Flashback Friday

Austin, age 2, playing ball outside in Norman, OK.

A Much Welcome Replacement

We finally replaced our eat in kitchen table. We found a STEAL at the Nebraska Furniture Mart and couldn't pass it up. I think the new table looks a lot better in the room. Plus it's much bigger and leaves more room for the huge meals I tend to prepare.

The old table can be seen HERE (<-- click link).

The funny part is that Gregg has some illusion that I had this all planned out in my head before we left the house yesterday.

Yes, I had wanted a new table for this room. Yes, I did suggest we go to the store. Yes, I did ask if his truck was started prior to us leaving. But we often run out of things to do while out and about on our usual Saturday shopping trips. I did not intend on picking anything up, and to set things straight, he picked this table out. He usually wants us to take his truck, so I just figured he'd want to yesterday as well.

Either way, I am happy with our purchase. I am pretty sure he is too. And when I say a STEAL I do, mean a steal. $350 for an all hard wood (54 inches square) and 4 leather upholstered chairs. That is a steal in my book.

Music Program

Last night was the 5th grade music program. It was a bit of a letdown how uninvolved this school is in their music classes. I think they threw this program together in about 2 weeks, and it showed. Here are a few of the photographs I took.

This is Payton's class, they were a tad unruly before the program.

Here is Payton playing the xylophone.

Doesn't she look enthused?

This is the entire grade. There are only two classes of 5th grade, a total of 44 students. If I remember correctly, in Virginia Beach there were five 5th grade classes in Payton's school. It's such a little, tiny, school - but nice in it's own little way.

More "instruments"

Here is Payton playing the recorder. They started playing the recorder in 3rd grade in VA, so this is not too interesting to her.

And I'd just like to mention this photo briefly. Children were told to dress in ALL BLACK. I cannot imagine what the problem was with this single person, but there is always that one person who cannot follow directions. I seriously doubt that the closest thing to black in her closet was a white satin dress.

The program was fine, I'm not trying to knock it. But it's hard not to compare it to the ones at the kids old school. Which were outstanding and there were a lot more of them to get in line. Payton enjoyed the violin so much, and she was so good at it. I wish they had that sort of program here.

2 Days Time

I wanted to show off the scarf I made. It is amazing the things you find to occupy your time when you are stuck in doors for extended periods of time. I was so excited about getting it done that I made Gregg take a photo of me wearing it late last night.

I should have gotten a photo of the scarf that Payton made me for Valentine's Day, it is much different, but beautiful all the same.

The Things I Get Worked Up Over

I got so worked up yesterday over the dumbest of things that I couldn't help but share.

When you move, things get broken, that's just the way it is. However, when we moved this last time things went really well until the driver of the moving truck decided to pick up my nightstand and drop it on the cement right in front of the house. Needless to say I was just a little upset. Of course he thought the damage was slim to none, but it was easy to see that the front corner of the nightstand was bashed in and I was not too happy.

Yesterday the furniture repair people came out while I was in classes. Gregg was at home with the kids since it was a holiday and he took care of the whole thing. When I came home I was so upset to hear that my nightstand was hauled away for repair that I nearly started crying. I didn't know what I was going to do without that piece of furniture.

Gregg offered to move his matching one over to my side of the bed, but that wouldn't help anything since then he would be inconvenienced. I do use my nightstand a lot. I load it up with lip balm, books, remote controls, ear plugs (I'm a light sleeper), chocolate bars on occasion, and I was just upset that I had no place for my things.

Anyway, after all has died down and I have given in to the fact that I will be inconvenienced for at least a week and a half, I go upstairs to find this:

Gregg had moved one of the boxes from the basement to my side of the bed and set it all up nice for me. Isn't that sweet of him. I feel just a little silly getting so upset, but hopefully you got a little chuckle out of my story.

Cheesecake Anyone?

My honey just loves his cheesecake. Since Valentine's Day is this weekend, I spent my day off making him his favorite cheesecake. I have absolutely the best cheesecake recipe ever. I found it online about 4 years ago and crowned it the king of all cheesecakes immediately. The Cheesecake Factory has nothing on this one. It is just all sorts of wrong, topped with lemon curd.

It has snowed steadily for the past 4 days now & I think it is supposed to continue into tomorrow as well. The snow was nice and wet so it packed well. Payton made a snowman and check it out, it's almost as tall as her! This is the first snowman she's been able to make here, the snow is usually so dry it doesn't pack at all.

Random Randomness

I wanted to post something today, but really hadn't taken any photos lately around the house. So I turned to my cell phone for a few random photos to share.

Here's the clock tower at the University of Nebraska campus. It's been so cold lately, and a simply dreadful walk across campus. I'm sure it will be beautiful this Spring.

Last weekend we went to a mall in Omaha. I had been wanting to try this bubble tea place and Payton joined me.

I'm not sure that everyone knows exactly what bubble tea is, but it is a lightly sweetened, fruit flavored, tea beverage that is served cold with large tapioca balls (the black inside the drink in the photo above). You get a huge straw that is large enough to suck the tapioca balls up through.

Payton had strawberry (I do not recommend), and I had coconut (which was really tasty).

Payton is NOT a fan, just the mentioning of "bubble tea" will make her gag now. Gregg didn't mind it, but didn't care for the tapioca. I thought the tapioca was a very interesting textural component, like a snack built right into your drink. If you are texture sensitive, this might not be the drink/snack for you. But I'm glad I tried it since I really love trying new foods of all types.