Easter!

My Camera memory card is full, amazing I know right! SO my sister was gracious enough to get a few fun shots of the kids Easter egg hunting at Nonnie and Pappy's house! We had a nice big meal and watched some classic favorites, the cartoon Easter story and seven brides for seven brothers, awesome movie's!
This is a quick blog because I need to get back to school for the day, so here are some pics of our Easter fun!

The difference between Los Angeles and yogurt is that yogurt comes with less fruit. Rush Limbaugh

Wow its been a REALLY long time since I was able to sit down and blog, ahem, I mean Journal. :) As I've said before I have a sweet determined younger brother in California on a mission for our church, so sorry if this seems like a news letter with updates for him. At least when I say I've got to write David, it gives me an excuse to be on the computer. (giggle)

I've been extremely busy keeping up with kids, house, and church calling. But I can officially say were as ready as we can be to start school. I'm really excited for this year because along with what I hope will be a fun curriculum, were learning to play the VIOLIN!

Now to understand what a big deal this is I have to take you back a few years to a very young me watching Disney's Fantasia over and over again! I was obsessed with the fact that the music told a story. Then my family got the entire set of The Forgotten Carols by Micheal McLean on cassette tape. Now I know he mainly does piano but I was completely in love with the stories told to me by music. My mother would get sick of hearing the same music over and over but my father understood what I was thinking he himself being a lover of Peter and the Wolf.




I eventually chose the violin as the one instrument I HAD to have! If any unsuspecting adult asked what I wanted to do the got the prompt answer , 'play the violin.'
I now realize how sad it made my parents not being able to afford lessons. It was a big thing I asked for! The Violin alone was a major expense for them.
After a few years of being teased of not being able to carry a tune, and realizing that I had no talent, and couldn't read music to save my life, I put the idea aside and did my best to develop my other talents.

My sixteenth birthday rolls around and my Grandfather shows up with a brand new absolutely gorgeous Violin, bow and case. I was totally dumbfounded, I had given that dream up. I didn't know what to do. So I am ashamed to say I let it sit for years. I always took care of it, I took it to WY as a newly wed. I moved it with me every time we moved. I never let ANYTHING happen to it. But I never did anything with it.

I have always been sad by that, but kept telling myself one day when I had the money I would pay someone to teach me.
ENTER HUBBY.

I guess Tim got tired of seeing that black case move with us everywhere we went, because he took a sudden interest in the neglected violin. Without my knowing he replaced the strings, and had it tuned, then he started to teach himself to play it.
Maybe it was because I was pregnant and hormonal, or more likely it was years of guilt, but I lost it. I had a 'woman fit' about him playing it, "it was mine and I still loved my music and my Grandfather had wanted ME to play it!!!"

Well lets just say the Lord blessed me with the most patient man. He put it away and said, "I'll wait until your ready."

Eight months later I go to the Homeschool Conference in Atlanta. Its just myself and Timmy and I'm missing my family like crazy. So very unlike me (but very like my hubby) I take a lecture/class on music and how it develops parts of the brain that normally go unstimulated. It helps children to learn to read, but the biggest seller to me was the mathematical tributes of learning music.

I think, "how on earth can I afford classes for the children, much less me?" Then I run into a booth at the conference selling a music tutorial for parents to be able to teach children to play the violin and/ or the viola. EVEN if the parents cannot read music.
They also sold tiny violins, cases, and music stands. (Pictures forthcoming.)

I very humbly returned home and told my husband to take my violin and teach our girls music. (He's also tutoring me on the side. :)

I'll post some pictures of the girls and Tim playing when I can find my camera.

(The difference between Los Angeles and yogurt is that yogurt comes with less fruit.
Rush Limbaugh)