Me in Place

Being a Music Ambassador throughout all the Land, I feel it my duty to offer you delicious selections for you to search for on your cute, compliant computer.And if you have suggestions, let me know!

Time to Make Cookies Playlist:

Accordion Bells – Leo Kottke
Another Christmas Song – Stephen Colbert
Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Lady Antebellum
Carol of the Bells – William Joseph
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen – Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan (Hey, I didn’t name their band!)
The Carols Those Kids Used to Sing – Statler Brothers (What my mom listened to while we made Christmas candy)
Go Tell It On The Mountain – Lorie Line (Oh, the memories I have of us playing this arrangement at church! Fun!)
Soul Cake – Sting (SuperBoy’s Christmas favorite currently)
The Complete Nutcracker Suite – Philip Aaberg
Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies – Harry Connick Jr
Deck the Halls – Larry Coryell
Auld Lang Syne – James Taylor

Sigh at the End of the Day:

Angels From the Realms of Glory – Barbara Higbie
Christmas is Coming – Vince Guaraldi
Christmas Time is Here – Sean Harkness (or the Vince Guaraldi one)
December Morning – Jim Brickman
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow – Chris Botti
Little Drummer Boy – Steve Erquiaga (love this one)
New England Morning – William Ackerman
Oh, Christmas Tree – Michael Ruff & Snuffy Walden
Sussex Carol – Sorry I don’t have artist’s name, but it’s Windham Hill produced
Walking In The Air – Windham Hill Christmas
Winter Wonderland – Phillippe Saisse
Yesterday’s Rain – Snuffy Walden

Singing Loud for All to Hear (In My Car):

Winter Song – Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Willie Nelson
It Snowed – Meaghan Smith (My personal Winter Season Theme Song)
Sleigh Ride – Wilson Phillips (Overproduced harmony fun!)
The First Noel – David Archuleta
Do You Hear What I Hear – Kristin Chenoweth
The Christmas Song – The Carpenters
I Need a Silent Night – Amy Grant
Dream a Dream – Charlotte Church (Pull out that Opera voice!)
O Come, O Come Emmanuel – Sugarland
Baby Changes Everything – Faith Hill
Silent Night – Sarah McLachlan

You’re Too Lazy to Download Individual Songs:

Search for anything produced by Windham Hill
Artists with great albums:
Harry Connick Jr
The Carpenters
Faith Hill
Chris Botti

Husband Steve is in a band and they’re new CD is FINALLY out! I’m biased, but it IS great music. I especially love the song “Tom Bombadil”, oh, and “Long Island Lullaby”, oh, and “Take It Back”!

If you want to buy one – which of course you do – and you’re local, email me and I’ll get one to you for $10. How can you beat that? $10 for amazing music?? Or, if you’re not local, purchase through their website and it will be shipped to you ASAP.

Site to purchase it: David Yeager Band (Click to enter the site, then on “Store” at the top of the page.)

Also – if you’re local – you are invited to the CD release party next Friday, June 19th. Here are the details for that:

7:30 pm
June 19th – Friday night

Naperville Presbyterian Church in Naperville

They’ll do a concert and then join us for some dessert and get your CD autographed and buy your cool DYB t-shirts!


What day is it today? It’s SAS Crafting Day! (SAS=Short Attention Span). But, for all my wonderful manly readers out there, I’ve also included some photos to keep your SAS riveted to the post. Ready? Here we go!

1. Buy a plain, kraft paper covered journal (doesn’t matter what size).I have bought them at Barnes & Noble and Archiver’s.

2. Select three coordinating papers from your scrapbook paper stash. (I don’t scrapbook, but I do lurv some good scrapbook paper!)

3. Cut out three pieces of paper from the scrapbook paper…Since we’re talking SAS crafting here, I don’t have measurements, just use your judgment to make a pretty pattern. On the edges of these papers, I’ve taken them and swiped them across a coordinating ink color from an ink pad.

You’ll end up with something like this:

Halftime: Hey Guys! Look! Cords:

Oohh…. So Pretty!

Are you a RockStar?

Yes, you are. Go buy your wife some flowers. Now, that’s RockStar.

4. Okay… back to Crafting. Get some ribbon. I just have a box of ribbon that I’ve collected clearance sale and coupon sale ribbon in. It all should be fairly thin ribbon and fabric-y works best. You’re going to tie and tie and tie and tie those ribbons onto the spiral binding of the journal. Ready?

What you may or may not notice here is that the laundry is right in my view of the TV. Do I stop my crafting? Nope. This was a Sunday afternoon. Football was on. Kids were fine. Moms can relax, too. Give yourself a break.This picture is bad (of the tv), but I wanted you to see what the view was. Look at what a master I am at Ignoring Laundry.

Keep tying on the ribbons all over the spirals. Don’t have them hanging too long, just long enough to fill up the spirals and make them look oh so pretty. Like an Easter Bonnet.

