Hodgepodging on Wednesday

Today is Wednesday and over at From From This Side of the Pond that means it is Hodgepodge day.  I loved the prompts this week so I joined in.  I am a sucker for Christmas based writing prompts.  Always have been.  I don't guess that will change with age.....at least I certainly hope not!

1. Have you ever been on a real sleigh ride? How about the warm weather version - a carriage ride?

I have never been on a real sleigh ride but I would love to go on one. I have been on a carriage ride in Central Park, Savannah, and Charleston and loved it every time.  I also have ridden in a gondola in Venice....did not enjoy that so much.
2. What's your policy on 'chain mail'...you know, the emails you receive that are often some sort of poem/blessing/good wish that ask you to send it on to 10 or 12 friends? Do you delete without opening, read and trash, read and trash and then worry you won't be blessed/lucky/protected? Do you delete the sender from your contacts or just go ahead and send the love onward?  They annoy me usually and I delete them.  Especially from the friends that send me nothing but those.  I DO skim the titles and if it looks like something Frank can use in a sermon or his Frankly Speaking part of the church bulletin I will read them....clear all the sends and send it on to Frank.
3. Who is your favorite character in any of the Christmas movies and why? Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life.  I love him because he does not realize just how important he is in the life of others.  I have been there myself and done that....and thanks to him...realized that I am important.
4. Share a favorite quote.
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”
5. What's your favorite holiday scent?
The smell of Christmas/Thanksgiving spices, vanilla, anything spicey cooking...peppermint candles
6. Does the Christmas season stress you out? In what way?
I have to admit they do a little bit. There are just too many things to do and not enough time to do them. I thought this was going to be an easy week....wrong.  Monday night Bible study, Tuesday the Annie Moses concert, Wednesday night church, Thursday night we bowl, Friday night choir called practice, Saturday...home in the morning and evening....singing at 2 about an hour away, Sunday....morning Christmas program, 3-5 my open house, and night the kids Christmas program....talk about a jam packed day...that gets it.  In between all this...I have to clean and cook for Sunday.  Whew!
7. What's the best thing about your life right now?  My precious Frank, my darling Kat and her sweet Brian, and lovely Amy and her precious Stephen...and the rest of my extended family.
8. Insert your own random thought here. Have you ever had a roasted chestnut?  I have not and would love to put some on a fire and watch them go....pop, pop, pop.  Do they really do this?  Why would you put them in your fireplace if they are going to explode?  Just asking.  Here is another of my favorite Christmas carols.  The Annie Moses Band sang it at the concert last night and it was awesome.  It literally took my breath away.  I could not find it on you tube....so I am sharing my second favorite version....Celtic Women!  Happy Wednesday to all!  XOXO K

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. They have a section called Hey, It’s Okay and will list a bunch of things to be okay about. You're welcome to join in and do something like this on your diary. Doesn't have to be on a Tuesday either.

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To not be a very good present wrapper. I try, I really do, but when I’m done it looks as though a child has wrapped the present.


To be aching to try the new hot chocolate blast from Sonic. I tried to order it, but the machine was broken.


To hate when Santa has an obvious fake beard.


To love the crust from Sbarro’s pizzas.


To not get the point of fruit cake. Yuck.


To think it’s ridiculous that all these reality stars get book deals and here I (and I’m sure many others) am busting my butt of trying to get a book published while all they have to do is curse, flash their crotch and start fights while screaming the f-word a lot.


To never be able to keep a gingerbread house standing upright. I’ve tried to make one every year and it always falls apart on me. I’m going to try to keep it together when I make one this weekend.


To love devilled eggs. I could eat the whole plate.


To think it’s cool that my Grandma has Skype.


To not be sure about the Kindle. A lot of people suggested it to me on this post…and I like the idea, because it means I wouldn’t have tons of books. But I sort of like flipping through an actual book. I like smelling the newness of books (is that weird?) Maybe when I’m older I’ll look into the Kindle....


To wonder if a contestant is going to have a heart attack on stage one day on The Price Is Right. Because holy crap, some people freak out when they are picked. I’d be happy too, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t flap my arms like I was about to take off for flight for over five minutes.

Annie Moses Here I Come!

