12 Step for thrifty craft purchases?

Some of you know this about me already, but some may not know that when God made me, he put the crafting/artsy gene in my DNA makeup.  I have always loved art ever since I can remember.  

I think the earliest memory I have is art class in 3^rd grade (age 6/7).  We made all sorts of different art projects and I remember many of them from that particular year.  This art teacher was very innovative and I think her creativity and style of teaching was what grew the seed (of creating and love for art/crafts) already planted inside of me.  Our class project would be regularly displayed near the lunch room and the art teacher would pick one student’s project to be the main display for the whole class with everyone else’s project surrounding the selected display.  One of the projects we did was making a winter postage stamp on a large size piece of construction paper.  Most of the kids – including myself – copied the teacher’s example and created a snowman on a hilly winter backdrop.  Well, I was super excited when I passed by our class’s display to find my snowman as the chosen piece for our class display! 

One view of the craft closet

Fast forward 30 or so years, and I realize how out of control this lover of creating/art has become!

I had a recent awakening to a not-so-serious but potentially “hazardous” silent problem – maybe even addiction.   This recent awakening/revelation came when I had a couple of open evenings on my schedule and decided that I was going to tidy up my craft closet.   Yes – I have a closet full of crafting supplies.   A closet.  Did I mention that it is FULL of crafting/art supplies?  Yikes!  Maybe my sister was right about me.   I just couldn’t help myself when I saw someone getting rid of craft supplies – I’d ask for them so they wouldn’t be thrown out.  Or how about the dollar/clearance bins at Michael’s and AC Moore stores?  I’d only get a couple of items here and there…

What was I thinking?

Well, “here and there” ended up becoming a closet full of supplies!  I looked at all of the supplies and wondered, “What was I thinking?” 

A recent co-worker who found out I like to scrapbook, sent me a youtube video that really made me laugh out loud.  I felt like she found me on youtube without even knowing it!  (Click here for ScrapbookHoarders Youtube video.)

After watching this video and the awakening after my closet clean up, I decided to modify the original 12 step program to fit my situation with crafting supplies:

1. I admit I am powerless over free or dollar deal crafting purchases - that my crafting/art supply closet has become unmanageable.
2. I have come to believe that a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity. [Gravity!  I had items fall over and on top of me when I went into my craft closet!]
3. Made a decision to turn my crafting purchasing/collecting portion of my life over to the care of Bonnie, My Sister, fellow crafter and Sponsor.
4. Make a searching and fearless honest inventory of my craft closet.
5. Admitted to Bonnie (my crafting Sponsor), to myself, and to another human beings (all of my blog post readers) the exact nature of my crafting purchase/collecting habit wrongs.
6. Be entirely ready to delete all coupon emails from AC Moore, Michaels, JoAnn’s and ARCHIVERS in order to remove all possible temptations of being lured into the store(s).
7. Humbly ask my Sponsor to do random craft check ins to help me remove my craft purchasing shortcomings.
8. Make a list of all persons I have harmed (with my craft creations), and become willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continue to take personal craft supply inventory, and when I have purchased craft items and not actually made a craft, promptly admit it.
11. Sought through my Sponsor, make sure she validates that a craft purchase truly is needed before I make a purchase.
12. Having had an awakening as the result of these steps, I will try to carry this message to craft/art collecting addicts, and to practice these principles in all my crafting affairs.

I’ve also posted another crafter’s 12 steps here:  http://www.craftsayings.com/projects/gag_gifts/craftaholic/index.shtml

In all seriousness, I do love to create/craft/scrapbook/make cards, etc.  It is therapeutic for me.  What I need to do is make sure I set aside time to create/craft more often.  

So, if anyone of you out there can relate, I'd love to hear from you!  Better yet, let's plan a time to craft/create!  

See you at Michael's/AC Moore!  ;-)

~Joyce

Swimming Lessons

So I have been on Hiatus the past week, but I'm back!!!! We have been taking Royce twice a week to swimming lessons. Now, I know some of you are thinking "What could a 15 month old seriously learn at swimming lessons"? Well, definitely not how to swim. My family has a lake house at Kerr Lake and we go a lot in the summer. We are always out on the boat and Royce is really getting curious about the water and the boat especially.We also have a pool in our neighborhood and every time we go he just cries when we put in the water! So I just want him to get comfortable being in the water and since I am not the best swimmer myself, I thought a swim teacher would know better than me!


So two weeks ago we went to our first lesson. I swear I almost left that very first night! Bart got in the water with him that night. To say that he did not like it would be the biggest understatement of the year. He clung to Bart's neck and cried the entire lesson. Of course mine was the only one crying to add insult to injury! I forced myself to take him to the second lesson. I am so glad I did! Bart wasn't able to go, so it was my turn! After we got in and he got used to the water temperature, he slowly let go of his death grip on my neck and actually let me turn him around and interact with the other children. Now at week three of our lessons, he is doing SO much better! He splashes and kicks his legs. Last night he even let me put his face down in the water!


