Last night American Idol highlighted Elton John songs. When I was a very young girl, I loved Elton John. The Idol contestants sang many of my favorite songs. My favorite for the night was Haley, she sang Bennie and the Jets and did a great job. For those who watched the show, did you not love the red baby grand piano! James Durbin lit one on fire in his segment of Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting.
So, here is some inside information... when I was 11 years my father took me to an Elton John concert at Madison Square Garden. 11 years old!!! What was he thinking!!! Elton came out as the Statue of Liberty and said, Here's to you New York. Kiki Dee was there and did their duet, Don't Go Breaking My Heart. It was one of my memorable nights, why, because my daddy took me to see Elton John. He sat there and listened to me sing along and I am sure watched all the people that night. He loved to people watch, he found people fascinating and he talked to EVERYONE. I am quite sure the Italian relatives thought he was nuts, he did not care. I was his baby girl and he only wanted me to be happy. The best daddy in the whole world!!! I miss him more and more as I get older, he passed away in 1996. Tomorrow, March 31st would have been his 82nd birthday. Happy Birthday Daddy, thanks for the memories.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Quotes
Alas for those that never sing, But die with all their music in them!
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.
-Victor Hugo
Praise the LORD with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
-Psalm 33:2-3
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.
-Victor Hugo
Praise the LORD with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
-Psalm 33:2-3
Bill Ervolino
Happy Sunday!! I love to read Bill Ervolino in The Record on Thursdays and Sundays. He is Italian and writes the funniest stories about his Italian family. The post below is his latest article and I was laughing because this is how my family is. It's all about the envelope and how much to put in. For those who are not Italian, I am so sorry for you, HA!
Ervolino: Family finds joy in the endless recycling of cash gifts
Sunday, March 27, 2011
LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY MARCH 27, 2011, 10:03 AM
By BILL ERVOLINO
COLUMNIST
My parents can't tell you what they had for lunch yesterday but they can tell you what my mother's cousin Annabelle gave them as a wedding present in 1949.
Or, was it 1948?
"Isn't that funny?" my mother asked last weekend. "I can never remember what year we got married."
But: "Annabelle and her husband put $25 in the envelope."
"Annabelle and George?" I asked.
"No, George was her second husband. Her first husband was ... oh, who remembers? The one with the funny nose."
When I was growing up, the word "gifts" only came up at Christmas. For every other occasion, we used "envelopes."
Weddings? Envelopes. Anniversaries? Envelopes.
We even brought envelopes to funerals.
"Oh, Aunt Marie, I'm so sorry for your loss. But ... here's $75!"
I was reminded of this last Saturday, as my family prepared to surprise my sister-in-law Joyce on the occasion of her 50th birthday — which [ahem] isn't until May.
I'm not sure what the bigger surprise was: that Joyce's sister Carol was throwing this lavish bash at all, or that she was throwing it two months before Joyce's birthday.
As Carol explained: "Joyce said she absolutely did not want a party. If we tried to do it, and planned it closer to her birthday, she wouldn't have come. So we decided to do it in March."
Fine. Whatever. Let's just get this over with.
I knew what time I had to be there. I knew what I was wearing. And I knew what I had to yell: "Surprise! Don't blame us! It's all Carol's fault!"
The only other matter yet to be determined was The Envelope.
In the early '90s, my gift-phobic family had an infallible formula for birthdays: Everybody gave everybody else $50. I gave my mother $50 on her birthday. She gave my brother $50 on his birthday. He gave my father $50 on his birthday. And so on and so forth.
Sounds exciting, doesn't it?
In retrospect, I'm not even sure why we bothered going to the bank to withdraw the cash we put in these envelopes. We could have just passed a wet tea bag around the table and, by the end of the year, still wound up with the same amount of money in our pockets.
Eventually, though, the $50 was raised to $100. Then, to further complicate matters, my niece was born.
The following year, my brother and Joyce gave me a combined gift of $300, even though I had only given them $100 each.
"What's this?" I asked, as three crisp $100 bills fluttered into my lap.
As Joyce explained, "It's $100 from me, $100 from your brother and $100 from Talia."
"From Talia?" I asked, incredulously. "Please don't tell me she's working already. I just changed her diaper 10 minutes ago."
