The Conservatory

I can't say my piano room is completely finished because we have some things to hang and window treatments to finish, but I wanted to show you the progress so far.

I've been in need of a "teaching chair"- our dining room chairs are too delicate for daily use and I did not want to drag a kitchen chair back and forth each day. Steve suggested I use a folding chair... ummm, no. I asked him, "Do you sit in a folding chair when you work?"

So, here's my new "teaching chair"- it's perfect!

I also wanted a complimenting chair for the room. It's nice and tall and the fabrics are the same as my teaching chair. Vicki found both of these chairs for me. I got them at a killer price! Any guesses where they're from???

CCA Resale! (CCA is similar to a Salvation Army or Goodwill for those not from this area) Anyway, I am a total snob. I don't shop resale. My friends love me despite the fact. When Vicki called me to come see them I think I cringed.... yes, I know I'm a snob. But, she knows me well enough so I trusted her. These 2 chairs were dropped off by Haverty's and each had a few issues... all that could be fixed by Vicki. So, I bought them. And I must say they look much better in my house than they did at CCA!

So, all my friends.... are you impressed? I shopped at CCA. I think I'm a changed woman!

This is my music cabinet. My in-laws found this piece for me. It works perfectly. It's already completely full! The basket on top to the right is my prize basket. Something all my students look forward to visiting after my lessons.


Once window treatments are done I'll add some more pictures. It's just so nice to finally pull my room together. It's been a playroom/piano room/storage room for so long.

Training Total Tuesday

A few of my friends pick a day of the week and do a "theme post" such as "Works for Me Wednesday" or "Things I Love Thursday". So, I decided to do "Training Total Tuesday". There are several reasons for this. One, it keeps me acccountable to the blogging world. Two, it will keep everyone updated on my 3-Day goals. Three, it will let all my prayer-warrior friends know how to pray. So, here's my first "Training Total Tuesday"



Weeks before the walk: 27



Training: Thursday- 1 hour, Friday- 1 hour 15 minutes, Saturday- 1 hour, Sunday- 45 minutes, Monday- 50 minutes = 4 hours 50 minutes total



Fundraising: Personal- $540; Team- $4,507.28



FROG Team Members: 12

Training Tip:
How to Buy the Right Shoes...
*Try on shoes with the same type of sock you’ll be walking in. Test them out on a hard surface.
*You will probably need a shoe that is one-half or one size larger than your normal shoe size.
*Your heel should not slip in and out of the shoe as you walk.
*The shoe should be flexible, not stiff.
*There should be a thumb’s width of space between your toe and the end of the shoe.
*Look for shoes that breathe and don’t cause your feet to overheat.
*Shop for shoes in the afternoon or evening, since feet have a tendency to swell over the course of the day.
*When you find a good pair of shoes, buy a second pair. Alternate between both pairs while training, so you don’t wear your shoes out before the 3-Day.

The Slow Torture

Elfy- yes, she's still living with us- has torn up every toy we've given her. She disembowels any stuffed animal in a matter of minutes. So, I found this rubber chicken at Big Lots. I'm thinking this might be the perfect toy for her... no stuffing to rip out. The chicken has an active squeaker- very sensitive to the touch. Elfy has played with the chicken for the last few days when suddenly it's become quiet. Just a whooshing air sound now, no squeaker. Poor chicken got her vocal chords dislodged. Now Elfy is chewing off one toe at a time. Is it called a toe? Can't remember. Anyway, Steve's finding little toe stubs in the kitchen. It's as if Elfy is putting this chicken through a slow and painful death. First ripping away it's voice then nibbling bits off at a time. Seems she would make a great interrogator for the CIA. The poor chicken never had a chance.

Crazy Weekend

I looked at my weekend schedule on Wednesday and was stunned at all the things happening today and tomorrow:

* training walk
* baby shower
* spring fling carnival for school
* 4 year old's birthday party
* church
* 6 year old's birthday party
* make-up piano lesson
* softball game

That's just the scheduled stuff! What ever happened to a leisurely weekend with the family? I am so ready for summer!!!

The Journey is the Reward

I've officially started my fundraising for the Breast Cancer 3-Day. We've had several fundraisers as a team already. We had a Peter Piper Pizza night where we got 15% of all money made. A couple of friends have had garage sales where they've made over $900! For the past few weeks I've been organizing bluebonnet portraits. That fundraiser has helped raise almost $1000 for our team. So now I'm working at raising for my personal 3Day account. Each walker must raise a minimum or $2200. We currently have 12 walkers on our team- so we have a lot of money to raise!

