Pizza My Heart

OK. 2 things.

1. Pizza My Heart is an awesome movie. We watched it the other day on Netflix and it was SO cute! It is basically a twist on the classic Romeo and Juliet story about two Italian families - the Prestolanis and the Montebellos who have been at odds with each other for hundreds of years. It takes place in Verona, New Jersey, (as opposed to Verona, Italy like Romeo and Juliet) where the two families own competing Pizzerias. Gina Prestolani and Joe Montebello meet and fall in love. As to what happens - you will have to watch it for yourself to find out! I will tell you this though - sparks fly (literally!), hearts are won, broken, and mended, and lots and lots of delicious Pizza is made! If you want to find out more about the movie you can go to the International Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446016/

I feel that I should also mention what a fun day that was when we watched the movie. It was very, very rainy, thanks to tropical storm Debby and we snuggled in with our computers, blankets, and coffee to watch it. It was so cozy  with the rain pouring outside and us all curled up inside! (Not to mention the movie was adorable!!) After we watched the movie, my mom made us waffles for lunch, which were delicious!! BUT, I have to say that despite how delicious the waffles were, what I REALLY wanted was pizza!! And not just any pizza but delicious homemade pizza!! Which brings me to my second point:

2. A couple weeks ago, we made some AMAZING homemade pizza!! It was rainy that day too, and homemade pizza was just the right thing. Kristi and Josh came over, and my Mom, Kristi, Hannah, and I all worked together to make these delicious pizzas. Each one was like a work of art! :)

I have been forgetting to ask my questions at the end of each post. So - here goes! :)

1. Is there a really cute movie you have watched recently?

2. Do you ever make homemade pizza? What are your favorite toppings to put on pizza?
      I like to put lots and lots of cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and black olives. Also, Italian Seasoning and    
     Parmesan.

Wrappin' it Up

Lately, I have been having lots of fun concocting delicious lunches for myself. Mostly, my creations have taken the form of wraps. Here are a few of my recent experiments:

This delicious wrap consisted of a Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Wrap filled with my own special Tuna recipe. I mixed together tuna, mayonnaise, a squirt of dijon mustard, olives, avocado, grapes, and pecans and put it inside the wrap, along with tomato slices and green-leaf lettuce.

This is a traditional wrap with a Southwestern Flair. It consisted of a whole wheat wrap with ham, Mexican 4-cheese, salsa, tomatoes, and a little ranch. I then fried it in the skillet in some butter (Butter makes everything better).

Another wrap I made that is not pictured was made with a Spinach wrap, turkey, provolone cheese, avocado, ranch, and tomato. I then fried it in the skillet.

All of these wraps were absolutely DELICIOUS!! I heartily recommend them. Actually, I'm getting hungry just thinking about them. How much longer til lunch??!

Summer Reading Review: Piano Lessons

I am trying to squeeze in some extra reading during the summer - since I never really have time for it the rest of the year! One book I read recently was Piano Lessons: A Memoir by Anna Goldsworthy. This book is written from Anna's perspective and describes her lessons with her piano teacher, Elinora Sivan, over a period of several years. Anna began taking lessons as a precocious child and gradually falls in love with the piano and decides to become a concert pianist. Her teacher offers her words of wisdom on not only how to play the piano but also on how to live life. She is an exceptional teacher, who doesn't settle for simply playing the notes but insists on true artistry. I really enjoyed this book. Mrs. Sivan reminds me of my own teacher Louise Barfield. Mrs. Sivan studied in Russia, and Ms. Barfield studied with a Russian teacher at Juilliard, Adele Marcus. Ms. Barfield says some of the same things Mrs. Sivan says like, "Listen with your eyes, see with your ears" and "What makes the difference between being good and being great is the little details." They both want their students to get beyond merely playing all of the correct notes with good technique and seek to get inside the composer's mind and determine what he or she what trying to convey through the music. I found this book inspirational, riveting, and easy to relate to. I would recommend it to anyone interested in music and especially to those pursuing a career in it. For me, it motivated me to practice harder and be more dedicated to being a true artist. Any book that does that is well worth the time it takes to read it!

And Then There Were Two...

So this weekend instead of the normal house-full it was just me and my Dad. Yup. The fantastic five, Mom, and Joe went to Greenville to work with Ashlyn at a children's conference at the Evangelical Institute and Tay went on a missions trip to New Orleans, leaving me A-Lone. (Well, technically with Dad but since he was at work all day, it pretty much felt like I was alone). It was pretty nice most of the time. I got to practice all day with no interruptions. I broke up the practicing with some working out and snuggling with Sofi. Then, at night Dad and I went out to dinner. So, it was pretty fun but I still missed the little dears. It was SO quiet that it was a little creepy. They are all back now though, so life can resume its normal crazy quality! :)

Random interesting story...Saturday night we were at B & Js waiting for a table. I was mentally rehearsing my pieces. I had my hands by my side and I guess I was moving my fingers some as I played through the music in my mind. An older gentleman noticed and said, "Are you practicing?" I said sheepishly "Uh, yeah, actually, I am." We started talking about music and piano, and I actually ended up giving him a business card! :) Moral of the story...you never know when using your time wisely might actually pay off!!

