The One That Reminds You to Keep Going

I ran across this little video this morning. It is just typography clips that go with a small excerpt of a speech by Ira Glass, who is an amazing NPR personality. I guess it really spoke to me because I have been trying to figure out where to go with my music right now, and last week I kind of decided to go nowhere. I have been in a holding pattern. What I have been making isn’t current enough for my music partner, lucrative enough for my time, or as good as I know I can do... and so I realized it was time to stop trying, because I am too frustrated with me vs. everything. This little message by Ira Glass makes me rethink that somewhat. It kind of came out of nowhere. Does this speak to anyone but me?

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

The Vintage One

This has been such a busy week. I am working days, nights... and anywhere else I can squeeze in an odd job! I’ve also decided to start working on some new songs. I have been waiting around, but time is a’ wasting. Meanwhile.... I have been ramping up my photog business and getting as many new jobs as I can. I had two back-to-back on Saturday for Mission Viejo High School’s Winter Formal, and by the time I got back for the second one, it was getting dark. But the subject, 14-year-old Allie, was way fun. She and some other freshmen were going without dates to the dance as friends, and Allie had her hair done in a vintage 40s style, and she did her makeup to match. I had a blast snapping a few quick shots before the sun fled the scene entirely...

The One With the Missionary and the Song

A friend of mine is serving a two-year full-time mission for our church. If you are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) then you may not know that missionaries don’t get to call home or have much contact with their families while they are gone. A weekly letter by e-mail is the usual permitted contact. I read the letters that my friend sends to his family each week, and he is such a humble young man that I often find his letters to be thought-provoking and moving.

This week’s letter was so profound that I kept it in my e-mail inbox, and I have found myself re-reading several times since I received it on Monday. Since I don’t technically have Elder M’s permission to forward it, I won’t use any names or identifying information, but I really want to share this with you tonight.

“We got to have a really cool experience this last week, we met a girl named K____.  Unfortunately we met K in the Hospital.  When i first walked in it frightened me. We didnt know what to expect because some one called us and just told us to visit the hospital.  Both of K’s eyes were black and all the white in her eyes were replaced with Blood red.  She seem week as she sat in her bed.  Her mother began to tell us what happened.  K was assaulted in her home, the suspect choked her till he thought she was dead.  She had two strokes and is left partially blind and has memory problems, she cant remember the last two months of her life and the doctors say it will not come back.  Now i know this is graphic and sad but i want to tell you about our experience.
This Girl, a sophmore in high school, is one of the sweetest people i have ever met.  She has such a positive attitude it was astounding.  I was shocked at how happy she was even in her situation.  My companion said, "If you ask just right, Elder M will sing a hymn for you"  she then said, "Will you sing for me?"  So i did.  I sang the song i am a child of God and she mouthed every word as i sang all the verses.  K was in her high school choir and loved to sing but because of what happened she cant just yet.  I felt as i sang that i was her mouth.  That she was singing the words through me.  It was an amazing experience,  words can do no justice.  K’s spirit was so overwhelming and i came away from our meeting as a changed person.  you and i are so  blessed.
     one of my blessings is you... whoever is reading this.  I  am blessed to have you in my life.  I am grateful for your prayers and support.  For you love and your letters.  You have blessed my life beyond measure.
  I love You!”

There is not much I can say to add to that. It just makes me so grateful for this missionary, and for all that I have. I am so grateful to be working on music right now and to be creating a really amazing Christmas CD that will honor my Savior Jesus Christ. I am so lucky to have a voice, and ears that hear and fingers that make music. I am so blessed to have a family who loves and supports me. I am so blessed to have my music partner with whom I could write so many great new songs and produce them into something that will be meaningful. I pray K____ will make a full recovery, and that she will find her own voice again soon.

