sharba's blog: 11/01/2003 - 12/01/2003

sharba's blog

a little of this... a little of that..... from a musical kind of gal.

Friday, November 28, 2003

#17. LULU'S LINES







TRIGGER 1::: The day I..........







TRIGGER 2::: My eyes were.......




MY EYES WERE . . .opened recently about people who seem like friends, but are really just users of people. Maybe I'm just witless or maybe I just really like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but this whole idea of throwing my "Annual Holiday Extravaganza" after a two year hiatus has really made me stop and think. What started out as a gathering for a small group of friends 20-some years ago grew into a 50+ guest list and nonstop work that would begin for me on Thanksgiving weekend. Who do I want to invite and who do I feel like I HAVE to invite? One of those people (who I know would never be reading a blog!) is the music director of our church. We have been "friends" for many years, but in actuality I only see her socially once or twice a year. She's "nice" to me, but she's the type of person who , the more I do for her, the more she asks of me. At this point, I ring handbells, sing in the choir and play trumpet. I enjoy it, but the rehearsals, last minute "stick-the -music-in-front-of-me" ploys, to name a few, are wearing on me. Why would I want to encourage someone like this? Anyway, I'm sort of rethinking a lot of people's places in my life.

Tuesday, November 25, 2003

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?? I just came home . . early . . because I no longer had time to get to a recital I had planned on attending. I was going to pick someone up and we were going together. She had a student until 6:15, so I said I would go (out of my way and in the opposite direction) to her house so we could leave as soon as she finished teaching. Her student left at 6:20, and at almost 6:30 she still han't come out yet. I no longer had enough time make the recital on time (40 minute drive), so I drove off and came home. I HATE being late and I HATE waiting for people.

Monday, November 24, 2003

Sunday, November 23, 2003


Good day to everyone. This week's questions are all about reading. Let's go! (5 questions this week.........)
1. How many books have you read in the past year?
2. What book should be banned based on its boring subject matter?
3. What book should be (or should have been) on the 'best seller' list but wasn't?
4. What time of the day do you do most of your reading?
5. If you were to write a book, what would be its title?

I don't keep a count, but I think probably 15 or 20.

2. Well, to be honest, the only book I have recently put down without finishing is the first book from that set about the minister and his dog. It seemed like a snooze fest to me.

3. I don't think it was on the best seller list, but a book that I really liked a lot was "The Secret Life of Bees" It was a great story with a great message.

$. I don't have a set time that I read. I just carry the book I'm reading around where ever I go and read when I can. . . and in the "reading room."

5. I have no idea!!!

Thursday, November 20, 2003

From LuLu: I AM THANKFUL FOR . . . .so many wonderful opportunities, and the guidance that helps me recognize them. Every day is filled with so many, and sometimes it is difficult to see which path is the right one to follow. Having a Companion makes it so much easier!

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

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strong>RANDOM QUESTIONS - What makes you angry?

Injustice and deceit make me angry, to name a couple. Self-serving fat cats who take advantage of the underpriviledged and less fortunate make me angry. People in power who implement their personal agendas by "sugar-coating" them in pretty rhetoric like "We're saving the world," make me angry. I could go on and on, but it would serve little purpose. Whether our actions are big or small, I think we should use our anger to motivate ourselves into taking some sort of action. What good is anger otherwise?

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Don't feel like retyping the words? Just copy and paste the following into your blog:

  1. Plan B:: Backup
  2. Seattle:: Slew
  3. The lady wore:: red
  4. Upsetting:: cry
  5. Tampon:: yuch
  6. Celebrity:: famous
  7. Baja:: California
  8. 64:: thousand dollar question
  9. RGB:: really gross breath
  10. Milkshake::chocolate
    Please remember to use http://subliminal.lunanina.com when linking to the game. Thanks!

    To ping this entry use the following url:

Monday, November 17, 2003

Random Questions; Random Days... Monday, November 17
Which of the following do you think most influences a person to become an artist: desire, talent, practice, environment, or encouragement? Why?

I think that when God gives us a gift, there will be some point in our lives that it gets "tapped." Once that happens, the personal desire to nurture it comes soon after. Everything else follows a natural course. I have known people who practice and practice, but without the gift, or talent, the soul of the art is missing. True artists are drawn to the practice, or the desire to "do more." Environment and encouragement don't hurt, but I don't think it's essential.

