The Welcome Mat

The One With the Love Challenge

2012-02-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

I was looking through my photos trying to pick one to enter in the “Rock the Shot” February challenge, which is LOVE. I found a lot of photos that I really loved, but this one just jumped out at me because I love the exuberance with which Alex loves Christina. I didn’t use any Photoshop actions on this one. The only processing I used was to apply a texture. I thought about just leaving it alone, but when I applied the texture I loved the way it took away the white space in the upper half of the photo and just focused all the attention on Alex’s face. Happy month of love!

P.S. You can check out Rock the Shot here: www.rocktheshotforum.com

The One With the Curry and the Pregnant Lady

2012-02-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

I just finished editing a photo shoot I did on Saturday for Andrew and Stephanie. I like to tell people I was the best man at their wedding. Because I was. And now they are expecting baby Tanner in about a week! So these are a few of the highlights. Oh, and the curry? That’s what we had for dinner afterwards. I had mine with shrimp and and lots of HOT.

The Noisy One

2012-02-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

Church was loud yesterday. Not like rock band loud or anything, just Mormon loud. Babies crying, toddlers talking. It kind of sounded like we were sitting in the zoo section. And I loved it. I thought it was perfectly awesome.

We had this lady named Sister Richards who went to our church when I was growing up, and whenever a baby would cry she would turn around and glare at the parents as though they had ruined her Sunday entirely. I vowed I would never do that. And I don’t. If someone wants me to walk around with their unruly baby or toddler, I am happy to help, but if it sounds like someone is on fire behind me, I will not turn around and stare. They are going to have to tap me on the shoulder. I am no Sister Richards. :) I spent too many years with a pack of rowdy toddler boys to forget this quickly.

My sister Wendy told the story of an older lady in their ward who sat down in front of her very young, irreverent family one Sunday. About midway through the meeting, when they had reached a fever pitch of disgust for having to sit in a boring meeting for an hour and a half, the lady turned around. Wendy felt terrible for the commotion and was struggling to quiet everyone down, and the lady whispered to her: “Two words: Dime. Tapp.” Haha!

I am all for reverence, but I am also all for toddlers. Sometimes the two don’t see eye-to-eye, and if I have to choose, I’m backing the toddlers every single time.

The Vintage One

2012-01-30T08:40:00.000-08:00

This has been such a busy week. I am working days, nights... and anywhere else I can squeeze in an odd job! I’ve also decided to start working on some new songs. I have been waiting around, but time is a’ wasting. Meanwhile.... I have been ramping up my photog business and getting as many new jobs as I can. I had two back-to-back on Saturday for Mission Viejo High School’s Winter Formal, and by the time I got back for the second one, it was getting dark. But the subject, 14-year-old Allie, was way fun. She and some other freshmen were going without dates to the dance as friends, and Allie had her hair done in a vintage 40s style, and she did her makeup to match. I had a blast snapping a few quick shots before the sun fled the scene entirely...

The One With the Project 24 Challenge

2012-01-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

I love Florabella, and I love this challenge:

My first entry (they don’t have to go in order) is #14, a Faceless Portrait.

The One Where He Had a Dream

2012-01-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

The One With Resolution #4

2012-01-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

Spend more time on Pinterest. Why? Because it makes me happy. WARNING: If you have never visited Pinterest, do not (and I repeat, DO NOT) click on the above link. You have been warned.

The One That Fell Flat

2012-01-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

So I learned something this week. Substituting bulgur wheat for regular whole wheat in my bread recipe does not work. Dillon made a batch of bread with it a few days ago, which turned out flat and lumpy. So a couple of days ago, I tried it. The dough was the consistency of Play-Dough and I knew it was not going to turn out well. So yesterday, being out of the nice soft white wheat I most like to bake with, I went ahead and made a batch of white bread. You can see my bulgur wheat effort, next to the perfect white loaf.

Apparently bulgur wheat has been parboiled and dried. I’m not sure how that affects the bread, but I did notice that there was no elasticity to the dough... the gluten did not develop as it kneaded. Oh well, you live and learn. I let Skippy give away a loaf to a neighbor family (the good batch, not the short lumpy one) and he said, “Mrs. Keely says she has never ever had homemade bread before.” And then this morning I got a text from Cambria’s seminary teacher, asking me to bring a treat. I offered cinnamon rolls or homemade bread with honey butter, and the immediate response was homemade bread! So much easier. So I’ll be making another batch today.

If you haven’t tried my go-to bread recipe, you should. It is seriously the easiest bread to make. Here is the recipe, which I haven’t posted in awhile... and I happen to think that the loaf pans make a huge difference, and I use the 1-lb. size of these:

Magic Loaf Pans

Victoria’s Six-Minute Magic Bread

The One With Resolution #3

2012-01-10T00:21:00.000-08:00

Take more photos. Okay, not even remotely specific enough. So here are my very specific goals for 2012 with regards to photography.

1. Take a few photos every week. I have some cool ones in mind for next week. Here is one of my favorites from last month:

2. Photograph a wedding. I have shied away from this in the past, but I really think I would like to do it. Maybe a two-camera shoot. I love doing engagement photos, and this is the next logical step.

3. Before this year is over, I want a new camera bag. A girlie camera bag. This is my Tyrannosaurus Rex of a bag. I hate it so much. It is hard to open and close. It is ugly. It is an ergonomic nightmare, as it can not ever lay close to the body, fit nicely under my arm, or strap comfortably over the shoulder. It is impossible to carry while actually shooting photos, and so is constantly being left under some tree somewhere, and when I travel by plane, I find myself placing my nice camera body and lenses in an unpadded handbag or backpack not even remotely protective enough for the job. It is 15x9x9 inches, and unless the buckles are fastened, the Velcro is not strong enough to hold the bag closed when I pick up the strap:

But here is the bag I have been thinking about: the B Hobo Bag by Kelly Moore. What’s the holdup, you ask? About $170. Ugh. I can’t justify it when there are so many other things to pay for, and I am always the last to get a present. That is how it always is for moms. But I can dream, right? It would make #1 above so much easier if I had an easy bag to grab when I was heading out the door!

I really like the Mustard color, but I don’t think it’s me, exactly. I think the one that really does it for me is the Red, due in no small part to the video on the Kelly Moore website... I can never resist a music video. I defy you to watch this and NOT covet the bag in red...

Kelly Moore Bag Promo Film 2010 from Joshua Smith on Vimeo.

The One With Resolution #2

2012-01-09T00:40:00.000-08:00

I’ve been thinking about this one for awhile. Trying to decide. But here we go. Once a week I’m going to give a loaf of bread to someone. I don’t know who (to whom?). But no one doesn’t love homemade bread. Also, my family at home has shrunk, and we don’t go through three loaves as quickly as we used to!

A lot of nice people have done a lot of nice things for me over the past year. I have been in hibernation mode... working a lot and saying “no” a lot more than I usually do. This is going to be a year of saying “yes” as often as I can, and trying to get outside myself a little. So starting tomorrow... a loaf a week. If you know someone who really needs a loaf, feel free to nominate them... there are 51 weeks of bread left in the year.

The One With Resolution #1

2012-01-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

I am not a big fan of “New Year’s resolutions.” I am not opposed to goal-setting, but I prefer to do that throughout the year. This year, though, I am going to throw a few out there. One a day... until I just get bored.

So for today:

New Year’s Resolution #1. Take longer showers.

Yes, I know that is not very green of me. Trabuco Canyon Water District does not appreciate it. Al Gore just got a little grumpier, without even knowing why. But I deserve it. At least an extra minute of nice hot water, Spotify music pouring out of my phone, fogging up the mirrors, no one bugging me.

I think this one could stick. And for a little touch of irony, I pulled that little shower illustration off the Alliance for Water Efficiency website. You’re welcome.

The One With Roxy Ann

2012-01-05T01:16:00.000-08:00

Just happened to see this photo on Facebook tonight. My nephew Elijah posted it of his grandpa... my dad. He is holding Roxy Ann, the golden retriever puppy he bought my mom to keep her company just a couple of months before he died of cancer. It has been three years, and it surprised me how heartbroken I have felt all night after seeing this photo. I miss him so much, and I wish he could see all the things I have done this past year. He would have loved 2011.

The One With New Year’s, Timeline and the Selfie

2012-01-03T23:28:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! And guess what? I am posting again! It has only been about a week. I’m trying to get back into the swing of blogging. And I actually finished a book I started about four months ago! I feel like a new person. New Year, new person... and Facebook (yes, another Facebook post) rolled out their new “Timeline” profiles. Everyone will probably complain because no one likes change, but I happen to think this one is pretty cool. You can look at your life on a timeline and add events, locations on a map and photos to highlight it. It also lets you click on a year in the past and read what was happening on your Facebook then... so if you have some old boyfriend lurking in 2007, best to delete delete delete. And the good news is, you can. Once you click to change over to the new Timeline format, you have seven days before your profile goes live to the world, in order to make any changes you like and clean all the skeletons out of your closet.

One of the cool features of the new Timeline is that it gives you a big photo that they call your Cover Photo, with a smaller inset profile photo. The Cover Photo is really a banner like you would use at the top of your blog or on a website. I decided before my Timeline went live at the first of the year that I wanted a cover photo that would represent me and my interests. I couldn’t figure out a way to represent my music. I tried a couple of different things and didn’t like them. I have been doing a lot of photos for people lately, so I figured I would put up a cover photo that showed my photography.

But I didn’t have anyone to take the photo, so I took it myself. Here is the raw photo. (Yes, I am showing you my raw photo!) P.S. If you want to see up close what I am doing to this one, you can click on each photo to see it full-size.

Now, to fix the problems. First, the photo was taken by the camera in the photo, using a mirror. So the photo had to be reversed. Secondly it was taken in my bedroom, and to get the morning light coming in the window I had to face the French doors, which put the smoke detector and bedroom doors in the photo. Had to at least minimize that.

Then fix any major facial flaws... had a little acne going on, especially on my forehead... and then the fun part. Adding a Photoshop action. I tried a few different ones. It is interesting how once you find a photoshop action that flatters the subject, it usually works on most of their pictures really nicely. For me, Starlet from Florabella was magic. Brightened everything up, added a cool center light and burned the edges a bit. Only thing I don’t totally care for was that it burned my outside arm along with the edges, which makes it look kind of red and chapped. Could have fixed that, but I didn’t really care, especially since my arm doesn’t even show on the Facebook Timeline... the photos are cropped wide and short.

Oh, and the finishing touch. A cool ornament for the corner. :)

AND it goes along with two of my resolutions:

1. Take more photos

2. Spend less time straightening my hair. :)

The One With the iPhone 2011 in Review

2011-12-28T02:03:00.000-08:00

It has been nearly two months since I posted here. I am not going to try to make any excuses. I just plain didn’t have time. But I am kind of excited to start posting again. Breathing again. Maybe reading a book. Watching a movie or two. Tonight I was looking through the photos on my iPhone, and I decided to do a little review of 2011 from the point of view of my constant companion, the iPhone. We are so close I really should name him. These are about a tenth of the 400+ photos on my phone. Warning: Some of this is extremely random, and there were many events I completely failed to capture via phone. These are in chronological order, beginning in January. Here we go...

The funniest notification I have ever gotten on my phone (and something of which I must frequently remind myself):

My cute little primary people looking at a hymnbook together:

Pizookie party!

Eating a very strange dinner with a life-sized bust of the pope staring at me.

Driving past the L.A. Temple in the rain:

Right after getting my hair done. Wish I could blow-dry my hair like they do. Also, I have a HUGE nose.

Casey and Hannah right after their wedding!

Jimmer fever.

These are my new primary peeps. AWESOME.

My business partner.

A hotel stay in L.A. From my hotel window, I could see ten separate Lap Band billboards!

My crazy little nephews that look like little Harry Potters.

Four times this year I have been stuck on THIS freeway interchange in traffic. I sort of hyperventilate being stuck on a car suspended a hundred feet in the air.

I have to assume Skippy took this one. And the battle ensued.

A photo from my first of not one, but TWO trips to Missoula, Montana. Clark Fork River from downtown.

Photo shoot with two cameras. Way fun.

Waiting for fireworks to erupt on July 4 from Trabuco Mesa Park.

Writing out guitar chords for one of many songs for the CD.

Not sure why I shot this, but it is certainly true.

Cousins, and water.

Sisters.

Cupcake garden.

Taking a random ukelele for a test drive at Guitar Center.

Making a fruit display for a friend’s wedding.

Taco Tuesday!

Windmills near Palm Springs.

A couple cool shots of downtown Phoenix in 108-degree weather.

Hannah and Skippy at Five Guys, downtown Phoenix. Skippy’s first time... he loved the peanuts.

J and J, Hannah, and baby Reeses waiting for bride and groom to come out.

Some of my favorite menfolk.

Beautiful daughter-in-law, DK (Darling Kevin)

Love this one of my grandson.

Second trip to Missoula, different place on the Clark Fork River. Worst trip of my life, but beautiful shot.

Walking at the lake in Rancho Santa Margarita. I did a lot of that this year.

Random Sunday shot.

This one is a little hard to explain. I don’t think I should try. Let’s just say when I am having a bad day I look at this on and have a good laugh.

Proof that we get a little fall color in Orange County.

Skip and Cam’s list for Santa.

Son and grandson. Awesomeness.

13 hours without electricity. Kind of dreamy. Did dishes by candlelight, made no-bake cookies, ordered pizza and watched movies on the iPad.

Saturday afternoon of concerts, spent helping Andrew and Melissa put up more lights and video for the second night of concerts. That is my grand piano up there on the stage... another crazy story there.

2011, just about done, and I am kind of relieved. I almost can’t believe all the stuff I did this year. 2012, bring it on. Just let me sleep a couple of days first.

The One Where She Opened the Store

2011-11-07T19:33:00.000-08:00

I kind of thought that things would slow down just a little once I got my new Christmas CD shipped off to the duplicator. I was wrong. I don’t know why I ever think that!

But today was a very productive day. No, I didn’t get my kitchen clean... but I overhauled my website... click on the photo to check it out:

And I opened up the storefront to sell my new CDs... click on the photo to go to the store!

AND we started selling tickets to our Christmas concerts in December. If you want to come, you should run over and pick up your tickets right away. We will sell out! The dates are December 16th and 17th, and the tickets are the very low price of $5 each. You can buy them from the Archangel Records store along with the CDs. Click to buy:

I got about two hours of sleep last night. And about six the night before... so I’m going to get off the computer now and go pay attention to my family for a few hours before bed! Please go buy CDs and tickets, and please tell your friends!!! Woohoo!

The One With Those Hats My Mom Knit

2011-11-03T20:59:00.000-07:00

The One Where I Hit My Head on a Rock

2011-10-31T02:02:00.001-07:00

It is 1:30 a.m. and I need a break from mixing songs. I just spent a half hour in my car over at the lake. Why? Because it has a nice Bose sound system (the car, not the lake), and I wanted to hear a burn of the whole CD to check for problems. Did I find problems? YES. It is kind of an eye-opening... or maybe ear-opening experience. So I have a list of things to work on for every song. But I need a short break, so I am going to throw two random thoughts out there.

The first one is that when I am tired I do strange and sometimes not-so-good things. For instance, I just hit my head on a rock hard enough that it is bleeding through my hair. Yes, a rock. We have a pillar on the way into our house, right by the front door, that is paved in rocks, which have sharp edges that stick out. I bent over to pick something up in the dark just now, and misjudged where the edge of the pillar was, and just about knocked myself out when I stood up again. I don’t think that is something I would do if I was caught up on sleep.

Next random thought: I have some favorite moments on this new CD. Not just songs... yes, I have favorite songs too. But there are some “moments” that are pretty much amazing. There is one in the duet that Rachel and Kevin sing called “What Would You Say” where they are singing in full voice, and Rachel’s vocals carry out and Kevin does this kind of “flip” on the end of his, that just gets me. Another one was a surprise that happened just yesterday. “Santa’s Really There” is a song I have been dreading because I wasn’t sure what I could possibly do to give it the cool jazzy sound it needed. And then yesterday a Marine named Charlie Arbalaez showed up on my doorstep with his saxophone. He gave this song so much attitude. When I am listening to it I almost feel like I can play sax, or like I AM playing it. And there are two or three “moments” in that song where no matter how tired or down I am feeling (and believe me there have been plenty of both this weekend!) I find myself smiling... almost laughing, because it is so fun, what Charlie did with it. Away in a Manger... this one has two “moments.” The first one is the vocals on a key change. It makes me smile every time I hear it (I decline to mention why at this moment), and the second is right after the key change, where the song almost starts sounding like Riverdance, thanks to some awesome post-production by Kevin Anthony.

The last “moment” that comes to mind right now is in the song “That’s My King.” This one got a rescue from the Marines as well. Bob Siletzky (I think Sergeant Bob Siletzky) from the San Diego Marine Band lent his trumpet skills to this one. I am kind of proud of the arranging I did on this one, with the trumpets. Garry knew since the middle of summer that he wanted horns for it, and so I have been coming up with this arrangement in my head, and to hear it with real trumpet... wow. But the moment. Okay, so the moment comes right before the last chorus. Garry sings from the point of view of a man in Bethlehem the night the Savior is born, and he spends that night searching for the baby, but without ever finding him. Right before the last chorus, the music builds as he sings, “Though I didn’t get to see the babe, or hold him in my arms, I can marvel at the gift he freely gives...” and for me that may be the best moment of the whole CD. There are times when I am listening to a live music performance and when the sound is so big that it just seems to live in me, rather than being something at a distance, then I feel this swell of emotion. That is what happens every time I get to that moment in the song. And believe me when I tell you I have listened to this song probably sixty times just this weekend alone... and it still works, every single time. Or maybe I just got hit in the head by a rock. Oh, yeah.

