first piano recital... strange thing to say for a 29 year old! 

I wasn't the only adult beginner. Jackie has another student (her niece) Becca that is about 25 years old and started the same time I did (about 2 summers ago). 

Jackie had an idea for the 3 of us (Jackie, Becca and I)  to do a trio for the recital. She picked The Green Eyed Monster. 

Becca and I also chose our own songs to play for a solo as well. I choose Bella's Lullaby that I had been working on since about February. 

Despite all our efforts our trio was pretty much a disaster. We even had to stop in the middle and start again... I asked Kenny and my brother what they thought and they said they could tell we messed up... oh well. 

Despite my nerves (you could visibly see my hands shaking according to my brother), I made it through my solo with only one glaring error! I was so proud of myself for following through. I am thankful for the BEST piano teacher ever, Jackie is encouraging, understanding and has given me confidence to do things I didn't think I could.

I didn't invite anyone to come... except Kenny to drive me lol. I was SO nervous to perform I just didn't want the added pressure of friends, coworkers and family there as well. My brother came and brought Jacob and I didn't realize until the day came and went how much that meant to me. I asked my brother why he wanted to come (because I thought he just wanted to tease me) and his response surprise me. He said, 'Isn't that just what we do?' I really, really missed my grandma not being there. I KNOW she would have come no matter what, even if she had to drag her oxygen tank with her.

My 'class'

Jackie and me

Becca, Jackie and Me 

After the recital I put my PJs on and Kenny and I were going to order some pizza. I just wanted to relax and be over the horribly stressful week. My mom called right then and said they were going out for Mexican food... well I can never pass on family time so Kenny and I went.

can't remember why Jacob was making that face but it was cute 

Little Brian eating Lemons 

Jacob staring down Uncle Kenny 

Little Brian and my brother 

My mom, Jacob and my Dad