Playlist Suggestions

I am trying to get a playlist together for some music for the road trip to WV. I need suggestions. I don't want just happy songs - although I would prefer for the majority to be upbeat - but also reflective songs, and some that are sad. Sometimes it is good to listen to those and be sad, sing your little heart out and move on. So bring them on!

Our New Favorite Thing on the Internet - Pandora

I have been so excited about this, but haven't found a minute to blog about it. I looked on youtube for a video because I believe it will do a much better job explaining it than I will. Pandora.com is internet radio that you can customize. It will learn your preferences and continue to find songs to your liking as you tell it what you like and don't like. All the members of my family have gone crazy over it - and our main problem is arguing over whose stations to play. There is a completely free version - and in my opinion this is better than satellite radio because it learns your personal preferences, and free. Music lovers have got to check this out. My online friend Sheryl who introduced us to the joy that is Pandora, set up a little Christmas station - Christmas in Killarney with a lot of old Christmas classics that I am loving. I also love Composers on Broadway, Broadway Radio, etc. I have learned that I love Daughtry. I have only begun to scratch the surface. If you join, be sure to make me your friend so I can peruse your favorites - Julie Forsythe (Harpers Ferry, WV - which technically is my hometown).

Duet - Walkin' My Baby Back Home

Why does music make me SO happy? I just love Natalie Cole - and especially the duets with her dad. How awesome is that? Here is the video for the headline song on the new album, Still Unforgettable that I just bought from Amazon.com. It is the first time I've done a digital MP3 download and I am pretty impressed.

You can't help tapping your feet and wanting to dance to this one!

Sunday Obsession

I know four terrific guys who are all heart and song. They have a band, and I can say I knew them when........when they were shorter than me........when they referenced their hygiene habits by years...... when they thought burping and farting was cool (and if they still do, I don't want to know).... and I got to see them live out their own relationships with Jesus, falling in love with him, grieving when the felt that they failed him, and wanting so much to point others to Him with their lives, with their music, with their all. They started this really great band, and although I haven't gotten to hear them play live in a long time, I never miss a new song when they have one posted on myspace. My son Kullen even made the first ever fan t-shirt. They are in a "battle of the bands" contest. Go take a listen. You can vote twice today, and you can vote every hour starting tomorrow. It'd be awesome to see these guys get a chance to really get their band recognized. I can tell you, they're the real deal.

I'm Loving This CD

I'm loving this Michael Buble CD, Call Me Irresponsible. I got it for Kendra for Christmas - and we fight over it constantly. Kaitlyn even loves it. This is the video for my personal favorite song called "Lost". It is so awesome. I dare you to listen to it and see if you don't love it too! Be sure to turn the Fine Tunes player at the top of the left sidebar off first!

Awesome!

I Just Totally Stole a Great Idea

My friend Shasta added a very cool Christmas music player to her blog - and it only took me a few days - but I finally figured out how to do it! I used to always have music on my blog, and it made me so happy, but having to host it on a site and then embed it and all that jazz was just not worth it! Then not long ago my girls were using something called "project playlist" on their myspaces, which is pretty neat - but WAY too big to use on my sidebars here. So, this one was just about perfect, and cute too - I love the way you can see the graphic of the CD that is playing. I have loaded all Christmas music. It will autoplay but I kept it at the top of my page so those of you who would prefer to peruse in silence, can still do so. If you want to change the song (let's face it - some of them are obnoxious after a while) just click to the right side of the player and it will go to the next song. Some of these are auto-filled so I don't even know them. Others are here deliberately.
Thanks for the hat tip, Shasta babe, you're da bomb!
Feedback would be great - is the music good - or is it annoying to have to click off? Most of us are now reading using Bloglines or Google Reader anyway - so whaddya think?

