Viva Fiesta....Wreath

Here in San Antonio, we're celebrating Fiesta. The cool San Antonio people are celebrating Fiesta by attending festive events downtown and in cool historical districts. Brian and I, on the other hand, celebrated by eating enchiladas at a church supper. And I made this gaudy tacky colorful wreath. Ole!

Wanna celebrate Fiesta San Antonio style in the privacy of your own home? Take a grapevine wreath base. Grab a handful of colorful ribbon. If you're smart, look for remnants in your closet or shop for remnants in the bargain section of your local fabric store. If you're lazy or foolish (and I am both), stop by Michael's and have an assortment of ribbons cut. I purchased 2 yard lengths of several different colors, then purchased a few 99 cent rolls of printed ribbon. Buy some cheap colorful silk flowers at Dollar General (or better yet, a thrift store or garage sale...or check your attic). Pull their heads off. And some leaves. Stick a low-temp glue stick in your low-temp glue gun. Glue some leaves down here and there. Arrange the flowers in a pleasing pattern. Lift each flower, add a dab of hot glue, then press into the wreath. Cut ribbons into short, medium and long lengths...I think I cut roughly 9", 15" and 20" lengths. Hot glue them in a row, alternating colors, along the bottom back side of the wreath.

Hang with Tex-Mex flair and have a couple of Nachos.

¡Viva Fiesta!

I'm going GREEN in April

Well, just barely in April, and, well, just a little green. As in green plants. In my house. In my apothecary jars. Nah, I'm not really the crunchy type. I'm not even sure I "planted" these correctly. But they're awfully cute, doncha think?

I intended to put some potted herbs in my jars, but I couldn't find any in small enough pots. Then I saw these sweet succulents, and I had to have them. I tucked a bit of sheet moss in the bottom of each jar, then stuck the succulents in. I'm hoping for a terrarium effect...minimal watering...but I think you have to put charcoal or something like that in them to prevent mold growth. Anyone out there know about such things?

Here are the other 2 jars:

American Idol - Five Alive

5 Alive...Yes, I am that old.

Neil Diamond, huh? He wrote the soundtrack of my childhood. I don't know a lot of his songs, but those I do know remind me of slumber parties and family vacations and talent shows. It will be intersting to see how many of these kids are able to make something new and interesting out of these golden oldies.

I didn't watch AI live tonight...we were getting haircuts and then working on home improvement projects, so I watched the clips on YouTube just now. Therefore, I have no idea what order these songs came in. Actually, I saw the last 3 songs live, but the rest were on Memorex...err...YouTube. Does Neil Diamond night make anyone else feel the arthur-itis coming on? OK...let me dust my cobwebs off and we'll get started.

The Top 5, in no particular order:

Jason Castro - Forever in Blue Jeans - Loved the low range for him at the beginning...it was manly, solid, less squirrely. Oh, he had to pop up into his high. Which is nice, but not supported enough. Oh well. Still a nice rendition of a rather dated song. Jason is a sweetie, and just adorable, dreads & all, but I don't think he compares to the star wattage of David Cook. I'm afraid he may be near the end.

September Morn - Jason sings with such a laid back, sort of cheesy Love Boat feel, that I feel like I'm hearing the original version, only without the polish of Neil Diamond. I really liked the "Hallelujah" Jason, but I haven't liked him as much since then. I've enjoyed seeing some of the videos of him leading worship, though.

David Cook - I'm Alive - I don't know this one. I'm sure you're all surprised by that. I'm a regular pop culture encyclopedia...NOT. Anyway. This sounded cool to me. If it weren't Neil Diamond night, I'd have never guessed that it was a Neil Diamond song. I think we might as well just cinch this thing up right now. David Cook seems head & shoulders above the rest, in terms of his performance skills. He just maintains the poise, and comes up with something fresh and original each week. Even when I don't really like the song, I still think he's the best!

