Just today we entered a video for the ChristianFilmmakers.org 12-hour contest. That's right - we had to film, edit, and download the whole thing in just 12 hours. You might think that's pretty easy (since it IS only a 1 minute movie!!) but when you have a time crunch of only a few hours when everybody is available . . . it can get pretty hectic!
Well, I hope you enjoy this - I am still so new at filmmaking, and I have a lot to learn, but this was a good experience for our whole family and we had fun getting it done! :-)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Recording a CD . . .
. . . is such an adventure!! It's a lot of work - as you're preparing you say "I'll NEVER do this again!" but then when you're finally finished, you realize it wasn't so bad. :-) It's kinda fun being in a recording studio, but it can get exhausting after a while, and - for a perfectionist like me - sometimes frustrating! But overall it went well and Martin (who recorded, mixed, and mastered for us) was great to work with.
It took us four evenings to complete the CD - three of those I recorded straight for about 4 hours, and the last one we worked on mixing. Usually I played through a song once or twice, and then went back and fixed the measures where I had made a mistake. I got 6 of the easiest songs done first, and saved my two hardest for the third night. The first one I did that evening was Carol of the Bells . . . and I didn't make ONE mistake!!!! It was pretty amazing to see God at work - the song I was probably dreading the most He helped me get through perfectly. When you're recording, and you get through a difficult piece without having to re-do anything . . . you just know it's God! :-) So I was able to get four songs done that night, instead of the usual three. It saved us a whole night of recording!
And here's one of Caleb with his fiddle - we had three different kinds of microphones (but you can't see them all in this picture), to create a perfect mixture of sounds.
You can listen to a sample of my CD on my website. This is your last chance to order a CD if you want one before Christmas!! :-)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wow! It's a Heat Wave (20 degrees above zero)!
We Love Winter
60 above zero: Floridians turn on the heat. Minnesotans plant gardens.
50 above zero: Californians shiver uncontrollably. People are sunbathing in Duluth.
40 above zero: Import cars won’t start. Minnesotans drive with the sunroof open.
32 above zero: Distilled water freezes. The water in Bemidji gets thicker.
20 above zero: New Mexicans don long johns, parkas and wool hats & mittens. Minnesotans throw on a flannel shirt.
15 above zero: New York landlords finally turn on the heat. People in Minnesota have one last cookout before it gets cold.
Zero: People in Miami fly south. Minnesotans close the windows.
10 below zero: Californians head to Mexico. Minnesotans dig their winter coats out of storage..
25 below zero: Hollywood disintegrates. Girl Scouts in Minnesota still selling cookies door to door.
40 below zero: Washington, D.C. runs out of hot air. People in Minnesota let their dogs sleep indoors.
100 below zero: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. Minnesotans get upset because the mini-van won’t start.
460 below zero: ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale). People in Minnesota can be heard to say, “Cold ’nuff fer ya?”
500 below zero: Everything freezes over. Minnesota public schools open 2 hours late.
60 above zero: Floridians turn on the heat. Minnesotans plant gardens.
50 above zero: Californians shiver uncontrollably. People are sunbathing in Duluth.
40 above zero: Import cars won’t start. Minnesotans drive with the sunroof open.
32 above zero: Distilled water freezes. The water in Bemidji gets thicker.
20 above zero: New Mexicans don long johns, parkas and wool hats & mittens. Minnesotans throw on a flannel shirt.
15 above zero: New York landlords finally turn on the heat. People in Minnesota have one last cookout before it gets cold.
Zero: People in Miami fly south. Minnesotans close the windows.
10 below zero: Californians head to Mexico. Minnesotans dig their winter coats out of storage..
25 below zero: Hollywood disintegrates. Girl Scouts in Minnesota still selling cookies door to door.
40 below zero: Washington, D.C. runs out of hot air. People in Minnesota let their dogs sleep indoors.
100 below zero: Santa Claus abandons the North Pole. Minnesotans get upset because the mini-van won’t start.
460 below zero: ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero on the Kelvin scale). People in Minnesota can be heard to say, “Cold ’nuff fer ya?”
