MUSIC BLOG and MORE

Saturday, January 8, 2011

January 2011

Turn on my playlist and it's a

TIME FOR REFLECTION

I Had Some Time To Do Some Reflective Thinking
I was attending the funeral for Brother Perkins in my ward and at the cemetery I went and took time to pause and look at the flowers my sister Jane had put at their grave stone for the Christmas season. Life here on earth is uncertain but we should take the advice from our prophet and have "Joy in the Journey."

January 2011 ..... Journal entry...

It’s a new year and life is OK. There are so many people around me that I love and care about. I have my frustrations with money and health, but it seems I am still surviving and I always say “Thank You” to my Heavenly Father for this life here on the earth. I don’t know the answers to so many things and the puzzles of life are sometimes so perplexing. Things don’t always seem fair, but even through it all, I am at peace knowing that I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father and I know He loves me. He loves us all for that matter, even when we feel we don’t deserve it. But I am on this earth, it is my journey and I have decided that I shall, I must, try to live it with a smile on my face, even when life is tough. Because even though life is tough, I have been given my life, a human body of flesh and bones and I need to always look to the bright side.

Here is just a small list of my joys…

and a few pictures I either captured or borrowed from My Family

MY FAMILY

My Children...

Many years ago.... My Three Sons....

And My Two Daughters

My Grandchildren ...

The Families.....

Fun Moments for me...

Ballooning ... Smith Kids

Hooper Kids

Going to the Superstition Springs Dairy

At the Lake in the Middle of Winter (2009)

2010 Christmas Eve Balloon Glow at B.C.Park

Evenings in NM working on puzzles

Dinner top of the Tram with Kirk

birthday dinner at Outback

Flying Planes.... Trying out my Electric Chair...

Plug your ears!

My Friends….

Debbie then and now with Meigan

Sweet Young Friends Angel & Alex

"Older Friends"

I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus in my life, knowing that there is a life here after and that we can all live with our Father in Heaven again as well as with the family members who have gone before us.

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints"

Service projects...(at my house...thanks)

I am thankful for the healthy part of my life....

and I actually want to take control of the not so good part and try to make it better.

I Love music and the joys it brings to me…

I perform music (past, present and future)

I share music, I write and arrange music

I teach music in school,

(picture of fellow general music teachers Spring 2010 in Gilbert)

I teach music privately

I teach Music to my grandkids too...

I love to share music at church

I am thankful for my heritage and the love I have from my parents. I love my mother and father and I also love my brothers Uli and Mike and especially my "little" sister Jane. She is my dearest sister and dearest friend and I am grateful and love her family. Kelly has been like a brother and I sure love him for loving my sister. I love his love for the gospel too and his sincere heart.
I am thankful that I am a grandma to 15 sweet grand kids.
I'm Grateful that my Grandchildren can get a good education and are being raised by fine parents who love them. These 15 children all have different personalities which keeps everyone on their toes. What a better way to have a variety in life.

NOW... onward during this new year.............

KEEP SMILING ..... ☺ COME WHAT MAY! ♪♪♫♫.*♥?*

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Christmas 2010 Programs

my version of the
"Jingle Bell Jukebox"
I think this picture is cute!

Starting out the Month on the 3rd by skipping school and going to a strings concert at Superstition Springs Mall outdoor theater with Red Mountain Elementary Band and Strings playing their Christmas Concert. Landon and Layna were there. Conner was sick that day. It was a nice beginning for the Christmas Season! I did go to their concert the night before. The next Tuesday was Kaitlyn's Shepherd Concert and Jon's was the next Thursday.
Watching my grandkids playing their instruments is such a treat!

The Smile says it all! Jon got his violin back after 9 months...Dec 11th

My School Christmas Concert, complete with acting and singing of the "Jingle Bell Jukebox"

Frosty and Santa...two cute 6th grade boys loved acting the part.
Leslie made the snowman suit and helped with the other outfits too.

The Grinch (5th grader) and Cindi Lou the little girl in Whooville (4th grader)
....she sang really well!
Those two girls in the background (who had some speaking parts) deserve a round of applause for coming to my rescue the day before the program in preparing props and some signs that I desperately needed help in preparing. Calm and collected they just pitched in and helped out!

Didn't get pictures of the rest of this month.
I did a big Power Point Presentation of 18 Christmas songs for our SSE school annual Sing Along. I was having problems with my computer and my power point player, thankfully Bryan came to my rescue by bringing over a small laptop, thanks for the kids for letting me have it for a day so they couldn't play games...and he helped me prepare everything on the laptop, including itunes that I have never used before. I had things going smoothly and set up Friday morning at school and then the projector at first wouldn't read the laptop but with some quick maneuvering of Bryan over the phone and my computer lab techie we got it to work without a hitch. This year Bryan will teach me how to put the pictures and music together so all I have to do is hit the button and it will automatically play the whole program. Won't that be more fun! Thanks Bryan for your help!

On the night of the December 3rd Jon, Bryan, Gerry, two friends of Jon's and I played at a Alta Vista Stake Older Singles Christmas Dinner and made a big hit. Big enough to have both Bishops come and ask us to play in their wards. So on December 12 we played "O Holy Night" in Bryan and Jon's ward, today December 19th. Jon, Bryan and even Kaitlyn and I played in my ward with the addition of people from my ward and on the 26th we will play "O Holy Night" again in Gerry's and the Smith's Ward.
One day we will not need someone outside the family to play ... we will have enough string players in our family. We do need to find a piano player!
Today December 19th was my ward's (Boulder Creek) Christmas program and it went very well. So many people gave us compliments that I hope I can convey that message to all who participated. People from outside the ward wanted copies of music but of course I can only give them copies of what is copyright free. I hope they understand.

Frosty Stomping his Boots.... He sure had a fun time.
He is one of our Special Boys! He is always so positive and a joy to have in Chorus and also in music class. He was so proud to be doing this and I was so proud of him too! His parents and family were so proud too for him being able to accomplish this acting and looking so good.
Thanks Leslie for sewing the costume. People asked where I bought the costume!

I am thankful for the Christmas Season. The Season to remember the birth and the life of our Savior. I am thankful that I can share my musical talents with others and that I can still do this .