Mini Maestro - Take 2

Grace at the end of the first piano book.

It only took us more than eighteen months to do what John and Emily did in less than a year. 

I obviously am not pushing her as hard as I did them at this age.

It could have something to do with a few more kids and animals hanging around the house these days than back then.

I think she's progressed pretty well.

Here's what she sounded like back then.

Please disregard her singing skills.

None of us will every win a prize for our vocal skills!

Grace's Early Performance

Okay not really.

Here's her first piano recital.

First Performance

Breakfast of Champions

We do some mighty strange things to cheer up our kids.

Grace has been less than excited about school the past few mornings.  A little off the wall humor seems to dispell some of the tension she's feeling.

She was quite amused at the enormity of her cereal bowl the other morning.


Though she was still sad getting out of the car in carpool line.


I'll keep working on my comedic skills.  She's a pretty tough audience.

Hittin' the Bottle

No, it has not come to this.

I am not an alcoholic

yet.

I did learn that by mixing this

with this....

you get pure vanilla extract.

Well, you get vanilla extract

after thirty days of sipping shaking the contents of the bottle daily.

Sipping might be more fun, but shaking is the way to make vanilla.

After the first thirty days, you can use straight from the bottle for cooking and just refill with more vodka when needed.

Check back in thirty days and I'll let you know if this really worked or not.

Have I mentioned how nice it is to have a computer again?

NEW-New versus OLD-New

I am back online again.

Yeah!


The timeline goes something like this......

November 2010 - HP computer suddenly becomes totally lame and locks up randomly and without cause (at least that's my opinion)

December 2010 - Spend every waking moment nagging husband to fix my computer (his version of the facts, not mine)

January 2011 - HP no longer willing to cooperate - breathes its last - wife not happy - husband not happy either

January 2011 - Husband and tech guy from work take dead computer to their magical workshop and reincarnate it as better/faster/more reliable version of its old self - wife exceedingly pleased with rebuilt OLD-NEW computer

January 2011 - Wife makes promise to self to stay off those porn sites (kidding here people)

November 2011 - Computer malady rears its ugly head once more causing strife and discord in Shupe residence as important computer stuff ain't gettin' done!!!!!!!!

January 2012 - OLD-NEW computer now completely uncooperative - receives severe tongue lashing from wife (computer, not husband) - dead computer unphased by said tongue lashing - wife once again unhappy - husband thusly unhappy as well


January 2012 - OLD-NEW computer once again brought back from the icy grips of death by beloved husband once again working his magic rebuilding computer from scratch.  All is well and peace is restored in Shupe home.



January 2012 - OLD-NEW piece of @#$% does it AGAIN!!!!!  NO ONE is pleased with this piece of news!


January 2012 - Husband uses HP computer for handgun target practice - places NEW-NEW SONY on wife's desk as peace offering - peace offering accepted - all is right once again (I hope)



So you see my last new computer was actually all new 'stuff' put into the old HP.  David has graciously rebuilt it twice now and it has redied (is that possible?) each time.  He said enough is enough and went and forked over the money for a new computer for me.

The irony in this entire situation is that I LOVED my old computer.  Well, at least when it worked I loved it.  I'm a bit sad to see it go.  I do appreciate that I have a new one that hopefully will not give us the fits of the old one.  We'll see.




However, I am now so paranoid about killing my computer that I am afraid to do almost ANYTHING on it.  You know...

no more online gaming

no more hours whiling away the time shopping for new clothing

no more hours on facebook with all my friends

no more smarmy sites displaying scantily clad people doing unspeakable things





Nope



Just plain old blogging for me

and maybe a little shopping online since I HATE going into real stores.



It's a risk I'm willing to take.



So out with the OLD-NEW and in with the NEW-NEW.


Here's to blogging once again!!