Saturday, July 26, 2008

Opening Night

Opening night of "The Music Man" was wonderful! We had over 300 people in attendance (only a couple of seats were empty!) and they were a great responsive audience! I only have some photos of us in our costumes and also from the cast party last night. I'll try to get more pictures tonight and post them all at once. We're going to be leaving here in just a few more minutes for the first show today. We have a show at 3:00 and again at 7:00. Then we strike the set and it will all be but a wonderful memory.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Friday's Feast...Texas Style

The Chef at the usual place for Fridays Feast is having some technical difficulties, so Texas Tanya decided that she'd come up with her own "Texas Style" menu of questions for this week. Since I now live in Texas I thought...hmmmm...I'll give it a whirl!

Appetizer: When was the last time you had some bar-b-que?
Two days ago! I made some bbq pulled chicken sandwiches! YUM!

Soup: How many pairs of cowboy boots do you own?
Sad to say....none. I would love to have a pair but just haven't found ones that are comfortable enough without spending a fortune. But I do have a nice pair of riding style boots!

Salad: Finish this sentence: Mommas, don't let your babies __________.
Mommas, don't let your babies grow up without having a chance to be a kid. I say this because so many other kids around us have parents that are making them grow up so fast and they don't have a chance to stop and be a kid.

Main Course: Name a song that makes you think of Texas.
To be truthful I don't know that many but the first one that came to mind is "Deep In The Heart of Texas".

Dessert: Cowboy hats - Black or White?
Either! Love cowboy hats. Had a few growing up but don't own any now.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Need A Laugh? Got Troubles?

Our run through of "The Music Man" last night went really well! We have dress rehearsal tonight and then it's off to the performances. Since I know that I have some Texas readers here is what was posted in our church bulletin:

"Looking for a fun, family event that is full of music and laughter? Then join us for Meredith Willson's "The Music Man" on Friday, July 25, at 7:00 p.m. or Saturday July 26, at 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. in the A&E Gym. We've assembled some of the best talent in the area, representing seven different congregations and hundreds of hours of stage experience to bring this classic musical to life. This is the story of a small-town con man who promises to bring the excitement and thrill of a marching band to the sleepy town of River City, Iowa, all the while knowing he knows nothing about directing a band or music. "Professor" Harold Hill intends to leave the town high and dry as he pockets proceeds from the band instruments, instruction books and band uniforms, but gets his foot "caught in the door" of Miss Marian Paroo who offers unconditional love and acceptance. Performed with a full professional orchestra and exceptional costumes and sets, this family-friendly musical will be a delightful respite from the Texas head and the burdens of the day. Tickets will be on sale in the Atrium this weekend for $10 for adults and $5 for children age 13 and younger. Proceeds will go to help the Kairos Prison Ministry and flood victims in Iowa."

Today Sam and I got to go to one of the local High Schools to borrow some of their marching band uniforms. They will also be helping perform the last number! How cool!

I did take some pictures and videos last night but since I was standing off to the side they didn't come out the greatest. But hopefully it will wet your appetite! Harold and Marian

Harold with the Pick-A-Little Ladies

Quartet with the Pick-A-Little Ladies

Harold with Marian in the Library with the Teens

Scene from "Marian the Librarian"

Sam waiting in the wings for the next scene.

Some boys waiting in the wings playing cards.

Marian and the Pick-A-Little Ladies



Can't wait to see us all in our costumes tonight! I'll try to get some more pictures....of course.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Tech Week

I can't believe it's Wednesday already! This is Tech Week for the musical. We have been rehearsing every night since Sunday and will continue until the show which starts on Friday! It's a lot of fun to do not to mention it's so nice to see it all coming together! Last night's rehearsal went long and Sam and I didn't get home until 10:30! Andy couldn't make rehearsal last night due to work but he'll be there the rest of the week. Tonight is a run through of the entire musical and then Thursday night is dress rehearsal. Can't wait for opening night. Here are a few pictures of a rehearsal a few weeks back. I'll try to get some more pictures tonight and of course during the performance.
This is the very first scene where the salesmen are on the train discussing Harold Hill and how he "doesn't know the territory!"

"Marcellus" is on the left and "Harold Hill" is on the right. "Marcellus" is telling "Harold" about "Marian" during this scene.

Sam and one of his new friends waiting for one of their scenes. Okay...doesn't his friend look like a young Ron Howard???

Some of the "Pick-A-Little" ladies rehearsing a scene with Harold Hill.
Some of the "Pick-A-Little" ladies receiving some instruction from our director.

"Library" scene where they are doing "Marian The Librarian".
"Mayor" is on the left and "Harold Hill" is on the right. Rehearsing a scene together.
Here's two quick videos of the teens, Harold, Marian dancing during "Marian the Librarian". They had only rehearsed this dance for maybe an hour or so before hand.



