For your musical enjoyment, may I suggest...

Ah: the end of another week. So hard to believe that September is nearly gone and October is right around the corner! 

I decided to devote this blog to suggestions of music, for your enjoyment. Anyone who knows me is aware that I literally live and breath music. Well, it's true! I love it. :) 

So- if you enjoy music, and are tired of listening to the same thing over and over, here are some of my favorites that I frequently recommend to people. (especially light classical and easy listening.)

Spotify:  Free internet download (you have to have Facebook to get it), and allows you to listen to unlimited (with commercials) music. You can find virtually any artist or album by just typing it in the 'search' box. It's great!

Pandora Radio: Make an easy free account by simply using your email address, and create free online radio stations based on your favorite songs, albums, or artists. I listen all the time! 

Now, for a few musical recommendations: 

Andre' Rieu- Violinist from the Netherlands. His live DVD's are not only filled with beautiful music, but are also quite funny and very entertaining. My students (and I) love him! He plays music varying from light classical to Movie classics (Moon River, etc.). It's great relaxing music, and there are several of his albums on Spotify as well as Pandora. A few of my favorite albums: Romantic Moments, Dreaming, Homecoming, At the Movies, and Greatest Hits.

Canadian Tenors- Terrific guys vocal group; they sing light pop/classical. Really love their sound! On Spotify as well as Pandora. 

Straight No Chaser- 10-men from Indiana who sing amazing! I especially love their holiday/Christmas stuff. Check it out- it's phenomenal! 

Julie Andrews- No introduction needed. She's my favorite female vocalist of the light classical/Broadway genre, and is truly a legend. Her Christmas albums are especially beautiful, if you're not a fan of Broadway music. Pandora and Spotify.

101 Strings Orchestra- Really enjoyable, beautifully played light classical/easy listening orchestral favorites. Love them! Pandora and Spotify- and most libraries. Amazon has free downloads, sometimes.

Phil Coulter- Irish pianist who often collaborates with famous flutist Sir James Galway. His albums Celtic Horizons, The Celtic Minstrel, Winter Crossing, and Highland Cathedral combine piano light-classical feel with celtic-easy listening. Sounds strange, but it's beautiful. Check it out!

Jim Brickman- Pianist. I don't like all of his songs because they tend to be repetitive, but his Disney album is quite nice, as well as Picture This and his Christmas album, Joy is a favorite. His pandora station is my favorite! Really nice studying music, or anytime music. 

Mantivani Orchestra- Great easy-listening orchestral music. Everything they do is extraordinary and beautiful. See what you think! 

Secret Garden- European violinist/pianist husband/wife team. Their music has a beautiful instrumental (and some vocal) feel, and is extremely relaxing. He actually wrote the famous song "You Raise Me Up," as well as most of the songs on all their albums. Earthsongs is one of my favorite albums. Check it out on Pandora or Spotify! 

Kenny G- Goes without saying, he is one of my favorites! His Christmas music permeates our house year-round! Miracles, Faith, Greatest Christmas, and everything else is a favorite. My favorite non-Christmasy album is Classics in the Key of G. It's a balance between light jazz and easy listening.

Yiruma- An Oriental pianist with a unique playing style. I really enjoy the Yiruma station on Pandora; it's very relaxing and beautiful!

James Todd- A cellist who truly plays from the heart. I really enjoy his cd's! They are beautiful. Pandora station is nice, too. Check out the album "Forrest Cello." 

I hope you check out a few of my recommendations and let me know what you think!

To close this blog post, here is a video of a legend and fantastic singer- Andy Williams. The world of music is richer because of him, and he will be missed! Moon River is one of my favorite songs. Enjoy! 

Another favorite- Autumn Leaves, also by Andy Williams. 

Recipe for Apple Spice Bars coming soon to the blog...a Fall tradition in my house! 

Have a lovely September Weekend...

The arrival of Fall

It is here. 

Fall. 

Finally. 

My absolute favorite time of the year!

Here are a few fall pictures I've taken so far, and some of my favorite fall quotes to welcome the season. Enjoy! 

Outdoor fall decor

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." -Emily Bronte

First tinge of autumn color in the trees by the house...