The One With the Monday Lullaby

Well good afternoon. I am enjoying a lovely cloudy, slightly drizzly Monday after a tempest of a weekend. Hope everyone else is having a good one. Last week I created a Band Profile for my Archangel Records facebook page, and I have been adding songs every couple of days. So if you would like to go over and enjoy the playlist, here is a link: Archangel Records Fan Page. I think you have to “like” the Archangel Records page in order to listen to the music and watch the videos there. So please click on “like.”

The song I put up this morning is such a sweet little song. It is a lullaby sung by one of my favorite people, Miss Tandy Shields. Hope you love it. It is great Monday music. :)

The One With the Short Playlist

Today is a music day. Okay, so... every day is pretty much a music day around here. But today I just felt like I wanted to listen to some music. Are these my favorite songs? No, but they are five songs I have been listening to this morning:

1. Any Other World by MIKA. This song makes me want to play the cello. I will settle for writing something for cello, since I know a fabulous cellist who is always kind enough to come record. But... love the song. I also love the kind of choir-ish sound when in the middle. I also like listening to this with my good speakers and hearing the sound drift back and forth between the speakers... the Wall of Sound.

2. Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons. Yummy yummy yummy. Song for a rainy day. Mumford and Sons random fact: they are a bit literary and occasionally borrow a lyric from Shakespeare. So one day in an interview, Mumford was quoted thusly: “You can rip off Shakespeare all you like; no lawyer’s going to call you up on that one.” True, that.

3. Cold Hearted by Zac Brown Band. Because I love love love Zac Brown’s voice. He can sing to me any time. Every time. And today there actually it is a little chilly.

4. Rhythm of Love by Plain White Ts. Despite the fact that I have almost ruined this song by using it as a ringtone and an alarm wake-up song.

5. Little House by the The Fray. Not because of the lyrics. But the music is awesome. It starts out all nice, and then about 30 seconds in, it starts taking itself a little seriously. But in a good way.

Hmm. No female artists. Go figure.

The One With the Digital Download

Our new song, Carry Me, is now available for digital download for 99 cents! It should also be on iTunes shortly, but we don’t exactly know how shortly, because we have never submitted music there before. For now, you can go to CD Baby and purchase and download. Kinda cool... :) {Just click on the photo, or the link below it.}

Garry Pfile | Carry Me | CD Baby

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 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 Less Ordinary

I have been thinking a lot these last few days about music. For me, it is the cure for ordinary. It is something that transcends daily life and takes everything to a higher level.

I hope you will like this great arrangement of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" by Jason Barney. My friend Garry was in town and very graciously agreed to sing in church with only an evening's notice, and then we took an hour in the afternoon that Sunday and recorded the song. Being able to perform that Sunday was a tender mercy for me. I loved doing it, and since Garry lives many hours away, there are precious few opportunities to make live music. I’m so glad we recorded it, because now I have a soundtrack for my memory of that day. Tonight I finished producing it so that I could put it up here for you. I have listened to it more times than I can count, yet I still feel the Savior near when I hear it. I hope you feel the same.

The One With the Little Catch-Up

Time to play a little catch-up.

The choosy family (you know, Jif’s parents) are getting me a new grandbaby. And we’re keeping Jif as well. So yes, by Thanksgiving I will have two grandbabies. And the daddy in question pretty much dominated at UCLA Law School this year, and has accepted a cool paid internship to Occidental Petroleum in-house counsel for the summer.


Tyler got glasses. They make him look very smart. He is still pursuing nursing and I am pretty sure he will be home in time for our birthdays (his is the day before mine).

Casey just got to BYU Idaho and is pretty excited about it. His goal is a joint JD-Poly Sci program, with the intent to change immigration law someday. Did that make any sense?

DK and I just attended a vocal concert at the Marine base in San Diego where Ethan performed. Yes, vocal. And it was pretty cool. He sang a capella, for the Commanding General of the base. But wait... then the Commanding General sang. And I have to admit, Brigadier General whoever-he-is pretty much owned everyone, so I had to tell Ethan he was second-best. Here is a “video” of Ethan... except it is just black, recorded from about 20 feet away, on my iPhone. Oh, and you can hear planes take off during the performance. Makes it seem more authentic, I think.