So, for everybody who thinks I am crazy, I am so glad we did this! We went to the lake this past weekend with family, and he really did so much better. If it wasn't for the fact that he has to wear this ridiculous life jacket, I think he might have actually enjoyed himself! Although he did relax in his lifr jacket enough to go to sleep while were at the fireworks!


Anyway, so that is what I have been up to in my crazy little life lately! Between work, family, and the band, sometimes I feel like there is not enough of me to go around! But I wouldn't have it any other way! Hope you guys have a great week!!!!


Beth

The Demise of Country Music

I, like many people in this world, am a huge country music fan. I love what it stands for. I love the storytelling. I love the instruments. I love EVERYTHING about country music. I owe a great deal of my songwriting and style to country music. That said, there has been a definite decline in the "realness" of country music over the past few years.

To fully understand my dislike for the direction of today's country music, one must first understand where country music got it's roots. In the early 20's a ton of people from the Appalachian areas moved into the cities to work in cotton mills, and the factories. When these "backwoods" people brought their "hillbilly music" to the city, it was something completely different to the more urban people. They didn't care much for it actually. However, with the influx of hillbillies into the city, there was a definite market for this music. And a MUCH larger market than the market they had on their front porch in the middle of nowhere. They brought a unique sound and a level of emotion to the music that most people hadn't heard before, much like the blues music from the same era. In fact there were many early country artists that recorded blues music while the country music scene was taking shape. One thing was the backbone of the music....It was real. The stories that were told were those that many of the cotton mill workers could relate to.

In the 30's and 40's came the Western movement...Cowboys. REAL cowboys. Real hardworking cowboys with incredible stories to tell...Stories that could break your heart, paint you a picture and make you smile, all at the same time.

This trend kept going for years and years. Different times brought different styles of music. Yet the backbone remained the same. The instruments, the theme, the feel of the songwriting and storytelling kept everything in tact. Whether its the hillbilly boogie, rockabilly, gospel-folk,  honky-tonk, outlaw country, even country rock like Bob Dylan and John Denver fell into the same niche of instruments, songwriting and storytelling. All was well....

....And then came the "I'll write a song just to get a single" country music. Leading the way was "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"...Pure crap. Country music had gotten so commercialized that artists went from writing and performing the songs that touched them and the songs that made them who they were to singers whose only purpose in the business was to make a dollar by singing about the stereotypes that the REAL country artist had EARNED.

Country music was NEVER intended to be mainstream, but now that it was, people were going to make some money and put out catchy hooks about horses they've never ridden,  guns they had never shot, whiskey they had never drank and worst of all, a Lord that they didn't seem to know very well.

There are still a few Jamey Johnson's in the crowd who write songs about their life with no restraint on the realness of what they sing about. Songs that you can feel just as much as you can hear like Miranda Lambert's "House that Built Me" or ANY Gary Allen song.

On the other hand, there is Blake Shelton singing his song "Boys 'Round Here" ...Quite possible the worst song to ever grace the Country music radio stations. It is a disgrace...Like 100 years of songwriting and storytelling has been thrown away just so these CITY-SLICKER PANSIES can sing songs about things they OBVIOUSLY know nothing about. Living in the country doesn't make you "Country". Being country makes you country....

And I leave you with the worst of all of them....TOBY KEITH....Suck to a never ending level of SUCK...Toby Keith is like a NASCAR...I think he writes songs and gets paid to drop names...There is no telling how many "Red SOLO Cups" have been sold since they obviously took out an advertising slot on his album...

Get real people. Writing songs is IN YOU. It is ABOUT YOU. And good songs come FROM YOU and  your experiences. Not from what you think it would be like to be country....

Here's to decent songwriting/storytellers in the VERY NEAR FUTURE...I don't think I can handle anymore....

Unlocking the chains of the "Lawspel"

"It's not what we do that determines who we are; it is who we are and how we perceive ourselves that determines what we do."         -N.Anderson/M.Quarles

This quote goes against everything we are taught today.  Everything - our identity - ends up being wrapped up in what we do.  We even start out that way when we introduce ourselves to people.  "Nice to meet you John. So, what do you do?"  We follow up quickly by mentioning we work for such-n-such company for so many years and before that it was so-n-so company.  This do-ing seeps into every aspect of our lives and slowly somehow our doing/actions end up defining us.  This even ends up happening in the church today.

