A Short Video of Marshfield

The other day, I came across this video clip from a local television program entitled "Chronicle."

It's a condensed "visitor's guide" to our town of Marshfield.

For those of you who have never made the trip out to visit, here's a look at what you're missing.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/19498386/index.html

And I'm sorry to say that after living here for 6 years, I still have yet to eat at Arthur and Pat's!

In Bloom

We spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the Heritage Gardens in Sandwich, MA. It was quite a different sight than what we had seen on our visit just one month ago. The rhododendrons were in full bloom and the variety in colors ranging from white, pink, red, orange and even a banana pudding shade of yellow was breathtaking.

We walked along the lake trail, which was very peaceful, but the mosquitoes were brutal.

We rode the carousel twice and I think the adult riders outnumbered the kids! Amanda still didn't feel brave enough to ride a carousel horse and opted for the bench instead, but as you can see, that didn't make it any less fun for her.



Next time, she informed me that she wanted to ride this horse with "colorful jewels." She actually looked like she was about to climb on, but veered away at the last second and said,"Maybe when I'm older." The horses are pretty big and intimidating up close!

Eva seemed mesmerized by the whole experience.

As we walked through the gardens, we stopped for a snack at a huge grassy area where the kids also had a chance to play a few games. Amanda loved the "hippity hoppety ball" while Eva preferred the beetle puppet, which she taunted fearful Amanda with, and the colorful tunnel.

* *
The rest of the weekend was very productive. Dave completed the tasks of installing the hand rail on the stairs, and putting multiple coats of polyurethane on the wood floor in our bedroom. He is nearly finished building our new bedframe, and hopefully tomorrow night we can move all of the furniture back into the bedroom. For now, we'll spend a second night sleeping in the girls' playroom. (Actually, I slept really well there last night! It's darker than our room is and for once, I was not awakened at 3:30 am by the birds chirping!)

I enjoyed some sun and fresh air today while mowing the lawn and trimming the overgrown weeds around the property. The girls were happy because they actually got to swim in the pool and visit the playground, so it was a good weekend all around.

Happy June, everyone!

Big News

I have always said that I did not want to be pregnant after age 35. For me, it was just a magic number.

Yesterday, exactly 1 week before my 36th birthday, I received this news:


I called up to Dave and asked him to come downstairs. He came down a few minutes later, and I showed him the positive test.

His exact words were,"How did THAT happen?" And then we just hugged.

I had actually taken a test the morning before, but it was inconclusive. Even the control window was left blank. When I took a second test the next day, there was no doubt about it. I think the positive sign appeared within seconds!

I went through a fair amount of shock and a tiny bit of nervousness, wondering if we had done the right thing. But seeing how happy Dave was made me feel a lot better.

Today, I feel completely at peace. I had been struggling with the decision to have a third child for quite a while, but knew that Dave really wanted just one more. Now that the decision has been made, I can just relax and accept it.

I have my first appointment next Friday, June 6th and it will be nothing more than a dating ultrasound. The following Friday, I will have my first appointment with a midwife.

I feel great! I have tons of energy. At my physical last month, my doctor gave me a clean bill of health and the green light to try for another baby. I feel like I am in good shape, and just recently got to my goal weight.

I am thinking the due date will be at the end of January, but I'll wait for the official word on that.

We will wait to tell family members until our Wisconsin trip at the end of June/early July. We will probably tell the girls at the same time and I'm sure they'll be thrilled!! We'll tell our friends after we return home from our big summer road trip.

Drum Roll, Please!!!

We just enjoyed our very first dinner made in our brand new kitchen!!

Dave offered to make dinner while I finished up my lessons and drove the babysitter home. The cheese raviolis (cooked on the gas burners of a real stovetop!) and garlic bread (baked in a real oven!) were so delicious. While Dave bathed the girls, I did the dishes (in a real sink!)

Who would have thought these simple things could bring such joy?

It's going to take a little while to get used to the new layout, but it sure is an improvement over the old kitchen! We have so much more counter space, better lighting, better ventilation, better floors and lots more storage space.