As for the rest, Dillon is obsessed with Café Rio, Cambria turned into a teenager, and Skippy has no front teeth. DK is working like a dog (I know… how hard does a dog really work?)

My week is shaping up to be pretty ugly, but that is just because I have been using my online calendar. My weeks are always this bad, but I just don't notice it because I usually don't keep a calendar. It is probably a mistake. Next thing you know, I will be wearing a watch or something (just kidding... won’t happen). And in addition to the full calendar, I am keeping up on my music goals. Even if I have to stay up too late.

And that is us, in a nutshell.

P.S. Did you know that to add a video in Blogger, you have to revert to the old post editor? Weird!

The Colorful One

Meet June. Flaming June. I really love her bold color (and I love me a good Sunday nap). I’m not a big fan of neutral. Although, funny story: this particular Lord Frederic Leighton painting of “Flaming June” is one I have long admired. A few years ago, I bought a huge print of it, and had a canvas transfer made. I thought it would add a splash of gorgeous orange to warm up a room. However, when I went in to have it framed, something that jumped out at me that I had not noticed in the small version. What the...? Something that made it impossible for me to hang in a houseful of boys. So I reluctantly sold it back to the art store. Call me squeamish, but I even Photoshopped it just the tiniest bit to post here.

I also love this one... Millais’ Ophelia.

Of course, Ophelia drowned, darn it anyway. But she certainly was beautiful in blue. *sigh*

It seems like lately I have been living in beige. Or maybe even seeing things from under water, like Ophelia. I need some bold color. Any great ideas? I hate being stuck in neutral.

write a new song
cook something spicy
see a nail-biting movie
lose 20 pounds
beat someone at basketball

???

almost anything would do.

Oh and by the way, I put links back up on the upper left of the blog, to some of the songs in the blog, in case you want to listen to any. I wrote them, and it just makes me happy if someone wants to listen to them once in awhile. All the links had expired, and at least ten... okay, fine, only four people... complained that they wanted them back. Oh grief, so one of them was related to me.

And you know me... I’m a giver. Give the people what they want.

P.S. Do NOT Google Flaming June to see what I edited out. That would be WRONG.

Happy Easter... or The One With the Soldier Song

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this song. I had a great experience writing it about a year ago, but then when I tried to record it last summer I realized the song just wasn’t good enough, and I ended up tossing it in a drawer for several months. When Tandy had to sing for a baptism a couple of months ago, I suddenly thought of it and dug it out. What was I thinking about when I wrote this? So many things! Jeffrey R. Holland, Band of Brothers, the Atonement, missionaries and the Marine Crucible... it was a lot of inspiration. There is a lot of me in this song, for better or for worse.

I wrote “Right Here Where I Stand” for a man to sing, and although I think it is very touching the way Tandy sings it, she and I both agree that it should still be sung by a male vocalist, if I decide to use it. In the meantime, though, I wanted to post this special recording as an Easter gift, and expression of my love and appreciation for the Savior. Please leave a comment if you enjoy it.

Right Here Where I Stand

Once the Lord of all the earth
Descended lower than us all.
His power spent to purchase grace
No one left to heed his call.
At the last, he stood there, left alone
With only love that has no end.
But as long as I can draw a breath,
He’ll never stand alone again.

I will stand and wait for him.
I will never be ashamed.
I will stand and wait for him
And bear his holy name.
My heart is not troubled
And I am not afraid.
I know that he will find me
Right here where I stand.
Right here where I stand.

You know it is not easy
This war we fight each day.
We are strangers in this foreign land
Soldiers caught up in the fray.
And some days I grow so weary
Until I think I cannot fight
But then I see him suffering there for me
And struggle on with all my might.

In the fiery wind of battle
I can hear the desperate cries
Of wounded men who wander, blind
From smoke that clouds their eyes.
If they can only hold on
And hear the Savior’s call
I will find my brothers and carry them.
I may bleed, but I will never fall.