So many Christians are walking around thinking it is what they do that defines their faith.   This is a very tricky and slippery slope that can lead quickly to discouraging thoughts, depression and despair.  Why?  Because if we look to what WE do, we know we fail - or better yet, we did lots of "good deeds" so we consider ourselves to be a good person.  Our identity becomes wrapped up in how good or bad we are instead of who we are in Christ.   Moralistic based religion instead of true Christianity.  (I know, because I used to be in that frame of mind/thought for years and it paralyzed me.)  

I created a word that helps define this awkward and paralyzing land of limbo.  It's called the "lawspel".  The definition is when the Law (rules and regulations) is mixed with the Gospel (grace and freedom through our identity in Christ).  It is a faith that starts out knowing you're saved - but then after you are saved, you just better work hard at being a good man/woman/boy/girl - or else!  There is a familiar saying out there, "Don't smoke, drink or chew - or hang out with people that do!"  Simply put, it is "works based" chains of bondage religion.  It is not true Christianity.  It is exactly what Paul wrote about to the Galatians.    

The only way to unlock the chains of works based lawspel bondage is by having the right keys.  The keys are grace (the gospel) and (a correct understanding of one's) identity in Christ.  God's grace and love are so much bigger than we think.  Many of us already have heard about Christ dying in our place but what we skip over so many times is the fact that his dying on the cross and being raised again paid for ALL of our sin - past, present AND future sin.  Yes - all of it....including future sin!  At the cross, Christ sealed our identity in HIM.   When God the Father sees us (those who believe), He sees Christ.   Forever. Period. Always. That is my identity.  And if you believe in Christ, it is your identity as well.  His love for us never ends.  I mean, never ever!  It doesn't mean we won't sin again, or that we should sin up a storm - but it does mean that it is ALL paid for even when we do!  God's mercy and love is THAT big and unending.  Now that is good news!  That is truth that is truly heart changing.  To know that no matter what I do, good or bad, I am loved and accepted by God because of Christ.  That knowledge and understanding of the gospel is what drives my motivation to want to love more and sin less - not the reverse.  

This is so hard for some to grasp because our culture is so works oriented.  We applaud and reward for good behavior and punish for bad/wrong behavior.  With God, it is all based on what his son did - not on what we did, or do or will do.  It's all about Jesus.  His grace really is sufficient.  

2 Peter 3:18 "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

-Michael

P.S. If you are searching to know more about grace and true freedom in Christ, I've added a couple of resources that helped me break free of the "lawspel":

Christless Christianity by Michael Horton (The book that started it all for me - thanks for recommending it Phil in NY!  This book should be mandatory reading for all Christians.)

The Gospel Driven Life by Michael Horton  (The follow up book to Christless Christianity.)

4 years of messages by my good friend Gordon Duncan:  You can find some of those messages here on Sermoncloud.   

Freedom from Addiction by Neil T.Anderson and Mike & Julia Quarles   (This book is not just for people struggling with addictions - it is a great resource for learning about identity in Christ.)

QBQ ~ Peeling the onion, Time Management and a Fearless Heart

This week I was so frustrated with some of my work - with some people and also myself - all for different reasons.  I got so frustrated after a certain conference call this week that I just had to get it out and talk to someone.  This particular day (of the conf.call), I was able to find an open office of an exec (whom I call Yoda) and plopped myself in a chair and started spitting out frustrations.   After about 10 minutes of talking back and forth he finally asked me "Why are you so frustrated? Better yet, what really is making you frustrated?"

Those two questions made me stop and think for a bit.  It helped snap me out of the downward spiral of whining/complaining. It reminded me of what Michael is always bringing up in conversations we have.  "What is the QBQ (question behind the question)?  Peel the onion." he always says to me.  He received this from reading a book by John G. Miller a while ago.  QBQ focuses on the personal accountability part of our daily lives.

What was making me feel really frustrated?  Was frustration even the right word to use?  I had to look up the definition.

Yup.  That was the right word, alright - at least for some things like the particular conference call I mentioned and also other people.  As for the frustration with myself - well, that I do have the ability to make some changes - so I decided that I need some time to re-calibrate.  I need to renew my mind and what is truly important in my life and make sure that I am putting the important things first as best as possible.   Something that helps me "re-calibrate" is sitting outside in nature and just taking time to think.  As I sat outside this week, I look around and when I saw rocks and pebbles around my feet, it reminded me of Covey's principle of time management told through the rocks/pebbles/sand visual.  (Big rocks first, then little rocks, then sand -- any other way and it all gets messed up.)

Another way I renew is with music - of course.  Sometimes I write songs, sometimes I listen to songs.  Music is therapy.  I think that's why I also like the book of Psalms so much - many of those songs are life re-calibration / renewal thoughts.  