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." -George Elliot

front porch fall-ized

Pretty Fall table arrangement with pumpkins from the garden, berries, and fruit arranged in a dark basket

What is fall without Candy Corn? Definitely not Fall...
So, we welcome fall. 


Until next time...


Happy Fall! 

a genius cold remedy

Well, sniff as is typical with the arrival of Fall, sniff germs and colds increase. Booooo. I am a victim, thanks to a weekend visit with my sister in Greenville. (Great visit, but resulted in a biserable cold.) 

Here are a few strange things I've tried that seem to be helping, oddly enough. Thought I would pass them on in case you become a victim of the common cold. 

*Mint/Rosemary Vaporizer: Mint and rosemary are known to help with respiratory infections and congestion. Eucalyptus will work, too. So, I picked some fresh mint and rosemary from my herb garden, boiled it, and sniffed. Not only does it smell amazing and work as a potpourri, it really does help significantly! 

*Another equally strange remedy is a cough syrup made by mixing apple-cider vinegar, honey, water, and cinnamon. It really does seem to help quite a lot! 

That is the extent of my home-remedy knowledge this evening. May you ward off the evil common cold, and "may the odds be ever in your favor!"

until next time...

The terrible thing of 'giving all'

Thoughts of 'giving your absolute best to God' continue to permeate my thoughts, even after my last blog post. And, I feel the need to clarify something important which I feel I may have left out.

I mentioned the importance of giving your very best to God, of cultivating your specific talents and abilities to the best of your capability, then using them for God's glory. I also connected my talents and my best to the continuing of higher education; I stated that this is the way I feel I can best use what God has given me. 

Hear this:

Just because higher education is my venue for cultivating my talents, doesn't mean it is the right choice for you. God blesses each of us with different gifts, so if yours is different than mine, that's actually a good thing! God is creative in distributing talents and abilities, so it is futile to compare yours to mine, or anyone else's for that matter. 

For me, it's a much bigger matter even yet. It's what C.S. Lewis calls the 'terrible thing' of giving all. Here's what Lewis explains in his book, Mere Christianity. (Which, by the way, if you haven't read, you should.) 

"Christ says, 'Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. I don't want to drill the tooth, or crown it, or stop it, but to have it out. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked - the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will you Myself: my own will shall become yours.'"

"The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self - all your wishes and precautions - to Christ. But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is to remain what we call 'ourselves', to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time to be 'good'. We are all trying to let mind and heart go their own way - centred on money or pleasure or ambition - and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and chastely and humbly. And that is exactly what Christ warned us you could not do. As He said, a thistle cannot produce figs. If I am a field that contains nothing but grass-seed, I cannot produce wheat. Cutting the grass may keep it short: but I shall still produce grass and no wheat. If I want to produce wheat, the change must go deeper than the surface. I must be ploughed up and re-sown." 

Wow. So, essentially, it's not even an issue of higher education or not. Everything stems back to this 'terrible thing' of giving all. In giving all, there is a freeing state of captivity in which we are crucified to our own desires, and drawn to God's greater plan instead. It's the only way to achieve true contentment in life. 

Happy September Weekend!

30-some-Thank-Things

November: that season of the year in which people construct impressive lists of things for which they are thankful. I'm not opposed to these lists... Nor am I an advocate of them, unless that spirit of Thankfulness is indwelling the entire year-long. 

This Thanksgiving season, rather than simply writing a list of things I'm thankful for (which I also did), 

I tried something completely new and out-of-the-ordinary. 

Beginning the very first week of November, and still in progress today,

every time I walk in a room, flip on the light switch,

sit on my bed to check my email, dig through my sock 

drawer for a different pair, send a text on my phone, 

I try to remember to thank God for everything involved in completing

each of those tasks. (not limited to these tasks, just 

an example.) Does it take time? yes. 

but it does help you become aware of God's blessings

in a different way. 

That being said, I do have a 'list' of thankful things, which I will share. 

But, I am attempting to apply thankfulness to my entire year,

not just this month of November at Thanksgiving festivities. 