I will stand and wait for him.
I will never be ashamed.
I will stand and wait for him
And bear his holy name.
My heart is not troubled
And I am not afraid.
I know that he will find me,
He’ll come again in all his glory
And when he comes that day, he’ll find me
Right here where I stand.
Right here where I stand.
Right here where
I stand.

Credits:
* If you click on Jeffrey R. Holland’s name above, you can read the talk that was part of my inspiration for this song. I just love it.
* The painting I featured is “Awaiting the Command” by Jon McNaughton. Go to his website here and click on symbolism. It is incredible!
* Tandy is currently in the MTC in Provo, Utah, learning Japanese as she is serving a full-time mission for the Lord in Kobe, Japan. I love and miss her.

The One Where it Isn’t Me This Time

Yeah. Not. My. Hand. Not this time. I have messed up my hands more in the last year than I have in the twenty before that. But this time it’s not me. It has been a week since I posted, because my life is boring, and this week has really been about everybody else, anyway.

So the burnt hand… belongs to this one:

I know the photo’s a little blurry. It’s an iPhone photo of a picture on the wall as you walk inside the band hall at the MCRD in San Diego, where LCpl. McD is the most junior band member. Yesterday, he cleared a huge hurdle, passing off the 32 songs he is required to memorize in his first month in the band. Most often, they don’t pass the first time, and paperwork follows them around for the ensuing month. So Ethan was extremely happy and relieved to pass. This is him playing on Friday... they did some pretty cool stuff. (He is clearly visible in this shot. Click it big, and maybe you can pick him out. Think French horn.)

So yesterday he passed his big test. And then this morning while ironing his uniform the iron fell on his hand and he has second-degree burns. He is SIQ today. Sick In Quarters. Believe me, I can feel for him… but it could have been worse. A lot of the guys in the barracks drink until they get stupid and start burning themselves on purpose with cigarette lighters.

Dillon sounds like he has pneumonia. He went to seminary this morning, but now I have to take him to the doctor for asthma meds.

This is a picture of something Skippy made me this week.

Do you know what it is? It is a window. So that I can watch him. Haha! I love that. I will just be sitting here working on music, and he will come in and say, “Mom, do you want me to bring you your window?” Awesome.

Cam is getting ready for a trip to Catalina Island to do science camp, kayaking, etc. at Cherry Cove.

I have a recording job coming up this weekend that looks to be pretty challenging. I may be pulling a couple of all-nighters to finish it. This is the third project that I am “producing” in my home studio. Yes, people pay me money to do it! How cool is that? This one is in French, so I probably won’t know what is going on half the time, but I am good at faking it.

I know, boring post. But look what I have to work with.

The One With the WOW Moment

Do you ever have those nights when you can’t shut your thoughts off to sleep? Sometimes that happens to me with music. Last night I couldn’t shut the music off. I think it started with American Idol last night. I can’t bring myself to watch the early rounds of Idol. I am not a fan of public humiliation. Even these earlier rounds of elimination are a little painful. But last night in one of the promo films, Simon Cowell told one of the girls that she was a good singer, but in the whole song there was nothing that made him just say, “Wow!” I realized that is why I watch the show, too. I am wishing… hoping… for that wow moment. It didn’t happen last night on Idol. Then I went to bed, and my own music started playing on that relelentless stereo of my brain. I arranged and rearranged. I wrote new songs and then tossed them. I tried to turn the music off, or at least down low enough to sleep, but with not much success. I finally had to come down and have a go at the keyboard for a while.