Well, it is now 1:47. Fifteen minutes’ break, over. Time to finish this thing. I know this sounds crazy but I have to make all the changes I wrote down, burn another CD and then go sit in my car and listen again. Edit, burn, listen, repeat.... and repeat. I am so tired, but we are going to make our deadline tomorrow! That means you will have CDs to buy a week before Thanksgiving! And I think I can safely say that it is going to be good enough that you might have a few “moments” of your own when you listen. Thanks everyone, for being so supportive as we have attempted to do this crazy task of writing, recording and producing a CD this year, and the crazier stunt of putting on concerts as well. It has been a wild ride.

The One Where Steve Changed My Life

2011-10-18T19:04:00.001-07:00

When I was a young mother, only twenty-one years old, Steve Jobs changed my life. He made it possible for me to quit my full-time job as a legal secretary and stay home with my babies. This was my computer:

Don’t laugh... it was a magical time for personal computing. I rode the leading edge of what was lovingly named “desktop publishing.” Over the next eight years, while raising five small boys and trying to keep my house in one piece, I worked hours every day and night, setting type and designing graphics for individuals, small businesses, and even the Irvine Company, which was, and is, quite large in Orange County.

I learned a lot of things. I learned to work well with men. In fact, one day Donny Osmond came to my little apartment and met with me about typesetting his fan club newsletter! (I know, weird fact, right?) I learned that when a two-year-old puts multiple floppy disks into a computer disk drive, that the disk drive must then be replaced. I learned that I was a hard worker, and if that I had to, I could pull all-nighters and finish a job in order to feed my family. I learned that there were few people who shared that work ethic, and that I could not duplicate myself... no matter how hard I tried to find motivated individuals who wanted to make extra money, they would likely not pull an all-nighter, even if it meant making a few hundred dollars in a night that would help make ends meet for their own family! Those years of crazy hard work at a young age helped to make me a very strong, independent and entrepeneurial person, and made me realize that I never want to work for someone besides myself. I learned that I could always think of a way to earn money when it was necessary.

I also learned that I love the written word. I actually enjoyed setting type on the computer and I love fonts and typefaces of all kinds. I haven’t been a typesetter in many years, but I still love those beautiful letters. I have been working today on the typography for the CD cover. Here are some of the ideas I came up with. I can’t wait until you see the artwork that my friend Claudine is creating (think European stone angels!) but as you can see from these samples, there is also art in the words. Which do you like?

The One With the Missionary and the Song

2011-10-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine is serving a two-year full-time mission for our church. If you are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) then you may not know that missionaries don’t get to call home or have much contact with their families while they are gone. A weekly letter by e-mail is the usual permitted contact. I read the letters that my friend sends to his family each week, and he is such a humble young man that I often find his letters to be thought-provoking and moving.

This week’s letter was so profound that I kept it in my e-mail inbox, and I have found myself re-reading several times since I received it on Monday. Since I don’t technically have Elder M’s permission to forward it, I won’t use any names or identifying information, but I really want to share this with you tonight.

“We got to have a really cool experience this last week, we met a girl named K____. Unfortunately we met K in the Hospital. When i first walked in it frightened me. We didnt know what to expect because some one called us and just told us to visit the hospital. Both of K’s eyes were black and all the white in her eyes were replaced with Blood red. She seem week as she sat in her bed. Her mother began to tell us what happened. K was assaulted in her home, the suspect choked her till he thought she was dead. She had two strokes and is left partially blind and has memory problems, she cant remember the last two months of her life and the doctors say it will not come back. Now i know this is graphic and sad but i want to tell you about our experience.
This Girl, a sophmore in high school, is one of the sweetest people i have ever met. She has such a positive attitude it was astounding. I was shocked at how happy she was even in her situation. My companion said, "If you ask just right, Elder M will sing a hymn for you" she then said, "Will you sing for me?" So i did. I sang the song i am a child of God and she mouthed every word as i sang all the verses. K was in her high school choir and loved to sing but because of what happened she cant just yet. I felt as i sang that i was her mouth. That she was singing the words through me. It was an amazing experience, words can do no justice. K’s spirit was so overwhelming and i came away from our meeting as a changed person. you and i are so blessed.
one of my blessings is you... whoever is reading this. I am blessed to have you in my life. I am grateful for your prayers and support. For you love and your letters. You have blessed my life beyond measure.
I love You!”

There is not much I can say to add to that. It just makes me so grateful for this missionary, and for all that I have. I am so grateful to be working on music right now and to be creating a really amazing Christmas CD that will honor my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so lucky to have a voice, and ears that hear and fingers that make music. I am so blessed to have a family who loves and supports me. I am so blessed to have my music partner with whom I could write so many great new songs and produce them into something that will be meaningful. I pray K____ will make a full recovery, and that she will find her own voice again soon.

Another Totally Random One

2011-09-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

Just a few stray thoughts today.

1. I hate it when... I buy something on eBay that I really need and it looks like a great bargain, and then I realize that the seller is in Hong Kong and it is going to take three weeks to arrive, and when it does, it will be a cheap imitation that falls apart the first time I use it. I am a very experienced eBayer, and yet I still make this mistake from time to time. This week’s: new padded covers for my studio headphones. They are horrible.

2. I love these Betsey Johnson boots:

3. By this weekend roughly half of my children will be married. How did this happen?

4. Do you know of anyone who wants a family or individual photo session? Engagements? Bridals? I would love to book a few shoots in this next month! I am reasonably priced and fun, too. :) Click on the photo below to link to the sample gallery.

5. This begins my third week of being home alone during the day, and it is a little bit freaky how my house makes noises all by itself like there is someone walking around upstairs. Just saying.

The One Where She Begged (Again)

2011-09-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

I have been putting in ten- to twelve-hour days on my new Christmas CD. It is scary, exhausting, exhilarating, and way outside my comfort zone. My business partner, Garry and I have to be finished by the end of October, which leaves us roughly five weeks to finish, and while we have made headway on each of the 13 songs, there is not a single one that is finished and put to bed.

I am not trying to brag here, but I need to express to you that this is going to be SO COOL. My last CD was really fun, but I basically recorded 13 songs that I had already written over the last ten years. This CD is a brand-new effort with all-new songs and arrangements of traditional numbers that Garry and I have created just in the last year. I am so proud of them... I can’t believe I am saying this, but there is not a single song out of 13, where I think to myself, wow, that one didn’t really turn out as well as the others. Each one is a little gift! I can not wait to share it with you.

For now, I am going to ask you for a favor. I need to increase the amount of people I can reach for this CD. I am going to try a few different things to accomplish that, and I will tell you more about that later... but for this week, I would like to pass the 1,000 mark for my Facebook fans. I am currently at 810. Only about half of those 810 are my Facebook friends, which means that half of my own Facebook friends haven’t even “liked” the page yet! So please, if you are a Facebook person, please click here to “like” my page. I would appreciate that so much, even if you are not my Facebook friend. For that matter, I would love to be your Facebook friend as well, so please feel free to send me a friend request! But regardless, please please please help me and “like” the page, here:

Secondly, if I have any friends in the blogosphere who would be willing to use their blogs to forward my request for more Facebook fans, I would love that. If you do, please be so kind as to leave me a comment with the name of your blog so that I know who you are! (I can e-mail you a link with the “like” button if you want it!) You have no idea what that would mean to me.

Thank you! Please, while you are over there, click on the “Band Profile” link on the left side of the Archangel Records page, and you can listen to tons of our songs and watch our videos from there. Enjoy...

The One Where You Get Spotified

2011-09-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

In the category of cool things you probably haven’t ever heard of: Spotify.

I love iTunes. It has changed the way we listen to music, forever. I don’t like to pirate music, movies or software. I would rather pay a fair (hopefully low) price for it and just own it. The drawbacks to iTunes are expense and storage... I had to clear my iTunes library off my computer in order to have more disk space for our Archangel music project, and moving the library to an external hard drive freed up about 330GB of disk space! That is half the capacity of my computer’s internal hard disk. The new “Cloud” from iTunes is changing that... now you can store songs, apps and TV shows in the Cloud instead of keeping them on your own storage. But at some point you have to wonder, do I really need to own all of this music that I may not even listen to next year, or even next month?

Enter Spotify. Now, I like Pandora and I like iHeart Radio, and some of the other internet “radio stations” out there. But Spotify is different.

1. You can make playlists and listen to them online, without purchasing the music. So far in all my searches, there have only been a couple of songs I haven’t been able to get, and those were songs that are “album only” purchases on the iTunes store.

2. You don’t have to listen to all the songs that Pandora picks for you based on your specified preferences... you pick them out for yourself. For instance, the new Lady Antebellum album was released yesterday. It was immediately up on Spotify.

3. Spotify synchs with your iTunes library to make all of your existing playlists available in a very attractive interface.

4. If you upgrade from Spotify Free to Spotify Premium, all of your playlists can be available off-line and synch with your iPhone or other smartphone via a free app, so that you can listen to any of your songs anytime, anywhere. That means that for $9.99 a month, the price of one non-deluxe album on iTunes, you have access to every song, and none of the songs is taking up a single kilobyte of your own storage space.

5. Spotify links to Facebook so that any of your Facebook friends who have Spotify can access your playlists (should you elect to make them public, which I do), and you, theirs.

Why haven’t you heard of Spotify? Probably because it has been used internationally for the last two years, but only made it to the U.S. in the last few months. How do you get it? You have to receive an invitation. To request that invitation, you can click here or leave a comment on this post with your e-mail... I may have a few invitations left on my account.

Spotify. Go get it.

The One With the Sneak Peek

2011-09-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Hey! If you haven’t been following my other blog, this is the time to start. I am in the last few weeks of producing a new Christmas album, and I am starting to post sneak peeks and other fun stuff. The latest is a song I recorded with Tandy earlier in the week. Please go over and check it out... start following... and leave me some comments over there! Thank you. :)

Archangel Records Blog

The One With Skippy and the Full Frontal Nudity

2011-09-03T01:01:00.000-07:00

Skippy is going to be baptized tomorrow. Last Sunday in church the kids were given a really cool object lesson about how watching and listening to unwholesome material can make our thoughts very muddy so that we can’t hear the Spirit. The visual was a clean, clear glass of water, and then another where several different food colors had been added to make the water murky. Skippy raised his hand and asked, “When you get baptized, do you get to pour out the dirty water and get clean water again?” I thought how sweet and innocent he is.

And then the next day I showed him a naked woman.

At this juncture, we can just stipulate that I am a bad parent. Skippy and I were home alone. I have been spending every waking moment at the computer working on music, and he begged to watch a show with me on TV, and I took an hour break to oblige. I love sci-fi and he does too, of late, and I figured Stargate SG-1 would be a fun one to watch. It ran for something like fourteen seasons, and I saw most of them. So we queued it up on Netflix and started watching. Bad mom alert: I was also kind of sort of checking my e-mail at the same time. I glanced up from my e-mail, and there they were. Breasts. Very impressive ones, I might add. Startled, Skippy and I looked at each other wide-eyed, and he immediately covered his eyes. I grabbed the remote and started zipping through. Breasts, breasts, larger-than-life breasts.... pan down... and there it is. A whole naked woman.

I watched Stargate SG-1 for several years on Fox network. It was such a clean show as to be unrealistically sterile at times... and so it didn’t even cross my mind that the shows were originally aired on SHOWTIME, and it seems that premium stations have become nothing more than peddlers of pornography, even more so now than when Stargate originally aired. While I was shocked to see it, and even more dismayed that I showed it to my eight-year-old son, I suppose it was extremely tame compared to what HBO and Showtime offer today, which we found to be so disgusting that we won’t allow those stations in our home at any price.

I am also extremely disappointed with Netflix for not securing the edited-for-regular-network versions, and even more so because, as you can clearly see here in the screenshot which I just took from the Netflix website, the series is rated TV-14, which does not, according to the TV rating guidelines, permit nudity. The program, aired in its uncut format, would have to be rated TV-MA, which is the rating Showtime and HBO generally use (and with good reason) for all of their original programming.

Netflix is definitely going to hear about this from me.

The One With a Friend

2011-08-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

And when I say Friend, I mean The Friend, as in The Friend magazine. This start-up called Sun Swing Media Company is producing what they hope will be a series of animated videos from The Friend magazine. They need to sell at least 5,000 in order to be able to produce the next video in the series. Please help them out and go buy one! It is going to set you back... $1.00 Yes, just a dollar. Watch their cute little trailer here, and then go here to purchase. It took me about one minute using Paypal. Good luck, Sun Swing!

The One With the Workarounds

2011-08-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am not stupid. Usually.

And I am pretty good at techie, computer kind of stuff. Usually.

I love anything Apple Computer does. If they said sweat tasted good, I would probably buy a bottle. Okay, maybe not sweat. But Apple Computer is the bomb. Usually.

So Saturday I woke up, yawned, stretched, and thought to myself, “What could I do in the next three hours that would totally mess up my entire digital music recording setup so that I can’t meet my recording deadlines which are all in the upcoming week?” And then I answered myself: “Install that new Lion OSX operating system on all my computers today!” And that is what I did.

Three hours later I was running a shiny new operating system on my iMac. I love shiny new. And then I went to open Logic Studio, the main software I use to record. And I saw this:

I figured it must be a joke. I googled it. And guess what? It is a thing. Logic 8. Doesn’t. Work. On. Lion. My Duet by Apogee $600 interface? Also doesn’t work with Lion. What about my Melodyne software? It works, but not until I buy the $500 upgrade for the other things that don’t work with Lion.

But no big deal, right? Just deinstall, and put the old system back. Easy peasy. NO. NOT EASY PEASY. Turns out that I should have protected myself by making a clone of my previous operating system and backing everything up. THEN it would have been easy peasy. Just remove Lion and open the clone, no harm done. But I didn’t know that a clone could be my best friend. I didn’t even know I liked clones. And now that I know, I have no clone.

I was left with some choices, none of them pleasant.

1. Go backwards. Buy a hard disk at least a terrabyte in size and back up every single file on my hard disk. Wipe the hard disk, install a new system with the disks that came with my computer (which I believe was the Panther OSX, which is TWO steps back). Then find the installation disks for all of the programs I had on my computer and reinstall each, one by one. Restore all the data to the hard disk and pray that it all still works.

2. Go forward. Buy Logic Studio 9. $500. I purchased the Academic version of Logic Studio 8, which is not eligible for upgrade. Buy a new Duet by Apogee 2, which is compatible with the new system. $700. Reinstall Melodyne.

3. Go sideways. After a lot of research, I find that computer geeks all over the country have come up with workarounds for the worst of my problems. I can open Logic Studio 8, using a weird little script. If I quit the program, I can’t just double-click to reopen it... I have to once again go through the weird little script. Another workaround lets me use my Duet by Apogee interface blind. It works, but I have no on-screen volume or input controls... I have to just feel around to try to get the right volume levels on the microphone, the speakers and the headphones. This is the option I chose. I have a really hard time with going backwards, and I can’t afford to just leap forward. But I think the workarounds will work until I can a) afford to upgrade Logic, and b) Apogee is working on an upgrade to the interface driver which should be finished by the end of the month.

So, net cost of going sideways:

Apple Lion OSX: $29
Logic Studio 9 (purchased used on eBay): $200
Cheap interface purchased at Apple to get me through the first couple of days: $249
Lesson learned: Priceless.

Once again, it was a lesson I did not want to learn. But maybe there ARE no lessons I really want to learn?

The Long Overdue One

2011-08-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

I admit, I have been a terrible blogger. Terrible at writing, terrible at reading. Just trying to fit too many things into too little time, I guess. I am carving out a little time for it, so I should get better from here on out. I’ll start things off with a video of an original song we wrote over at Archangel Records. We were faced one day with a decision... get frustrated because the people who were supposed to record didn’t show up, or make the most of our day and write a song. Garry sat down and wrote the first verse and chorus in about an hour, and we finished it within a couple more hours.

The challenging part about this was the video. We decided we didn’t want a photo slideshow... and we have never really done a real video before. So you must be forgiving of our first try. Shelley Johnson played cello (and allowed herself to be recorded for the video) on very short notice, Stephanie Anthony was kind enough to sing, and Lexi and Stephen were such good sports as to let us follow them around with some very amateur video attempts. Fun fact: Lexi and Stephen are INDEED in love, and are actually getting married on Saturday! So... enjoy. PLEASE feel free to repost on your own blog or Facebook page (let me know if you do... we love to hear about that!) and if you haven't “liked” our Facebook page, please please do! Oh, and by the way, this is in 1080 HD, so click to watch it BIG! :) Thank you thank you.

The One With the Cool Dad

2011-06-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

I never know what I am going to get in trouble for saying over here. But I am just going to put it out there today. There is no such thing as a cool parent. I mean, good for you if your kids occasionally say to themselves, “Wow, Mom is cool. Way cooler than other kids’ parents.” But if they say that too often, or out loud, then you are doing something wrong. Your job as a parent is not to be the cool mom or dad. It is to BE the mom or dad. Furthermore, if I have truly embarrassed my child, then I know I have done my job.

