Not my last year of All state...bummer

I was convinced! This was the LAST time I would send kids to all-state. I'm tired of giving up my time, planning periods, and money to support the cause. My kids love music at school and the whole drama of a try-out is as hard on me as it is on them. OHHHH the TEARRRSSSS!

Well, after such a strong revelation I was given a realization from Janet Robbins. Next year is some sort of WVU anniversary for WVMENC. The conference is in Morgantown. The conductor will be Mary Goetze. How could I pass that up????? It's a no brainer. So...what I'm saying is this: I will be a recent mom, back from maternity leave, shoving songs down their throats so I can watch a good conductor and get outta school in my own hometown! Yipes! Come on folks, join the "last hurrah" for Heidi's participation in All state! Let's all go and make a day or two of it!

Hahahaha....we'll see..we'll see

baby questions baby questions!!!! Need advice from the experts!

Hi folks!

I'm looking for advice on the following issues:

1. What's your favorite/safest car seat convertible set. (ie car seat, stroller, adjustable size thing)

2. The "baby back pack".....front face, rear face, on the back, or is there one out there that does all three? (I like the front facing one, so baby can see out...Jason wants one on the back so he feels like he's in the military again...carrying his pack)

3. WHY SO MUCH PINK????? I registered and everything is sooooo girlie....or completely for a boy. I can't find any happy mediums!!!! I like greens, dragonflies, butterflies, nature (not jungle though)....like fish and turtles....also farm animals...but no such luck for the girls. I did find a few things, but I'm fearing the overload of pink.

Any advice??

Blog for the sake of blogging

I'm spent!!!!!! My mind is full and nothing comes out! I just wanted to let everyone know I'm still going on the blog and reading all your blog comments! Send me some blog ideas! Maybe you will inspire me!!!

Getting to Know Your Friends

Let's do this via blog! You can copy this and answer it in your comments.
Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your Friends. Change all the answers so they apply to you, and then send this to your friends including the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:30 AM

2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I Am Legend (MK, we live parallel lives!)

4. What is your favorite TV show? House-he says what we all wish we could say but are too politically correct to do it!

5 What do you usually have for breakfast? Bowl of strawberry frosted mini wheats or a breakfast sandwich (sausage with bisquit from Wal-mart) and oj or milk.

6. What is your middle name? Rene

7. What food do you dislike? a dry peach...you know what I mean? It has been prematurely ripened and when you bite into it, it's grainy and mushy at the same time with no juice. YUCK-GAG

8. What is your favorite CD at moment? NONE....music is my job...quiet is my enjoyment. I do always love Carol King and the indigo girls

9. What kind of car do you drive? Nissan Altima

10. What characteristic do you despise? a "better than you" attitude or a bully (grown up bullies are even worse than kid ones)people who throw their weight around for the sake of "being in charge"..they can't see or recognize the other person's point of view.

11. Favorite item of clothing? fuzzy pj's

12. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Greece

13. Favorite brand of clothing? anything that fits right now...

14. Where would you retire to? honestly, on the farm with my husband....the sunsets are gorgeous...We would snow bird to the beach though!!!!

15. What was your most recent memorable birthday? a toss up...I'd have to say Billy Joel and Elton John with my friends, that was pretty awesome and a home made cake and decorated living room from Jason this past birthday..

16. Favorite sport to watch? WVU Football

17. Furthest place you are sending this? TX

18. Person you expect to send it back first? I don't know

19. When is your birthday? July 10

20. Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning, once I'm awake I get more done...but I enjoy night better! : )

21. What is your shoe size? 10

22. Pets? "Catchers Mitts Magoo"otherwise known as Mitsy Kitty and nine of the funniest damn hens I have ever seen! (barred cochins)

23. Exciting news you'd like to share with us? You all know my exciting news....

24. What did you want to be when you were little? an archealogist

25. What is your favorite candy? godiva truffles

26. What is your favorite flower? lilies and gardinias

27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? July 16th.. "WHAAAAAA" baby time

28. What is your full name? Heidi Rene Lucas

29. What are you listening to right now? CSI on tv

30. What was the last thing you ate? chicken with buttered noodles and some chocolate gelato

31. Do you wish on stars? I wish I still did...probably a year or two ago, but not recently

32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? sky blue

33. How is the weather right now? just warm enough I didn't need a coat today....71 degrees, but a little colder tonight

34. Last person you spoke to on the phone? MK

35. Your favorite soft drink? coca cola, caffeine free and perrier water with lime (it's fizzy, does that count?)

36. Favorite restaurant? Ogawa, sushi baby!

37. Color of your hair? Gray with a whole hellofalatta brown die!!!!

38. Your favorite toy as a child? "lambsy" a little black lamb I received as a baby. It should have been a sign all those years ago...the black sheep of the fam!

39. Summer or winter? summer and fall

40. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

42. Coffee or tea? Coffee

43. Do you want your friends to email you back? Just post it on your site, I'll read it there!!!

44. What is under your bed? a mirror from a vanity, a bag full of bags, 2 gun bags, and a container full of sheets....it's crowded around these parts!

45. What did you do last night? took a soakie bath to rid the aches and pains (not too too hot of course), and went to bed early

46. What are you afraid of? everything, change, waking up finding out it's all a dream, not being liked

47. Salty or sweet? both, together

48. How many keys on your key ring? at least 10....school, car, and home combined

49. How many years at your current job? 4

50. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

51. How many towns have you lived in? Charleston/Beaufort, SC, Doddridge Co, WV, Salem, WV, Clarksburg WV, Morgantown, WV, Deltona, Fl, and Grafton WV.....7 wow, I didn't realize that

52. Do you make friends easily? I make acquaintences easily, but usually not friends

53. How many people will you send this to? 10 or so, when I post it to my blog

54. How many will respond? who knows

WHEW!!!!!!!!

