This past weekend was filled with hiking through two different state parks in Illinois. It was perfect. The air was crisp and cool, but not too cold; the leaves were starting to change color; the openess and freedom of the outdoors was beckoning.
Saturday, at Siloam Springs State Park near Griggsville/Pittsfield, we took a canoe out into the middle of the lake and just sat, enjoying the spectacular views of nature around us. After attempting to climb a rock cliff, falling down a ravine and being hit by falling rocks, we left the state park, stopping in Griggsville for some food.
Griggsville was hosting one of the starting points for the annual Pike County Fall Color Drive. Unfortuately for Pike County, the colors aren't out in full force yet; however, that didn't dampen the excitement and enthusiasm of the locals who were hosting a mini-town festival in conjunction with the Fall Color Drive.
One of the things I miss now living in Springfield is your typical small town festival. As we walked around the booths offering everything from candles to "country folk art", it reminded me of the small town festivals I went to in Ashland growing up. Getting a ribeye steak sandwich with barbeque sauce at the FFA tent just make it that much more nostalgic. (And picking up a giant bag of kettle korn made it a more gastro-exciting day!)
The nostalgia for the old days didn't really sink in, however, until Sunday, when we went out to Site M, or the Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area, as it's now known. (See why the locals still call it Site M?) Site M is a 26 mile-square tract of land that consists of 6,000 acres of timberland and 4,200 acres of prime farmland and rolling hill prairie for prairie grass conservation. This massive conservation initiative is mere 10 minute drive from my parents' house; turning onto the road leading to Site M included directions such as "ok, now turn right at Alicia Rogers' house". Walking through the open areas and the dense forests, passing campgrounds that I have camped at numerous times, seeing farmers in the fields cutting beans, the nostalgia for small-town life hit me again.
At the end of the day, when the sun began to set, the view of a million colors painting the sky, covered with a soft haze of dirt stirred up by the combines in the fields, was truly breathtaking. I don't get to see that living here in Springfield. And I wonder if all the conviences of living in the city is worth it in the end. For all the perks, what have I given up?
The outdoors and country atmosphere is part of who I am. It's nice to get my batteries recharged by nature and the open country air once in a while.
'You get your strength from this red earth of Tara. You're part of it, and it's part of you.' - Rhett Butler, Gone With the Wind
2: Where was your default picture taken? The pic on my blog - me kissing the Blarney Stone in Ireland!
25: Whats your favorite smell? Irish peat moss, babies, the fabulous turkey I make with a cloves and nutmeg rub
28: What are you thinking about right now? Trying to figure out what caused this knot on the back of my head.......and hoping that baby Cameron doesn't wake up again!
I don't know where this came from (I saw it on Krista Walbert's facebook, I believe). I did a Google search, and no one out there knows its origin.
Yesterday, the 5oth anniversary edition of Sleeping Beauty was released. I hadn't watched it in a while, but as I watched it last night, it totally reminded me how much I love that movie and why Prince Phillip is my favorite prince.
Pro: For starters he was the first Disney Prince with a name. Also extremely decisive; after meeting a girl in a forest and spending a record-breaking period of five minutes dancing with her he returned home declaring his intentions to annul his long-standing betrothal with the neighbor’s daughter in order to marry the girl he just met. Obviously a man of action. No shirk in the physical department either. Was ambushed in said maiden’s house without any weapons by superior numbers but managed to get in numerous good blows before going down. After being imprisoned in a powerful enchantress’s fortress, he escaped with only the help of a trio of fairies, fought his way through dozens of her minions and rode across a collapsing bridge to rescue his girl. He then had to slash through an entire forest of thorns to access her palace, (which took him all of about twenty seconds) and finally had to battle the enchantress herself, who morphed into a forty-foot dragon. Despite being seemingly outmatched, he fought her to a standstill and finally killed her by throwing his sword into her heart and still made it back in time to wake the princess.
His woman: Princess Aurora; the Sleeping Beauty. Having been betrothed to her since he was eight, Philip was pretty much destined to get her, but boy did he have his work cut out for him (see Pro list).
