Saturday, December 24, 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I do apologize for not getting around to a single one of the awesome post I had planned but everything gets so crazy around Christmas time for me. I always undertake a bunch of very last minute projects. :-) I promise to do a big post to sort of catch you all up on what I was going to show you. And pictures of the reasons I didn't.
Anyway, here it is. Christmas Eve! My favorite night of the year. The most beautiful and joyful night. I'm all jittery right now. We are going to go to Midnight Mass (there is nothing quite so beautiful as Midnight Mass!:-) and this is the first time our choir has planned for a sung Mass. Very challenging, I assure you, but really beautiful.

My top favorite Christmas song. This song gives my chills every time I watch it. It's just awesome.



And this song is perfect for this night.



God Bless and a very MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

And...well

So once again life has gotten in the way and I have slid terribly behind with posting! Argh! But I do have lots of fun stuff planned for these next two weeks so stay tuned....

Christmas is only TWELVE days away, people. Contrary to popular opinion these are not the twelve days of Christmas. The twelve days of of Christmas are from Christmas to the Epiphany, January 6. More about that later. ;-) Still, twelve days till Christmas! It sends a lovely, little shiver of anticipation down my spine. I think here is a perfect example of anticipation being most of the fun. :-)

This is one of the most beautiful Christmas songs ever. Since it's sung in Italian, here are the English lyrics.

When blossoms flowered 'mid the snows
Upon a winter night
Was born the Child, the Christmas Rose
The King of Love and Light.
The angels sang, the shepherds sang
The grateful earth rejoiced
And at His blessed birth the stars
Their exultation voiced.
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord.
Again the heart with rapture glows
To greet the holy night
That gave the world its Christmas Rose
Its King of Love and Light.
Let ev'ry voice acclaim His name
The grateful chorus swell
From paradise to earth He came
That we with Him might dwell.
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
O come let us adore Him
Christ the Lord.

It's so beautiful! Just get past the whole intro which is in German and listen to this lady. Wow! I want to sing like this! :-)


Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

You all have a wonderful day!

Julie Andrews singing, "Hark the Herald." Listen. Trust me, it's lovely.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Ahem...

Well, since I can't seem to manage a song post everyday, I think I'll just go for every other day for a while.
Here are some pretty pictures to get some Christmas-y thoughts going.
                                                     I like these birds and I don't know why.

                                                  I think this is a very pretty nativity set.

                                                               Awesome picture. :-)


                                              Gorgeous room....it looks so warm and inviting!

And here is Mr. James Galway playing "What Child is This."

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Sorry I missed yesterday's song. :-) For today...Josh Groban's "Little Drummer Boy."
This song is way awesome! And hey, if you have a Christmas song that you love and would like to share, leave a link in the comments. :-)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

It's the first Sunday of Advent! Advent is probably my favorite season of the year. I love everything about Advent.
For those of you who may not know what Advent is exactly, it's simply the four weeks of preparation for Christmas. You see, Christmas doesn't come until Christmas! :-) It's the time we prepare for the coming of the infant Saviour, we decorate, clean, bake...all that wonderful Christmas-y stuff. And we should also prepare our souls for Christ's coming. Do some Christmas cleaning in our souls.
For Catholics', it's the time we make some extra sacrifices and perhaps say some extra prayers. It's actually rather fun.
One of the things that little kids really like (and big kids too, actually, though they probably wouldn't admit it!:-) is to fill and empty manger with straw for Jesus' coming.  The straw, weather it's simply strands of construction paper or strips of cloth or even real straw if you happen to have it handy, represents sacrifice and prayer. So every time you do a little sacrifice or say a prayer, you can put straw in the manger. It's a great visual for children and it does make those sacrifices so much more palatable. We want the Baby to be comfortable. ;-)
If you don't have an Advent wreath, you should really get one. They look like this...
                                                              
                                                                           Or this...
Or this...

Who wouldn't want one of these gracing their table? :-) The four candles represent the weeks of Advent. We put a white candle in the middle to be lit on Christmas Day. If you want to read more about the Advent wreath, go HERE.

As I said; Advent is my favorite time of the year. :-) I have a lot of fun posts planned for Advent. Decoration ideas, how to make wreaths...oh, and I am hoping to post a Christmas song every day from now till Christmas. I have loads of awesome Christmas music that I want to share with you all. :-) Staring with this gorgeous song...'Veni, Veni, Emanuel.' which means, 'Oh come, Oh come, Emanuel.' It's an Advent song. :-)
Here are the lyrics in English, if you're interested.