Sunday, November 16, 2003


Well the holiday season is fast approaching and that means shopping, decorating and baking! Have fun!
1. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? If not, when will you be starting?
2. What are your favorite holiday goodies (baked goods, etc.)?
3. Do you decorate for Christmas? Inside, outside or both? When will you be putting your decorations up?


1. WHAT??!! Start my Christmas shopping this early??!! Heck no. Most of the shopping I do gets done a week or two before Christmas. The year Kevin was laid off, he did almost all of the shopping. Now we share.

2. The traditional thing that I make (30 - 40 lbs of it!) and give away every Christmas is fudge. It's the only time of the year I make it and everyone gets it! People say they like it!

3. We are not outside decorating people, but we decorate inside right after T-day. The last couple of years w/no party, it wasn't as much, but this year the party's back, so the Snow Village is back!

4. Let's not forget about the music! I start listening to Christmas music right after T-day too, but I really need to start rehearsing it right after the end of football season. It's a good thing I like it!

Saturday, November 15, 2003

Random Questions; Random Days... Friday, November 14
Tomorrow is opening day deer season for fire arms. How do you feel about hunting?
PS we have water now! yay!!!

First of all, I don't think it should be called a sport. You have a gun. The deer doesn't. Where is the sport in that??!! HOWEVER, I know that (in Mich. anyway) the deer are a real problem for the farmers. In Manistee you can see 40 or 50 deer at a time feeding in the fields at dusk. The deer are plentiful and in no danger of dying out. As long as there is no waste, go for it!

Monday, November 10, 2003

Sunday, November 09, 2003


Let's talk about food.....on to the questions folks! Have fun. (Question #4 has been asked before but I thought it was fun sharing recipes so let's do it again!)
1. How many 'meals a day' do you eat?
2. Do you enjoy cooking? Why or why not?
3. Who cooks most of the meals in your home? . . . . . and one more (optional) for good measure;
4. Share a favorite recipe with us.

1. During the school year I have three, because I've had my 2 cups of coffee and I'm out of the house between 6:30 and 7 am. In the summer, when I take my time with my coffee (a great appetite supressant) I usually don't eat until 11 or 11:30, and just have the 2 meals.

2. I really enjoy cooking when I have time for it. As a matter of fact, I just blogged about my next career; catering. If its a "rush" situation, for necessity only, I can take it or leave it. If there is time to be creative (I've never followed a recipe "to-the-letter" in my life, except for baking) it's enjoyable. As a matter of fact, all you family members out there, I'm planning on bringing back the Christmas party again. Keep December 20th open on your calendars!

3. Until my hubby was laid off from his job, I was the only cook in the family. When he had the time, and was taking over some of the household responsibilities, (as well he should!) he developed some "specialties". His favorite "medium" is soup; split pea, chili, chicken, turkey, beef barley, to name a few. He also makes goulash, a recipe of his mom's, and he has become quite the grill master. He has a great rub recipe he found on-line, and it's great for both pork and beef. He also rotisses a great turkey! He has even gotten so he can cook an entire meal and have all the components finished on time!

4. I have so many favorites! Here's one we just had a couple of weeks ago.

Shrimp Fried Rice

The key to good fried rice is to cook your rice at least 8 hours in advance. However you like to cook plain rice works fine; steaming or boiling. Another good way is to saute' the raw rice in a bit of oil, then add your liquid and a bit of stock base (I use chicken.) This imparts just a nice bit of flavor to the rice. When you finish cooking it, take the lid off, and let it cool to room temp, using a utensil to keep it from clumping. Cover and place in fridge until you are ready to assemble the dish. When ready, get all of your ingredients prepared.

1 bunch of green onions
garlic - lots!
red pepper flakes to taste
peas or peas & carrots, blanched to thaw
1 lb of fresh or defrosted shrimp, salad or cocktail sized
soy sauce
4 eggs, beaten (about 1 per every 1 1/2 cups rice)
any additional chinese veggies you can't live without
oil

Heat your wok or pan and add about 2 TBS oil. cook shrimp and remove if not already cooked. Add pepper flakes and heat. Add garlic and onions (reserve some onions for garnish) and cook about 1 minute. (don't burn it!) Add rice and heat through. When rice is hot, hollow out a space in the center of your wok, and pour in eggs. Scramble in center of wok until partially set, then fold into the rice. Continue cooking until eggs set (the hot rice will do a lot of it) Toss in cooked veggies and heat through. Add soy sauce to taste and voila!

