Advent and Christmas ~ it's almost here!

It's time to prepare for Advent and Christmas.  As the new Music Director of our local Catholic Church I've gone back and forth with ideas.

I know I want it to be different from the past because - well - things have changed.  There are so many songs in our new Purple "United in Christ" book that we haven't explored yet.  So...first thing...make a cd of the songs we haven't sung before since that's the best way to rehearse when we can't formally rehearse often.

I'm not sure if you'll know any of them but here's the list of the songs and the YouTube links for the songs that we haven't sung before.

  by  roger4336 

Advent Songs

Awake, O Sleeper - 266

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Byh3ElOl_Q

A Voice Cries Out – 271  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY04L2j0WbI

The Advent of Our King – 272

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9yEQOdBFow

People, Look East – 274

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbfKd5u8gmI

Every Valley – 276

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBndmHyuicg

Creator of the Stars of Night – 277

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOXOE2caXpo

Save Us, O Lord – 280

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVMAklBA7ps

The King Shall Come When Morning Dawns – 285

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWxBIIm84xE

O Come, Divine Messiah - 288

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOIQAICNeIw

(By the way - Advent's all about a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas.)  I'm looking forward to Advent ~  I'll keep you posted about what we decide to sing from the list above.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

It's a Wonderful Life ~ My Life

It's been seven (7) months since I became the Music Director at our local Catholic Church.  It's also been about seven (7) months since I've actively posted to my blog.  I know that's not a coincidence. 

My life is filled with wonderful people and wonderful music.  I'm very blessed.  Since my time is full of planning, researching, facilitating, preparation and performing, I've decided to merge the blog with the way I use my time now.

While I'm not going to get "preach-y" or "church-y", I do have some beautiful music to share and maybe a glimpse of what it's like to work with multiple choirs and multiple services each week.

I'll leave you with this - a beautiful song with a beautiful message by the people who wrote the song.  Give Us Your Peace - (YouTube link) sung by Jesse Manibusan and Sarah Hart.

Until next time - thanks for visiting!  Reia

Helpful Grocery Planning Sites

Since we work with a very small amount of money for groceries ~ every dollar counts.  A few minutes ago, I started working on this week's list and thought you might find my "go-to" planning sites helpful also.

Our local stores are Kroger, Wal-mart, Food Lion, CVS and the discount chains (Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Fred's, Big Lots and Save-a-Lot).  It's amazing what you can find and the deals you can pull together at these stores.

The following sites help me strategically plan and make the most of the dollars we have.

Food on the Table - see what's on sale at YOUR stores.








  Southern Savers - this site has always been helpful to me.  Loads of information to help you find the best deals.





All You Magazine ~ Weekly Circulars and Ads - same idea - see what's on sale at YOUR stores.  This site can show all the stores at once (see image below) or you can sort by category and stores.

Thanks for visiting!  I've got to get back to my grocery planning now.  ;-)

Please visit again.  Reia

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead plus Turnips

After watching "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" with Joe Cross this week,  I've increased my vegetable intake.  Joe Cross is charismatic, honest and from Australia - a great combination.  The movie is divided into two segments.  The 1st segment is Joe's journey to being healthier.  The 2nd segment is the journey of someone Joe met along the way, Phil.  Both journeys are inspiring.

Now on to my discovery this week.  I love salads and like to include this or that to see if it adds something to my salad.  My latest experiment has been - Raw Turnips.

  by  Darwin Bell 

Have you ever tried raw turnips?  They're crunchy, crispy and zesty.  Who knew?

A few "Turnip" tips I picked up this week...when buying turnips, the smaller the better.  Turnips last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.  If you decide to cook them, adding a potato to the pot takes the bitter taste out.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

PS - for more information on the movie, visit "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead".  It was made in 2010 and is 97 minutes in length.  (FYI - I watched it on Netflix.)

Pianomania ~ Steinway and Sons

I've been wanting to watch "Pianomania" for a long time and it was worth the wait. 

I found it fascinating as I watched Stefan Knupfer, a piano tuner from Steinway, constantly taking the Steinway(s) apart and tweak them over & over & over for his famous clients. 

All of my bad jobs from the past look easy after watching this young man work.

It has subtitles but it was fun to hear their words and read what they meant.

"Pianomania" is 1:33 in length.   I found the most interesting parts at 25 minutes, 48 minutes, 51 mins when Lang Lang performs and from 1:04 to the end.

You can virtually tour The Wiener Konzerthaus they're filming in at http://konzerthaus.at/konzerthaus_e/virtual_tour/

(From www.imdb.com) - Pianomania

"Pianomania" follows Stefan Knüpfer, a piano tuner from Steinway and his famous clients Lang Lang, Brendel, Buchbinder and Pierre-Laurent Aimard as they search for the perfect pitch.


Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

PS - I watched "Pianomania" on Netflix.

A Day at the Beach ~ Virtually

Lately I've been "itching" for the beach.  I grew up in Central Florida and we spent time on the West Coast or the East Coast but we always spent time at the "Beach".  Florida beaches are something else.  White sand for miles.

Now that I'm back in the Deep South and near beaches, I find myself wanting to see and hear ocean waves. 

My life is full of wonderful things but time to drive to the beach and sit just isn't one of them.  So...I found an alternative on Amazon Instant Video and I'm very happy!

I have my beach view, my beach sounds and I'm still at home - no bathing suit, no gas to pay for the trip - now this is living!

So if you have a need to see and hear ocean waves crashing, feel free to watch "Ventana On The Beach" with me!

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia

Ancient Computer ~ I Mean a Really Ancient Computer

I love watching all kind of programs.  After a busy week/weekend getting ready and celebrating Easter, I was ready to sink my TV viewing teeth into something.  I found just what I needed - Nova's "Ancient Computer" which aired April 3rd, 2013.  The show was intriguing and thought-provoking.  I found myself glued to the screen as the story unfolded.

From Amazon - "An unpromising lump of metal found in a 2,000-year-old shipwreck turns out to be an extraordinary treasure: the world's first computer.  NOVA follows the ingenious detective work that painstakingly discovered the truth about the ancient Greek device: it was an astonishingly sophisticated astronomical calculator and eclipse predictor, unrivaled until the era of modern science and believed to be from the workshop of Archimedes."

Just 60 minutes in length so it's not a big investment of your time.  I found my self saying, "Amazing" and "Wow" throughout the show.  If you enjoy documentaries and history, this show is definitely worth 60 minutes of your life.

I'm not sure how long PBS will have the video up but you can find it on your local PBS station and at this PBS video link.

Thanks for visiting ~ Reia