Welcome to my yesterday.

8:30 A.M. - Drive to far northeast Plano to give a piano lesson.   Leave house 10 minutes late.  Arrive closer to 8:40.

9:15 A.M. - Finish lesson, but stay to chat a bit and offer condolences over a recent family death.  Leave house at 9:25.

9:40 A.M. - Drive to Trey’s school to pick him up for a doctor’s appointment at 9:45.  Trey takes 10 minutes to get to office because he was packing up for the day.

9:50 A.M. - Drive like a woman possessed to the pediatrician, trying not to attract attention for a speeding ticket.  Arrive at 9:55 according to their clock.

10:15 A.M. - Finally taken to an exam room.

10:20 A.M. - Seen by doctor.

10:40 A.M. - Checkout complete, get in car and drive home to pick up game for music party at Trey’s school.  While there, Trey takes a bathroom break.  A LONG bathroom break.  Get Crisana dressed for gymnastics.  Gather items for swim playdate this afternoon.  Twiddle thumbs while waiting for Trey to finish.

11:00 A.M. - Drive Crisana to gymnastics class.

11:11 A.M. - Arrive at gymnastics.  Beg, with most harried expression possible, for friend to keep an eye on Crisana while I return Trey to school.  Promise to be back “in 15.”

11:14 A.M. - Get back in car and drive Trey to school, game in hand.

11:20 A.M. - Arrive at McGowen.  Walk Trey inside.  Wait for registrar to get off phone so as to turn in doctor’s excuse since he was not there for the 10:00 bell.  Say good-bye to Trey and see him off to class, happy as a clam with “Battleship” tucked under one arm.

11:24 A.M. - Get back in car and drive to gymnastics.

11:31 A.M. -  Arrive at gymnastics in 17, not the promised 15.  Sit for a few minutes while class finishes up.

11:55 A.M. - Say good-bye’s to class instructor and classmates.  Make arrangements to meet for playdate following lunch at 1:00.

12:10 P.M. - Arrive home for brief lunch.  Check emails.  Check box by front door for Scout ticket payments.  Fix lunch.  Sit for 2 minutes to snarf down lunch.  Go to the bathroom.  Change into bathing suits.   Put on sunscreen.  Let dog out.  Let dog in.  Check mail.  Catch score of Rangers game.  IM Matt the score of the Rangers game.

12:50P.M.  - Drive to Lifetime Fitness for swim playdate with friend from gymnastics.

1:03 P.M. - Arrive at Lifetime.  Enjoy 2 full hours of waterlogged fun.

3:08 P.M. - Drive home.  Turn off car.  Fall, exhausted, onto nearest sofa.  Sleep for the rest of the day.

To see a copy of my route yesterday, click on this link: Debbi’s Dizzying Driving Day.

The world of papercrafters is large and vast. So many possibilities exist, so many new territories can be explored. Scrapbooking is one of them. Cardmaking is another. Many who scrap cross over to cardmaking. Many who create beautiful, hand-made cards also enjoy designing gorgeous scrapbook pages.

I, however, am not one of them.

In all fairness, I must say I have given it the old college try. I have attended Stampin’ Up! demonstrations. I have gone to cardmaking classes. I even went to a D.O.T.S. home show eons ago - before cardmaking was all the rage - and learned how to make cute little gift bags from #10 security envelopes. I bought stamps and stamp pads with my imagination wide open to the prospect of saving a fortune by making memorable cards for every occasion.

And then I made a very important discovery: I don’t like making cards.

Scrapbooking, I love. Cardmaking, notsomuch.

I love buying the beautiful handmade cards created by others, and oohing and ahhing over them and thinking to myself, “Now I could make that!” and then never doing it.

So it is justifiable, I reason, to allow myself this brag post. The McGowen Country Fair is coming up next weekend, and as I have done in the past for the McNeil auctions, I wanted to offer a gift certificate for a free month of lessons. But that meant actually making the gift certificate. And, being the overachiever I am known to be, I wanted it to be a magnificent gift certificate, truly one-of-a-kind. Eye catching. Sure to draw attention. Impressive.