"Well, of course not," Joyce replied. "But you give to her and ... what are we supposed to do?"
Things were equally confusing last weekend. Since Joyce gave me a nice (non-surprise) party for my 50th birthday, I had no idea what to give her for hers, since I didn't know what she spent on the party. My mother had already decided, though: She and my father were giving a check for $500.
Dad thought a check was tacky. "Give it to her in $50 bills," he said.
"Cash?" my mother screamed. "I'm not bringing an envelope with all that money in it to a restaurant!"
This argument raged on, with lots of yelling, snide remarks, banging frying pans etc.
Eventually, my brother Donald intervened. "I know my wife," he said to my parents. "If you give her a check, she won't cash it."
My mother later discussed this with me, mulled it over and finally decided, "Donald's right. I hate the idea of walking around with all of that cash in an envelope, but ..."
"Fine," I replied. "Just stop TALKING about it."
"And, what about you?" my mother continued. "Do you know what you're putting in the envelope?"
"I'm still not sure," I said. "It's been a bad month, expense-wise. I was just going to give her a check for $200. But if she's not going to cash it, I may as well give her a check for $250."
My mother rolled her eyes. "Do you need money? I have $250 under the plant in the dining room."
"Is that your emergency money?" I asked.
"No, that's my mad money. My emergency money is in a plastic bag behind the refrigerator."
As it turned out, my brother was wrong: Joyce deposited my $250 check and returned my parents' cash.
"She left it on my dining room table on Sunday," Mom said.
In an envelope.
E-mail: ervolino@northjersey.com
Ervolino: Family finds joy in the endless recycling of cash gifts
Sunday, March 27, 2011
LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY MARCH 27, 2011, 10:03 AM
By BILL ERVOLINO
COLUMNIST
My parents can't tell you what they had for lunch yesterday but they can tell you what my mother's cousin Annabelle gave them as a wedding present in 1949.
Or, was it 1948?
"Isn't that funny?" my mother asked last weekend. "I can never remember what year we got married."
But: "Annabelle and her husband put $25 in the envelope."
"Annabelle and George?" I asked.
"No, George was her second husband. Her first husband was ... oh, who remembers? The one with the funny nose."
When I was growing up, the word "gifts" only came up at Christmas. For every other occasion, we used "envelopes."
Weddings? Envelopes. Anniversaries? Envelopes.
We even brought envelopes to funerals.
"Oh, Aunt Marie, I'm so sorry for your loss. But ... here's $75!"
I was reminded of this last Saturday, as my family prepared to surprise my sister-in-law Joyce on the occasion of her 50th birthday — which [ahem] isn't until May.
I'm not sure what the bigger surprise was: that Joyce's sister Carol was throwing this lavish bash at all, or that she was throwing it two months before Joyce's birthday.
As Carol explained: "Joyce said she absolutely did not want a party. If we tried to do it, and planned it closer to her birthday, she wouldn't have come. So we decided to do it in March."
Fine. Whatever. Let's just get this over with.
I knew what time I had to be there. I knew what I was wearing. And I knew what I had to yell: "Surprise! Don't blame us! It's all Carol's fault!"
The only other matter yet to be determined was The Envelope.
In the early '90s, my gift-phobic family had an infallible formula for birthdays: Everybody gave everybody else $50. I gave my mother $50 on her birthday. She gave my brother $50 on his birthday. He gave my father $50 on his birthday. And so on and so forth.
Sounds exciting, doesn't it?
In retrospect, I'm not even sure why we bothered going to the bank to withdraw the cash we put in these envelopes. We could have just passed a wet tea bag around the table and, by the end of the year, still wound up with the same amount of money in our pockets.
Eventually, though, the $50 was raised to $100. Then, to further complicate matters, my niece was born.
The following year, my brother and Joyce gave me a combined gift of $300, even though I had only given them $100 each.
"What's this?" I asked, as three crisp $100 bills fluttered into my lap.
As Joyce explained, "It's $100 from me, $100 from your brother and $100 from Talia."
"From Talia?" I asked, incredulously. "Please don't tell me she's working already. I just changed her diaper 10 minutes ago."
"Well, of course not," Joyce replied. "But you give to her and ... what are we supposed to do?"
