Category Archives: Music

7 Quick Takes: NFC Championship Game, Police Lip-Syncing, and

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

NFC Championship Game. I was watching the game in Seattle with my extended family which was pretty entertaining because Green Bay was shutting out Seattle until almost the 4th Quarter… and then came back to win in OT. I think it’s probably for the best that my long-suffering sister-in-law (she’s married to my evil twin) wasn’t watching the game with us — she’s a Green Bay fan and there would have been some good-natured abuse directed at her.

— 2 —

Crocheting. The yarn for Daniel’s big boy blanket arrived just as I was leaving on Friday so I stuffed a couple skeins into my laptop bag and started the blanket while flying to Seattle. I’m almost two skeins in and had to order more because I’m pretty sure that the 5 skeins I have are not enough. Oh well… I’ve got about 2.5 months to get this done and I can catch-up on all my TV stuff while I work on it.

— 3 —

Apparently, some people think I’m “sheenazing”. Click on the image to vote for me in the “Best Blog by a Non-Papist” category. Please and thank you. 🙂

I'm Sheenazing.

While you’re voting, I’d really appreciate your votes for Mary of Passionate Perseverance in the “Most Inspiring Blog” and the “Miss Congeniality” categories. She deserves to win both this year purely because of how much encouragement she gave to us other moms of special needs kids while she was watching her daughter Courtney slowly die. She is honestly a bright spot in the Catholic blogosphere.

— 4 —

Totes amused. I have relatives who are in law enforcement so I’m finding this pretty awesome. 🙂

I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that I know a Taylor Swift song…

— 5 —

This is pretty cool. A Massachusetts teacher won $150,000 and donated it all back to the school. Ellen had her on the show and gave her a few surprises. This video seriously restores some of my faith in humanity and it also makes me love Target even more.

— 6 —

Coming attractions. I tried writing the post on being a Titus 2 woman last night but fell asleep. I’m going to try and get it up this weekend.

— 7 —

New Year’s resolution updates. Today’s plank time was 3 minutes. I am having some bursitis issues so I’m having to do a modified version of it. I tried being up for the whole 3 minutes but had to quit halfway because Jon needed to get into our room to get ready for pastoral meetings. (I was doing the plank on the floor of our bedroom.) Oh well… I can try for the whole 3 minutes tomorrow!

The Bible reading is on track and I’m really enjoying it.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

#5Faves: Miscellanea (XXVI)

Posted on by

#5Faves

One

Kelly. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t gone to read This Ain’t The Lyceum, you need to hurry as fast as your browser can load to do so. She has a wonderful post up today about the Sheenazing awards. Girlfriend also created a planner which is made of awesome.

Two

Stalking my possessions. This week’s installment of “where is Jen’s stuff” involves a shipment of yarn for a blankie that I will be crocheting for Daniel’s birthday in April. The last record of it was leaving Illinois on the 12th and I’m hoping it arrives on Friday before I have to leave for the airport so I can take some of it to Washington with me when I fly up that evening.

Three

Nights when Daniel stays in his own bed. It’s a bit unnerving to wake up and find one more body on the bed than there was when you went to sleep. I don’t know why he is waking up at midnight but that’s when he usually climbs into bed with us. Right now, he’s in a bit of an awkward position so I’m going to have to move him when I’m done with this post.

Four

Fernando Ortega. His music brings me closer to God. What I especially love about his music, especially when he covers older hymns, is that he leaves the verses about the Cross intact. The Cross is so central to our faith as Christians and I love that he gets that.

Five

Family. I will get to see my 94 year old grandma this weekend (I haven’t seen her in 4 years) and various other family members. I am so excited!

Go love up Jenna and the others.

7 Quick Takes: Three Days into Christmas…

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

Kelly is taking some time off of blogging for Christmas but I thought I’d do Quick Takes anyway.

— 1 —

Saint for 2015. I decided to do Jen Fulwiler’s Saint Generator to see who my patron saint should be for next year. When I first did it, I got St. Paul Chong Hasang, a Korean martyr. I did it one more tme and got St. Rita who is a little less obscure. We’ll see how 2015 unfolds and how these two figure into it.