I started with my basic color scheme of black, red, white and a hint of grey if necessary and set out to create this masterpiece. Several hours (and scads of discarded scraps) later, I emerged with this:

I knew I’d done a good job when I showed it to Matt the next morning and he said, “That’s GORGEOUS.”  Yep, I rocked it.

For those who are interested, details on making this are below the fold.

Read the rest of this entry »

There are watercolour ponies

on my refrigerator door

and the shape of something I don’t really recognize…

Drawn with careful little fingers

and put proudly on display,

A reminder to us all of how time flies.

* * * * * * * * *

Oh, the pleasure of watching the children growing

is mixed with a bitter cup

Of knowing the watercolour ponies

Will one day

Ride away.

-Wayne Watson, “Watercolor Ponies”

Enough for the sappy intro. But it’s true. The watercolor ponies are in the corral, learning their paces. You see, in this epic entitled “Parenthood”, yesterday we completed the second chapter: “The Preschool Years.” That’s right…our baby officially graduated from preschool and is now promoted to Kindergarten! Bittersweet.

Crisana had been excited about this day for weeks, reminding us, telling us little details and keeping other ones secret. She had volunteered for a speaking part at the microphone, so we had been practicing her line to make sure she knew it. A side benefit: we could all say it in our sleep. We put it on her calendar and had been counting down the days. While her excitement mounted, I must say mine was tempered with a bit of sadness knowing that our days as preschool parents were coming to an end.

The children entered the sanctuary waving little streamers they had made out of popsicle sticks and curling ribbon.

They then found their places on the stage and provided a short program with the speaking parts and a few songs that they had learned in music class.

Our personal favorite was the rendition of “Old MacDonald Had a Band”. The children had made guitars, banjos, fiddles, and jugs out of various items and played them throughout the song.

And then it was time for the awards presentation. Each teacher got up and spoke briefly about their class: how proud they were of the children, how much they had enjoyed this class and this year, and how much they would miss the children. Each teacher handed out the diplomas in a different manner.   Ms. Alexia framed each child’s and wrote a special note on the back.

And then, just like that, it was over. The students were dismissed for final good-byes and pictures with friends and teachers.

What a special year. She had a wonderful class that really bonded as friends. She had a wonderful teacher who nurtured her emotionally as well as educationally. She grew and learned and developed in so many ways. We will miss Ms. Alexia and the friends she has made but we are grateful for having had the opportunity to get to know these precious people.

As the pen and ink dries on this chapter, we now prepare to turn the page to our school years. Our next chapter might take more time, but I intend to savor every bit. Let those watercolor ponies stay in the corral a little longer. They’re not quite ready to run yet.

 As we close out another season of American Idol, it’s a great time to reminisce and review the moments that made this year unforgettable.

Last night, the AI faithful gathered one last time for our grand finale.  We enjoyed girl talk, lots of yummy food (how many brownies can one girl-fest contain?  Apparently at least 4 different kinds.), and lots of anticipation right up until the moment the results were verified and the winner was announced.  Just for the record, I want to assure you: I called it.  David won!  I am 2-for-2 on the week.  Yay me!

So last night we heard from legends of the music industry:  Donna Summer, Bryan Adams, ZZ Top, and these guys:

Bless your heart, James Lewis.

Who doesn’t love the Birdman?  Especially when he comes complete with cheerleaders and a marching band!  It’s a party!

But, alas, poor Birdman.  He didn’t even make it to Hollywood.  And David Cook did.  He came, he saw, he conquered.  In his honor, I offer these three performances as three standout moments for him.

First, this performance.  The judges didn’t like it, but I did.  I kind of thought it had a Journey-esque sound and feel to it.  Even though it wasn’t his best performance, I felt like he really got caught up in the moment and it showed not only his emotional side, but also captured the essence of who he is.

His final performance - not great, but gosh he was so emotional it was hard for him to even get through it.  In the mixing room it will sound much better.  Get ready to hear the smash hit of the summer.  Too bad it won’t be released in time for high school graduations this year.

