1-17-2015 (One of those braggy posts. I apologize in advance)

My kids chose to go to the opera on a Saturday night. With each other. And had interesting things to say about it afterwards. (And looked SO CUTE.) (Sorry. I got carried away.)

1-16-2015 (Tiger! Tiger!)

Benno went to a really awesome circus party for a good friend from school and came back as a really awesome tiger, who hung out with us for the next 24 hours.

1-15-2015 (My husband is happy)

I got my car washed.

1-14-2015 (Black and white = happy)

I made a New Year's deal with my students. If I don't meet my practice goal every week, I pay anyone who beat my actual practice time $5 cold, hard cash.

It's so amazing how much motivation that gives me.

And so sad that it takes motivation to get me to the keyboard.

Because once I'm there, it's just SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO awesome.

I'm working on two Liszt transcriptions of Schubert songs, Beethoven, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, and Bach. And that's all. Except technique, improv, and sightreading.

Yes, I need to narrow it down, but it's all so dang fun. So maybe I'll just keep practicing too many pieces and enjoy myself every minute.

1-12-2015 (Don't look at this, Sophie)

My teenage daughter loves me dearly but does not love me posting pictures of her without her prior permission. She is not likely to give permission for this one, but it warms my Mama heart. Seriously. Is anything cuter than my girls harmonizing during Family Night? The answer is baby pandas. But other than that (and, well, puppies,) Sophie and Kate and a guitar get my vote.

If I was REALLY brave (and stupid,) I would post a video of them singing. Because that beats pandas, puppies, otters, AND kittens. But I value my life, so you will have to just imagine.

1-10-2015 (Goodbye, Christmas)

 

I'm ashamed to admit that it took some manipulation on my part, but I convinced the family to put away Christmas. I helped. I really did. But I was pretty lame at it.

 

I love how David can Tetris together the Christmas boxes in the empty area in our storage room. He has a gift.

1-9-2015 (Me and my pharmaceuticals)

 

Sigh.

 

For a girl who likes to avoid medical intervention whenever possible, this picture is hard to take. But thank goodness for medical intervention being available. I'm now working with stretching exercises that have been recommended to me. All is not fully better, but all is MUCH better. And I'm drug free. Well. Mostly. Ha. Pain pill, steroid, and muscle relaxant free, anyway, and that's good enough.

1-7-2015 (The view from down here)

And now it gets interesting, folks. (Well, not really. It just gets stupid.)

My feet are up on pillows on my bed. And why? Because my back has decided it doesn't want to support my spine appropriately. Or something like that. And after I taught my morning piano lessons and drove my kids to school, my sciatica decided to make my life a bit of a living hell. OK. Not a bit of a living hell. A fiery, all-encompassing, demons and pitchforks hell.

Was that a little dramatic?

I know. But this was a very bad day. I was so glad no one was home because back pain makes me into a bit of a whiner. OK. Not a bit of a whiner. A screaming, weeping, freaking out, crazy lady who just wants the pain to stop.

Luckily I found my muscle relaxants left over from the back disaster of October and by late that night, I wasn't screaming anymore, which was a good thing.

1-5-2015 (Because Legos)

Legos rule.

1-4-2015 (Goodbye, Christmas break)

It was so fun to have Josh at home for three weeks. I thought it was harder to have him go back to school after Christmas break than it was for him to go in the first place. Here, he and Ben are doing another science experiment.

 

And although we all loved Christmas break so very, very much, there definitely were times that all of the unscheduled time together ended up having a slightly negative effect.

Picture of the Day 1-3-2015 (Oh, yes, this is really happening)

So that we are all clear here...

When I said Picture of the Day, I certainly didn't mean a picture for every day.

(Yes, I did.)

And I certainly didn't intend to post more frequently than once a month.

(Yes, I did.)

Now that we've got that out of the way...

January 3, 2015. It was a nice day. As far as I can remember, anyway, now that it is February 3.

Kate let me trim her hair. This took much persuasion, as everyone in the Greenhouse seems to remember this occasion. I do not have photographic evidence of the homerun I hit, but suffice it to say that there's a chance she just might let me do it again. She only let me take off a couple of inches. This hair. It's just so mermaid, I can't handle it.

 

Later that night, Kate had her friend Sophie over to finish their school geography board game.

 

And of course there were cookies. Because why wouldn't there be?