Things were equally confusing last weekend. Since Joyce gave me a nice (non-surprise) party for my 50th birthday, I had no idea what to give her for hers, since I didn't know what she spent on the party. My mother had already decided, though: She and my father were giving a check for $500.
Dad thought a check was tacky. "Give it to her in $50 bills," he said.
"Cash?" my mother screamed. "I'm not bringing an envelope with all that money in it to a restaurant!"
This argument raged on, with lots of yelling, snide remarks, banging frying pans etc.
Eventually, my brother Donald intervened. "I know my wife," he said to my parents. "If you give her a check, she won't cash it."
My mother later discussed this with me, mulled it over and finally decided, "Donald's right. I hate the idea of walking around with all of that cash in an envelope, but ..."
"Fine," I replied. "Just stop TALKING about it."
"And, what about you?" my mother continued. "Do you know what you're putting in the envelope?"
"I'm still not sure," I said. "It's been a bad month, expense-wise. I was just going to give her a check for $200. But if she's not going to cash it, I may as well give her a check for $250."
My mother rolled her eyes. "Do you need money? I have $250 under the plant in the dining room."
"Is that your emergency money?" I asked.
"No, that's my mad money. My emergency money is in a plastic bag behind the refrigerator."
As it turned out, my brother was wrong: Joyce deposited my $250 check and returned my parents' cash.
"She left it on my dining room table on Sunday," Mom said.
In an envelope.
E-mail: ervolino@northjersey.com
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Go Organic
I am a big fan of organic, anything organic. Mostly fruits and veggies. My local newspaper had an article about organic foods and I thought I would pass this on to you, my faithful reader. I try to buy organic when I can (can be pricey) but if I am unable, I use a product called Veggie Wash to rinse them with. Do we really want to ingest pesticide contaminated foods? I think not. One thing I will not compromise on is apples, they must be organic. Think Meryl Streep a few years back and her report on apples. Most supermarkets sell organic produce, shop around for the best prices. So here is the info from the newspaper;
The Dirty Dozen - The most pesticide-contaminated fruits and veggies:
Celery, peaches, strawberries,apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, kale/collard greens, potatoes, imported grapes
The Clean 15 - The least pesticide-contaminated fruits and veggies:
Onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mangoes, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato, honeydew melon
I have this list posted on my fridge, go organic!
The Dirty Dozen - The most pesticide-contaminated fruits and veggies:
Celery, peaches, strawberries,apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, kale/collard greens, potatoes, imported grapes
The Clean 15 - The least pesticide-contaminated fruits and veggies:
Onions, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mangoes, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato, honeydew melon
I have this list posted on my fridge, go organic!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Movie Review
I watched Like Dandelion Dust last night and it was okay. This movie is based upon Karen Kingsbury's novel of the same name. I really do not like when the movie changes so much about the book. Bottom line on the story, woman is abused by husband and he is sent to prison for 7 years. She found out she was pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption by forging her husband's signature on the papers. Husband gets out of jail and she tells him about the baby, he wants his son back. Joey has been living the past 6 years with the only parents he has ever known, now they have to give him back because the adoption was illegal. The book and movie scenes of these exchanges were heart wrenching. I will say that Mira Sorvino (love her!) was excellent as Wendy, the battered wife. You will have to read the book or watch the movie to see how this all turns out. My recommendation, if you have not read the book, see the movie. If you have read the book, pass on the movie, the book was better. Hubby started to watch the movie with me and then left, too depressing he said. Enough said.
My Virtual Cat
Check out my new pet! If you move your mouse he follows, he purrs and meows, cool! Don't have to worry about allergies either. Have fun.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Harmony
I love music, especially when harmony is involved. Three part harmony is the best but I will take two or four part anytime! For those who know me well, I am deaf in my right ear. I have never heard in stereo. I can only imagine... I know some day I will hear in perfect pitch and in perfect stereo. Growing up I was a rock and roller but I always loved all different kinds of music. It is harmony that really moves me.