I saw this article this morning about a boy named Rain Price of American Fork, Utah, whose dad really, really did his job. I love this. They changed the school bus route so that every morning Rain’s high school bus went by the front of their house. So at the right time every morning, he would go out on the front sidewalk and wave to his son’s bus as it passed by. That would have been a nice little family story later... that Dad waved to you every morning as you drove by, for 170 days of school your sophomore year. But this dad took his job seriously. He supplemented. With costumes.

You can read the full article here, and there is a blog where family members documented the daily costumes. So if you are a mom or a dad, stop trying to be cool. Just embrace your job. Go forth and embarrass. If you are still bent on being the cool parent, though, that is your prerogative. I will even give you a little help: some pointers from one very cool dad, Phil Dunphy on Modern Family. Enjoy!

The One with the ShopVac

2011-05-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

I love this! I wish I had the talent for the cool animation. :) Enjoy...

The One With the Monday Lullaby

2011-05-23T12:46:00.000-07:00

Well good afternoon. I am enjoying a lovely cloudy, slightly drizzly Monday after a tempest of a weekend. Hope everyone else is having a good one. Last week I created a Band Profile for my Archangel Records facebook page, and I have been adding songs every couple of days. So if you would like to go over and enjoy the playlist, here is a link: Archangel Records Fan Page. I think you have to “like” the Archangel Records page in order to listen to the music and watch the videos there. So please click on “like.”

The song I put up this morning is such a sweet little song. It is a lullaby sung by one of my favorite people, Miss Tandy Shields. Hope you love it. It is great Monday music. :)

The One With the Short Playlist

2011-05-18T11:40:00.002-07:00

Today is a music day. Okay, so... every day is pretty much a music day around here. But today I just felt like I wanted to listen to some music. Are these my favorite songs? No, but they are five songs I have been listening to this morning:

1. Any Other World by MIKA. This song makes me want to play the cello. I will settle for writing something for cello, since I know a fabulous cellist who is always kind enough to come record. But... love the song. I also love the kind of choir-ish sound when in the middle. I also like listening to this with my good speakers and hearing the sound drift back and forth between the speakers... the Wall of Sound.

2. Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons. Yummy yummy yummy. Song for a rainy day. Mumford and Sons random fact: they are a bit literary and occasionally borrow a lyric from Shakespeare. So one day in an interview, Mumford was quoted thusly: “You can rip off Shakespeare all you like; no lawyer’s going to call you up on that one.” True, that.

3. Cold Hearted by Zac Brown Band. Because I love love love Zac Brown’s voice. He can sing to me any time. Every time. And today there actually it is a little chilly.

4. Rhythm of Love by Plain White Ts. Despite the fact that I have almost ruined this song by using it as a ringtone and an alarm wake-up song.

5. Little House by the The Fray. Not because of the lyrics. But the music is awesome. It starts out all nice, and then about 30 seconds in, it starts taking itself a little seriously. But in a good way.

Hmm. No female artists. Go figure.

The One With Her Fave 10

2011-05-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Has anyone else noticed that Blogger has been down for like... I don’t know... more than 24 hours? I don’t want to post for days on end, and then when I finally do, I can’t? That is bad timing, right there. Anyway, I am going to sneak this in before Blogger collapses again under the weight of so much meaningless drivel. :) I posted over at He Said/She Said today... my favorite ten photos I have taken in the last few months. Go check it out, and comment over THERE, please.

If I have one regret, it is that I did not get to take photos of Casey and Hannah. I had one that I tucked into the Mother’s Day video, but honestly, I didn’t even take that one! So they need to come visit so that I can satisfy my camera craving.

Okay, so, GO. What are you waiting for??? Go!

She Said: Finding Beauty

The One With the Senior Moment

2011-05-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

Dillon is a senior. I have been trying to get him to let me take some photos of him for days and days. They have an honors night at church tomorrow night with a slideshow, and I found some fun ones from when he was a baby...

and a child...

but not any senior photos, until today. We took about ten minutes, ran down to O’Neill Park, and got a few good ones. The smiley ones were all vertical, and I haven’t edited those yet. But I thought these were pretty cool.

Dillon noticed some berries in the freezer earlier. He said, “You know... berry cobbler would be part of my dream meal. Along with shredded beef chimichangas. And maybe using hobbits as waiters... they are so short they don’t interfere with conversation. Although I’m not sure I want them touching my food. They don’t really seem all that clean, do they?”

What a weird kid.

The Mother’s Day One

2011-05-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is how I have spent the last two weeks.... and it was a great two weeks. I got to take photos of some really cool people, and I love the song Garry and I wrote together. My biggest frustration, however, came after I completed the video. The video, which looks amazing on my big screen and sounds wonderful on my great speakers (do yourself a favor and listen to this once with HEADPHONES and you will hear a whole new world!) was not translating well to YouTube. I wanted it to be available in HD, and despite trying about 15 times with the last video, and about five more with this one, I was having no luck.

Suddenly this morning when I had already given up and told Garry to just post this on our Archangel Records Facebook page, I stumbled across a comment buried deep within an unrelated question on an old YouTube help forum. It stated that even though YouTube accepts MOV format (the Apple Quicktime movie standard) that I had to use a certain compression, with a certain number of databits per second, and check a particular box. Why no one could just TELL ME THAT... I have no idea. I suppose this had become a matter of my not inconsiderable pride that I was supposed to be good at computer stuff, and this was eluding me. But no longer, and so you should really watch it in HD... instead of watching it here, click and go watch it on YouTube, full-screen HD. Yahoo!

I hope you will not only watch this, but then share it with your mother. Your mother-in-law. Your daughters. Please share it on your blog. On your Facebook page. Hope you love it. Hope it makes you cry. That, as always, is the goal. Happy happy Mother’s Day!!!

The One Where She Was Dressed Like a Cupcake

2011-04-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

27 years ago tomorrow.

What should we do to celebrate? Breakfast in bed is out. I am leaving the house at 5:00 a.m. and D.K., at 6:00. Lunch is out. Dinner? Hmm. Any good suggestions out there?

P.S. Look closely at the picture... Napoleon Dynamite was one of our groomsmen... :)

The One With the Road to Hana

2011-04-24T00:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry, guys... I put all my guts into my post on the other blog, so go read there, and I will post here in a couple of days!

The One Where She Was All Alone

2011-04-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

I know. Sounds like maybe I am complaining that I was lonely. No no no. Not lonely. I actually DREAM of being all alone. It happens so seldom. But DK had meetings in L.A. this last week, and I wasn’t invited to them. But I was invited to go hang out at a really nice hotel and have some of that alone time I had been craving.

This was the view out the window. Not to offend anyone, but L.A. is not one of the most beautiful cities out there. Weather, yes. But seriously, I could see four billboards for lapband surgery from my window! Not exactly scenic, but I still enjoyed the view.

DK thought this magazine was humorous. I will leave this one alone.

The bed was super comfy with tons of pillows and a down comforter.

I had my iPad and a book.

The hotel wi-fi was a total ripoff so I tried out the “Personal Wi-fi Hotspot” option on my iPhone 4. Yes, it cost extra from AT&T, but it didn’t cost more than the wi-fi the hotel was offering, and it worked like a charm to stream movies and TV onto my iPad. That is some pretty mind-bending technology, I have to say. Here is a screenshot from my iPhone running the Personal Hotspot. Pretty cool:

I was only there for 24 hours, but it was a nice little break. I came back to spend the next five days catering, taking dinner to the sick and injured, and finishing the April music video for Archangel Records. Which, by the way, I am a little bit in love with. Garry and I struggled a bit figuring out how to portray certain imagery in the song, and we hit a lot of brick walls. But we found ways around all of them, and I am really happy with the result. I hope you will all help me out by watching the video, and if you are so inclined, sharing it, too. We would love new fans on our Archangel Records Facebook page here, and we are hoping to at least double the amount of video views from the last video.

Check out the latest on Archangel at our He Said/She Said blog here. By the way, we just finished writing the song for the May video... and it is going to be SWEET. {Hint: think Mother’s Day!}

Anyway, here is the video. Hope you enjoy it!

The One Where He Was Worried About the Wrong Thing

2011-04-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

There are so many lessons one could take from this... for me, it is that sometimes I just worry about the wrong thing. No need to go borrowing trouble... it will find you.

What lesson did you learn? P.S. Happy Sunday! :)

The One With No Pictures

2011-04-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

Why? Because I was holding the baby. We went to the petting zoo in San Juan Capistrano today and I spent the whole time holding Reeses. She is beautiful with huge round cheeks, white fuzzy hair and she just waits for you to look at her so she can smile. So sweet. And, so, no photos. But a good time was had by all. There were goats, sheep, cows, llamas, donkeys, turkeys, pigs, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs (sorry if I left anyone out) and they were all hungry for the little mini veggie platters we were feeding them. Jif and Skippy rode the train, and Jif screamed when he had to get off.

It was perfect weather and a perfect day. And while I left the petting zoo undocumented, I did finally get around to taking some photos of Jif and Reese’s parents. If you want to check them out, look at my other blog post. And please, leave a comment over there... I get lonely on the other blog! Click here:

She Said: Last Light

Oh, and P.S. I did take some smiling pictures too... I just needed the serious ones for my big project. Shh!

The One Where They Planned Ahead

2011-04-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent an hour driving through the streets of Santa Ana. It was the part of Santa Ana where they don’t necessarily bother to put any of the signs in English. I saw a lot of interesting things, including at least three taco trucks that I really wanted to try (but I held out and DK took me to “The Chili Pepper” instead... good choice) and a City of Santa Ana vendor pushcart full of ice cream. Yesterday would have been the day to get some of that, since it was 90 degrees. But my favorite by far was this sign that I loved so much that we had to go back so I could take a photo with my phone. Martinez Party Planner... I feel sure that they would leave nothing unplanned. :) Take a close look.

{Click to view larger}

The One With Just Pictures

2011-03-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

I’m a little leery of giving my opinion lately, so I think I am just going to throw some pictures up here. Some of it won’t make much sense, but I will just say that my camera has been working overtime this last month. {Click to view larger!}

P.S. Which is your favorite?

The One With the Bossi Bag

2011-03-28T15:39:00.000-07:00

This is a CAMERA BAG??? Yes, please!

They are giving one away over here at my favorite... Florabella Collection. Check it out!

The One With the Crying

2011-03-19T00:39:00.000-07:00

I know I am behind in posting here. And Casey got married Saturday and I have a few other things I really do need to post. But I am throwing a little party for 250 people tomorrow night, and I just haven’t had time. So for now, head over for my “She Said” post and leave me some comment love over there. I promise I will post some fun stuff next week. Scout’s honor... cross my heart and hope to die...

She Said: Are You Crying???

The One With the Digital Download

2011-03-09T07:21:00.000-08:00

Our new song, Carry Me, is now available for digital download for 99 cents! It should also be on iTunes shortly, but we don’t exactly know how shortly, because we have never submitted music there before. For now, you can go to CD Baby and purchase and download. Kinda cool... :) {Just click on the photo, or the link below it.}

Garry Pfile | Carry Me | CD Baby

The One With the Useless Phrases

2011-03-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

I have a friend who sort of collects useless phrases. The cliché kind that people slap onto your troubles like a band-aid that is not nearly big enough. “It’s water under the bridge.” “It’s all good.” “Everything will work out.” And my personal favorite: “Let me know if you need anything.”

We had a discussion about that particular one in my primary class on Sunday. {Primary is Mormon speak for the program for 3-12-year-old children on Sundays.} Two of the teachers were sick on Sunday, and so I had extra kids. About twelve in all. I asked the kids if they thought it was a nice thing to tell someone, “Let me know if you need anything.” The answer was about evenly split between those who thought it was a kind gesture, and those who didn’t. Then I asked how many of them would ever call up the person who said it, and tell them what they need. This one was unanimous: none.

Ten-year-old Devoree said that a couple of Christmases ago, her dad was unexpectedly ill and in the hospital. Christmas was only a couple of days away and their house had been dark and deserted all week as they spent all of their spare time at the hospital. She relates that they arrived home that night to find that their house had lights on. They walked in to find a decorated tree with presents under it, beautiful Christmas music playing, the kitchen counters stacked with cookies and other treats, and a delicious dinner on the stove. Her eyes were huge as she told us the story. “We didn’t know what was going on!” she said with a huge smile. “But one thing is for sure… nobody said to my mom, ‘let me know if there is anything I can do for you.’ Because my mom would never have told them.”

Suddenly the room everyone’s hands were in the air and they were all talking at once. Everyone had a story about how they were able to provide service, or they had been the recipient of someone else’s kindness.

And there was just one more question. “Do you think that with regards to serving others, Jesus ever told anyone, “Let me know if you need anything?” We went with a “no” on that one.

P.S. Due to the rather large amount of controversial comments this post generated, I have made this post comment-free to avoid WWIII. :) Sorry if I have offended anyone...

The One That Took Forever

2011-03-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

But it was totally worth it. I just finished this music video. It was a lot of work! We didn’t want to use stolen photos from the internet... so I had to take all the photos and edit them. I say I “had to” but it was really fun. I love the photos we used. The music took a long time, but I learned a lot of things about one of my new computer programs. I guess you could say that this video was a definitely learning experience. Let me know if you like it. (By the way, I think I made it so you can watch it full screen.)

The One With Sarcasm Thursday

2011-03-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I do not limit sarcasm to Thursdays. But I am afraid I may have outdone myself last night, posting on my other blog. Please do go and visit.... leave a comment. I seriously can use some validation today. It has been a long week! {Just click on the photo or the link below, or, well... HERE.}

She Said: Earnest, With a Side of Sarcasm

The One With the Green Blob

2011-03-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

I hope Jan doesn’t read this post (sometimes I don’t know who, if anyone, reads this) because she would probably feel bad, and this one was one hundred percent my epic fail.

Friend Jan called yesterday with a strange and unique request: Would you please make me some green bread? It was a tradition she had growing up, where her mom would make green bread for St. Patrick’s Day. She said she was embarrassed by it as a kid, and would hide the sandwich, surreptitiously pulling off pieces to eat when she thought no one could see. But like many embarrassing childhood traditions, it is one she has come to treasure. She was hosting a first-Tuesday-in-March staff meeting, and wanted to serve green food.

Of course I agreed to make green bread. How could I pass that up? Then I got a little distracted last night. Unexpected company. Coconut shrimp party. Spur of the moment. Mmm. I remembered the bread after the first rise. It was a bilious green color, and I formed it into fat Gumby-colored loaves and placed into the lower oven to rise for 25 minutes. Then I started working on a song I am trying to finish for my music project. An hour went by. Maybe two... DK turned off the beeping timer, I’m sure... and then I stumbled off to bed, exhausted.

3:45 a.m. My eyes open, and I have a single thought: I have green bread rising in the oven. I ran downstairs and opened the oven, and there it was... and it was Dr. Seuss-worthy. It had overflowed the pans. It had cascaded over the oven racks. It had pooled in green glory all over the over floor and the heating elements.

So I have been up since 3:45. Making a new batch of green bread. Yes, I’m a little tired. But I am eating a delicious green grilled cheese sandwich. Totally worth it. Okay, maybe not.

The One Where We Got a Little Work Done

2011-02-26T00:33:00.001-08:00

Keeping my head above water has been a little difficult lately. And not just because it is pouring rain out there again. But busy is good, especially when I am working for awesome things, like weddings and music and such.

I have a few more hours of work ahead of me tonight… but I wanted to take a few minutes out to update over here, and I wanted to post this song that I recorded with Garry over the weekend. It is called “My Soul Hungered,” written by Steven K. Jones and Kurt Bestor. It is a beautiful song and it was so fun to record.

I really can’t thank Garry enough for doing this project with me, and hopefully many more to come. He is so talented at writing and he has a great ear for editing as well. I have never been able to write a song with anyone before, let alone ten of them. That is a miracle to me, and it is a miracle to me that he is taking so much of the workload of this giant project. Probably most importantly, he makes everything fun. I can’t even tell you how awesome he is.

In the next couple of weeks there will be a new song up on YouTube that we worked on this week. I can’t wait! In the meantime, here is “My Soul Hungered.” Once again I am having issues with uploading songs, so I had to use a new playlist generator. The playlist was ugly and clunky, and naturally I want it to be beautiful and elegant and it bugs me when it is not.... so I came up with this alternative. Hopefully it works well. In order to do it I had to do a crash course in iMovie, and I am definitely no expert. For some reason it is quieter than it should be. So turn up the volume and enjoy. Or, you can check it out over at our Archangel Records Facebook page. The Facebook video player is much better than the Blogger video player. Oh, and if you haven’t “liked us” yet over on Facebook, please do!

The Dystopian One

2011-02-25T23:38:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I said I would post “in a couple of days”… and here we are a couple of weeks out. I am going to play a little catch-up with a post or two. First of all, I promised a post about Dystopia. It is not, in fact, the medical term for blurry vision. It is actually a genre of literature that happens to be one of my favorites.

Dystopia is, in literature, an often futuristic society that has degraded into a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian. Some examples would be Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury or Brave New World by Huxley, or one of my favorites: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Recently it seems like dystopia has found young adult lit, and my favorites are the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (love love love), and a new favorite, Matched by Ally Condie. Runners up would probably be the Pretties and Uglies series by Scott Westerfield, and the Maze Runner by James Dashner.

And I had to throw this final photo in here. The last Marine left alive. World in chaos. No, just kidding. It is Ethan of course, and I told him that I could work a picture of him into my dystopian post. I don’t think he believed me, but BAM. If you have any more suggestions for great dystopian books, you can let me know. I am a sucker for a good post-apocalyptic storyline. If it has zombies, so much the better.

