Merry Christmas!!

Hello, Everyone!

I thought you might enjoy this video of my sisters and I singing carols. It was quite an undertaking!

God Bless and Merry Christmas to you all!

 



Lavender's Blue

Hi, All!

I slipped this one in under the wire! All thanks to my bestest sister, Bella, because she can create videos in record time.
And I keep pushing her to break her last record. I think she sort of hates me sometimes. ;)

Anyway, way back when Cinderella first came out I thought about how fun it would be to do a cover of Lavender's Blue.  There was just something about the tune that I really liked and it was stuck in my head for ages.
This one I wanted to do my own backup. I didn't want karaoke. I wanted it to be me.

So, this is not one of the best video's I've ever created, but I probably put the most work into it.
It was fun and 'let-me-pull-my-hair-out' frustrating at the same time. Recording is such a complicated thing and nothing went right the first time with this song.


Well...let me know what you think! I still can't decide how I feel about it. I have a love-hate relationship with most of the music I share. *grin*

God Bless!

Amy

Cover Song for July...Among other things.

Hello Everyone! 

So, remember way back when I mentioned taking a class on hand-to-hand combat and knife fighting? Well, that time has come!

*Flails*

One of my sisters, a friend of the family, and my good self are going to leaving Friday and we'll be gone for almost a week.

I'm thrilled. And Terrified. 

I've also set about compiling a road trip playlist. Because that's how I roll. (See what I did there?) Music makes the world go 'round. And it keeps me from going stir crazy during 7 hours in the car. Bonus.

So. That's my big news!

I'm going to try to take pictures, but I don't know how much time I'll have for that sort of thing. ;)

Anyway.

Life's been pretty good 'round here. The weather's lovely and I've just been enjoying summery things. Like spending evenings at my family's house, playing catch with my sisters.

Reading. 
I have been able to do some reading! *Cheers*
I was thinking about telling you what I've been reading, but I might save that for a post of its own.

I went and saw Ant Man.
That movie was so good!
I was fully expecting to enjoy it, but I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. It was just fun. It had lots of silly bits, and great dialog and not a ton of scary stuff.
If you go to watch it, stay till the very end. The VERY end.

I also went and saw Jurassic World, which was better than I was expecting. Chris Pratt did a really great job with his roll and they pulled of the plot pretty dang well. But It's still a dinosaur movie ...

And that's about all the news I've got for now. Except for the new song this month. It was actually Treskie that talked me into doing this one. I was having a lot of trouble choosing a song and feeling a bit overwhelmed and very strapped for time.

Treskie was like, "Hey, listen to this song," Which I did.

And then she was like, "We should do this song.Together. For the channel." 

At which I pointed out I didn't know the song.

To which she snorted and said, "It's not hard to learn. Don't be a baby."

So here we are. 

I have to admit, it was a lot of fun to sing this one and I really enjoyed recording with Treskie. She was right, it was pretty easy to learn and we had a good time singing together. I think it made the recording process easier for me. Which was very nice.

Still, I'm pretty shy about this one, so let me know what you think and if you liked it. I'm totally open to all sorts of feedback and I promise I won't bite your head off if you didn't like it. ;)

I might give you a paper cut and pour some lemon juice in it, but that's about it.

Thank you guys for stopping by! Talk to you all really soon. Probably.

God Bless,
Amy

Song of the Month

Hey there, Peoples!

I was listening to my music and it occurred to me that it's been ages since I've posted a song. I'm going to skip over the fact that it's sort of been ages since I've posted anything at all worth mentioning.

I bought Josh Groban's Stages CD way back at the beginning of May when it first came out. It was the day after my best friend's wedding and I bought it as my consolation prize and so I had something new to listen to on the eight hour drive home.

Anyway, it's a brilliant album, and it's impossible for me to pick a favorite track. He does my favorite-ever version of Bring Him Home from Les Miserables. He does a lovely version of Children will Listen from Into the Woods. He does Try to Remember from...I can't remember what that one's from. But it's gorgeous!
He does freakin' Empty Chairs at Empty Tables! *Heavy breathing*

Basically, the album is gold.