Companions: His horse Sampson, (a truly manly name, even for a horse) the worlds most invincible steed. Able to stride through great flaming forests of thorns without acquiring so much as a scratch in his leathery flanks, and might be the only Disney animal who ever needed to be bribed in order to help his master look for the princess.
If you need another reason to love Prince Phillip....check out David Beckham's photo shoot with Annie Leibowitz as Prince Phillip.......all I can say is WOW!
so, I found this article rather interesting the other day. It's "The Top 5 Myths of Christian Dating". You can read the whole thing by clicking this link: http://www.christianitytoday.com/singles/newsletter/2008/mind0618.html
This is the point where I might tick off some of you, so allow me to assuage your anger before I explain this myth. I am not saying that you cannot or should not be friends before dating. I'm also not talking about a man and a woman who are interested in each other and agree to be friends for a period before dating. Some of the most successful relationships begin in friendship. Sometimes you don't even know you want to date someone until you're friends with her. I've met couples who were friends for years and then fell in love. It's a super way to start a relationship.
The problem is that a lot of men think the best way to pursue a woman is to befriend her while hiding their interest in dating her. This is a rotten idea and sets a lot of men up for trouble.
Tommy was a client of mine who tried this approach. He had been interested in a woman at his church for a few months, but he was terrified of rejection. So he made his best effort to become her friend, never letting on that he wanted to be her boyfriend. He gave her rides to church, had coffee with her, and talked to her on the phone two or three times a week. Whenever she needed help or support, Tommy was there. But he never asked her out. Then another man in the church asked her out, and she accepted. When she shared the news with Tommy, he was devastated. He told her about his true feelings, and she was shocked. She was hurt that he didn't tell her sooner and expressed regret that he'd never asked her out. However, she refused to back out of the date with the other guy. It proved the end of their friendship, and Tommy retreated into frustration and despair.
You have to be honest about what you're doing. Don't kid yourself and don't lie to her. Be friends all you want, but if you want to date her, she needs to know and you need to ask her out.
Some people distinguish "dating" from "friendship" based on one thing: physical intimacy. More specifically, kissing. A man and a woman who are interested in each other remain "friends" by going out only on group dates and refraining from intimate contact of any description. Apparently, this means they aren't dating.
Friendship and dating are categorically different. Of course, you must be friends with the person you date, but there's much more to it. The emotional "heat" that occurs between people in a romantic relationship is both more exhilarating and more complicated than friendship. People have higher expectations for someone they're considering for marriage. Friendship cannot contain the emotions, intensity, and intimacy that dating does. If you and a woman are hot for each other, you aren't "just friends." I don't care if you go out on dates alone or with the whole church choir. It also doesn't matter if you wear a HAZMAT suit and stay ten feet away from her at all times. If romance is the goal of a man and woman's relationship, they are dating. Confuse it with friendship at your peril.
I'd love to hear other thoughts on this. It goes back to the basic theme of When Harry Met Sally. I believe that guys and girls can be friends. I have a lot of guy friends, ones that I would never think of in any other way but as a friend. But when a "guy friend" does things that start to blur that line, with or without the physical intimacy, it just creates a very confusing and frustrating situation. And I think I am getting to the point in my life where I don't want to deal with the confusion any longer. Either be my friend, or date me, but make it clear. Don't say one thing, then act another way. If that means I have to end a "friendship", I may just have to do that. It's not good on my emotional well-being to be jerked around all the time.
Stuff Christians Like...ok, so I don't really know the guy, but the blog is hysterical. Check it out.
Events for October 6, 2018 – Pottery, Canvas Painting, & Glass Fusing | Aran's Art Studio | Castro Valley, Bay Area, CA
At our Kids Night Out, we teach your child to recreate the design using acrylic paint and creativity. We supply all the materials and walk them through each step. Plus, pizza and snacks to enjoy. Whenever we finish early we like to do more art and play games. The cost is $40/child and is for...
Aran welcomes visitors from all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Centrally located in Castro Valley, just minutes away from San Lorenzo, San Leandro, Hayward, San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, Fremont, Livermore and Oakland.