The One That is Not About Dystopia

2011-02-07T15:13:00.000-08:00

Doesn’t that sound just like a disease? Or at the very least some sort of eye disorder? It isn’t. And no, I’m not writing about it today. I’m just gathering my thoughts to talk about it later this week. For today, I posted elsewhere. So please, don’t comment here... I mean, what could you possibly have to say? Go read my A-Z post over there and leave me some comment love. I get lonely. In case you missed the two perfectly obvious links, CLICK HERE NOW.

If you are late tuning in and have no idea what I am talking about, I am currently hard at work on a project to produce a new CD of Christmas music for this year, and the “It’s Never Too Early” blog is where I vent, brag and contradict (Garry co-authors that blog from the “He Said” perspective). It is fun and doesn’t really have a lot to do with Christmas, so go read. You can tune in later in the week for some dystopia.

The One With Facebook 101

2011-02-03T13:53:00.001-08:00

Welcome, class, to Facebook 101. Please note that the prerequisites for this class are a) an IQ of 50+, b) aged 13+ and c) a modicum of common sense. I see a lot of hands raised. I know what you all want to ask, and the answer is NO. I will not waive one or more of the prerequisites. I have put low-to-mediocre standards out there, and we are going to stick to them.

Here are the points we will be covering today in Facebook 101. Feel free to take notes. Everything will be on the test.

1. To Facebook or Not to Facebook. I go back and forth on this one myself. I swing between enjoying staying connected with friends and family… even those who live far away… and feeling that small-town sting of everyone knowing my business. I waffle between hoping no one notices me and wishing someone would write something nice on my wall. I try to weigh the value of social networking as a way to promote my music, vs. the time-consuming nature of Facebook. It is really a love (like)/hate thing for me. If you love Facebook so much that you can’t seem to go an hour of the day without checking it, then please skip to #10 and follow the directions there.

2. Friends. If you think your kids are excited to be your Facebook friends, they are probably not. If in fact you believe that anyone is truly excited to see your friend request, they are probably not. If you think that being someone’s Facebook friend means that you are close in real life, you are probably not. If you think that Facebook is real life, please skip ahead to #10 and follow the directions carefully.

3. Posting Etiquette. Type your post into the box that says “Write Something” or if you wish to post to your own wall, in the “What’s On Your Mind?” box. Now, before, clicking on “Share,” read your post carefully. Have you mentioned bodily functions of any kind? Did you reveal the medical status of one or more family members? Did you write how relieved you are to finally be rid of a detested spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend or fiancée? Does your post detail feelings of love or physical longing for another Facebook user, regardless of marital status? OKAY. Before you hit that SHARE button, look at your Friends list. Does your friends list include your husband? Wife? Children? Parents? Siblings? People from work? Boyfriend or girlfriend? Fiancee? Church associates? School friends? Childhood sweethearts? Yes, I thought so. Now, STOP what you are doing, look me in the eyes and listen carefully to what I am telling you: ALL OF THESE PEOPLE will be able to read the post you have just written. ALL OF THEM. It will show up on their news feeds and in some cases on their profiles. Do you understand what I am telling you? Good. If you find what I am telling you to be in some way incomprehensible, then please for the love of all that is holy, immediately skip to #10 and follow the directions included there.

4. Photos. Facebook allows you to post photos. They don’t really know what photos you are posting, so it is really up to you. But inappropriate or offensive photos can be reported, and will be removed by the Facebook gods. If your buddy gets really drunk and you think it would be funny to post photos of him less than fully dressed, I will report you. Particularly if you are a close friend or family member. If you believe that there is nothing in this world more beautiful than childbirth, please feel free to make yourself a scrapbook. If you post childbirth photos that include (but are not limited to) any body parts normally hidden in a public setting, internal organs such as a placenta or any other female reproductive organs, or excessive amounts of blood that came from incisions or female parts, I will report you. You should thank me. If for some reason this seems unfair to you, please refer to #10 and follow the directions.

5. Profile pictures. I know you think you know what I am going to say here… truth in reporting and all that… put up a photo that really looks like you… nothing from before 1980, etc. etc. You would be wrong. I actually prefer to look at appealing profile pictures. So put your best foot forward. Maybe literally… if your most attractive feature is your feet, then let’s see that pedicure. If you looked better in 1970, bring it on. Photoshop if you must. Please refer to Awkward Family Photos and if your photo resembles any of the photos there, please skip to #10 and follow the directions there.

6. Privacy. As part of our class time today, please proceed to the Privacy Settings section of your Account info. Now jack them up to maximum. You will thank me for this. No more friend requests from someone named Yasmine who is “interested in other women” and whose profile pic is her… well, you get the picture. Yasmine, if you are reading this, please proceed to #10 and follow the directions found there.

7. Quizzes. You know who you are: Stop taking quizzes. You are wasting your life away. The Facebook gods do not really know how tall you are going to be, or how many children you will have, or which Twilight character you most resembled in a previous life. These are designed to rob you of your time and your dignity. If you have plenty of the former, and none of the latter, then just start watching daytime TV or tip cows or really anything else besides taking these inane and often sexually inappropriate quizzes. If you really can’t stop yourself, I understand. Please proceed immediately to #10 and follow the directions there.

8. Farmville. Yoville, Mafia Wars, etc. STOP, look into my eyes, and listen to what I am telling you. These things are not real. You have lost your grip on reality. You are dehydrated, your kids are wandering around in three-day-old diapers and your house looks like a set from Hoarders. There is no 12-step program for this. With all the compassion I can muster, I am telling you: Skip to #10 and follow the directions. If this does not immediately solve your problem, then reach behind the computer, and unplug it from the wall. Take a deep breath. Look around you. Do you know where you are? Deep breaths.

9. Homework. Your homework today is to go home and watch “The Social Network.” If, after watching it, you think that Mark Zuckerberg was a nice young man who invented Facebook so you could keep in touch with your kids... then you missed the point entirely, and you should now proceed to #10 and follow the directions. (Disclaimer: The Social Network is rated PG-13 and to the best of my recollection had girls dancing in their underwear and drug use and an occasional swear word so I am not recommending it to anyone of a tender age or sensibilities or anyone remotely Mormon that might think I am a bad person for even suggesting it. Thank you for your understanding.)

10. To deactivate your Facebook, select “Deactivate” under Account Settings. Do this now.

Thank you for your kind attention during class today. I hope it has been fun and informative. If you still Facebook, then be so kind as to click on this button and go “Like” my Archangel Records” page. I am in desperate need of the validation that I get from having fans. And if you want to send me a friend request, please feel free. I am shockingly undiscriminating.

Archangel Records

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The One Where Garry Talks About Disney Princesses

2011-02-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, Garry? Do enlighten us. I know... so embarrassing, right? Haha! But seriously, go check out the latest post on my He Said, She Said blog. He does talk about a Disney princess, and it is one of my favorites (I won’t say who... you have to go look), AND one of the most romantic movie scenes of all time is on there, AND Jon McLaughlin. Yummy. So go, go, go. Leave a comment over there, too. Oh, and while you’re at it, be a FOLLOWER if you haven’t already. I know the blog has the word Christmas in it, but it is not all about Christmas, and we update it every single week, and it is FUN! Be a joiner.

The One With the Dead Yak

2011-01-27T09:48:00.001-08:00

Every day is full of decisions. It starts before I even get up. Turn off the alarm or hit the snooze? Say my prayers or forget? Cap’n Crunch or Reese’s Peanut Butter Puffs? Exercise or play on the computer? Curly or straight(er)? And then the real fun begins. There are about fifty different things I should get done today. Which of them do I do? They aren’t all going to fit. It reminds me of my favorite bit from Brian Regan, the comedian, where he is talking about trying to jam something in the overhead compartment on an airplane. You have this much room, and you have a DEAD YAK. That is my day. I’ve got this much room, and a dead yak.

However, it’s my dead yak. It’s all things I want to do. Even if I have to cut it up into a hundred little pieces, I am going to shove it into the compartment. And if I can’t fit it all in today, then I’ll work on it tomorrow. And I’m still going to find time for dinner with a friend. Even if it is a cold dead fish head. Served with a turnip. And a spork. ☺

The One With the... What the...?

2011-01-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

This is an actual screenshot I took from my Facebook page ad section yesterday. I looked. I read. I looked again. And again.

Am I the only one who thinks this is strange?

The One About Dillon

2011-01-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

Dillon is funny. Most people don’t realize it because he tends to be quiet, but he is very funny. And sometimes surprising.

Yesterday we went through the drive-thru at Chick-Fil-A. That turned out to be a mistake, but that’s a whole other story. So this was the conversation.

Perky voice from speaker: “Welcome to Chick-Fil-A. My name is Delilah. How can I help you?”

Dillon: “Oh, hey there, Delilah. What’s it like in New York City?”

Silence.

Okay, so that is probably not the first time she has ever heard that, but this is Dillon we’re talking about. So funny.

Later we were sitting there eating, and Dillon says, “Did you fold Skippy’s laundry? Because he wore the same shirt three times last week.” I was a little bit horrified by that and replied, “He did? I laid out his clothes for him every single morning.” Dillon: “Well, don’t worry about it. It was his camoflauge shirt. I’m sure no one saw him.”

Hahahahahahahaha! Oh, Dillon...

Be sure and check out my other blog for a great post from Garry.

The One Where She Was Snacky and Snarky

2011-01-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

I wouldn’t ordinarily repost a recipe, but don’t judge me. This has been one of my hardest weeks in awhile, and when Sunday rolled around, I tore through the pantry with reckless abandon, feeling desperately snacky, and this was really the only thing that would do. In our house, we either call it Weasel Butt (if this makes no sense, the explanation for that is here) or Mormon Crack, which stems from its extremely addictive properties. Either way, you should probably make some right now and eat them.

Besides feeling snacky yesterday, I was also feeling a little snarky. Click here for snarky.

Weasel Butt/Mormon Crack Recipe

The One With the New Zodiac

2011-01-14T11:48:00.000-08:00

I’m bound to offend someone here. AGAIN. But have you heard the news? Yes, they have changed the astrological signs. If, like me, you were a Taurus, you are now an Aries! Let’s face it… you have been living a lie.

Martha Stewart had to get stitches in her lip yesterday after being bitten by her own dog. A Mrs. Bell from Roscommon, Michigan, completed her 14-foot rendition of “The Last Supper” made entirely from dryer lint. Her family is fearful that they will never have clean clothes ever again. Just this morning, a South Carolina man had to remove the dyed-pink male genital parts from the snowman in his front yard in order to avoid arrest. Burglars in Germany become stuck in an elevator while trying to reach a higher floor, and had to call the police for help. Clearly these people were suffering the effects of the wrong horoscope.

How many snowmen must be castrated before we stop the madness?

The One With the Tom Selleck Poster

2011-01-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

I don’t have a bucket list, and honestly, even if I did, these things would probably not be on the list. But I have to celebrate small milestones (you should note that I very carefully did not call them accomplishments… so be warned). Let’s cross ‘em off.

1. Be the best man at a friend’s wedding. Yes, I got to give the “best man” toast at Andrew’s wedding on Saturday. Good times.

2. Made a basket from Larry’s sidewalk across the street. It’s not quite a half-court shot, but it is pretty far just the same.

3. Went a week without logging onto Facebook. It was nice.

4. Went a week without washing my hair. No, I’m just kidding about that one. I could never. My hair gets curlier and tanglier and about an inch shorter every day I don’t wash it. After a week, I would probably have to just shave it all off.

5. Watched an entire episode of Castle. This is Cambria and DK’s show, and I usually wander off. I stuck through the whole Nikki Heat episode.

6. Ate every last piece of the peanut butter chocolate fudge that my neighbor brought over for the family. I don’t think anyone else would have liked it, so obviously it was a kindness I performed. And since I am feeling slightly confessional right now, I will go ahead and admit that I ate that whole container of triple peanut butter ice cream in the freezer… the one with the chunks of Reese’s, as well as an alarming number of the Snicker’s Peanut Butter squares DK brought home from Costco. They were delicious. And crunchy.

7. Bought a dress for Casey’s wedding on sale AND two months before the wedding. Now I just have to watch the peanut butter intake for a couple of months.

Now, one last little gem:

There are so many great things about this, it is hard to decide which is the best. Is it my haircut, which might be described as kind of a mullet? Is it the fact that I have my hands on the creepy guy that was my roommate’s boyfriend (whom, incidentally and distastefully, I found naked in my apartment that semester)? All good, but NO… it’s the Tom Selleck poster!!! Oh, Tom...

The One Where She Keeps it Fresh

2011-01-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

It’s trash day, and it is time to say goodbye to the dead tree. And any lingering Christmas decorations will be tucked into the room under the stairs (yes, we have one of those… Harry Potter would be quite comfortable). Last year in the middle of March I was walking down our street on trash day, and spotted this:

Some people just really don’t like to throw anything away. I do. I think that along with the tree, a few more things from 2010 should be out by the basketball hoop waiting for the trash guy.

Here are some of my suggestions. Feel free to add your own.

The show Bridalplasty on E! Network. Where 12 women compete to win a dream wedding and the plastic surgery of their dreams. Oh. My. Gosh.

My home phone land line. Bye bye.

LOL. And no, I’m not laughing. You know who you are: Stop saying that.

The Shake Weight. Particularly the ads for it, but probably the actual device, too. Enough said.

Dinner With Schmucks. The worst movie I watched in 2010. Well, most of it… I couldn’t actually get more than about halfway through it.

Denny’s Fried Cheese Melt. They put fried mozzarella sticks inside a grilled cheese sandwich. I’m all for enjoying a big juicy burger now and again, and not think about the nutritional value. But come on… a fried cheese melt? That is just wrong.

Ke$ha. Because, gross.

The BCS. Oh, and while we’re at it, any remaining footage of Kyle Brotzman’s failed punts at the end of that Boise State v. Nevada game. ESPN should lose them and never speak of them again.

Kurt on Glee. Dear Kurt, you have hijacked a fun show and made it all about your sexual preferences. Can we have our show back, please?

California Lottery Tickets. They were supposed to ensure that our kids had the best education, with no school budget cuts… um, what?

He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named (President what’s-his-face that I never think about). Next, please.

Prius. Just because it is getting annoying.

Checking your texts during church.

Global warming. Because it isn’t actually a real thing.

And what the heck… while we’re at it,
Microsoft products
customer “support” lines
AT&T’s data plans
shoes that lace up (come on… it’s like the shoe version of a rotary phone)
cameras on stoplights
phonebooks
homework and
salad.

Done, and done.

The One Right After Christmas

2010-12-29T20:58:00.000-08:00

I thought about taking down Christmas decorations, but the mere thought made me tired. So I changed the background on the blog instead. Mission accomplished! We have to take these small victories where we find them, right?

Things have been crazy around here. But here is the catch-up in a nutshell.

1. Reese. This is an alias... to go with Skippy and Jif. I like it. I am a Reese's fan from way back. Yes, I have a granddaughter. That is pretty crazy. She was born on December 5th, and she is entirely beautiful. She was 8 lbs. 12 oz. and has just the littlest bit of blonde hair and fair skin. We are all pretty much smitten by her.

2. Casey is engaged to Hannah. Score! They are to be married March 12th in the Salt Lake Temple. We are having an open house here on March 19th, and no, I have no plans. Hmm. Should get on that. Hannah is amazing, and we are pretty excited to get another girl in the family.

3. If you didn't read my last post, I am up to my eyeballs in writing Christmas songs. I know... Christmas just happened. But for Christmas 2011 there is to be a new CD and CONCERTS! As of today, the Bell Tower in Rancho Santa Margarita has been booked for December 16th and 17th, 2011 for the concerts. I am super excited about that. I have started a new blog about it with my friend Garry, and I would so so so so so appreciate it if you would go over there and check it out, and click to Follow the blog, and please pretty please leave comments. Some bloggy love would be so nice. We are posting over there every single week ALL YEAR! It is scary and fun and exciting all at once.

A few more days without school, and I am trying my best to finish writing some music, so send me some bloggy love and maybe a casserole. xoxo

The One With the NEW BLOG!!!

2010-12-21T23:34:00.001-08:00

It is official... the new blog is launched for the new project! What is the new project, you ask? Well, it is a new Christmas CD for 2011, packed with new original music and some fun traditional carols. I am doing the project with a great partner... my friend Garry Pfile, and we are currently in the process of writing songs and planning the new CD. But that is not all! We are also going to be hosting two concerts at the Belltower in Rancho Santa Margarita, California on December 16th and 17th, 2011. They are going to be amazing, and feature all of the great soloists from the CD. We will perform favorites from “It’s All About the Baby” in addition to the new CD, and some great familiar tunes.

The concerts will be free, but we expect to run out of tickets almost as soon as we release them. But YOU can guarantee that you get tickets... I am running a contest that runs through Monday, December 27th. I will draw three winners at random. Those three winners will each receive: 1) Two VIP seating tickets for the concert on the night of their choice, 2) “It’s All About the Baby” CD (mailed next week)... and 3) one of the first of the new CDs off the press (mailed the first week of November, 2011).

Here is how you can be entered in the contest: WE WANT FOLLOWERS! Our new blog is going to be very fun, and will feature sneak peeks of songs (the first one is already up on the blog!) and new posts at least once a week for the ENTIRE YEAR. So for one entry, please become a follower of the NEW blog. For another entry, leave a comment on the new blog. For additional entries, you can post the contest on your own blog or Facebook, or tweet it if you would rather. Just send me a quick e-mail HERE to let me know. It would be great if you would include a link to the post or tweet.

