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My piano tuner finally got in this morning to tune my “new” Yamaha C2 grand piano I bought back in August. The word new is in quotes of course because it was manufactured in 1993 – but it looks like new and is new to me!

We got our wires crossed on the day and while I was sitting on the spa chair getting my toes ready for winter boots (a.k.a. a pedicure), he calls.

“Uh-oh,” I tell my pedicurist, “it’s my piano tuner.” I’ll bet he’s at my house waiting on me.

Sure enough…

Luckily, out in the country, we leave our doors unlocked so I told him to just go on in and leave me the bill. I confessed however that I was disappointed I wouldn’t get to talk to him because I wanted to see what he thought of my new piano. Minutes later I got this text:

“I like it already. Very powerful in octaves five and six where we have trouble with most pianos tone quality. Good tone and feel all the way around, nice purchase!”

Yea! My piano tuner approves! LOL.

Hold your tuner dear to your heart.

1

Reflecting on Nearly 3 Decades of Teaching: What Has Worked (Laura Lowe | The Piano Studio)

2

My favorite cutting boards: OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Cutting Board Set. Only $19.99 on Amazon.

If you haven’t replaced your cutting boards in several years. Consider doing so – they get so yucky!

3

After Five Decades of Pushing Bachelors Degrees, U.S. Needs More Trades People (PBS)

Surprise, surprise.

4

How to Steal a Website (Janna Carlson | StudioRocketWebDesign.com)

Something we all need to hear.

5

My favorite furniture polish: The Original Bee’s Wax Old World Formula Furniture Polish

Keep a bottle under your kitchen sink and under each bathroom cabinet for easy access to wipe down/clean wood cabinets. Keep an old cotton rag with it so cleaning feels quick and easy!

6

In France, Elder Care Comes With the Mail: Carriers for La Poste Have a New Job: Checking in on the Aged (The New Yorker)

Hmmm…very interesting!

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“What’s the difference between Late Elementary and Early Intermediate? What the heck is Big Note anyway, and why is Easy Piano NOT easy??”

Get this awesome free leveling chart, courtesy of Carol Matz!

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Now, THIS is kind of fun! 🙂

4 Kathleen Kelly Looks with 9 Key You’ve Got Mail Wardrobe Pieces (Kelle Hampton)

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A great big hearty congratulations go out to Tim Topham as he re-brands TimTopham.com to TopMusicCo to reach an even wider musical community!

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Good news in the world.

Songs for Kids: A Prescription for Healing (CBS News)

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It’s that time of year my freezer was ready to stock with some homemade goodness – chicken stock, that is!

Ina Garten’s is my favorite. Last Saturday our house smelled soooo good!

Frittata with Tuna and Tomatoes (Giada de Laurentiis | Giada’s Feel Good Food)

I never thought about making a frittata with tuna in it! What a nice and different way to get more seafood in your diet! I served an arugula salad on the side tossed in a light mustard vinaigrette and parmesan cheese.

Best Yogurt Parfait Ever (Ree Drummond | Pioneer Woman)

The ladies at my husband’s work always request this when they have a carry-in.

Turkey, Kale, and Brown Rice Soup (Giada de Laurentiis | Giada’s Feel Good Food)

One of my absolute favorites and a great way to get some greens in your diet! Drew likes soups that are less “soupy” and more “stewy” so I doubled the ground turkey and brown rice and it made a nice thick soup.

Tell me, what’s the winning find for you from this week?

~Amy

Please note that Piano Pantry is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Simply put, being an associate allows me to make a small percentage from Amazon on items to which I link at no extra cost to you.

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Important!

10 Safety Protocols for the Independent Music Teacher (Jennifer Foxx | Music Educator Resources)

Why You Need a Piano Studio Child Protection Policy and Plan (Rebekah Maxner)

2

James Clear’s hit book “Atomic Habits” is now on sale on Amazon for 40% off!

