This is a beautiful song!

Why have I never heard of Libera before now?! I am going to spend some money on their CDs in the very near future.

Make My Life a Bethlehem

No matter what I do, it seems like the last quarter of each year is busycrazyhecticstressful. Throw a Primary sacrament meeting program and other Primary president responsibilities into the the normal mix, and this year is no different. I keep telling myself that I am going to plan ahead and be better prepared and better able to enjoy the spirit of the holidays. Let's just say that so far I am an expert at wishful thinking. But there is one thing that saves me from complete Grinchiness. I am a sucker for beautiful Christmas music.

This evening my friend and visiting teacher, Alexis, called and invited me to Christmas in the Grove, an annual Christmas concert performed by members of the Grove Creek Stake (I think I got that right). It was wonderful! The director, Kathryn Laycock Little, was amazing and energetic and has fantastic taste in Christmas carols. Some people are talented. She is. Some people are able to pull talent out of others. She does. No average children's choir, youth choir, and adult choir from an average LDS stake could sing so beautifully without someone like her teaching and inspiring them to do so. Their performance was filled with the Spirit of Christ. I told Alexis that I couldn't have enjoyed the concert more unless I had been singing in it.

The final song in particular spoke to my heart. I wasn't familiar with it, but it's one of my new favorites:

Make My Life a Bethlehem
Lyrics by Pamela Martin, Music by Craig Courtney

Make my life a Bethlehem, a manger of my heart.
Let me hear the angels sing and let the music start,
May I fall in simple faith and wonder to my knees,
In the manger of my heart let Christ be born in me.

In my life there is a place that's scattered with the straw
Of every disappointment, each regret and every flaw.
In this dark and dismal place my beasts of burden lie.
Weary from the heavy load they long to lay aside.

Make my life a Bethlehem, a manger of my heart.
Let me hear the angels sing and let the music start,
May I fall in simple faith and wonder to my knees,
In the manger of my heart let Christ be born in me.

Come and sweep this stable clean and swaddle it with light,
And let the Child be born in me upon a starlit night.
For though He’s born a thousand times in far off Bethlehem,
Until the Savior’s born in me I cannot worship Him.

Make my life a Bethlehem, a manger of my heart.
Let me hear the angels sing and let the music start,
May I fall in simple faith and wonder to my knees,
In the manger of my heart let Christ be born in me.

I found a fairly decent video of it on YouTube, but it's with two other Christmas songs, so skip to 4:38 if you don't want to take the time to listen to the other two:



My goal for the next two weeks is to try to better make my life a Bethlehem and my heart a manger for Christ--and send the Grinch packing!

I Like This by Pianist Jon Schmidt

I'm a Susan Boyle fan

Not to be a groupie or anything, but if you haven't seen this video from the TV show "Britain's Got Talent" yet, you should check it out. This Scottish lady's voice is amazing, and she is an inspiration to anyone who has ever had a dream. I've watched this several times today, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY&NR=1

Embedding was disabled, so you'll just have to follow the link.

A few of my favorite things...

(Charlotte, you can copy this for your game if you want to, but I think it's way too easy. :-)

You may have seen or heard of "The Mom Song" by Anita Renfroe. If you haven't, check it out here on YouTube. (This isn't the original--not Anita Renfroe herself, but it's a good version.) It's a song based on what a mom says in 24 hours, condensed into two minutes. Trust me, it's hilarious.

The other day my good friend Kathie introduced me to a couple of similar songs by LDS singer/songwriter Hillary Weeks. Check this one out, also on YouTube:

"To Do List"

And my favorite:

"My Favorite Things"

I love it! I giggle every time I hear it! Bedtime and naptime and naptime and bedtime... :-)
Thanks Kathie!

My Musical Heritage

In 1974 my mom was the 3rd Place Winner in the Relief Society Short Story Contest for her story, "From Milk to Music." It was subsequently published in the February 1975 Ensign. "From Milk to Music" is the fictionalized account of how my great-grandmother milked cows and sold the milk to neighbors during the Great Depression in order to save money for a piano so her daughters could learn to accompany the hymns at church. This is part of my musical heritage. This is part of why I bought a piano last week.
Although I took piano lessons for about eight years of my childhood, I don't really play the piano. I regret quitting before I really got any good at it. Because of those piano lessons though, I know how to read music, and I can pick out at least the melody of many hymns and Primary songs. But I didn't buy the piano for me. I bought the piano so I can pass on my musical heritage to my boys.
The funny thing is, Jeff has been giving me a hard time about how he really didn't have a choice when I asked him if I could spend money on a piano. But guess who sat down and played with it for 45 minutes after we got it in the house. And guess who found the sheet music for Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" on the Internet, printed it, and was trying to pick it out when I came home from the gym this morning.