One group I listened to ALL the time was CS&N, Crosby, Stills and Nash. I would listen to them over and over again just to hear the three part harmony. They were also CSN&Y, with Neil Young, 4 part harmony!! One of the groups I love to listen to now is Selah. Wonderful sound, simple with piano accompaniment. The video post above is Selah, Alan Hall, piano, Todd Smith and Amy Perry, vocals. For those of you familiar with Selah, Amy Perry is new to the group, she replaced Todd's sister Nicol. New and old, AMAZING!!! (thought I would carry the word over to this post in case you missed me saying it) I also really like Il Divo, have you ever heard these guys? 4 part harmony at its best. Listen to their video post and become a fan, instantly. Il Divo means divine male performer in Italian. They are Sebastien Izambard, Carlos Marin, David Miller and Urs Buhler.
For those wondering about my CS&N days, well, they will remain a mystery for now but I posted a video of them above so you can hear three part harmony too! David Crosby - acoustic guitar, Stephen Stills, electric guitar and Graham Nash, piano.
So we have examples of 2, 3 & 4 part harmony, 3 different genres of music (Selah-Contemporary Christian, Il Divo-Operatic Pop and CS&N - Rock & Roll)... close your eyes and enjoy.
Harmony - musical agreement of sounds, the combination of tones into chords and progression of chords
One group I listened to ALL the time was CS&N, Crosby, Stills and Nash. I would listen to them over and over again just to hear the three part harmony. They were also CSN&Y, with Neil Young, 4 part harmony!! One of the groups I love to listen to now is Selah. Wonderful sound, simple with piano accompaniment. The video post above is Selah, Alan Hall, piano, Todd Smith and Amy Perry, vocals. For those of you familiar with Selah, Amy Perry is new to the group, she replaced Todd's sister Nicol. New and old, AMAZING!!! (thought I would carry the word over to this post in case you missed me saying it) I also really like Il Divo, have you ever heard these guys? 4 part harmony at its best. Listen to their video post and become a fan, instantly. Il Divo means divine male performer in Italian. They are Sebastien Izambard, Carlos Marin, David Miller and Urs Buhler.
For those wondering about my CS&N days, well, they will remain a mystery for now but I posted a video of them above so you can hear three part harmony too! David Crosby - acoustic guitar, Stephen Stills, electric guitar and Graham Nash, piano.
So we have examples of 2, 3 & 4 part harmony, 3 different genres of music (Selah-Contemporary Christian, Il Divo-Operatic Pop and CS&N - Rock & Roll)... close your eyes and enjoy.
Harmony - musical agreement of sounds, the combination of tones into chords and progression of chords
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Follow by email
You can get my blog posts directly to your email. Just type in your email address in the upper right hand corner box, it says follow by email, then follow the directions.
Just sayin...
Just sayin...
Amazing Words
I was reading through my blog posts and I noticed that I use the word amazing way too much!!! Can you count how many times I used this word? Send me a comment and let me know how many times I used the word amazing. I got out my thesaurus and found other words to use in place of amazing; astonishing, astounding, eye-opening, shocking, startling, stunning, surprising, awesome, fabulous, marvelous, miraculous, wonderful. So, I will try to use these other words instead of my favorite word, AMAZING!!!
Word of the Day - bivouac - huh??? I am reading a book and came across this word and had no idea what it meant. It is a good idea to have a dictionary handy when reading because sometimes there may be a word you do not know, there is like, how many words in the English language, who can count. Use a dictionary.
bivouac - a temporary encampment or shelter
Hope you have a astonishing, astounding, eye-opening day.
Word of the Day - bivouac - huh??? I am reading a book and came across this word and had no idea what it meant. It is a good idea to have a dictionary handy when reading because sometimes there may be a word you do not know, there is like, how many words in the English language, who can count. Use a dictionary.
bivouac - a temporary encampment or shelter
Hope you have a astonishing, astounding, eye-opening day.
Japan
PLEASE VISIT www.samaritanspurse.org to help the people of Japan!!!! I copied this from their website, there is more info, video links, photos on the site.
RESPONDING TO JAPAN'S CATASTROPHE
Samaritan’s Purse is providing emergency aid to people suffering in the aftermath of the massive earthquake and tsunami
A Samaritan's Purse disaster relief team is working in a devastated coastal area around Sendai, delivering relief supplies to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11.
On Thursday, our staff and local church partners distributed water, blankets, hygiene items, and first aid kits at a junior high school where 700 people are living in the gym. We also unloaded supplies at a church whose members will hand out the items in their community.
