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Showing posts from December 13, 2010

Magical Moment 318, "Texified"

This morning, I woke up to the smell of biscuits and sausage sizzling in the kitchen. After I ate breakfast, I attended a small Baptist church in the middle of nowhere along a country road. After the service, we ate dinner together at a church potluck - a scrumptious combination of country ham, red beans, and cornbread. Later, I fed and watered the chickens and collected the hen's eggs - a dozen and seven (which I know to be fewer than normal lately). Then, I snuggled up in a handmade quilt (made by Great-grandma Grimes), and watched the Dallas Cowboys on TV. Outside, the fish are swimming in the pond, the chickens are clucking in the pen, and the tractors are collecting dust. I said my first "ya'll" a few minutes ago. I've been Texified. They do have some beautiful sunsets though The newest rooster, a Banty Merry Christmas, ya'll

Magical Moment 317, "I Heart My Auto Harp"

So far, my favorite Christmas gift this year is my auto harp. My father-in-law, a great collector of all things random, scarce, useless, and priceless, had this little treasure tucked away in his warehouse. I spotted the black case which I recognized immediately as some sort of musical instrument. I dusted it off and strummed away. It's an acoustic instrument with buttons that press the strings to play the correct chords, sort of like an accordion, only with strings rather than air to make sound. The auto harp came with Christmas music and a "how to" book for beginners. It's the perfect gift for me. I was mourning having forgot to pack my guitar on our Texas trip, and with no way to make music, I didn't know what I would do so far away from my piano. This was one of my first attempts at a complete song, "Away in the Manger," it only has 3 chord changes. :)

Magical Moment 316, "A Kid Again"

I went to a majestic castle yesterday. There were look out towers, draw bridges, and great stair cases. I ran up and down the entire length of the castle, then I jumped from the walls and landed on the gravel below. I fought villains and monsters. It was dangerous but I felt quite safe with my sword at my side. The kingdom was surrounded by a vast, sparking ocean and we fed the enchanted ducks that swam in it. Next, I flew. Really, I flew. Just look at the picture if you don't believe me. My feet were high up in the air. It was fascinating place and one I would never have found if not for my 4 (almost 5) year old nephew, Jack . I never knew such magical kingdoms existed in the middle of Texas.

Magical Moment 315, "Hubble Painting"

My husband has been working on a special Christmas gift for his dad this year, a painting based of an actual photograph from the Hubble space telescope. He painted layer by layer, color by color until he created the swirling, smoky light effect. And the final layer, the stars. He used a layer of clear glass beads, which he then hand-painted each one. When the light is just right, they really do glow like stars.  I think it's a beautiful painting, and more importantly, his dad knows it was created with great care and love.

Magical Moment 314, "Home, Home on the Farm"

My husband is a country boy, whose southern draw grows consistently thicker and slower, whenever he is around his family in Texas. This Christmas, we are making the trip to both of our homes, first to Eddie's in Texas, then to mine in Nebraska. After 25 hours in the car, all Eddie wanted to do was go "home," and for him, that is his grandparents farm. His memories are endless and you can feel the warmth, hospitality, and comfort in this old farmhouse the moment you enter. If I could give Eddie any gift in the world, it would be an instant transporter from the show Star Trek, so that he could come here any time he wanted. But we only have a week. I spent time with my chicks (who've gotten so big since the last time I saw them!) And Eddie spent time with his grandparents, soaking in the happy, sweet memories of his home. The Farm House Country fresh eggs, anyone? I collected them myself Eddie and his Gramma

Magical Moment 313, "Moon River"

At a piano in TriBeCa Park in downtown Manhattan, I played "Moon River" from my all time favorite movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's . I was a fan of that movie before I was old enough to even realize what it was really about. I also realized that the silver bracelet I'm wearing in this video came from Tiffany and Company in New York City! It was my 3rd anniversary gift from my hubby. Enjoy the video. To see more videos from the Play Me, I'm Yours project, click here .

Magical Moment 312, "Radios"

Somehow, I'm always aware of music playing in the background in department stores, people's cars, or somewhere in the faint distance no matter how high or low the volume. Suddenly with the sense of a wolf, my head raises and my ears turn towards the sound. It usually doesn't matter the genre or radio station, chance are I know the song and begin to sing along. I was mostly unaware of this fact until a friend told me back in college, "Beth, I love how all you need is a radio playing to make you happy." I actually remember my very first radio as a child. It was an am/fm dial clock radio that my mother used to set her alarm in the mornings. She must have got a new one and passed the old one along to me. I was so young, that I had no concept of the radio station call letters or frequency numbers, and I went through with a permanent marker, turning the knob and making dashes on the plastic cover to mark the place of the good radio stations. I remember turning the