Consider the Lilies

A few weeks ago in Salt Lake City the beautiful 7-year-old daughter of a refugee family from Myanmar (Burma) was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and murdered. As the story developed in the news, a song our ward choir sang for Easter Sunday kept running through my mind, especially the third verse:

Consider the sweet, tender children
Who must suffer on this earth.
The pains of all of them He carried
From the day of His birth.

He clothes the lilies of the field,
He feeds the lambs in His fold,
And He will heal those who trust Him,
And make their hearts as gold.

(Consider the Lilies, by Roger Hoffman, arranged by A. Laurence Lyon)

You can listen to the whole song here, or read about Roger Hoffman's experience writing the song here.

When I see or hear about innocent children suffering abuse of any kind, my heart just hurts. What a comfort to know that Christ has taken on all their pain and He will heal them. Thanks to our loving Father in Heaven who cares for and provides for His children through the sacrifice of His Beloved Son.

New Soul

I woke right up when the first alarm went off, way too early this morning--a rare thing for me. But with no immediate reason to get out of my warm covers, I lay there listening to the radio and heard this pretty, catchy, fun song. Some of the lyrics stuck with me, so I went looking for it on the Internet. I found it--"New Soul," by Yael Naim, a French-Israeli singer/songwriter. I really like it, and I like her voice. Although their sounds are quite different, she reminds me a little of Enya, without the Celtic influence. I'm gonna have to check out the rest of her album, especially the songs sung in Hebrew. And if I ever do a playlist, I'll definitely include this song. Give it a listen! Here's another YouTube link that includes the lyrics.

What's More American?

So Harmony, do you have the words to the song you sang all through 1st grade about "I'm as American as corn flakes, apple pie, and . . ."? Shucks, you probably remember the words. I thought it was a very cute song and since it was the Bi-Centennial year, you also rode on stick horses and sang "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Mom

That was the comment from my mom on my last post, to which I must respond. What a blast from the past. As I recall, I also wore a blue plastic tri-corner hat in that Bicentennial program. No, I don't remember all the words, but I did find part of the tune still in my head, and I did remember enough of the words to find the lyrics and the name of the songwriter. Is there anything that can't be found on the Internet?! Anyone else remember this song? Do you have a favorite song from elementary school that still brings back warm, fuzzy little kid memories? Aaah, first grade...that was a good time of life!

What's More American

Words and Music- Kadish Millet

What's more American than corn flakes?
The Fourth of July and Uncle Sam.
What's more American than baseball?
I am, I am, I am!

What's more American than tooth paste?
Rock and Roll, peanut butter, toast and jam.
What's more American than O.K.?
I am, I am, I am!

The Stars and Stripes, George Washington,
The Capitol Dome and Bubble Gum.
There's General Grant, and Robert E. Lee,
But most of all you can count on little old...
Me, Me, Me.

What's more American than ice cream?
Chow mein, pizza pie, Virginia Ham.
What's more American than bingo?
I am, I am, I am!

Ours is a heritage second to none.
We are a nation united as one.
Our Founding Fathers gave us that start,
And their love for our country lives on in ev'ry heart!

What's more American than Football?
T.V. and mighty Superman?
What's more American than saying
I am, I am, I am!

from www.classroomclassics.com

For Gintal

Last spring when my son Ryan graduated from kindergarten, he and his classmates sang a cute song called "Move Me Up to the First Grade" at their graduation ceremony. I posted about it here. Last week I got a comment on my blog from "Gintal," a person I don't know, asking for the lyrics to that song. Gintal had searched for those lyrics with no luck, except--I assume--for the reference to that song in my blog. (I got the same results when I did a Google search. Now how many times have you done a Google search and only got ONE result?!) Well, Gintal, you're in luck. I didn't have the lyrics, I didn't think my son could remember all of them, and my kids no longer go to that elementary school. In fact, we've moved out of that state. I didn't have an e-mail address for his kindergarten teacher, but I decided to see if I could find the lyrics anyway--for Gintal, and just to see if I could accomplish this task. (I love accomplishing tasks almost as much as I love helping people out. :-) I e-mailed the elementary school this weekend through their website, asking for the e-mail address of my son's kindergarten teacher or anyone else who could give me the lyrics to that song. I admit I wondered if anyone would respond, but lo and behold, first thing this morning I received an e-mail from my son's teacher with the lyrics attached. Now I know this is not a totally amazing miracle, but it came together more easily than I expected. And so I present--thanks to me and Gintal--the lyrics to "Move Me Up to the First Grade," now available in cyberspace for the first time that we are aware of! (Dan Miller, google-foo this one and prove me wrong if you can!)

