The One Where We Got a Little Work Done

Keeping my head above water has been a little difficult lately. And not just because it is pouring rain out there again. But busy is good, especially when I am working for awesome things, like weddings and music and such.

I have a few more hours of work ahead of me tonight… but I wanted to take a few minutes out to update over here, and I wanted to post this song that I recorded with Garry over the weekend. It is called “My Soul Hungered,” written by Steven K. Jones and Kurt Bestor. It is a beautiful song and it was so fun to record.

I really can’t thank Garry enough for doing this project with me, and hopefully many more to come. He is so talented at writing and he has a great ear for editing as well. I have never been able to write a song with anyone before, let alone ten of them. That is a miracle to me, and it is a miracle to me that he is taking so much of the workload of this giant project. Probably most importantly, he makes everything fun. I can’t even tell you how awesome he is.

In the next couple of weeks there will be a new song up on YouTube that we worked on this week. I can’t wait! In the meantime, here is “My Soul Hungered.” Once again I am having issues with uploading songs, so I had to use a new playlist generator. The playlist was ugly and clunky, and naturally I want it to be beautiful and elegant and it bugs me when it is not.... so I came up with this alternative. Hopefully it works well. In order to do it I had to do a crash course in iMovie, and I am definitely no expert. For some reason it is quieter than it should be. So turn up the volume and enjoy. Or, you can check it out over at our Archangel Records Facebook page. The Facebook video player is much better than the Blogger video player. Oh, and if you haven’t “liked us” yet over on Facebook, please do!

The One Right After Christmas

I thought about taking down Christmas decorations, but the mere thought made me tired. So I changed the background on the blog instead. Mission accomplished! We have to take these small victories where we find them, right?

Things have been crazy around here. But here is the catch-up in a nutshell.

1. Reese. This is an alias... to go with Skippy and Jif. I like it. I am a Reese's fan from way back. Yes, I have a granddaughter. That is pretty crazy. She was born on December 5th, and she is entirely beautiful. She was 8 lbs. 12 oz. and has just the littlest bit of blonde hair and fair skin. We are all pretty much smitten by her.

2. Casey is engaged to Hannah. Score! They are to be married March 12th in the Salt Lake Temple. We are having an open house here on March 19th, and no, I have no plans. Hmm. Should get on that. Hannah is amazing, and we are pretty excited to get another girl in the family.

3. If you didn't read my last post, I am up to my eyeballs in writing Christmas songs. I know... Christmas just happened. But for Christmas 2011 there is to be a new CD and CONCERTS! As of today, the Bell Tower in Rancho Santa Margarita has been booked for December 16th and 17th, 2011 for the concerts. I am super excited about that. I have started a new blog about it with my friend Garry, and I would so so so so so appreciate it if you would go over there and check it out, and click to Follow the blog, and please pretty please leave comments. Some bloggy love would be so nice. We are posting over there every single week ALL YEAR! It is scary and fun and exciting all at once.

A few more days without school, and I am trying my best to finish writing some music, so send me some bloggy love and maybe a casserole. xoxo

The One Where You Can Get a Head Start

On what, you ask? Well, on your Christmas shopping. Because I am opening my Christmas blog for the holidays, and as of today, my Christmas CD, “It’s All About the Baby,” is available for purchase. You should really go check out the Christmas blog... either click on the link at the left of my blog, or click HERE, because I put up my favorite song from the CD for you to listen and enjoy. But you will definitely want to buy CDs right away. There are a limited number available, and I expect that they will sell out very quickly. They are a great stocking stuffer, teacher gift… really, anybody gift. So go! Buy!

And while we are on the subject of music, I am going to tell you that I have a new project in the works. It was actually Garry’s idea and we are sharing the work, so it is not my project… it is our project. It is going to involve some great musicians, and it is going to make 2011 very busy, and completely amazing. In the next month or two I will be starting a new blog so you can watch the progress. But for now, I will just say that it is going to be AWESOME!

The Epic One

Well, here we are and nearly two months have gone by with no post. Lame, I know. At least three of you actually check my blog. And nothing. So I am going to do a very unusual post here. You know those interactive stories, where you get to choose the ending? And then you can read it again, and choose a different ending if you like? This is totally like that. There is something for everyone here.