So, here we go...just to name a few:

1. Family- near and far
2. Friends- from acquaintances to dear friends
3. Electricity and running water
4. Comforts of home often taken for granted (furniture, insulation, heating, air conditioning, etc.)
5. Job- doing what I love, and exactly where God wants me right now
6. Nice car
7. Great camera- to capture those 'kodak' moments. I love pictures!
8. Ability to see colors- how boring would life be in darkness all the time? 
9. Ears-to enjoy laughter, chatter, and music
10. Music- a connection to the soul
11. My piano- no caption needed.
12. iPod- to enjoy music and great books on long trips or at work
13. Freedom to worship
14. Hot tea- medication of choice
15. Literacy and the ability to read- among my books I have formed the best of friends.
16. Good health- (except for the horrid cold I now have)
17. Candles and nice smelling things- they make the world a better place
18. Chocolate- all forms. it makes the world go 'round. :)
19. Rainy days- replenish the soul and satisfy my melancholy side
20. Books- choose a good book, treat it well, and you have made a friend for life
21. Mentors- people who care what I do with my life, and are willing to invest time to help make it better
22. Love- 
23. God's grace and forgiveness- where would we be without them?
24. Students- their laughter and antics keep me young, but I treasure my time with them
25. Education- betterment of life, career, and expansion of knowledge
26. Internet- irony, I know! - for those late-night-research-emergencies
27. Computer- thank you, Jesus! Type-writers and I would not get along well, I'm quite sure
28. Personalities- make the world an interesting place. if everyone were like Obama....
29. Changes of weather- fall, winter, spring and summer- I love them all!
30. Christmastime- the long-awaited season of the year
31. Vacuum- yes.
32. Disinfecting wipes- they make my day better
33. Germ-x- no explanation needed.

So, there you have it! My thanksgiving list for this year. A few of the things, anyways. Cheers for a terrific holiday season! 

November...EEK!

You must be wondering, "Is she EVER going to up date that blog, or let it die a slow, painful death??" Well, good news and bad news. (didn't you just hate it when your dad used to say that?)
First, the good news: No, the blog is not dead! Very much alive and well (contrary to first glimpses); Bad News: Life happens. Namely, teaching happens, which comes first, and I don't always get to share those fun times as often as I'd like. Sigh. So, there you have it. :)


fun times decorated November! Allow me to share a few with you. :D
The last week of October...

The last week of October, I had to privilege of going to Indiana
to play for my cousin Debra's wedding. Another plus to the
wedding was getting to spend time with the Bride's sister, Tiffany,
who has been my very best friend since we were kids.
Three weeks apart, both pursued ED degrees in college,
and alike in many scary ways!
Love you, Tiffany! 

First, a few school-views of November. . .

My November bulletin in Jr. High- really
happy with how it turned out! Nothing
like trying something new...simply because
you can. :) 

In History, the students made 'log cabins' for the Colonial
Period. Several kids are missing in this pic, but you
get the idea. I loved the creativity! 

                                   Next, of course, comes Thanksgiving! And turkey. and stuff. 

The day before Thanksgiving, the students decorated
our classroom for Christmas. Here is our cute little
tree. They did a great job! All that's missing is Linus' blue
blanket, which I forgot to take that day. :( But as of tomorrow,
it will be our 'tree skirt.' Isn't creativity a grand and glorious thing? :)

                                                           Now, on to Thanksgiving. . .

Grandpa and Grandma Davis came over for the afternoon-
we were so glad they could come! Dad, Kimberly, and I
got an pool lesson from the 'expert.' aka: Grandpa.

 Grandpa, showing up how to shoot it right. He's great!

Our Thanksgiving feast was delicious!
Turkey, of course, Sweet Potato Cass.,
Squash Cass., Oyster Casserole made by
Grandma (one of my favorites!), home-made rolls,
cran-apple salad, cranberry sauce, Pumpkin/Pecan
pies. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it
was scrumptious! I am so blessed.

And that about wraps up my November re-cap post. Check out my next blog post, "30-some-Thank-Things," which is about my 'thankful' list. Until then. . .

Knock-knock......... BOO!

 Dear people of the world: This is an important alert to . . . alert you that this blogger is among the land of the living, contrary to popular opinion. 
We extend our apologies for the delay in posting. I'm sure the blog-ee has excellent reasoning for the delinquent pause in posts as of late. 