MOVE ME UP TO THE FIRST GRADE

(TUNE: TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME)

Move me up to the First Grade,

I have worked very hard.

I know my letters and numbers too,

I follow directions and tie my shoes.

So please move me up to the First Grade.

I want to learn even more!

So it’s time I’m moving along

Let First Grade begin!

I won the lottery!

I was one of the lucky ones who had my name drawn at random to receive tickets to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert with the King's Singers. There were more than 1 million requests for tickets at www.lds.org, and only about 85,000 tickets available, so that makes my odds, what, about 1 in 11? And if you consider that everyone who requested tickets could get up to 8, that makes the odds more like 1 in 94. I'm not the type of person who wins things all the time, but if I could pick something to win, this would be it. We attended Friday night and it was fantastic! We got the boys' favorite babysitter for the evening, then drove to Salt Lake where we met Jeff's parents, aunt and uncle, and a couple of good friends on Temple Square. We made it to our seats in time--if you don't, you could lose them to standbys--and sat down to enjoy an hour-and-a-half of beautifully performed Christmas music.

If you like choral music, which I do, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir can't be beat. Their music never fails to uplift me. Everything they do is excellent. But then to add the the King's Singers, one of the most talented vocal groups I've ever heard, and excellent vocal musicians in their own right--well, it was incredible. My vocabulary and my reviewing skills just don't do it justice. Although it is really difficult to choose, I think my favorite numbers were the King's Singers a capella versions of "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow." "The Twelve Days of Christmas," my least favorite Christmas song, was even enjoyable, with some fun choreography by the University of Utah Dance Department. The concert was filmed for future broadcast on PBS television, so be sure to look for it next December. I'll be purchasing the DVD too when it comes out, something I don't normally feel the need to do. It was just that good. I've been feeling a little swamped by the various pressures of the holidays, and I've struggled to feel the spirit of the season. This concert broke through some of the cloud for me. And I don't think I'll be able to stand to listen to FM100 Christmas music for the rest of the year. Sappy, secular Christmas music--ugh.

Five small steps

Dallin took his first steps yesterday, two weeks short of his 1st birthday. He had a lot of encouragement from his dad and brothers and Grandma Marilyn and Papa Scott. He's not very steady on his feet though, so I think it will be several more weeks before he's taking off of his own volition. I think that makes him my earliest walker except Adam, who was walking at nine months (before he even cut any teeth!). It's both sad and fun to see my baby growing up. I know they have to grow, but I miss the little baby stage when it's gone.

Grandma and Grandpa came down to see Adam and Ryan in the annual Primary program in sacrament meeting yesterday, then stayed for Sunday dinner. Ryan did very well with his speaking part, and Adam impressed everyone with his solo of "Listen, Listen." He has a good ear and a good voice, but I really don't know where he gets the guts to sing a solo in front of the whole ward! We were proud of both of them.

Brush with Fame

Here's a photo of one of my favorite fellow bloggers performing at the Logan Summerfest this weekend. I did know that this friend is a very talented person with a beautiful voice from a very talented family. I also knew that she was performing in this festival. What I didn't know is that my in-laws were going to the festival to hear her sing. And what she didn't know is that they would send me a picture of her to post on my blog. :-) They said she did a great job and they really enjoyed it. They also sent me a couple of samples of tracks from one of her CDs, which are wonderful. Charlotte is the best!

Dallas Weekend Adventure

Okay, here's a long story about our short weekend last week.