This is a song I'd never heard  before and for some reason which I really can't figure out, I love it. It's sad!

When I left I was leaving with a brother

Him and me, all we had was one and other

We were young, it was springtime

And our dreams of gold were grand

Oh, Kristina, gold can turn to sand

I mean, you can tell right there that this thing isn't going to have a happy ending! And it doesn't. It's sad. 

Go on! Hear for yourself.

Yeah, so you know...enjoy!

God Bless,
Amy

Life in pictures

 Hello everyone

Have you all noticed how awesome and inspiring my blogging has been lately? No? Me neither. *Head Desk!!*

Summer, you guys. The days are longer, yes. But they are also jammed packed with...stuff.

And since I can't even think of the right words to say, I'm just going to share my life in pictures. 

But first, press play on the song and then scroll through. The atmosphere is much better that way. ;) Plus, I think this song is gorgeous!

A simple lavender and baby breath bouquet for a bride.

My workstation at work. Far tidier than it usually is. *Grin*

Coffee. Everyday. Always.

Evening at the lake with Treskie.

A different beach day. ;)

A little of this!

Crazy-huge hail! I've never seen any this big where I live.

Flash-flooding.

After shooting the video for my channel. 

Another evening at the lake. 

Sunday afternoon outside with my guitar.

Another evening at the lake. Because it's the most peaceful thing ever.

No comment.

Blurry shot of me trying to record. *snort*

This fabulous arrangement.

Two words. Grilled Peaches... With Ice cream.

Sneaky shot of Treskie in singing class. ;)

Dandelions and a ladybug? Perfect! 

Thelfie!

Final project for my floral class. (That's done! Thank goodness:)

Yet another evening at the lake. What can I say?

What's your summer been like so far? anything special? New? Exciting? 

Until next time, you wonderful people!

God Bless!

Amy

Cover song for June~

Hi, Y'all!

Last day of June!

And I just snuck in my song for the month.

I feel vaguely ashamed about that. I seem to end up doing this videos by the seat of my pants and that's not what I want.

I want them to be awesome.

Unfortunately, awesome takes a lot of work, you guys!

All you people that hold down a full time job and still blog and keep up with any sort of internet social life, you have my applause and congratulations.

I am not that skilled.

Anyway...

Things I learned from this video shoot:

1.) Filming in the rain is hard.

2.) I need to invest in a tripod. Because shaking...lots of shaking. (I apologize)

3.) Waiting till the last day of the month to film the video is a terrible idea.

4.) Next month I will plan ahead.

On a more positive note, I do feel I am getting the hang of the actual recording process! *Insert cheering.*
That makes me happy because that's sort of what I was aiming for with this "video a month" project.

Thank you all so much for stopping by and for taking the time to watch my music. :) You're awesome. *High fives all 'round.*

If you could do me a favor and comment on the video on youtube instead of on my blog. I think that makes some sort of difference statistically with youtube and I'm sort of experimenting right now.
Of course, if that doesn't work for you, comments here are always welcome!

That's all for now! 

God Bless!

Amy

Coffee Affogato

Hello again.

The weather is getting a bit warm here. I'm not going to say hot, because honestly, it isn't. I do have a sister that would disagree with me on that...but never mind...

It is getting warm, though. As such, now comes the time of the year that we try very hard not to turn on the oven. I'm not exaggerating when I say using the oven in our little cabin in the summer can boost the indoor temperature a good ten degrees.

I came across this recipe on pinterest and it sounded so delicious I decided to give it a try.

It's very simple.

Step number one, brew some espresso! 

Check out our mason jar. We broke the original carafe. We don't even care.

If you aren't lucky enough to have an espresso maker, just brew some coffee. Make it strong. Like...STRONG. Repeat after me, "Strong!"