So please... give us your support and enjoy our initial version of the first song from the new CD... just go HERE, LISTEN... and check back often!

The One With the CDs

2010-12-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Well, it took a little doing, but I have my new shipment of CDs. I am shipping them the same day the order is received, so you can have CDs within a couple of days. So go here and order, or you can go here to listen to the songs and get all excited for your CDs to arrive. They are Christ-centered, but non-denominational, so they make a great stocking stuffer or gift for anyone on your list. In fact, last night for an activity, we took them by to firehouses and the homes of people who are ill or have suffered a loss, and we were going to just skip the home of our Jewish friends who recently lost a young son... but when they saw the CDs, they were so excited to have one. So hey... you just never know. I would love to send you some. So quick! Order!

The One With Skippy’s Little Crush

2010-11-27T18:23:00.000-08:00

On Black Friday I took all the girlfriends plus Skippy to Borders for a little outing. Hannah looked at wedding books (yes, she and Casey got engaged on Wednesday...), Katie found Anti-Monopoly, Kim looked at cookbooks, Cam coveted City of Ashes, and Skippy... well, he had his heart set on Giada. Like father, like son.

The One Where She Takes Over the World

2010-11-15T20:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I haven’t taken over the world. But it is not for lack of trying. There is this crazy little iPhone game that I can’t resist. It is called Wordsworth, and what is so fun about it is that you play other people. And, in my case, you often beat them. I am just the teensiest little bit competitive. (just a skoch)

When you win games, your VP, or vocab power, increases, and when you lose, it decreases. This VP amounts to a ranking of sorts, and the game is connected to the iPhone app Game Center, which lets you compete against a lot of other people. And as of this writing, my VP is 1643, and I am currently #23. IN THE WORLD. If you want to buy the app and play me, my UN (username) is Vixlove. But if you have a VP of under 1300, I won’t accept your game request. I have standards. Did I mention I am #23 IN THE WORLD? Just saying.

The One with Skippy and the Secret Ingredient

2010-11-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

DK here. I just hacked Cupcake's blog. She went out for a walk this morning, leaving me in charge of Skippy's breakfast. Cereal, fried egg or cinnamon toast? He choose the fried egg. Funny kid. So I am making the egg. I show him how to season it: a little salt, a little pepper and the secret ingredient. Do you know what the secret ingredient is, Skip? ‘Danger?’ Obviously he is a follower of his Mother's blog.
No, not danger. Dill weed.
He laughed and said ‘dill weed almost sounds like danger’. That it does, Skip.

The One Where Elmo Slept With the Fishies

2010-11-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

On my run this morning, I spotted trouble, in the form of one very small, red, furry Elmo. I slowed down to investigate, and this is what I saw:

I honestly didn't know quite what to think... I mean, was he just kicking back, watching the spectacular clouds roll by? (It rained this morning, and it was a seriously beautiful day). But if so, why so close to the dangerous water? And why does he have that horrified expression on his little face?

After talking to him for a few moments and finding him so unresponsive that one might even call him catatonic, I had to wonder if maybe this was a failed suicide attempt. Sad.

My second lap around the lake, Elmo was gone. Did he slip silently into the murky deep? Was he eaten by a duck, or one of those freakishly large, scary geese? Did a careless pet owner allow her dog to carry him off as a chew toy? Was there anything I could have said or done to save him? Frankly, I don’t know. And now I have to live with that.

The One Where You Can Get a Head Start

2010-11-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

On what, you ask? Well, on your Christmas shopping. Because I am opening my Christmas blog for the holidays, and as of today, my Christmas CD, “It’s All About the Baby,” is available for purchase. You should really go check out the Christmas blog... either click on the link at the left of my blog, or click HERE, because I put up my favorite song from the CD for you to listen and enjoy. But you will definitely want to buy CDs right away. There are a limited number available, and I expect that they will sell out very quickly. They are a great stocking stuffer, teacher gift… really, anybody gift. So go! Buy!

And while we are on the subject of music, I am going to tell you that I have a new project in the works. It was actually Garry’s idea and we are sharing the work, so it is not my project… it is our project. It is going to involve some great musicians, and it is going to make 2011 very busy, and completely amazing. In the next month or two I will be starting a new blog so you can watch the progress. But for now, I will just say that it is going to be AWESOME!

The Hipstamatic One

2010-10-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

I am informed by my family that I am the only one that thinks this is cool... well, except for my nephew Sam who showed it to me to begin with. I take some pretty beautiful photos with my Canon camera. I never thought I would take many pictures with my iPhone, but with a five-megapixel resolution and the fact that it is always on hand, I actually use it a lot. And then, along came Hipstamatic. Hipstamatic is an app for the iPhone that has a collection of vintage “lenses,” “film” and “flashes” to choose from, in order to create a sort of 80s-era photo.

My family thinks they are lame, but I can’t help myself. I just love the vivid color. Or the desaturation. There is something about these photos that is just so... moody.

Is it just me?

The One With the Sticker Shock

2010-10-27T19:26:00.001-07:00

Today was a very frustrating day. Things were going well until about 9:00 am., and suddenly everything tumbled down in a domino effect, and by noon I was so mad and stressed out that my hands were kind of shaking. And then I spotted it. It was a sticker on the back of a Honda Element: “Baby in Car.”

Even in the days when I habitually drove around with babies in my car… sometimes lots of them… I never went for those “Baby on Board” stickers. But I didn’t really give them much thought either. Until today. When something snapped. I thought angrily, what earthly reason do they have for telling me there is a baby in their car? Now, I will admit, I was not driving in the best frame of mind. But that sticker really bugged me. Guess what… even before I knew that you had a baby in there, I was not planning to strike your vehicle with my Suburban. I wasn’t planning to tailgate you, sideswipe you, or even make an unsafe lane change anywhere close to you. It really hasn’t changed anything for me. Even if you had a sticker that said, Ugly Person in Car: Please, Put Me Out of My Misery; or maybe: Old Person in the Car: Already Lived a Full Life… even then, I still wasn’t going to hit you.

Maybe that wasn’t even your purpose in informing me. Maybe you were just flaunting it. Trying to make infertile women suicidal. Or, HEY, CHINA! Look at me… PROCREATING. Over. And over. And over. Two, three, four, babies… take THAT, zero population!

Finally, I felt that I just had to catch a glimpse of this sticker-worthy child. I pulled up alongside, and caught a glimpse of a suit. A thirty-dollar manicure caressing a six-dollar Starbucks cup. Wait a second… there’s no BABY in there. You dropped the little darling off at daycare, didn’t you? If indeed there ever WAS a baby. Now we have gone from annoying to just plain FRAUDULENT. And at that point, I may or may not have cut her off. Made my day just a little better.

The Epic One

2010-10-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are and nearly two months have gone by with no post. Lame, I know. At least three of you actually check my blog. And nothing. So I am going to do a very unusual post here. You know those interactive stories, where you get to choose the ending? And then you can read it again, and choose a different ending if you like? This is totally like that. There is something for everyone here.

1. A recipe. I think that is kind of a cop-out. It is what I do when I don’t have anything else of interest to post. But some of you actually care about that. It reminds me of Little Women (in my top five favorite books of all time, btw) when the four sisters are writing their newspaper (okay, so they didn’t have Netflix), and Beth’s column is a recipe, and all of the sisters think she is kind of lame, but they just do that, “Oh, Beth, that’s so cute… you think this is interesting but it is actually just a recipe…” thing. But that said, if you are here for recipes, click HERE:

2. One for DK. (In case you come late to my game, DK is code for Dearest Kevin. You know… my husband who bought me four new tires for my Suburban today, even though (maybe actually because) he knows I drive a little like a Nascar driver. Expect something political. It is October, after all. It might be a little California-specific. After all, you may or may not remember that I have vowed to not think of the president of the United States… old what’s-his-name. He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Or-Even-Thought-Of. Codename B.O. (plug your nose when you say that one). I know you think I am kidding about this, but I am totally serious. Anytime my brain strays to good old Osama or whatever his name is… I just think of something else. Hum a hymn. Take a cold shower. Imagine eating my weight in M&Ms. Or just eat the M&Ms… and poof! He is gone. Out of my thoughts. Anyway, enough about whatever that was we were talking about… I forget… Oh, and the post is probably not as long as my explanation of it. It is just a little Skippy story. So don’t be afraid. For your political education, click HERE.

3. One for my friend who has NOT returned my calls. Yes, you know who you are. The one I have called and asked to go to breakfast with me. The one who gave me an immersion blender for Christmas… about the coolest thing ever. Hey you! I am worried about you. Where are you? I actually just want to go to Cinnamon Productions with you and eat carbs and talk. Nothing serious. But I haven’t forgotten that I am working on a little project for you… and so this post is yours. (Hint: contains music… a little taste of your present). Music, click HERE.

4. One for Hannah and Kim. Special request here. Two of my boys are dating some pretty spectacular women. The request was for snarky and sarcastic. Naturally that is a stretch for me. But I will do my humble best. Okay, so Kim and Hannah haven’t agreed to marry my sons, but they are awesome and I think they should. And this post should seal the deal. For Kim and Hannah’s post, click HERE.

5. One for Jif, wherein he tries root beer for the first time. It was about as fun as his first time on the ferris wheel. For Jif’s post, click HERE.

6. One for my friend Garry who puts a little fun into pretty much every day, and pushes me out of my comfort zone to attempt something out of the ordinary, and just a little bit amazing... such as a new project for 2011 that is probably the coolest thing ever. And that is just a small part of the fun. So this post is for my best and most unusual friend. For a little sport, click HERE.

7. A techie review? Yes, techie. This one is for my mom, who is pretty cool. She says she is older than dirt. That is pretty old. Can she learn new tricks? We shall see. Techie, click HERE.

8. A picture with no words. Okay, okay… I’ll just tell you right now… the picture is of me, and I got to do something I have wanted to do for ages. Photo, click HERE.

9. There is no number nine. Seriously, I am exhausted. Eight is enough. And I don’t think I should have to post again for at least a month and a half.

But if anyone feels left out, I guess you should just tell me now. Because apparently I am taking special requests. Peace, Love, Out.

The One With the Computers vs. Cinderella

2010-10-24T16:55:00.002-07:00

And by Cinderella, I mean the Boise State Broncos. Since pre-season, this amazing Boise State football team has been ranked number one in both the Harris Poll and the coaches’ poll… but enter the wicked stepmother: the computers.

The computers only care about schedule. And no, Boise State does not have the kind of schedule that Oregon, Oklahoma or Auburn put up. They only wish upon a star that they did. Because they would still dominate. Boise State is number 2 in the AP and USA Today rankings this week… the BCS rankings won’t be announced until tonight… but it is only because of computers that they haven’t already hit number one. The computers don’t even take into account spreads. They only care about who they play. But Boise has treated the teams they have played to championship-caliber scores: 51-6 (Wyoming), 59-0 (New Mexico State), 57-14 (Toledo), and 48-0 (San Jose State). And even at that, they have been careful not to run up fourth-quarter scoring.

Oregon is number one. They just crushed UCLA 60-13. But what if they had to face Ryan Winterswyk, Billy Winn, and the rest of the number one defense in the country, both in total defense as well as pass-efficiency defense? They would not be putting up any 60 points against Boise, that is for sure.

And yes, Auburn is breathing down their necks at number three… what would happen if Boise got to play Auburn? The Tigers might run for a few yards… Cameron Newton, probably more than a few. I mean, seriously... he is arguably the best football player in the country. But Auburn’s defense wouldn’t stand a chance against All-American First-Team QB Kellen Moore. Even people outside of Idaho would be forced to sit up and take notice.

The wicked stepmother is not going anywhere. In fact, as the weeks go by, the computer polls are going to push Boise State down even more, unless the Fairy Godmother steps in. Oregon needs to falter. Auburn is ripe for an upset. And Boise State just needs to keep doing what they are doing, which is pretty darned awesome. So check it out. They play Louisiana Tech Tuesday night. And go ahead… buy a Broncos t-shirt.

The One Where There is an App for That

2010-10-24T16:55:00.001-07:00

My mom just got an iPhone 4. She asked me first, “Do you think I am too old to have an iPhone?” What a silly question. I don’t think they come with an age limit. And she didn’t just get an iPhone; she actually got rid of her landline. I am trying to do the same.

What is the big deal with an iPhone? Well, for me, it is like carrying around my iMac in the palm of my hand… and it also makes phone calls, texts, and takes pictures and HD video. Plays games… and it babysits.

I know… you are thinking, right. But one Sunday my oldest son brought little Jif down to visit. Because his mom is relief society president and had meetings, she had to stay home. Mid-afternoon an interesting thing happened. Facetime. Now, before I had an iPhone 4, I thought Facetime didn’t sound all that cool. I was wrong. A touch of the button, and all of a sudden you are enjoying a video phone call. So Josh and Jes were enjoying a video chat via Facetime, and Josh called Jif over to say hi to his mom. She was playing peekaboo with him, which actually amused her a lot more than it did him.

Jif wandered off with the phone. I asked if we should go after him, but Josh, said, “No, Jes is watching him.” She was, until he buried her with toys in the family room. We rescued her, only to have her put in the game cupboard. “Help! Jif has locked me in the game cupboard!” is not what you want to hear from your babysitter.

So, okay, maybe it is not a very good babysitter. But I still love mine more than… well, I won’t say whom. And if you think you’re too old, think again. There is probably an app for that, too.

P.S. Apple just came out with the announcement that iMacs and MacBooks can make Facetime calls now. I haven’t actually gotten a Facetime call from anyone with a computer, but it is bound to happen any day now…

The One That Burned All the Way Down

2010-10-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

Jif’s first taste of root beer:

The One Where We Discover Skippy Actually Pays Attention

2010-10-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Well, guess what. I have actually been onto him for quite some time, now. It seems like he is just doing his own thing, but he is actually taking in all the conversations around him. Well, this last week he was doing homework at the table in the family room while the rest of the family was watching T.V. This being the middle of October, and elections just around the corner, we have been completely inundated with political ads for days now.

Commercial break rolled around, and before DK’s fast finger could skip through the commercial, the question blared out of the speakers: “Who raised taxes twelve times in nine years?” And without even looking up from his homework, Skippy replied in a tired and bored voice, “Grey Davis.” Then the voice from the T.V.: “Grey Davis.” The whole family burst out into laughter. When questioned, Skippy said he also would not vote for Meg Whitman, because she is a liar (as evidenced by the commercials in which she grows a long, Pinocchio nose. That even freaks me out!). I finally asked him who we should vote for, and he replied, Carly Fiorino. She is kind of pretty.

Which only goes to prove that Skippy is not all that smart. I mean, seriously… Carly Fiorino is running for U.S. senate, not governor.

The One Where She Got What She Wanted

2010-10-23T23:58:00.000-07:00

The One Where She Did Her Part To Save Turkeys

2010-10-23T23:54:00.000-07:00

I love Thanksgiving food, but honestly, I’m not a big turkey fan. Even when perfectly cooked, brined, deep fried, seasoned to perfection, whatever… it is still just about the blandest meat I can imagine. Not only that, but the poor birds… they have been genetically engineered in this country until they are so big and fat that they can’t even walk around properly. This actually seems appropriate, when you picture how everyone else looks the evening of Thanksgiving, staggering around with their pants unbuttoned. Gross.

So I am proposing you save a bird, and eat beef. It’s what’s for dinner. Not just any beef. My favorite cut: Prime Rib. I know you think it is too hard and you can’t do it… believe me when I tell you it is sooooo much easier than turkey. And it tastes so amazing that the side dishes will be relegated back where they belong… as side dishes.

Okay, turkeys, I have done my bit. You’re on your own. You know I will still have to cook you on Thanksgiving, because my family is just way too traditional to have prime rib for Thanksgiving dinner. But maybe someone out there will save a turkey’s life this year.

Prime Rib Roast Recipe

The One With the Best Mother-in-Law Ever

2010-10-23T23:50:00.000-07:00

Who, me? Yes, of course it is me.

I don’t like to brag, but there are plenty of girls who date my boys just so that they can have me as a mother-in-law. Being a good mother-in-law is not just a matter of minding one’s own business. Or giving good advice. It is really a skill, and one that I personally have raised to an artform. And, as with all good art, there are rules.

Rule Number One. Never make your daughter-in-law look bad. This one is so easy I can do it in my sleep. In fact, sleeping in until nine or ten so that my daughter-in-law has time to get up and make me breakfast in bed is a perfect example. I have to be careful because I am a good cook. You see, if I am a good cook, and hypothetically speaking, the daughter-in-law is not, then that makes her feel a little nervous. So if I play the mother-in-law game correctly, I can sit with my feet up in front of the TV while all the daughters-in-law make meals (and do the dishes, obviously). It is all part of the best mother-in-law service that I provide. It also helps if my house is messy (and it is). Not completely slovenly with rotting food in every corner… just messy. Then the daughters-in-law can feel that they are superior housekeepers. Because they are! See how perfect that is? There are certain areas where I just can’t help but stand out as a shining pillar of perfection… a wifely paragon, if you will… but by letting other things slide, those things can be overlooked, thus maintaining perfect mother-in-law-hood.

Rule Number Two. Avoid giving unsolicited advice. I cannot tell a lie... I love to give advice. But as a mother-in-law I have adopted a sort of reverse psychology approach. By pretending not to give any advice, and pretending that I don’t even like to give advice, the girls will just naturally crave it. It is human nature. And once they open the door, well, let’s just say I will come in and make myself right at home.