But this is the performance that did it for me this season.  And THIS, my friends, is the reason I believe David Cook is our new American Idol:

Tonight we crown our next American Idol.  From the thousands who auditioned, to the hundreds who went to Hollywood, to the final 24, to the final 12, to the performing 10…we are now down to the final 2.   And tonight, the moment we’ve been waiting for will finally be revealed.  After 3 hours of endless programming and unnecessary hoopla, the confetti will fall and tears will be shed, contestants will rally and teenagers will swoon.  For no matter who it is, he will definitely jump start the American heartbeat.

For my part, I didn’t watch last night.  *Gasp*  Yes, I know.  It’s a crime, really.  I humbly admit I have no truly good excuse.  So hear my bad one: last night was a Pack meeting…it went long because of a guest appearance by Critterman, so by the time we got home and got the kids in bed it was 9:00…we chose to watch the finale of Dancing With the Stars and by the time that was over it was getting late and we were both fading fast…so we went to bed.   I told you it wasn’t a good excuse, but it is the honest truth.

In that case, I’ll have to make a blind prediction.  I’ve heard snippets from various sources today and can only base my guess on what I can surmise from those comments.  Reaction from last night has varied widely, so I’m going to go with my gut instinct and hope that it doesn’t prove me wrong.  If you’ve been following my predictions this season you know full well that my educated guesses haven’t been exactly on the money, so to speak.  But I think I’ll get this one right.  I’m pretty confident having watched their performances all season long.

So, without further ado, I predict that tonight, the winner of American Idol Season 7 will be…. Read the rest of this entry »

My prediction:

Although Cristian and Jason have done very well this year, neither can compare to the technical proficiency and finesse that Kristi has brought every week.  I know some will argue that she has an unfair advantage having been a skater and therefore “dancing on ice” - but I would argue that figure skating is hugely different from dancing.  She is an athlete and as such has the same advantage as Jason.  She is a performer, and as such has the same advantage of Cristian.  She is used to performing in front of judges, and THAT is what gives her an edge.

It’s been a fun season.  I’ve enjoyed the guys and feel like they’ve both brought their best to every dance.  But this time, it’s Girl Power.  Go Kristi!

It was a Rough day…for the San Antonio Missions.

They were no-hit by our Frisco Roughriders!

Today, the Roughriders played a doubleheader against the San Antonio Missions, both AA affiliates of the AL West (the Roughriders being the AA affiliate of our Texas Rangers).  Because of that, the first game was only 7 innings, but the result was still the same: our starter pitched a no-hitter!  The official line won’t sound nearly as good:

Pitching >

All told, he threw 120 pitches in the no-hit bid, and had the game gone the full 9 there is no way he would have been able to make it, but it was still exciting.  As unbelievable as this may sound, in all the games Matt and I have attended we have never before witnessed a no-hitter.  The last no-hitter I attended was my brother Dan’s stellar high-school performance in the Regional Championship game against archrival Loyola in 1979.  That game was really exciting, too.

We had a double-header commitment there as well.  Originally we were attending as part of the McKinney ISD Spirit Day, with a small McGowen contingent in attendance.  We purchased those tickets in February.  However, this week we found out that SHW was having a SHWarty on the SHWerrace there, with FREE FOOD and FREE COVERED PARKING.  Suddenly, we found our allegiance shifting.  So we officially attended as part of the SHWentourage and enjoyed all the advantages associated with it.

Good plan.  They had a full lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers (with all the fixin’s), chips, cookies, watermelon, and cold drinks.  We managed to find a table with some shade and enjoyed a true ball-park feast.  We sauntered into the stands midway through the first inning, just in time to see the 3rd out recorded, and proceeded to bake ourselves for the next 2 hours.  The kids and I took a brief break to get free balloon creatures and face painting which allowed us to get out of the sun for a little while.  We even bumped into some friends from PCBC who we hadn’t seen in a number of years (since Crisana was a baby) and enjoyed catching up with them.

The children were invited onto the field to run the bases, but that wouldn’t happen until after the second game.  We were just too hot to stay much longer, and the no-hitter was a spectacular enough ending for us, so we left after the first game.  We cooled off in the air conditioned car and grabbed some Baskin-Robbins ice cream on the way home.