This morning I was listening to one of my favorite group artists - Point of Grace - while getting ready for work.  While listening to their 24 album, a couple of songs came on that really "spoke" to me (and the week that I had).  [Fearless Heart and Blue Skies]   I have to remember that when I am frustrated with things that I cannot change, I can trust in God because he is over it all.  

I'll leave you with this rock and serenity prayer to think about when you're having a day of frustration:

until next blog post,

~Joyce

From a Musician's Wife...To being a mother...To Fighting for life!

     Some of you may know me as "Josh's wife". Over 9 years ago, after Josh and I had gotten out of bad relationships, we were introduced by our mutual friend, Beth (one singer of the JPB). We became best friends instantly and within a few months, Josh asked me (on an old couch in his barn where he practiced) if I would be his wife...of course, I said YES! The following July we were married and have been married for 8 years at this end of this month.
     Our marriage has been amazing! There have been good and bad times but there is nobody that I would rather share my life with other than Josh. We were married 6 months when I found out I was pregnant with our first child! We were so excited!
     When our first child, a son, Carter, was born, our life was forever changed! We saw what a true gift from God was. It was a beautiful, red headed, 5 lb baby boy. But this also began a journey that I never would have dreamt of.
     Carter was born with two holes in his heart, a hypoplastic thumb and a missing right kidney. But he was PERFECT! He had the most infectious smile, energetic, loved Elmo and Thomas the Train. He was a typical boy that loved to fish and ride his bicycle. At 13 months old, however, our life was turned upside down. Our baby boy was sick...he was diagnosed with Fanconi anemia.
     Fanconi anemia(FA) is a rare, genetic recessive disease that carries a lifetime of problems. This causes multiple birth defects, failure to thrive, bone marrow failure, cancer, hormone deficiencies, vision and hearing loss, and the list can go on and on.
     To make a long story short, Carter's immediate risk was of bone marrow failure. We met with an FA specialist and he told us that the best chance for Carter surviving a bone marrow transplant, was for us to conceive a perfectly matched sibling. How do we go about doing this, we asked our doctor? Well, we basically had to "make" a perfectly HLA matched sibling to Carter but the sibling could not have FA. Since FA is genetic, there is a 1 in 4 chance we could conceive another child with this disease. At this point, we started IVF and PGD. IVF (in vitro fertilization) and PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) is a combination of retrieving and fertilizing eggs and testing to see if the embryos are a perfect match to Carter and if they are free of FA. We had a total of 5 matches between two cycles of this but none of them took.
     After Carter's 3rd birthday, his health declined rapidly. We had run out of time. A bone marrow transplant with a matched sibling donor would have given Carter a 95% survival rater but with a unrelated donor, his chances were only 70%. Our transplant doctor called us and said we had to proceed with transplant. In January of 2010, we moved our family to Minneapolis, MN and began this journey. We left our home, our family, our friends, our community. We were scared. The doctor came in and told us to be prepared because there is a chance we may not come home with Carter alive. Six months went by and Carter did well through out transplant.
     When Josh and I left that cold, January day for Minnesota, we were two very different people than when we returned. We had witnessed our one and only son literally fight for his life. Many people asked us how we handled it with us being so young? Well, we didn't but God did! God is the reason Carter is with us today! God did this!
     During my IVF/PGD cycles I had some complications and was told I would not be able to become pregnant again on my own. This was hard for us because we always wanted a house full of children! But the doctors were wrong...I gave birth to our second son, Ethan, almost exactly one year after Carter's transplant! Ethan is our second miracle and he has completed our family!
     Over the past 3 years since Carter's transplant, there have been a lot of ups and downs. Carter has had to endure multiple surgeries, hospital stays, illnesses and missed just being a kid. We are at a point now that while the transplant is over, Carter is NOT cured. There is NO CURE for FA! He has to be screened for cancer several times per year, he has to have supplemental nutrition through a feeding tube, he is on a handful of medications and growth hormone shots daily. He has some hearing and vision loss. His little body has to endure a lot but this disease is cruel. It is not a matter of IF Carter will get cancer, it is WHEN he gets it. We know that he will get cancer. We know that most children with FA don't live much past their early adult hood but we are not the one who knows when Carter will lose his fight with this disease. Instead, we just try to live life as much as we can with caution and make every day with our precious children count! We have to trust that God will give us more time with our children, as we know that none of us are promised tomorrow!
     I encourage each of you to not take one day with your loved ones for granted. We have had a lot of scary situations with Carter and have almost lost him several times but there is one thing I can tell you, I will never give up fighting for him and with him! I will always fight the good fight for both of my children and Josh! They are everything to me!
     As a wise older woman once told me "speak to your mountain. claim your mountain. God can move that mountain'. I am sure many of you are faced with different circumstances in your life but always remember that things could be so much worse. Every day I have to watch a disease slowly take my son from me and I know that one day, cancer will take over his body. This is something I can never change. But I could also be mourning the loss already of my son. I could not have my children. So for every day that I am given to wake up, kiss my children's cheeks and give them a hug, is always a great day! For every night that Josh wakes me because he wrote a new song, I am thankful! Because its moments like this, we can never get back when they are gone.