And there you have it. Your very own SAS Craft (Yes, the journal changed. Sorry, that’s how SAS I am.):

Ooh… look! A RockStar!

Ha – get it? I named the post Friday, because that’s how fast and packed this week is… it is going to be Friday before we know it! The turkey is bought and dethawing. (I totally learned my lesson about that one year when I didn’t start defrosting it early enough and it was still frozen on Thanksgiving morning. My dad had to run out and buy a fresh one to save my disaster. Oops.)

This weekend we were able to go downtown (Chicago) with friends and enjoy dinner and walking a million miles a while in the freezing brisk night air. It’s always hard to be a girl and have to decide whether you’re going to dress for fashion v. function. I chose half functionable/half fashion on the boots and yeah… Just be careful, girls. Stay safe, but cute. Anyway, we had dinner and then went to see Selah and Avalon at Moody Church. It’s always fun to see groups in person, so we enjoyed it. They are involved with helping with World Vision and were encouraging people to sign up to sponsor a child. Go here for more information on how you can do that.

(Selah)

(Avalon)

Now, we know these friends. We’re not strangers. But at what point in the friendship is it okay to demand that they stop for drinks before you die of thirst and coldness? I decided we were at that point, and if they wanted to complain about it and never call us again, so be it. Selah.

Yes, I got my drink.

Yes, they even talked to us the next day, so I think we’re still cool.

Now I want to know: Do you choose Fashion over Function or Function over Fashion? I also want to know, if we were all out on a cold walk, would you be honest and tell me if you needed a warm drink?

Yawn. What a week. So sleepy…. which is weird, cuz really, what do us stay-at-home moms do all day? Just watch Food Network, right? (That would be sarcasm, people.)

But on to the topic at hand: Tunes! Mr MIP finally has his music up on iTunes! Yes, that’s right, go to iTunes and search for his name (which I’m now removing because people are creepy. But if you need to know it, email me for info at skcwick at yahoo.com). His songs will come up and you should buy them and download them and tell your friends to download them. Your grandma would love a copy. And your uncle, he’d love it too. Oh, and your neighbor and your pastor and your dentist. Yea, verily, they all will want this music! And you should not make copies freely, you should pay everytime for the download, otherwise my poor, poor children will go without shoes and food and I will totally blame you (and Obama, but that’s beside the point. He is soooo going to bring down the small corporations. You just wait and see. Of course, the US bailing out AIG and everyone and his brother who doesn’t understand the CONCEPT OF CAPITALISM also will certainly lead to our demise!!!! I’m finding me a log cabin in the woods. Update: I’m sorry I went off on government. Too much politics today. And all of my anger is based on the fact that we make out our own checks to the gov’t at income tax time. If all people had to do that, the tax system would be changed in a minute. Oh, and I realize that Obama or McCain – doesn’t matter. The laws are put into place by Congress, not by the Prez. The new budget is already written. Just waiting to be signed. Doesn’t matter. Nothing really matters…)

Deep breath.

Ahhhh….

Anyway, go to iTunes and support small business. And me. I’m hungry.

(You can also order his CDs from his site here, if you’d like. Remember Christmas is coming!)

This weekend, my mom, friend and I were able to see the musical Wicked in Chicago. We had been looking forward to it for a long time, and it was definitely worth the wait (and the $$!). The voices of the two leads, Glinda and Elphibah, were beautiful and we were impressed with their acting and singing. The music (and lyrics) are okay – not quite as powerful as Les Miserables, or Phantom of the Opera, but the music in context of the show is terrific. The story is well-written, funny and in case you don’t know the plot, is about the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda, the Good Witch. Even though Elphibah was born green in color and was disliked by her father, she has a talent for casting spells. At school, she becomes friends with the popular Glinda and they develop a friendship that leads to their attempt to save the land of Oz.
Here’s a photo of the theater before we saw the show:

And here’s the theater after we visited the Emerald City during the show:

We also visited Argo Tea cafe, a place I’ve always wanted to visit, and we topped off our cosmopolitan day with dinner at Grand Lux Cafe. Delish!

Since my last photo taken from the Michigan Avenue bridge was not that great, I tried again (look for the kayakers!)

For the longest time, the only thing my kitchen radio could receive was a classic rock station. So I rocked my baby, cooked the food and cleaned to the sounds of classic angst. A few songs they played were by The Who, a group I knew mainly because of friend Craig’s interest (dare I say obsession?) with them. So, when Craig listed Quadrophenia on his list of recommended music, I borrowed the double CD album from him and sat down for a good analytical listen. Here’s what I learned (and since this is my blog, not all facts have been checked. I’m just giving you my analyzation.):

-Quadrophenia is the story of Jimmy, a boy who is rebelling against his parents, and apparently against having his hair cut. Sounds like my Baptist high school to me. But, Jimmy finds solace in dressing up in clothing in the Mod fashion. Oh, but the Mods don’t want him either and he either a)drives a scooter off a cliff or b) jumps into the ocean or c) feels the cleansing rain on his sad little face. I can’t figure out which it is. My Baptist classmates found similar solace in a)working on their cars, b)getting pregnant and c)feeling the cleansing rain on their sad little faces.
-The word, “quadrophenia”, is a play on the word schizophrenia. Quadrophenia having the idea of four personalities. Jimmy apparently is all four.
-The Mod scene apparently was about dressing all fancy. It also involved riding a scooter. This somehow was a statement against authority. But then the police said, “No, Mod McModPants, you may not ride that scooter on the the streets of Londontown because you don’t have rear view mirrors on them.” So the Mod kids got sarcastic and attached mirrors to their scooters. Not tiny mirrors, but huge mirrors. This was called Making a Statement.