— 2 —

Handel’s “Messiah” on Sunday. I had the blessing of being able to attend both performances of the You-Sing-It Messiah put on by the Claremont Symphony Orchestra. My mother-in-law, bless her, watched Daniel for us so we could go. I had a fabulous alto behind me for the first performance but had to hold my own for the second performance because the altos were scattered. (They had seating by vocal section and the altos were supposed to all be behind the sopranos instead of scattered.) My choir director is the conductor of the symphony and he pitched it to the choir members as a way of practicing for Christmas Eve. I got lots of practice and was able to firm up some sections that were giving me problems.

— 3 —

Handel’s “Messiah” on Tuesday. Our Christmas cantata on Christmas Eve was the Christmas section of the Messiah and we had an extra practice session on Tuesday because our regular choir night is Wednesday which was Christmas Eve. The awesome alto that was behind me on Sunday turned out to be the professional mezzo-soprano that was singing the “Messiah” with us. She was absolutely fabulous to work with and I appreciated hearing someone else singing who was on-key and not getting lost.

— 4 —

Handel’s “Messiah” on Wednesday. Ohmigosh… I can’t believe how completely amazing it was. I got to sing it with four opera singers from all around southern California who were so much fun to sing with and who sounded better than some of the professionals on the recordings that I own. We also had a bass player from the Claremont Symphony Orchestra joining us and the richness of his bass seriously rocked. Of course, the glue in all of this was my awesome choir director, Dr. Sage, who pulled all of this together. There is seriously nothing better than good church music sung by people who believe and affirm that about which they sing. Midnight Mass was wonderful and it took forever to get to sleep when I got home because of all the adrenaline. Our priest’s homily was fabulous (she preaches like an NPR commentator) and so incredibly relevant. Jon made it to church after the worship service he was part of and was able to join us for the Hallelujah Chorus during the Offertory.

— 5 —

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My sister-in-law Joanna, her husband Chris, and my incredibly cute nephew Patrick came up on the afternoon of Christmas Eve to hang out. They brought Daniel one of Patrick’s toys that is interactive and has doors and light switches. That kept him occupied pretty well that afternoon, evening, and the next day. 🙂 Patrick is in that stage that seems to occur around 18 months where kids flip out if a parent leaves the room so he was not a happy camper; but it’s all good — at least we got to see him.

On Christmas Day, I got to sleep in which was good — I’ve had a crazy week taking care of sick people and I needed the sleep. We opened presents in the late morning and Daniel got some books and craft stuff from various relatives. Jon and I went and had dinner with some family friends who also brought dinner over to my in-laws who were watching Daniel. It was nice to have a dinner with adult conversation.

— 6 —

In San Jose now. Yesterday, Daniel and I drove up to northern California to spend time with my parents. It was a vastly easier drive on I-5 than it had been at Thanksgiving. It’s good to see Mom and Dad again. We have no firm plans for the week other than church on Sunday and possibly having a coffee date with my friend (and Daniel’s godmother) Rebecca.

— 7 —

Sarah’s stockings. I am so glad I can finally share this story on this blog now! For those not in the know, my parents are University of Washington alums (as are some of my extended family and adopted family) and Sarah is at the OTHER school (Washington State University) where she plays in the marching band. The two teams play each other in the Apple Cup on Thanksgiving weekend and the family Facebook walls get pretty humorous during the week beforehand.

Anyway, we usually have a family gift drawing and as I usually organize it, I was going to cheat and give myself Sarah. The plan was to crochet two Christmas stockings, one in each team’s colors. I was going to stick the Washington State one into the University of Washington one along with some of Sarah’s favorite candy. The drawing didn’t end up happening but I had already made one of the stockings, so I just made the other one and my Mom used them to house Sarah’s present from her. Ironically, I finished them on the night of the Apple Cup… which the University of Washington won by a decent margin of 31-13 and Washington State didn’t even score until the 4th quarter. (It was pretty brutal.) My mom and my sister-in-law Jeanette had the idea to stage them on either side of the TV:

The stockings were hung by the TV with care, in hopes that an Apple Cup win would be there.