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.






Until my next post! Oh, and take a look at Cat's post at World Crafter
God Bless,
Amy

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thanksgiving



Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
I hope everyone has a wonderfully relaxing day, a delicious dinner, and delightful company!

Do any of you have traditions for Thanksgiving? Something that makes this day special to you? Every year, without fail, my family listens to one Christmas song. It's just a taste of the season to come and we hold off listening to Christmas music until about two-three weeks before Christmas. We don't want to rush the season!:-)
But on Thanksgiving, we listen to Nat King Cole's "O Holy Night." I love it. :-)






God Bless,
Amy

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Updating....

I am playing with my blog settings so things might look a little strange around here for a while. :-)

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Clear as Day...

I'm not  hugely into country music. Don't get me wrong, I like it and I own quite a bit of country stuff, it's just not my first pick of music.
However, I love Scotty McCreery's debut CD, "Clear as Day."
I love how deep and rich Scotty's voice is and the songs on the album suite his voice and style perfectly. It's the kind of country music that I really like.
What impressed me the most about Scotty McCreery is how respectful and mature he is for his age. It's very nice to see a young man actually behave like a young man. And even with his fast rise to fame, he seems very unassuming.
I enjoyed the whole album but there were a few songs in particular that I really liked. "Water Tower Town," is really fun and I like the praise of 'small town' living. "I Love You This Big," is just sweet.  It's the sort of song you could dance to. "Dirty Dishes" is really good. I don't really know why I like it so much but it is one of my favorites.

Overall, I think the album is completely worth buying. I don't remember one song that I didn't like. Even if you don't like country, give this album a chance. I might also add that I think this CD would make a lovely Christmas present if you happen to know someone that is really into this sort of music. :-)It's a very well done album I am looking forward to what Scotty McCreery will do musically in the future.


God Bless, Everyone!
Amy

Friday, November 4, 2011

And it has begun...

This is what I saw out of my window this morning. Not a whole lot of snow, to be sure, but snow none the less.
Winter is here and here to stay for a good long time I'm guessing.
I guess I should just be glad that the snow held off till November.

And there are good things about
winter, I guess. Like hot chocolate
which can't be completely enjoyed
until the weather is cold. And scarves.
Scarves are fun...


"The more it
SNOWS-tiddely-pom,
The more it
GOES-tiddely-pom,
The more it
GOES-tiddely-pom,
On
Snowing.

And nobody
KNOWS-tiddely-pom,
How cold my
TOES-tiddely-pom,
How cold my
TOES-tiddely-pom,
Are
Growing."     The House at Pooh Corner.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Paradiso

Yay, yay, yay! Hayley Westenra has finally released her new album 'Paradiso.' I am so excited.
Look-y here!



I love new music! This album, (from the 30 second clips I hear on Amazon) sounds more classically influenced than Hayley's last album. I can't wait till I have the chance to really listen to the CD. I do so love to have things to look forward to.
Here's a peek at the making of the album.

God Bless!
Amy

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

I am currently loving...

This song! It's so dramatic and beautiful. (And I'm singing it for the solo in my singing class so I'm a little obsessed with it right now. :-)
Italian  
O mio babbino caro,
mi piace, è bello, bello.
Vo'andare in Porta Rossa
a comperar l'anello!

Sì, sì, ci voglio andare!
e se l'amassi indarno,
andrei sul Ponte Vecchio,
ma per buttarmi in Arno!

Mi struggo e mi tormento!
O Dio, vorrei morir!
Babbo, pietà, pietà!
Babbo, pietà, pietà!

Literal Translation:
 Oh my dear papa,
I love him, he is handsome, handsome.
I want to go to Porta Rossa
To buy the ring!

Yes, yes, I want to go there!
And if my love were in vain,
I would go to the Ponte Vecchio
And throw myself in the Arno!

I am anguished and tormented!
Oh God, I'd like to die!
Papa, have pity, have pity!
Papa, have pity, have pity!

Here are two of my favorite versions of it.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Winnie-the-Pooh

I love Winnie-the-Pooh. My older sister used to read the stories aloud to me and she always did it so wonderfully. :-)
There is just something about Pooh that is absolutely special. He's sweet and kind and silly.
A.A. Milne created a whole cast of wonderful characters. I love Piglet, Tiger reminds me a little of myself, (just a little!:-) and Eeyore is just...well Eeyore!