Our team has encountered heart-wrenching scenes in the affected area, where the tsunami did much more damage than the earthquake. Coastal towns look like war zones. Collapsed houses spill out into streets that are littered with crushed cars and debris. Boats have been thrown out of the sea and tossed miles inland. Every time they turn a corner, team members seem to come across another line of people—sometimes hundreds, sometimes thousands—waiting for basic necessities, mostly food, water, and fuel.
The 14-member team arrived in Sendai after a long drive from Tokyo through a heavy snowstorm. The convoy of trucks carried four tons of relief supplies. A strategic local church partnership secured government permission for our team to travel on a restricted access expressway that was otherwise closed to civilian traffic.
“For most of the journey, our vehicles and Japanese civil defense vehicles were the only traffic on this six-lane highway,” said team member Ivan Giesbrecht. “This created an eerie, even surreal, experience as we traveled north through the quiet Japanese countryside.”
Much of northern Japan is experiencing shortages of food, water, fuel, and other necessities. Samaritan's Purse has deployed another team to Osaka to set up a logistical hub to facilitate and expedite the purchase and transport of more relief supplies.
Back in the United States, we are organizing a 747 cargo jet to airlift about 90 tons of emergency aid, including blankets, hygiene supplies, and heavy-duty plastic shelter materials. The plane is scheduled to depart for Japan on Friday.
Franklin Graham appears on Fox News with Greta Van Susteren
Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham has conducted evangelistic Festivals in the Japanese cities of Osaka and Okinawa. The events were organized by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which is working with us for this response.
Pastor Yoshikazu Takada, who was chairman of the Osaka Festival committee, requested our assistance. “Please come. We need your help,” he said.
The giant tsunami was triggered by an 9.0-magnitude earthquake, one of the most powerful in recorded history. Huge waves engulfed towns and villages, sweeping away houses, cars, boats, and trains. Strong aftershocks have continued to rock the area, hampering relief efforts. The misery is compounded by fears of radiation leaks from damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima power plant, about 60 miles south of Sendai.
Japan's National Police Agency says more than 5,300 people are officially listed as dead. Officials believe the toll will climb to well over 10,000. Many survivors are facing a desperate situation with little food or clean water, and no electricity to heat homes in freezing temperatures.
Evangelical Christians number less than one-half of one percent of Japan's population, according to some estimates. Please pray for the hundreds of thousands of people affected by this catastrophe, especially that they will be touched by the love of Jesus Christ through the ministry of Samaritan's Purse, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and our Japanese church partners.
WAYS YOU CAN HELP
PRAY:
That God will provide comfort and peace to the suffering.
That the nuclear reactors will cool and pose no further threat.
For wisdom and strength for our staff and church partners.
That God will continue to open doors and provide resources for our work.
GIVE:
Please visit our donation page to help provide the resources to meet critical needs in Japan.
RESPONDING TO JAPAN'S CATASTROPHE
Samaritan’s Purse is providing emergency aid to people suffering in the aftermath of the massive earthquake and tsunami
A Samaritan's Purse disaster relief team is working in a devastated coastal area around Sendai, delivering relief supplies to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11.
On Thursday, our staff and local church partners distributed water, blankets, hygiene items, and first aid kits at a junior high school where 700 people are living in the gym. We also unloaded supplies at a church whose members will hand out the items in their community.
Our team has encountered heart-wrenching scenes in the affected area, where the tsunami did much more damage than the earthquake. Coastal towns look like war zones. Collapsed houses spill out into streets that are littered with crushed cars and debris. Boats have been thrown out of the sea and tossed miles inland. Every time they turn a corner, team members seem to come across another line of people—sometimes hundreds, sometimes thousands—waiting for basic necessities, mostly food, water, and fuel.
The 14-member team arrived in Sendai after a long drive from Tokyo through a heavy snowstorm. The convoy of trucks carried four tons of relief supplies. A strategic local church partnership secured government permission for our team to travel on a restricted access expressway that was otherwise closed to civilian traffic.
“For most of the journey, our vehicles and Japanese civil defense vehicles were the only traffic on this six-lane highway,” said team member Ivan Giesbrecht. “This created an eerie, even surreal, experience as we traveled north through the quiet Japanese countryside.”
Much of northern Japan is experiencing shortages of food, water, fuel, and other necessities. Samaritan's Purse has deployed another team to Osaka to set up a logistical hub to facilitate and expedite the purchase and transport of more relief supplies.