I had wondered if Sarah had liked them and saw this on my Facebook wall this morning:

Sarah and the stockings.

Had a wonderful Christmas with my family! I got some beautiful crocheted stockings from my cousin Jen! I’m just going to consider the purple one my high school stocking.

🙂 Whatever. Love you too, sweetie!

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: December 22, 2014

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY December 22, 2014

Outside my window… dark. It’s almost midnight.

I am thinking… about what I have to accomplish in the next few days. Daniel and I are heading up to be with my parents for a week or so and I’ll need to figure out what to take up with me.

I am thankful… for the opportunity to sing the Christmas section of Handel’s “Messiah” with the Claremont Symphony Orchestra yesterday.

In the kitchen… nothing as it’s past time to eat.

I am wearing… my Online Debate team shirt and capri-length sweats.

I am praying for… relief from my fibro flare, for Daniel to pleasepleasepleaseplease sleep in tomorrow, for Mary/Jerry/Jonathan, and for some special intentions.

I am going… to go to sleep as soon as this posts.

I am wondering… too many things to mention.

I am reading… Skein of the Crime by Maggie Sefton. I also just finished Duck the Halls by Donna Andrews

I am hoping… for sleep.

I am looking forward to… sleep. (Do you sense a theme here?)

I am hearing… my laptop fan.

Around the house… things are out away for the most part

One of my favorite things… ice chips! I gained an appreciation for them when Daniel was born.

A few plans for the rest of the week: PT for Daniel tomorrow, visit with family tomorrow and Wednesday, rehearsal for Messiah tomorrow night, Messiah concert and Christ Mass on Wednesday night, Christmas stuff on Thursday, and heading up to San Jose with Daniel on Friday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Highs and Lows

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Low: I had a screaming fit at Daniel’s school district on Monday. Their idiot special ed person was not communicating with me and I finally called up the chain of command and made sure that the superintendent and the assistant superintendent knew exactly what was happening. The assistant superintendent kicked the special ed person off of Daniel’s case and has found me someone who is being pro-active about working with me.

— 2 —

High: I got all the ornaments crocheted and starched for Daniel’s support people. This is the pattern I used and this is how I starched them.

— 3 —

Low: We had the family memorial service for Edda (my black cat) and placed her memorial stone in the garden. It’s been a month and we’re pretty sure that she isn’t coming back. Tuesday (the day we placed the stone) was pretty hard for me and I think I cried more than I have in a long time. Edda was a really special little girl to me.

— 4 —

High: I got to go sing portions of the Christmas section of the “Messiah” on Wednesday. We’re doing it as the Christmas Eve cantata. I am in music geek heaven. I spent last Thursday pounding out my parts on the piano and it made this Wednesday a lot easier because I could hold my own while practicing the choruses.

— 5 —

Low: Some malware got on my computer. Symantec worked for an hour and couldn’t get it off so I was grumping about having to take it to a tech. I was talking to my mom who suggested googling the problem and seeing what I could find. Google had something and I was able to get the bad stuff off. I unfortunately lost all my bookmarks on my Chrome but oh well.

— 6 —

High: I got to bake cookies this morning. I have a cookie exchange for church on Sunday night and I also have people to whom I have to give presents. The baking went really quickly and I can focus on Christmas cards now.

— 7 —

High: We’re getting rain right now in California. Northern California got smacked with the storm and we’re getting hit pretty hard today down in Claremont.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

What I Wore on Sunday: Second Sunday of Advent 2014

Posted on by

I haven’t linked up here for a while, mostly because I frequently forget to take pictures of what I wear. Today, I changed back into church clothes midway through the afternoon because I was escorting my father-in-law to a concert of the Pomona College Choir so I took pictures when I got back. I needed a prop and as I’m singing the Christmas section of Handel’s “Messiah” with my church choir in a few weeks, I thought my copy of the work might be a good one.

