GRACE

"One night a farmer who was a skeptic about Christ stayed home when his family went to church one Christmas Eve. Then he heard a loud thump, something hitting against the window. And another thump. He looked outside but couldn't see. So he ventured outside to see. In the field near his house he saw, of all the strangest


things, a flock of birds! They were apparently flying to look for a
warmer area down south, but had been caught in the snow storm.

The storm
had become too blinding and violent for the geese to fly or see their
way. They were stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter, unable to


do more than flutter their wings and fly in aimless circles.
He had compassion for them and wanted to help them. He thought to
himself, "The barn would be a great place for them to stay! It's warm
and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm." So


he opened the barn doors for them.

He waited, watching them, hoping they
would notice the open barn and go inside. But they didn't notice the
barn or realize what it could mean for them. He moved closer toward them
to get their attention, but they just moved away from him out of fear.
He went into the house and came back out with some bread, broke it up,
and made a bread trail to the barn. They still didn't catch on.
Starting to get frustrated, he went over and tried to shoo them toward
the barn. They panicked and scattered into every direction except toward
the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where there
was warmth, safety and shelter.

Feeling totally frustrated, he exclaimed, "Why don't they follow me?
Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?
How can I possibly get them into the one place to save them?" He thought
for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human.
He said to himself, "How can I possibly save them? The only way would be
for me to become like those birds. If only I could become like one of
them! Then I could save them! They would follow me and I would lead them
to safety."

At that moment, he stopped and considered what he had said. The words


reverberated in his mind: "If only I could become like one of them- then
I could save them." And then, at last, he understood God's heart towards


mankind, and he fell on his knees in the snow and worshipped Him."

Paul Harvey

Coldplay-Never cease to amaze me

Can I say I am a fan of Coldplay? Yes!

Such a lot of great things happening in the future. Christmas, of course. And an announcement that I am to become a new, first-time Grandmother! Yes, my youngest daughter is pregnant and will be giving birth to a daughter in June of 2009. We are very excited. She is continuing to finish her degree and working very hard to make excellent grades. Her apartment is on the third floor, so she must be cautious this winter walking up two flights of stairs.  My oldest daughter is working in labor and delivery at Saint Francis.  My son is majoring in Psychology and just celebrated his birthday last night.  

I have had the strep throat this week.  Every time I get sick anymore, I realize just how wonderful it is to be well again.  At least I will be well before Christmas.  I only put up a puny 6 foot tree this year.  With all children away at apartments and being sick, I just didn't feel like going through the process of putting up my major tree and ornaments.  But I have done well with shopping this year.  I'm almost finished.   I will mail two packages today and send cards and Friday, one more time of shopping for last minute gifts.  

Merry Christmas, everyone!  "God bless us, everyone," as Tiny Tim would say.  

Chris Martin

I know these are very sad camera phone photos and video but at least I got them!  We were sitting in Section 104, Row P, aisle seats 1, 2, and 3.  I was in seat 1 next to the steps.  We were happy with these seats even though they were distant from the stage.  Near the end of the concert, the ushers roped off our aisle with crime scene tape.  Then the ushers stood guard while Coldplay continued playing.  I thought to myself that someone had gotten sick and they were going to carry them out.  But then we realized that Coldplay was going to walk up the steps right next to us.  After that song they did.  I got a short video of the band walking past us with people screaming, of course!  I reached out and patted Chris Martin on the shoulder.  My daughter touched him too.  He was the last band member to walk up.  He was wearing a cream colored thermal shirt.  Very sweaty.  :D  

Then the band stood above our section and played three songs.  It was amazing.  This was the best concert ever.  

Viva la Vida-Coldplay

Hurray!! I am going with my two daughters to see Coldplay tonight.

Oklahoma City Ford Center and Bricktown.  We're going over 

early to get a parking place and eat at Bricktown.  

Musical Interlude

Wouldn't You Agree?

Wouldn't you agree it's time for some more Phil Collins?
I've missed him lately. The world needs more of him.

Australian Pink Floyd

Camera phone shot.  Not bad!

We went to see the Australian Pink Floyd "The Wall" concert last night. They were very good.

Because Our Music Rocks!

AARP The magazine's music critic, Richard Gehr, picks five

songs music lovers will still be listening to in 100 years.

The Beach Boys "God Only Knows"

Aretha Franklin "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)"


Booker T. & the MG's "Time is Tight"

Merle Haggard "Mama Tried"

The Beatles "Strawberry Fields Forever"

Interesting choices. I can certainly say they would not have 

been my first choices.  They are an interesting mix.  I do agree

the late 50's, 60's, and 70's had some of the best and classic

songs that will endure until time ends.  What do you think?

See, there are many reasons to love being 50+.  

Bubbly

We almost got to see Colbie Caillat in concert. We heard the last two of her songs as we entered the gate. The traffic in Dallas was unbelievable that night. Everyone must have been on the same road we were on and going to the same place. We were all late. But at least we did not miss John Mayer. But it was disappointing to miss Colbie!