Good. 

Now you pull out your vanilla ice cream. Or really any kind of ice cream you like, I guess. I highly reccomend the vanilla.  It's fabulous.

Ta-da.

Next obvious step. Scoop the marvelous dairy concoction into something you can eat from. I suggest a clear glass container. It looks pretty that way.

Now comes the tricky part. You ready for this?

Pour the hot espresso over the ice cream. 

Yes, you read that right. Just do it. 

Now eat it.

Don't wait. Grab a spoon and dig in. It's amazing.

Make stupid expressions. It really adds to the moment.

It's especially good paired with pajamas and a movie. How 'bout The Fighting Prince of Donegal? 

Hmm, yes, I think so. That's my favorite person from Moon Spinners. And he uses swords. And sticks. And fists.  It's good fun.

That's it! 
Even if you don't typically like coffee, you should still try this recipe. It's really, really delicious. Almost like a root beer float but way tastier.
I have a feeling that this is going to be one of my go-to desserts this summer...
I have more than half a gallon of ice cream left. *eyeballs freezer*


If you try it, let me know! 

God bless!
Amy

"It's a bird! It's a plane!....No! It's a blog post!"

Hello everyone!

It is June.

JUNE!!

*Laughs maniacally* 

I have lost the handle I used to think I had on my life. 

I. Can. Not. Get. Organized. To. Save. My. Life.

The longer I've been away from blogging, the harder it's been for me to write again. I've opened my laptop a couple times with the best intentions in the world and just sat there like:

After Memorial Day slipped by and June slapped me over the face a few times, I was like, "Right! Time to get back on the proverbial bike and...and...Ride it,dang it!"

So here I sit.

(Side note. It's rather disturbing to be gone from your blog so long that you actually forget what it looks like.I just sat there like, "When did I make it blue?...That will have to change....What on earth did I do to the formatting? That will also have to change..." Awkward.)

And the best thing to do, it would seem, is to sort of fill you on on what's been going on in my life. Not to worry, it wont take all that long. *Sneer*

In order of awesomeness:

Number One:

I am taking the singing class at the college this quarter! *Dances*
There's an issue with how many times a person can sign up for the same class and I had definitely maxed out on my repeat-ability...
But the teacher was offering the class at a time that I could get to without having to make adjustments to my work schedule... and some of my other sisters were enrolled so I thought, "What the heck, I might as well try to sign up"
Mysteriously, I signed up without a hiccup! It was like a fabulous little miracle, all wrapped in tissue paper with a giant bow on top!

Two words; Private Lessons.  

Also, solos. It's been forever since I've had the chance to perform and I'm very,very rusty. *Snarls*
(I'm toying with the idea of posting my class solo, as bad of quality as it will probably be...what do you all think?)

So yes. That's my number one big deal.

Number Two:

I bit the bullet and bought a guitar! *More dancing*

Meet Murdock. He is fabulous and has a full, rich voice. He is the bomb-diggety!

In case you're wondering, no, I can't really play the poor dear yet. I want to. I practice. I get frustrated and eyeball my fingers accusingly.
"Oh evil fingers! You betrayed me! Bend, dang it! BEND!"
Then I usually end up putting on my gloves and hitting the punching bag for a while.

Perhaps I exaggerate.

I love to  make noise on the beautiful contraption, and my sister is surprisingly patient with me. I'm pretty much like this:

Watch the video. Do it. Click it. PLAY IT!

Happily, I have found a channel on youtube that seems like it's going to be very helpful in my learning. The fellow is really easy to watch and he explain things really well and...he reminds me of a goofy Rory Williams. Seriously.

Similar, yes?

Source

Number Three:

This one is futuristic, but I'm excited about it so it makes the list. So there.

I'm (hopefully) taking a hand-to-hand combat class and a knife fighting class in August this year! 

IT'S TERRIFYING AND WONDERFUL! I'll get to HIT things!  