The end.

Ah. . . the arrival of fall! It is here, this long awaited season. My favorite time of the year, no questions asked. Life has been c.r.a.z.y. That's the only word I can think of to do it justice. 

However, there have been some pretty fun/interesting happenings along with the craziness. :) Allow me to update you on a few. 

Thursday, 9.14.11 

National Donut Day (bet you didn't know that...)

So, my fellow teacher friend Sethanna and I

decided to be brave and actually make donuts with the

7-10th graders at school. Whew. 

So, my lucky reader, here is how to 'make' donuts. :) 

1- Buy canned biscuits. POP them open without jumping. (I dare you to try...) 

2- have excited students (or boring family members) shape them with
a little '0' in the center.

3- place biscuits on paper plates.  

4- after heating oil in skillet/pan, turn heat on low and carefully
drop biscuits into pan, slowing turning with tongs until golden brown. 

5- remove donuts from hot oil and place on paper plate, soaking up
excess grease with paper towel. Using tongs, drop in gallon
bag filled with either powdered sugar, cinnamon/sugar, or sprinkles.
Shake until coated thoroughly. 

6- Voila! Delicious donuts! Bon appetite. 

Best when eaten with large glass of chocolate milk. Mmmm.

Honestly, they were AMAZING! 

It was so delicious, and the kids (ok...me too) had a ton of fun in the process!
For the 'educational' aspect, the students learned how to write a process
essay on 'how to make donuts.' Huge hit with the parents,
I'm quite certain. I've heard multiple reports of families making donuts with the
recipe. Favorite homework assignment of the year! :)

The following day I went to UNCG School of the Arts (University of North Carolina at Greensboro) for a piano lesson with Professor John Salmon. Naturally, I was nervous. Very. But I couldn't have asked for a better lesson! Brilliant sense of humor. In that light, I am in the process of applying for UNCG to begin my MM next fall in the Piano dept. and study under Dr. Salmon. Very excited! In the midst of figuring out dept./audition/Fellowship logistics, but it's looking very promising. 

Stay tuned for more blog updates in the next few days- fun stuff going on, as well as a few blogs on the topic, "Back to the Heart of Worship...or not?" 

And, just for fun, the is the ever-changing view out the front door of the house. Tinges of orange, yellow, and red on the trees = eye candy! 

                                         Happy 1st of October celebrating the wonder of fall! 

Happiness is: blundered imp-cakes, chocolate, and singing in the choir

 according to Charlie Brown, "Happiness is singing in the choir." and, since my goal for my students was for them to begin to correlate learning with fun and excitement (I sensed a great lack of this), then if singing in the choir= happiness, PARTY while singing in the choir must= double dose of happiness, right? Well :)


...So, I decided to have a Christmas Kickoff Party for my Jr High/High School kids in choir in Wednesday, our first real day of choir, since Monday was a half-day. 

I found these and just HAD to try them out...aren't they
terrific?

However...*clears throat* pictures online aren't always as easy as they appear...I know this! "How," you might ask? Well, this next picture says it all...

The dreadful imp-cakes...poo!

...Yep, that's correct. Instead of cute little reindeer, I ended up with red-eyed, horned, imps due to a mistake of my own. (bought small pretzels rather than large, the wrong candy, and forgot to use marshmallows for the eyes.) Since this was not what I wanted to communicate during our first choir practice, I improvised and came up with...

...Ta-Da! Smiley cupcakes! :)They weren't the Christmasy affect I was hoping for, but at least they don't look like I stole an orc from Lord of the Rings and made him pose for my cupcake design. :) And, they tasted great.(Which, I suppose, was the prime objective.) 

Here's a glimpse of my choir kiddos...all 17 of them. :) I wasn't quite sure what to expect since there was just an ensemble last year, but I am really excited! We had a blast playing random games! One was where everyone goes around the room humming different Christmas songs/carols, and has to find other people humming the same one. They kept me hopping for the 65 minute class... and by the end, I felt something like this...

But, I figure, if it helped the kids realize:

1) learning and fun can go together

2) choir is not scary- it's singing: and supposed to be fun!

3) learning more about music can be a blast, too...