Song Lyric Sunday Contest

My friend Dwayne has been hosting "Song Lyric Sundays" at his blog for a month or two now and he decided to have a contest, which I think is pretty nifty. He shoots out a few lines from a tune from lots of different genres, and asks his visitors to name that tune, so to speak! It has been a lot of fun. Not long ago, he decided to host a bigger contest and I decided that I wanted to make him a "button" (even though I had never done it before!) If you like music, you might want to click on over there and check this contest out. There are prizes and everything!
We are having a little trouble with the button - can you please comment here and let me know if you can see it? Thanks!
Thank you Kaitlyn for holding my hand as I learned to make these blinking buttons!

The Good Life

I just had one of those moments when I realized that although my life isn’t perfect, it’s good. We are making friends – evidenced by the fact that I ran into a friend at the local Walmart and she let me bring her sweet little girl home with me to hang out with Kullen for the afternoon. It was just a piece of “real” – the being somewhere and running into somebody, stopping for a minute in the middle of the hustle bustle of your shopping to talk a minute. In the last year I have been merely the spectator in those kinds of moments that seemed to have been reserved for other people.

Just a little while ago, the kids were playing some sort of game down the 30 foot hallway that spans the length of our house using my broom and a wadded up sheet of paper as a sort of puck/ball. (Somebody tell me how the toy companies survive?) They were playing the “Lilo and Stitch” soundtrack thick with Elvis music and giggling. As I passed, Kullen and I had a tug-of-war with the broom. I wondered how many moms allowed such fun to go on in their homes without interfering. Maybe a lot of them – I just know I wasn’t allowed to play like that as a kid.

I have been baking pizza crusts all day in anticipation of a house full of teenagers for a "make your own pizza" and movie night. The smell of dessert pizza is wafting through the house, but it is not nearly as sweet as the thought of having a house full of friends, not to mention a new litter of kittens. It makes my heart soar.

I cut myself a piece of Kullen’s birthday cake, and went out and sat on the porch swing listening to the music of laughter inside, throwing my legs all the way out and in like I did as a little girl trying to swing my way to the moon. I realized how very happy my life is becoming, in spite of a lot of sadness.

CD Recommendation - Top of My Lungs

Oohh! I just have to recommend a CD. One thing that is always such a lift to my spirits is worship music. I love the song "Your Name":

Your Name is a strong and mighty tower
Your Name is a shelter like no other
Your Name ~ let the nations sing it louder
Cause nothing has the power to save
But Your Name

Today I was listening to the radio and heard the theme song of their new CD "Top of My Lungs". It was awesome. Listening to it on the way home this evening with Kendra I started bawling when the song "Amazed" was playing. The chorus goes like this:

Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You ~ how You love me

This was exactly what I have been feeling - why would HE love ME. That's the beauty part - even though He totally knows me - He just does.
If you're looking for a good CD - this one comes highly recommended.

Random Conversations

My oldest daughter is turning into such a precious young lady. But what I love is that she can look totally glamorous one second and be making noises like a wounded animal the next just to make people laugh. Her personality is so zany at times, and other times as deep as the ocean. Today I had to make a trip to the car insurance company, which was an hour away and she was the only one who wanted to accompany me. It gave us ample opportunity to talk. We talked about the Lord, and how she felt that she was in a spiritual slump lately. We talked about how cursing was not really about the "word" because somebody somewhere decided that it would make the list of swear words, but because of the heart - and that the people that say pooh or shoot or dang it or rats are no more righteous in God's sight. We talked about make-up. I developed a theory, albeit totally flawed theologically that God loves me more, because I gave birth to her - and if he thinks she's precious in His sight, how much more the person that is also precious in his sight that gave birth to her. (I was just teasing!) We listened to her new Nickelback CD - and then my Norah Jones and decided that my CD was much more relaxing. Although the conversations were random, what I realized through all of them is that I really like her. If this was MySpace, she'd definitely be in my top 10!

Hysterical Song

I guess because there is so much truth to what is in public education - it's not THAT funny! If you get a chance to go and listen to this song . Let me know what you think!

Note to Self - It's Not Worth It!

I don't wanna gain the whole world and lose my soul........
A song on the new TobyMac CD that I bought for Kullen has this verse in a chorus that plays in the background over and over. I don't wanna gain the whole world and lose my soul. What could be worth that?