I'm still working out the details. I'm actually a timid little thing and don't want to go without a sister...or a friend....or an acquaintance. Somebody...

BUT HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT!

Number four:

I am almost done with my floral design course and if all goes well, I will find  myself with a pay raise. *Pulls out the ahooga horn*

That will be glorious! That will be fa-hab-u-lous!

Three things. That's the extent of my news in three months. 

Could be worse.

As far as my hopes and dreams for this blog in the future, it's vague still, it's very Hit and Miss (see what I did there) and it's still a work in progress.

But I'm planning on a post a week. That's my goal. I have goals. *Pats self on back*

Now I'm shall leave you with a song. Because that's what I feel like doing. Ha. 

I don't know what it is lately, but this song has been my thing. It's my, "I'm off work, time to turn up the music and head home, singing at the top of my lungs," song. 

It is so much 'the thing' right now that I wrote out some of my favorite lyrics. 'Cause I do that. 

Now shush, and listen. 

God Bless and I'll be back again really soon!
Amy

Memorial Day --Song of the Month!

Hi there, everyone and Happy....Happy? Do you wish people a Happy Memorial Day?

So...

I have a song!

I've wanted to do a lyric version of Taps for quite a long time and I finally pulled it together!
Actually, my sisters and I finally pulled it together.
By the seat of our pants.
We like to wait til the last possible moment to do stuff.

Big thanks to Christina (or Tiny) for playing her little lips off so we could get the perfect trumpet take. Especially because we managed to sing it in a key that was almost impossible for trumpet. ;)

And big thanks to Bella for doing the video stuff in like...two hours. You're the bomb-diggety and I promise I will (try to) give you at least 24 hours in the future!

God Bless!
Amy

I'm Not that Girl--Cover Song

So it's Thursday and not Wednesday like I hoped. But it's still April and I still managed to squeeze in my cover song for the month.


You may applaud any time.


I'm in the midst of helping my bestie get ready for her wedding, *Gaaaah!* This includes doing all the flowers for the wedding, with the help of two of my sisters.
It's awesome and a little bit scary.


Weddings are wonderful, exciting, slightly bitter-sweet things.


Now if I can make it down the isle in a cute but wobbly pair of heals without tripping or sliding, that will just make everything great.


Anyway, thanks for stopping by, enjoy the song and I'll see you 'round later!

God Bless,
Amy

Arms--Cover song

Hello, Peoples!

I'm back momentarily to post my song for the month! *La-la-la, La-la-la!*

Technically, it's not my song. Treskie recorded a song and I did the editing for it.

She's adorable and the song is lovely so give it a listen!

I recorded a song as well and (cross you fingers) I hope to get it uploaded on Wednesday.

Two songs in one month! Not too shabby!

Never mind the fact that I'm running a little late...

Life happens.

Right, Without further ado, Arms.

I have a wedding to head to this week and after that I plan to start blogging again. I'm feeling pretty creative right now, so here's hoping that my blog will be new and exciting in the future!

Thank you all for stopping by. Enjoy!

God Bless,

Amy

Happy Wednesday!

Hello, Peoples! 

After the half-baked blog change I pulled a bit ago, I've been thinking more and more about my blog and what I want to do with it. 

As I said in my last post, I have several work-in-progress posts just sitting there and absolutely no desire to finish writing them.

I want to have some sort of direction with my blog. Some clear goal or purpose...or something. As it is, I basically have no idea what to write about and the longer the time between post the more frustrated I get with it. That's no good! That's rubbish.

I might take a tiny bit of a break from here. A real break to get myself back together and ready to post again.
It wont be a long break. Not much longer than my lack of blogging in general, but this time it will be deliberate and therefore I will benefit more from it. That is my sincere hope anyway! *Grin*

Some of the things I'm thinking about focusing on around here are;

1.) Music. I'm sort of doing that already, but I'd like to have a clearer goal there as well. Something I'm toying with is posting some snippets of my work-in-progress song lyrics. I'm just not sure if any of you really want to read bits and pieces of my lyrics. And I'm not sure if I'm ready to share them. But I'm toying with it.