...then I will have succeeded...even if it took imp-looking

chocolate cupcakes, oreo's, fizzing drinks, candy, games,

Christmas decor and music to do it! 

Our next choir is on Wednesday, so I'm hoping for a great 

rehearsal! 

If you run out of things to pray for,

I could use a few extra :)

Well, here's to a terrific labor day weekend...

and an apology for such a lengthy post. :)

(but, I must admit, I sort of use this for a journal to help me 

remember things, so I'm sort of not as sorry as I sounded:) 

...all in a day's work...

I'm sure you must be wondering at my absence of writing the past week or so...

However, I am writing now as a survivor of my very first week of school

as a full-time teacher of Jr. High classes, Elementary Music,

 Jr/High Choir, and 12 private students (music classes and

lessons begin this coming week). 

(HOORAY, everyone!)

WHEW, and what

a week it has been indeed! 

It was something like this...

But, I must say, that the classes I had anticipated

as being the most difficult, are in fact my absolute favorites! 

While Jr. High (7-8th) classes are very different from anything

I've ever taught, I'm really enjoying the experience! So thankful for a 

genuinely terrific group of kids to teach- makes my job

a lot easier. :) 

There were several times this week when I began to feel like this...

...but then I remembered, 

All in all, it was a good week. I entered this 

school year with a plethora of different feelings

about the year, but I already feel as if I've learned 

more than the students! Guess that's good, right?

To shorten this, I'll just share the highlights from this week

to give you an idea of what I've been up to! 

Welcome to my 7-8th Homeroom

where I teach 7th grade Math, NC State History,

and Jr. High Bible Monday-Thursday. (We get

Fridays off...beautiful thing, isn't it?!) 

I do not have 'before' and 'after' pictures of this room...

because...because. :) Let's just say, 

it got a face lift, and my goal was to 'fun-ize' and color it, 

so this is what I came up with...

Our "News Flash" (aka, Current Event) section

with magazines, articles, etc. and the bulletin

board of the month... 

"The Value of an Idea is in Using it."

The little blue hands have words such as

'design,' 'create,' 'inspire,' 'invent,' etc. on them. 

View of my desk and student work display area. 

I never really thought I wanted to be a teacher...

even in college. But suddenly, I can't imagine doing

anything else! Even after days like Wednesday.

(Wednesday was something like Garfield's Monday,

except intensified x 1,000,000. 

But hey, at least

I'm alive to tell about it. :) 

More pictures about activities of the past few weeks 

are soon to come...but first, sleep.

So very invigorated about a long weekend...

No school until from Friday to Monday for me. 

Oh, yes, please! 

Until after zzzzzzzzzz...

morning by morning.

If yesterday's blog post wasn't exciting enough for you, this one may slightly rouse your interest. :) I want to go on record to say that I am ending this day even more thankful than yesterday...for a variety of reasons. Why? Ah, I'm so very glad you asked :)...

1- I had a lovely day. in many ways.

2- enjoyed absolutely gorgeous pre-fall weather. 

Mmm. low humidity, car windows down,

you get the idea. Happiness was emanating today!

In the words of the song: "How can I keep from singing 

Your praise? How can I ever say enough, how amazing

is Your love!" 

3- God kept my sister, Kimberly, her friend, and 

all students at GTTC (2 community colleges campuses) 

safe during a bomb threat and evacuation this morning.

I couldn't get the link to work in my blog, so here it is:

http://www.myfox8.com/news/wghp-gtcc-evacuates-two-campuses-due-to-bomb-threats-20110823,0,1978670.story 

Needless to say, that is a huge praise! 

Hoping and praying they find the culprit...

4- No one was harmed in the earthquake today,

even though it was definitely felt here in NC today!

Saddened by the damage done to the 

National Cathedral in DC, though. 

I have some exciting new classroom photo updates to share, but they must wait until tomorrow. I shall leave you desiring to return with bated breath... :) 

In closing...my friends, God is truly so much better to us than we deserve...every day, but especially when His lovingkindness and mercies are so evident in circumstances and events. 

"...Morning by morning new mercies I see...ALL I have needed Thy hand hath provided: 

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me..." 

until next time...