Rockin' PawDad's party

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Rockin' PawDad's party

The recent weekend in which my family was all together—a relatively uncommon occurrence even in the best of times—featured not only Robert’s baptism, as I previously shared, but a milestone birthday celebration, too. That milestone being Jim’s sixtieth birthday.

The birthday festivities, organized primarily by Megan, revolved around a rockin’ theme as …

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James reviews the ChordBuddy Guitar Learning System

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James reviews the ChordBuddy Guitar Learning System

When I receive a product for review, I don’t typically run out and purchase a duplicate of the product before I’ve even written the review. In fact, I’ve never done that with an item I’m reviewing. Until ChordBuddy.

See, I was immediately impressed by the ChordBuddy Guitar Learning System and was compelled to purchase a second one to share with a faraway family member. Before I had even shared my thoughts here with my readers.

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Keep pushin' on

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Keep pushin' on

Keep pushing on

Well, I’m about done with this whole virus thing. The social distancing, the masks, the not seeing my loved ones in person, the sheer sadness of the lives lost and overburdened healthcare workers trying to limit the loss.

Yep, I’m done.

I bet you are too.

Unfortunately there’s not a darn thing we can do about it … except plod onward. Things will get better. We just gotta keep pushin’ on.…

Plus … GRAND Social No. 385 link party for grandparents …

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The Saturday post: Siblings singing sweetly

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The Saturday post: Siblings singing sweetly

It’s high time I get back to sharing something or another on Saturdays, be it a movie review, inspirational—or informative or humorous or must-see—video, or merry music-making of some sort.

I’ve chosen to restart Saturday posts with the latter, a short spot of siblings sharing their souls through song. It’s sweet and simple and something all our souls…

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Throwback Thursday: The tunes they are a changin'

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Throwback Thursday: The tunes they are a changin'

This #TBT piece by Lisa Carpenter originally published March 24, 2011 on Grandma's Briefs.

I'm proud to say my family is musical. We dabble in playing — a guitar and piano here, a recorder and ukulele there — but it's in the listening to music that we really excel. As a whole, our hearts, minds and ears are open to myriad genres, everything from classical to Christian, country to show tunes, hard rock to soft rock and many that aren't really rock at all. We even have our family favorites in the rap genre. (I must admit, though, jazz and easy listening rarely pass notes in our homes, our cars, our iPods, or Spotify queue.)

Music plays a prodigious and powerful role in our family, which is why...

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Saturday movie review: Sing Street

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I have never been an Irish teenage boy. Especially not one who idolizes pop musicians and desperately longs to be one in hopes of securing the attention and affection of a pretty girl so they can run off together to create a brighter future far away from parents on the brink of divorce.

I have, though, been an American teen who idolized musicians and longed to be one — Barbra Streisand? Stevie Nicks? — in hopes of creating a brighter future far away from parents on the brink of divorce. Whether I secured the attention and affection of a cute guy or not.

Which is why SING STREET resonated deeply with me. Why it made my heart sing.

sing street movie 

Writer and director John Carney (ONCE, BEGIN AGAIN) masterfully captured the intense feelings of adolescents — across the globe, throughout generations — who crave and voraciously...

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Saturday movie review: SCORE: A Film Music Documentary

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My CD collection and iTunes application boast many a movie soundtrack. My husband and I have long loved cinematic scores of all sorts.

Which is why SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY was a must-see for us both from the very moment I saw it listed on the schedule for the 39th Denver Film Festival, which I have the privilege of covering this year.

SCORE, directed by Matt Schrader, is a joyous examination of the work and dedication of those who masterfully match music to movies. Composers, film historians, and...

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Grandma salutes Shinedown

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shinedown in Colorado Springs

One of my earliest articles published — in a newspaper, not on a blog — was in the early '90s and was titled Mosh-pit Mom. My husband and I used to go to a lot of concerts back then, most of them the rockin' kind with moshpits on the floor, all of them during the years I was a mom with three fairly young daughters.

It's been a few decades since I've had to protect myself from flailing feet on a concert floor, quite a few years since I've marveled at the moxie of the moshers from afar. Due to lack of funds as well as lack of touring bands we were willing to shell out our pennies to see, my husband and I have...

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Here and now: March 3, 2016

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It's been a while since I've shared what's happening right here, right now in my world. Here goes:

here and now

On my mind...

My dad. The week I found out Lyla had brain cancer, I also found out my dad was diagnosed with a relatively rare form of cancer that's, kind of, a precursor to leukemia, something called...

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