We have some more exciting fundraising events planned at other restaurants, a Pampered Chef & Premiere Jewelry show, and a bunko night with amazing prizes. The next few months will be very exciting and busy since I hope to have my goals met by early summer. Then I can just focus on training. There's nothing easy about walking 60 miles in 3 days.

To learn more about my journey and to keep up with with my fundraising then visit my page:

http://08.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/DallasFtWorthEvent?pg=personal&fr_id=1184&fr_id=1184&px=1248692

And, if you've ever considered walking the 3Day then it's not too late to sign up. We welcome any new members to our team. More than anything I just need prayers to find the time to train and protection for my feet- I'm hoping to avoid the blisters this year!

Tag: Jenny- the early years...

So, I'm going to a baby shower this weekend where we're suppose to bring a baby picture of ourself to share. My mom sent me all these pictures. Thank God for scanners and email. So, I thought it would be fun to share.

Even more fun would be for this to be a new "tag"- to post your own baby photos... we can tell so much from the time period and what was in style based on the outfits, hair cuts, and background of the photos- (notice the bedspreads and couches)

I know only a few people who read this actually knew me during these years, so here I am.... Jennifer Lynn Gorham, born in 1975! 2 weeks
2 months

Big brother, Andy, and one fat baby

Lovely bedspread, mom

6 months and sitting pretty... are you fooled into thinking I'm sitting in the forest with the bunnies?

This is not my pretty face.

Sitting on the piano bench... took a long time before growing any hair

What the heck is this thing? A 70s stroller?

Mrs. Ambler... my ballet teacher. Loved ballet!

Not sure what all to say about this picture.... the hair, the clothes... wow.

Every Texas girl takes a bluebonnet picture.

Oh the practicing... I just hated it. But, thanks mom for making me do it!

5 years old

So, I tag my friends with blogs. I know it might take some effort to find some old photos, but oh it's fun to look at them. Come on Randi, Amy, Michelle, Stacy, Amanda, Emily K, Sunni, Jami, Eliz, and the rest of you out there. Let's see those cute baby pictures!

Lessons from the Weekend

Things learned this weekend:

* Always know which airport you're flying out of... American flies out of DFW and Love.
* You must use a quart size baggie to hold ALL of your liquids before getting thru security... and a giant container of mousse does not qualify as being under 3 oz.
* The Coach outlet does not sell purses for under $20- sorry Vicki
* The Garmin does not always know how to get places... sometimes it's best to turn it off and make a phone call to someone who can give better directions.
* Margaritas served out of a tub are cheap and yummy.
* Expired sunscreen does NOT protect skin.
* It's better to teach the rules of the lake before letting someone drive off on a jet ski.
* Jumping off a trapeze into the cool lake water is an admirable feat- so proud of you, Michelle!
* A nice dinner is best enjoyed with wine... make that 2 bottles of wine.
* Food tastes so much better when there aren't little children at the table.
* When playing Guitar Hero it's much easier to start on the easiest level; otherwise you're likely to get booed off the stage.
* Dairy Queen blizzards are way under-rated.
* It's important for someone to keep track of time while shopping in Salado.
* Everyone deserves a time away from the grind of life.
* Friendships are a gift from God.

Lakehouse Trip

I had a girl's weekend at the lakehouse in Spicewood. To see pictures and hear more about the trip you can see Michelle's blog: http://www.ephesianssix.blogspot.com/

Stacy flew down from Ohio and drove with Vicki and me. We stopped in Waco- where I gave them a quick tour of Baylor campus and then had lunch with Granny. Then we continued heading south to Round Rock where we did a little outlet shopping. We then made our way through Austin rush hour traffic to get to the airport to pick up Kim and Michelle.

We got to the lakehouse by dinner time. Shereda made a wonderful meal followed by smores at the firepit. Shereda made us all feel extra special with flowers in our rooms and chocolates by our beds.

Saturday morning we slept in and then hit the lake. We played on the Sea Doos, cooked out burgers for lunch, and then went out on the boat- thanks to Daddy Steve. We all showered and then my in-laws took us out to dinner for some awesome food.

Sunday morning we went out for breakfast before hitting the road north. We stopped in Salado for shopping and then came back to Dallas.

When I got home my house was clean, the laundry was all done, the groceries were all bought, and there were beautiful tulips in a vase for me. My husband went above and beyond in helping me to have a wonderful weekend away. Many thanks also to my in-laws for spoiling us beyond our dreams. We had more laughs and fun than we could have dreamed of. It was so nice to get away from our lives and have some girl fun!

So, Here's a Pickle for You...