Saturday, July 19, 2008

PhotoHunter - What IS that??

UPDATE: This is a picture of the back of the pew with the alter railing blurred in the distance. I really love the blurred effect that happened!
Click above to see more photo hunters.

This weeks theme is "What IS that??" So...here it is:
While on our choir tour Sam took the camera and snapped this picture. Can you guess what it is?

Friday, July 18, 2008

Youth Choir Mission Tour 2008

As most of you know I was a chaperon on my church's Youth Choir Mission Trip. It was a long 5 days but 5 days filled of fun!

Day one started before the sun ever came up. Luckily we loaded the vans the night before. We met up at the church at 5:30am and left at 6:00am. Our first stop was in Oklahoma City, OK, at the Epworth Villa Retirement Center. After their performance we found out that it was one of their residents birthday so we got to sing to him. I think it made his day. They served us homemade cookies and punch. YUM! After loading back into the vans we were off to Springfield, MO, to sing at Schweitzer United Methodist Church, which is the church that we attended while we lived there. I got to see my family and good friends that I haven't been able to see in quite some time. The choir performed for their youth group and then after wards challenged our group to a game of Ultimate Frisbee. Our group had never played it before but caught on quickly and ended up beating them! Now they are ready to head on down here to TX, to challenge us to a rematch. Here are some pictures and a couple of videos of our first day. Remember to turn off my music here and to click on all of the pictures.

Click to play Away We Go
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Day two was our free day. We took them all to Silver Dollar City. This theme park is one of our families favorite to go to. My mom was able to get the day off so my mom and dad along with my two nieces met us down there. I was able to spend most of the day with them at the park. While there we went to one of their favorite areas "Tom Sawyers Landing" and found out that it was closed. This area had the balloon ride that Sam, Christina and Rachel all rode as one of their first rides. How sad it will be to see it gone. They are replacing the entire area with a new ride that should be ready next year. Part of our past now gone.

Click to play Silver Dollar City
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Day two ended at Lamberts for dinner. Our hostess, Kris, was able to meet us there and we all enjoyed a stomach filling dinner. I think you could have rolled us all out of there. There was a 40 minute wait but it was all well worth the wait. If you've never been there and you are around one of their restaurants I advise you to try them. Good food and good company make for a great meal.

Click to play Lamberts
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Day three started in Springfield, at the Ozark Food Harvest. We were split up into three groups. Group one colored plates for the kids backpack program that they have. They not only colored but also put inspiring words on the plates. Group two packed up senior food boxes. They completed a little over 300 boxes! Way to go group two! Group three inspected, cleaned, rinsed, sanitized, dried and sorted cans of food that had no labels. This was the group that I was in and we almost made it through one pallet of cans. These were big cans and were not that easy to handle in our smaller hands. We ended up throwing away more cans than we washed due to rust and severe dents. But these cans do not go to waste as there is a hog farmer that gets them to feed to his hogs.

Click to play Ozark Food Harvest
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After our time at the Ozark Food Pantry went back to Schweitzer UMC to pack up our lunch, leave the church, and then had a quick stop at Andy's Custard. YUMMY! Then it was off to St. Louis to sing at Epworth Children's Home. We had an orientation as to what they do there, had dinner with them and then they put on two performances. We didn't have the greatest turn out from the kids but those that showed up really enjoyed it. At the end of the second performance it started to rain like crazy! So we were delayed in leaving there and had an impromptu sing-a-long. Once the rain subsided we were off to see the St. Louis Arch! Once we arrived there it was a lot of fun for everyone. I'd been there previously in my life but only during the day time hours. This time we were up in the arch during the night time hours. So it was a completely different perspective.

Click to play Epworth Children's Home
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Click to play St. Louis Arch
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At the beginning of day four I took some pictures of the church that we stayed at. We were only there to sleep but it's a part of my history. It is the First United Methodist Church in St. Charles, MO. I grew up here and my grandfather was the pastor here along with my dad working here. I know that the Church has been added onto but we stayed in the older part and I recognized a lot of the inside. The lady that met us there when we arrived I found out through talking to her that my grandfather performed her marriage. Then the following morning I met a member of the church that is now a retired pastor that was a pastor while my grandfather was a pastor there. He unlocked some doors for Sam and I to see the painting that was painted in my grandfather's honor. I remember this painting from my childhood and know it well from prints. The parsonage is still across the street from the church and is still owned by the church and used as the parsonage! Not many UMC churches still have parsonages. It was a nice trip down memory lane.

Click to play Memories
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After departing St. Charles, MO, we made our way down to Memphis, TN. There the group sang at Graceland, home of Elvis Presley. It was an extremely hot and humid day and the kids held up great! I know they don't know it now but singing to a crowd that just walked by is a great experience for them. After the concert we all got to tour Graceland. It was more interesting than I thought it would be and Sam just loved it! He's always loved the music of Elvis and has even seen some of his movies so this part of the trip was wonderful for him. After the tour we ate at a local pizza place and then took off to Russelville, AR, to spend the night at the First United Methodist Church there and to perform the following morning. For the Graceland slide show I didn't put in very many captions because I took so many pictures. I even left out quite a bit of them as I think that you might be getting tired at looking at all of these pictures.