We are finally ready to show the 'before' and 'after' photos.

(Unfortunately the layout of this blog is horrible! When composing this post in draft form, the pictures showed up in a grid format, so you could compare the photos side by side. But when I published it, the photos all ended up in a long row and it's hard to get an idea of how things look. I can't figure out how to change it, so this will have to do. Sorry!)

BEFORE: (from left to right, standing in the doorway of the kitchen)

AFTER:

This looks sooooo much better in person. It was hard to maneuver the camera to get a decent shot, but at least you get the general idea.

I am so proud that we (um, I mean Dave and Jason!) were able to do most of the work ourselves. According to Dave's calculations, it probably cost us 1/3 of what it would have had we hired a general contractor, plumber and electrician.

Now that it's over, I take back what I said about it possibly being a mistake. Dave was right; it needed to be done. In fact, it is probably the smartest and most important improvement we have ever made in the six years we've been here. What a difference...

Thank goodness it's done! You can bet that we will be taking it easy the next few weekends.

Spring Planting Moon Pow-Wow

This weekend, as we have done for the past three years, we went to the Spring Planting Moon Pow-Wow. This two-day event, held every Memorial Day Weekend, is a good cultural thing for the girls to experience and if the weather cooperates as it did this weekend, it's a lot of fun.

The newspaper did a good job of describing it, so I'll just quote:

The pow-wow celebrates the spring planting season, when American Indians plant their traditional foods. It is also an opportunity to bring together the local American Indian community, for members of different tribes from as far away as Canada to learn from one another and to educate the general public.

The pow-wow featured dance demonstrations; inter-tribal dancing; craft making, visits inside a tipi; storytelling, arts, crafts and Native food for sale: Buffalo, Indian Tacos, Blue Fish, Wild Quail, Turtle Soup, and more.

The Indian Tacos are are always a favorite of ours! Think of a soft grilled dough which serves as the shell and folded up with chili, cheese and lettuce in the middle. Delicious...

The girls enjoyed all of the hands-on exhibits, and even played some Native American games, including one where they had to throw slices of wood into a basket, while Dave tried his hand at a version of darts.

There was also a tipi set up and families were invited inside to hear Native American Storytelling. This was both educational and fun... until Peter Whitefox, the male storyteller, put on a black bearskin (complete with a bear head) and crawled in Eva's direction. Eva was terrified. Amanda, on the other hand, thought it was great.


After the storytelling session, we made our way back to the blankets we had spread outside of the roped off arena and prepared for the Grand Entrance dance. Men, women and children dressed in full Native American Dress and performed traditional dances, while the drums/singing went on in the background.

The turnout this year was the best we had ever seen it!

Birthday Parties

Lately Amanda's social calendar has been pretty full!

A few weeks ago, she attended a birthday party for her preschool friend, Gwen. It was held at a gymnastics/tumbling gym. Last weekend, she had another party. This one was for Katelynn, her best friend for the past 2 1/2 years. Katelynn's party was held at an indoor play area, complete with climbing structures and an arcade.

This weekend, she had yet another birthday party invitation for her friend Allie's 4th Birthday Celebration. The party was held at Allie's home, and the highlight of the party was the pony rides. Allie's parents had rented a small, black pony and the children took turns riding in slow circles around the paved driveway.

Amanda had two opportunities to ride the pony and really liked it!

Unlike Amanda, Eva wanted nothing to do with the pony. When Dave took Eva to see the pony up close, she was apprehensive at best. When the pony sniffed Eva's show, Eva began to cry.

Luckily there were plenty of other activities planned: a Playdough station, a bubble blowing station and a large play area in the backyard, complete with toys and, playground equipment.

After an hour of pony rides and free play, the kids put on party hats and gathered at the picnic table for a Dora birthday cake and ice cream. After cake, everyone wandered to the backyard for a pinata, which was broken after just three people had a chance to strike it. The party guests were each given plastic sand pails filled with all sorts of goodies, and then we were on our way.

Here are some random pictures from Saturday's party.

