Watch & Listen: Home

I'm sure by now that at some point you have seen or listened to the Piano Guys online, on disc or via iTunes. The Sprouts have a favourite video as do my students. Recently the Piano Guys released a video of an arrangement that incorporates two wonderful compositions. The main theme the Piano Guys borrow for this arrangement is Home, a song performed by Phillip Phillips (who gets lots of airplay in our home). The main theme is interspersed with a motif from Anton Dvořák’s New World Symphony (a favourite work of mine). You might recognize that theme as Going Home. Enjoy this interpretation:



Phillip Phillips sings "Home" here.

Josiah's favourite Piano Guys video here.

My students' favourite Piano Guys video here.

More about the Piano Guys at their website here.

Home

After thirty eight days of travel it is good to be home. The mountain of laundry is becoming a hummock, the car is cleaned and vaccuumed (well, it was until Sprout 2 was sick in the backseat on the way to town this morning), the trailer is airing out and the family settling into a "normal" routine. It's a pleasure to be able to cook in our own kitchen and eat as a family at our own table. And after being in close quarters for a significant part of the trip (especially the trailer and the car), all the family members are enjoying the space of our home, being able to find quiet places to read, play and sleep. In the next few days and weeks expect anecdotes (and photos, too) from the trip. Now, back to my book!

Finally Finished

The painting project that started in the early summer was finally wrapped up yesterday (in time for Christmas holidays, so pun intended. Ha!).  Though the rest of the interior of the house was painted by the end of the summer, Fi's room was still unfinished.  Painting her room was in part side-tracked by the bathtub insert project, in part because we needed to start prepping for school, and in part because Fi's choice of a wall colour didn't go over so well with her Papa (bubblegum pink!).  So, we put off painting the room until a) Fi picked a more reasonable colour and b) we had some time to paint.  However, it's now December, the holidays are fast approaching and my spouse's sisters are coming up to visit for Christmas.  And when sisters visit, it's time for a major clean-up, let me tell you.

Originally the plan was to take two weekends to paint Fi's room.  The first weekend to prep the room, the second to paint.  But, I thought, what the heck?  Let's get it done now. 

It was like riding a bike.  All the practice from the summer painting came back just like that.  Early morning, move out furniture, take off switch and plug plates, scrape the walls and spackle holes (and there were plenty - I don't know what the previous tenants were like, but sheesh, why all the holes in the walls?).  Mid-afternoon, scrape again, sand the walls, vaccuum the mess, wash the walls, put down green painter's tape on the carpet.  "Papa! Time for supper!"  Eat supper.  After supper, open the can of paint ("Enchantment Blue"), stir well, pour some paint in a small bucket, pick up a paint brush and start edging the whole room, top to bottom.  Finish that, get a roller brush, pour paint into the pan, and roll away.  By 9 PM, all done, including cleanup.  Phew!

Today we moved furniture back in (sans bedframe, which Pop is repairing and Nana is painting white).  Now the whole interior is painted, Christmas tree, decorations and lights are up, and our home feels cosy and inviting (gezillig!).  And my spouse feels reasonable satisfied with how things are, except for the living room rug, the front outside lamp, the kitchen curtains, the lightless garland outdoors, the ...