Mom has lost her voice and can only whisper while son cannot hear sound less than a speaking voice...

The other Texas flower....

I've been running a fundraiser with my photographer friend, Eileen, for the past 3 weeks. Everyone is getting their bluebonnet picture taken. Well, just across the street from her house is this fabulous field of Indian Paintbrush. Every time I go out there the field gets bigger and bigger. The boys had such a great time running around. They stopped to see the sunset and you can tell Carter is looking at his brother laughing at something he's said or done. I think I'm going to love the ages 6 and 4 more than anything else so far.

Love Note

Caleb made us a card at school. This is what it said:

I love you Mom and Dad because I love you so much that I love you Mom and Dad.

How sweet is that?

One Request

Dear God,

Can you give us one good night without rain, hail, thunder & lightening, and strong wind?

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

Amen

ENT Appointment

We took Caleb to the ENT today to visit the audiologist and see the ENT doctor as well. First we had a 15 minute detailed hearing screen. Caleb was in a sound proof room with headphones while the assistant did the testing. I sat in with Caleb and Steve watched from the other side. She first verbally said words to him and had him repeat her. She got quieter the second time around. He did ok on that part. Then she did series of beeps and other sounds. I couldn't hear anything since Caleb was the only one wearing the headphones. Steve and I kept making eyes at each other trying to figure out how he was actually doing. He would raise his hand sporadically leaving us to believe he was missing several sounds.
After the test we met with the ENT. He explained to us that he has significant hearing loss. He doesn't hear unless sound is at 35 decibels or greater. He told us that the best ear plugs on the market will cover up to 30 decibels. So, it's as if he's always wearing ear plugs.
The doctor then went to look into his ears and noticed lots of clear fluid in both. This would hopefully explain his hearing loss. We have no idea how long the fluid has been there since he hasn't had any ear infections. His tubes fell out when he was 3 so somewhere between then and now he has had fluid build up. This has not been noticed by our pediatricians- I'm guessing because they're looking for an infection rather than fluid.
So, here's the plan... we are to use a nasal mist for 6 weeks to rule out allergies as the reason for the fluid. And this will help us have documentation for the fluid being there- showing that it wasn't there just this one visit. We're all pretty sure that even after treating it we'll be scheduling surgery for tubes.
So, we're seeing this as a fixable situation and praying that once all is done he'll have his hearing fully restored.

The Runners

Our day started very early this morning. We drove down to Fair Park for the Big D Texas Marathon. Steve and Stewart entered the shortest of the races- the 5K. There were hundreds of cars all trying to get into Fair Park at the same time, so it made for a crazy morning. We got there with probably 5 minutes to go before the 5K began. Perfect timing.
Here's the guys with their biggest cheerleaders. Carter kept asking if this race is going to be like Mario Kart. I'm sure in his mind Mario and Luigi would be racing by throwing bombs off the back of the cars in hopes of destroying the competition. He was in for a disappointment.

The mob getting started.

In no time at all the boys rounded the corner for the finish. Stewart was nice enough to run along Steve for the first 2 miles before picking up his pace. Once he got close to the finish line he sat on a bench and waited for big brother Steve to catch up. It's as if they were running side by side the entire time.

Go Daddy Go!

Go Stew Go!

Finishing strong...


Steve and Stew had a time around 29 minutes. Not bad since Steve hadn't been to the gym in 3 weeks. So proud of both of them. This was just a warm-up for Stew. He did the Austin marathon in February so this was a piece of cake for him.

Way to Go!

Visiting Toilets

First of all, let me say that I am thankful to have 2 toilet trained children. OK, that being said, why is it that whenever we go anywhere my children suddenly have to potty? We all potty before leaving the house, but as soon as we sit down at a restaurant or walk into a store I hear a very loud voice say to me (or Steve), "I have to potty." Now this phrase is accompanied with my boys grabbing themselves, eyes bulging out, and wiggling about. Seriously, I think they enjoy visiting all the various bathrooms in Denton County. Am I the only one who deals with this? Why is leaving the house such a laxative?

Our Cubs Fan

Here is Carter's choice of attire yesterday: Power Ranger boxer briefs, striped ski cap, and his "cool shirt" as he calls it. This is a gift from Uncle Stew. What a stud!

Pretend Play

The boys played outside yesterday in the backyard. Steve and I were just giggling as we listened in on their "pretend play." They were playing Mario Brothers... not surprising since it's their favorite video game. So, were they Mario and Luigi? Mario and Bowser? Mario and Yoshi? No, they were Mario and Princess Toadstool... Mario saves the princess was the story line...and both were fighting over who gets to be the princess!