-After listening to the CD, I found an episode of “The Avengers” on TV. I knew it was Mod because of the red/blue target in the corner as seen here:

I lasted about five minutes watching the show before becoming claustrophobic. So, relatively speaking, the CDs were much better.

On the cover of Quadrophenia, you will notice the four mirrors on the scooter. You will note the faces of the four members of The Who reflected in the four mirrors. You will think to yourself, possibly this is saying that the Quad personalities of Jimmy stand for each member of the band. Hmmm…

The music was actually quite enjoyable, for the most part. Every so often, a flash of Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap came to mind, but I tried not to dwell on that.

Favorite Song: Drowned (mainly because of the piano)

Least Favorite Song: Love Reign O’er Me

Overall Rating: I rate this album an 8 and can certainly understand how one could have an Interest/Obsession with it.

Three widely different albums that break up the monotony of Christmas music  

1. The Chieftains — Bells of Dublin
2. Mars Hill Music — To the World (Christmas 2004)
3. Phil Keaggy and the London Festival Orchestra — Majesty and Wonder

Five albums to listen to laying on the couch with your eyes closed when the kids are out of the house

1. Johnny Cash — American 3: Solitary Man
2. Natalie Merchant — Tiger Lily
3. Michelle Tumes — Center of My Universe
4. Allison Krauss and Union Station — Lonely Runs Both Ways
5. Sarah Groves — All Right Here

Five albums to think/write to (AKA the five best instrumental albums not by Steve Wick)  

1. Phil Keaggy — Beyond Nature
2. Red Nativity — One Holy Night
3. Stephen Tindle — Ho Yannah!
4. Phil Keaggy — The Master and the Musician
5. Chuck Mangione — Feels so Good

Three albums just to try  

1. The Who — Quadrophenia
2. Stevie Ray Vaughn — Texas Flood
3. Kinks — Lola vs. the Powerman and the Money-Go-Round, pt. 1

Ten songs you should hear but are rarely on the radio  

1. Kinks — Waterloo Sunset
2. Pete Townshend — Slit Skirts
3. Mazzy Star — Fade Into You
4. Nina Simone — Sinnerman
5. Roger Daltrey — A Second Out
6. Joe Walsh and the James Gang — Funk # 49
7. The Alan Parsons Project — Don’t Answer Me
8. Credence Clearwater Revival — Lodi
9. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band — The Runner
10. Jimmy Buffett — A Pirate Looks at 40

Soundtrack for those who grew up in the 1980s  

1. The Fixx — One Thing Leads to Another
2. Men Without Hats — Safety Dance
3. Grateful Dead — Touch of Grey
4. Eddie Grant — Electric Avenue
5. Men at Work — Down Under
6. Peter Gabriel — Steam
7. Stray Cats — Rock this Town
8. Bon Jovi — You Give Love a Bad Name
9. Kinks — Come Dancin’
10. Dexy’s Midnight Runners — Come On Eileen
11. The Tubes — She’s A Beauty
12. Van Halen — Jump
13. Greg Kihn Band — The Breakup Song
14. The Alan Parsons Project — Eye in the Sky
15. Kenny Loggins — Footloose
16. A Flock of Seagulls — I Ran (So Far Away)
17. Joe Jackson — Steppin’ Out
18. .38 Special — Hold On Loosely
19. Night Ranger — Sister Christian
20. The Police — Every Breath You Take
21. Fine Young Cannibals — She Drives Me Crazy
22. Run DMC — Walk This Way
23. Madness — Our House
24. Martin Briley — The Salt in My Tears
25. Naked Eyes — Always Something There to Remind Me
26. Taco — Puttin’ on the Ritz
27. Golden Earring — Twilight Zone
28. The Human League — Don’t You Want Me
29. Donnie Iris — Ah Leah
30. Billy Joel — Allentown
31. Bruce Springsteen — Glory Days
32. The Moody Blues — The Voice
33. Phil Collins — In the Air Tonight
34. The Steve Miller Band — Abracadabra
35. Billy Idol — Rebel Yell

Special Church Youth Group Bonus Tracks!!!  

1. Petra — The Coloring Song
2. Amy Grant — Thy Word
3. The Imperials — Oh Buddha
4. Michael W Smith — Friends
5. Carmen — The Champion