Amanda at the Playdough station.

As usual, Eva was fascinated by the bubbles.

The kids organized an impromptu game of Duck, Duck, Goose all on their own.

Eva made a beeline for the construction vehicles!



Amanda loved trying out the teeter-totter with her friend, Alex.

Eva loved the "yummy juice", as she called it...
and was determined to push the straw in all by herself.

I have to admit that for me, these parties are exhausting! And sadly, I really don't have much desire to host such a grandiose party for Amanda. Whatever happened to Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Bingo? That's more my speed!

I am feeling peer pressure to have some sort of organized theme party, even though a "free for all" cookout is more of our style. I guess we'll see what happens with that. August will be here before we know it!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday!

Now, I know she does not like the extra attention or the chance to be in the spotlight like most people do on their birthdays, so I will keep this brief. I will also skip posting her photo, so as not to lose a faithful reader to my blog! (You're welcome, Mom.)

Although her name is Mary Jo, most people call her "Jo" (which is Amanda's middle name, not by accident) or "MJ." Amanda, however, has always referred to my mom affectionately as "Jamma Jo", simply because she used to have a hard time with the word 'grandma.' This cute term of endearment stuck, although now that Amanda is getting older, she is starting to drop the "Jamma" in favor of "Grandma." I wonder how Eva will pronounce it?

Anyhow, Amanda has a special bond with Grandma Jo, quite possibly because they share a great love of books. In Amanda's eyes, there is nothing more exciting than getting a 50 lb. package in the mail, filled with nothing but books.

Lately Amanda has been talking about she wishes she lived in Wisconsin. In her dramatic way, she will nearly break down in tears when talking about how much she misses Grandma Jo. Luckily they do talk on the phone almost weekly, which helps a lot. As Amanda sometimes says after we hang up,"Now I don't miss her so much because I got to talk to her!!"

Over the weekend, Amanda wanted to make a special card for Grandma Jo... so I pulled out the construction paper, scissors and glue sticks. Here's what they ended up making:

I cut out flower petals, stems and fence pieces...

...and let them create their own flower gardens.

There are few things they love more than making crafts! Here's a short video of their "almost finished" projects...



Hopefully these works of art will arrive on time! They were made with great love.

* *
Anyone who knows me knows how much I look up to my mom. I value her opinion immensely and admire her for so many reasons. If I ever have a question, she is the first person I think to ask. She is one of the smartest people I know and she really does seem to know the answer to just about anything. Part of this is because she reads so much, but even so, it amazes me how a person can know so much about so many things.

The other trait that I admire in my mom is her boldness. She is never afraid to speak her mind, and often "puts herself out there" when most other people would be afraid to do so. She is most definitely a leader rather than a follower. Some may call her a trailblazer or a rebel, which would probably elicit laughter among our family members, but in a good way.

When I was younger, this boldness used to embarrass me greatly. As a teenager, you just wanted your mom to blend in with the other moms. But now, I can look back and realize that she was teaching me a valuable lesson by refusing to follow and merely "go with the flow." I only wish I had the courage to be s0 brave. Going with the flow is so much easier...

Anyhow, Mom... happy birthday to you. You should be proud of the fact that your existence has made a footprint on this earth. Whether you realize it or not, you have impacted many peoples' lives and I'm sure you will continue to do so. I pray that one day my own daughters will think of me as highly of me as I do of you, Mom. One can only hope...

Happy Birthday, Mom. We hope you enjoy your birthday package! We'll give you a call tonight. Love you, miss you and look forward to seeing you in July!

Student Recital

My big end of the year recital, the culmination of entire year's worth of work, was this past Saturday. And I am pleased to say that it couldn't have gone much better! I might even say that it was one of the top three recitals during my 15 years of teaching.

In preparation for the big event, we had our Performance Class on the Thursday before the recital. This consisted of a group rehearsal in which each student practiced bowing and performing in front of their peers, followed by a party with Sweetcakes' scrumptious cupcakes and juice. It went very well for six out of the seven kids! (The one who arrived without music books was clearly unprepared.)