All I Really Need is You - Guess what? I don't know this song either. But. Chills. Really. As a vocalist, I really love strong, clear vocals (like David Archuleta), but I'm a total sucker for a singer who interprets his song. He makes these songs contemporary by making them meaningful. Current arrangements, appropriate dynamics, and a little bit of drama. I would seriously buy this on iTunes. But I don't have an iPod. Yep...I really am ancient. Or cheap. Or both.


David Archuleta - Sweet Caroline - I remember listening to this song on my parents' Readers' Digest cassette back in the late 70's/early 80's on road trips in our station wagon. Time to take some Metamucil and Bengay...maybe some Milk of Magnesia. Let me put my pink foam rollers in and cover them with a hairnet. OK...now to little Archie. Cute. Good. But, it seemed like a really nice voice covering a rather stale tune. Is that Bengay I smell on him? He needs to work on his "hip factor" or he'll just end up as another Clay Aiken. Cute, great voice, but kind of boring.

America - OK, this song is probably just a hint more contemporary than "Sweet Caroline". I could see him singing this on some network TV July 4th program. But really, David, you're starting to remind me of a really excellent singer on "Up with People". I think you're smart to choose songs which show off your vocals, but I'd love to see you sing a song that David Cook picked out for you! Then apply those stellar vocals. That would be hot.

Syesha Mercado - Hello Again - Barefoot? Weird. Syesha is just beautiful. And so poised. She reminds me a bit of Katherine McPhee...nice vocals. Very talented, but not as original as David Cook or as vocally strong as David Archuleta. Still, I would love to see her in a Broadway show...she'd be very entertaining.

Thank the Lord for the Night - She certainly takes command of the stage, much like David Cook, but in more of a Diva fashion. When I see her, I see an actress with surprising vocal talent, rather than a vocalist who can act. I think she gets in over her head vocally, so she makes up for it by performing big. But I think she is at her best when she has a mental idea of the character she's playing. That's what would make her great on the Great White Way.

Brooke White - Believer - Hmmm...the low just doesn't seem to work for Brooke, at least not at this tempo. She looks like she's trying too hard. That didn't do it for me. It was kind of Brady Bunch cheesy. I don't think I like guitar Brooke as much as piano Brooke.

I Am I Said - Her comments with Ryan were a little strange. Oh well. I like this a lot better already. Good range for her. In fact, I like her version better than Neil's. Very nice. Much more suited to her. This might redeem her. But the first one was so poor, I fear she may be on her way out.

Miles Ahead: David Cook

Almost There: David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado

Had a Good Run: Jason Castro and Brooke White

Please do stop by BooMama's to see her witty commentary on the Top 5. And definitely check out Cindy and Scott...these two are the dynamic duo of AI blogging. Very FUNNY and Alphabetical.

A New Thing

Isaiah 43:18-19

Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.

I share that verse today as a way of announcing something new that is happening in our lives. If you know us, you probably already know some of what I'm about to share. If you're a blog friend, this may be more than you care to know. But it's central to what is going on with us, and several things I've wanted to blog about relate to this "new thing", so I felt it was time to share the whole story.

Brian and I have been married for 6 and 1/2 years. We married when he was 33 and I was 32. After 2 years of wedded bliss, we began trying to get pregnant. Due to our age (mine in particular), we had difficulty in the endeavor, and finally opted to see a fertility specialist. After another couple of years, we learned that it was unlikely that we would ever conceive. That was a tough blow for us. About that time, we heard about this conference, and it was going to be taking place at a church just down the road from our house! We knew and respected Dennis & Barbara Rainey's ministry. We used their book, (which I highly recommend), for our premarital counseling. So we jumped at the chance to learn more about adoption from an organization that we trusted. Let me tell you, if you are thinking about adoption, this is an excellent workshop to attend. It's very thorough and informative.

