http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzCWSnHxc4M

click to watch fry street in action.

Fry Street Quartet?

Lucky,blessed- Heaven answers a mother's prayer. I remember last Spring I knew I would be losing yet another violin teacher for my daughters due to them moving. I knew there were only students left to teach. Sometimes as a mother you have intuition for your children on what would be best. Don't get me wrong the teachers they had previously were fantastic. But there comes a point when the training needs to advance. As a mother you feel that and it is very strong. I knew for a long time that Russell would be good for the girls and I had my eye on him. But I am not a musician, and have a little known name in this political, who knows who world. Yet I was brave and had Nonie (the teacher moving) ask him and he said he was too busy. Then during last years spring concert I saw him in the front row and I said a little prayer that if he was meant to be their teacher he would. Well, he came up to me afterwards and said, "I would like to work something out." Who doesn't want to take from him, but he is very selective-he has to be. He has been a fabulous mix with his once a month master classes and Diane Austin who studied with Dr. Suzuki in Japan while he was alive. It was a blessing she took me last minute as well.

If that is not fortunate enough. I have been stuck with the same dilema with my cellist. There are only student teachers-and hers, Rosalie is moving. And I suppose I have been spoiled and know the difference now between a seasoned teacher and a student. So I aimed for the moon, sent it with a prayer and asked Anne Francis if she would take Jessica. This talented lady is in high demand with a two year waiting list. But She will take her now!! I had written her about Jessica and her unusual interest in music. She will play for hours, give up a movie to go play her cello. Make comments about the music in the movies and say "I want my music to be so beautiful it makes people cry." She spends most the time at Grandma's and Grandpa's playing and composing on the piano. She reminds me of the August Rush boy. Always thinking of music. (Are you reading this Carrie, it's a good thing it didn't work out with her, because it is so fun to have a cellist. Although I am sorry for all you went through as her violin teacher.) So we had a lesson with Anne and she will take her!! I feel so blessed. That me, just some Ericksen is working with World reknown people to assist my daughters.

Need a good laugh?

I thought this was a classic-Have a good weekend.

I lost but I gained

Today I have conquered a fear. One I have put off for too long. I had a tooth implant done. Not fun minor surgery but at least I don't have to ever worry about that tooth again. If it was a back molar I would have had it pulled, but it wasn't so an implant was in order. However, it will be nice to chew on both sides of the mouth without pain after 2 years. I do have to say that having babies does indeed take a toll on your body. Since I have had them I have lost 2 teeth now (my one back molar is missing)lost skin tone, especially around the stomach,lost half of my hair, grown stretch marks, have a bent tail bone (at least it didn't break), lost my figure and last but not least lost breast quality and quantity. But In the process I have gained six beautiful children and I would do it all over again.

Looking at the Bright side of things

Since we haven't had "Dad" around the house much with his two jobs during this employment transition I have had plenty of time to think of the good things while he is gone. While this has been hard on our family, especially me I can either wallow in it or conquer it. I choose to conquer. So I will list those things that I have come to look on the bright side with.
1.) I learned how to use a snow blower this winter.
2.) I do all the yard work on nearly an acre of garden/yard-believe me, you can tell
3.) I planned and planted the garden
4.) I learned how to fix the tiller
5.) Done home repairs
6.) ALMOST caught up on all 6 baby books
7.) read a lot of books and learned a lot
8.) Learning french
9.) I plan 3 healthy meals a day (made from scratch)
and pack Trevor a lunch and dinner.
10) Learned more about computers
11) Learned how to be more economical so Trevor's work
is not waisted by unwise spending.
12) Learning patience as the days are long and I feel
tired and cranky with the children I have to be
patient as dad is not here to take over and relieve.
13) Our love is growing stronger as we are both sacrificing
and working together to achieve this goal.
14) Time is precious. Because he misses 300 days a year out
of the 365 we have so little of it together that we make
the most of it.
15) My children are learning that when dad isn't here I need
their help even more. Cooperation takes place.
16) My children are learning the value of an early education.
If dad had done this years ago we wouldn't be doing
it now amidst family life.
17) As I am away from family and almost isolated, my children
have become my sanctuary and my little friends.
18) I love to be busy, because of this I invest large amounts
of time into them.
19) We value life more. As we have lived this less quality of
family life because of too much work we are apt to make
good decisions that support quality family life.
20) At least I have Saturday night and Sunday with him. My heart
goes out to all those that have lost a spouse.

"It does a man no good to be free until he has learned how to live"

I finished this book with the kids a couple of weeks ago and I have had one of the lessons in it on my mind since. Amos Fortune was a Negro slave in the early
1700's. He was fortunate enough to have been bought by a Quaker gentleman who educated him, took care of him and later gave him his freedom. But Amos was adamant that "it does a man no good to be free until he has learned how to live." So he learned to work leather and became the best in the trade for miles. He earned enough money to buy a wife whom he loved and then she died a year later. So he earned enough money to buy another woman her freedom, she too died a year later. But he had peace in knowing they had at least one year of freedom and that they had died free. A few years later he saw another woman (Violet) and her small child. He asked the "owner" how much they would both be and saved for them. They started their life together and saved for more tools, a horse and made a makeshift home.(I think we cannot imagine how hard freedom life was for a Negro back then.) A good man was even kind enough to let them use an acre of land for free. But the time came that they wanted a real home and so they both worked hard and saved money in the iron kettle to earn a home and to buy a piece of land. When he almost had enough money he noticed a widow who was desperate and quite pathetic with her children. Compassion overcame him and he made up his mind to buy her and her children a home. Violet (his wife) knew what he was thinking and took the money and hid it. The next morning when he went to get the money to do his good deed it wasn't there. Violet argued with him that she wouldn't tell him where it was until he agreed to build them their home and quit "saving" everyone. She went on to saying, "There's a fire that burns fast the more fuel goes on it and that's shiftlessness. She is a shiftless woman and money is just so much fuel to her fire. With all the help the town gave her she never made herself any better. Her children are getting older. they're the ones to help her and help themselves too. You'll do more for them all by giving work to the boys than by giving money to Lois." (This was so powerful to me) He was upset, she was upset. They didn't speak for three days. Finally, he went to a mountain to pray, determined not to come back until he got an answer of what he should do. After some time he realized, Looking from the height made him look back over his own life. He saw, with a sudden start of realization, that just as he had come a far way up the mountain to gain its crest, so had he traveled a far way through the years to gain the point at which he stood. he still had his strength, or a good portion of it. And he had his trade. But that was all. His freedom was assured as well as that of his wife and child. Yet he owned no land, nothing they could call theirs if the chariot of death came for him soon. He thought about his family and what would happen to them when he was no longer there to care for them. He thought, Amos Fortune-a man who was landless save for the kindness of a parson-thought what a good thing it must be to own a few acres of land. To bring it to bear. To leave it better than when they came to one's hand. For land was the wealth of this new country. To have land was to have an iron kettle with money always in it. How powerful is that? My problem is that I would be just like Amos and think of other before myself. But to help yourself first...That is the key. In the words of the Master himself,"Physician, heal thyself." Just a few epiphanies of mine.