I saw this idea on another blog lately - a few questions to its readers after every post. (Actually probably a lot of blogs do that, but I just noticed it on this one.) I was thinking it would be a great idea to incorporate on mine (when I actually post that is!). So here goes:

1. What do you do when the other members of your house are out of town? Do you like it or is it lonely?

2. What is your favorite type of pizza? Totally random, I know, but we are watching Pizza My Heart and the pizza on there looks A-Mazing!!

Rain, Rain ,Go Away

I.Love.Summer. The end. Period. It is just so generally awesome. Of course, I still do not have enough time to do everything I dream up but it is pretty awesome just the same and contains way more possibilities than during the school year. Of course, practicing takes most of the day, but with the rest of the time it is super fun to dream up all kinds of activities, goals, plans, and projects. So far, we have gone to the library (nerdy I know, but so fun! I don't always love to read - I have *selective* reading tastes which some people refer to as picky *GASP* but I do love the atmosphere of a library. I get the wonderful sensation of all of this knowledge right at my fingertips. It makes me feel kind of tingly and very energetic), watched some old Hayley Mills movies that we have been wanting and wanting to watch - like Pollyanna and Summer Magic, ridden our bikes to the Marina to have our quiet time, and had lots of cozy moments eating lunch together while watching Andy Griffeth, Brady Bunch, Father Knows Best, and Leave it to Beaver. I have lots more plans written in my handy dandy little notebook. cSadly, it has been raining every day so we have been unable to visit the beach or the pool. Sniff. Tear. Hoping for Sunny Days soon!!

Of Life and Plans and Finally Blogging

It has been a long time since I have blogged. Yes, yes it has. I don't know where the time and my good intentions all go. Probably the same place as socks. I wouldn't be surprised. Soooooo, a lot has happened - my brother Josh got married, my brother Joe graduated from high school, and I feel pretty sure some other interesting things happened too - I just can't remember them right now. I do know though that I have been extremely busy!! but that shouldn't surprise any of us by now. I had a lot of good blog post ideas I was planning to write, but at this point, I think I am just going to start fresh with the current moment. If you want to know about some of the major events of the past few months, check out my Mom's blog: www.yestheyareallours.com. Other than that, I have been practicing, teaching, and trying to stay sane (yeah, right!). I just finished the school year and am more than ready for summer break. That is definitely one of the best perks of being a teacher. And, of course, since it is the summer, it is time for my list of idealistic goals and plans! I tried to not make quite as many this summer, but I am not at all sure that I succeeded. Here are a few of my goals for this summer:

1. Practice!!! and Practice! and Practice!!!! This is my one and only chance to practice all day. I had better make the most of it. Grad school auditions will be here before I know it...

2. Memorize the book of Philippians.

3. Do some "artsy stuff." Pinterest I will be paying you a visit soon...

4. Study music history, music theory, sight singing, ear training, and piano literature. I have to pass exams on these  subjects as part of the entrance into MM programs.

5. Be active! (When I am not practicing) Walks, swimming, Zumba, bike riding...

6. Have fun!! :) Yes, I do think this would be a nice goal. Beach, pool, movies I never have time for, spend time with friends and family...

Well, I think that about wraps it up for now. Here is to summer and to keeping up with my blog(s) better! 

Little Drops of Sunshine

It's the weekend! Yay!!! Time for peace and tranquility, relaxation and fun. We all get to take a break from our normal busy schedules and just sit back and smell the roses. Yeah right. That is what we all long for, but for most of us, the weekend is just as busy if not busier than the work week. Housework, baseball games, guests, baking, errands, piano lessons, homework, projects galore...whatever we didn't have time for during the week and MORE - that is what our weekends are like. BUT, even in the midst of the crazy, hectic, *busyness*, we can enjoy this weekend and find peace and rest and fulfillment.  Beauty is all around us. God is all around us. Our blessings are numerous. The work we do is fulfilling. We are created to work after all - not to just sit around. Let's celebrate this weekend even in all of its hectic to-do lists and open our eyes to the magic of the ordinary things.  Jesus Calling says, "You can also find many hints of heaven along your pathway, because the earth is radiantly alive with My Presence. Shimmering sunshine awakens your heart, gently reminding you of My brilliant Light. Birds and flowers, trees and skies evoke praises to My holy Name. Keep your eyes and ears fully open as you journey with Me." This weekend, I *choose* to open my eyes and find God in the little things.