One thing they made a point of saying at the conference, over and over, was that you shouldn't adopt just because you felt it was the right thing to do, or because you had a whole in your heart or home due to infertility, or because someone told you that you should consider adoption. They shared many scriptures which revealed how Christians are to care for the widows and orphans. And they urged us to find a way to minister to widows and orphans, both in our midst and far away. But, they said you should only adopt if you believe God has called you to adopt. They asked the conference participants to spend time in prayer, seeking God, before we made the decision to adopt.

Fresh on the heels of our infertility news, we knew we weren't ready to adopt. We had some grieving to do first. We were open to the idea, but we didn't want to run ahead of God, so we just stayed in prayer about it. For over a year. The next fall, we met with some friends of Brian, who had adopted. We asked them a lot of questions and learned some of the ins and outs of private domestic adoption. But it's very expensive, and we didn't feel a peace about it. Still, over the next several weeks, God made my heart very tender toward adoption. Brian and I would talk about it, from time to time, but he didn't seem ready. In January of this year, I was looking at an adoption website that Brian's friends recommended. It had a quiz that was intended to help assess your readiness for adoption. First, it asked what your motivation was for adopting. Were you considering adoption because you felt it was the right thing to do, or because you had a whole in your heart or home due to infertility, or because someone told you that you should consider adoption? I thought it was interesting, because they were the same things we heard at the conference. I knew, at that time, that I believed God was calling us to adoption. He had put it so heavy on my heart that I ached to move forward. However, the second question asked who was leading the pursuit for adoption. You, your spouse, your parents or in-laws, or someone else. God nudged me and pointed out to me that I was the one, at that point, who was leading the quest. This brought me to my knees. I didn't want to be the leader. I knew that was not God's plan, either. I understood very clearly that God wanted to bring Brian to the point that he knew God was calling us to adopt, and my persistence and encouragement or nagging wouldn't help matters. If Brian was going to exercise his God-given right to be the spiritual leader in our home, I needed to settle down and wait...on him and on God. So I prayed and asked God to help me be patient with His plan. And I prayed for Brian, that God would help him to be sensitive to His call, and help Brian not to discount it out of fear. I didn't say anything at all to Brian. I left it in God's hands.

Two days later, I was sitting in a doctor's office when my cell phone rang. It was Brian. He'd just heard a Focus on the Family radio broadcast about adoption. God spoke very clearly to Brian's heart, and he wanted to tell me that he felt God was calling us to adoption, and that when I was ready, we could proceed. I was ready! That very weekend, a local church was hosting another adoption workshop. We went to the exhibit hall and met with several organizations who deal in domestic adoptions. Then we went home and prayed about it. By the end of the day, we felt God was directing us to pursue adoption through the state. Gulp.

We called our families and shared the news with them. They were delighted for us. We shared with our Sunday School class and asked for their prayer support. Our friends and family have been so good to pray for us and encourage us along the way. A dear lady in our church approached me with the scriptures above, not even knowing our situation. She said God had told her to share those words with me. What a sweet encouragement that was!

So we've spent the last several months preparing our home. We have several significant remodeling chores that need to be complete before we have a home study or home inspections. We're about halfway through the task list. We have finished our application, except for the home plans (a sketch of the layout of the home), which Brian hopes to have finished in the next day or so, and then we'll send our application in. We'll have several classes to attend, followed by lots of inspections and such. It's a little stressful, but I know that God is sovereign and in control. And I have confidence in His perfect plan for our family.

In the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some of the progress we've made in our home remodeling projects, and updating our progress on the application/interviews/classes, etc.

In the meantime, please keep us, and our future children in your prayers. And thanks for reading!

American Idol Top 6 - on Broadway!

Tonight's Andrew Lloyd Weber night. Cool. I do love me some musical theatre!

Here's something to get us in the mood:


Is it just me, or does Andrew Lloyd Weber (hereafter ALW) have some really wacked out eyebrows? He reminds me of Mike Myers. Check it out:

OK...now that that is established, I will say that he seems to be very gracious. And in the world of musical theatre, he's a genius. He says his music is story driven - good - that's what these kids need work on. This should be fun.