In the course of making my Christmas CD, I had a few wow moments. Honestly, probably more than my fair share. The most vivid one in my memory happened the day before Halloween, less than two weeks before the CD had to be completed. We were performing a rescue mission on a song which I had mostly decided to give up. We worked most of the afternoon and finished the first two verses of the song. I was happy... it was really good. Maybe not wow, but really good. We took a break, and when we returned, the tracks were simply gone! I don’t know if I didn’t save them right, accidentally deleted them… I just don’t know. I felt so bad I wanted to cry, but the vocalist just rolled up sleeves and said, “Let’s just do it better this time, then.” And for the next four hours, that is what we did. It was so much better that when the music poured through my headphones, it was electrifying. I found myself lip-synching, as though I could pour my own energy into the voice, and strangely, I would hear the sound come out exactly how I wanted. It was such a high that even though we were completely starving, we let pizza grow cold for two hours rather than take a break, and even after the recording was finished, I couldn’t stop editing it until 2:00 in the morning because I just had to keep listening to it over and over. I couldn’t even wipe the silly smile off my face. The instrumentals weren’t perfect. The performance was not flawless. I can still pick out parts that ought to be fixed. But that didn’t stop it from being just… wow.

I guess that is what keeps me up at night, even though I am going to pay for that today, since I have to cater a dinner for 100 tonight, and so there is no rest. I guess I just can’t help sitting on the edge of my seat along with Simon, looking for that wow moment. Those times make everything worth it. When was your last wow moment?

The One Where She Caught a Break

I caught a little break this week. I have been trying to stay on top of things, and for someone who is practically a shut-in, I always seem to have a lot of little things to do. Preparing lessons and planning activities for girls at my church, baking twelve loaves of bread so far this week… those are just the usual. But I have had something more important weighing on my mind. Maybe I should say someone more important. Tandy.

If you followed my Christmas music blog, or listened to any of the music, or bought a CD, then you know who Tandy is. She is one of my favorite singers. I know that I am supposed to make another CD this year, and I have been determined not to wait until I only have two months left before I start. I also know that I would really like for Tandy to sing two or three songs on that CD. The only thing is, Tandy is leaving. She is going to be serving a mission for our church in Kobe, Japan, and she leaves in three weeks!

I already have one song I want her to sing, but I wanted to write and record two original songs in addition to that one. So this week I set a goal that I would get one of the songs written. There is a really nice lady named Zoe who is planning to be baptized on Saturday, and she asked Tandy to sing at her baptism. Since I actually work better with a purpose and a deadline, I decided Monday that I would write a song that Tandy could sing on Saturday for the baptism. I was barely hyperventilating about that at all.

So yesterday I made myself sit down at the keyboard and start playing. I kept playing a certain melody that sounded familiar, but couldn’t quite place it. Then it came to me: I already have a song! The melody was from a song I wrote in the summer. I tried to record it, but it wasn’t working. Something wasn’t right about the words, the melody, the accompaniment, or all three. I just don’t know. It was very discouraging at the time. I felt like I had felt so inspired to write those words, and yet they didn’t work. It made me question what I was doing, and I threw the whole thing… not into the trash, but into my deepest drawer, and covered it with papers.

So yesterday I dug it out, dusted it off, and played through it with Tandy. And guess what! We are doing it for the baptism… and then recording it next week. I feel like I just got a little boost that I wasn’t expecting. The Spirit is like that sometimes, when you least expect it, and sometimes don’t even deserve it. Now I can’t wait for Saturday! If you want to hear the premiere of the song, you can come to the baptism:).

I haven’t decided whether I will post music that is going to be on my next CD. What do you think? Do you listen to it? You can tell me the truth. Meanwhile, I thought I would put up a hymn for you, in case you do. I admit, I hate it when we sing this when a missionary leaves. It makes everyone cry. I think I begged them not to do it when my boys left on their missions. But I still love the hymn… Mind you, this is very rough, so ignore mistakes!

The One Where She Can’t Get it Out of Her Head

I have been working on music this week. Not quite sure where to go with it right now, but I am trying.

