Friday, February 14, 2020

Stickers and Cookies on Thursday

New Sticker and Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Today's piano lesson was a success!  I received several stickers and a baggie of chocolate chip cookies my neighbor's daughter had baked!  LOL!  I admit to eating two of the cookies!  I froze the remaining three cookies to share with my daughter when she visits at the end of the month.

In the end, I managed to memorize six of the songs I had been assigned (although I made a couple of mistakes with some of them when playing - silly mistakes, too, considering I played them fairly well at home!).   A few of the songs are back on my homework assignment for this week, as she would like me to be able to increase the tempo.  I have new pieces to learn, too, but, luckily, I don't have to memorize them!  Oh, and I memorized my cell phone number, too!  Finally!  LOL!

In the morning, before I went to my piano lesson, I responded to blog comments, put away the blue handknit wool sweater I had washed and laid out flat to dry, did the litter box, and washed the few dishes that were in the kitchen sink (from my late night snack and the morning tea).  After the lesson, I made fried rice for lunch (used one egg to make it), washed the lunch dishes, wiped down the kitchen counters, washed the grey handknit wool sweater, started tidying the desk in my bedroom, watered the front garden (I've three lantana plants that don't seem to be doing too well - too much "watering" by the neighbor's dogs, I suspect!), and did some paperwork/filing while I watched news.

Later in the evening, I called friend R and chatted with her for a bit.  Later, I video chatted with my daughter.  Dinner was a scrambled egg on toast (used another egg!), with avocado pudding for dessert.

Today, I am grateful for:
- A good piano lesson
- Stickers and cookies!
- A sunny, warm day
- Being able to open the windows to air out the house
- Having window screens in place! 

Today's joyful activity was - eating chocolate chip cookies!

Thursday's To Do List:
- Practice the piano - DONE
- Piano lesson - DONE
- Water the front garden - DONE
- More paperwork - DONE
- Continue to tidy my bedroom - ON-GOING

Friday's To Do List:
- Clean my bathroom
- Continue to tidy my bedroom
- More paperwork/filing
- Practice the piano 
- Have M  check on the lantana and pot up the rooted lemongrass plant

How was your Thursday?  What are your plans for Friday?  Will you be celebrating St. Valentine's Day?

22 comments:

  1. Your days are always busy! So nice you are excelling in your piano lessons. (I've been craving chocolate chip cookies...haven't made them for years!) Andrea

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    1. My days are not quite as busy as they used to be when I used to work, but, there seems to be plenty to do, each day! I am enjoying the piano lessons and the sense of achievement I get when I master each piece. :) Chocolate chip cookies are the best! I haven't made them, myself, in years because I'm afraid I'll eat the whole batch in a matter of days! :D

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  2. Chocolate chip cookies? That's really raised the bar for rewards in a music lesson but a great reward for all that memorising. How are you enjoying the learning process? By which I mean are you please with his fast you are progressing and are you enjoying yourself as much as you hoped?

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    1. She usually has a dish of Armenian candies or a box of chocolates set out on her coffee table and you are encouraged to take a candy after the lesson. I usually decline, but, who can say no to chocolate chip cookies? :D

      I am enjoying the lessons, very much, and I am happy with the pace. In fact, I wouldn't mind it if the pace was a little slower! LOL. I am a lazy learner and I wouldn't mind having only two or three new songs to learn, rather than five or six, each week! I understand she's doing it because the pieces are still rather simple, but, right now, it is a bit challenging Personally, I think I am better at sight reading than at memorizing, but, part of my reasons for starting lessons is to keep my brain active! I am considering piano practicing as a form of meditation - it requires me to keep my mind focused on what I am doing and I am totally engaged in that particular activity for the duration. :)

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  3. Yum, I love cookies like these!