Several months ago Mr. M.L., one of our church members at Rock Mills, introduced me to a new group called The Annie Moses Band.  Believe me when I say that this group is an ensemble unlike any in America today. There is a clean sounding  blend of fiddle, jazz, and classical influences that are fused with soaring, folk-inspired vocals and creates a sound that is both refreshing and familiar. The Annie Moses Band is a family bringing classicism to the common man. Well....you can imagine how excited I was when he told me they were going to be coming to Newnan in December....did I want to go.....Whooo hoooo.....you bet I said yes.....and so here it is the day of the concert and I am so excited I can hardly type straight.  As soon as school is out I am jumping in my car and heading to Rock Mills to get Frank and then we are headed to Newnan.  Never heard of The Annie Moses Band?....well let me tell you a little bit about them. "The band has 500+ hours of airings on PBS stations across the country (the highest debut for any artist on public television to date), a top-ten Classical Crossover album (Billboard Magazine), a bustling tour schedule of over 80 concerts a year before 100,000+ people, and a plethora of appearances in print and on television, this family is pulling new fans from across musical genres to their eclectic style of music making."  "They are named in honor of the children’s great-grandmother, the group is poised to broaden its impact with their new project and public television special, Pilgrims & Prodigals. Scheduled for release in 2011, Pilgrims & Prodigals is a two-disc cd/dvd package giving audiences the visual thrill of the group’s live performance, as well as the accessibility of a studio album. Their music is a tapestry of Americana favorites and original tunes. Jazz re-imaginings (“Poor Wayfaring Pilgrim”), Copland-esque renditions of Celtic classics (“Blarney Pilgrim”), Appalachian echoes (“Girl of Constant Sorrow” and “Trail Mix”), and progressive strings and vocals (“The Road Well Traveled”) make Pilgrims & Prodigals the Band’s definitive project thus far. Beyond this success, the Annie Moses Band enjoys the fact that their music is an inspiration to a new generation of young artisans. “Everywhere we perform there are returning children, who say to us, “I started playing a couple of years ago after we saw your concert.’ This scenario is exactly what we hope will happen,” Annie explains. How cool is that!  The band consists of: Bill Wolaver (composer/arranger/pianist) and his wife, Robin (vocalist/lyricist/composer/ speaker) along with their children: Annie (lead vocals, violin), Alex (lead vocals, viola), Benjamin (cello), Camille (harp, keyboard, vocals), Gretchen (violin, mandolin, guitar, vocals) and Jeremiah (guitar). The parents are award-winning songwriters. The children’s background is classical music — the older siblings trained at the Juilliard School, and the youngest are well on their way to similar distinction. All have studied with renowned instructors, earning awards and achievements that testify to the depth of their artistry.  Talk about impressive....I am thoroughly impressed with this outstanding family of musicians.  Mom and Dad,  Bill and Robin, met as music students at Oklahoma City University. He was a classical pianist and jazz lover, while she was a vocal performance major raised on mountain music played back home in the Kiamichi Mountains of Oklahoma. Their tastes merged in writing popular music, and after their marriage they began their journey in the music industry.  On the heels of their first hit song, the Wolavers moved to Nashville where they began to raise their family. Robin, especially, was convinced that learning to play music was fundamental to the learning experience. “If I ruled the world,” she insists, “all children would start their education with music, because music enhances and prepares the brain for every other musical endeavor.” So when each child was three or four years old, the lessons began.  “The goal is to span not only generations but also genres. If you love rock, that doesn’t mean you can’t love jazz or fiddle. The common denominator is, simply, good music well played.” The journey of the Annie Moses Band is, admittedly, a long one. From concert tours to a discography of more than 10 projects and educational endeavors like the Fine Arts Summer Academy, the Annie Moses Band is a group with a mission to help others capture the creative call God has placed on every person. They play to inspire all generations to join in the discipline, beauty, and excitement of highly-skilled musicianship. They are worth hearing. And once heard, they will not be forgotten."  I know I will be in heaven for a brief period tonight....and I wanted to take you along with me....so I have put in a copy of one of my favorite Annie Moses songs.  I hope you enjoy it.  BTW I cannot wait to hear their Christmas music....I imagine it will be heavenly as well.

