Whirlwind

Whirlwind, that is what this week has been!  The youngest flew in last Friday and we've thoroughly enjoyed her visit and have been busy, busy, busy.  We started the visit with pizza at the oldest girly's house with pizza and Cards Against Humanity.  What a hoot!  She is staying with her sister this visit in their new abode and babysitting Rio while Bri teaches.  Getting a lot of one on one time with her niece!

Sunday it was a huge family gathering to celebrate all the June birthdays in the family (both sides) and the upcoming father's day.  Burgers and a LOT of rain, it was an awesome day.  

This visit was all about family which we all loved.  Instead of her going to various people to visit we brought them all together in one place.  

The friend thing we accomplished with her performing at Main Street Tavern last night.  Not even the rain held friends and family from watching her perform.  

Look who got to finally see her perform....,my DADDY and Mother-in-Law!

Her flute teacher many, many years ago Debi came to support!  How awesome to see her and goodness gracious when her husband walked in behind her The Hubby said, "Hey, that's our renter of our old shop." What!  How oddly weird was that.  We have not seen Debi in probably 10 years and find out her husband is our renter.  What a small world.  

Besties!

One of the reasons for the visit was the show at The Brady of Tears For Fears.  Woo HOO!  What a great concert.  It was the first time they had been to Tulsa.  Afton toured with them a few years ago and they are still friends in California.  This was our first chance to meet them.

Again, a whirlwind visit but alas she flies home, her home tomorrow morning.  We will miss her truly but her love is in California.

She also gifted B&B2 and sweet Rio with a gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving forever...enjoy!

Sing Out Loud 2

See I did it.  The boa is NOT around my neck but around the microphone stand.

Ramble

Trying to find something to spill my guts about but just can't think of what to write so it's going to be a ramble today.  Hang on, let's GO.......

Well, well, well, it is snowing!  Winter is here.  It's very pretty but of course it is not my favorite time of year.  I am staying safe and warm INSIDE!  It is time to wrap presents, bake, paint, read, yes all the things I need to catch up on.  I think my Christmas shopping is close to being done and I have not once hit the mall!  I am an online shopper and quite content with that.  This time of year I would very happy if I didn't have to leave the house until March!  But, of course that is not possible in my life so venture out I will do, eventually!  The snow is giving The Hubby a chance to finally turn on the snowmelt in the driveway he installed a couple of years ago!

Watched most of The Sound of Music last night with Carrie Underwood.  What do people think of her replacing Julie Andrews on Facebook!  Oh, it was not to kind at all watching some of the feeds.  Honestly, I didn't like it very much either.  Although I am a fan of her singing this was not her venue for sure and her acting, well, I will be kind and tell her to stick with singing.  It was an event and that is all I will say.  

All the news is non-news since yesterday.  We're getting a blow-by-blow of snowflakes falling and absolutely NO NEWS.  I know it's all about the safety of everyone on the roads but it's not like a tornado going through.  SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW, SNOW.....

Human Becoming

That is the title of our youngest new ALBUM or EP as they call it.  You can download it on Spotify, Amazon, SoundCloud and ITunes.  

On Amazon I had to type in "Human Becoming Sangster" to find it.  Take a listen to our girl, buy the EP!

Tick-Tock

I am making one last plea here for our youngest, Afton, stage name Sangster.  She is 12 days out to fulfill her fund drive via Pledge Music to raise funds to record her debut EP - Sangster:  Human Becoming!  (5% of the funds raised will benefit the ASPCA.)  You can go to the site and even listen to her voice and ENJOY!


The link for her PledgeMusic campaign is HERE!  

Time For Me

I'm sitting here this fine spring morning listening to the girl and her beau playing an instrumental piece that she wrote and it is perfect for the morning.  It's called Neither Here.  I'm contemplative this morning.  Sometimes when I listen to a really good book in the car, it makes me want to write.  I start thinking of all kinds of stories real or imaginative, it's when the writer wants to take hold and this music inspires me more.  I've still been dealing with a bit of winter depression even though the weekend helped me tremendously to get out of the dark hole.  (I'm listening to Barbara Kingsolver's, Flight Behavior.)  Anyway, today is a vote day and I will get out and do that, later.  This morning, when I finish here I want to paint.  I love to put paint to canvas in the morning hours.  It is the most creative time for me at home and this morning I will open the window and let the spring indoors with some wonderful soft classical music and Afton's aka Sangster - Neither Here on a repeat.  I need to be inspired to create some stuff.  I hope everyone has a fabulous day.  I will!

