Oh my goodness time has a way of getting away sometimes.
It's been a little rough lately. Not quite sure how to explain it but somehow my workloads have just overtaken my abilities. Something had to give.
Sadly, this was one of those things. Reading was another.
I can't make any promises with regard to the frequency of posting. But I am going to try again.
It's been such a delight to see that so many of you continued to pop in to check for new posts while I was out of commission. Thank you.
I think today I'll just end with a couple of my ear worms these days. They aren't new songs. Just songs I can't seem to get enough of at the moment. They make me smile. They make me feel like I'm ready to take on the next challenge.
As we left from the final performance of the play we "found a peanut" on the floor of the landing in one stairwell. I couldn't help myself. . .I started singing and made my dad join in with me. Just one of those crazy moments that had to happen. My dad taught us that song years ago so getting to break into song on a random night when we literally "found a peanut" was just priceless.
Now for those of you who don't know the song. . .go right here. But I warn you, it will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day!
At least it does for me. As soon as I hear the first note of some songs it's like my heart stops and I am paralyzed, in a completely good way, waiting for the song to take off.
Christina Perri's song A Thousand Years is one of those songs. From the very first note I am transfixed. I know I cannot turn the song down or off until it is over. The words are powerful but it's more than that. It is the overall emotion of the song. Even when I just hum the song I feel the emotion.
Listen to it for yourself. . .see if you you feel the depth of emotion. I am drawn to it because of the piano. But I wonder, does this one make you stop and listen?
I've always heard this one as a slow love song. But last night while I was working I came across this version in a playlist of songs from the 1960s. . .and true to my natural form, I listened to it over and over and over.
Thus, it must be worth sharing. It's a bit raucous at times. It deviates from the lyrics I find online for the song. And yet it's just such a happy upbeat song I just can't get enough of it!
On this day eleven years ago, my Nana died. She was something else.
She was a cleaning freak. A child of the Depression, she was frugal like you have never seen--washed and reused aluminum foil, ziploc bags and even bread bags.
She was an excellent cook--could turn simple ground beef into an absolute comfort food meal with gravy and mashed potatoes. But what I remember the most is the spice cake she made one night when we stayed over. The aroma of that cake throughout the house. . .just not something I could easily forget. It was delightful.
She was also a fantastic musician. She began playing string bass as a small child in their family band. There she was, a small lil girl carrying a big string bass from their house over to her uncle's house. Hilarious. As she got older she learned to play piano and then organ. I was always fascinated by her organ. Most people just don't have an organ in the house, do they?
Nana played a lot of great songs. One that stands out is "Hold That Tiger." Nana didn't have a band to play back up for her but this reminds me of the fun she had playing it.
The big weekend trip was excellent. We had a great group of students who knew to follow the rules and watch out for each other.
About the only thing I would have changed was to find a way to get more sleep.
That lack of sleep has lingered throughout this week, hence my lack of blog posts.
But things to share from this past week. . . .
My kids are amazing. One got to go along for the school trip and we had a very nice time. The other two stayed with my parents and they had a great time. I couldn't wait to see them when I got home (and my bed. . .man I was tired)
Even after more than 25 years, Journey rocks. Still totally in love with their music. I am pretty sure Faithfully is my favorite song ever from them.
Halloween was almost nothing this year. We were supposed to have storms so my county postponed trick or treating to Friday night. In addition, only one little girl in my household planned to dress up for Halloween anyway. I guess we are ending an era. Surprisingly sad about that one. But they are growing up.
Matt Kearney is one of those artists who I think is under appreciated, although I realize his music is unique. I had reason to listen to some of his music this week too. I have a hard time picking a favorite from him. I'm going to go with Renaissance since it's the first one that really hit me hard.
Oh wait. . .this one is good too:
Big weekend. . .after school we have play practice, basketball practice, basketball scrimmage and Mass. Tomorrow we clean house--sooooooo desperately needs a thorough cleaning. And then Sunday we have family stopping in for a visit.
I've been swamped this week. Getting ready to take a group of kids to a convention. . .and just trying to take care of my brood of kids at home.
While working last night this one came on. . .I always liked the song just fine. But I remember this song as an ice skating song. I have searched high and low for a video of it but since I can't remember who performed to it, well, it's pretty hard to find. My sister really liked this routine though. . . .probably a reason I wanted to find it so badly. I suppose the song would make most people think of spring but since it was a winter olympics skating routine, it fits with the current cold temps around here.
