Organization-Help!

Sometimes I feel really organized and together.  Today with the couch full of laundry, the kitchen sink full of dishes and the to do list which gets longer and longer I want to scream!  I remember going to a seminar a year ago where the fly lady came and visited.  I thought I need some fly lady advise.  So I signed up for her daily e-mails and I'm committing to get organized a little more each day.  She says if you are organized you have more time and energy to do the things you love.  For me that is spending quality time with my kids, playing the piano, reading, and spending time creating things like scrapbooks, decorating and such.  So let it begin I say, let it begin!

Strange Scenes

Today I saw two things that made me do a double take.  

1st-As I was leaving my garage to take Conrad to school I looked back to the garage to see a neighbors cat jumping out the top, yes top of the garage!  It was so close to getting his tail caught in the door.  I think it was up on the shelves on the garage ceiling.  It was pretty funny but I was sad to be the only one who saw it and got the shock then laugh after.

2nd-As I was driving I noticed a truck in a field that said mobile slaughtering service.  Two guys were standing near the back of the truck working on something, it didn't register what they were doing until the second time I drove by and noticed they were in a cow pasture.  They had been slaughtering a cow right in it's own pasture.  The other cows didn't seemed bothered by it at all.  They were just grazing nearby. 

I thought about me growing in Woods Cross and I never saw so many animals on a regular basis.  I use to shiver every time we passed by roadkill but now I see it so much I usually just bat my eyes and try not to notice it. 

Christmas joy

So Devin and I have been trying to be on the ball and get Christmas shopping done with before Thanksgiving.  It's been fun and I hope it will lessen the hectic December month where we already have two birthdays, company and ward parties, and you all know the craziness of the season.  Today I got Devin's present delivered on my front porch!  I was so excited, I got him something perfect.  I opened up the box and it's not what I thought it was going to be.  Now the conundrum, do I keep it and make it work.  Return it and pay to get it shipped back-headache.  Oh I hate when this happens.  That's what you get when you order on-line and don't check every detail.  Some websites have more details then others.  Well did I mention he had a birthday coming up.  Maybe I'll get one of each.  After Christmas I'll disclose the full story since I need to be cryptic as to not give it away.  

This is all apart of Christmas joy!   -Right?

The Great Mozart

I have said for over 15 years now that Mozart is my favorite composer.  I had no idea really what Mozart composed.  In high school I played several of Mozarts Sonatas.  They are still my favorite peices to play. I love the delicate runs and the transparancy.  You can't mess up on Mozart and fake it.  At least I can't.  

The last three months I have been singing, and listening to Mozart Requiem.  Saturday Nov. 15th The American Festival Choir finally performed it.  I had no idea how amazing it was until we started rehearsing with the orchestra.  Wow, they added a whole new dimension to the experience.  I don't have words to describe the feelings that were conveyed in that music.  After the performance someone told me I was so intense.  That music has a sort of intensity that involves the whole body and soul.  Simply magnificent.  

I watched the movie Amadeus for the first time Friday Nov. 14th to sort of get myself in the mood for the concert.  This gave me a new perspective of Mozart that I didn't really like.  But I have a part of me that is forgetful (this can be good and bad).  So I'm hoping I forget the bad and just remember the things I love about Mozart-his music.  

In studying and performing the Requiem I was able to experience more of Mozart's music besides the Piano Sonatas I learned in High school.  I concluded that he still is my favorite composer.  

Our own Rock Star

While waiting for the Veterans Day Concert to begin.  I watched the audience gradually fill up until their were no seats left.  In all the years of being involved at USU I have never seen that many people in Kent Concert Hall.  I even heard from several people that their were people who left because they couldn't get a seat.  I know they didn't come to see me or the great American Festival Choir.  They came to see Craig Jessop the choir rock star. 

He brings out the best in people.  Their musical best.  I have learned so much from him in the last few months.  I have enjoyed the musical experience and am looking forward to another semester of great music.  

Conrad and Amelia Bedelia

So as a kid I loved reading Amelia Bedelia.  She was so funny in the way she did everything.  She took everything literally.  Today I thought of this fine reading material after something Conrad did today.  He wanted to help me with my jobs today.  I thought that was super sweet.  He looked at my list of things to do and chose to change all the towels in the bathrooms.  As I was occupied elsewhere in the house he started the job.  As I went to check on how things were going he proudly said he was done.  But all the towels that were used where still hung up but the dirty clothes hamper was completely full of towels.  I then realized that he emptied out all the clean towels from under the sink and put them in the dirty clothes hamper.  After asking him again what the job was he told me that he was suppose to change all the towels.  And that is what he did.  At first I thought he was being silly but he really was just doing what he thought was supposed to do.  I had to laugh and say you are just like Amelia Bedelia.  I thought it was pretty cute.  Yes we did salvage all the clean towels and I helped him put the dirty towels in the laundry.  

Happy Veterans Day

I have never done this before but since "everyone" else is doing it I am going to try my hand at it. Well, I also need to do a better job at writing in my journal and this may be a way I can do it?  We'll see how it goes.  

Today I'm waving our flag outside our home and wondered why more homes in our neighborhood don't have a flag that symbolizes our freedom.  I thought, what a great Christmas Present!  Wouldn't everyone want a flag flying to express joy and gratitude for our country.  We are so blessed to live here.  Tonight Devin and I are singing in the American Festival Chorus Veterans Day Concert.  The whole program is patriotic.  The songs we are singing is God of Our Fathers-(This is our national hymn)  National Anthem, America the Beautiful, The Last Full Measure of Devotion, Proud to Serve, God Bless America.  We have a busy night in front of us, arranging with the babysitters and getting beautiful, and carpooling with 3 other choir members so I better end and just say, I love the USA!