Sunday, November 09, 2003

By the way Mom, my clock is 2 hours off. How do I change it? Love ya!

We're on our way to a busy day today! Geoff called Friday and said he had a concert on Sunday (today.) So. . . we're meeting him for brunch before his 1:30 rehearsal, followed by a 3:00 concert. We then need to whip back to this side of the state because I have a performance at 7:00. I'm dressing in my perf. stuff and bringing my horn with me. because I won't have time to go home first. I could have missed Geoff's concert, but it doesn't really seem like an option.

We had PT conferences this past week. The one good thing about them is that we have 1/2 days on Thur and Fri! I can't belive how fast this school year is going (once it got off the ground.) I'll probably be looking into food service classes starting this summer, in preparation for my next career: catering. What do you think of this?; I see a big neon sign with teeth flashing open, then closed, and the words - "Bite Me - food with an attitude" I'm going into my 5 year plan, which includes education first, followed by on-the-job training and then "My Own Thing"!!

I'll be back for "Monday Madness!"

Tuesday, November 04, 2003

Random Questions; Random Days... Sunday afternoon, November 2, 2003 The following Random Quote was here when i logged on to BloggerSeeds today: 'The best inheritance parents can give their children is a few minutes of their time each day.' How much time do you spend with your child or children each day? If you have no children or live with your parents, how much time do you spend with your parents or other loved ones each day?

Since we only have 1 child at home now, it seems really quiet around here! Geoff was always the kid that "hung around" us a lot when he was home. Lisa keeps more to herself, but we still spend more than a few minutes a day with her! I think the key to a good relationship with your children is to like and appreciate them as people, not just "your kids." My kids are people I like......(most of the time!)

So much for going to bed early! Sunday I went to bed at 1, and since I have to get up at 5, I was tired early last night. I actually went to bed at 10:30; . . and woke up at 3:30 this morning. It seems I'm doomed to a 5 hour night, regardless of what time I go to bed!

Monday, November 03, 2003

Sunday, November 02, 2003


This week's questions will be all about your creativity........
1. What is the most artistic accomplishment?
2. What is your favorite method of artistic expression?
3. Name one form of art that you haven't yet tried but would like to.


1. This is a tough question for me, because I teach music and drama, but in my spare time I also play trumpet and handbells. I cross-stitch also, but I really consider that a craft. Probably one of my most meaningful recent artistic accomplishments as a performer would be when I went back to my alma mater 2 years ago and played on my former roommate's recital. We played the Hindemith Concerto for Trumpet and Bassoon together, and I played the Prayer of St. Gregory with organ. She has been on the faculty at CMU for many years. It was exciting and SCAREY to return to campus after 22 years and perform. As a teacher, I have been proud of many of my students' performances. In particular, I am proud of the theatrical productions, partly because I am new to theater in the directorial sense, and partly because I wear so many hats. I direct the music, acting, set design, costumes, and even choreography somewhat.

2. My favorite method of artistic expression is definitely through music, both as teacher and performer.

3. I have plans to learn how to quilt some day. I don't know when, but I will get to it sometime! My neighbor quilts, and I know she would teach me. I think quilting is a great means of artistic expression, as well as a great way to preserve family history, culture, and self-expression.

Sunday, November 02, 2003

Greetings on All Soul's Day. Yesterday was the Michigan Competing Bands Association State Finals at the Silver Dome. MCC's band placed 7th in the state with their "Rome" show; 3 places lower than the last 2 years. Oh well! Most bands don't even make the top ten, so they don't even get to the Dome. We left home at 8 in the morning and got home at around 9. Their was a LOT of U-M/MSU traffic on the road. We went with some friends, so the trip seemed to go by quickly. To I got all "handbell & choired out." We had church in the morning and this Deanery festival performance in the afternoon. I'm off to do laundry, but I'll be back later!