Phil Collins-That's Just the Way It Is

All day long he was fighting for you
And he didn't even know your name
Young men come and young men go
But life goes on just the same

And I don't know why
Why do we keep holding on
I don't know why
Pretending to be, oh, so strong

Oh, why
Is there something I don't know
Or something very wrong with you and me
Or maybe

That's the way it is
That's the way it is

They've been waiting for word to come down
They've been waiting for you night and day
They won't wait any longer for you
It may already be too late

And I don't know why
Why do we keep holding on
I don't know why
Pretending to be, oh, so strong

Oh why
Is there something I don't know
Or something very wrong with you and me
Or maybe

That's the way it is
That's just the way it is

You see the dying, you feel the pain
What have you got to say
If we agree that we can disagree
We could stop all of this today

It's been your life for as long as you can remember
But you cannot fight no more
You must want to look your son in the eyes
When he asks you what you did it for

'Cause all day long he was fighting for you
And he didn't even know your name
Young men come and young men go
But life goes on just the same

And I don't know why
Why do we keep holding on
I don't know why
Pretending to be, oh, so strong

Oh, why
Is there something no one told me
Or something very wrong with you and me
Or maybe

That's the way it is
There's nothing I can do
That's just the way it is, oh

That's just the way it is
That's just the way it is
There's nothing I can do
That's just the way it is
That's just the way it is

That's the way
That's the way
That's the way
© HIT & RUN MUSIC PUBLISHING INC;

Phil Collins & Junebug

Meez and Phil
Do You Remember?

Take the Lead

Pierre Dulaine:  "a man who can dance is the most popular

man in the room"

Antonio Banderas
Take the Lead

The Dulaine Method philosophy
Respect & Compassion: At the very core of the Dulaine Method philosophy is the essential respect that goes into being a Lady and being a Gentleman. In a time when we bemoan the loss of civil discourse and our society seems to become coarser by the day, Dancing Classrooms is a program that demands that the children not only treat others with respect but also encourages the children to respect themselves.
Coupled with respect is compassion. Perhaps it is Pierre’s own childhood that predisposes him to walk into a classroom full of children who struggle to believe in themselves, open his arms and heart to them, and then guide them gently along a journey that leads these young people to joy and accomplishment.
Respect and compassion are the foundational elements of the Dulaine Method. Unfortunately, very few adults know how to genuinely treat children with respect. And even fewer adults seem to remember what it was like being a child.
Being Present: Probably the most difficult skill for any teacher to learn is the ability to be completely in the moment when they are teaching. Children in particular are extremely aware of when the adult in charge (parent, teacher, coach) is not really there; and when a child senses that distance, woe be unto that adult.
Pierre’s ability to “be here now” enables him to observe every subtle nuance of student, and group, behavior. He can see when a child is nervous, not paying attention, when the group is becoming antsy and he can respond to those issues immediately, thus keeping the classroom experience flowing. Being present also allows Pierre to express his own positive emotions towards the children at precisely the moment the children need that affirmation.
Creating a Safe Place: Asking children to take the extraordinary risk of embarrassing themselves in front of their peers is precisely what Dancing Classrooms does. And the only reason that the children are willing to take this risk is because Pierre has perfected a way to make that experience safe.
A Dancing Classrooms class is a place in which everyone is equal: the students, the Teaching Artist, and the elementary school staff that are participating. In modern jargon we call this creating a therapeutic milieu, an environment so different from these children’s normal daily environment that simply being in that room and being part of that collective group experience changes that child.
Command & Control: Clearly, if you are going to move 25 children through twenty 45 minute classes and have them successfully learn seven dances, you need order and discipline. Pierre is in command of the class from the moment he begins until the moment the children leave the room.
An essential part of the Dulaine Method is developing the craft of managing the Group. When teachers are being taught how to work with children their training is invariably focused on individual child development. Rarely, if ever, are student teachers taught about group dynamics and how to manage a group of children. In many ways it is Pierre’s innate understanding of how to use the Group to help the Individual that is the glue that holds the program together. The ability to remain in absolute control of the Group while nurturing the children is one of Pierre’s greatest skills.
Language: Body & Verbal Language, both body and verbal, are the great connectors in Dancing Classrooms. Pierre’s entire physical affect is one of openness, warmth, and genuine affection for the children. His verbal repertoire is a consistent barrage of positive comments. There is no denying that when Pierre combines his body and verbal language he is a force the children simply cannot resist.
Humor & Joy: And last, but by no means least, Pierre brings humor and joy to the teaching experience. Humor is perhaps the most difficult, yet powerful teaching tool for a teacher to master. Gentle humor can help a shy child become less self-conscious; humor with that same child handled poorly can make him retreat and never come back out. As clichéd as it sounds, Pierre allows his inner child to fully emerge when he is teaching. He is playful, he is present, and the children can sense that he is just plain happy to be with them. (Wikipedia)

And Now for a Brief Message

And now back to my favorite subject:  Phil Collins

You Can't Hurry Love


I Don't Care Anymore

Phil Collins-Deserves Better

I hope he can find lasting happiness soon.  He deserves it.