Back in the United States, we are organizing a 747 cargo jet to airlift about 90 tons of emergency aid, including blankets, hygiene supplies, and heavy-duty plastic shelter materials. The plane is scheduled to depart for Japan on Friday.
Franklin Graham appears on Fox News with Greta Van Susteren
Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham has conducted evangelistic Festivals in the Japanese cities of Osaka and Okinawa. The events were organized by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, which is working with us for this response.
Pastor Yoshikazu Takada, who was chairman of the Osaka Festival committee, requested our assistance. “Please come. We need your help,” he said.
The giant tsunami was triggered by an 9.0-magnitude earthquake, one of the most powerful in recorded history. Huge waves engulfed towns and villages, sweeping away houses, cars, boats, and trains. Strong aftershocks have continued to rock the area, hampering relief efforts. The misery is compounded by fears of radiation leaks from damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima power plant, about 60 miles south of Sendai.
Japan's National Police Agency says more than 5,300 people are officially listed as dead. Officials believe the toll will climb to well over 10,000. Many survivors are facing a desperate situation with little food or clean water, and no electricity to heat homes in freezing temperatures.
Evangelical Christians number less than one-half of one percent of Japan's population, according to some estimates. Please pray for the hundreds of thousands of people affected by this catastrophe, especially that they will be touched by the love of Jesus Christ through the ministry of Samaritan's Purse, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and our Japanese church partners.
WAYS YOU CAN HELP
PRAY:
That God will provide comfort and peace to the suffering.
That the nuclear reactors will cool and pose no further threat.
For wisdom and strength for our staff and church partners.
That God will continue to open doors and provide resources for our work.
GIVE:
Please visit our donation page to help provide the resources to meet critical needs in Japan.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
American Idol
I like American Idol, I love to hear people sing. I wish I could sing but my son tells me to stop singing when I do sing, so you can imagine what I sound like. A long time ago, every Christmas when we would end up at my Aunt Marie's house, we would sing. My cousin would play the piano and we would sing all kinds of songs, Christmas carols too. My aunt told me back then that I had a good voice. I did sing in the 8th grade choir at school. SO, at some point I think I had some type of voice. Where that went, who knows.... oh well, dreams die hard. Boo hoo for me!
Anyway, my favorites this year are, James Durbin(overcoming Tourettes), Pia Toscano(looks like my husbands nephew's wife), Scotty McCreery ( someone I love is named Scotty) and Jacob Lusk(the man has soul). All different, all great singers.
Who do you think is this year's American Idol?
Monday, March 14, 2011
Artist Leonard Knight
For those who are interested in more information on artist Leonard Knight, please go to www.salvationmountain.us.
This type of art is considered to be American Folk Art. The Folk Art Society of America has declared Salvation Mountain a national folk art shrine. On May 15, 2002, Salvation Mountain was entered into the Congressional Record of the US (by US Rep. Barbara Boxer, D-CA) proclaiming it to be a national treasure.
Interesting Facts - Leonard Knight is a former snow shoveler, born in 1931 in Vermont. He came to Salvation Mountain from the sky. His hot air balloon crashed into the site and he decided to stay, considering it to be a sign from God. Leonard has used close to
60, 000 gallons of donated paint.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Give me a Revelation
A long time ago I read a book called Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. If you are not familiar with his work, he is a very descriptive writer. He has the ability to make you feel you are actually where his story is taking place. Into Thin Air is about climbers trying to conquer Mt. Everest. It is a true story of the author's ascent of Mt. Everest which turned catastrophic when eight climbers were killed and others stranded by a rogue storm. It is simply breathtaking and heartbreaking. As I was reading this book I was freezing, exhausted and in need of oxygen. I highly recommend this edge of your seat true story.
Jon Krakauer is also the author of Into the Wild, another true story. Now, I did not read this book but realized he wrote this when my husband and I rented the movie. I am not sure if I would recommend this movie because by the end I was so aggravated (spoiler alert!!!!!!) by the senseless death of this young man. But then again, is that not what books and movies are supposed to do... Krakauer again captures the essence of this young man on a quest to see the wild and the people and places he encounters along the way.