Too bad it was such a rough day for the Missions.  For us, it was definitely a Roughriders day!

Today was the Eighth Annual Music by DESign Spring Recital! Can it really be eight years already?! What a day - and what a great celebration of my students and their achievements this year.

Although I had a roster of 18 students this spring, only 14 performed: 2 are moving and just recently dropped out, one is an adult who didn’t feel up to peforming, and one is a fairly new beginner who wanted to “wait until next year.” But those that did perform made this recital very special and made their teacher extremely proud.

This was my first time in a new venue - our new church, McKinney Fellowship Bible Church. With a new venue came significant changes to how I’ve *always* done things…and that means a little uncertainty and just a little apprehension. The setup this year was far simpler because McFBC has a reception area known as “Main Street.” There are several bistro tables in addition to a number of rectangular tables, plus three separate “cafe” rooms with oversized chairs, couches, and coffee and end tables. There was certainly plenty of room to spread out and visit, and for the first time in eight years everyone in attendance stayed for the reception.

I ordered the cake from my favorite bakery: Willie Mae’s in Plano. I had anticipated it being exactly the same as last year’s cake which looked like this:

Much to my disappointment and dismay, it didn’t quite look the same. Instead, my cake this year looked like this:

A PURPLE Piano??  Are you kidding me?  And the icing on the sides was not of the usual quality, either.  But I already used my allotted 5 minutes of whine time, so I will not dwell on the negatives.

The students performed beautifully and the awards presentation was so much fun.  This year, I decided to give out humorous awards in addition to the regular certificates of participation and achievement for those who had completed levels.   Some of the awards that received the most laughs were The Director’s Commentary Award (for the student who consistently talks out loud while she’s playing), The Fantastic Flying Fingers Award (for the student who tackles tricky technique and complex classical compositions with finesse, flair, and fortitude), The Sleight of Hand Award/Magician’s Assistant Award (for two brothers who pulled off a great practical joke during one of their lessons), and The Boogie Man Award (for Trey, who has thoroughly enjoyed his Boogie ‘n’ Blues book he received for his birthday this year).

These students were recognized for completing levels this year.  See how excited they look?

Trey got a kick out of his award.  He went off the stage slapping his knee. 

We celebrated with a wonderful reception following, and I was able to get a picture of my entire performing studio:

 As usual, I learned some things that will help me next year to make things even better.  But it’s always such a special way to end the year, and the students seemed to have fun and enjoy performing.  The parents were proud, and genuinely seemed to appreciate the students’ efforts.  What a great CELEBRATION!

To close it off, I have to share this picture - one of my favorites - of three students I teach that are in the same family. I love the “six hands, one piano” composition.

With great appreciation to Na-homie of Randomness, I offer you this list of things I’ve come to realize as I have grown…er…shall I say….*ahem* more mature older.

1. I’ve come to realize that:
My life, though far from perfect, is pretty darn great

2. I’ve come to realize that, when I talk:
I occasionally say some really funny things!

3.I’ve come to realize that I love:
barbecue!  Who knew!

4. I’ve come to realize that my friends:
are precious, are special, are to be cherished

5. I’ve come to realize that, I’ve lost:
my very favorite Cookie Lee bracelet that I wear all the time and I’m just sick about it.
I found it in my purse!!  Yay for me!

6. I’ve come to realize that, I hate:
dishonesty in any form.  Also, Dr. Pepper.

7.  I’ve come to realize that, marriage is:
a lot of work…a lot of compromise…but the most fun and rewarding thing I’ve ever done.  A true gift from God.

8. I’ve come to realize that, somewhere, someone is thinking:
NOT about me!  *gasp*

9. I’ve come to realize that I’ll always:
Have a hard time finding pants and jeans and shorts that fit well.  Oh, and have a God - and a family - who loves me and accepts me, big hips and all.

10. I’ve come to realize that I have a crush on:
my husband

11.  I’ve come to realize that the last time I truly cried was:

are you kidding?  I’m a woman.  I cry all the time - mostly for no good reason.