Live, laugh and love and always have FAITH!
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

What has God done for you? What miracles are in your life?

Until another time,
Crystal aka Josh's wife
 

 

....And the Greatest Is Love

Good evening everyone! Josh here.

I, like most of you guys, have spent a great deal of time over the past few weeks watching our country being split apart once again over an issue that can easily be overcome. Hatred, racism and a general disgust for anyone who has a different opinion than your own.

My point in this post is not to stir any crazy emotions and/or anger anyone. It is simply to put into perspective one single biblical passage that could transform our country and our planet. I am scared. I am worried that we have collectively lost touch with reality and are struggling to overcome a sense of hopelessness that has been placed on our lives unexpectedly by a world that is lost and void of our Lord.

As I watched the coverage of the Treyvon Martin/George Zimmerman trial and subsequent verdict, I was struck with an overwhelming reality that we are NOT acting like one nation. We will NEVER agree on everything that we do. We will NEVER get our way every time we set out to accomplish a goal. But worst of all, we are NOT acting like one group of God's children. After all, that is what we are supposed to be. ONE.

During my daily Bible reading tonight I was drawn to this one verse that could change everything if we can only apply it to everything we do.

³¹ And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:31

Why is this SO important? What makes this commandment the greatest of all? Because if WE ALL do this, everything else will fall into place.

I don't want to be the one to rain on your parade...I really don't. But, this world is going crazy. Everywhere you turn or look there is something bad happening. When did we stray so far from God's word that we collectively forgot about the most important thing? Or have we actually reached a time where enough people don't know the word that it isn't  applicable to their day to day lives?

God loved us SO much that he sacrificed His only son to pre-pay our sin debt and allow us to have complete and total forgiveness in His eyes. THAT IS LOVE! That is the kind of love that can literally change the world. The kind of love that can feed the hungry, empower the weak, heal the sick, and give hope to a seemingly hopeless world. 

We HAVE to get back to the basics. I don't mean throwing away cell phones and cutting off Internet. I mean the basics of GOD'S message to us. Times change. Technology changes. But the message that Jesus came here to preach is always relevant. LOVE one another! Treat everyone with respect. And live a life of good morals that glorifies HIM. 

There is nothing in this world that is too difficult if we face it as a team. The only way to truly face it as a team is to LOVE one another like we love ourselves. That's what Jesus told us in Mark 12:31.

I LOVE YOU ALL
I LOVE YOU ALL
I LOVE YOU ALL
I LOVE YOU ALL
I LOVE YOU ALL
I LOVE YOU ALL
I LOVE YOU ALL
I LOVE YOU ALL .....................................

-Josh

Antiques Roadshow!

My blog post is a little late, because every Monday night I am watching the Antiques Roadshow on PBS.  I love this show.  In fact, my friends and family know that I like it so much, no-one should call me during the time it is on TV.  If they call, I don't answer until after the show.   I don't watch many TV shows, but the Antiques Roadshow is one of the times I just sit on the sofa with Joyce and my cats and we don't do anything else.

My favorite host of the ARS was Lara Spencer.  She is now on ABC and Mark Walberg is the current host. One of my favorite appraisers is the guy who appraises the posters - Nicholas Lowry.  He is always wearing a crazy suit.  I also like watching the Keno brothers appraise the furniture.  They are so passionate about antique furniture!  It's cool watching them come alive when they pass on their knowledge of a person's furniture treasure.

Speaking of furniture, one time early in our marriage after watching many Antiques Roadshows, Joyce went to a thrift store and purchased a HUGE nautical looking lamp.  I mean, this wooden lamp and shade was really big and chunky.  I think she was thinking it might be worth something someday - but it didn't go with anything we had in our apartment and ended up going back to goodwill a few months later.  It was crazy.  I tease her all the time about it when we watch the Roadshow.  I say, "My wife bought a lamp once!"   She and I just laugh about it now.

Maybe we'll end up going to a Roadshow one of these days.  We'd just have to figure out what we could bring to get appraised.  Thank goodness I won't have to bring the nautical lamp!!

signing off for now,
-Michael

Do you have Musicalsphobia?

Ok, I admit it.  I am a sucker for musicals!  I know some of you might be yawning or some might have had traumatizing experiences that gave you musicalsphobia (a word I made up b/c there is no real phobia for musicals - only for music in general).  However, as a vocalist, I have to give some credit to musicals for helping feed my love of singing/music.

