Musical Memory Lane

So I am successfully doing one of the things on my goals list for 2011.

I am playing not one but sometimes two CDs a day. I randomly pick a couple CDs and the Baby and I listen to them throughout the day.

Most of the music is old school Christian music going back to the days when Audio Adrenaline and Out of the Grey were topping the Christian music charts.

Earlier this week it was Mitch McVicker who was in the car accident that killed Rich Mullins - gosh nearly 15 years ago. Can it be that long ago? I remember he died on my brother Louis' birthday and I was thinking of my brother and heard on the radio about the accident... Needless to say listening to music that is 15 years old and practically from another lifetime brings back memories of high school and college and the years following. Followed by googling all these old musicians to see what they are up to now. Because frankly the only group I keep up with is Third Day.

Anyhow, today, it was Eli and his "Things I prayed For" and its funny how I still remember the words to these songs! I can sing right along and my baby must think I am nuts!

Another oldie but goodie by Eli is "That's all the Lumber" in this video its sung by Ceili Rain. (It is a better video than any I could find by Eli.) I remember the words and the same little excited thrill still happens inside me when you get to the end of the song when the guy finally "get's it."

The old songs still have it. They renew and inspire ... thoughts from memory lane and also thoughts of the future as I teach my son to love the old music, learn the words and hope and pray he will live them too.

On the Band Wagon

I was feeling very uninspired to come up with any 2011 Goals or Resolutions like everyone else seems to be doing in the "Blogosphere". The best I could come up with is to be out of my PJs before 11am. Failing already. The bulk of my laundry are pajamas.

One blog I looked at asked all these abstract questions probing into your psyche. I've got no time for that!

Then, I found my inspiration here! Great idea I will use a journal book instead. Anyhow this jump started my idea maker so that now I have a list of Goals. Besides getting dressed by 11am.

I even created a Daily Log to help keep me accountable:
DAILY
Drink water
Take my vitamins
Listen to a different CD everyday and purge the ones I don't want anymore
Read to the baby
And
Get dressed by 11am

MONTHLY
Blog at least once a week
Read a book a month
Complete a craft project a month
Ebay something once a month


Well see how it goes.

Christmas Shells

The last few years we have been doing Christmas dinner differently. Usually we would do a turkey dinner and/or ravioli. Lately, we pick something that's a treat that we don't normal have like veal or prime rib.

This year it was veal cutlets and stuffed shells. I made the stuffed shells because I can't eat regular ravioli neither can my mom or brother. Making stuffed shells seemed a lot easier than making dairy free ravioli.

So this is what I did for my Christmas Stuffed Shells.

Pound+/- of ground meat (I had veal but it smelled funny so I had to pitch it and used turkey)
A Bag of frozen spinach
Onion
garlic
Mashed potatoes
egg
bread crumbs
salt & pepper

I cooked the meat, added all the other stuff to it and then stuffed the cooked shells with the concoction.

It was so easy after I got over the sorrow of the spoiled veal and after my neighbor provided me with more mashed potatoes -because I had less than I thought.
The baby took one of his 2 hour naps (PTL) and I got them all done Christmas Eve.

We smothered it in sauce and called it Christmas Dinner.



I am excited to try them again maybe making them a little bit more like pierogies next time hmm potato, onion and spinach - yum!

Fruit of my Grandparents

I wrote the following for my grandparents for Christmas. My Pop suggested I have it patented... well I don't know about that but I can self publish ;-) and share with the world just how wonderful my grandparents are!

As you near 90, I think of all the years I have been blessed to have you in my life. Now that I have Walter I think of all the things I want him to learn from you, inherit from you, and value like you do. Here are just a few...

I hope he learns the value of a compost pile.

I hope he learns and develops the skill and patience to produce something

whether its tomatoes, honey, wine …

I hope he is generous with his loved ones and those in need.

I hope he can tell a good story and include a song in it too

and appreciate a good story when he hears one.

I hope he works circles around everyone else.

I hope he has a mind for remembering details (names, birthdays, dates, faces) because people feel respected & loved when you remember their name etc...

I hope when people hear his name they only have good things to say.

Changes in Waiting

I saw an e-Harmony commercial today and I thought of the 2 couples I know who got married thanks to e-harmony. I wondered to myself, "Does it still work for people? I have been out of the online dating world for 4 years now. Can you believe it FOUR years!?" It hardly seems possible.

Here I am finally married and the mother of an almost 11 month old and I am still waiting.
I waited for years for it all to happen and now that I have my Walters there are just new things to wait for.

The baby and I went to the laundromat today and along the way I was looking at the houses with for sale signs and wondering what the property taxes are. You see now I am waiting for a house with a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, and a real bedroom for my fairly light sleeping baby. We are just waiting for the right time for us and researching the best places to look. I drive by houses and wonder are you the one? Reminiscent of dinners out with friends wondering whether the new guy might be the one... Now I wonder what will my house be like? Will it be brick or stone or icky 4 inch vinyl siding? Will it be new or old? Rancher? Laundry room on the main floor or the basement? How far will it be from my parents? Will there be a church nearby that we can agree on? Will I like the neighbors? Will there be neighbors?

It must be just a matter of the human condition that we struggle with always wanting more or different. Or maybe it is a woman thing... or maybe just a Lizzy thing. I shutter to think what I will be wanting after we finally do get a house. I am exhausted just thinking about it. Exhausted because of the patience I must exert to not get overly anxious waiting. (Something tells me the next thing will involve some kind of tropical trip.)

On many levels waiting for a house can't compare with waiting for a husband. All the hard work is already done! Having waited so long for him, is helping me to wait more patiently now. Unfortunately, I think my husband thinks I am not being nearly patient enough.

I think on laundromat day my patience is running much thinner. I indulged in a little home searching when I got home but decided blogging was a better use of my time with the baby napping so well. Laundry day gets me down because its such a stinking hassle - loading unloading, quarters, strange clientele... Then, I remind myself it could be worse. I could be washing in a dirty river or bringing water back in a pot balanced on my head to wash my things.

In life there is waiting, there is no way around it. Waiting for husbands, babies, nap time, a house, a day off, a vacation, a new idea the list goes on and its always changing.