Which brings me to my point of this post. In both these stories, these men need a revelation. In the movie Into the Wild, the main character finds this place called Salvation Mountain in California. The Gospel is clearly preached on this "mountain". Third Day ( one of my favorite rock bands) has this amazing song called Revelation. In the video, in the above blog post, they highlight Salvation Mountain.
For those of you reading this blog, if you need a revelation, God will meet with you. He will reveal Himself to you.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Kendrick Brothers
I love any movie by the Kendrick Brothers, I will post the trailer for their latest release due in September 2011. They have an amazing ability to capture God's truths using the power of cinema and through their writing of scripts.
Flywheel - This is their first film, amateur film making, you see the flaws BUT an amazing story about obedience and honesty. This became such a success on video that the money that was made enabled them to put more money into their next production, Facing the Giants.
Facing the Giants - Top top production, excellent story about putting God first and being on a winning team. Great football scenes and great storyline.
Fireproof - Honest story about marriage and what it takes to make it successful, not my favorite of the three but a very good film.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Do you hear the people sing...
Les Miserables based on Victor Hugo's novel of pre-revolutionary France, have you ever seen this production? My husband and I saw this on Broadway in the 80's and it was awesome. The music is amazing. The 25th Anniversary Concert of Le Miz has been on PBS this week. I had forgotten how powerful this story and music is, I was literally clapping aloud and cheering. There are 500 + artists and musicians in this concert, which adds to drama. Nick Jonas (of the Jonas Brothers fame) is in it as Marius. Nick Jonas can really sing!!! For those who are stirred by music, try to see this on your local PBS station this week. You can also purchase this on DVD from Amazon for $19.99. All I can say is the music, the music, the music...
Can you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is a music of a people
who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
when tomorrow comes!
Do you hear the people sing?
Lost in the valley of the night?
It is the music of a people
who are climbing to the light.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Happy Monday!
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I rented a movie from Netflix and I was blown away!!! I love to watch Christian/Uplifting movies. I also like movies that are thought provoking. We watched this movie called To Save a Life. This has to be the most relevant movie about our youth that I have ever seen. If you are a youth pastor, youth leader or just someone who loves youth, you must see this film AND show this film to every high school student you know(it is rated PG-13 for good reason). It is hard hitting, raw and real. I will let the film speak for itself. You can go to their website and view the trailer at www.tosavealifemovie.com.
I would also recommend the following movies;
Faith Like Potatoes - Will increase your faith, man has a radical transformation and the Lord uses him powerfully in his village.
The Ultimate Gift - Uplifting movie about the lessons in life and things that are important, young man receives a box left by his grandfather's will and he has to pass each test before going on to the next one and receive the ultimate gift. Get the tissues!
Sophie Scholl - The Final Days - Intense true story movie about a young girl in Nazi Germany who risked her life to alert the youth of Germany of the atrocities of Hitler's Germany. It won an Oscar for best Foreign Film, film is in German with English subtitles.
Letters to God - Major tearjerker about a terminally ill child who writes letters to God and the people who are impacted by him.
Secretariat - Actress Diane Lane is amazing as the owner of Big Red, the horse known as Secretariat, who won the Triple Crown. Her story of perseverance is inspiring. Horse and racing lovers, this film is for you.
Would love recommendations on any movies that you may have seen!! Happy Monday and happy viewing.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Books, Books, Books
I read lots of Christian Fiction. I also belong to a great book club hosted by my wonderful friend Sue (who happens to have an amazing hospitality gift) and we get together with a fantastic group of ladies. We meet twice per month, we have the day ladies and the evening ladies and we discuss the book. We have read many, many books over the past 4 years. We are currently reading The Yada Yada series, House of Hope, Who do I talk to? by Neta Jackson. It was a great read!!! We will be meeting next week and I will let you know how the meeting went.