He doesn't get the respect or love that he deserves.

Phil Collins

I Wish It Would Rain Down

I love Phil.

Fun Monday-The Wall

So sorry I'm late with this Fun Monday. We were without internet
most of yesterday. This week's host was Jan at The Prytz Family.  We are

supposed to show our walls and what's on them.  I am only going to

show you my bedroom wall for now.  I have artwork on most every

available wall.  I am currently changing some art on my living room

walls.  I'm not about change.  I could keep something like it is for

years, just ask my kids.  Anyway, here are bedroom photos for your

enjoyment(?)

This photo is the view from my bed every morning.  The

picture on the left is artist George Bates.  The middle is

Yuri Dvornik with a Paris scene.  The right is "The Girl

with the Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer.  I love 

Dutch paintings.

This is above my dresser.  I collect wooden shoes.  I love

Monet.  This is called "View of Tuileries Gardens."  

Behind the bed are more pictures.  Of course, the building

of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  Other various farm scenes

I picked up at Arts and Crafts fairs of local artists.

Below these are prints that I picked up on our trip to

Paris.  The one on the bottom right is a very old watercolor

by a Parisean artist in the mid-1900's.

Just another view:

Another Monet print:  Red boats at Argenteuil 1875

Final view of room below

Sorry for being late.  

What a Wonderful World

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I love you.

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Coffee Art (The Best Part of Waking Up)

She calls this "Creation of Coffee."


I found this wonderful artist on the news today.  Her name is Karen Eland and she paints with coffee.  You should check out her website.

She does beautiful expressionism (expresso) watercolors.  Very amusing because she likes

to add a cup of coffee somewhere in the painting.  Here is an example:

Her artwork is displayed in coffee houses all over the states. She has a gallery
displaying pieces that she sells for reasonable prices. I believe I shall be buying
this "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

Girl With a Pearl Earring

This was found here on the author, Tracy Chevalier's website about her book Girl With a Pearl Earring. I read the book a few years ago. I think it is very interesting to imagine the story behind the painting. Here is what Tracy says:

"Little is known about Vermeer. For a start, we don't know what he looked like. There are no confirmed images of him, though in one of his early works, The Procuress, a man looks out at the viewer from the edge of the scene, which in Dutch painting of the time was often the artist himself. In The Art of Painting a painter sits with his back to us. We don't know if it's meant to be Vermeer, but it gives us an idea of what an artist in his studio might have looked like.
The few known facts about Vermeer's life come from legal documents, of marriages and births and sales and debts. The son of innkeepers, he was born in 1632 in Delft, a town of about 25,000 people best known for its blue and white glazed earthenware. He spent all of his life there, though he may have done a six-year painting apprenticeship elsewhere, possibly in Amsterdam or Utrecht."


"In 1653 Vermeer converted to Catholicism and married Catharina Bolnes, a Catholic from a well-off bourgeois family. They had eleven surviving children. The family lived in the house of Maria Thins, Vermeer's mother-in-law, in an area off the main Market Square known as Papists' Corner because of the concentration of Catholics living there. Only 20% of the population were Catholic; the rest were Protestant. Catholics were tolerated but barred from municipal functions and required to worship privately. There were two "hidden" churches in Delft, one right next door to Maria Thins' house."


The book was made into a movie. I have watched the movie. Colin Firth plays Vermeer and Scarlett Johannson is Griet. Tracy Chevalier had this to say about the film.
"It was strange too to see that my scribbling had spawned a whole industry of Vermeer boffins - there were reproductions of Vermeers and other Dutch paintings tacked up everywhere in the production offices, and books strewn about that I myself had read for research. I confess it was rather gratifying to have Colin Firth elbow someone out of the way in the set canteen so that he could sit next to me at lunch and grill me about Vermeer. Someone else also turned to me in the canteen and said, 'Do you realise that your idea is paying all these people's wages for two months?' Yes, surreal it was."

Here is an excerpt from the book:
He got another of the lion-head chairs and set it close to his easel but sideways so it faced the window. "Sit here."
"What do you want, sir?" I asked, sitting. I was puzzled--we never sat together. I shivered, although I was not cold.
"Don't talk." He opened a shutter so that the light fell directly on my face. "Look out the window." He sat down in
his chair by the easel. I gazed at the New Church tower and swallowed. I could feel my jaw tightening and my eyes
widening. "Now look at me." I turned my head and looked at him over my left shoulder. His eyes locked with mine.
I could think of nothing except how their grey was like the inside of an oyster shell. He seemed to be waiting for
something. My face began to strain with the fear that I was not giving him what he wanted. "Griet," he said softly.
It was all he had to say. My eyes filled with tears I did not shed. I knew now. "Yes. Don't move."
He was going to paint me.