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A workshop to help improve how environment-related complaints are received, managed and resolved took place on 26-27 September in Koforidua. With ARAP’s support, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was able to engage with representatives from 19 public institutions - including district assemblies - that have shared responsibilities for the overall safeguarding of the environment and handling complaints from the public.
The first of its kind, this EU-funded workshop was an opportunity to address several issues, including the overwhelming number of complaints being received, the necessity for a coordinated response, and the lack of resourcing. It was the occasion for participants to identify ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of complaints management by institutions in the environmental governance sector.
The role of the EPA is of particular relevance in such matters, considering its vision ‘for a country where all sections of the community value the environment and strive to attain environmentally sustainable development’, and its mandate to ‘continually improve and conserve the country’s environment’. While citizens can play an important role in Ghana’s anti-corruption and good governance efforts, it is indeed crucial to make sure that their voice is heard in the pursuit of a safe and thriving environment.
An important step was to identify the existing challenges to managing environment-related complaints. This revealed a set of institutional and administrative bottlenecks, such as the lack of an effective triage system to handle complaints, the need for up-to-date equipment and tools, and in some cases conflicting mandates and responsibilities.
Participants agreed that the lack of coordination among stakeholders obstructs the resolution of complaints. This is especially the case due to the multidimensional nature of environment-related violations, requiring action and over sight by several institutions. Inter-agency coordination is also needed in the allocation of permits for example, to ensure that applicants are indeed suitable.
The event provided an opportunity for participants to then focus on solutions to the identified causes and problems. This included reflecting on success stories of collaboration in environmental complaints management to help determine what works. Discussions included the role of public education and communication to improve complaints management.
The importance of educating citizens about environmental regulations and ensuring they know how to submit good quality complaints was recognised, as well as the need for officials to communicate information about the complaints process, such as appropriate avenues for reporting and relevant agencies’ mandates.
Next steps were established at the workshop, including strengthening institutional collaborations, the potential development of EPA guidelines for local collaboration, and involving the National Development Planning Commission in future meetings, as land use planning is a major source of complaints and grievances. Proposed activities for ARAP’s support to the EPA were also identified, all to help compliment Ghana's ongoing efforts to improve good governance in the environment sector.
Search Results for: alfred-s-self-teaching-adult-piano-course-the-new-easy-and-fun-way-to-teach-yourself-to-play-book-cd
Continuing the incredible popularity of Alfreds Basic Adult Piano Course, this new book adapts the same friendly and informative style for adults who wish to teach themselves. With the Study-Guide pages that have been added to introduce the music, its almost like having a piano teacher beside you as you learn the skills needed to perform popular and familiar music. Five bonus pieces have been added: At Last * Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas * Laura * Over the Rainbow * Singin' in the Rain. Also included is a CD containing the piano part and an engaging arrangement for each of the 60 musical examples. 192 pages.	
Over the past 45 years, more guitar teachers have used Alfred's Basic Guitar Course than any other course---over three million copies sold, in fact. Now, for the first time, this best-selling course has been adapted for young adults who want to teach themselves. Using the same music and fundamentals included in the latest edition of Alfred's Basic Guitar Course, easy and user-friendly Study Guide pages have been added to introduce the music in this new edition. The Study Guide pages are almost like having a guitar teacher sitting beside you as you learn the skills needed to perform popular and familiar music. A CD is also included so you can hear how the music sounds. The DVD gives you the added advantage of video demonstrations of every lesson. These three features assure that you will soon be playing the guitar like you have always wanted. The special pleasures only music can bring will be yours to enjoy for a lifetime.	
Teaches how to play the piano through lessons that range from hand positioning and reading different types of notes to playing basic chords and melodies with one hand.	
A level one introduction to the study of piano playing for adults. An explanation of terminology, advice on technique plus sheet music for some beginning performances.	
Many people wish they could sit down at the piano and simply play, their hands flying over the keys as melodies pour out. With this simple, achievable program that’s possible...in just six weeks. Using Dan Delaney’s innovative chord playing techniques, as opposed to more classical methods, musical newcomers and lapsed musicians can quickly and easily gain skills. Each of the six weeks’ worth of lessons contains several exercises. The classes build on each other, becoming progressively more difficult as the player’s ability improves, and every lesson includes sheet music, practice advice, and an evaluation at the end. Plus, MP3 audios of the lessons will be available for free on Delaney’s website.	