3

How Much Should My Child Practice? (Samantha Coates | BlitzBooks)

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Short and Funny (Seth Godin | Seth’s Blog)

It’s literally two sentences. Read it. We all need a little more of this simple logic in our lives.

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Lance Crackers: Gluten-Free-Baked-Original.

Best. Crackers. Ever. They don’t need a topper – they’re good just on their own. I don’t eat them for the sake of gluten-free but for the sake of yumminess!

Thanks to Joy Morin for introducing these to me!

6

Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore: Our unpredictable and overburdened schedules are taking a dire toll on American society. (The Atlantic)

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Just this past week, I started receiving my Amazon orders using what’s called “Amazon Day”. This is a new Prime-member service that allows you to schedule your deliveries to come on the same day of the week to help minimize shipments and thus waste. (Business Insider)

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How Tobasco Sauce is Made (Insider)

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My Favorite Christmas Resources for Piano Teachers (Tracy Selle)

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A Season of Excess (Joshua Becker | Becoming Minimalist)

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A few items we dined on this past week:

Apple, Pecan, and Blue Cheese Salad (Ree Drummond Pioneer Woman)

Psst…we used the really stinky Roquefort blue cheese! Yum!

Farfalle (a.k.a. bowtie pasta) with Chicken, Mushrooms, and Swiss Chard (Giada de Laurentiis)

I used the recipe out of her cookbook Feel Good Food. It calls for 1 lb. sliced cremini mushrooms which I would prefer over dried porcini’s as the linked recipe uses. You basically would just skip step 1 in the linked recipe if you use fresh mushrooms and sautee them with the shallots before adding the liquid to make the sauce.

*This is so, so good! It has great flavor. Like anything, it’s even better if you use homemade chicken stock instead of store-bought.

Cauliflower Gratin (Ina Garten | Barefoot Contessa)

If I were to make this again, I would completely forego the nutmeg. Yuck. It’s just not my thing in savory dishes.

Blueberry Lime Oatmeal Muffins (Lisa Fain | Homesick Texan)

Please note that Piano Pantry is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Simply put, being an associate allows me to make a small percentage from Amazon on items to which I link at no extra cost to you.

1

Sara Bareilles – “Saint Honesty” This one practically gives me chills every time I listen to it. Play it while you keep reading. Your ears, mind, and heart will thank you.

2

13 videos that will introduce your students to “spooky” classical music. (Piano Pantry)

3

In Friday Finds #147, I mentioned that I was going to purchase one of the artificial arrangements from Target’s new fall line.

Getting nice artificial plants can be tricky and this one did not disappoint! It was a bonus when I found out there were two different sizes! (Yes, I got them both!)

Artificial Goldenrod Arrangement in Ceramic Pot Yellow/White – Threshold 16.5″ x 10″ and 11″ x 10″ (pictured)

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9 Ideas for You Piano Studio  Chalkboard / Whiteboard (Color in My Piano)

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Halloween Favorites: Games, Resources, Graphics, and More (Piano Pantry)

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I don’t watch many random videos on Facebook, but my husband introduced me to The Bus Brother. Have you heard of this?

A brother who wanted to do something special to create memories his last year living at home before going off to college decided to dress up every afternoon to welcome his younger brother off the bus. How special is that?!

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Which Drink is Best For Hydration? Hint: It isn’t Water. (CNN)

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Get a free download of Leila Viss’s arrangement of “Doxology” with the purchase of a studio license of one of my favorite arrangements of “It Is Well.” (Piano Pantry)

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We love this coffee.

Lavazza Super Crema Whole Bean Coffee Blend, Medium Espresso Roast, 2.2 Pound (Amazon)

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Reading this felt a little bit like a therapy session (in a good way!): It’s So Much More than Cooking (The Week)

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Whether you’re a person of faith or not, I think most of us could relate to at least the opening few paragraphs of this: The God Who Asks.