During the summers of 2003 and 2004, Adam took swimming lessons at the Oakley Pool in Cincinnati with two friends, Peter and Ross Lohrisch, who lived in our neighborhood. At the pool we met and became good friends with two other families, the Sellas and the Russells. When we moved away from Cincinnati, one of the things we really missed (in addition to Graeter's ice cream) was hanging out at the Oakley Pool with these friends. Last summer, the Lohrisch's also moved to Texas and bought a home in Plano. Maryann called me a couple months ago to let me know that John Russell was coming to Dallas in April to guest conduct the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. John, better known to us as "Jack and Alma's dad," was the associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra while we lived in Cincinnati. So we made plans to travel to Dallas last weekend to visit my brother, Adam, and his family, to play with the Lohrisch's, and to see John conduct the Dallas Symphony Orchestra concert with the Von Trapp Children, great-grandkids of the real Maria and Captain Von Trapp of "Sound of Music" fame.

Last Friday we planned to leave for Dallas as soon as Jeff and the boys got home from school so we could get to the cousins' house around bedtime. I ran around all day like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to get all my errands done and get packed and ready to go. I almost made it, but best-laid plans failed again. We got a late start and didn't get to Dallas until about 10 p.m.

Saturday we drove up to Plano and spent several pleasant hours visiting, eating lunch, and swimming with John and the Lohrisch's. Three-year-old Jared provided the first excitement of the day by falling into the pool. Jeff had brought his swimming trunks but hadn't yet changed into them, so when he went in after Jared he soaked his wallet and clothes. Jared was fine, but scared. I'm afraid it's going to be a challenge to get him anywhere near a swimming pool anytime soon.

The second incident of the day occurred as we left Lohrisch's to go back to Dallas. The back tire on the driver's side of our van was completely flat. It took five men and at least a half an hour to figure out how to release the donut from underneath the van and get it mounted. Not wanting to drive too far on the donut, or to have to deal with fixing the tire on Sunday before we drove home, we pulled into a tire store five minutes before they closed Saturday evening. Fifteen minutes and eight dollars later we were on our way again. We made it back to Adam's and Paula's house with about an hour-and-a-half to eat and change before leaving for the concert.

The plan was to take Adam and Ryan with us and leave the little boys with a babysitter that Paula had arranged. I thought I had prepped Adam and Ryan well for the concert by buying the DVD of the Sound of Music, which they enjoyed in the van on the way to Dallas on Friday. However, they were tired from the late night Friday night, playing hard in the pool, and getting pretty bad sunburns--I forgot to apply sunscreen. The third incident of the day was one of those ugly parent-child power struggles when they both threw a fit about wanting to stay home and play video games with the cousins instead of going to the concert. I had actually considered letting them stay home with the babysitter until they started throwing tantrums--especially over video games! Then we were in a situation where we couldn't give in. So we got them dressed and into the van against their will, and we were off into what is known as the Mixmaster--downtown Dallas freeways. We only got turned around once off the last exit and made it to the Meyerson Symphony Center on time. The Meyerson was beautiful--can you see the Starship Enterprise in the lights on the ceiling?! The Von Trapp Children had amazing voices for teenagers, and John was fantastic--fun and energetic as usual. Adam and Ryan settled down and enjoyed the concert, as I thought they would. It was great experience and we really appreciated the tickets John comped us.

After another late night, we enjoyed a relaxing Sunday morning with Adam and his family. It's been so nice to live relatively close to them and get to spend time with each other fairly often. Our boys love playing with their cousins. Family is the best! We went to sacrament meeting with them in the afternoon, then headed home, again hoping to make it by bedtime. Our final excitement of the weekend happened when we stopped for gas in Sweetwater, TX, about 75 miles from home. We noticed that the tire we had gone to so much trouble to repair on Saturday was flat again. Grrrr. And it was pouring down rain. Jeff had no desire to put the donut on in his Sunday clothes in the rain. And he didn't feel good about driving home on the donut in the rain and in the dark either. Fortunately we were in a town big enough to have a truck stop with a service area that was open on Sunday evening. Unfortunately they didn't have the right size tire for our van. Fortunately they were able to refer us to an auto parts store that, amazingly, was open until 8 p.m. on Sunday evening and did have the right size tire. I still can't believe that. Unfortunately, the auto parts store wouldn't mount the tire for us. Fortunately, the truck stop service area did mount the tire for us. We saw some awesome lightning on the last leg of the trip, making it home 7 1/2 hours after we left Dallas, again about 10 p.m. (It's normally a 4 1/2 to 5 hour drive.) I let the boys sleep in Monday morning and took them to school late. When the secretary asked why they were tardy, all I could say was "hard weekend." Hard, but fun. And we got six new counties. :-)