Christmas with the Rellers

On Sunday, Christmas Day,  we were able to spend the day with the Reller family.  Everyone was able to make it, even our new in-law Dustin.  Of course, the present opening was a little chaotic, and Carter continued asking for more presents since he finally figured out that there were usually good things in presents.  It was a beautiful celebration of Christ's Birth!

Christmas with the Bartigs

We traveled to Mark and Tricia's house on Friday to celebrate the Birth of Christ.  They had a delicious meal prepared for us and a beautiful place for us to gather as a family.  Thanks for the fun evening!

Christmas 2011

Santa visited our house a little early so we could travel south for Christmas.  Luckily, Granny and Grampy were visiting us so they were able to watch Laura and Carter open their presents.  The highlights were the "big dump truck"  for Carter and the Epad for Laura.  Thanks, Santa!

Nicolette's 10th birthday

We celebrated Nicolette's birthday on December 26.  Baby Meredith even made it out to see the family again!  Allison, Nick, and Laura were able to squeaze in a game of Monopoly and Rummy. 

How to write a song in 60 minutes (or less)

Upload MP3s using free MP3 hosting from Tindeck.


I wrote and recorded a song last weekend and thought I would share it.  Please keep in mind it was a one take wonder - in one hour. (Don’t expect much)  Anyway, I share it just to show others just how easy a song can come together.  I have been visiting the following website;

http://bible.cc/psalms/33-4.htm

Each morning before work using the drop down bar, I choose a scripture and then do a devotional.  You should notice the site offers users a simple drop down bar format that can be used to select book, chapter, and verse.  After your selection, up pops a verse that is offered to the reader in a myriad of translations.  If you read each translation in sequence you will begin to conceptualize a “big idea”.  It really makes reading and understanding the bible much easier.  Doing this also lends itself quite nicely to writing prose.  Consequently, here is how this song came to be.  Last Thursday, I studied Psalm 33:4-5, “For the word of the LORD is right and true.”  After reading the verse, I wrote the following lyrics by replicating and retrofitting verses but kept the big idea front and center, "for the word".  Next, I grabbed a catchy tune out of my head (have lots of useless original music up there from years of playing the guitar).  Sunday, during Carter’s nap I sat down in front of our digital editor and pushed in a basic drum track using Laura’s Boss Dr 3.  The strings and a couple of effects came from her Yamaha DX7 and Oberheim OBX.  Finally, my guitars were pushed through a Tascam guitar effects processor.  Vocals… well lets just say there in lies the breakdown… One take .. and…I decided to keep it since it probably would not get much better.

The resulting cd track was mastered, finalized and converted to MP3 formatting using a “CD to MP3 ripper” (freeware; plenty of them can be downloaded off the net..just google it). The ending is totally rough and unfinished since unfortunately I still have that dissertation hanging over my head like a black cloud/had to return to the dining room and write on it some more.  

For the Word
Words and Music written by Mike Bartig

For the word
For the word
For the word
I am (sang over the top)
For the word
For the word

For your word o lord, I stand faithfully

Steadfast for you Lord, all music’s for you

Interlude

Oooooh  oooooooooooh  Oooooh 

joys at the heart and…. the soul of the praise

Your words hold truth, your statements reality

For the word

For the word
For the word

I am

I am
I stand

By your word o lord, I sing joyfully

Swirling the strings lord, layering the happiness

Oooooh  oooooooooooh  Oooooh 

Part love, part hope, part acceptance

We sing to him this, new song of deliverance

For the word

Right and true
I am
For the word
I am
I am
I am

Gary

Gary Moss our do it all friend came to our farm to hunt with his muzzleloader this morning.  And....the picture says the rest.  Gary is our all around goto guy... farm hand, farrier and most important a good christian fella.

Failure #1

Well, the verdict's in, I did not get the platte city job - Not meant to be, I guess...

Bye Bye to fall..............:-(

Christmas Recital

Laura and Amy performed a duet at Laura's Christmas recital - Both did a nice job and a good time was had by all - except maybe Carter. 

Carter Moment

Carter's favorite place in the house is behind the blue chair next to the front picture window.  Consequently, a few minutes ago as I sat in big, blue recliner listening to Carter repetitively yet calmly say from behind..."daddy get off my back",.  Business as usual, so I discounted the comments as just another one of his newest idioms/ignored it.  Everything peaked when he finally wailed at the top of his lungs "DADDY GET OFF OF MY BACK"!  Immediately I stood up, walked to the back of the chair and found him halfway under it trying to retrieve a long lost binky.  I cringed since I had been rocking back and forth on the little tough guys back all the while he was saying "daddy get off my back".  Too funny!

Christmas with Santa

I was so excited to take Carter to see Santa, because I thought he would hop on his lap like last year for a cute pic.  Unfortunately it did not work like that.  Santa had a cute little tractor for him, but Carter did not want it that bad.  He also had a pedal tractor to sit on, but Carter did not want to have anything to do with that either.  So this is as close as Carter would get, with Mom pretty close too.  Memories we are making!!

Frontenac Jr. Grand Prix

Dec. 3rd -Laura hangs out with some of the competition while waiting for her name to be called. She won 3 of 4 matches in the tournament and she played well. It was her best performance this fall.

Watch a video clip of a point from her third match - she won the best of three.



KHS Winter Dance 2011

Laura, Audrey, and Adrianna just left for the dance.  Nobody had a date, so it sounds like a lot of fun to me!  Carter wanted to go to the dance and thought their dresses were "pretty."

Happy Puke Day to You!

The birthday song...of course Carter is acting awful (as usual) but cut him some slack, he has a good reason tonight since he has blown chunks twice.  Consequently, moments ago he released (in my lap) about a gallon of a puke consisting mostly of chewed up grapes, mashed potatoes, and juice.

44

Happy Birthday Amy