Obsessed

I'm obsessed with this video of this young boy singing...amazing.

Launched

Okay people...the girl has launched.  The girl in question is our youngest, Afton.  She has launched her Pledge Music project Sangster:  Human Becoming.  If you please take a look and if so possibly inclined you can PLEDGE!!!!!  It's so exciting.  Be sure to watch the video at the beginning.  Thanks everyone for being here and sharing my world!

Carla

Music Friday

Finally, here is one of the songs Afton and Nick did at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.  Enjoy listening to our daughter and her guy on the vibes.  

Social Call

The Music Plays On!

The concert is done and what a fantastic success!  Their little newly found temporary group was a great mesh of talent and the audience loved it.  Oh my, oh my, oh my!  It was exciting to hear our girl and her guy wow people who had never heard them.  

Tomorrow they head back to LA and to carry on with their lives.  Hopefully they will perform here again soon since the response was so good. 

Hopefully The Hubby will get the videos uploaded from his phone and I can share on YouTube! 

Family Time

Life here the past week has been CRAZY and great fun.  The youngest and her boyfriend flew in late, late, LATE Thursday evening from LA and it has been a whirlwind for sure.  If you are in the Tulsa area tonight, tonight is the place to be.  They will be performing at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame!  Yesterday they had a bass player and drummer and Nick's vibraphone set up in our front room practicing and Afton singing....WOW!  I pretty excited to hear them on stage, the full concert.  They have been rushing around doing all kinds of stuff and last night we, as a family all went to B&B's to play with little Rio and eat Indian food.  What a great evening introducing Afton to Rio and Nick.  Tonight after the concert we invited some cousins, inlaws, family and a few friends over to enjoy brisket and a few salads.  Impromptu gathering. The brisket is ready, salads are made, brownies are calling.  

We've found our feet...

and personality! 

Kiddo's Happenin's

If you happen to be in the Tulsa area on Feburary 17 between the hours of 5-7 and need something to do...then go see the youngest kiddo performing with her guy at the Jazz Hall of Fame downtown Tulsa.  It will be an early evening and hopefully the hall will be full of friends and family welcoming them home.  Her boyfriend, Nick has not been here and we look forward to meeting him.  (I don't know the cost.)

• • 

    Sunday, February 17, 2013
  • 

    5:00pm until 7:00pm

• Singer/songwriter Afton Hefley and jazz vibraphonist Nick Mancini each posses a deep passion for one another's musical leanings creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. The songbird, with her buttery smooth, timeless sound blends beautifully with Mancini's lush jazz sonorities as he uses the transparent, yet rich loom of her original songs through which to weave intricate harmonic tendrils. On February 17th, 2013 at 5pm, this celebrated duo will take the stage at The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame performing original music by both Hefley and Mancini as well as re-imaginings of classic pop tunes and jazz standards. They will be joined by two Tulsan musicians; World-class in their own right - Jordan Hehl on bass and Jared Johnson on drums.

Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

5 South Boston, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103

View Map · Get Directions

Music Is Truly A Miracle

Babies, Moons and Flowers

Friday night The Hubby and I attended a concert at the River Spirit Event Center, The 5th Dimension and The Spinners.  The Hubby was adamant that we go to see them so tickets I purchased.  The venue is fairly small and quaint and was quickly filled to the brim with a lot of blue and white hair, not the pink or yellow variety but the OLD kind.  But really, we are so in that age bracket it's scary.  What a rowdy crowd that loved to sing along and dance in their seats and aisles.  The 5th Dimension was okay with a founding member Florence LaRue, which I had never heard of.  The Spinners had two returning founding members and it was a great concert.  We were pleased.  

The next day we were headed to the cabin for one night but The Hubby was insistent that we spend some time with Rio.  She is growing so fast already and it's only been 3 weeks.  

