Maya Angelou On Independence & Success

Child, everybody knows you popped out about as independent as a kid gets

but there’ll be times on your journey you’ll need a peptalk, as we all do.

And who better to pep you up than Maya Angelou, whom I fell in love with

forever about as deeply as I fell in love with and will stay in love with you.

Dr. Angelou advises…

“The most important single thing, beyond discipline and creativity is daring to dare.”

“To those who are given much, much is expected.”

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”

“If you are not good to yourself, how can you expect anyone else to be good to you?” *

“You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”

“Live as though life was created for you.”

“Whenever you decide something with an open heart, you usually make the right decision.” **

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

“When you get, give. When you learn, teach.”

Dr. Angelou also advises the following, but please don’t read until you’re 12, due to mild language.

In fact, don’t read any of this blog until you’re 12, okay. Thanks!!

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass. ”

Those old enough to read this blog, I hope Dr. Angelou’s wisdom enriches your journey today.

I know she has mine!!

With love from Jannie-Mom.

xoxoxo

(2 iPhone pix from about a year ago)

* and ** were actually written in first person, but I changed them to “you,” because I’m quite the rebel, as you know.

Baubles & Blessings

A tray of mirror-ball baubles graces our dining room table.

More baubles and such good gawd adorns the corner table.

Got some golden spirals too.

(All loot for 25 cents on the dollar at Michael’s.  Love those after-Christmas sales!)

And what’s all that glitz for?

Why, for the 30 centerpieces for the concert / gala school fundraiser.

This weekend I decorated 12 of the 30 pots.

Jim calls the centerpiece bases “lovely.”

Kelly calls them “weird.”

I call them “Freaking Done!!”

And I think they’re kinda cute, (if I do humbly say so.)

The 8″ flower pots I scored from garden center recycling bins, whooo-hooo.

Then stapled brown satin and stuff on them.

The general artistic plan is to stand a tree branch and several golden spirals in each pot, held in place with stones.

(Branches and stones FREE from nature!)

Then hang varied whimsy in the glittered-up be-sequinned branches.

And see what happens.

With tealights in votive holders on the tables, I think the whole effect will be quite adequate.

Tomorrow I’m heading out to the wild with my branch loppers!  Wish me luck.

Friends are coming over Saturday for bauble hanging.  TG for the posse!

A tray of mirror-ball baubles graces our dining room table.

18 more bases await my loving creation.

And all is well.

Posted with love by a blogger who is about to hit the hay.
xoxoxoxo

P.S.  If YOU have any suggestions for this first-time centerpiece creator, now’s your time to let loose!

THANKS!!

10 Major Blog Improvements I’m Working On (or at least thinking about.)

1. In additon to this “Now Playing” main page, I’d like separate blogs within this blog for…

a. ”Daily Photo”
b. “Give-Aways”
c. ”Ass-Kicking.”

Just kidding on the Ass-Kicking.  Actually, I’m trying to mend my cussing ways, as ass is not an appropriate word for my daughter to read until she’s older. She told me so.

That’s why I haven’t used this category in a while – out of motherly guilt.

But I’m suspending the guilt just for this post.

Because after all, I am attempting to kick ass here.  Well, just a little bit of kicking. 

2. Also a songwriting blog-within-a-blog here, for me to post videos of new songs in progress. Would you like that?

3. Upgrade my hosting.

4. Offer free MP3s of new songs in exchange for you signing up for my FREE occasional e-mail newsletter.

5. Wonder how the hell one goes about setting up a newsletter scheme like that.

(Sounds like work!)

6. Drink more beer.

7. Have the scent of your choice waft from your computer whenever you log onto my site.

Aromas my science department and I are currently developing…

a. piney woods
b. new-mown hay
c. wild rose
d. 1960 Jaguar XK150 leather interior.
e. Gee, your hair smells terrific.
f.  volcanic ash with twist of lemon
g. margaritas
h. guitar maker’s woodshop.

7. Keep blogging!

8. Keep taking photos to share with you, like ones above I took last week at a rowing dock here in Austin.

Plus, keep digging up older photos to share with you, like this one from when she was 4…

9. Keep $aving up for that good ass-kicking digital camera.

10. Keep kicking ass (in the nicest way, of course.) 

Sound good?

Any other suggestions for this blog, or for additional wafting scents, feel free to share in the comments!

Thank you!!

Jannie

xoxoxo

Jazzercise Advice & Something I Can Only Confess In A Poem

(Yep, that was our Kelly, almost half her life ago)

Jazzercise  Advice

The only hitch

with Jazzercise

is it can be hard

to get a good spot

on the gym floor

where you won’t

be buffeted about

by the cavorting.

So, newcomers –

arrive early, best

15 minutes before

class! And at least

25 minutes early

your first session,

to allow plenty of

time to fill out the

registration in your

finest hand-writing.