Thanks for all the prayers!!!

My "thumb drive" has shown up! It fell behind the couch! I'm sure this was during one of my "fly lady" cleaning moments! Yes, I'm beginning to be a flylady convert! I'm only taking baby steps though!! Baby steps baby steps! My sink is shining!!!
Hahahaa!

ARGGGHHHH!!!!!

Where, oh where has my thumb drive gone??????? I have lost my trusty little lanyard with my ONLY thumb drive on it!!! All my digital/documented life since the move has vanished! I'm so very sad!!! Prayers to the "God in charge of the bottomless pit" that my life and memory keeps disappearing in would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Things I wish I could be doing...

I'm sitting in my living room right now, typing on my Christmas present and hoping beyond all hope that I feel little girl lucas kick me in the gut. The mommy worries come and go these days. My husband is addicted to an online interactive pirate game, so he is doing his nightly ritual of talking to his buddy and planning their attacks on various ficticious characters.

I've decided to reflect on the things that used to make me relaxed in hopes it will inspire me to get up and do it again.

I used to really enjoy perusing my music books and finding that lesson I've never taught. I loved building it and twisting ideas all throughout my hand written notes...then teaching it was a blast...experimenting and creating from scratch with a plan, but no real structure. Nowadays, I open last year's planbook between meetings or paperwork and say to myself, "What did I teach this time last year???" and whamo....repeat the good ol' standard lesson that is fine, but not at all creative in my mind anymore.

Drawing, did I ever do that???...I have these framed pictures around my house drawn by someone who has the same name as me, but I have a cloudy memory of this. Since my move,I really don't have a "creative" place set up. Even if I did, the dishes need done, the nesting for the baby needs to happen, have I registered yet?, etc.... poor excuses for a lack of inspiration or time.

Do I even remember how to sing or play that isn't in C pentatonic? When was the last time I sat in a room with adults and created a beautiful sound? What happened to making music for my own soul? Now, I do this with children, but I'm in work mode...you know?? Tonight the song "100 years" came on the TV during the show "Scrubs". Jason and I have a special affection for this song. We would have danced to it at our wedding if it wasn't a little too fast for slow dancin'. I watched the show and found myself singing during the commercial break. I didn't know I was singing actually....I was working away and not really paying attention. All of a sudden, my wonderful guy leaned over my shoulder, kissed me on the cheek, and said, "You sound beautiful honey...". My crooning even took him away from pirate ships and gold treasures. Why can I sing when I think no one is listening?? Why don't I sing from the roof tops if the spirit takes me??? Unfortunately, when I have an adult audience for real, the vocal chords choke up and scratchy off pitch yucky singer shows up.....

Where's my muse???? Can someone loan me theirs????

the accidental snowday

Hello everyone!

Well, today was a very fortunate day. The city of Grafton broke the main water line right outside our bedroom window. We had no running water from 6 last night until 8 this morning! And what does the teacher in me say to that.....YIPPPPPEEEEEEE!!!!

I couldn't shower, brush my teeth....no flushing toilets (and I pee about 7 times a night now), no meals to be cooked without water....

Jason rolled over at 5 am, after hearing the workers bang, bang, clang all night outside and very gently said, "Let's play hookie...what do ya say????". Boy that was a hard choice. I don't think he got his sentence finished before a resounding YES!! came flying out of my mouth. Now, did I mention that because we live right on route 50, they had to have a flashing yellow caution light to warn traffic of the construction. It was a very interesting evening, but a GREAT day of hookie!

We went for what Jason sweetly called "a walk around the lake." What he should have said was a climb down to the abyss that used to be Tygart Lake(they drain it every winter) and then a muddy goop ridden slip slide all the way back to the truck. He then preceded to accidently scratch his first wife(the truck) trying to drive it out of a mud pit.... KARMA!!!!!!!!

I didn't realize such little exersion on my part could be so very painful!!! My whole body aches and I got winded simply walking down to the lake. The trip up was pathetic. Every thirty feet I had to stop and catch my breath. I had what I used to call "bed spins" now referred to as "baby spins" the majority of the "walk". Exercise is just not what my body wants these days. However, it did decide to crave 2 hotdogs with chili and mustard on the way home!!!! : )

an onset of clutziness

OK...I felt great for the last couple of weeks! No morning sickness, the forgetfulness is now managed (for the most part)...then whamo!...an onset of painful clutziness(spelling?)

I was gracefully demonstrating an elliptical machine at Sam's club and kapowwww, my knee jams between the step peddle and the drink holder. It was not a graceful escape. I now have a nasty "scratch bruise" on my upper thigh. We won't even go into the discussion of why I was trying out elliptical machines...except "holy big butt!!!" That should be my new name!

Now, my second incidence of clutziness.... We went to feed the chickens today..the "girls" we like to call them. That was all well and good! We also feed the group of unwanted roosters that came as packing material for the hens. We did not understand originally that they send extra roosters just to keep the hens warm in shipping. I guess "real" farmers just discard them, but we had too much of a big heart. Anyways, the roosters live upstairs in the hay loft. Its a simple trip up a flight of stairs except for the first step...It's a little high. So I go to hop up the stair that I've hopped up 100 times before with Jason being a gentleman and holding one of my hands as I attempted the hoist. I got half way up and just didn't have the gumption! Jason attempted to pull me up which resulted in me slamming my calf into the side of the 2 inch solid wood step. OUCH!!!!! and immediate gasp! When I gasped I managed to inhale a mouth full of my own hair and then preceded to choke on that. Then I cried. I'm a dork.

ok...enough for today!