Rule Number Three. Child-rearing is not the job of Perfect Mother-in-Law. The key to this rule is Laissez Faire. Hands off. I will not give you my opinion on your baby names. You can name your child Atilla the Hun if you really want to. I will just smile and say, “Oh, how sweet.” Because babies in our family are notoriously large at birth, and by the time you push that ten-pound linebacker out with his little conehead, you should get to name him whatever the heck you feel like. This hands-off philosophy will continue. I will never ask you why little Atilla does not wear socks. I will not ask you why your darling 18-month-old is sitting in front of the TV watching Spanish novelas, drinking a two-liter of Coca Cola and gnawing on an entire brick of cheddar. I don’t judge. After all, I clearly was no great shakes when it came to child-rearing. Just take a look at your husband.

Rule Number Four. When in doubt, always take daughter-in-law’s side. Please refer to rule number two, here. But once advice is solicited, it is best to side with the darling DIL. This is not difficult, either, because my pack of boys and I have been at odds for lo, this many years. Just because we have patched things up since those unfortunate teenage years and adopted an uneasy truce does not mean that it is all water under the bridge. I may not be able to remember a single thing I did last week, but I can sure as hellfire remember when Josh called 9-1-1 and told them I beat him with the bar off his red bunk bed. Oh, it’s on, alright. But I’m not bitter or anything.

Rule Number Five. Live at least an hour away. The perfect mother-in-law is the one that is inaccessible at best. If my daughter-in-law thinks she can just drop off little Atilla any old time for babysitting, then eventually she will begin to feel used and resentful that her mother-in-law is monopolizing so much of her family time. If Perfect Mother-In-Law can just drop by and help out and do dishes and other household chores with so little difficulty, then the special and long-awaited nature of her visits cannot be properly maintained. In a situation like this one, the young married couple does not have time to have MIL’s favorite treats prepared and other comforts which a daughter-in-law loves so much to provide.

And that is really all the rules. It is more of lifestyle, really. An attitude. Maybe even a certain disregard, if one is to be honest with herself. But it all works together to make the perfect mother-in-law. And I do so love my job.

The One Where They Cried Just a Little Bit

2010-10-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

There is kind of a cool story that goes with this one. I was asked to play a solo during our ward Primary Sacrament Meeting program, wherein all the children sing and say parts instead of having to listen to adults. Well, except for me, I guess. They asked me to play “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer.”

I wasn’t sure how it was going to go over, since there are fifty kids up on the stand, and they are very wiggly and excited. But as soon as I started to play, I could feel that the kids were holding still, and they were listening. I don’t know how to describe it exactly, but it was as though it brought everything into focus. I could really feel the spirit there, and reverence.

About four or five days later, the primary president’s daughter, Anna, who is seven, asked her mom, “Did you cry when Sister McD played the piano?” Taken aback, she replied, “Well, yes, I did, a little. Why do you ask?” Anna replied, “Well, Sister McClanahan and I cried a little bit too.”

And since it is my goal to make everyone cry, score three for Sunday. Here is the hymn that I played.

The One Less Ordinary

2010-09-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot these last few days about music. For me, it is the cure for ordinary. It is something that transcends daily life and takes everything to a higher level.

I hope you will like this great arrangement of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" by Jason Barney. My friend Garry was in town and very graciously agreed to sing in church with only an evening's notice, and then we took an hour in the afternoon that Sunday and recorded the song. Being able to perform that Sunday was a tender mercy for me. I loved doing it, and since Garry lives many hours away, there are precious few opportunities to make live music. I’m so glad we recorded it, because now I have a soundtrack for my memory of that day. Tonight I finished producing it so that I could put it up here for you. I have listened to it more times than I can count, yet I still feel the Savior near when I hear it. I hope you feel the same.

The One Where She Posts a Recipe (Hey, at least she posted SOMETHING)

2010-08-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

I haven’t written in a month and a half. It isn’t for lack of anything to talk about. I have several topics I could choose, and probably still will. Just to throw a few out there: The One Where Grandma Has an iPhone? The One Where She Learns a Few Things She Never Wanted to Know (I may not be able to write about that one. Too painful). The One With the Great Song. The One Where the iPhone Babysits. The One Where She Kills His Voice (and Wherein He Loses His Wallet). The One With the Month of Meeting Girlfriends. The One Where She Was Too Towny For the Rodeo. Oh… and The One With the Ant Attack. I don’t even know where to start. If you have one you particularly want to read about, just tell me, and I will start there.

But today is about food. Specifically, Chocolate Mint Brownies. If you know me, you know I am not a big chocolate dessert person. I love candy bars, but when it comes to brownies or chocolate cake or chocolate chip cookies, I am a big apple pie fan. There is a single exception. These brownies. Dense moist chocolate brownie, with a creamy mint layer, topped with a chocolate layer. I don’t even know what it is that gets me about them… it tastes sort of like eating dessert and brushing your teeth at the same time. But in a good way. A very, very, very good way.

One of my favorite things about visiting BYU campus is picking up a chocolate mint brownie from the Creamery on Ninth. But these are better. I used Ghirardelli chocolate. Just click on the link below for the recipe. If I had a macro lens for my camera, I would take a closeup that would make me feel like I lived in a chocolate mint world. I guess I will have to settle for just eating one. Or three.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

The One Where it Was Written All Over His Face

2010-07-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Jif rode the Ferris wheel at Santa Monica Pier for the first time. It sort of reminds me of that time we were really bad parents and took Skippy on the Tower of Terror at Disneyland when he was only four. He still hasn’t really forgiven us. Jif is a little dramatic (maybe that is why we get along) and I love the facial expressions. Enjoy…

Haha! I love that kid:).

The One Where Grandpa Was Born on the 4th of July

2010-07-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

Once when Grandpa got a concussion they took him to the hospital to be looked over. The nurse asked him his name. Roscoe Hamblin. And then his date if birth? The 4th of July. That was not his birthday, but we teased him about it forever after. So, since it was the 4th this weekend, Happy Birthday Grandpa. This one is for you.

Random things I learned from Grandpa... in no particular order.

Regarding grandkids. I am sure Grandpa was a good father, but I don’t think there was any question that he was really meant for grandfatherhood. He embraced that role and reveled in it. He always had time for us, and he spent very little of the time scolding or lecturing. He spent much of the time teaching, even when we didn’t realize it, and he spent most of it having fun. My mom says that one time she came to pick “the little girls” up. The little girls would have been Wendy and me. We had Grandpa’s pants rolled up to his knees and we were rubbing lotion on his hairy legs. Clearly, dignity was not his top priority when the grandkids were around.

My mom also tells a story about how when I was little, she was trying to wean me from my bottle, to which I was more than mildly attached. They dropped me off at Grandpa and Grandma’s house with instructions on how to distract me if I wanted the bottle, and how to have me drink out of the cup. When they returned to pick me up, I was happily drinking milk from a brand-new bottle which Grandpa had purchased for me. In some frustration, my mom asked what happened. I’m sure she already knew…I had cried, and Grandpa had caved. Grandpa’s response was, “She wanted her bottle.” That says it all.

The world is beautiful. I spent many summers when I was little in Mesa, Arizona at their home there. Grandpa and Grandma would drive out to California in their white 1964 Impala, that had no air conditioning and no seatbelts, to pick up me, Wendy and Paul and take us to Mesa to spend as long as a month with them. I loved those trips for a lot of reasons. First of all, Grandpa and Grandma almost never scolded. I think we were pretty good kids most of the time, but they were also extraordinarily tolerant.I loved stopping in some of the roadside diners and restaurants and ordering from the menus. Since we were often driving through the desert, we also happened upon many roadside stands, where we bought anything from fresh fruit and nuts to turquoise and coral Indian jewelry. I loved buying postcards and other small items from those stands.

Growing up in Mt. Shasta, California, where the evergreen trees touch the sky, and the summers are green and beautiful, I didn’t know how to see the beauty in the endless desert, with all its cactus, rolling sagebrush and hazy horizons. Grandpa would point out how beautiful everything was as we would drive. One summer they took us on a side trip to the Grand Canyon. I was pretty small, but I still remember what an awesome sight that was. Now when I look around at the dry natural terrain around our Orange County home, with its cactus, live oaks and scrubbrush, I think it is beautiful, and I probably owe that appreciation to Grandpa. There is a particular smell that takes me right back to those summers. Sometimes in those afternoons driving through the desert, we would pass through a summer thunderstorm. The rain would hit that hot pavement, which made a wonderful smell of its own. But there was a purely magical smell that would drift in through the windows with the raindrops. Grandpa told me it was chaparral. I will never forget that.

Grandpa also loved Hillcrest Orchards, an apple ranch where I also lived for a couple of years when I was about ten years old. Grandpa and Grandma had lived there for some years, and I believe it was Grandma that planted the lilacs that grew by the ranch house. They were probably beautiful when she lived there, but by the time we lived there, that bush was like something from a fairy tale. In the spring, there would be hundreds of blooms. I still love lilacs, even though I almost never see one, as they don't seem to grow in Southern California. Grandpa used to talk about the ranch, and about how beautiful it was. My dad had also inherited that love of the beauty of the earth. They both used to get a little dreamy just talking about the soil in the garden there. They made it sound good enough to eat. It really was the most amazing black dirt... and after a rainstorm sometimes we would go down to the garden and find glittering black obsidian arrowheads... evidence of some long-gone tribe that had lived and hunted there.

Good enough to eat. That could be a post all of its own. It is almost not fair to say this is something I learned from Grandpa, because honestly, Grandma had to prepare most of the food. But I’m writing about Grandpa right now. I ate so much good food with Grandpa and Grandma. Grandma was a great cook, and not a boring one, either. I remember one evening in their Mesa house when I was little. There was a big thunder storm, and the rain was pounding against the house, and Grandma was cooking up the most amazing quesadillas with every imaginable topping. That is still one of my favorites to make my family. Something that Grandpa explained to me is that food is best eaten in its season. Grandma had a way of taking fresh fruits and vegetables in their season, and storing them away in Mason jars, so that in the winter, there were rows and rows of gemstones waiting to be discovered on the shelves of the pantry. They tasted good fresh, but somehow they turned to heaven in the jars.

When I was about 14 or 15, Grandpa and Grandma were living in a little apartment about halfway between our house and the high school. I found that if I rode my green Schwinn ten-speed bike to school, that during lunch hour I had just enough time to ride to Grandpa and Grandma’s house for “supper,” which was their main meal of the day, and then get back to school before lunch hour was over. I loved their simple feasts. There would often be homemade bread. Fresh cottage cheese with home-canned tomatoes.Sometimes Grandpa would made his chili. Grandma did most all the cooking, but Grandpa had a specialty, and it was chili. No beans, just beef and plenty of hot. Served with saltines. Sometimes Grandma would make a special dessert to spoil us. She made some pretty amazing pie. But the best dessert was the simplest—a jar of those plums she had canned the summer before. They were the most glorious shade of purple, and tasted like candy straight from the jar. It is strange to think that I may never taste canned plums again—I don’t even know if you can buy such a thing anymore, but even if you can, they wouldn’t taste like that.

When they moved to their last house outside of Yreka, I used to ride my bike out there. It was close to ten miles one way, from our house. Fortunately, my dad was usually good for picking me up after my visit so I only had to ride the downhill way. I loved those rides out past Greenhorn Reservoir, and during the summer, Grandpa would pick the sweetest corn in the world from their garden and drop it straight into the boiling water. It is hard to enjoy grocery store corn, since Grandpa insisted that every minute after it is picked, the corn loses flavor and sweetness.

Love of the gospel. Grandpa loved the scriptures, but most especially, the Book of Mormon. I can recall sitting down to hear Grandpa read from the Book of Mormon for my whole life. Whether we were in Arizona, Mt. Shasta, the little apartment in Yreka, or their little house just outside of town in Yreka, he and Grandma sat to read together every night.At the end of scripture reading, we would always have a family prayer. We would all kneel around the room, and Grandma would fold her crooked hands over her knees and bow her head for the prayer. I used to hate it when Grandpa would pray, because it would go on for about five minutes, more than my little patience would bear. I didn’t mind that so much as I grew older.

The importance of serving a mission. Grandpa and Grandma set the ultimate example, by serving a mission in Roswell, New Mexico. They talked about that time a lot, and I think it was a great experience for them. They started to talking to my brother Paul about serving a mission when he was very small. In fact, Grandpa had a sock into which he would place all of his loose change. He told us that was for Paul’s mission fund. Missions were extremely important to Grandpa. Our two ancestors that we talked the most about were Jacob Hamblin and Parley P. Pratt. Their lives were defined in great part by their missionary work, and I think that a good case could be made that that became our family legacy. Mom and Dad went on to be mission presidents, and then serve another mission. Wendy and Paul served full-time missions, and now Grandpa is probably watching his great-grandsons with great pride, as they go out to serve.

Life is sweet. I hate to admit it, but Grandpa really got to me on this one. I still have secret candy stashes, and it is all his fault. Grandpa loved his sweets. I’m sure that today he would do somersaults over my homemade toffee, but the fact is, it didn’t have to be homemade. He was an equal-opportunity candy consumer. He could always be depended upon to have a small red foil pouch of Sen Sen in his pocket. I don’t think you can buy those anymore—they were rather vile little licorice-flavored nuggets. I think their main usefulness was in freshening smokers’ breath. I believe that Grandpa smoked during his younger years, and maybe that was a leftover habit.

His candy habit remained. Milk chocolate peanut clusters were a favorite, but he liked most types of candy. I learned at a very young age that if I needed a candy fix, Grandpa always had small hiding places for such things. The glove box of the old Impala was always a surefire bet. I could usually find some butter mints there, and Life Savers.

Love of music. Grandpa loved music. That was something that he certainly passed on to my dad, who listened to all sorts of classical music. But Grandpa’s taste ran along different lines. He loved church music. His very favorite was “O That I Were an Angel,” and he was thrilled whenever he could get someone to sing that one. But he also loved Big Band music. He had an extensive collection of Glen Miller and many others. When I was a teenager, he told me that one of the things I should do was find someone who loved to dance, because it was wonderful be able to dance. I have never been very coordinated, and never really learned to dance the way he was talking about, but my sons have loved to learn ballroom dancing, and are very good at it. I thought of Grandpa Hamblin when Josh and Jessica were dancing at their wedding. He would have loved that.

Grandma had the worst arthritis I have ever seen, and her hands were gnarled and bent, and she was plagued with bone spurs. Her knees were swollen and painful, and a childhood illness and surgery left her with one leg shorter and a pronounced limp. Grandma and Grandpa probably danced when she was younger, but she had some real physical challenges to overcome, even then. I like to imagine when she has a perfect, resurrected body, how they will just dance all the time.

How a lady should behave. Yes, Grandpa had views on that as well. I used to be the tiniest bit resentful about that sock full of change that Grandpa was collecting for Paul to serve his mission. Girls can serve missions, too, you know. His ideas of how girls should behave were rather old-fashioned. One time he saw me playing with a Barbie doll. That was certainly a rare enough occasion—it must have been left behind by a visiting cousin, because I was not a Barbie fan, or even of dolls at all, really. Grandpa picked up the doll. He told me that girls today don’t behave like ladies. He made the Barbie’s legs swing back and forth in wide arcs. He said that they take big strides instead of small ladylike steps, and they wear clothes that aren’t modest. I’m not sure about the big strides, but he is certainly right about the modesty. It made me think a little bit about trying to act more like a lady as I grew older. Grandma was surely the example he would offer, as she was pure grace under pressure. I was probably a teenager before I realized that the reason she ate Bufferins like candy was that she was in constant severe pain, but she only ever betrayed her discomfort with an occasional moment where she closed her eyes for a second to compose herself. I suppose that a lady doesn’t burden everyone with constant complaints. Of course she was perfectly modest as well, and as long as I knew her, she never wore anything but dresses. I’m sure she did not even own a pair of pants.

I may remember a few instances where Grandpa taught me about being a lady, but every moment we were at their house, Grandpa was teaching us how a real man treats a lady. He loved Grandma so much, and was always trying to find ways to make her more comfortable. The only time he was ever sharp with us was when we played too rough by Grandma or were careless of her in some way.

Taking care of things. Grandpa liked for things to be in good repair, and to take good care of the things that they had. He especially liked things to be clean and orderly. Grandpa and Grandma had a set of stoneware dishes in a deep chocolate brown. For as long as I can remember, Grandma cooked, and Grandpa did the dishes. That may have been Grandpa’s way of serving Grandma as her arthritis crippled her body more each year. But I loved how he did those dishes. He told me that the water needed to be very hot to get the dishes clean. Grandpa filled the sink with soapy water that was so hot I couldn’t even dip a finger in without burning it. Then he washed each of those heavy stoneware dishes, using a washcloth which he held with a meat fork because he couldn’t put his hands in the water. He would place each one in the dish drainer, where they would dry almost instantly because they were so hot, and then he would put them away in the cupboard. Grandpa liked doing any job well.

Writing in a journal. Grandpa told us many times how important it is to write in a journal. He loved telling about Jacob Hamblin, and the many great stories about him. I don’t have a journal like that for Grandpa. In fact, I fully realize that all my memories of Grandpa revolve around me, as though I am the center of his universe. I know that he worked many years on the Arizona Highway Patrol. I would love to know about his childhood and his younger years. Knowing Grandpa, he believed that he never did anything exciting enough to write about, but that is a book I would loved to have read. Maybe a blog...

The One With Something Old and Something New

2010-06-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, they weren’t actually married. At least not in the eyes of the State of California. But one should not put the horse before the carriage.