12.  I’ve come to realize that my cell phone:
needs a better ringtone

13. I’ve come to realize that when I wake up in the morning:
I am usually grumpy at the dog.  Especially at 6:00 on a Saturday morning.

14. I’ve come to realize that before I go to sleep at night:
it’s always best to say your prayers, kiss the one you love, and say good night.

15. I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking about:
finishing this post and making it look good

16. I’ve come to realize that I get on myspace:
never - it creeps me out

17.  I’ve come to realize that today:
will be another opportunity for fun & laughter with my family and friends

18. I’ve come to realize that tonight I will:
go to bed

19.  I’ve come to realize that my body is:
fat, full of cellulite, and not terribly attractive…but that’s my fault and so I am okay with it.

20.  I’ve come to realize that tomorrow I will have to:
do grown-up things I don’t want to do

21. I’ve come to realize that this summer:
will be so different from last summer - and that’s such a good thing

22. I’ve come to realize that this year:
my life is in a much better place - and so am I.  This year has the potential to be one of the best.

23.  I’ve come to realize that people:
are not me

24. I’ve come to realize that love:
is a special gift

25. I’ve come to realize that this weekend I will:
not get my hopes up about “projects” but enjoy the moments as they come

Yesterday, I had the insanity privilege of being a chaperone on Trey’s school field trip.  The second grade traveled to the Rosewood Center for Family Arts to see the national touring performance of “If You Give a Pig a Party”, a play adapted from the Laura Joffe Numeroff book of the same name.  Being the awesome volunteer that I am, I was one of the select few whose names were chosen to accompany the students ON THE BUS!!  I haven’t had the thrill of riding a school bus with a bunch of over-excited, noisy children since I was required under contract to be in charge of said children, so this experience brought back all kinds of memories.

The theater is located in Matt’s and my old stomping grounds - at the intersection of Northwest Highway and Skillman Street.  Just being there made me wax nostalgic on dates at Caruso’s (home of the singing waiters…and VERY cozy, private booths), dollar movies at Medallion Theater, take-out burgers at Jake’s.  The area has recently undergone a major transformation and much-needed revitalization project: Caruso’s is now a Pier One, Medallion Theater is now a Kohl’s, and Jake’s is now a parking lot.  But the biggest surprise to me turned out to be the Rosewood Center itself - a beautiful, state-of-the-art theater which used to be a Don Carter’s bowling alley.

We were there with 3 other schools, so the theater was full.  The performance itself was fantastic!  I wasn’t sure how they’d adapt a 5-minute read-aloud book to a 70-minute stage play and still keep the audience entertained, but the writers did and the kids were.  Even our second-graders got into it, cheering during a game of hide-and-seek, and howling wildly at the antics of the animals.  The writers even poked a little fun at themselves, playing off of the other books in the series, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, and If You Give a Moose a Muffin.  In fact, the play was so enjoyable that I am planning to take Crisana to see it next week before the show closes.

Following the performance, we headed back to McKinney to Finch Park - which I didn’t even know existed!  I was so impressed with this park!  For one thing, it’s huge!  There are several different picnic areas with covered pavilions of different sizes.  The playground was full, so we headed over to a pavilion area to eat, where there was a large open area for the children to run around in.  I had brought three different picnic blankets, so most of Trey’s class ended up there to eat since the tables were all full.  After scarfing down their lunches, these kids were ready to play!  We let them scamper around the open area for awhile before heading over to the playground.  There were at least two other schools already on the playground in addition to other families and parkgoers so it was very crowded and made for nervous chaperones for about 15 minutes.  But then one of the schools left and our children became much easier to keep track of.  We let them play for nearly an hour before heading back to school, tired and hot, but having had a fun time.

It was a great field trip, and only reinforced my decision to not return to work full-time next year.  The price of admission to the program: $7.  Having a day to build memories with my son and his friends - and being the one adult chaperone everyone wanted to sit next to on the bus - priceless.  Yes, my friend, there definitely are some things money can’t buy.