This song... Prodigal Son...  has been in my mind a lot lately. It is a song that I think is really fun, but it is more than that. In a way, it seems like this song encapsulates what the composing and recording process is like. It was fun and it was frustrating. It was simple, but I managed to make it complicated. I worked the longest on it, yet it is not finished. The bottom line is, I know when I listen to it, that I didn’t capture the performance I was looking for. I love the way my Christmas CD turned out, but I learned so much this year... much of it, actually, while recording and editing this song... and I know I can do this so much better. It is my dream to hear it with no regrets.

I don’t know if “no regrets” is possible. Like the song, it is all about repentance, forgiveness, moving on to the next thing. Like I said, simple... but I can usually manage to make it complicated:).

{Artwork is “Father and Son Dancing” by one of my favorite artists, Brian Kershisnik. If you would like to read more about how I wrote the song, you can check out this post from last year.}
 


Click on the mp3 player to listen:

Prodigal Son

I’ve been walking this path for far too long
I feel weak
It’s harder and harder to breathe
I know
It’s just a case of choosing right or wrong
But in this dark place
Sometimes I can barely see.


Show me
The way I can finally be free
There’s a fire that’s burning inside of my soul
I am ready now
To give all my sins and hurt to thee
Take my troubles
I’m giving them all away.


You have had the perfect answers all along
You tried to tell me
But I didn’t have ears to hear
Now there’s music where before I heard no song
And when you sing
The message becomes so clear.


Will you show me
The way I can finally be free?
There’s a fire that is burning inside of my soul
I am ready now
To give all my sins to thee
Lay my troubles down
At my Savior’s feet
I’m giving them all away.


Please
Forgive me for the times I turned away
How’d I forget that
I was my father’s son?
I let temptation lead me so far astray
That it left me
No other choice but to run.


I think I see
The way I can finally be free
There’s a fire that is burning inside of my soul
I am ready now
To give all my sins to thee
Lay my troubles down
I’m giving them all away.

Lay my troubles down
I’m giving them all away.


Still, it’s not enough to say that I’ve come home
I’m your servant
Yearning to do my part
Father, as long as I live I’ll never roam
Just look inside me
You’ll find a disciple’s heart.


Now I finally see
How to live and be free
There’s a fire that’s burning inside of my soul
I am ready now
To give all my sins to thee
Lay my troubles down
At my Savior’s feet
I’m giving them all away.

The one where the CD store opens

DK here as a guest blogger. I’ve got big news! The day has come. Victoria now has a storefront for pre-order of her first, published CD. She has been working long hours to get the ducks in a row. You can check it out (literally) at VixMusic.ecrater.com.

Guest artists have travelled great distances (some, thousands of miles)--thanks Ric and Garry and others. Tandy and Stephanie were in the studio this morning; Ric, until late last night. Cupcake is laying down tracks like crazy. It’s all very exciting. BTW, the CD will have 4 traditional numbers and 10 of Victoria’s new compositions.

So check out the other blog VixChristmasMusic for the ongoing story of the CD and the production of the music.

Several people have expressed a desire to order several CDs for special Christmas gifts e for friends, family, even work associates. The music has a special quality that is just filled with the Spirit. Here’s the thing: the production run will be limited. Once they are gone, they are gone. The first run will be available in plenty of time for holiday gift-giving.

I hope that friends from all over find this to be a delightful addition to their holidays. Check back to this blog to hear occasional postings of new songs as they are completed. Follow the story at VixChristmasMusic. For those who want the actual CDs, order early. They will be shipping just as soon as they are published.

You can’t believe the work it takes to prepare music for publication. But I think you’ll agree with me, it is worth it. And when you’re ready, give the new storefront a try. VixMusic

DK-out. )

The One Where She Spills Her Guts

Okay, not literally. I don’t know if I have ever told you this, but I never throw up. Well, almost never. The amount of times I have thrown up in the last 35 years: One. Number of times I plan to throw up in the next 35 years: Zero. Just so we’re clear.

So figuratively speaking, here is what is going on in Victoria world.