You can now teach yourself to play the piano, even though you have never taken a lesson. Teach yourself to play the piano and progress at your own pace! Covers the basic fundamentals of piano playing in a concise and logical fashion. Its appealing music will encourage you to play every day. Features: Rhythms made simple; How to form the most important chords; Finger aerobics help to make playing easier; Techniques of playing with feeling and expression; Step-by-step approach to learning the entire keyboard; Letter-notes provide and easy introduction to reading music. The Enhanced CD for this book contains great audio accompaniments you can play on your stereo and doubles as an interactive and fun multimedia learning tool that works on any Windows-compatible PC. The song player shows you exactly how each song should be played, lets you customize the audio levels, adjust playback tempo, and even record your own performance! CD-ROM is for Windows & Macintosh.	
More than 3-million adult students have learned to play the piano using this well-sequenced course. Perfect for beginners who prefer a chord approach, students learn how to play chords in either hand in order to move beyond simply playing single note melodies. The course contains outstanding songs such as "The Entertainer," "Scarborough Fair," "Greensleeves" and "Amazing Grace."	
Learn to play the piano and open up a brand new world of musical knowledge with this exciting method from Alfred. Beginners of all ages can start their journey to a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Beginning with the fundamentals, you will learn about how to sit at the piano, fingerings, the keyboard's layout, and getting acquainted with standard musical notation. You will then move right along to playing different notes, scales, chords and songs, lesson by lesson, key by key, all while continuing to increase your ever-growing knowledge of reading and understanding standard musical notation. You will learn to play in an array of musical styles, including Pop, Blues, Classical, Folk, Hymns, Spirituals, and Ragtime. The online audio provides a helpful reference for play-along and practice that can be used anywhere you have a computer or mobile device. Be your own teacher, and let Alfred Music be your resource every step of the way.	
Alfred's Greatest Hits series has overwhelmingly been accepted by students and teachers. This series combines just the right combination of hits from Broadway, Hollywood, television and recordings! As you might expect from Alfred, this series offers a rare combination of great music arranged with care and creativity. Your adult students can savor the excitement of playing pop music and reap the benefits from making practicing more fun and rewarding.	
Continuing the incredible popularity of Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course, the new Self-Teaching Adult Piano Course book adapts the same friendly and informative style for adults who wish to teach themselves. Included is a CD containing all 65 musical examples. The accompanying DVD includes an introduction to all the pages in the book and performances of the pieces by well-known teacher, Gayle Kowalchyk. The Music Manuscript Book contains 64 blank, 12-stave manuscript sheets. Pages are 9" x 12" and printed on 100% recycled paper. Alfred's Mini Music Guide: Piano Chord Dictionary provides essential information in a convenient size. With 600 unique chords and voicings for all 12 keys, clear diagrams, fingerings, note names, and a music theory review on chord construction, inversions, and advanced voicings, this is the most useful compact piano chord dictionary available. The pocket-sized Essential Music Dictionary reference book covers every major aspect of music, from basic principles of theory and concise biographies of composers to pronunciations of foreign terms and ranges of instruments and voices. The two-sided fold-out keyboard chart shows the entire keyboard of the piano with each piano key named and its corresponding note on the grand staff for five octaves. Side One may be placed on the piano above the keys and Side Two may be used away from the piano for additional review.	
Learn how to read music, play with both hands at the same time, play chords and scales, as well as many more exciting piano techniques!.	
Filled with fun musical examples in a variety of styles, this book is perfect for absolute beginners and for experienced players who need a review! Teaches technique for both right and left hand, and features clear, easy-to-understand lessons and music theory in standard notation. Complete button chart included.	
Teach Yourself to Play Jazz at the Keyboard will have you playing the authentic sounds of jazz right from the beginning. By following the step-by-step set of instructions, you will learn all about jazz and blues scales. As you progress, you will be performing proper jazz accents and riffs with the right hand, and jazz chords and progressions, walking bass, boogie and Latin-inspired patterns with the left.	
