My Weekend

Wow! We started the weekend with the kids getting out two hours early in preparation of snow. And, we got it! I was the one who went out in it on Friday night. I had to go to choir rehearsal. It was our first and only rehearsal with the brass. We all had to brave the storm. The condition of the roads surprised me. Fairly large roads were covered with snow. They just don't have the equipment here. It was a slow go, but the scenery was beautiful. After rehearsal, the roads were in much better shape making the drive home a non-event. When I got home, I was wound up. I convince the Big Guy and Peanut to get their boots on. We grabbed some beers, snapped the leash on the dog and went for a walk. It has to rank up there as the prettiest walk. A blanket of snow covered everything. Buddy was just giddy with all this white stuff around. The wind was blowing and the snowflakes pelted us in the face - not the best conditions!

The boys spent their mornings playing in the snow. The slightest slope in the grass was a target for the sled. Snowmen popped up everywhere. The snow was perfect for building and for snow balls. We have morphed into Southerners. We don't have the clothes needed for the snow. We did so many loads drying off the boys' wet stuff.

I had my concert on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. We commissioned a piece by the chorale composer, Wayland Rogers. He flew into the area from Chicago just for the event. It was wonderful. The music was very challenging. It was nice to have the support of many friends at the show. I am just glad it is over. I need to see if I can get a copy of the recording to listen to it and to send to my mom. It is amazing how tiring all that singing is!

When I got home last night, my wonderful hubby did it all. He grilled burgers and did the entire dinner thing. I just sipped my wine and zoned out. All the singers were begging for a Monday night off. But, we did not get anywhere. We have to get new music and start rehearsing tonight. I wonder how many folks will really be there.

This week, I have to take charge here at the house. Off and running on this Monday...

SNOW!!

The S word is in the forecast. I just took the dog on an abbreviated walk. For a minute, I thought I was back in PA! The wind is howling from the North. The sky is grey and the clouds are ominous. They look like they are filled with snow. Nothing has started and it not supposed to until later afternoon. This is very exciting. The weather folk are predicting anywhere from 1 to 5 inches! The schools are dismissing two hours early. What a great way to start the weekend. I hope we get to play in it:) I will post some pictures if the prediction becomes a reality.

It is amazing what this has done for my psyche. I was in a slump and the thought of a blanket of white has just made my day!!

Walk #6

I was tempted to bag the walk today and head out on my two wheels. The weather is just beautiful albeit a bit windy. They say it is supposed to turn back to winter tomorrow. If it does, I am crossing my fingers for some real snow!!

I felt sorry for the puppy dog and decided to stick with my plan of walking. I had some Norah Jones Not Too Late in my ear. I love her voice. I saw some things on the walk too!

Look at the daffodils behind the iron fence. Their yellow just adds a splash of color to the scenery. We are still waiting for the daffodils in our yard. Their green leaves are about 6 inches high with no buds visible.

This is a Bradford Pear tree starting to wake up from a winter siesta.

These are the maple trees in our front yard. They cast a rosy pink hue this time of year.

It is amazing! Spring is not too far away:)

Walk #5

We got out there right after Peanut went to school. The ground is very wet from all the snow drizzle yesterday. The weather is a bit nippy, but the glorious sun is shining. As I am posting this, Buddy is sound asleep paws twitching. Do you think he is dreaming of running through an open field? I used the walk to help me memorize some Italian. I almost have one more verse down!

I have my voice lesson today. Too bad I don't have the music memorized to go with the Italian verse:( I plan to run some errands afterwards. It is a crazy week as the full press in on at choir. We have our spring concerts this weekend. I hope people come to hear us sing!

I got my Real Simple yesterday. I normally "save" the magazines to read some special time. This issue us all about travel. It sucked me right up. Now, my list of places I want to see is even longer. I also got my Southern Living last weekend. They changed the format and it is going to take me some issues to get used to it.

Anyway, off to sing some tra-la-las...

