If A Woodchuck Could Chuck Wood

My first piano lesson (as a teacher) in ten years started at 5:30pm yesterday. Hannah was a very quiet student, but thankfully she seemed to be very attentive as well.

Hannah was taking lessons with another teacher before she started with me, but I can't help but wonder what kind of teacher she had. Wouldn't you think, that after 9 lessons, a girl would be able to tell the difference between a note on a line or a space? We're talking the most basic of basics here! I'm not saying anything against Hannah, but not really against the teacher either. I would just like to know how such a thing is possible.

Anyway, when Lisa, Hannah's mother, brought Hannah across the street for her piano lesson, she (Lisa) told me that Micah, Hannah's brother, also wanted to take lessons. She asked what day and time was good for him to come over for lessons. We agreed that Micah's lesson would be right after Hannah's. So, not only did I teach my first piano lesson in years yesterday, but I also taught my second piano lesson too!

Oh! and just a note for those that neither grew up on John Schaum's piano course nor taught or teaches from it..."If A Woodchuck Could Chuck Wood" is the very first piece of music in the first book of the course.

The Answer to my Earlier Post

To TEACH! I just spoke with Lisa this afternoon and my first piano lesson with Hannah is on Tuesday! I have to admit I'm kinda nervous, but I do believe that this is what God wants me to do. Thank you for the advice and the prayers.

Rocky at Nine Months

I just realized that I haven't posted any pictures of Rocky lately. Well, here are his nine month old pics.

Joseph and Rocky coming back from the front door.

The cute face hasn't changed that much!

He's getting sooo big!

Isn't he gorgeous?

Sittin' pretty.

To Teach or Not to Teach...

THAT is the question!

Yesterday, at one of my neighbours' son's birthday party, another neighbour asked me if I would consider teaching her son and her daughter piano lessons. THEN...today, my mother-in-law told me she had been thinking about asking me to teach HER! So, do I do it? Should I venture into piano lessons? I already have a 9 1/2 hour a day job on top of my new Mary Kay business. I mean, yes, I did go to college for music and my degree was specifically geared towards teaching music and choir directing, but am I ready for this? Can I handle THREE jobs!?! I'm confused, excited, and scared all at one time. I know this isn't really such a big decision, but I think at the same time, if I agree to teaching three people piano lessons, it could very quickly become a much larger number due to the demand for piano teachers in this area. (I know you're thinking, at that admission, "Hannah! If teachers are needed in the area...what are you waiting for!?!") I know, I know, but I'm already pulling my hair out trying to figure out how I'm going to fit my Mary Kay business into my life right now....where in the world am I going to find time for piano lessons too??

Advice anyone? I'm open to almost anything at this point!

A Day of Books

This weekend I was up in Pennsylvania visiting my parents and going book shopping with my mother and youngest brother, Stephen.
We started at the local library book sale where it was a Dollar a Bag day. Best book sale day EVER! When you go in, the "cashiers" hand you a plastic grocery bag. However many books you can fit in that bag is $1. Let me tell you, my mother and I have got the bag packing down to an art. Such an art, in fact, that I actually start to feel pretty bad about getting so many books for so little money. Usually I just shrug the feeling off and am just thankful that I was able to get so many good books. This time I didn't get that feeling, but I decided to request a third bag even though I was perfectly fine with just two. So I paid $3 for all of the books in the picture below instead of $2.

Not a bad haul for $3 if I may say so myself.

Next up, the Salvation Army store. They were having a 50% off everything in the store sale. I didn't get anything other than books. Yes, I only bought eight books there, but they didn't cost too much considering the 50% off deal. These eight books cost me $3.59.

Not too shabby.

And last but not least, the crowning achievement of my Saturday search for books. I have been collecting Trixie Belden books for years, but haven't found any in almost as much time. I've looked on eBay multiple times, but always ended up turning away mainly due to how much each book cost. Plus, on top of the winning bid, there is always shipping costs. Anyway, I normally wouldn't spend $6 on a used book, but in this case, I definitely made an exception.

Total tally for the day...55 books for $12.59. I did a pretty good job. Did you get any new books this weekend?

Updated Booklist for April

Well, obviously I've been out of touch with ya'll for pretty much all of April. I can tell you that it wasn't because I was reading. April ended with only 8 books having been read. What can I say...I was busy trying to get my Mary Kay business moving. Anyway, here's my updated list. The first four books of April were my favorite.

January

Sandry's Book ~ Tamora Pierce
Tris's Book ~ Tamora Pierce
The City of Ember ~ Jeanne DuPrau
The Mary Kay Way ~ Mary Kay Ash
Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg ~ Gail Carson Levine
Teddy Jo & the yellow room mystery ~ Hilda Stahl
Teddy Jo & the ragged beggars ~ Hilda Stahl
Teddy Jo & the magic quill ~ Hilda Stahl
Land of Hope ~ Joan Nixon Lowery
Land of Promise ~ Joan Nixon Lowery
Boxers for Dummies ~ Richard Beauchamp
Fairy Haven and the Quest for the Wand ~ Gail Carson Levine
Ellen Foster ~ Kaye Gibbons

February

Coffee with Plato ~ Donald R. Moor
A Time for Witches ~ Lynne Hansen
Reckless Revolution ~ Lynne Hansen
Gilded Delirium ~ Jordan Stokes & Mattew Belinkie
The Mark on the Mirror ~ Margaret Sutton
A Thousand Goodbyes ~ Jim Hube
Coffee with Mark Twain ~ Fred Kaplan
A Member of the Family ~ Cesar Millan
The People of Sparks ~ Jeann DuPrau
Tanglewreck ~ Jeanette Winterson
Alanna The First Adventure ~ Tamora Pierce
In the Hand of the Goddess ~ Tamora Pierce
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man ~ Tamora Pierce
Lioness Rampant ~ Tamora Pierce
Trickster's Choice ~ Tamora Pierce
Trickster's Queen ~ Tamora Pierce
The Wednesday Letters ~ Jason F. Wright

March

Coffee with Shakespeare ~ Stanley Wells
The Good Guy ~ Dean Koontz
Shadowfires ~ Dean Koontz
A Wife After God's Own Heart ~ Elizabeth George
The Fairy's Return & Other Princess Tales ~ Gail Carson Levine
The Princetta ~ Anne-Laure Bondoux

April

City of Bones ~ Cassandra Clare
City of Ashes ~ Cassandra Clare
City of Glass ~ Cassandra Clare
Bloodhound ~ Tamora Pierce
Net Force: Virtual Vandals ~ Tom Clancy
Miracles Happen ~ Mary Kay Ash
Flying Blind ~ Frank Peretti
Dragonsong ~ Anne McCaffrey

Next up...working on reading through all those books that I got this weekend in Pennsylvania.

Mullet Alert

I know that there have been a number of mullet sightings made by my Facebook friends in the past year, but I have to admit that this is the first that I've seen in a very LONG time. I had seriously begun to think that perhaps I was correct in my hopes that the mullet had gone the way of the dodo. Extinct. No such luck. This mullet sighting took place at a Hardees in Pennsylvania. Just after leaving the library book sale, Mom, Stephen, Brooklyn and I stopped for brunch at Hardees. Here's what we saw.

Here's the backside.

And a side shot.

It is quite terrifying, isn't it. Have you seen any scary haircuts lately?