500 below zero: Everything freezes over. Minnesota public schools open 2 hours late.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Help Free a Brother in Christ
DAY 308: GAO ZHISHENG TORTURED, FAMILY REPRESSED!
(from The Voice of the Martyrs blog)
ChinaAid recently received another report from inside sources in China that Gao Zhisheng has been severely beaten by authorities. The report stated his current living condition is worse than death and that Gao is crying daily in pain and desperation.
The Chinese government has responded to the increased worldwide pressure for Gao Zhisheng's release by cutting off communication with two of Gao's siblings living in China and placing them under police surveillance.
In a November 26th interview with Radio Free Asia, Gao's brother, Gao Zhiyi, stated, "For every question, there are three unknowns. No one knows anything. They won't talk to us and they won't meet with us... Even if Gao Zhisheng had committed a terrible crime, his family would still have the right to know what had happened to him!"
On Saturday, December 5th, Gao's older brother (Zhiyi) and sister lost all communication contact when their phone lines were disabled, following the release of the RFA interview.
Now more than ever, Gao Zhisheng needs our help!
In a recent visit to Washington, D.C., ChinaAid met with several leading congressmen who have been moved by their constituents (those like you) telling Gao's story - and they have proposed a Congressional Resolution on Gao Zhisheng's behalf. Our American leaders have begun to listen, and with more voices, we can make that resolution a reality!
So far, 5,284 people have contacted their local U.S. Representative to speak out on behalf of Gao Zhisheng. Continue to add your voice! We have to keep the momentum going on behalf of this innocent man who himself was a defender of the persecuted.
Please take action now.
1) Encourage others to Sign the Petition to Free Gao Zhisheng. You can forward this email to all your friends.
2) Email your U.S. Representative. Even if you have already done this, you can do it again with the updated information. Encourage your friends to do likewise. Learn more about contacting your U.S. Representative
We thank you for your support of ChinaAid, and urge you to continue spreading the word. Gao's story is gathering force in Washington, DC. With your help, our leaders will know that we concerned American citizens will not rest until Gao Zhisheng and his family are free to enjoy their fundamental human rights.
For more ways to take action, visit http://www.freegao.com/.
For more information on other cases of religious persecution, visit http://www.chinaaid.org/
(from The Voice of the Martyrs blog)
ChinaAid recently received another report from inside sources in China that Gao Zhisheng has been severely beaten by authorities. The report stated his current living condition is worse than death and that Gao is crying daily in pain and desperation.
The Chinese government has responded to the increased worldwide pressure for Gao Zhisheng's release by cutting off communication with two of Gao's siblings living in China and placing them under police surveillance.
In a November 26th interview with Radio Free Asia, Gao's brother, Gao Zhiyi, stated, "For every question, there are three unknowns. No one knows anything. They won't talk to us and they won't meet with us... Even if Gao Zhisheng had committed a terrible crime, his family would still have the right to know what had happened to him!"
On Saturday, December 5th, Gao's older brother (Zhiyi) and sister lost all communication contact when their phone lines were disabled, following the release of the RFA interview.
Now more than ever, Gao Zhisheng needs our help!
In a recent visit to Washington, D.C., ChinaAid met with several leading congressmen who have been moved by their constituents (those like you) telling Gao's story - and they have proposed a Congressional Resolution on Gao Zhisheng's behalf. Our American leaders have begun to listen, and with more voices, we can make that resolution a reality!
So far, 5,284 people have contacted their local U.S. Representative to speak out on behalf of Gao Zhisheng. Continue to add your voice! We have to keep the momentum going on behalf of this innocent man who himself was a defender of the persecuted.
Please take action now.
1) Encourage others to Sign the Petition to Free Gao Zhisheng. You can forward this email to all your friends.
2) Email your U.S. Representative. Even if you have already done this, you can do it again with the updated information. Encourage your friends to do likewise. Learn more about contacting your U.S. Representative
We thank you for your support of ChinaAid, and urge you to continue spreading the word. Gao's story is gathering force in Washington, DC. With your help, our leaders will know that we concerned American citizens will not rest until Gao Zhisheng and his family are free to enjoy their fundamental human rights.
For more ways to take action, visit http://www.freegao.com/.