The Believers

Yes.

Tommy still believes in Santa.

He’s eight and I imagine the day will come when he announces that he knows that Santa doesn’t exist.

But for now, he believes. And yes, some of his friends have told him that Santa isn’t real and he comes to me saying, “If they keep saying that, they won’t get any presents.”

I decided to take the kids to Wal-Mart so they could see Santa. He’s there all throughout December on the weekend. Normally I take them to the mall, but it’s usually crowded and they don’t like you taking your own photo since they want you to fork out twenty bucks for a grainy shot that they take.

Last year we did the mall thing. As we waited in line, Natalie had skipped around me, promising that she’d sit on Santa’s lap. But when it was our turn and Santa beckoned us over, Natalie freaked out. She grasped onto my leg and started to cry.

“No Santa,” she sobbed. “NO SANTA!”

Tommy went over to Santa and went, “Sorry, my sister is loud.”

I picked Natalie up and she wailed into my shoulder. When Santa was done talking to Tommy, he asked Natalie if she wanted to see him.

“NO SANTA!”

“Are you sure you don’t want…” Santa trailed off.

“Um, no, I think she’s good,” I said. It was a nice offer but I didn’t think Natalie would even let me go. Her fingernails were digging into my skin and my ears were ringing from her shouting.

This year, however, she said she wasn’t going to be shy.

So into Wal-Mart we went. I wasn’t sure where Santa was set up so I asked a worker where Santa was.

“Who?” she said, blinking.

“Santa. You know, red suit, white beard,” I answered politely.

She scratched the side of her head. “Uh. Back by the shoes I think. Somewhere back there.” She gestured towards the back of the store and then went back to organizing the shopping carts.

Okay then.

Santa is easy to spot, so we just headed into the back.

“Do we get to see him?” Tommy asked.

“I’m not going to be shy,” Natalie said.

I thought there would be a crowd around Santa. But no, there was just a photographer, picking at her nails, and Santa sat in a large red chair.

Tommy went first. He settled down on the chair and smiled up at Santa.



Santa, it seems, wasn’t much of a talker. But that was okay. The picture was FREE.

I wasn’t sure if Natalie would freak out again. But she cautiously approached Santa and settled on the seat.

“He smells like mint, Mommy,” she called out. “Like a candy cane. And he has a beard and white hair like my Papa!”

I snapped a photo.



Natalie didn’t seem like she wanted to leave Santa.

“He smells like mint,” she kept saying.

“Tell Santa thank you and Merry Christmas,” I prompted.

“Like mint!” Natalie prattled on. I think she almost wanted to ask Santa if she could have him for Christmas. He could be a big toy that smelled like mint who sat in the corner of the room with her giant Rapunzel doll.

I eventually pulled her away from Santa and asked if she wanted to see a magical place. The Wal-Mart bakery. I love drooling all over the cakes.

“I have to pee,” Natalie said, not appreciating the rows of chocolate cakes in front of us.

Of course.

“This peeing thing is annoying,” Tommy grumbled.

“Try doing it everyday, wherever you go,” I said.

I took Natalie to the bathroom and we left soon after that.

Natalie spoke all day about how she met Santa and how he smelled like mint.

I hope all the future Santas we encounter smell like mint. Otherwise she’s going to be all, “You’re an imposter! You don’t smell like a candy cane. Who ARE you?”

And that’s not going to be a fun.

