Sweet Baby James

We spent another warm summer night last Monday swaying to the music of one of our favorite performers, James Taylor. This is his third Utah concert we have attended over the years and the DNews gave it a great review. I can tell you where I was the first time I heard Fire and Rain (at the Minico gym at an after game dance, in case you're interested.) Rick and I don't always like the same music, but we are solid as a rock in agreement when it comes to loving the music of James Taylor. It's such a mix of sounds and it has stayed fresh over all these almost 40 years since he's been writing and performing music. We must own 9-10 of his CD's and a favorite is his Christmas CD. Our kids all have a healthy appreciation for his music as well, considering they were force fed his music on numerous trips while traveling in the car and while doing work around the house. His band was amazing, all gifted musicians on their own. We went with Rick's brother Doug and his sweet wife Deborah and had another memorable evening at Usana. There was a perfect gentle breeze in the outdoor arena mixed with the nectar of the greatest folk/rock/bluegrass/class-by-himself sound ever created. Lucky to be there.

Martina

Several years ago Martina McBride was the guest at Stadium of Fire in Provo. We attended with a big group of family and friends and had a great time. In fact, Jord was on her mission and returned just days later. We were still raving about the concert when she got home and she was so sad to have missed it, the best Sof F of all time. We'd never heard much of her music prior to the concert, and frankly neither Rick or I are country western fans. Then she started to sing. My, oh my, can that little girl sing! She must have perfect pitch or something and she can really belt it out. We bought her best hits album, along with her Christmas album, and we've been fans ever since. We love the themes and messages of her songs as well, especially her songs about strong women, standing up to domestic violence and drawing attention to child abuse.

At the beginning of the summer Rick told me that she was coming to Utah and performing at the outdoor theater USANA on the west side of SLC. We'd been there for a James Taylor concert a few years ago and we liked the venue, so we went to Smiths tix and got some tickets. Last weekend came along and it was time to see Martina. The concert was FABULOUS. Honestly, I love the sound of a BIG outdoor concert on a summer night. Her band was amazing and she sang so many of the songs that are familiar to us, plus some new ones that we loved.



Martina has a web site that is very interesting.



Claire and R got tickets to see her in their home town in a few weeks. They're in for a great evening. In addition to her voice, her beauty, her music and her huge stage presence, she is a good person. She's been married for many years and she has three daughters who she takes in tour with her every summer. She has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities and she is involved in going some good across this great land.


We like the lyrics to her songs, especially this one: Anyway
You can spend your whole life building
Something from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway
You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway
God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway
This world's gone crazy
It's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway
You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
In a moment they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway
God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yea - I do it anyway
You can pour your soul out singing
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yea, sing it anyway
Yeah, yeah!
I sing
I dream
I love anyway

Guess where we are headed this week?

Light

Here is a picture of my primary sampler from the1960s.







I cross-stitched it when I was about 9 or 10 years old. It says "I WILL BRING THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL INTO MY HOME" with a little house in one corner and my initials in the other.

I believe this simple motto with my whole heart. I believe that it is my responsibility (along with my husband) to bring light and truth into our home. Even though I may not have fully realized at the time I hand stitched this message with needle and thread, those words were being stitched into my heart and soul and made a deep impression on me. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, I have been blessed with light. I was taught at a young age about the light of Jesus Christ - how to recognize it and how to let it bless my life. Every person who is born into this world is given a free gift and that is the Light of Christ. It is the sense of what is right and what is wrong and what is true and what is false. I understood what actions, words and deeds brought light into my heart and home and what actions, words and deeds drove that light away.

"You make choices every day and almost every hour that keep you walking in the light or moving away toward darkness. Some of the most important choices are about what you set your heart upon. There are so many things you may consider desirable. For instance, all of us want to some degree, the approval of other people. All of us feel a need for friends. All of us are searching for some evidence that we are persons of worth. We make choices based on those desires. Some might lead us away from the light God offers us as a guide. Some may brighten that light by which we can find our way." Elder Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, May 2008

I had an interesting conversation several months ago with one of the professors with whom I work at BYU. He said "you can tell a lot about a person my what they put on the walls of their home. The things they display, the pictures they hang, the items they save and show. You can also tell what matters to them by what they keep in their garages - the items they collect, the cars they drive and the "toys" they accumulate. " Everyone collects things and we all enjoy the activities that those items bring to life. Is our "stuff" representative of what we value and believe? Does our accumulation of material possessions bring light into our homes?

Just like everyone, we have a large accumulation of items in our home and while not perfect, I hope that most of the items we collect give a sense of what we believe and what we value. I hope that when people come into our home that they feel a good feeling there. As the home decorator and keeper of the hearth in our home, I feel that I have a major responsibility to bring in light.

It's been my experience that these items help bring light into a home:
*a picture of the Savior Jesus Christ
*family pictures
*generational pictures showing where we came from - past ancestors and extended family members
*good books and magazines
*beautiful artwork/pictures that show uplifting themes
*pictures of the temple
*marriage pictures
*good music, especially on Sundays, helps bring a good feeling
*kind words spoken
*organization and tidiness, a good atmosphere
*flowers, plants and beautiful figurines/heirlooms
*piano music
*keepsakes displayed of family vacations and meaningful travels
*scriptures that are in view

In future posts, I hope to expand on the theme of bringing light into a home even beyond the physical surroundings. I think that if we don't actively and conscientiously bring in light, that darkness will creep in.

Apricots and the Magic Bullet

We picked several buckets of apricots from the trees at Rick's parents home on Monday. They make the best dried fruit and fruit leather. We've always enjoyed dried apricots, especially Rick. We've made dried fruits and leathers for years and the kids love it.






You just wash them, pit them and put them on the trays of the dryer. Couldn't be easier.














After about 8 hours, this is what you get. I bag of delicious dried apricots. I know, I know, they don't look so good, but the taste is great. The taste is more concentrated and they are very chewy.








This year we heard about a new idea from Rick's sister Robyn. We froze a bunch on several cookie sheets and we'll use them for smoothies through the fall and winter. So simple and a good change from the flavors we usually have.
Claire introduced us to the Magic Bullet when we visited her last. It's a great little blender that you can use to just make individual smoothies. There are six cups that come with it and I love it! The name doesn't make any sense to me and I usually can't remember it, so I just call it "the little blender."





Here is the finished product. Ready to go. I usually drink a smoothie on my way to work. Bottoms up!