Mom UniverCity

30/06/2021

Hi, everyone!
We are a few days from starting up posts again, beginning with Budapest, Hungary!

Watch what comes next!

29/11/2020

As we ease into Lockdown 2.0, I've taken up crocheting projects.

Luckily,I found this enormously helpful YouTube channel.

Super helpful tips to get beginners going and keep us fledgling non-neophytes saying, "I can't believe I didn't think of that!"

Enjoy and post your own creations in the comments!

Learn 25+ crochet tips, tricks, and hacks that I use daily to make crochet fun and picture-perfect. xX UPDATE Xx Giveaway closed - winner contacted. Thanks s...

21/08/2020

I missed a chance to see this phenomenal duo, The Civil Wars, a few years back, and more's the pity. They were together only a short time before breaking up mid-tour.

Joy Williams and John Paul White both had successful music careers before they started The Civil Wars in 2008. Having met at a songwriting workshop, they found a particular connection in their work and singing. They namd themselves after what they called the small, civil wars they would have over creating new songs. (In other interviews, they would state other reasons for the name.)

Though they went on to win 4 Grammy awards, by the 2014 Grammys they were no more. I remember watching John Paul White walk to the podium alone to accept the award, thanking several people, but none of them Joy Williams.

You can catch more of their songs on old episodes of 'Grey's Anatomy' and in one of the 'Hunger Games' films.

Enjoy!

Purchase on iTunes: http://itunes.com/thecivilwars/bartonhollow Video filmed and edited by Becky Fluke. Assisting and styling by Elise Yetton for Pennyweight...

07/08/2020

Before 3BC, the long narrow corridors were meant to remind people that there was only one head of state - the king. (These are the photos with the scaffolding. The blocks are so enormously heavy, special heavy lifting scaffolding is used to lift and repair the many marble blocks.)

After that time period, meeting in circles emphasized that democracy meant they were all equal.

07/08/2020

Television and movies make us believe that columns, walls, mosaics, tiles, etc. in ancient Greece were pure white, forgetting that rain, wind, and time have etched away the colors. In fact, the walkways through Delos were painted in bright reds, blues, and yellows.

Treasures found beneath the ruins were protected from the elements and reveal some of the original styles and colors used throughout the city and in homes.

07/08/2020

Delos, Greece - once considered the center of the universe, with 15 banks, temples, a grand theater, and multitudes of shops, now lays in ruins as archeologists work to restore the stories and statues beneath the rumble.

25/07/2020

Imogen Heap captured my attention back in the 1990's with her amazing "Come Here Boy," a dreamy, intense song that I replayed until her I Megaphone CD broke.

Later, I happily discovered her A Capella song "Hide and Seek," which was lifted for Jason Derulo's 2009 hit, "Whatcha Say."

Enjoy this gorgeous journey ...

Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek (Official Video) Follow on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/ImogenHeapSpotify?IQid=IHeapHAS Listen on Apple Music: http://smarturl.it/...

19/07/2020

On two separate occasions - one in NYC, the other at the Filmore in San Francisco - I was lucky enough to be in the audience to hear this amazing songwriter, Nanci Griffith.

Having been writing since her early years, it didn't take her long to perfect her storytelling style.

Take a listen to her early in her career sing her song "Love at the Five and Dime." Pay attention to the patter at the beginning, a gift some performers never come close to mastering.

16/07/2020

Payty Griffin's songs are art at times delicate and fierce. Take for instance her song, "Top of The World," which I heard first when The Chick's (formerly known as The Dixie Chicks) covered it.

I was lucky enough to hear her sing this live in Nashville, along with other heartwrenchingly gorgeous songs. While bot always true with singers, Patty Griffin sings even better in person.

Enjoy this glorious voice!

Lyrics: [ Top Of The World ] I wished I was smarter I wished I was stronger I wished I loved Jesus the way the my wife does I wished it had been easier Inste...

15/07/2020

On Showtime, the show "Roadies" was a favorite of mine because it introduced me to several musicians I'd never heard of before. Lucius was one of those.

Their performance of their song "Born Again Teen" completely had me hooked with its bouncing rhythms and crazy harmonies.

However, the song "Dusty Trails" played over one of the last scenes. It was so amazingly heartbreaking and so different from the first song, I had to look up the band singing. I had no idea it was the same one.

For today, we feature a live version of "Dusty Trails." Take it away, ladies!

Lucius - Dusty Trails Recorded Live: 1/27/2016 - Paste Studios - New York, NY More Lucius in the Paste Cloud: http://www.pastemagazine.com/search?t=Lucius&m=...

12/07/2020

Along the same vein, I was lucky enough to discover Australian songwriter, Kasey Chambers, in the 1990's.

Encapsulated in her song, "Not Pretty Enough" is that odd soundtrack that plays in our heads sometimes.

Give her a go and discover the complexities of songs:

Buy, Download or Stream Not Pretty Enough by Kasey Chambers from the album Barricades & Brickwalls: https://USM.lnk.to/KaseyChambers Subscribe to the officia...

12/07/2020

I've had the luxury of hearing an amazing, intimate show by Janis Ian and, years later, hearing her speak at a book conference (and singing a quick song, but nothing more since she had a performance that night,) standing next to my friend, Erin Harris, who bawled her eyes out in front of our idol while we waited for Ms. Ian to sign a poster.

When my writing students complained that they need more words or space to tell a story, I pointed to Janis Ian and other prolific songwriters to show how much could be taken from the confines of a few verses and a repeated chorus. Selecting one word to represent 15, she built the world around the story she would sing.

One of her most famous songs, "At Seventeen," delves into the complicated days of young girls, still valid for girls today, grappling with the same issues as we did when she wrote it.

Gorgeous writing, phenomenal vocals, and splendid guitar playing ...

She's playing your song.

Have a listen to her spectacular LIVE performance of this song in 1976:

Janis Ian - At Seventeen (Live, 1976)