The writing is fun and the stories are so original. Like this bit of dialogue from 'The House at Pooh Corner.' It's winter and Eeyore doesn't have a proper house and he tells Christopher Robin;
 "What with all this snow and one thing and another, not to mention icicles and such-like, it isn't so Hot in my field about three o'clock in the morning as people would think it is. It isn't Close, if you know what I mean--no so as to be uncomfortable. It isn't Stuffy. In fact, Christopher Robin," he went on in a loud whisper, "quite-between-ourselves-and-don't-tell-any-body, it's Cold."

Pooh is special. And I have a weakness for all things 'classic Pooh.' I have decided that when I get married and have my own family, I want the baby room to be decorated Pooh style. I have a small collection of Pooh things that I've lucked into at second hand stores, which is great for me, since classic Pooh is very expensive. ;-)
There are so many cute Pooh things and I just look at these pictures and drool.
Look at all the lovely Pooh things.




There. I just had to! If you have never read Winnie-the-Pooh, you should. They are really wonderful stories. I confess, the last chapter of the last book makes me cry. Really. Christopher Robin is growing up and...well. I don't want to spoil it for any of you that haven't read it yet!

God Bless,
Amy

Friday, September 16, 2011

I'm in the mood for...

Cardigans!


It must be the autumn-ish weather we've been having, but I am in the mood for 'cozy' cloths. Well, actually, I'm consoling myself with cozy cloths. And for some reason I am totally wanting cardigans this year.


Though I'm not a real fan of Harry Potter, I do love some of Hermonie's clothing in the movies. Like these. Awe...they are so lovely!






And I know that 'Penelope' came out quite a while ago, but I every now and then I go back and look at some of the clothes  she wears in that movie and I want them!
 I love then way she wears such classy, old-fashiony cloths in a way that is so fashiony! I even love how she can wear 'mis-matched' cloths and they 'go!' I'm not even going to go into the shoes she wears...*sigh*





When we were in Scotland, we found a store called "Ness" which sells really lovely cloths. (In fact, it's a good thing I don't live in Scotland. I would be a terrible spender if I did. There were so many more clothes there that I would actually wear!) I these cardigans. (I wish I could get clearer pictures! Grrr.)

. And these shoes
. And this bag.



And I think I need to start a random hat collection.











Ah...the only think I need now is...money. :-) I think this is the first time I've posted about cloths! I just couldn't resist. Even though I am a big spring/summer person ( I LOVE the sun.) my favorite clothing styles are the fall/winter ones.

I hope you all got some ideas from all the pretty pictures.

God Bless,
Amy

Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Seven Sorrows


I promised myself to post today. And I almost forgot! Today is the feast day of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. So...I wanted to post the devotion to of the Seven Sorrows. It goes as this:
Say seven Hail Mary's every day in honor of the sorrows, which are;

1.) The Prophecy of Simeon.

2.) The Flight into Egypt.

3.)The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple.

4.)The meeting of the Son and the Mother on the Way of the Cross

5.)The Crucifixion of Jesus.

6.)Mary receives the Body of Jesus in her arms.

7.) The Burial of Jesus.



And for those of you who don't know, here is the Hail Mary.

Hail Mary, full of grace.
Our Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.

These are the promises to those who practice this devotion.


1) I will grant peace to their families.
2) They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
3) I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
4) I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
5) I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
6) I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.
7) I have obtained (This Grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.


I think it's a beautiful devotion.

Take care, everybody.

God Bless,
Amy


 

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Oh, what a week!

First, two of my friends came up to visit for the week. We did all sorts of fun things, including staying up far to late every single night. :-)

 And it just so happens, I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Second, we went to Josh Groban's Straight to You concert. As most of you know, Josh Groban is my favorite singer. Th concert was absolutely amazing. I loved every minute of it. (It so didn't feel like he sang for two hours! It just flew by. :-)

I'd post more pictures of Josh, but we couldn't get many and a lot of them are fuzzy. :-(
And third, I have a new favorite super-hero. We went and saw, "Captain America" and I loved it! Seriously, it was great. I can't think of anything 'bad' or 'off-ish' in the movie at all...maybe a little language, but otherwise it was very clean.


I totally love the WWII costumes.

I'm now coming down from my little cloud nine and getting back into the swing of everyday life. This is a song Josh sang during his concert. (It's actually on his 'Awake' bonus CD, if you're wondering.) It seems fitting to share it with you now. Unfortunately, I can't embed it, but here's the link. http://youtu.be/XL71Za0Kpqg
Take care, everyone. 
God Bless,
Amy