2.) I'd like to start sharing cooking/baking things again. I spend a great amount of time in the kitchen and I love it. Who doesn't like food?
So maybe recipes will start sneaking in here.

3.) Boxing. Yes. I finally said it out loud. Boxing is one of my favorite things and I might start sharing that a bit more. (I figure since it's part of my header now, it wouldn't surprise anyone.:)Would you like that?

4.) Hair related stuff. Because I'm pretty good at hair. And I like hair. And I like the idea of doing tutorials. But again, do you want to see hair again? Perhaps more importantly, will I have time to do hair related things around here?
That's what I'm mulling over. ;)

So I shall take a break and do some thinking and planning.
What do you think of that plan? Sounds good, right?  

Life has been really good around here, on an entirely different note. My brother-in-law and sister came for a visit over the last week which resulted in much merriment and noise.

 My brother-in-law had a job interview in the near-ish vicinity and we're all praying like crazy that he gets it. The Midwest is very far away and having them closer would be the greatest thing since the invention of running water.

My crazy-awesome brother was insane and showed up to my place of employment and handed Treskie and I the keys to a fabulous Land Rover. 

Meet Jarvis

Who gets a CAR as a random surprise present??!!
That was one of those things that just make  you think, "Holy cow, I am unbelievably blessed." And it's wonderful and overwhelming at the same time.

Quite frankly, life has been full of a lot of little, wonderful things. 
Hikes and music and beautiful flowers, and actual writing inspiration. It's awesome.

Friday I head off on a mini-vacation to visit my bestie and celebrate her bridal shower. Bridal showers are fun! But it's so strange to think that when May comes, she's going to be married. Growing up is so weird!

Take care and I'll be back! Not soon, but I will be back! Rather like Arnold Schwarzenegger. *Wiggles sunglasses*

God Bless!
Amy

You're Still You--Cover Song.

Hello, Everyone!

I'm back with another cover song! *Dances*

And you know what? It's just as nerve-wracking the second time as it was the first! I am a nervous little potato.

I hope you guys enjoy, and if you do, share the love! Spread it around in a giant, melting ball of 'likes'. Tell your friends. Do it.

I'll be on with a real post soon. I have three different draft posts just sitting in my post list waiting for me to finish writing them. Poor dears.

Here it is. Josh Groban's You're Still You.

Thank you all for stopping by. I totally appreciate every single one of you. You're awesome!

God Bless!
Amy

Change~

Hi there, everyone.

Please bear with me as I make some changes to my blog. As you've probably noticed, I'm making things look new and fresh around here, but it takes me time to figure out all the ins and outs of everything.

Which means for the next few days, things will be a bit strange around here!

And hey, let me know what you think of the new look so far?

I'm still tweaking the colors because they're not quite what I'm going for. But they're getting there!

Cheers

In which I do the Liebster Blog Award...Again

Hello, everyone!

"The Liebster blog award," she muttered darkly. "The re-occurring award to make you delve deep into your memories and emotions so as to let the world know who you really are!"

................Oh wait. 

This one doesn't do that!

Can I hear a Hallelujah? 

Do I hear an Amen?

Per usualy, there are rules. But you know what?

So there.

Here are the rules, if I were going to follow them.

1.)Acknowledge the blogger who nominated you. (Okay, fine. That was Treskie)

2.)Answer the eleven question that the blogger gives you (Yes, I will do that)

3.)Give eleven random facts about yourself (Oh look, it does ask for some serious soul-searching. And no. I will not)

4.)Nominate eleven other bloggers and let them know (That's presuming I actually know eleven other bloggers. I may follow more than eleven, but I only comment on, like...four? Maybe six. And odds are good they've already been nominated. So...)

5.)Make eleven questions for them to answer (This one sounds fun so why the heck not?)