Syesha Mercado - One Rock 'n' Roll Too Many - Seemed like she was a little off rhythmically on the entrance, but she caught up quickly. Looks smokin' tonight - cute, cute hair. Such a nice performance. A nice sassy feel. I'm so glad to see her get a chance to really show off. Though I'm still a David Cook "Cookie", I've liked Syesha all along, and I think she really showed her stuff tonight. And Broadway would be a great place for her. Well done!

Jason Castro - Memory - Wow...interesting choice for him. This is such an iconic song with Betty Buckley, that it's kind of a risk...wonder if he knew that! Nice in the islandy suit. Pretty. Not sure he understood it in context of Cats, but he put a nice spin on it. His breathing though? It's driving me crazy. He really needs to improve the breathing. I think that's standing between him and real success. I think Simon's comments were the most honest. It seemed like something he was being forced to sing. Oh sweet Jason, please get a vocal coach and work on the breath control. You'd be magnificent with that improvement!

"Our own resident glamourpuss, Simon Cowell." Funny, Ryan!

Brooke White - You Must Love Me - I love this song from Evita. My middle school choir sang it years ago. Bravo, ALW, for making her .....Oh, Brooke, it's rough when you flub the words. But you just have to keep going. At least she wasn't too far into it. I don't really like the way she's singing it line by line. It weakens the message, I think. It makes it look like she's trying to remember all the words. "Frightened you'll slip away" was my favorite line. Maybe because she looked frightened. I wish she'd worn her hair up in a bun...more severe and dramatic...a little less sunny. I think that would have helped her carry it off better. It was very nice, but it didn't seem right for her. And really, if you're going to sing musical theatre, you need to know what the song and character are about. I'm glad she didn't talk back to the judges. That's an improvement.

Side note: I can't stand the camera angle behind the waving hands. It's very distracting.

David Archuleta - Think of Me - Wow, I am really impressed with the advice that ALW gives. I think it's been very productive. WOWWWW, David, that was a GREAT spin on this song. Very contemporary and not musical theatre-y. A nice pop style...could be on the radio. That's my favorite David A. performance in several weeks!

Carly Smithson - Jesus Christ, Superstar - Good call, that. Very cool dress. It looked like she had fun with it. She kind of shouted the chorus, but it worked. It's not one of my favorite songs, but it was pretty good. I liked the t-shirt, though. And I really liked the dress.

David Cook - Music of the Night - What a nice departure for him. Maybe not the best performance of this song, but it did show that he's not a one-trick pony. Loved the final notes.

Favorite performances tonight: David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado.

Weakest performances tonight: I'm sorry to say it, but I feel that Jason and Brooke were the weakest of the night. Either of them could and should go.

Now go forth, quickly, to BooMama's. Because the Phantom of the Opera? He's there. Kidding. But all the best AI reviews can be found there!

Pet Peeves and Turn-Offs (Blog Stuff)

It started with BooMama, BigMama, & Rocks In My Dryer...asking their questions and getting some answers. I was surprised to read in the comments of their blogs that many blog readers are bothered by blogs with music. For me, it's never an issue...I just keep my sound muted and only turn it on when I want it on. I've really enjoyed having a playlist on my blog, and in fact, often open my blog just to enjoy the music! However, I do understand that not everyone shares my tastes, and many of you don't like being startled by blog music when you surf from blog to blog.

Then I read that Frugal Upstate is hosting this:

Of course, the month is halfway over, but it's never too late to build a better blog, right? So I've decided to set my Playlist to not begin automatically. For those of you who enjoy it, it's right there at the top of the blog. Just hit play and enjoy. For those of you who don't, I apologize for the nuisance it may have been, and hope you enjoy the sound of silence!

I'm planning a few other revamps this month. I will be changing my background and header again in the next week or so. I have a bit more work to do on my link to my recipe blog. And I'm working on several new posts as well as developing a regular posting schedule of some sort. So things? They are a-changing. Please stay tuned!

American Idol - 7 Left!