Here I am pondering those lovely sixteenth note runs in the “For Unto Us A Child Is Born” chorus:

Me looking over the sixteenth note runs in the 'For Unto Us A Child Is Born'.

My mother-in-law was taking the pictures and this one was where she told me to look happy to see the piece without looking too manic. I ended up laughing and the picture turned out well.

My mother-in-law making me laugh while I was singing one of the solos for pictures.

And here is one of me from head to toe. I’ve lost enough weight that the pants are baggy on me right now!

Me from head to toe.

Cardigan: Kohl’s
Shirt: Old Navy (I love their “perfect tees”.)
Pants: Kohl’s
Shoes: Payless Shoe Source

Go show the other pretty ladies some love.

7 Quick Takes: Sad Prayer Requests, Lots of Church Music, and The Big Bang Theory

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Update on my Edda. My princess has been gone for over a week now. The not knowing is the hardest part. I wish we knew if there was any hope of her returning — it would allow me to grieve and get some closure.

— 2 —

Sad prayer request. Please keep Caitlin of Savor His Goodness and her family in prayer. They found out this week that their second baby has no heartbeat.

— 3 —

The Big Bang Theory. I’m trying to get some Christmas crocheting done so I turned on The Big Bang Theory to have something to watch during the brainless parts of the crocheting. I just finished watching the prom episode and am on the one where Leonard has the septoplasty (the surgery to fix his deviated septum). I know I should suspend my disbelief but… they don’t have the gauze on Leonard’s nose the correct way. After a septoplasty, it’s taped *UNDER* the nose to catch the blood dripping out. How do I know this? I had the same surgery in July of 2008.

— 4 —

Church music fun. I’ve been blessed to be part of a choir that has the ability to sing some pretty fabulous music even though we’re a pretty small group (6-7 of us on a Sunday usually).

We did a piece based on a Haydn chorale on November 5th:

This past Sunday, we did a piece by Heinrich Schu?tz (the English translation of it):

This Sunday, we have something more conventional:

Our Christmas Eve music will be the Christmas section of Handel’s “Messiah”. It’s the first time I’ve performed it in 12 years though I definitely have sung along to my CD of it enough times on long car trips. I used to do it with the San Jose Symphonic Choir in high school and college when they’d have their annual “You-Sing-It Messiah” at Christmas and it’s a work I know pretty well.

— 5 —

Regarding “quiet times”. I can’t remember if I’ve shared this link or not but I read a fabulous article on why “quiet times” shouldn’t happen alone. (For non-evangelicals, one’s “quiet time” is one’s personal time for prayer and devotions.) It’s one of the reasons I love being part of a church with a set lectionary — any Scripture I’m reading on my own is read on Sunday mornings in community and it gives everyone a chance to hear and digest it within the parameters of the community so that there is less of a chance of misinterpretation.

— 6 —

I am Scrooge. This is the time of year that makes me more Scrooge-y than usual because I despise the consumerist attitudes that hijack Christmas and make it more about buying stuff and giving the perfect gift rather than it being about the gift of God dwelling amongst us. The signs are already on the street in the Village in Claremont and most stores have all their Christmas signs and decorations up… and it’s only November 21st. We haven’t even had Christ the King Sunday yet, not to mention all of Advent! /rant

— 7 —

I can’t believe it has been a year. A year ago, I was sitting in the sanctuary of Twin Lakes Church in Aptos for the funeral of Gordon Smith, one of the leaders of the college group at the church I attended during most of college. It was great to see people that I hadn’t seen in 12-13 years but I wish it had been a more joyous event. The mother/son duo accused of murdering him goes on trial next March and I still wish they could understand that the man they shot was someone who had given them more chances than humanly possible and who would give them the shirt of his back during a blizzard if they were cold. He chose to work with middle schoolers and college students, two groups where identities are being developed and who need a lot of love. I know he and his wife Joan loved me and stood with me through some of the toughest times in my life and I can hear both his infectious laugh and his very down-to-earth way of telling about the faith he had in Jesus Christ.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.