Click to play Graceland
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After a very long night they got up early and performed in two services. By the afternoon we were all ready to head on home. We stopped twice on the way home and even got caught in a thunderstorm along the way. Arrived back at our church around 8:45. We were all tired when we got there but had a ton of memories to share with everyone. I'm glad that I chaperoned this trip and got to take Sam along with me. He had a great time and I got to watch him grow up a bit. I don't know how many more trips I'll get to go on with him so I'm cherishing them now.
One last photo...Sam fell asleep in the church service on the last day. He was just so tired. Love this kid.

If you've read this far I commend you and thank you. I do hope that you enjoyed it.

Friday's Feast

Click above picture to read more feasts!

Appetizer: When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?
The last time I had anything done with my hair would be when I went back home to Springfield MO, for Sam's Spring Break this past March. I had it cut, colored and styled.

Soup: Name one thing you miss about being a child.
The innocence of childhood is what I miss the most. But not the innocence of childhood now. My child knows more now than I did at his age. I miss the innocence of my own childhood. The innocence of childhood is what makes being a child fun.

Salad: Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.
Depends on what I'm making. For baking I use butter and for cooking I could use any.

Main Course: If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why?
Spanish. Now that I live in TX there are just as many people here that speak Spanish as they do English.

Dessert: Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…
In 5 years I expect to be the mother of a teenager and hopefully running some sort of business of my own out of my house. I know I'm dreaming but it's good to have dreams!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Messenger Bag

This weekend I had an idea to make Sam a messenger bag for him to carry his "things" around during the Youth Choir Mission Trip. This last Spring I had taken a bunch of jeans that Sam had either outgrown lengthwise or had holes in the knees and made them into jean shorts. I had kept all the lower leg parts in case I wanted to use them for something. I have now made something out of some of them. Yesterday I got them out and started piecing them together to make him a jean messenger bag. I think it turned out pretty well since I had no pattern to go by. I'm also going to give him some sharpie pens and ball point pens so that he can draw on it. He's also going to get the kids to sign it too. Here are some pictures of the finished project. Let me know what you think!

Front view.


Back view.


Sam and his new bag.


Side view of Sam and his new bag.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

July 4th Celebrations

For the 4th of July, we went over to a friends house and I made Lemon Bars this afternoon to take with us. I found the recipe on the Clean Home Journal website. Sam helped and even used the mixer quite well.

Also made our fruit dip today. We make if for most of the gatherings we attend. Here's the recipe:

Fruit Dip
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all together with a mixer until smooth. Chill and then served with sliced apples or other fruits.

Click to play Fireworks Celebration
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Trip To The Zoo

Last Wednesday Rachel, myself and our kids all went to the Ft Worth Zoo. We had a wonderful time. We were all tired and ready to go when the day ended but it was well worth it. I took a ton of pictures as usual and even gave the camera to Sam for him to take some. Here are some of them:
Click to play Ft Worth Zoo
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Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Freecycle

I think that Freecycle has become one of my best friends. Well, not really, but I've gotten some really nice things off of there lately from some very generous people out there. Here's a list:


Of course you know about the pool. We're still getting hours upon hours of fun with the pool.










I think I forgot to tell you about this one. At the same house that we got the pool there was the armoire sitting in her garage. They had previously sold it at a garage sale but the people (who had paid for it) never came back to pick it up. It had been several months with several phone calls to them. So needless to say they were ready to have it gone. I of course jumped at the opportunity to take it and put it in my craft room. It is wonderful!








There was a posting not to long ago of someone getting rid of a chair. I asked to see a photo of it and even though there is a tear on the front of it I got it and am using it in my craft room. I didn't have a place to sit in there until now. I'll make a cover for it sometime soon. Either that or drape a throw over it.








With the pending Youth Choir Tour that I am helping chaperon and taking Sam on I wanted to
get him something to keep him busy (read occupied) during those times that he needs to be quiet. I posted that I was looking for a Game Boy of some kind. In that same post I also posted that Sam was getting into Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and asked if there were any kids that have outgrown theirs. I got a response from a lovely lady that had a 15 year old boy that had over 300 cards along with a Game Boy Advance SP that he wanted to give to Sam. I was floored! Of course we still had to get games for the Game Boy. When we went to the Game Stop store here we found out that the Game Boy that we received was a limited edition made specifically for Japan. If those in the USA wanted this specific color they had to special order it. There were only 200 of this color made! Luckily the used games at Game Stop start at $2.99! I'm happy and now as you can see....He's VERY Happy!





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