My first favorite of course is The Sound of Music.  It used to come on tv every year (when I was a little girl) and we - the whole family - would all cluster together, pile up and around the tv with lots of husband/arm pillows for this annual musical showcase!  One of the coolest early memories I have was getting to see my Aunt Nancy perform as Liesl when her HS put on The Sound of Music.  My top 3 favorite songs from this musical are Do Re Mi, followed by My Favorite Things and The Lonely Goatherd.   Do Re Mi taught me music theory without even knowing it at the time.

It's hard to pick a second favorite, so I'll just run down a list of a few that affected me in different ways over the years.

Mary Poppins - I know that this was a Disney movie, but there are SO many good songs in it!  Who doesn't remember Spoonfull of Sugar?  Or how about Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?  And my favorite that still makes me laugh to this day - I Love to Laugh!  Ha Ha Ha Haahhh!

Singin' In The Rain - This is a classic musical!  My sister Bonnie and I used to sing two songs from it quite a bit - especially when it rained on a camping trip:  Singin' in the Rain and Good Mornin' - I actually think this musical is one of my sister's favorites as well!

White Christmas - A 1954 American musical classic that I love to watch every year around the holidays!  I know that most people were drawn to Bing Crosby and his voice, but I really love when the songs were sung with everyone.  My two favorite songs from this musical are Sisters and White Christmas (finale version).  I also really loved seeing all that incredible dancing with Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen!  (That woman's waist was so tiny!)  They looked like they were just floating around the stage.

The first time I was introduced to West Side Story, was when my friend's high school's drama club was putting it on as a performance/production.  This Romeo/Juliet type musical was packed full of adventure, dancing and singing.  My two favorite songs are America and Tonight (quintet/chorus version).

I can't remember when I first saw My Fair Lady, but it is now one of my all time favorites!  I think it must have been during high school sometime, because I remember trying out for a part in the play and I didn't know the correct  English accent - which totally x'd me from the potential cast.  It was one of my first times stepping out to try something bold (I was very shy in HS) and received full out immediate rejection.  (Something we all have to face at some point in our lives.)  Anyhow, I absolutely loved the cast from the 1938 film version with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison!  (Short note if you didn't know this:  Audrey didn't sing in that film!  Her voice was considered inadequate and Marni Nixon's voice was dubbed into the movie.  See - even Audrey had some rejection with this musical!)  I really like all of the songs - so it is hard to chose favorites.  I guess I would say I could've Danced All Night, The Rain In Spain and I've Grown Accustomed to her Face.   (FYI - I think Michael's favorite song in this musical is A Hymn to Him - Why can't a woman be more like a Man.)

I think every girl growing up in my generation saw Annie at least once if not a hundred times.  Aileen Quinn and Albert Finney were the perfect Annie and Daddy Warbucks - and Carol Burnett was off the charts amazing in her role as Miss Hannigan!  So many good songs in this musical as well.  I think my three favs are: Tomorrow, Your're Never Fully Dressed without a Smile and I Don't Need Anything But You.

Last but not least, one musical that I knew the music before seeing it was Fiddler on the Roof.  One of the four years I was in the Arlington High School Marching Band, we had our music all based on Fiddler on the Roof.  We had an amazing choreographer for the color guard that just made visual for the music over the top good!  There is nothing more amazing than when music comes together with visuals.  It can be so powerful.  I think that is why I not only like musicals, but I also can't get enough of music scores for movies.  (More about that some other blog post!)  If you can believe it, I still have my AHS marching band field charts and music for Fiddler.  I think my fav songs are Tradition, To Life and the Wedding Celebration/Bottle dance.

Wow...There are so many great musicals out there that I didn't even get to mention!  Well, I hope you enjoyed a brief look into all the many many musicals that touched my life/impacted my love for singing/music!

until next blog post,
~Joyce

Abandoned Houses

I am not quite sure how or when it all started, but there is something that just rises to the surface when I take

a drive or walk and see an old abandoned house.   I see them everywhere - and I am drawn to them.  It is hard for me to just keep driving or walking.  If I could, I would go inside every one of them.

It makes me sad to see them in their abandoned state - where ivy and weeds have overgrown the side or front.  I try to imagine what family (or families) lived there and what their story was.  I sit and wonder why the property was left.  

One of my dreams is to reclaim an old abandoned house and bring it back to what it was intended to be/look like.  I search sites and blogs like http://www.historicproperties.com/results.asp and search tirelessly on listings of historical homes that need to be renovated.  I especially like when they are located in a small town that is packed full of history.  I would even love to maybe own my own "Dragonfly Inn" providing I have a "Sookie St.James" to run it with me.  

Below are a few links of pictures of abandoned houses and other sites.  What do you think / feel about abandoned buildings?  I'd love to hear your experiences/stories!  