I have always loved books. I was blessed to have a neighbor who introduced me to the Wayne Public Library as a young girl. I was friends with her daughter and she would take us to the library to check out books. It was here that I first read the Boxcar Children series and I was hooked. I have been reading ever since! I never would have imagined that I would have an opportunity to work at the Calvary Christian Academy Library as an adult for 2 years. I was a housewife masquerading as a librarian and I loved it. I love the smell of the library and I love the smell of books. I have a dream one day of having my own personal library complete with a rolling ladder and Hunter Green leather chairs and ottomans. Books have an amazing ability to transform your world. Great writers can get you so caught up in the characters that some stay with you for years to come. I know they have this new thing called Kindle, I like to turn a page, call me old fashioned. This keeps me at the library, where I go at least once per week. I will probably break down and get a Kindle at some point. I also love to read in bed before I go to sleep unless it's really thought provoking and then I can't sleep. I love reading when everyone is asleep and the house is quiet and I can concentrate. I read by book light. I have battery operated book lights that all go dim much too quickly. Right now I have 3 book lights going at the same time right now so I can get enough light to read. I have even used a flashlight too. Drives my husband crazy!! I am on the hunt for an electric book light so I can avoid this problem. Anyone have any leads on where to get one? I know, I know, the Kindle can be used at night with a lighted background. Again, I need to turn the page. I have read books that have kept me up reading late into the night. The one book that has done that is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. A huge book, 500+ pages but a very worthy read. She is an incredibly gifted writer and this story will show you God's love in a way that will take your breath away. Warning, you will not be able to put this book down.
I will end this post with another challenge, read!!!! Go check out your local library, wander around, smell the books and allow books to transform your world.
Friday, March 4, 2011
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Just sayin...
I can't believe I am doing this!!!
Well, this is my very first blog post. Hubby and I have talked about this for some time and he convinced me I should try it. I told him I did not think that I had anything to say that people would be interested in and he reminded me how opinionated I am, ha! So, I will try to keep the post updated everyday, if you like what you see here, pass it to your family and friends.
I will blog about books I read (which are many, I love to read), food (I am Italian and it is all about the food), stuff on my mind (which could be scary!), the Bible (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth - not mine, saw it in a movie) and sometimes my family.
My husband was married a long time ago for 6 months, he thinks it was 1981. Can you believe he really does not remember the year? Anyway, when we got together and set up house, he had a box of recipes. They were from his previous wife's bridal shower. I looked through them and thought well, food is food and there were some good recipes so I put them in a recipe box. My family does not have recipes, they have it all their heads. If you ever asked for a recipe, they tell you the ingredients and when you ask about measurements, they say, just judge!!! Not to mention they do not give you all the ingredients lest your dish comes out better then theirs. We will talk about about my crazy Italian family at another time. Anyway, so these recipes were my very first recipes I ever had, mind you they were from another woman. Did I mention that I have her china too!!! My mom added to the set when hubby and I got engaged and it really is quite lovely. So, there is this recipe in the box called Hawaiian Meatballs from Mary-Austin and Lawrence (who these people are I have no idea and I won't ask my husband because let's face it he doesn't even remember what year this was). On the top of the recipe it says, Husband's Adore This with a little penciled in heart. There is also a little heart at the end of the recipe. I'm figuring since Mary-Austin also put "and Lawrence" on the card, Lawrence must be her husband. I am guessing he ADORES these meatballs. I have never made this recipe and I have had it for 25 years! It has been a long standing joke between us. So, my dear friends, I have a challenge for you. I am going to post the recipe and I need someone to make these meatballs, after all, husbands ADORE these! Let me know how they come out and let me know, for those of you who are married, if your husband ADORES these.
Hawaiian Meatballs
1 1/2 lb. Ground Beef
2/3 c. Cracker Crumbs ( I have no idea what this is)
1/2 c. Chopped Onions
2/3 c. Evaporated Milk
1 tsp. Salt
1/3 c. Flour
3 Tbsp. Shortening
Combine first six ingredients and shape into meatballs (Approx 30), cook in shortening (why not oil, maybe bake but I am just following the recipe)
Sauce
1 Can (13 1/2 oz.) Pineapple Chunks
2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1/2 c. Vinegar
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 c. Chopped Green Pepper
Drain pineapple, add water to juice to make one cup. Stir in cornstarch, add next 4 ingredients. Cook until clear. Add pineapple, peppers and meatballs. Simmer 15 mins.
From: Mary-Austin & Lawrence (wherever you may be)
Hubby just walked in and read the post, remembers Mary-Austin & Lawrence, imagine, not the date of when he was married but he remembers them. He said they were hip Californians. So we have a very "hip" Hawaiian Meatball recipe.
Let the cooking begin!
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