Her face is changing so much and even smiled when her name was mentioned.   

The drive to the cabin was beautiful.  The day was incredibly beautiful with the colors changing quickly. 

I grabbed my camera when we got there and hopped on the golf cart to try and capture the beauty. 

Check this out.  I was driving through the meadow and when I stopped on the backside where it is quiet, I turned to capture this in the bright midday sky! 

The last of the flowers are trying hard to get all they can out of the sun and warmer temperatures. 

I am already waiting impatiently for spring.

Presenting

Our girl performing at The Hunt Club in Tulsa this past week!  We are so very proud of her.  Makes me get teary eyed to hear her sing and makes me think of my momma.  She would have loved this.  (Please the horrible recording as I was holding the little FLIP recording device.)

Back To Work

The staycation is over and it is back to the ole' grind.  It has been a very productive week for me with the painting and planting going on at the cabin.  I'm rested and it will come in handy as Afton arrived back in town for the week.  She is a wonderful whirlwind to have around and I'm going to enjoy every minute of her visit.  She is going to perform this Wednesday night at the downtown club in Tulsa called The Hunt Club so if you wish to see her live doing her own music and some cover tunes, and maybe ME, come on down. It will be her only show in town before she heads back home (her other home).  

Parting shots of sweet Clayton on Saturday.  He was definitely feeling much better after his harrowing day at the creek.

Yes, his wounds have almost completely healed and spending the day rolling around in the sun has helped. 

Aww, the healing powers of mother nature. 

Happy Monday morning to everyone!

Music to Start Your Monday

This is a snippet of A's song rehersal (and I've probably put here before):

Gavin DeGraw

Well, well, well, imagine my surprise this morning when I heard the new list for Dancing With The Stars for this season...Gavin Degraw was on it.  It's so funny about that, because when I was trying to think of something to post, his video popped up on the screen while I was treadmilling and it came to me.  I love his music first of all and everytime I see him I think of him on the show What I Like About You.  He was at Jenny Garth's wedding (I can't remember her character name) on the show and she was gilted.  They sat at the piano and she kissed him, made out with him, at the piano and I LOVED it and remembered it!  Cutie!  That is what is on my mind everytime I see him on the screen...those lips! 

Watch till the end...

I vowed not to watch DWTS again, but now, well, hey, I'm there, at least to watch him.  Sorry my girls, Mom's can have crushes too! 

X-Factor

Wow, The Hubby sent me this clip...grab a kleenix and watch the whole way through.

The Grammy's and MY Opinion!

Watched the Grammy's last night and was more than pleased that Adele swept the thing.  Her album(s) are AWESOME! 

???????

Who or what in the heck is Deadmau5 ( Wikipedia says...)?  At the end of the Grammy's there was a very strange final act including David Guetta (a DJ I think), Lil Wayne, Foo Fighters, and Chris Brown.  I was not sure about that, really and was more than willing to change channels at that point.  When did I become OLD!  There used to be a day when I knew every artist and usually had all their CD's.  I am so out of touch and I'm just not happy about that. 

Now I'm going to have a few of MY own opinions so don't hollor at me please.  Adele's performance and return to the stage was just wonderful.  What a fabulous voice.  It was simply music as was Jennifer Hudson's tribute to the Whitney Houston hit, I Will Always Love You.  The key here is simply music, powerful music.  Now we get to the fanciness and huge stage productions of Katy Perry, who I love.  That was way over the top and kind of weird.  Taylor Swift, well it was a good song, singing live for her, poor girl should not sing live and I'm really tired of her songs taking digs at all the people that done her wrong, but I guess that is country music and the perfect place for her stylings.  She should not look so awed when people give her a standing ovation.  She acts like "Wow, they really like me."  Okay Sweetie, that is what you are going for.  Now this brings me to Lady Gaga in the audience, who thankfully did not perform, although she is always on, so she did perform.  In the audience, while Adele again picked up another award and Lady Gaga did not, this is the image that clicked on the screen, a bug-eyed hugely grinning face that was straining against the fish-net thingy on her face. 

Nevermind, really nice cute show.  I shouldn't have an opinion, should I.