Now that I have that out of the way, let's get down to business. But no, I shall not be defeating any Huns in this post. So stay calm and put down the staff. 

1.) Will you join me in my quest to destroy all the things?

2.) Wizards or witches?

Source

Gandalf looks quite shocked that you'd even ask such a question.

Though I'm not sure if this question just means my preference, in which case, see above. Or if it means what I relate to more. Also see above. 

Though there was a little 4'10", ginger haired witch in a book called "Dealing with Dragons" that I quite related to. She was awesome. Enough said. 

3.) Are sweet dreams made of these or are you one to disagree?

"I didn't know you couldn't sing." (Kudos if you get that reference.)

4.) Have you ever heard of Ninjago? (Apparently it's lego. I have yet to see it.)

Source

5.) Do you collect sporks?

I detest sporks. 

6.) What were your favorite toys as a kid? 

I am trying really hard to resist the urge to launch myself into a eulogy about my favorite toy. It's a tragic story. 

Suffice it to say, I had a fabulous cloth doll made for me by my Mummy. We were bffs. I'm not even exaggerating a little.  

Then, after years of love and happiness, she disappeared off the face of the planet, never to be seen again. 

It was a dark time for me. 

7.) If you had a choice, would you hang out with Frodo or Merry?

I am sorry to say I think I'm more in the same class as Merry. Don't get me wrong, Frodo is the bomb-diggety, but Merry seems to keep a constant supply of apples. And he steals fireworks. And raids the food storage place at Isengard. Yet he still manages to find time to be brave. I aspire to be like Merry. 

Source

8.) In your opinion are ticks worse than spiders? 

Oh let me think. One lurks in the shadows, makes webs, and crawls unexpectedly out of my drain, and one sneaks up on me, latches onto my skin, drinks my blood,  and swells up to grotesque proportions.

I'm gonna have to go with tick. 

Ticks are evil.

Bad, bad ticks. 

9.) Sherlock meets Shawn Spencer, what is the first thing he would deduct?

"You are immature, brash and have an unhealthy desire for attention. You do not own your own home, or even your own car. You're terrified of commitment, have very little regard for authority, and hide your emotions with rather poor attempts at humor. I'd say you're an idiot, but since you've manage to hold down a job as a Psych Detective, I'd have to go with the opinion that it's the general, gullible public that are idiots and you are a simply a gifted lair."

I have no idea how he deducted all that, but I'm tired and that spiel came gushing forth and so it will remain. 

10.) Can you list the fifty states? 

*Inhales deep breath and begins to sing* Alabama, and Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, and more. Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana Iowa, only 36 more to go! Next New Hampshire and New Jersey, now way down Mexico, there's New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, now let's see, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas and there's Utah, Vermont, I'm almost through! Virginia and there's Washington and West Virginia, too! Could Wisconsin be the last state or is it 49? No, Wyoming is the last state of the fifty states that rhyme. 

You asked. 

11.) What is your opinion on blue inked pens? Yea or nay?

Being master and commander of this ship, I hereby nominate:

Mahri

Mary

Chelsea

Your Challenge, should you choose to except it,is as follows.

1.) How do you feel about pool noodles?

2.) Forest or Ocean?

3.) On a scale of 1-10, how adorable do you think Camels are?

4.) Would you ride a camel? Keeping in mind that they spit.

5.) Batman or Captain America?(Don't worry, I don't judge... Okay, I do, but I'll be kind.)

6.) Bananas or Pineapples?

7.) How well can you chop an onion?

8.) Given a choice between jogging 5 miles or doing boxing for 20 minutes, what would you do?

9.) What was your favorite picture book as a very young child. 

10.) On a scale of 1-10, just how good are your reflexes?

11.) Are you a morning person or should others be afraid for their lives if they bother you before you've had your coffee?

I'm looking forward to see all y'all answers! 

Farewell, my friends! 

Goodnight and God bless!

Amy