A couple years ago I realized that what I'm really passionate about isn't necessarily music, or dance, or sewing, or art or whatever, it's the act of expressing. I love to express. Myself. To create something unique, and call it me. I love to identify myself with something beautiful. So music is a medium I'm passionate about, because music moves you. Everyone can connect to a song. We've all heard a song at one point in our life that either changed us, or marked a moment, or even carried us. Or maybe even just pumped us up---made a good time, a great time. A song can help us identify our emotions, which so often are so hard to make sense of...when we hear a song...sometimes...it's like, that's it. Yeah. That's how I feel. Right there. Like when you're in love---or more often in my single life---lonely. Who hasn't heard that U2 ballad and been so depressed that we relished wallowing in our pathetic loneliness. Mmmm. Can't beat that.
Now dancing is all that, but...more. Dancing is music and movement together. And that's why it calls to me---beckons me, if you will.... because it is full body expressing, at it's height. It's everything you've got exploding in that leap and that song and that story. And it moves me.
I watched So You Think You Can Dance tonight. I realize by giving you the background of my musings, I run the risk of making it sound very trite. Alright, fine. Yeah, it's a tv show. But watching all that talent and art (choreography and dancing is such a beautiful form of art) it makes me pretty nostalgic. Nostalgic? Is that it? I don't know...romantic? Dreamy? Musing? Makes we want to write poetry? Or something like that. I know that may not make sense, but it probably does.
Sometimes when I'm driving or cleaning I imagine the songs I would sing on American Idol, and think of how Simon would really dig my creative arrangement and soul. Or I hear a song and choreograph a piece in my head that would win the respect of Mia Michaels. And I think I could do it, too. Yeah, you know...I could do it.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
My passion
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Taking care of our needs, one graham cracker at a time.
She is screaming. It's early...maybe 7:00 am? She usually doesn't stir before 8:00. Dad-nabbit, I think. What's the deal? I groggily stumble out of bed to grab her, and find her standing in the corner of the crib in frustration. I notice that she's got a real dirty face. Huh. You need a bath, baby. When I pick her up, I realize that dirty isn't the best way to describe her. It's more...crumby. I rub my eyes. What I then discover is she is standing in a small mountain of graham cracker crumbs. Huh?! Why the crap is there a huge pile of graham cracker crumbs in her crib?!
Fast forward a couple of hours.
Allan strolls through the door an hour before church. "Hey Babe?" I inquire, "Why was Joe wallowing in graham cracker crumbs this morning?" "She was hungry. I just tossed some in before I left for my meetings." Oh. Of course.
She was hungry.
Happy Father's Day.
And ps. If you're wondering if she went to church with that 'do, the answer is no.
It was a whole lot worse.
Monday, June 9, 2008
NEW! Sort of...
You'll be thrilled to know that I reupholstered this couch! Many of you know that I've been pining for a new couch, and a few of you also know that I have set my cap at re-upholstering one. Well, the opportunity just came, and I seized it. My friend Trine's brother (I think?) gave her this couch, which she then very generously passed on to me. It was comfy, and a nice style, but really really really...not white anymore. Well, anyhow--now it's green. What do you think???
P.S. Stay tuned for Josie's birthday pics and other family treasures!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Matriarchal Pride
Top Ten Things Josie Does When I'm Not Looking
10. Attempts to reorganize the plastic-baggy drawer by emptying out the contents...she's right--they would be more handy for her on the kitchen floor.
9. Likewise reorganizes the hand-towel drawer.
8. Methodically de-shelves the bookshelf
7. Shreds entire rolls of TP (which thanks to Allan are in every room of our home)
6. Tips over the garbage cans, rummages through, finds and gnaws on slimy banana peels
5. Mysteriously--no seriously, this IS a mystery--unscrews bottles of lotion and consumes what she doesn't rub into the carpet
4. Climbs INTO the fridge when I'm putting away groceries. Yeah, she's real quick.
3. Rips out pages of my scriptures
2. Dumps out the contents of a lentil bag that I taped shut for lack of a rubber band.
1. Speedily makes a B-line for the bathroom whenever I leave it open and fishes in the toilet. She's a real opportunist. Gross.
Yeah, she's good. She's real good.
And...she walks!!!
She's into Spaghetti in a big way
This was a recorded letter home from my mish......yeah--tears. *note the hand-towels in the background and the tortilla scraps all over.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
My heart is full, and my wallet empty.
Guess what, friends?!?! I got a new SEWING MACHINE!!!!
Her name is Gene, and she's a Singer. I met her for the first time last night at the Cotton Shop. Let me explain. No, there is too much; let me sum up. As some of you know, I've been in the couch market lately. To tell you the truth, I've been living in the couch market...HAUNTING the couch market. I've pretty much kept KSL and Craigslist up continually on my computer, and although I've found plenty of couches that would do, I haven't found the couch to meet my every couch need. Too expensive...not comfortable enough...too far away......ET FLIPPING CETERA. So, when my sewing machine broke the other day, and Allan suggested I buy a new one INSTEAD of the money we budgeted for a couch, I wasn't entirely opposed to the idea. In fact, I thought it was a brilliant plan. So the above mentioned Cotton Shop was having an amazing annual sale, and I went intending to look and see if anything jumped out at me. Gene didn't exactly jump out at me, but after a detailed LD from the salesperson, I decided to take her for a test drive. I can't say that it was exactly a spiritual experience, but something like unto it... I felt this exhilarating joy LEAP from my heart, and I'm pretty sure I heard a a Hallelujah Chorus. After I sampled the first 10 stitches or so, I was smitten. I can't explain it in any other way. I was head over heels for her. She's digital, and has 100 stitches, and is so smooth and sleek and...sturdy, that I couldn't help but give my heart away. I got an amazing deal on her, and although I spent a little more than I'd planned, I knew I wouldn't regret it. And I haven't. And I won't. Here's a bad photo of her capabilities. A new camera is somewhere on our horizon...maybe next tax return. And by the way, I'm thrilled to be out of the couch market.
A whipped these babies up today to play with the tulip stitch.
Ok, go ahead. TELL me how cute this dress is, and how Josie looks like a dream in it. Em had whipped up this dress for her little Milly, and so I yoinked the pattern and made this for my Joe.
I added this criss-cross back so it will fit her longer...
Here's a baby shower gift I made for my friend Irina who is having twins. A boy AND and a girl.
I dressed up a lamp for my living room...
I just got this chair off KSL. Really classy I think, but not what you would call comfortable. I don't want to talk about it.
But I DO want to talk about this pillow I made for it.
And this mirror I gave a face lift to.