For more information on other cases of religious persecution, visit http://www.chinaaid.org/
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
I've Been Tagged!
A big thank you goes to Cora for tagging me!! I don't think I've ever been tagged before. :-)
Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Copy the award.
3. Post it in your blog.
4. Tell us 7 things that your readers don't know.
5. Link 7 new bloggers as recipients.
6. Notify winners of award with comment on their blog.
7. Keep being an encouragement!
So here's seven things you don't know about me (hopefully). :-)
1. When I was born the nurses thought my red hair was just blood . . . but my mom knew it was red hair!! And of course mothers are always right. :-)
2. I'm a die-hard Packers fan . . .wait a minute, some of you probably already know that . . . well maybe you don't know that my mom grew up in Wisconsin, so I got it from her (but she has turned traitor on Green Bay because she likes Brett Favre, who is now playing for the MN Vikings!!).
3. If you're into the temperament thing at all, I'm part Meloncholy and part Sanguine - some of my characteristics include: outgoing, friendly, talkative, emotional, sensitive, creative, perfectionist . . . etc. In other words, pretty typical first-born. :-)
4. As far as being creative, there's some things I love, and some things I don't!! I can't draw or paint at ALL, I don't particularly enjoy sewing, but I do really like photography, videography, and graphic design.
5. I (or we) receive several different magazines/newsletters, including: Answers, The Voice of the Martyrs, Kids of Courage, Send!, Prayer Point (Samaratin's Purse), Legal Alert, and The King's Blooming Rose, all of which I really enjoy!
6. My favorite instrument: to play is piano, to listen to is everything bluegrass, to make a CD of is harp. :-)
7. I want to enter a movie in the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival next year, but I'm not yet sure what!! :-)
Now I will tag 7 people:
Andrea
Andrew
David
Ruth
Mrs. Bartlett
Peter
Best Life
You don't have to do this if you'd rather not . . . and if you can't think of 7 people to tag, you could just write 7 interesting things about yourself!! :-) Whatever you want to do is fine . . .
Now, I want to thank all of you who commented on my last post - it was GREAT to hear from you all! But I know there are more out there who haven't commented yet . . . I want to hear from all you lurkers!! :-)
Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Copy the award.
3. Post it in your blog.
4. Tell us 7 things that your readers don't know.
5. Link 7 new bloggers as recipients.
6. Notify winners of award with comment on their blog.
7. Keep being an encouragement!
So here's seven things you don't know about me (hopefully). :-)
1. When I was born the nurses thought my red hair was just blood . . . but my mom knew it was red hair!! And of course mothers are always right. :-)
2. I'm a die-hard Packers fan . . .wait a minute, some of you probably already know that . . . well maybe you don't know that my mom grew up in Wisconsin, so I got it from her (but she has turned traitor on Green Bay because she likes Brett Favre, who is now playing for the MN Vikings!!).
3. If you're into the temperament thing at all, I'm part Meloncholy and part Sanguine - some of my characteristics include: outgoing, friendly, talkative, emotional, sensitive, creative, perfectionist . . . etc. In other words, pretty typical first-born. :-)
4. As far as being creative, there's some things I love, and some things I don't!! I can't draw or paint at ALL, I don't particularly enjoy sewing, but I do really like photography, videography, and graphic design.
5. I (or we) receive several different magazines/newsletters, including: Answers, The Voice of the Martyrs, Kids of Courage, Send!, Prayer Point (Samaratin's Purse), Legal Alert, and The King's Blooming Rose, all of which I really enjoy!
6. My favorite instrument: to play is piano, to listen to is everything bluegrass, to make a CD of is harp. :-)
7. I want to enter a movie in the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival next year, but I'm not yet sure what!! :-)
Now I will tag 7 people:
Andrea
Andrew
David
Ruth
Mrs. Bartlett
Peter
Best Life
You don't have to do this if you'd rather not . . . and if you can't think of 7 people to tag, you could just write 7 interesting things about yourself!! :-) Whatever you want to do is fine . . .
Now, I want to thank all of you who commented on my last post - it was GREAT to hear from you all! But I know there are more out there who haven't commented yet . . . I want to hear from all you lurkers!! :-)
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