Have a great fourth of July holiday weekend everyone!

~Joyce

Enjoy the shared links!

http://www.photographyblogger.net/30-cool-abandoned-house-pictures/

http://www.youramazingplaces.com/34-abandoned-but-beautiful-places/

http://pinterest.com/vikkitowsey/love-old-abandoned-houses/

http://pinterest.com/megangorey/i-love-abandoned-buildings/

http://pinterest.com/darleneclement/old-abandoned-houses-would-love-to-fix-one-up/

Cake Batter Up!!!!!

So, if you read my earlier post on 20 things you don't know about me, then you now know I like to make cakes. My Co-worker and I took all 4 cake decorating classes at Micheal's about 6 years ago or so. My husband, Bart, didn't attend any of the classes, but somehow learned right along with me when I would come and practice. So now, Bart, my Co-worker, and I make cakes for family, friends, and Co-workers. Two weeks ago we were asked to do a baseball themed wedding cake for another co-worker. She had been on pinterest and saw a wedding cake that was white with red baseball stitching on it!!! Her Fiancee is the Athletic Director at a local high school, so this cake was perfect for them.

This is the picture she sent from Pinterest!

Cute right? So we had to make this the night that storm came through Raleigh and left thousands without power! My Co-worker didn't have any electricity! Thank God the Town of Fuquay did, so she loaded up her stand mixer, and off to Casa De Tyler she came! We stayed up until almost 1:00 in the morning finishing that cake. It was tiring, but we truly had a blast! The cake turned out perfect ( at least we thought so), and looked for the most part just like the picture on Pinterest! We dropped it off the next day, and the reception site was gorgeous! Making cakes for a BIG event like this can be so stressful, and evverytime I do it I say I'm not doing anymore! Then, in the end, I feel great to have helped someone out and make them happy! At least until they eat the cake and it's all gone! So I'll probably stay with it a little while longer!

Hope everybody has a great week and SWEET dreams, literally!!!

Beth

Josh Pepper : Rig Rundown

Hey guys...It's me again...I know when we started this blog we said that we were NOT going to post about music ONLY...I have failed miserably. So here we go again....

I'm posting a rundown of all of my gear. What makes me sound like me? Here ya go! Now I know that NOBODY will give a "you know what" about what type equipment I use now...But it's kind of like the movie "Field Of Dreams". If you build it they will come. I've spent the better part of my playing days watching and reading my heroes' "rig rundown" to achieve a sound that I feel like is unique to me and my playing style. So here goes......

Guitars:

Yamaha AC1M - My main acoustic guitar. EVERY SINGLE acoustic that I've owned over the years has been traded and some sort of Yamaha has replaced it. Their older "red label" models are some of the best instruments around. I traded in a Taylor 214 acoustic electric for this guitar when Yamaha first introduced this model...Yamaha acoustics are the ONLY acoustics that I have ever played that make me feel happy inside....okay, is that enough buttering up??? (cough cough - endorsement deal- cough cough hint hint)...But seriously, I'd recommend ANY Yamaha acoustic guitar over any other low/mid range guitars. They just know how to build them.
















Epiphone 12 String (Custom) - This is the newest edition. Newest family member..Beautiful guitar that sounds incredible. Every now and then you find a guitar that sounds so good that you overlook the fact that price often=quality. This thing sounds and feels like a MUCH MUCH more expensive guitar. It was painted custom pearl white with teal streaks by the previous owner who owned a body shop and had some left over PEARL WHITE from a 69 Caddy....I feel like Elvis would love this thing!






1970's Yamaha FG-75 Red Label Nippon Gakki - As I said before, Yamaha makes amazing guitars! The older ones (if you can find one) are absolute treasures. I bought this guitar for $65 from an older gentleman who had it from the day it left the Yamaha factory. It was and is in incredible condition (considering the age and typical wear). I installed an LR Baggs M1A sound hole pickup for live situations. It's a smaller guitar, similar to the Gibson Blues Box styles of Robert Johnson in the early 1900's. Sounds so sweet on finger-picking blues songs!

Gibson ES135 - This one is actually my dad's guitar. I pulled it out of a heap of dust one day and was furious that it hadn't been played in so long. It's been my main guitar ever since I put my palms around it. It is from the last run of the Gibson ES135 and has the pointed cutout instead of the rounded ones like the 137. Good for everything from jazz to rock to country and PERFECT for our style of bluesy funk rock.



Fender Deluxe Super Stratocaster - This was actually my first electric guitar. It was 3 tone sunburst when I bought it. I wanted something that looked like Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar. I have since stripped it down and turned it into a project guitar. Everything I've done to it has sounded great but I still haven't found EXACTLY what I'm wanting. It has the initials of my two boys on it as well as a star similar to the one tattooed on my left wrist. This one is for my boys, seeing as how I was just a little boy when I purchased it!