1. Church. I am going to be teaching the 11-year-old girls, and doing their twice-monthly activity days. I think they realized that having someone who has made so many children cry teach the six-year-olds was probably a bad move. Despite the fact that I am a boy mom, to which Cambria can attest, as she has suffered the consequences for these twelve years, I think I can handle five 11-year-old girls, and we should get along swimmingly. Raising six sons has to prepare one for something. What is that something? I haven’t figured that out, yet.

2. Sing Noel. Sing Noel is a Christmas music program that our church hosts for the community the first weekend in December. It is sort of big. There is an adult choir of over a hundred, a young women’s choir and a children’s choir. I will be playing for the adult choir again this year, and the rehearsals begin the second week of October. Performances Dec. 5th and 6th. You’re all invited. That means I will actually have to practice.

3. Family. Casey is my Number Three Son (rankings determined by birth order, not by popularity), and he is currently serving a mission for our church in Texas. He is teaching about Jesus Christ to the Spanish-speaking population in the downtown Dallas area. He has also been teaching in ASL (American Sign Language), not for the first time during this two years. He told us that he had to say his first prayer in ASL on Sunday. He said it was “stressful, because everyone was looking at him.” He cracks me up. Ethan is my Number Four Son (again, determined by birth order… no offense intended) and he is currently stationed at Little Creek Amphibious Base near Norfolk, Virginia, attending the armed forces music school there. I mention sons #3 and #4 because it is their absence which leaves a hole in my family…which hole is going to be filled in December. We have had overlapping missionaries for the last five years, and so in that five years, I have not once had all of my family together. Casey finishes his two-year mission December 9th, and Ethan will be home for Christmas, making possible a kind of McDaniel family Perfect Storm. Am I a little excited? Yes!

4. Food. Yes, I have been eating. And cooking. And I have a new project. It is not more catering. I will not be catering again in 2009… unless someone with whom I share blood (or my bed) requires it. So what is the project? If you have downloaded any of the recipes I have posted in the last week, you will notice that I have changed the format. I have been going through all of my recipes and adding photos and tips. By the end of October I plan to have my seventy favorite recipes, complete with my own photos, so that I can print them into a recipe book. I have a friend who is getting married, and I hope it will make a very special wedding present. My current thought is to print them and put them in sheet protectors in a binder. I could actually print a bound book, but I kind of like the sheet protectors, since I tend to splatter everything in the kitchen. Thoughts or suggestions from my creative readers?

5. Music. I have jumped off the deep end, and started a project that I will complete by the second week of November. It is very, very exciting, and is going to require all of the time leftover from taking care of my family and completing numbers 1-4 above. I am not quite ready to announce it, but you can look for me to do so in the next ten days, and (hint) you will be able to pre-order said project.

6. Blog. In November my blog will see its first birthday. It will probably be due for a makeover. I have worn out “The One That…” and maybe the blog title as well. What do you think? Any great makeover suggestions?

7. Pets. I am going to buy Skippy a dog.

8. Just kidding on Number 7… sorry, Skip.

The One Where She Flashed Bloody Gang Signs

Halloween hand modeling, or bloody gang signs? You can decide. Skin is an amazing thing. These are some of my burns, two weeks later. They look better every single day. The way bodies heal is pretty crazy. My right hand is almost totally healed (or scarred over? It kind of looks like a dog bite!) I hadn’t really felt like playing the piano in awhile, but it is funny how knowing that I couldn’t play for the last couple of weeks made me want to. So today I played around a little… I can use most of my fingers, and it turns out you don’t really need them all. So I’m putting up this little tune I played this morning, as a celebration. Let’s call it… Eight Fingers. (Click on the playlist to hear it)

The One Where We All Said “Goodnight, Ned”

I don’t usually post twice in a day, but (heaven help us) AT&T is coming tomorrow to dismantle our internet... and I have a feeling it is going to be a challenge. Just wanted to leave you a little treat in case I never make it back. My favorite movie song Of. All. Time. Blue Shadows on the Trail. This was Skippy’s lullaby when he was a baby... Goodnight, Ned.