It's Snowing

This morning, after I rode Peanut to school, after I did the dishes, after I made the grocery list, and after I spent quite a bit of time practicing my music, I decided to brave the outdoors. It is a very cold grey day. At the end of February, I challenged myself to get a walk in every day in the month of March regardless of weather or any other excuse I could come up with. The month of March marks the start of spring and the best way to see it is with my eyes as all starts turning green. I am happy to say that today is March 4th and I have walked all four days. Today was a challenge as it would have been better to curl up reading a book!

Like the Greenhills cap? The Big Guy wears it quite a bit jogging. I decided it matched perfectly with my pullover:) Looking at the picture, the cap doesn't seem to match. Oh! Well!

The four legged dude, Buddy, did want anything to with the pictures for the blog. He was ready to go!

We got out there and the most amazing thing happened. It started snowing!!! It was cold, but it was wonderful. There were slow flakes on Buddy's fur. We walked for about 30 minutes and it snowed the entire time. No accumulation, though! It is just too warm. I was glad I went for the walk getting to enjoy the magic of snow. I know lots of folks are sick of the snow by this point of winter. I yearn for just one good one. I miss the snow from our days of living up North!

Spanx...This Way

Photo taken from the Spanx site.

This may be more information than you need to know. But, I took the plunge and ordered by first pair of Spanx yesterday. My choir concert is coming up next week. Our formal attire is a sleeveless black tank dress covered by a sequin jacket. The dress reminds me of the travel wear from Chico's. It is very comfortable. The jacket is a bit flashier than what I normally wear. But, the outfit is flattering on all body types and looks great in performance. I was thinking about the dress and realized a pair of Spanx would be the perfect compliment. I ordered a pair without feet thinking I'd get more use out of them. We'll see! When I worked many years ago, pantyhose were a daily necessity. Being a SAHM now, they are the farthest thing from my mind. I am lucky if I make it out of my sweatpants! I did not select the expedited shipping option. I am crossing my fingers that the package makes it here on time!

Now, for the shoes. I have to get looking for a comfortable pair. Last spring, I wore my old black pump standards. Wow! My feet were aching by the end of the first show. I hope there is something out there...

Tupelo, Mississippi

Peanut had a soccer tournament in Tupelo this weekend. Lots of his teammates stayed overnight down there. We did not have the flexibility to do that. It is less than an 1.5 hour drive. On Saturday, his games were at 12pm and 6pm. The rules of the tournament were interesting and did not work in favor of Peanut's team. They did show improvement with signs of some "real" soccer coming out. Peanut just loves it. We keep telling ourselves that is all that matters.

Tupelo is just far enough that we could not drive back in between the games. So, we hung out? What is there to do you ask? There is the Tupelo Automobile Museum or the birthplace of Elvis. The boys choice was unanimous. We headed off to see the cars. I don't know what I was expecting. It turned out is was a large warehouse decorated somewhat with about 60 cars in it. There were audio boxes in front of each car. It is a good idea, but you grow tired of listening to the boxes. Peanut lost interest early on. There was a survey for your favorite car. We each selected different ones.

I chose this 1939 Ford Convertible. I liked the color, shape and details of the car.

The Big Guy chose the 1964 1/2 Mustang. It is the ugliest color car there! But, that is what is first car was and it brought back all those memories. I don't think there were too many parking memories!

Peanut chose the BMW Izetta. He loved the idea of entering the car from the front. It was a creative microcar. I don't think he knew his mom has her eye on a Mini (my irrational choice of a new car!)

Pumpkin chose the Ford Fastback. I think he did it just to get a reaction from his father.

I guess if you have an hour to kill in Tupelo, head to the museum. It used up some time. We were able to go to mass right before Peanut's game. He played very well. We headed home for a night's rest in our beds. The Big Guy and Peanut returned for an early morning game. Pumpkin and I stayed here to do PRE.

The weather was great! Spring must not be too far away.