1997 Paul Reed Smith Swamp Ash Special - SHHHHH...this will be our little secret....The bank still thinks that this is 1998 Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra...hahahaha...When I graduated from Garner High School in 2002, i got a little bit of money from family and friends. It was nice! I REALLY needed a new car so I went to the bank to see about getting a car loan. While waiting to hear back I went to Indoor Storm in Raleigh and sat down to play a few guitars. I immediately fell in love. Not only is this thing absolutely gorgeous, it plays and sounds better than ANY guitar I've ever put in my hands! Pull pot humbucker to single coil switching, natural ash body and flamed, birds eye maple fretboard and built prior to PRS going huge and producing these things in a factory somewhere..It was probably built in his stinking garage!!!...what more could you ask for in a guitar? I took the $500 cash and bought an old beater car. Then proceeded to the guitar shop with my car loan money and bought it. NEVER LETTING IT GO!

Amplifiers:

Fender Blues Jr - Funny story about this amp. After Carter(my oldest boy) was born, Fender had just introduced the Blues Jr and the Pro Jr. Both are small sized tube amps with a vintage bluesy twang. I had to have it! It sounded so good with the Telecaster I had at the time and the Strat pictured above. I saved up and bought it. Less than six months later, Carter, barely crawling, came up to me holding a bunch of tubes and electronics...He pointed at the amp and said " I fix it"...He certainly did. He fixed it SO good, I couldn't even afford the repairs until just recently! But he was so cute doing it! It is my primary amp and for good reason. Everything about it screams blues. That's where most of my style and influences stem from anyway so it's a perfect fit!

1970's Music Man HD-130 - My dad found this amplifier head for next to nothing. Music Man back in those days was a part of Fender for all intents and purposes. This amp has a LOT of power and a LOT of tone. I like to use it for my cleaner sounds. It takes a lot of volume for it to break up and the vintage tube cleans ring out like bells. It has a GREAT reverb on it as well.

Effects Pedals :

My pedal board setup is fairly simple. I like to use the sounds that the guitar/amp combination gives more than over do it with effects. From time to time I'll kick up the overdrive a little or boost the signal for solo's. Maybe a light tremolo or phaser...Then of course there is the Crybaby Wah. Not used very often, but it is THE wah pedal of ALL wah pedals when used in the right way and situation. My pedal list is as follows:

Crybaby Wah
Ibenez Tube Screamer
MXR Phase 90
Boss Tremelo
LPB-1 Signal Boost
Holy Grail Reverb
MXR Dyna Comp compressor
and of course a Boss Tuner.


I switch from amp to acoustic direct box with a Morley switchbox. This allows me to use the same strap and cord for ANY guitar I choose at any given moment during a show.

MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT MAKES ME SOUND LIKE ME:

The most important thing that makes my style, my style is my life. When I'm on stage I try my best to channel every emotion, good or bad, that I have ever experienced and let it come through in my guitar playing. After all, that's where all of the songs come from anyway...LIFE EXPERIENCES. LIFE EMOTIONS. If it weren't for my wife and my kids, I probably would have quit long ago. But a great muse is bigger than any piece of equipment you could possibly have! Thanks baby. Thanks boys. You make me who I am. And you make me able to do what I do! Love you all!!!

Have a HAPPY and SAFE Fourth Everyone!!!

-Josh

Storm Chaser and Weather Hobbiest

I love weather.  Have ever since I was little.  I used to sneak outside and stand in the rain whenever there was a good storm coming.  I also really only like the beach when there has been a storm about to come or already just passed - that makes the surf rough.

I have a weather radio and used to watch the Weather Channel all the time (when we had cable in NY).  

I know it sounds crazy to some of you, but I want to see a tornado some day.  I don't like the damage it produces - but I am amazed at how they form.  I have a huge collection of weather vhs and dvd's.  Discover Channel, Weather Channel, Twister and any other documentary probably known to man.  

I take Joyce with me on storm chases.  One time in New York, we missed a tornado by 1 hour.  We drove up Taconic Pkwy up through Vermont and Massachusetts.   (In NY, tornadoes are really rare, mostly because of the mountains preventing the favorable conditions for a tornado.)   Anyway, when we drove into Mass., we saw the path where the tornado cleaned up a mountainside down into the next town.  It looked like someone took a gigantic power mower up the side of the mountain.  

A couple of years ago we also had a tornado hit Raleigh.  I was driving around in my van and didn't have my weather radio.  I couldn't believe I missed seeing it.  

Well, just wanted to tell you a little bit about my love for weather.  And when the next storm is coming and you see a van driving into the storm, you'll know it's me!

~Michael