1. A recipe. I think that is kind of a cop-out. It is what I do when I don’t have anything else of interest to post. But some of you actually care about that. It reminds me of Little Women (in my top five favorite books of all time, btw) when the four sisters are writing their newspaper (okay, so they didn’t have Netflix), and Beth’s column is a recipe, and all of the sisters think she is kind of lame, but they just do that, “Oh, Beth, that’s so cute… you think this is interesting but it is actually just a recipe…” thing. But that said, if you are here for recipes, click HERE:


2. One for DK. (In case you come late to my game, DK is code for Dearest Kevin. You know… my husband who bought me four new tires for my Suburban today, even though (maybe actually because) he knows I drive a little like a Nascar driver. Expect something political. It is October, after all. It might be a little California-specific. After all, you may or may not remember that I have vowed to not think of the president of the United States… old what’s-his-name. He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-Or-Even-Thought-Of. Codename B.O. (plug your nose when you say that one). I know you think I am kidding about this, but I am totally serious. Anytime my brain strays to good old Osama or whatever his name is… I just think of something else. Hum a hymn. Take a cold shower. Imagine eating my weight in M&Ms. Or just eat the M&Ms… and poof! He is gone. Out of my thoughts. Anyway, enough about whatever that was we were talking about… I forget… Oh, and the post is probably not as long as my explanation of it. It is just a little Skippy story. So don’t be afraid. For your political education, click HERE.

3. One for my friend who has NOT returned my calls. Yes, you know who you are. The one I have called and asked to go to breakfast with me. The one who gave me an immersion blender for Christmas… about the coolest thing ever. Hey you! I am worried about you. Where are you? I actually just want to go to Cinnamon Productions with you and eat carbs and talk. Nothing serious. But I haven’t forgotten that I am working on a little project for you… and so this post is yours. (Hint: contains music… a little taste of your present). Music, click HERE.

4. One for Hannah and Kim. Special request here. Two of my boys are dating some pretty spectacular women. The request was for snarky and sarcastic. Naturally that is a stretch for me. But I will do my humble best. Okay, so Kim and Hannah haven’t agreed to marry my sons, but they are awesome and I think they should. And this post should seal the deal. For Kim and Hannah’s post, click HERE.

5. One for Jif, wherein he tries root beer for the first time. It was about as fun as his first time on the ferris wheel. For Jif’s post, click HERE.

6. One for my friend Garry who puts a little fun into pretty much every day, and pushes me out of my comfort zone to attempt something out of the ordinary, and just a little bit amazing... such as a new project for 2011 that is probably the coolest thing ever. And that is just a small part of the fun. So this post is for my best and most unusual friend. For a little sport, click HERE.



7. A techie review? Yes, techie. This one is for my mom, who is pretty cool. She says she is older than dirt. That is pretty old. Can she learn new tricks? We shall see. Techie, click HERE.

8. A picture with no words. Okay, okay… I’ll just tell you right now… the picture is of me, and I got to do something I have wanted to do for ages. Photo, click HERE.

9. There is no number nine. Seriously, I am exhausted. Eight is enough. And I don’t think I should have to post again for at least a month and a half.

But if anyone feels left out, I guess you should just tell me now. Because apparently I am taking special requests. Peace, Love, Out.

The One For Dinner

This on was for my awesome friend Garry (who does not like onions in any form). I needed to use up some leftover grilled chicken, and I needed to stick with ingredients I had on hand. I came up with this dinner that you can put together in just about twenty minutes, even if you need to grill the chicken (I have included my grilled chicken recipe, just in case). And guess what… it is really yummy. I promise that if you click the photo to see it full-size, you will be making it for dinner tomorrow.

But wait… that’s not all. How about a dessert that only has six ingredients, looks fancy enough for company, and you make the crust entirely in your food processor? That would be this Plum Tart.

By the way, I got impatient and the plums I used weren’t very ripe, and it still turned out juicy and delicious. Don’t say I never gave you anything...

Garry’s Penne Alfredo
Balsamic Grilled Chicken
Plum Tart