Our Performance Class

The recital was held at the church next door to my house/studio, which was extremely convenient. Especially when one of my students arrived without music yet again, just two minutes before the recital was scheduled to start! Luckily I was able to run home and grab the needed music before panic could set in. (I only hope I was able to hide my extreme annoyance.)

The site of this year's recital

For this year's recital, I decided to do things a bit differently. I started with each student performing a set of their favorite repertoire, typically 2-3 pieces - some were solos, and some were duets with me. After each student had performed their set, we moved on to the second part of the program.

The second part of the program was Classical Repertoire, and each student performed a Classical piece of their choice. We went in chronological order as dictated by the composer's birth year, beginning with the Baroque period, then the Classical period, and finishing with the Romantic period. I spoke a bit about each composer and gave vital facts mixed in with fun trivia to keep things interesting.

The recital program

Our featured "Composer of the Year" was Edvard Grieg, a Norwegian nationalist composer. Two of my students performed well-known Grieg pieces: "Morning" from Peer Gynt and the A minor Piano Concerto (a simplified version!)

The final segment of our program was my favorite: the student ensembles.

I had paired up four girls of comparable skill levels into two duet teams. The chemistry that formed between the girls was nothing short of magical! The way they were able to communicate to each other through music rather than words was astounding.

Team #1 played a "Promenade", followed by "Blue Bells of Scotland." Team #2 played a fun piece called "Billy Goat Rag" followed by a rock tune entitled "Bouncin' Boogie", which was the grand finale of our program. Immediately before the boogie, the two girls donned crazy sunglasses and acknowledged the audience with a smile before setting off at an extremely energetic pace. I had never heard them practice it that fast before, and surely nerves/adrenalin were to blame... but they managed to pull it off without a hitch! The applause was thunderous.

I was extremely proud of the whole bunch! It never ceases to amaze me how much the kids progress from year to year. The night before the recital, I pulled out past recital programs and could not believe how some of these kids had rocketed through several levels over the past few years. As I always say, sometimes it's hard to gauge your progress until you look back and see how far you've come.

Upon the conclusion of the recital, students were presented with a certificate and a small Grieg statuette. We posed for a group picture, but unfortunately Dave left early with the girls so I wasn't able to get a photo on my own camera. (Bummer! I am hoping one of my students' families will get a copy to me!)

After the photo shoot, I was presented with a few beautiful bouquets and then talked with appreciative parents/family members.

It was a really nice afternoon and although I was nervous being in front of the crowd, I actually managed to enjoy myself.

This was Amanda's first time attending a formal recital.
She was unbelievably excited to be there!

And now, I am glad that it's all behind me for another year! I have one more week of lessons before my year officially ends, and then our Summer Term begins on June 1st. During the summer, we focus on pop songs, movie soundtracks, duets and "students' choice" pieces. I am really looking forward to the relaxed, low-key lessons that will occur over the summer months. It should be a fun summer!

Any day now...

The room that was once a kitchen is getting remarkably close to looking like a kitchen again! A new and greatly improved kitchen, I might add.

Here are some pictures of the latest updates.

The staircase off the kitchen was completely rebuilt and is now finished (minus the handrail.)


The wood floor in the kitchen is installed...


...and finished.


The cabinets are all in place, as are the appliances, sink, and new light fixture/ceiling fan.

There are a few things left to do, and then we need to pass the final inspections. Hopefully this will all take place over the next few days. I believe the goal is to be finished by the end of the weekend.

Dave has said that once the kitchen is finished, he plans to spend the next two weekends relaxing and cooking.

I will not stand in the way of either of those demands!

Piano Club: Success!

Last night was the first meeting of my newly formed Piano Club. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time with my adult students. I have a wonderful group of women, four in all, at various stages of proficiency. One of the students is a brand new beginner at the elementary level; one is at the late elementary level; one is at the early intermediate level; and the final one is approaching the intermediate level. It seemed like the perfect mix, not to mention that they all have great personalities and are a lot of fun to teach.