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  4. If I got chocolate chip cookies as rewards, that would motivate me to do all kinds of things. :)

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    1. LOL. Chocolate chip cookies are the best, aren't they? :)

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  5. A Happy Valentine's Day to you- all of the "littles" in the family (Dana's 4-year-old and Paige's 2-year-old) have strutted off to their individual play groups today armed with treats and Valentines for their friends- they will return from their activities covered with crumbs and frosting and very pleased- I even managed to get little remembrances for the "bigs" sent off in a timely fashion this year ... needless to say the "timely" part of that is not typical of me-Paige has requested homemade ice cream, so that is on today's agenda ...she can have some when she comes in after her session in Shreveport-
    It seems you have been your usual busy self again- you DO seem to stay on top of the cleaning and tidying up-
    I really think your lantana should survive the canine intervention- it is very prolific in my yard, and there have been times I had to dig it out to impede its spread-hopefully the neighbor pups will abandon their interest in yours ... and maybe frequent watering for a few weeks might wash away/dilute their evidence-
    Have a good weekend...you and yours are always in my thoughts and prayers- fondest regards-
    Barb

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    1. Thank you, Barb. A Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours, too. :) Hope the "littles" enjoy their Valentine's Day treats and Paige enjoys her ice cream!

      Well, I am trying my best to maintain the house after I spent so much time and effort to tidy it up, last week! I always say that and usually I am good for about a week or two and then, slowly, little by little, I relax and lower my guard and, before I know it, the place is messy, again!

      I am hoping the lantana will survive. The ones on either side are doing well and flowering and three plants in the middle are looking withered. I'll ask M to dig a ditch around them so that the water won't run off when I water them. I am hoping it is not some kind of disease. If so, I might need to replace them.

      I hope you and your family have a lovely weekend, Barb. Have a bowl of ice cream for me, too, OK? :)

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  6. Congratulations on more stickers!!!!

    Oh my, being able to open windows. -smile- Where here, we can only open a crack, at night, for sleeping. Snow and cold are our winter. -smile-

    💕 💕 💕Happy Valentine Day💕 💕 💕

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    1. Thank you, Wisps of Words. :) Yes, the benefits of living in a milder climate. The afternoons are very pleasant and warm for the most part. That's when I open the windows to air the house. Once the sun goes down, it cools off very quickly, and I close the windows before it gets cold. The downside of opening windows is how dusty it gets!

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  7. My, you are doing really well with the piano playing. It must be fun to sit at the piano and practice the pieces you have memorized, just rattling them off without music.
    I would have gone out for breakfast with my friend this morning but we agreed yesterday to put it off because bitterly cold weather was forecast. I was so glad when I woke up around 8 am that I was in a warm bed and not in the car outside her house, and I'm sure she was just as happy to be at home at that hour. DH and I went in later for groceries and other errands and it is lovely and sunny. Seems we either get deep freeze and sun or mild weather and gloom!

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    1. Thank you, Bushlady. I am not quite at the "rattling them off" stage, yet, but, I hope to get there, eventually! :D

      I think you made the right decision to postpone going out to breakfast. Funny how the weather can be cold but sunny or warmer but gloomy! I think I'd prefer cold but sunny! Somehow, the sunshine makes the cold feel less cold, I think! :)

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  8. I think the cookies also motivated you to come home and finish the rest of your chores on the to-do list. You had a productive day. Congrats on having a very good piano lesson. Six pieces memorised during an otherwise incredibly busy week, was no small feat. Your twice-a-day practising is really paying off.

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    1. They probably did, although I am usually most productive in the afternoons, these days. That's when I get most of my cleaning done. Thank you; I am very pleased that I was able to memorize what I did. :)

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  9. Yay! Stickers AND cookies! You are a very good student. 😁

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    1. LOL, thank you! I told her how you wanted to get stickers for your students, too, and she was very happy! She has such enthusiasm for her teaching that it is a pleasure to learn from her. :)

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  10. How fun to receive a sweet reward for your good work! Very motivational. And just look at that to-do list - mostly done. You deserves lots of rewards!

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    1. Thank you, Susanne. I've promised myself another scrapbooking session, this weekend, as a reward, too (once I finish cleaning my bedroom)! :D

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