Rumor confirmed! Cap'n's on iTunes!!!

It's confirmed... Angelica's Waltz is on iTunes! :-D Wow...

If you have iTunes on your computer, this link gets you there:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=209121201
(if the link doesn't work, search in the New Age catagory for Cal Olson and you should find me)

If not, you can check out the same samples on the CD Baby page - just click on the album cover on the right of this page to get there.

Now, can I ask a favor of those of you who have the CD.........

Could you take a moment or two and leave a review? Either at CD Baby or on iTunes? Reviews help other folks decide to check out the music, and since I can't write those myself, it would really help to have some from others who have the album... And, it really helps if those happen to be positive. So if you're using the thing as a purple coaster, well... :-D Reviews help generate sales, and we can use all the help we can get. Thank you SO MUCH for helping out!

Oh there's no place like home AFTER the holidays

I'm really surprized that Vicki's parents put up with me for an entire week. :-D

We had a Newberry Christmas this year - leaving on the 24th and getting home this afternoon. Some things that were either lessons learned or worth noting...

- Playing the wind controller for carols and hymns in church rocks! When the folks sang "I heard the bells...", they really did! (handbells from the windsynth, that is!)

- Ezri and Vicki's dad still aren't the best of friends. But at least he tolerates her (and me)...

- It's really better for me NOT to have cable. I become a recliner potato, to the point of staying up until 3am watching stuff on the Discovery channel. Vicki got especially irritated when she woke up at 4am and found me staring at the tv... with the sound off... just watching pictures and surfing channels... eeeeep... (we are toying with getting cable again, and using parental control to block all but a few channels - Discovery, TLC, HGTV, Hallmark, AMC and some local channels. We'll see... might be better not to open that box...)

- I have some MAJOR exercising to do, to make up for all the goodies I had this week.

- "Over the Hedge," "Nanny McPhee," and "Cars" all look really amazing on a wide-screen tv.

- My nieces are the cutest kiddos on the planet! (young ladies actually - since one of them turns 16 in January... I feel really REALLY old...)

- I need to get a portable lamp to go with my "portable jewelry shop." Made some pretty pieces, but light was a slight issue. Had a ball, tho...

- It is possible for Ezri to get tired of playing, but I will always wear out long before she does.

- The Pizza Place in Newberry still makes the best pizza ever! If being near The Pizza Place was the only factor in deciding where to live, we'd be packing now...

- It's a real blessing to have an amazing relationship with my in-laws. Actually, I never think of the "in-law" part - they're just Mom & Dad to me. :-D

- I'm not going near fudge or peanut brittle for a few months. Yum-O, but I've had enough to last me until my birthday or so...

Happy New Year, and goodbye 2006 (not to mention good riddance)... don't let the door hit you on the hiney on the way out. The Lord knows what awaits us all in 2007, but I'm hoping for something different than last year. 2006 was necessary, but I'm glad to see it go...

Blessed Christmas!

Hymn to the Heavenly Gift, from the musical "Heaven Rejoices"

Heavenly gift, You were sent from above.
Treasure of Heaven, rich jewel of love.
Worthy of worship, the angels declare.
Heaven was poorer while You were not there.

Heavenly gift, of the gifts we could bring,
nothing is worthy of so great a King.
Purest of gold or the most precious stone,
all we could offer, You already own.

What gift can we bring to the richest of Kings,
who walked on the gold streets of Glory?
Our lives we can give, every day that we live,
and we'll be like wise men, adoring.

Heavenly gift, from the Father so free.
Richest of riches, most precious is He.
Honor this gift, lest it be turned away.
Now accept Him as your Savior today.

What gift can you bring to the richest of Kings,
who walks on the gold streets of Glory?
Your life you can give, every day that you live.
And you'll be like wise men, adoring.

What gift can we bring to the richest of Kings,
who walks on the gold streets of Glory?
Our lives we will give, every day that we live.
And we'll be like wise men, adoring...

Blessed Christmas, friends...

A comparison...

This is Cal without his Optivisor...










And this is Cal with his Optivisor...






Any questions?
:-D

(an Optivisor allows someone to see small things really big... kind of like reading glasses on steroids. And that round lens thingie is an Optiloupe - adds another 2.25X to that eye. This thing is way cool! Except I now see all the imperfections in the stuff I've been making... oi.)

It's just a rumor...

It appears that a certain whistle-playin', jewelry-makin', storytellin' person is coming to iTunes.

Eeeep.

I knew that CD Baby would submit the project to iTunes. But I didn't expect it to make it onto iTunes.

Eeeep.

Within the next 30 days, we'll either be able to confirm or deny the rumor.

Eeeep.

Bling Bling...

I did my first craft show - albeit a really small one at our church - and it tanked. I sold a few CDs but only one piece of jewelry. :-( Ah well... I think it was more the night than the pieces...

SO - if anyone needs that extra-special Christmas gift, I DO have some VERY nice pieces all made up and ready for immediate delivery. :-D Just let us know and we'll hook you up. :-D

I've also made some of my first rings - great fun! I've got a couple of honkin' big silver and gemstone rings that I made for my big ol' fingers, so the bling factor around here is pretty high right now.

Goodbye, Grandma...

Vicki's Grandmother, Helen Osborn, went home to glory last night.

Wait - let me correct that last sentence...

Our Grandmother, Helen Osborn, went home to glory last night. She was one of those grandmotherly grandmas - lots of hugs, lots of love, lots of humor, and a sweet, quiet spirit. She's had a special place in our lives, and we will miss her.

If you think of it, please pray for Grandpa - Herschel. He's the one that turned 100 last March, and to be honest, we don't know how he'll do now that Grandma is gone. They were married over 77 years, and Grandpa will have a large void in his life. And, since he loses track of people, dates and such, we really have no idea what will happen with him.

Rest in the arms of Jesus, Grandma - we'll see you someday soon...

On a different note...

Ah - Blogthings. Where would civilization be without them...

Dark Purple

To others, you seem a bit dark, mysterious, and moody. In truth, you are just a very unique person who doesn't care what others think. And you really enjoy your offbeat interests and friends.

What Color Purple Are You?

On being a trophy husband...

1) A shirt I wish I could wear... saw this in a catalog - it proclaims, "I'm sick of being my wife's arm candy." I can't count the number of times I've thought that very same thing... it's about the same number of times I've ever used the phrase "Git 'R Done!"

2) From Arm Candy to He Sugar... This morning, one email from "Shirley" (that's my mother-in-law's name, but somehow I don't think she's the one who sent it...) had the subject line of He Sugar. Which leads me to two possible conclusions... either the word has gotten out about being my wife's arm candy, or "Shirley" doesn't know her "he" from her "hey". I know it's obvious which is the correct conclusion, but allow me to ponder it anyway.

Thus it goes... back to the jewelry bench, watching the snow come down whilst sipping a cup of mocha cinnamon swirl coffee and thinking that this "working at home and not having to go out to the office thing" ain't all bad. Oh - and maintaining my status as arm candy - that does take a lot of time out of the day.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...