Weekend of Surprises

Yesterday was just a regular Sunday.  We were going to light the Advent Candles and have Communion since it was the first Sunday of the month.  When we got to church our pianist, Beth, was practicing her prelude...and it is one of my favorite Christmas songs...so I stood beside her....and sang quietly.....and Beth stopped and looked at me and said, "Why don't you sing with me for the prelude."  "Cool" was my response and so we began to practice in earnest.  After going over the song a couple of times Frank joined in.  Now this is the biggie....Frank sings with me in the car....but I have never heard him sing in public. His rich bass voice was so soothing as we sang together.  Beth was shocked.  The church has NEVER heard him sing....at all.  Beth said, "why don't you both do it."....so there it was....Frank and I were going to sing "Mary Did You Know" together as the prelude.....and it was our very first time to sing in public together....how exciting it was to stand before the church body and sing with my husband.  What a day!  I love days like this.  After church we joined with the Baptists (we hosted) and had our Christmas dinner.  There was so much food and so many people. Our fellowship hall just resounded with laughter and excitement.  At 2:30 we did a repeat performance of our song at the Williamsburg Manor service we do every first Sunday.  One of our members, Miss Omie, is a resident there and I love doing this service.  The residents are so excited to see us and they sing with us....and are just so loving.  We had a sad evening though.  We went to the viewing for Wayne Buchanan in the Valley.  He is Randy's nephew.  I have loved this family for years....even before Randy and Amanda married.  Please pray for Debbie and Phil....this Christmas is going to be tough for them....but it will be laced with excitement...because on December 16th, their daughter, Della is getting a baby.  His name will be Jax Buchanan Cheeny.  So this is all proof....that life truly does go and life goes on.  Have a Wonderful Monday.  XOXO K

I Love Surprises!

Last night was such a wonderful night.  Frank and I were home....he was watching football....I was modge podging baskets...when the doorbell rang.  I was covered in glue so he answered it.  He called for me to come and in walked Marcy McCarley...one of our church members and one of my favorite porch people in Rock Mills.  She made me stand against the stove and close my eyes and promise I would not peek....I did as I was told....big problem...I had to go to the bathroom so bad I thought I would explode.   I rocked, hummed, rocked some more...anything to get my mind off the bathroom....then they called me into my living room....and there it was.  Marcy, and her sister, Sherry Towler had brought me....well us a gift....a Santa Rug for my den.  I LOVED IT!  Both of them work for Milliken.  Now you have to admit...the picture on this rug is awesome and vivid.  I was so excited and hugged them both multiple times....thanking them every time for the rug.  After they left...I got down on the floor on it....and rolled around....yep...I am a big kid at heart.  Today, at our church's Christmas dinner they told me they thought I was like a kid getting a new toy at Christmas....well...I have to admit....I love surprises....and I adore this rug.  I was going to wait to show it to you til I had everything ready for the Open House next weekend....but I couldn't wait.  Is it not the cutest thing you have ever seen?  Frank and I have no children at home....but this makes my den so warm and inviting.  I know they don't read my blog....heck...they don't even know I have one...but I do thank them with all my heart....for making me feel like I belong to Rock Mills...and helping me decorate my home for the Open House.  I love my life!

The Sisterhood

My musical buddy, Marsha sent me this email.  She has a knack for knowing exactly when to send me one of those forwards.  I don't hear from her often....but when I do it is usually profound and this one I just had to share.  She says it is important to always be yourself because the people that matter don't mind, and the ones who mind, don't matter."

The email was called the Sisterhood of the Traveling Butterfly, but the butterflies did not come through on copy....so I am just renaming it Sisterhood.  I have discovered in my lifetime that Time Passes..... Life happens..... Distance separates..... Children grow up(even when we don't want them to)..... Jobs come and go. Love waxes and wanes. Men don't always do what they're supposed to do... Hearts break. Parents die. Colleagues forget favors. Careers end..... BUT.....Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach... When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end... Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you....or come in and carry you out. Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters.... Daughter-in-laws, sisters, sister-in-laws, mothers, grandmothers, aunts, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life! The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need each other. Every day, we need each other still. I have discovered this to be so true.  This is my second year without my dad and with my mom in a nursing home.  If I did not have family, friends, and sisters....I would not be surviving right now.  I have poured myself into Christmas....I am even having an open house....wish you could all be here....but there is still a tugging at my heart that hurts.  I know I am not alone.  My cousin Amanda is NOT having an open house after 25 years of having one because she is in Emory Hospital with her sweet husband, Randy...he just had a stem-cell transplant.  Her sister-in-law, Debbie, and her husband, Phil just lost their 37 year old son.  He just died!  Christmas is a time when people get depressed and do crazy things....so I am asking you all....all of you sisters out there....to be a little kinder to a fellow sister during the month of December....you might find it is fun....and do it all year long.  I hope you do.  Say a prayer for your bloggy buddies and followers....who knows what they are going through.  Sisters of the Blogging World....Unite!  Have a wonderful weekend.  XXOO Love ya, K