Once upon a time (three years ago, today) in the beautiful land of Newport Beach, a beautiful princess married her Prince Charming, and they set about very busily living happily ever after. The prince was finishing his first year of UCLA Law School. We are not permitted to disclose his grades (all A’s with one A+… you did not hear it here), but one might say that the prince was wise and studious. So, they were living happily ever after. Which, incidentally was going quite well, until one fateful day when the princess needed to obtain a California Driver’s License.

The prince and princess had been selected to rule over a fair portion of the UCLA graduate student housing in lawless downtown Los Angeles, but in order to secure the throne and reap the income thereof, they each had to produce a valid California Driver’s License. Sadly, Princess Jessica was only in possession of a most inferior Utah license. So she set out one day on a quest for the elusive little card… to the dark and evil kingdom spoken of only in hushed whispers to scare little children… known as the DMV. The princess brought her marriage certificate which had been given to her by the Newport Beach temple, along with her other identifying papers, and after braving hordes of angry peasants and fire-breathing employees with the one-year-old crown prince balanced squarely on her hip, she presented the royal documents to Window 24. And then Window 13. And hours later, Window 5. And there, the wicked witch cackled with glee and informed her that in the kingdom of DMV, they do not accept marriage certificates… only marriage licenses. Without a marriage license, the princess would not be recognized as part of the royal family.

The pregnant princess was exhausted as she and Crown Prince Jif arrived back at the castle after a frustrating day, but the next morning they set out on the quest once again, this time to the Dreaded Courthouse in the kingdom of the County of Orange, where she hoped to purchase a certified copy of the license, provenance of her royal marriage. Once again, there was a confusing array of windows. Endless lines. Many, many fire-breathing dragons, and a coven of wicked witches and wizards. After several hours of standing in those lines and facing down witches and wizards and dragons, Crown Prince Jif, who had recently learned how much he likes to run, and who did not wish to sit in the royal pram or be held any longer, began to cry. One of the wicked witches with a particularly heinous wart on her nose told the princess that she would have to leave because the crown prince was crying! The princess joined him and began to cry herself. After several hours in the Dreaded Courthouse, the princess was given the terrible news. It seems that the royal marriage license had been misplaced somewhere between the Dreaded Courthouse and the beautiful Newport Beach Temple where she was married. Perhaps it had been intercepted by thieves on the treacherous road, or perhaps simply lost by the inept postal service, but either way, the license was nowhere to be found. According to the law of the land, the poor unfortunate princess was not even truly wed.

Day three of the increasingly desperate quest dawned gray and threatening rain, and the prince had to forgo a day of his education in order to join the princess’ quest to obtain a new license from the land of California… this time, in their county of residence, the lawless and degenerate kingdom known as Los Angeles County. The prince and princess had to produce two witnesses who would swear that they had been present at the alleged wedding some three years before, so the prince’s parents braved the busy thoroughfares and countless highwaymen to reach the dungeon known as the County Courthouse in Norwalk, where they hoped to come to the aid of the weary prince and princess, who had so recently and embarrassingly found themselves unwed. Dozens of brides and grooms waited in the endless lines there in the dungeon. The lines, apparently cursed with a wicked and powerful enchantment, seemed never to move, and as soon as one finished at Window A, then she had to get in line at Window C, and at each window she was greeted by condescending toads who made her fill out more and more forms, which they would then type up with their evil enchanted toad fingers and send her to yet another window.

The wicked toads forced the prince and princess and their witnesses to swear solemn oaths, and then they were obligated to purchase another license for ninety gold pieces, even though it was the Dreaded Courthouse who had lost the first license. They told the princess that if she wanted to receive the license in an expedited manner, some nine days’ hence, that she was required to travel to the inept postal service and seek an Express Mail envelope for the mailing. The prince frugally, but incorrectly purchased a Priority Mail envelope for $4.95 instead of an Express Mail envelope. After all, the envelope was only to travel a short distance to the castle. A single First Class stamp would ensure one-day delivery. But no... the princess was informed that if they used a Priority Mail envelope, it would take six weeks to receive the coveted license. So they traveled back to the inept postal service to make the purchase. Inept though the postal service may be, it seems that they had found a very effective way to extort extra funds, as they were apparently in collusion with the dungeon guards.

There were probably two hundred souls bartering with the evil toads for licenses there at the dungeon that day, and given the fact that there were five of the royal family there, one could conservatively figure that 98 percent or so were Latino. Princess Jessica was by no means the only pregnant bride. But she was probably the only one who did not exit the lovely chapel adorned with silk flowers and bathroom wallpaper, wearing a very short, tight strapless white dress with plenty of cleavage spillover. The princess bride wore denim, and the wedding was toasted with frosty mugs at A&W… the feast: cheese curds and hamburgers, which, miraculously, the pregnant princess managed not to vomit immediately thereafter.

And so once again, the prince and princess were married in the eyes of the land. The crown prince was once again the legitimate heir to the throne, and they were free to live happily ever after, ruling over their fair portion of the UCLA Graduate Student Housing, plunging toilets in the middle of the night or unlocking doors for those peasants who find themselves without. And, indeed, they are doing just that, on this third anniversary of their first marriage. Their second marriage is the stuff of legends… known only by a few, and documented by just a single photo:

Happy anniversary!

The Useful One

2010-06-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Dillon is looking for a job. Just a summer job. The kid is only 17. It has long been DK’s dream that one of the boys would shoot for the stars and land a job at Quizno’s. For obvious reasons. So it got me to thinking. I have always thought that if you could pick careers for your kids, you should pick useful ones. You need one doctor. One mechanic. One dentist (preferably one that does orthodontia). But I have seven kids… and eventually they will all have spouses, right? I have something like 14 to pick out. So here is the master list.

1. Dishwasher
2. Cranberry bog worker (the outfit is super cool)
3. House painter
4. Pastry chef
5. Movie theater manager
6. Apple store employee
7. Owns a pickup (I know that’s not an occupation, but it is useful, bordering on vital)
8. Massage therapist
9. Piano tuner
10. Race car driver (in case you need to get somewhere fast)
11. Balloon animal maker
12. Beekeeper
13. Bail bondsperson
14. Hair colorist

And I guess I don’t care so much about the doctor, the dentist and the mechanic. We’ll get by.

The One With the Muffins (or, What’s Been Eating Victoria)

2010-06-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

This morning I was having my first lazy day in quite awhile. I was actually doing a crossword puzzle, while waiting for clothes to finish in the dryer… when I heard the doorbell. I went downstairs to find a friend at the door. She was bearing muffins from Cinnamon Productions, our favorite breakfast spot, and she was wielding them like a weapon... one designed to get her in the front door for a sort of intervention.

She informed me, in the nicest way possible, that when I don’t post on my blog for weeks on end, that people worry and they don’t know what is going on with me, and she, for one, is tired of waiting for me to snap out of it, and tired of wondering if I am languishing in despair over here. I’m not (but she is not the only one who has been asking me...).

I am not promising regular posts. But I can’t resist me a good muffin, so here goes. On the menu tonight, some total honesty. I would like to say I have just been too busy to post. It is true in its way. I have been a very busy girl. I have been working at an actual job, which doesn’t go over very well with me, since I decided when I was about 20 that I was done having anyone else boss me around. My attitude will probably ensure that I will not work there too long. I have had a busy time with my church jobs. Not only do I teach my cute 10-year-old girls every Sunday, but I am also what is called Activity Day Leader for about ten girls from ages 9-11, and I get to plan activities for them. This past weekend I planned a daddy-daughter campout for them, and got nine girls and their dads out to O’Neill Park for a great campout complete with Dutch oven peach cobbler, hobo pies, foil dinners and s’mores… along with a raging fire that probably should have brought the park rangers at a run. So yes, I have been busy. I could use that excuse.

I could say that I just don’t have anything interesting to say. I don’t really treat my blog like a journal… certainly not a daily one. I also generally only post a recipe because someone has requested it, or because I just completely lack in anything exciting to talk about. It is hard for me to understand why anyone would want to read about my life. It is not super exciting. And I really don’t like to be uninteresting.

But the real reason I have not been blogging, is that I don’t like to say everything is just great, when it doesn’t feel just great. I also don’t like to be a total downer and complain about things, because let’s be honest here… I have a pretty great life. I have an amazing family and friends and I don’t have much to complain about. But the truth is, for the last while I have not felt like things were going just how I want them to. And when I get on the blog and act like they are, then it starts sounding all fake and forced, and I really get annoyed if I notice that I don’t sound like myself. So I opted to just stop blogging for awhile, rather than do that.

So what has been eating Victoria, you ask? It is pretty simple. It is my music. Last year at the beginning of the year, I said I was making a CD. A Christmas CD. It was going to be great. I had a whole year to do it. And then opposition set in, and discouragement, and road blocks, followed by hand injuries. Suddenly it was September, and I got back on track to make a CD, and only had two months to do it. Pretty ridiculous. The only thing that saved me was the fact that everything fell into place. The singers I wanted made themselves available at short notice. Instrumentalists. Things I had no idea how to do on the computer… suddenly revealed themselves to me. Divine intervention is the only possible explanation… and I felt it every step of the way for two sleepless months. And I completed that CD.

I could take a break for a year or two. I know that. But I also knew back in January of this year, that I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to make another CD. I wanted it to be better production quality. I learned so much making that first one, and I know a lot of ways to improve on what I did. I didn’t know what kind of CD I needed to make exactly, but I had the distinct impression that Heavenly Father was telling me that I had more to do. And now. So I told myself… and a few others… that I was making another. “And guess what,” I said. “This time, no messing around. No self-doubt. No winding paths with dangerous detours. This time I would focus, work all year, and no last-minute crunches for me.”

And then life set in. Discouragement. Opposition. Self-doubt. Lack of inspiration. Lack of direction. Do you know how much easier it would be if God would just tell me to write a book? I am not saying I could get one published… but seriously, it would be so much easier to tackle a project if I only had to motivate and organize one person: myself. Doing a CD is more like herding cats. It requires the help and cooperation of multiple other people to sing and play instruments and come and record, sometimes late at night and for way too many hours, for no pay. They can get discouraged and tired too. They have busy lives. They may not want to help me at all. I can’t control any of that.

So I finally realized a couple of months ago the direction that I wanted to go with the music. But I kept hitting a brick wall, whenever I tried to figure out the idea for the actual CD. Then a couple of weeks ago, I prayed. I fasted. I felt a lot of anguish in my heart, knowing that I was supposed to be doing something with this music, but not knowing the direction to go. I got an answer! I knew what had to be on the CD. I knew the sound I was looking for. Not only that, but I know I can do this. I have a lot of the confidence back. Yes, it is always a little out of my comfort zone, but I have faith that the miracles can happen again. I can make this. It was not an idea for a commercial CD, but for a collection of uplifting songs and hymns with a particularly Victoria slant.

As soon as I knew what I wanted to do, and with whom, and how, then songs started to come into my head. Three really great ones, just over the past few weeks! I was so excited, that I contacted a professional violinist that records with a lot of great artists, and asked her if she might be interested in helping, once I got the vocals done. Not only was she willing and able, but she was super excited to be on the CD, and offered to do a trade… she would play for me, if I would play for a project or two for her. Sweet!

But here I am now some three weeks later, and would you believe… I am hitting that same old brick wall again, headfirst. My poor head is getting sore. I don’t know what to do about it, and I will admit to you that it has made my heart hurt even more. It feels as though once again, like so many times over the last few months, the very wind has been sucked out of my sails, and I am plummeting head over heels toward some very sharp rocks. I should be clear here: I will not hit those rocks. I will be fine. The music… it is just one part of my life, not my whole life. But it is the sore spot. It is the place where I bit my tongue, and every time I talk or try to eat, I can feel that sore spot, and I remember it again. It hurts, and it sucks the fun out. It is what makes me feel like sometimes I am just going through the motions.

So I am kind of back to square one. This CD is going in the drawer of doom, along with the failed songs and the half-baked ideas from the last many months. I don’t know what is next. I do believe that the inspiration was real. But just because I get inspired doesn’t mean that everything else just falls into place. John Mayer says, “No it won’t all go the way it should, but I know the heart of life is good.” It is. So I will keep playing around with writing, and believe me, my life is filled with plenty of things that keep me more than just busy. I will try to blog about some of them. I told my friend that it would not be too much trouble to write a few lines every couple of weeks. This is long enough that it should probably cover me for the next month.

I wish one of you could just fix my problem. Maybe demolish some of those brick walls I keep hitting. It really doesn’t work that way, though. I have to be a little more patient for everything to work out. And it always does work out. And I may not be quite myself, but I am also not sitting around crying. In fact, I have had a totally great day. The sore spot is still there, but for now I’m just trying not to touch it quite so often.

Another Skippy One

2010-05-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Skippy has been pretty funny lately.

Tyler drives this:

It is a Crown Victoria. A grandma car. Literally. His grandma’s car. But this week I was driving it... and Skippy was sitting in the passenger seat, reading. C-R-O-W-N... Crown... VICTORIA!!! Mom, it says Crown Victoria! Yep, it does. Good reading, Skip. Mom? Were you named after this car? No, Skippy, I wasn’t. Another minute goes by. Mom, how did you get your name? My dad gave it to me. Your dad? You mean, my great-grandfather? No, Skippy. Your grandpa. You know... Grandpa Hamblin? Another minute of silence. Grandpa Hamblin is your dad? Yep. At this point, he gets very serious. I’m sorry, he says. (I am confused) Why are you sorry, Skip? You know... because your dad died! (Ah, he has put all the pieces into place...) But at least you have another dad. (Okay, maybe he hasn’t put all the pieces into place) Um, no, Skippy, I just had one dad. What about Grandpa McD? Oh, well, he is your dad’s dad. What? And Grandma McD? (and now we have liftoff).

Later that same day.

You know, Mom, you just never make any sense! (This, coming from the child who has been in speech therapy since he was two.) Okay, well maybe sometimes you make sense. But not this time.

Hey, Skip, your teacher said you are doing really well on your part in the Elephant’s Child play. Oh, yeah. I’m a giraffe. I’m really very good.

The One Where He Even Did the Naked Ones

2010-05-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, I may have to change that title. But for now, it stays. First, I apologize for being a delinquent blogger. The last two weeks has been a blur, and I know certain people don’t appreciate checking the blog and seeing the same post day after day after day... Annie...

And this is not going to be very clever, but here is my story. Sunday was the Perfect Storm. Mother’s Day meets birthday. That has happened before. The last time it happened was not my favorite. It was more stressful than fun. But this time around, the stars aligned and I almost felt like I had downed a vial of Liquid Luck. I had the perfect Mother’s Day/birthday. Church was amazing. In Primary they sang me that birthday song that says “Zippity-ay and Heidi-ho.” Who doesn’t love that one? I got to play for a song that a hundred youth sang, and it still makes me happy just thinking about it. I either got to be with, or get phone calls from, everyone that I love. I got homemade hamburgers. The missionaries even knocked on the door in the evening just to tell me Happy Mother’s Day. It was the best day I have had all year.

One of the highlights is a little gift Ethan gave me, which I lovingly call my iToy. Yes, it is an iPad. And here is how spoiled I am. He bought me the 16GB version at my insistence, and when, the next day, it turned out to not be sufficient to hold much of my library, he returned it for the largest... the 64GB. Now you know how truly spoiled I am. People keep asking me, “Is it really that cool?” Yes. Yes, it is that cool. I could go on for about an hour about the amazing apps I have on it, courtesy of another friend who spoiled me with iTunes $.

But anyway, this afternoon I showed Skippy (who is better than I at all the games) an application called “Art Puzzle HD.” In this application, you enter a museum. There are several doors, and behind each door are a number of famous paintings by Van Gogh, Chagall, Monet, Renoir, Cassatt, and many others. Most of the paintings are covered by cloths so you can’t see them. The first painting on the wall is visible, but blurry. When you touch the painting, it fills the screen, but it is scrambled into many different pieces, and you have to reassemble the pieces until it makes the original painting. As soon as you complete the puzzle, that painting is added to the wall of your gallery, and you can go on to the next painting.

I thought it was fun, and I showed it to Skippy, and then left him with Starry Night and went off to work on some music. A couple of hours later, he came in and announced to me that he had solved every puzzle in the third room, and that my gallery was full of beautiful paintings. He opened it to show me, and said, “See? I even did the naked ones.” And sure enough, he did.

The Sunday One About Being Grateful

2010-05-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

I loved church today. For me, the theme for the day was gratitude. I just couldn’t help but be grateful for all of my blessings. I am grateful for my little ten-year-old girls that I get to teach. Here was the scenario I laid out for them today: You are a good girl. Your dad asks you to go check on your older siblings. But they see you coming, and they dig a big pit, and when you get there they put you in the pit. They take your favorite jacket and dip it in blood, and they go back to your dad and they tell him, “Oh no… looks like Kendell got torn apart by wild animals!” And you think the worst thing is that you are in a deep pit in the desert with no water… but no, some people happen by and see you, and pull you out, and sell you as a slave! And then you get to be a slave for about the next twenty years, while your dad thinks you are dead.