Claim a good spot.

Off to the side works.

Back corner is primo!

(Any spot, IMHO,

without a backpack

staking its owner’s claim,

is more than fair game.)

Yes, the veterans may

give you the stink-eye

if you’re in “their” spot.

But they’ll get over it,

and will lead productive

lives again. Eventually.

So be swift and stalwart!

And wear good shoes.

Something I Can Only Confess In A Poem

I felt a little bit like crap

before I wrote the above

Jazzercise poem. I needed

a laugh, because it appears

one of my Perfect New Songs

I have such great all-knowing

hopes for quite probably has

the verse melody too similar

to one part of ”Under The Sea”

from Disney’s Little Mermaid.

So, back to the melody drawing

board for me. My chorus is still

good tho!  The challenge is how

to nest it silkily beside a new

verse melody. One little voice in

me goes rah-rah that “Let’s Drink

Up The Stars” will be good, and

this is A Valuable Life Lesson.

But another  little voice in me

nags that I’ll never write a

decent song again, my dream

of winning Kerrville Newfolk

will forever be out of reach

and I’ll belly flop through life

depressed and always with

my shoes on the wrong feet.

So, I am hereby telling that

nagging voice to take a hike!

(end of poems.)

This post has been inspired by Jingle’s Poetry Rally, week 18.  If you like poetry – Jingle is The Great Connector.

With love from Jannie, who is no longer depressed and is about to go blog hopping for the first time in 2 days!! Whoo-hoo!!!!

xoxoox

“Deep Songwriting Week” Bonanza — Plan B!!

Yay! My brain finally caught up with my heart on these give-aways, so I’m changing things up a bit today!!

(Drum-roll please!)

Firstly, I am lumping ALL remaining gifts into this ONE post, and will announce the winners in a new post Saturday. (Maybe Sunday, if I start jumping off the roof into the azaelas again.)

Secondly, it feels weird making you come back to re-comment for my cds and Billy Collins poetry, when you have already left such touching words. So… Lovely Peeps, for my 5 remaining cds on offer and for the 4 remaining Billy Collins… I will be considering all new comments that come in on those, plus all the wonderful comments you already left that have not yet “won.”  Even comments on the Donut Hole Post that launched this whole escapade! Such sweet words!

I’m going to showcase today’s final 12 prizes in a minute, but first let me recap all the give-away winners so far…

Monday’s winners, based on their wonderful comments were…
SuZen — my cd.
Fireblossom — Billy Collins’ “The Apple That Astonished Paris.”
Gina – “Blogging For Dummies.”
Toni Cross — the Marilyn Monroe notecards.

And (another drumroll please) I will now reveal yesterday’s winners, based on their persuasive comments…
Snaggletooth — “Inner Productivity”
SuZen — “Twitter For Dummies”
Glenn –  Billy Collins’ “Questions About Angels”
Daisy –  my cd (that one was hard to call.)

Congrats to all so far.  Now, on with more give-aways!! 12 things to gift commenters with in this post.  Specifically….

1. one of my “I Need A Man” cds!
2. another of my “I Need A Man” cds!!
3. another of my “I Need A Man” cds!!!
4. another of my “I Need A Man” cds!!!!
5. another of my “I Need A Man” cds!!!!!

6.  Billy Collins’ “Nine Horses.” Who wants it? And why?

7.  Or maybe Billy Collins’ “The Art Of Drowning?”

8.  How about Billy Collins “Ballistics?”  You want this one, right??  Sure you do!! Just tell me why.

(”Ballistics” is a hard-cover.)

9.  How about “Singing For Dummies?” Come on — you know you want it!!  Why should I send it to YOU??

(whoops, there seems to be a little rip in one corner of the back cover.  sorry ’bout that, mates)

10.  Or maybe “The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Singing” is more your style??  Who wants it??

11.  Oh, wait!  I see another Billy Collins here… Who wants “Sailing Alone Around The Room?”

(Shoot, I do have another Billy Collins book, which I cannot find.  That’ll have to wait for a future give-away.)

12.  Oh, the very first picture in this post – me in my lucky blue hat in my bathroom mirror, holding up a Tori Amos book to photograph with my iPhone? That book is on offer here today too.

Here’s the front of it…

But folks, I gotta tell ya… Jeanne may already have won the Tori Amos for her amazing comment on my Monday post – unless someone comes along and tops her!? Is any of you more of a Tori fan than Jeanne??  And if so, can you convince me enough to win the book?

Ahhhh, this is great!! So much fun.

And my Deep Songwriting Week is going so awesomely!!!

I miss all your blogs, of course.  Like crazy!  It’s been 3 whole days since I’ve allowed myself to read any.  I’m so jonesing to read and comment — but I must soldier on with my song-focus plan.

I bet you’ll see me out and about in the blogosphere this weekend!   

Happy St. Pat’s

xoxoxo