Oh how I loved this movie and this song when I was a little girl. The guy that teaches next door to me played a brass arrangement of this song the other day after school. It's been stuck in my head, in the most delightful way since then.
I doubt many people my age are familiar with this song. . .but for me, the words just flowed right along with the song the day he played it.
Funny. How could I forget how much I love pretty much everything about baseball?
But I got so busy doing everything else I just drifted away.
I love playoff time because my family allows me to indulge in my long ago favorite pastime. They laugh when I talk back to the radio. They cheer when I do. They smirk when I act like a disgruntled fan.
So today we're pulling out another baseball song, just because I feel like it.
This one came across my Pandora the other night while working. . .good stuff. Louis Armstrong was amazing. I love trumpet anyway. I tried playing it for a while when I was 16 but had a metal allergy issue so I decided to just let it go.
There's something about the way Louis Armstrong sings the songs he performs. Just beautiful.
Oh how I loved this song back in the day. The girls and I had some fun listening to it the other day. . . .reminds me of my sister and baseball games and a good life as a kid.
And when we got to school today the best song came on, just as I was shutting off the car. Naturally we listened for a while. Because we needed something fun to start off another busy day.
You might as well crank it up and listen too--Blue Swede singing Hooked on a Feeling
Enjoy your Wednesday. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have more time to tell a story or something :-)
Oh holy cow. The weeks are so busy anymore. It's really a struggle to keep things going.
Too many activities and not enough time. NOT that anyone needs to give up an activity. Do not get me wrong. But I do need for someone to coordinate some schedules a little better for me. That's a legit request right?
For example, today I am supposed to have 1 child at an appointment at 3:20. Another child has a commitment at 3:45 (same side of town but not possible to make it to both). And we have still another commitment for another child at 4 on the opposite side of town.
There will be some wizardry involved but we will make it work.
The highlight of my ultra busy day yesterday was getting the time to sit in the chair with my stylist and get my hair back on track. It was delightful. I had at least an hour of peace and quiet while confined to a chair with foils with stinky stuff in them plastered to my head.
And yet in that hour of peace and quiet I had a chance to get back to being me in a way. Time to just sit and not think about what I was going to have to do next or worry about who needed what kind of homework help or how will I get the laundry done or any of that. Just time to sit.
And all evening long I had an old George Strait song running through my head. . .might as well share so it can be in your head for the day, right? George Strait singing Back to Being Me
Ahhhh, Johnny Cash. One of those scoundrels turned good guy.
Had this song stuck in my head one morning and then pulled out an old CD from my dad--unlabelled so I didn't remember what all was on it and there it was "Understand Your Man"
I think my favorite line is where he says:
"I ain't gonna repeat what I said anymore While I'm breathin' air that ain't been breathed before"
Oh Johnny. . .how did you know (before I was even born) how much I hate breathin' air that HAS been breathed before?
First of all, I am rather embarrassed. I know several of you stopped in and saw nothing new. I hope you'll stick with me even though it seems I am a bit of a slacker these days. It's not so much that I'm slacking but that I am swamped, pretty much all the time
So today I offer you a little video that I saw while wasting time on Facebook last night. I just happen to think it's pretty cool stuff. The kind of thing that should be shared.
This one reminds me of the best things in childhood . . .my parents' living room, the front porch and visits to my Uncle Leo's farm. Their family had some of the same records we had. We didn't spend much time in their living room but I remember the record that this song was on sitting in their living room.
Add to that my love for trumpet (the other instrument I desperately wanted to play when I was in high school. . .but alas, metal allergy made me re-think that one)
Love Herb Alpert. And definitely love "The Lonely Bull"
I might have mentioned a time or two that I love "Sweet Caroline". When I was a kid in orchestra we played it a lot--a whole lot. You might think that playing a song repeatedly would make you tired of it. . .kind of like how the guy who bakes the donuts hates donuts. Not so with Sweet Caroline. I love it to pieces.
This song just makes me smile. It's the perfect song for when a day isn't quiet going your way and you just want to stomp and scream. It's the perfect insult to sing when someone cuts you off in traffic.
It's a classic from Jimmy Dickens. You'll be toe-tapping right along with it. And I bet the next time someone pulls a dumb move you'll catch yourself thinking of this song.
I may have mentioned a time or two that I went through a Johnny Cash phase. I pulled out all the old Johnny Cash I could find and listened to it all like it was something new again.
I have a lot of "favorites."
But I always go back to Folsom Prison Blues as my favorite. Something about how he starts off with "ello, I'm Johnny Cash"
