First Open Mic Night!

So, with as many shows as Deven has done, he was nervous singing at an open mic night. It was great to hear him sing, and hear the warm reception afterwards. He was so nervous that he forgot to sing his favorite verse of the song. But he did a great job covering it - you wouldn't know that he did it by accident. I thought he just shortened the song...

Here's the video:
Jesus Jesus by Noah Gundersen

Let me know what you think!
We're so proud of him!!

Until next time!

Under the Sea!

Deven was Sebastian the crab this weekend at impACT Theatre's production of The Little Mermaid. He did a great job! Here are a couple of clips:

Under the Sea - I was sitting in the second row... didn't realize how close it would be...

Kiss the Girl. This was Saturday night, and we sat in the 4th row...

Anyway, we had a great time. The show was good, and everyone is excited about Legally Blonde in the summer. 

What else is going on - well, I'm still healing. It sucks. 

Deven is performing at an open mic night this Friday. 

Iyana is graduating on Saturday!! 

Dianna is getting ready to go to Nebraska next month for The International Thespian Festival. 

Ahja and Janiyah are still trying to figure out what they want to get into. I think I'm sending Janiyah to track practice. She's a great runner, so I think she'll do very well. 

I think that's it for now. Let me know what you think of the videos. 

Until next time!

ADOPTION!!!

So, as you all may know, our adoption is officially final! We are very excited about it, and we're going to have a party!

If you haven't seen this service - it's called Paperless Post. You can send very nice invitations out using this service. I made some for the party. I've used eVite before, but I like the delivery of Paperless Post.

Other news - which isn't much:

I had shoulder surgery. Not fun. I'm over the pain, and I'm ready to get back to work. Physical therapy sucks, and I can't even sleep on the side of the bed that I want. Boo...

Lawrence is working hard, and treating me like a baby. He acts like I can't even feed myself... it's cute! He was out with me last week, but now he's back at work. He checks on me often, although I keep telling him I'm fine. I hope he can stop worrying... just for a little.

Iyana is inching closer and closer to graduation: May 18th! She wants to attend UNCC after this. She's interning at a bakery right now, and still working. She even saved her money to get her car fixed (Yaayy)! Now we'll never see her...

Dianna is working on Footloose, the high school musical for NWSA. She's stage tech and lighting. It opens this weekend... I hope I get to see it...

Deven landed the role of Sebastian in The Little Mermaid at impACT Theatre of Gastonia. It just started, and will open in May. Driving back and forth to Gastonia... again.

Ahja went to the JROTC Millitary Ball - and decided she was going to go back to JROTC next year! I know you saw the pictures on Facebook, but here's another...

Contrary to the way she looks in this picture, she had a great time! 

Janiyah has all As on her report card! Her behavior, however... ugh! We're working hard on changing it, letting her know that no one wants to work with an evil know-it-all. Hopefully she's getting the picture. 

Coming up:

The family trip, Homeschool Historical Ball, Deven's birthday, graduation, and when we'll be in Philly again. 

Oh... and if you love yourself, you'll make some of these:

Brownie mix, Oreo cookies, and peanut butter. Pour a little brownie mix in, add the cookie, add a little melted peanut butter, cover with brownie mix. They are DELICIOUS!! 

Alright, that's all for now. I hurt. 

Until next time! 

Soup's on!!

First, for the people that clicked on the picture on Pinterest... here's the soup recipe:

Island Kale and Sweet Potato Soup (recipe from Food and Wine)

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (I used a tablespoon of jar jalapenos)
3/4 lbs kale, stems removed, chopped
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 1/2 quarts low sodium broth (I used vegetable broth so my vegetarian can enjoy it)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and jalapeño and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Stir in the kale, sweet potatoes, broth, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk and just heat through.

This was absolutely delicious!! I'm definitely going to make this again!

A little bit of other news:

Dianna is going to Nebraska in June. It's for The Thespians Festival, and only select schools are asked to perform. Northwest School of the Arts is only the second school in North Carolina to be asked on the Thespian Festival's stage. They are very excited!! 

The cost of the trip for each student is $400. She is trying to raise money for it, and has been doing well so far. I'm going to raffle off an afghan to try and raise money as well. Pray for us as we try and get this together! 

I threw a birthday party for Dianna last weekend. All of the info and some pictures for that event are on my other blog, We-doevents. Go check it out; get some party inspiration!

I've had a shoulder issue, so I'm laying low. In the meantime, I'm working hard, planning weddings, crocheting, and just being a mom. 

Let me know if you have any questions or comments. 

Until next time!