The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I get a little sad every February after the Super Bowl. It means I have to wait MONTHS...EONS to see a football game again. And here in Nebraska. We had some changes this year. I'm excited about our new head coach. It's been awhile since I've had a high respect for the coaching staff here, and I believe our new coach will bring some calm and integrity back to the sidelines. I particularly like not muting the post game interviews when the girls are in the room.

I'm also enjoying the NFL this year. Usually, I don't watch until playoffs, but I couldn't resist this great knit along project.

Well, my teams haven't been doing a stellar job on the field, but it's still been great to watch some good football again. I think my girls are even starting to enjoy the occasional game. Then again, they may just be in it for the nachos.

Sweet Corn

Why did it take until the last day of September before we ate fresh corn? What was I thinking? Must not be a native Nebraskan.

Ferroequinologist

It's a funny word I heard in a TV show the other night. And it fits Dan perfectly. Ferro - "iron", equine - "horse"; ology - "study of." Yup - that's my Dan. One who studies iron horses. Whenever he has a chance, he's watching the BNSF lines just out of town. In October, he dons a pocketwatch and UP cap while he drives the Ernest J. Vala. And last month, (on opening day of college football, no less!) he took the family down the road to a miniature train show. Ah! Life is good.

Vala's 2015 - Part 1

It's true. We've already been twice. The big slide seems to be the hit this year (in addition to Daddy and the train.) I'm sure many more pictures will be coming.

Aldi Meal Plans

We're just starting out a crazy train ride that will last about six weeks. Dan has jumped in with his engineer getup and is driving the train at the local pumpkin patch again. The same day the patch opened, a friend of mine had a darling baby boy. I was asked to be her long-term sub until she returns in November. This is a great opportunity to earn some needed money (and it's pretty fun, too! Who would have thought I'd enjoy first graders all day every day instead of teaching music? But they're a great group of kids, and the other teachers on the first grade team are amazing!) On top at that, I have three full afternoons/evenings of piano lessons each week.

This took some creative planning and preparation. I've been seeing the Aldi Meal Plans in my Facebook feed, and thought I'd give them a try.

Sure enough, for less than $150, I have groceries, recipes, and food in my freezer for over five weeks (when I account for nights of leftovers or eating at the pumpkin patch.) And most of the meals have been family approved. The chili was particularly good, as was the homemade spaghetti sauce.

I'm looking forward to trying some of their other plans in the future. (But maybe not too soon in the future! I'll need some time to catch my breath next month.)

A New Year, Another Instrument

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of this, especially since Dan and I met in the band, and so much of our lives and history revolve around our time in band. Last week, Dayna entered the world of the "band geek." So now Dayna is juggling time on piano, cello and a new band instrument. I confess - the running was tight for this particular instrument, but Dan and I were thrilled to get this letter from her band director:

Next week - I promise I'll get a picture!

A New Year of Piano

I took a leap of faith this year and opened one more day of lessons in my studio. Shortly after, the phone started to ring. As of this week, for the first time - my studio is FULL! God has been so good to provide so many different personalities, gifts, ages and styles to the students who come into my home each week. It is truly a privilege to be able to watch these young musicians grow as they practice and learn.

My littlest student doesn't have a regular lesson spot, but she sure loves when we do sit down for a lesson. The Wunderkeys method has been a lot of fun to explore as she learns about music and math. Here's a little clip from her second lesson.