Hmmm...Mariah Carey night. I'm not sure I'm looking forward to this. I don't hate Mariah, but I've never been a huge fan. I think it sounds like a recipe for a lot of screeching and an opportunity for Syesha to tackle another diva song. On the other hand, it should be another great opportunity for David Cook to do something miraculous with an unusual arrangement. This should be interesting.

David Archuleta - Believe - This seems like a very chopped-up arrangement. It sounded to me like they made sure to leave in all the cool licks, even if it meant the song wouldn't make sense. He sang it quite well, and very sensitively, but I really didn't love the arrangement. Simon's right, this might actually go better for the men, since they won't automatically be compared to Mariah.

Carly Smithson - Can't Live - Wow...fabulous look tonight. Love the SLEEVES! Gorgeous color, nice to see her in a dress. Great look for her. I like the vulnerability, having her in front of the piano, singing softly at the start. WOW Carly, this is just what I've been waiting to hear from you. Hmm, Randy didn't like the first part, but I really did! I agree with Paula...the vocal restraint before the swell was just so nice. Simon says she was overthinking and holding back. I did hear that, so I agree with him on those points, but I feel it was so much better than what we've been seing from her.

Syesha Mercado - Vanishing - What a pretty lavender dress Syesha wore in the rehearsal. I thought it was great that Mariah made a point of helping Syesha to make the song her own. Pretty dress for the performance, too. The glittery hair is interesting. Now, I'm not familiar with the Mariah version of this song, so I don't know if she made it her own or not, but I thought it was very nice. The first "Oh---" lick seemed to have 1 or 2 notes that were off, but I really liked the 2nd lick. I really like Syesha, and I think she's got SO MUCH potential. A good performance.

Brooke White - Hero - I like her behind the piano. She looks really pretty tonight. I loved the bridge. I thought she had a few pitch issues, a nasal tone, and I thought she got ahead of herself a bit...rushing the last chorus. Nice, but she didn't shine like she did a few weeks ago. Randy didn't like the bridge...funny. I wish she wouldn't pout during the comments. Still like her, but didn't love this.

Kristy Lee Cook - Forever - I don't know this song. Another really pretty dress. I like the styling for the girls tonight. I like this country-fied rendition. This seems to suit Kristy. Very, very nice, Kristy! The glittery eyelashes bother me...they make me feel like I'm gonna get glitter in my eyes. Brian called this a "rope-a-dope" (can you tell he's a dittohead?)...the way she's stepped up her game all of the sudden these last few weeks. I thought she was great tonight. I wish she'd been able to start off this way...and maintain it.

David Cook - Always Be My Baby - This wasn't as "miraculous" as I was hoping for, but it was certainly an interesting take. I actually didn't love it like I did "Billie Jean", but I did like how different it was from the Mariah style...it was fresh and cool. Hmm...listening to the judges, maybe it was miraculous. I'm glad for him...because he is so talented and consistently good.

Jason Castro - I Don't Wanna Cry - I love how Mariah has helped the contestants to restyle/rewrite the tunes. This is a good, out-of-the-box choice for Jason. I really want Jason to get some coaching for breath control. He is such an interesting and sensitive singer, but he is so hampered by his breathing. That said, I really liked this performance tonight. Definitely a step forward for him. Simon doesn't know what a luau is? Poor Simon, he's so sheltered. But I agree with him. Not the best vocal of the night, but a very cool version, and very "Jason".

Surprisingly, I really liked Kristy and Carly tonight, but I think it's probably too little too late. I thought Simon was right when he said the guys won tonight. I liked David Cook and Jason Castro. David Archuleta sounded wonderful, but I didn't get the arrangement. On the whole, I liked Mariah night better than I thought I would. And it sounds like all of the singers are making great progress. Good for them. I still look for David or David to take it all. I'm off to set my VCR for tomorrow night...don't want to miss anything this week!

Be sure you stop by BooMama's for all the other AI bloggers' takes.