I spent the day preparing appetizers and cleaning, and by 6:00 I was starting to stress out a bit, wondering if I'd have everything ready in time. But before the first student even arrived, everything was ready and I even had a few minutes to quickly run through my prepared pieces. Three of the four women attended the meeting, bringing wine, dessert and sheet music.

The purpose of my Piano Club was initially to give my students a forum to discuss all things music related... things like theory, practice techniques, personal struggles, etc. I also wanted to provide an informal "stage" for students to practice performing for an audience. But above all, I wanted this to be a fun social gathering where we could all share and learn from one another.

Last night's topic was Inspiration. I had prepared a loose lecture so we'd have some sort of guided discussions, but I soon realized that I had wasted my time. Everyone hit it off immediately and initiated conversations without much prompting from me. Students began by introducing themselves and relaying stories of how, when and why they decided to learn piano.

I couldn't help but smile to myself when the three women began asking each other questions like,"What has been your greatest struggle?" or "How long did it take before you could easily recognize and identify the notes?" Everyone seemed relaxed and completely willing to share their own stories and experiences.

After some great opening conversation, Elaine, my "veteran" of the group, gave the first performance of the night. She had chosen "On the Bridge at Twilight", a dreamy piece by contemporary composer Jennifer Linn, and explained that after learning this piece, she felt she had turned a corner with her playing. It was a beautiful performance and I could tell she was happy with her performance.

I then talked about my own history of childhood piano lessons and how I eventually ended up in this career. I chose to play the first movement of Glenda Austin's Jazz Suite, which was a piece I had played for a contest in 6th grade, and how it had sparked some much needed inspiration for me at the time. I followed that with my all-time favorite piece to play, and probably the only piece I still play without music: "Linus & Lucy" from Peanuts.

Ordinarily I cringe and feel slight nausea when I am asked to play for someone, but last night was different. After playing, I realized that I actually ENJOYED playing for these women! I might even say it was fun. Of course, the audience played a very crucial role in the enjoyment aspect, with their generous cheers and applause.

The other two women were a little more reluctant to play but I stressed that performing was not mandatory. I didn't want this to be a stressful or anxiety-inducing experience. However, as the night went on and the atmosphere became more jovial, both Jane and Tana took a turn at the piano! This made the meeting a complete success in my mind. To perform in front of an audience is a big first step and their willingness to play made me incredibly proud.

The highlight of the night for me was watching the reactions after each student finished playing their chosen pieces. They were all so supportive and genuinely proud of each other. One could not have asked for a better audience.

The excitement and enthusiasm in the room was so refreshing. It reminded me why I love my job so much. And listening to their generous comments about my teaching style was enough to make me blush.

I think each and every one of us learned something last night. And I think it's safe to say each one of us felt like they we had contributed something. I definitely saw learning going on at all levels. The sense of camaraderie that I had hoped for was definitely there and I am certain it will continue to grow.

Someone proposed that we meet every month, which shocked me! I had hoped everyone would enjoy themselves, but to suggest a monthly get-together was beyond my wildest dreams. But who am I to stand in the way of their momentum!? Our next meeting will be in August and we have decided to take turns hosting.

I think this is the start of something great and I'm looking forward to seeing where things go from here!

Surf & Turf

Yesterday was the perfect day for a cookout. The weather was great: warm and sunny with the aroma of fresh lilacs wafting through the air.

We had accomplished all of our goals for the day: mowing the lawn, putting on stair treads, sanding the wood floors, and a first coat of polyurethane. By the time 4:00 rolled around, we were all ready to kick back and relax.

The guys had decided to do a Surf & Turf Cookout in honor of the mothers: my mother-in-law, Angelina's mother and myself. Angelina did the grocery shopping; Dave and Jason manned the grill; I made the dessert.

The grillmasters and Angelina's brother, Johnny

Look at that face. Someone is hungry!

As always, the soy-ginger chicken wings were a big hit...

...even with the girls.

But for me, the lobsters were the highlight of the meal.

It felt so good to relax and enjoy the afternoon!
I think we should do this every year.