To be honest, I often long to leave social media for good but feel the conflict of also needing to be present for what I need/want to do with my studio business and even on here with you.

Summer, perhaps might be a good time to check out, just once…

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Coming from our kitchen recently:

“British” Baked Potatoes (The Kitchn)

BLT Panzanella Salad (Pinch of Yum)

No-Bake Energy Bites (King Arthur Flour)

Butter-Bath Corn on the Cob (Spicy Southern Kitchen)

Stay tuned next week for a special Friday Finds as we’ll be celebrating 150 posts!

Please note that Piano Pantry is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Simply put, being an associate allows me to make a small percentage from Amazon on items to which I link at no extra cost to you.

This past week I’ve been feeling a let-down (the good kind, that is). Often, we don’t know how much stress we are under until we’re no longer “under” it and suddenly you realize what it’s like to breathe again. That’s how I’ve been feeling.

There are several factors contributing to this:

1. In June, I finished my temporary 1-year stint as an interim worship-leader at my church. That was a 10-15 hour/week job.
2. In July we finally moved out of our unfinished basement and into the main level of our house and had a kitchen after going without for 6 months.
3. In August we moved my studio out of my office complex and into the (now almost finished) basement of our home. P.S. Working from home is AWESOME. (In the next couple of months I’ll share new studio photos!)
4. In September I finished my two-year term as President of Indiana music teacher’s association.

Two weeks have passed since the final turn-over and I’m noticing how much more time I have for life!

Not just life, but I actually feel like I have permission to use the time I got back here again. You may not have noticed much missing, but I know how much I’m bursting to do here. So, if the coming months seem like there are more posts than ever, you know why! 🙂

On to all I have for you this week…

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Now that I finally have a little more time on my hands, I’m tempted to use Natalie’s link to join The Balanced Life online pilates membership. Does anyone else use this program? I’m curious to hear any more feedback. I did Classical Stretch regularly for a couple of years and loved it, but shaking things up is always a good thing for me. (Music Matters Blog)

2

How Tim Topham Went From Side-Hustle To Full-Time Musical Pioneer With Content Marketing (CoSchedule Podcast AMP067)

3

If you use forScore, it is recommended you wait a bit before moving to iOS13.

4

We asked two of our female editors to wear the same thing every day. Here’s what happened (Fast Company)

If I were to wear the same thing every day, it would be comfortable jeans, comfortable closed shoes of some kind, and a black 3/4 length cotton top kind of like this one.

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How to Write by Elizabeth Gilbert (swiss miss)

6

7 Killed In Crash Of WWII Aircraft At Connecticut Airport. So sad. My husband is an airplane junkie so I heard about this from him. (NPR)

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Plácido Domingo Resigns From LA Opera.  (NPR)

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An 8-hour playlist of sleep music from Max Richter. I’m going to have to try this on my next trip! (New York Times)

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“So, as my homage to Richter’s eight-hour lullaby, here instead are 10 pieces of music not to put you to sleep – 10 pieces that turn falling asleep into a variously magical, creepy or supernatural drama.” -Tom Service (The Guardian)

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After 2-3 weeks of working my way through my back-log of Milk Street recipes, I deemed this week and next “clean-out-the-fridge-and-pantry” week.

We had a colleague/friend of Drew’s and his wife over for dinner last Friday though and I made Ina Garten’s awesome lasagna (with Italian sausage; I can’t find turkey sausage) and Milk Streets French Apple Cake.

Saturday mornings are deemed “special breakfast” mornings in our household. Breakfast isn’t my thing during the week, but I’m sad if we miss it on Saturdays. Last Saturday was our favorite waffle recipe (Gaufres de Liege). 

This is my waffle iron of choice.

What’s your favorite weekend breakfast item/recipe?

Please note that Piano Pantry is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Simply put, being an associate allows me to make a small percentage from Amazon on items to which I link at no extra cost to you.