Knees to the Earth

Have you ever heard a song, and you knew through it that God was comforting you? I started listening to this one after Boomama's blog about music! I was walking through the house singing this with all my heart earlier today - what comfort, how precious, it was a moment, a "walk" if you will with the Lord.

Knees to the Earth
by: Watermark

Wonderful Savior
My heart belongs to Thee
I will remember - always - the blood You shed for me
Wonderful Savior
My heart will know Your worth
So I will embrace You - always - as I walk this earth

Be blessed, be loved, be lifted high
Be treasured here
Be glorified
I owe my life to You, my Lord
Here I am......

Beautiful Jesus
How may I bless Your heart?
Knees to the earth - I bow down - to everything You are
Beautiful Jesus
You are my only worth
So let me embrace You - always -as I walk this earth

Be blessed, be loved, be lifted high
Be treasured here
Be glorified
I owe my life to You, my Lord
Here I am......

The second verse just grabbed me - my worth is in Him - my treasure is in Him - He is the reason that I am anything - and all that I have to offer Him is this life. I don't want to waste one more second tripping over the snares of loneliness, homesickness, or even rejection. He is all - He is enough - He is everything. Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me.
If anyone knows how to upload a music clip on Blogger - I would love to be educated!

No CHRISTMAS Music Yet!

It has gotten relatively cool in the evenings here - and since we left the windows open all night, it is pretty chilly this morning. (I love it!) But my crazy daughter, Kendra has decided that it is time to start singing Christmas music. She is walking through the house singing "And so I'm offering this simple phrase....." So I would like to send her a message via this blog -

People looking at our house for sale
Keeping it clean is quite a chore
School is starting in just an hour
And someone's knocking at the door
I'm in my pajamas and not awake
The coffee has not yet hit my brain
And if you sing songs about Christmas yet
I think I just might go insane
And so if you sing the Christmas songs -
You'll find yourself grounded in your room
I really don't mean to be a Grinch
But I don't want Christmas to come too soon!!!!!

AAAAHHHHK! I can't even think of Christmas yet - and when I do - I can't bear to think of how different it will be in Texas. Just give me a break!

Country Music State of Mind

I have always liked country music. I have enjoyed the ballads of homegrown lifestyle, hometown values, and patriotic pride that would unfortunately be intermingled with songs about honky-tonkin’, alcohol guzzlin’, and spouse cheatin’. Ten years ago, as a new believer, I would hear my four year old sing the lyrics to some of the songs, and I knew that I needed to make a change. I swore off country music for good – or at least I thought so.

I also love worship music. There is something pure, and beautiful about using the very breath that the Lord gave you to sing praises back to Him. I have heard the criticism about worship songs being 7-11s – where you sing 7 words 11 times. But something happens when you sing these songs – the tangible, physical world melts away and your spirit is free to worship in the presence of the Lord without reservation or hesitation.

A few years ago, Randy Travis brought these two loves together for me when he moved into the gospel/country music genre. He sang songs about faith and family, being baptized in the river, and lots of other things I could relate to. It was so cool.

More recently, as our hearts have been turned to Texas, I got on a country music kick. My kids are a little older now, and I have learned that when a song that is objectionable comes on the radio, I am not a captive audience – I can change the station! (I have also noticed every single time I am in the car with my friend Tina – a country song about TEXAS comes on the radio! Do you think that is a sign that she should move to Texas too??!)

Travis came home the other day and shared a song he’d heard in the car on his way to work – on the country station I had left it on – and it reminded him about his childhood, climbing trees, and running outside all day long getting into whatever he could. Travis is not very sentimental most of the time, but I think I saw his eyes watering as he was remembering. In Sunday school yesterday they played a song in our marriage class called “Little Moments” about those times in a marriage when you realize again that you still love that person! Kendra has found she really likes the love-songs. Those of us that are deeply committed to family, country and God can find a lot of country songs that hit us right where we are – and these are things the Lord values. So I have shed my legalism in favor of discernment, and started enjoying country music again – and use the good sense the Lord gave me to turn the dial when there’s something that opposes those beliefs!!