The key to the scriptures is to liken them unto ourselves, so that we can learn from them. I don’t know that I ever saw that I had much in common with Joseph who was sold into Egypt. But as we talked, we found that we all have trials that we are dealing with. Sometimes they are not nearly as terrible as Joseph’s… being sold into slavery by your brothers is fairly extreme, after all. But sometimes they are really just as difficult, and it is those trials that make us who we are. Joseph was “preserved by the Lord” so that he could be a hero and save his father, his family, and all the people from the famine. I don’t know what Heavenly Father’s plan is for me. The trials have been pretty thick lately. But I do absolutely love this quote from Elder Richard G. Scott, an apostle in my church, in which he talks about this principle. He says, “Were you to know His entire plan, you would never ask for that which is contrary to it, even though your feelings tempt you to do so.” I love that. Trust in the Lord. And be grateful.

And then the girls and I left our classroom to go into singing time, and again I was grateful... this time for a little humor. These twin boys got their heads caught in the railing outside the primary room. I guess I should have helped them, but my first thought was to take a picture instead, so that you all could be grateful as well. Happy Sunday!

The One With the Phew Day

2010-04-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Phew. According to the dictionary: an exclamation of relief, surprise, disbelief, weariness, etc. Can I just say... it has been a busy, stressful couple of weeks? In my brain, I am still on about Tuesday of last week, and I am not quite sure how I got to Thursday, the end of April. It has been a series of assignments, crises, responsibilities, disappointments, and the occasional happy surprise. Sort of like a fun roller coaster. Except that there is no one waiting in line, so the greasy guy operating the ride just throws the switch and lets you go again... over and over and over. Good thing I’m not a puker. I would like off the roller coaster please, just for today. I woke up with this nightmare two nights ago, where I sat up in bed and thought, “Skippy! I haven’t seen him in three days. I hope everyone has been taking care of him. Is he in his bed?” And I actually had to go check.

So, on the schedule for today? I am not sure. But it probably involves playing with Skippy, walking with Cambria, reading something a little mindless, maybe filling up the cookie jar for the first time in days, at least a couple hours with headphones at my keyboard... and, okay, fine: a couple loads of laundry. You know... a little break before strapping in for the next ride.

The One With the Amazing Gift of Grace

2010-04-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

The definition of grace is “seemingly effortless beauty.” Expressed in that way, who would not aspire to grace? But it is so much more. Grace is an integral part of the Atonement. It is the process by which God perfects us… rubs off our rough edges… endows us with spiritual gifts which, one by one, make us more like the Savior. I love this quote by Van C. Gessel, Dean of the College of Humanities, BYU: “I am convinced that if we truly grasped the meaning of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, there would be significant changes in the way we view ourselves, the way we treat ourselves when we make mistakes, and the way we interact with those around us who are less than perfect.” He gave this thought-provoking devotional where he talked about how we have to “feel” the Atonement, not just as a spiritual event, but in our very hearts. He proposes that one of the reasons we have our amazing bodies is so that we can experience the Atonement in a physical way. Only then do we let our hearts be changed, and know the power of repentance and of forgiveness. I love the idea of that, have felt it myself, and don’t really know how to even express it. But the music speaks where my words fail. The music always speaks. At least it does to me.

The One With No Sleep

2010-04-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how quickly the night goes by when you are sleeping, and how it drags on for eons when you are not? I got absolutely zero minutes of sleep last night. Mostly I just listened to the rain all night. You would think I could solve the world’s problems in that much lying in bed awake time, but as it turns out, I couldn’t even solve my own. I have eight 10- and 11-year-old girls coming over for an activity today, which activity was to have been a photo shoot for Mother's Day. The only problem is, it has been pouring rain for hours and hours. So... what should I do with them? Help!

The One With the Little Catch-Up

2010-04-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

Time to play a little catch-up.

The choosy family (you know, Jif’s parents) are getting me a new grandbaby. And we’re keeping Jif as well. So yes, by Thanksgiving I will have two grandbabies. And the daddy in question pretty much dominated at UCLA Law School this year, and has accepted a cool paid internship to Occidental Petroleum in-house counsel for the summer.

Tyler got glasses. They make him look very smart. He is still pursuing nursing and I am pretty sure he will be home in time for our birthdays (his is the day before mine).

Casey just got to BYU Idaho and is pretty excited about it. His goal is a joint JD-Poly Sci program, with the intent to change immigration law someday. Did that make any sense?

DK and I just attended a vocal concert at the Marine base in San Diego where Ethan performed. Yes, vocal. And it was pretty cool. He sang a capella, for the Commanding General of the base. But wait... then the Commanding General sang. And I have to admit, Brigadier General whoever-he-is pretty much owned everyone, so I had to tell Ethan he was second-best. Here is a “video” of Ethan... except it is just black, recorded from about 20 feet away, on my iPhone. Oh, and you can hear planes take off during the performance. Makes it seem more authentic, I think.

As for the rest, Dillon is obsessed with Café Rio, Cambria turned into a teenager, and Skippy has no front teeth. DK is working like a dog (I know… how hard does a dog really work?)

My week is shaping up to be pretty ugly, but that is just because I have been using my online calendar. My weeks are always this bad, but I just don't notice it because I usually don't keep a calendar. It is probably a mistake. Next thing you know, I will be wearing a watch or something (just kidding... won’t happen). And in addition to the full calendar, I am keeping up on my music goals. Even if I have to stay up too late.

And that is us, in a nutshell.

P.S. Did you know that to add a video in Blogger, you have to revert to the old post editor? Weird!

The One With the Perfect Day

2010-04-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is Daniel. He was probably four or five years old when this photo was taken... about the time he was diagnosed with Batten Disease. He passed away night before last, in the arms of his family, at the age of ten. I have been thinking a lot about their family for the last couple of days. It makes so many of our day-to-day worries and stresses seem trivial and unimportant. I have been wishing... praying... that there was something that I could do. Today my prayer was answered, when Daniel’s sister asked if they could play this song that I wrote a few years back, for his funeral. This one is for you, Daniel.

Perfect Day

Daddy, fly me to Africa
Buy me a Jeep
And we’ll drive through the Kalahari.
We’ll tame a young lion and teach him to sit
And he’ll sleep at our feet in the grass
Yes, he’ll sleep at our feet in the grass.

Then we’re off to the ballpark
To play in the game.
We will wave to our hollering fans.
Dad, you’ll be on second and I’ll bring ya’ home
When I hit it right out of the park,
Yes, I’ll hit it right out of the park.

We’ll go to our island to lie on the sand.
We’ll have mangoes and coconut milk.
Then I’ll teach you to surf and catch fish with our hands
And we’ll build a huge fort in the trees
Yes, we’ll build a huge fort in the trees.

Then we’ll board a big ship and we’ll sail out to sea.
I’ll be captain and you my first mate.
We will fight off the pirates and swim with a shark
And discover a brand-new country,
Yes, discover a brand-new country.

And when the sun sets we’ll be sailing for home.
Mom will see our ship at the front door.
She’ll say “Shake out that sand before you come in,”
And “That lion stays in the backyard.”
“Yes, that lion stays in the backyard.”

Then you’ll read me a story and tuck me in bed.
You’ll kiss me and turn out the light.
Then you better sleep too, ‘cause you’ll need all your strength
When tomorrow we do it again.
Dad, tomorrow we’ll do it again.
Yes, tomorrow we’ll do it again.

The One Where the Chipmunks Find My Blind Side

2010-04-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

I spent most of the day at the dollar theaters yesterday. We needed to get out of the house for awhile, so I had the unique opportunity to view The Blind Side and Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakuel… all in the same day. I know, right? How can one person get so lucky?

I found that the movies had much in common with each other. For one thing, both had high school football, and I do love a sports movie. Each storyline featured a homeless man. During one of the movies, Skippy told me he was bored. During the other, I told him I was bored. You have to admit there is a certain symmetry to that. I cried quite a bit during both movies, and there were parts in both movies where I had to cover my eyes. During each movie, Skippy repeated aloud an inappropriate word from the movie, and then giggled. Each time, I said, “Hey buddy, we don’t say that word.” To which, both times, he immediately replied: “Yeah, I know.” Seriously, someone should have brought him up better.

Both movies featured adopted family members, although I think Sandra Bullock hit the jackpot with Big Mike… as opposed to that poor guy that ended up with a bunch of rodents living in his house who caused multiple accidents requiring him to be hospitalized. But basically the plotlines were the same: Guy (or girl) with heart of gold takes in less fortunate person (or rodents) who then go on to fame and fortune. The end. I thought both movies were really good at building suspense. But then I realized that that feeling of suspense was caused by the $1 hot dog I ate before the first movie. It has been 24 hours now, and I still taste rancid hot dog every time I burp. So probably neither movie had much suspense. One movie flew by so quickly I didn’t want it to end. The other movie was mercifully short. And finally, I liked each movie exactly as much as I expected to.

Taking two kids to two “dollar movies” (which tickets actually cost $2.00): $12.00
Rancid hot dogs: $3.00
Sandra Bullock head-to-head with the chipmunks: Priceless.

The Colorful One

2010-04-07T23:53:00.000-07:00

Meet June. Flaming June. I really love her bold color (and I love me a good Sunday nap). I’m not a big fan of neutral. Although, funny story: this particular Lord Frederic Leighton painting of “Flaming June” is one I have long admired. A few years ago, I bought a huge print of it, and had a canvas transfer made. I thought it would add a splash of gorgeous orange to warm up a room. However, when I went in to have it framed, something that jumped out at me that I had not noticed in the small version. What the...? Something that made it impossible for me to hang in a houseful of boys. So I reluctantly sold it back to the art store. Call me squeamish, but I even Photoshopped it just the tiniest bit to post here.

I also love this one... Millais’ Ophelia.

Of course, Ophelia drowned, darn it anyway. But she certainly was beautiful in blue. *sigh*

It seems like lately I have been living in beige. Or maybe even seeing things from under water, like Ophelia. I need some bold color. Any great ideas? I hate being stuck in neutral.

write a new song
cook something spicy
see a nail-biting movie
lose 20 pounds
beat someone at basketball

???

almost anything would do.

Oh and by the way, I put links back up on the upper left of the blog, to some of the songs in the blog, in case you want to listen to any. I wrote them, and it just makes me happy if someone wants to listen to them once in awhile. All the links had expired, and at least ten... okay, fine, only four people... complained that they wanted them back. Oh grief, so one of them was related to me.

And you know me... I’m a giver. Give the people what they want.

P.S. Do NOT Google Flaming June to see what I edited out. That would be WRONG.

Happy Easter... or The One With the Soldier Song

2010-04-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this song. I had a great experience writing it about a year ago, but then when I tried to record it last summer I realized the song just wasn’t good enough, and I ended up tossing it in a drawer for several months. When Tandy had to sing for a baptism a couple of months ago, I suddenly thought of it and dug it out. What was I thinking about when I wrote this? So many things! Jeffrey R. Holland, Band of Brothers, the Atonement, missionaries and the Marine Crucible... it was a lot of inspiration. There is a lot of me in this song, for better or for worse.

I wrote “Right Here Where I Stand” for a man to sing, and although I think it is very touching the way Tandy sings it, she and I both agree that it should still be sung by a male vocalist, if I decide to use it. In the meantime, though, I wanted to post this special recording as an Easter gift, and expression of my love and appreciation for the Savior. Please leave a comment if you enjoy it.

Right Here Where I Stand

Once the Lord of all the earth
Descended lower than us all.
His power spent to purchase grace
No one left to heed his call.
At the last, he stood there, left alone
With only love that has no end.
But as long as I can draw a breath,
He’ll never stand alone again.

I will stand and wait for him.
I will never be ashamed.
I will stand and wait for him
And bear his holy name.
My heart is not troubled
And I am not afraid.
I know that he will find me
Right here where I stand.
Right here where I stand.

You know it is not easy
This war we fight each day.
We are strangers in this foreign land
Soldiers caught up in the fray.
And some days I grow so weary
Until I think I cannot fight
But then I see him suffering there for me
And struggle on with all my might.

In the fiery wind of battle
I can hear the desperate cries
Of wounded men who wander, blind
From smoke that clouds their eyes.
If they can only hold on
And hear the Savior’s call
I will find my brothers and carry them.
I may bleed, but I will never fall.

I will stand and wait for him.
I will never be ashamed.
I will stand and wait for him
And bear his holy name.
My heart is not troubled
And I am not afraid.
I know that he will find me,
He’ll come again in all his glory
And when he comes that day, he’ll find me
Right here where I stand.
Right here where I stand.
Right here where
I stand.

Credits:
* If you click on Jeffrey R. Holland’s name above, you can read the talk that was part of my inspiration for this song. I just love it.
* The painting I featured is “Awaiting the Command” by Jon McNaughton. Go to his website here and click on symbolism. It is incredible!
* Tandy is currently in the MTC in Provo, Utah, learning Japanese as she is serving a full-time mission for the Lord in Kobe, Japan. I love and miss her.

The One With Craig, Megan and the Randomalia

2010-03-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

This morning, true confessions.

First of all, I just have to get this out. I have never been able to distinguish properly between Craig’s List and Megan’s List. I realize now (don’t ask me how) that it is an important distinction. But it is not totally my fault. I know a Craig and a Megan, and they are married to each other. They probably each have their own lists, as well. Be that as it may, I was a little horrified when some nice lady from church mentioned that she had a current listing on Craig’s List. She always seemed so nice. I suppose they usually do. I saw a similar look of horror when I showed someone the studio monitor speakers I had bought from a guy in Irvine I found on Megan’s List. Even as I am typing this, I am not positive I remember which is which, so for now I think it is probably safer that I stick with eBay.

This one is not my confession, but Dillon’s. Apparently yesterday in Seminary, he whipped out a pair of underwear. Not his own. Also not really his fault. Dillon, who is 17, is the nicest big brother in the world, and still shares a room with Skippy even though he doesn’t have to… mainly because Skippy wants to. Dillon even does Skippy’s laundry along with his own, and when he pulled his clean sweatshirt out of his backpack at Seminary, a pair of 6x Spiderman boxer briefs fell out of it, right onto the floor. Dillon says he jumped on them so fast, he doesn’t think anyone else saw. (So I thought I would share it just in case.)

Last but not least, I had a really weird beach experience last week, which I have been pondering ever since. I think that the next time I go, I am going to take my own “PROHIBITED” sign. The sign would include, but not be limited to, the following:

No old men in thongs
No public urination (ten feet from where I park my towel)
No asking for bongs. Bring your own, or do without.
No reenactments of “Endless Love” with girls under 14
No wearing your nasty briefs instead of swim trunks
No lying on top of each other, especially if you are unattractive to begin with (sorry if that one sounds discriminatory)
No No NO lying on top of each other if you are the aforementioned guy wearing the briefs instead of a swimsuit. I’m serious, Fruit of the Loom... give it a rest.
No playing of guitar and singing after consuming too much alcohol, or if you are tone-deaf, or both

That’s pretty much it. I am not that hard to please. Thank you for helping to keep the beach happy for all of us.

The One About My Hands

2010-03-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

I went with two friends to the temple in Newport Beach last week. I really like to go by myself. I know that sounds selfish, but I love the time in my car by myself to think about things, and to contemplate and ponder. I love the quiet in the temple with just my own thoughts. But I have become somewhat of a hermit lately, and I suppose it is time to try to break out of that. I just knew that I really needed to go that day.

I sat by my friends before we left to go home. We whispered until a nice lady showed us somewhere where we would be more quiet:). We were still wearing white, and sitting on the benches in the dressing room. One of my friends was struggling with a difficult family situation. I watched her hands as she wiped away tears that were streaming down her face. I looked down at my own hands. I have never had beautiful hands, but there is something about the fluorescent lighting in the temple, that makes all of my scars from the past eighteen months show up, like white under a black light. My burns from last year look sort of purple. I see a deep scratch from last month along the back of my left hand. And there is my poor misshapen finger, with a knuckle red and shiny because the skin is pulled tight over it. No, definitely not beautiful hands.

And yet… here in this place I have just received the most amazing blessings to be found anywhere on this earth… they tell me I am strong enough to bear all the burdens, capable enough to finish all my tasks. My mind is clear, and my hands can do this.

I love hands.

I remember holding my dad’s enormous hands, with all their scars and cuts from being a glazier for forty years. His hands were huge and the strongest I have ever felt. Sometimes it is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I won’t ever get to hold his hand again in this life. I love my dad so much, and I miss him.

I remember my second date with Kevin some 27 years ago… we went to a play on BYU campus. We didn’t kiss that night, but the way he held my hand during that play was this total weak-in-the-knees, out-of-body experience, where I knew that I actually loved him, even though I had only known him for a single week (don’t worry… I didn’t actually tell him that for a couple more months… haha!).

I adore baby hands. Sixteen years ago, when Dillon was only a year old, he contracted RSV, and they put him in a crib in the hospital that was really more like a tall cage from the circus. They tented the crib with oxygen, and he had to stay in there so I couldn’t hold him. Of course he was sick, miserable and terrified. But I could put my hand through the rails of the cage and hold his hand, and as long as I did that, he didn’t cry... so I sat there all night long holding his little hands through the bars. I can still remember how his one-year-old hands felt, how tightly he held on, how he knew he had to be brave.

There is a sweet lady at church named Marjean. I think the first time I ever met her was when I played the organ for her husband’s funeral three or four years ago. I love Marjean, and I don’t know why, but she lights up whenever she sees me. She says, “Oh, Victoria, my favorite person in the world!” She gives me a huge hug, and then grabs my hand to pull me down to sit next to her, She has beautiful soft hands, and I love her like my own grandma.

Looking down at my scars in the lights of the temple, I don’t know why my hands seem to get hurt all the time lately, but it doesn’t change anything. I can still do what I need to do. I don’t know if anyone else even remembers those times, but I will never forget them, or the love and admiration that I feel for my friends and family. Hands are my favorite.