Enhanced by an audio CD of selected examples and pieces, a course in playing all major styles of piano covers a history of the instrument and offers progressive instruction in all areas of technique, including posture, fingering, pedalling, scales, and exercises.	
Everything you need to know to get started playing electronic keyboard now! Melody, harmony and rhythm are explained in an easy-to-understand, step-by-step system. Explains how to use chord symbols to play from pop sheet music, fake books and lead sheets. You'll learn about the "Circle of 5ths" and improvising techniques.	
Learn to play the recorder and open up a brand new world of musical knowledge with this exciting method from Alfred. Beginners of all ages can start their journey to a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Beginning with the fundamentals, you will learn about choosing a recorder, how to care for your very own, how to hold it, producing a tone, and getting acquainted with standard musical notation. You will then move right along to playing different notes and songs, lesson by lesson, all while continuing to increase your knowledge of reading and understanding standard musical notation. You will be exposed to many periods of music history, from the 16th-century beauty of Greensleeves to When the Saints Go Marching In, Amazing Grace, La Bamba, This Land Is Your Land and dozens of others. The book features the following resources for reference during and after your lessons: * Complete note and fingering chart * Duets that can be played with others Be your own teacher, and let Alfred be your resource every step of the way.	
In this book and video course, piano professor, Damon Ferrante will lead you from a beginner level to make you play better than ever! His step-by-step method on how to play the piano has been proven to be easy to follow and to reduce the effort, time, and expense of piano learning. Learn piano by playing songs! Thousands of pianists of all ages appreciate the fact that Ferrante's methods enhance creativity and make piano playing fun! No music reading is required! This book is Level 2 of the series. Ask yourself this: 1. Have you always wanted to learn how to play the piano, but did not know where to start? 2. Did you begin piano lessons once and give up because the lessons were too difficult? 3. Are you struggling to follow online piano lessons that seem to jump all over the place without any sense of direction or consistency? 4. Would you like to expand your musical understanding and learn how to play the piano through an affordable, step-by-step book and video course? If your answer to any of the these questions is yes, then this book and video course is definitely for you! "Beginner Piano Elements for Adults, Level 2" is a book and video course that follows a step-by-step lesson format for learning how to play the piano. It is designed for beginners and no music experience is necessary to use the book. Each lesson builds on the previous one in a fun, clear, and easy-to-understand manner--giving you confidence and a new ability with the piano. This book and video course will enliven your creativity and strengthen your understanding of music, taking things to the next level! This is the second volume in a multi-level piano book and video series.	
The perfect introduction to the electronic keyboard, and ideal for the absolute beginner getting started with their first instrument. With absolutely no musical knowledge required, this simple yet comprehensive guide is perfect for adults and children alike.	
Learn to play the ukulele and open up a brand new world of musical knowledge with this exciting method from Alfred. Beginners of all ages can start their journey to a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Beginning with the fundamentals, you will learn about the history of the ukulele, its components, how to hold and tune it, and getting acquainted with standard musical notation. You will then move right along to playing different notes, chords, scales, and songs, lesson by lesson, all while continuing to increase your ever-growing knowledge of reading and understanding standard musical notation and playing a variety of well-known songs. You will learn different strumming techniques to help you play in a variety of musical styles. The book also contains a section teaching you how to play by ear. Upon completion of the book, you will be able to play your favorite songs on the ukulele in any key and know how to read music. The book features the following resources for reference during and after your lessons: * Transposition chart * Dictionary of tablature techniques * Ukulele fingerboard chart * Complete ukulele chord dictionary This book teaches entirely in C tuning. The D tuning edition of Alfred’s Teach Yourself to Play Ukulele (item 14135) is available from your favorite music retailer and at Alfred.com. Be your own teacher, and let Alfred be your resource every step of the way.	
Payback Affairs: Shattered by the CEO / Bound by the Kincaid Baby / Wed by Deception (Mills & Boon By Request) (The Payback Affairs Book 1)
Police Officer Final Interview Questions and Answers: A comprehensive guide to passing the UK police officer final interview (Testing Series)