Just as their mother did when she was young, Cambria and Titan enjoy performing. They are fortunate that they live where there is a very active recording and performing arts industry. Opportunities for them to perform, train their voices, act, and dance are everywhere.
This past April the family filmed a Christmas movie, Salt and Honey, directed by Robert Redford's daughter, Amy Redford.
Cambria recently in the recording studio for another project whose name escapes me at the moment. Both kids sing for composer Angie Killian when she is releasing a new song. This may have been for that.
But even for Utah, the opportunity they had this summer was a biggie.
the family caravanned out to Anaheim with the other families of the kids who would be performing.
Cambria had several solos
as did Titan.
What an opportunity for all the kids involved! A memory to last a lifetime, for sure.
Congratulations, Titan and Cambria! I love that you and your family get to do something together that you all love and brings you so much happiness. I can't wait to hear about your next project.
How often does that happen? But I wanted to give those who want the Clydesdale tea towel another chance to enter.
So. Back story.
Cambria and Titan are participating in a respected children's group, Stand Out Studios. It's an expensive proposition. Remember the wristlets and keychains from the September give away that Cambria and Titan made? They were to earn money for their tuition to this group.
Here is one of the songs they performed. It's a Christian based Christmas one, and different from the other videos that they have made in the past. Those others are with two composers who have asked Cambria and Titan to sing in the videos for their new releases. Unlike the two composers, Stand Out Studios encourages the kids to be more "active" in their singing. (Watch the video and you will see what I mean. Hah!)
Titan has a solo,
And Cambria and Tay get a lot of screen time. My favorite moment for them? At the very end of the video, they spontaneously turn to each other and hug. And the camera man got it! Knowing that Tay had just gotten home from yet another hospital stay (and would be hospitalized again a few days later) makes this performance all the more poignant to me.
All three kids are in the row that's second from the top and left of center. They're pretty easy to pick out. (Or maybe it's just because I'm their Grammy and can pick them out in a heartbeat! Hah!)
Here is the finished production video and then a second video that Mountain Mama Jessica put together of rehearsals and filming for it. (Jessie does all my BreyerFest videos - she's good at them, too!)
The finished production.
And Jessica's video which I actually prefer to watch.
Enjoy, and that's definitely the LAST post of the day! LOL But stay 'tooned for tomorrow's!
A model that you would never let go? Oh, gosh! Who on earth to pick? I have so many never-sells in my collection. So, I went with sentiment, of course.
When Cambria and Titan were in their mutton busting years, I made the kids (and me) matching rodeo shirts at their request.
Can't mutton bust unless you look the part, right?
To thank me, they decided to surprise me by sending me two horses for my collection.
Brookside Pink Magnum (because they knew my favorite color is pink),
And this bright pink blanket and stock horse mare to wear it.
Amazingly enough, I did not have either model or the blanket in my collection!
The other sentimental never-sell models are my carpet herd. There are about twenty of them, but these are the favorites:
Needles. A gift from my dad when I got my braces on. He suggested the name; it is a double entendre on having needles in dental work and the race horse.
Frosty - my absolute most favorite Breyer. I babysat at 50 cents an hour to earn the $5 he cost me. My friend Bobbie Sue and I rode a city bus into town and bought him at a pet shop. (She bought a dapple grey Clydesdale Stallion with gold bobs.)
Miss Windy Warpaint. (Oh, those childhood names!) I do not remember how she came into my collection, but I still love her.
Sham. I have five of this color on this mold and I can pick Sham out of the conga with no trouble.
Sheena. I also have Black Minx, her matching foal, and Shannon, the black Stretch Morgan who is her "husband" and Black Minx's dad.
Thanksgiving is one week away from today - one week! And my kids and their families are all arriving this coming Saturday.
Needless to say, I have a lot to do to get ready.
One of the first things I did was to record a message for them. I discovered that I had a Thanksgiving piano roll that I'd never played before, and it had two of our family's favorite Thanksgiving songs on it! (Naturally, one of those songs has a horse in it.)
So I grabbed some decorations that were close to my kids' hearts, loaded the roll, and played it for them. It was very well received by my family and I hope that you enjoyed it, too.
A little over a year ago, Craig and I finally cried uncle about housecleaning. I'd just begun using a walker, and I simply could no longer clean like I used to. (Cleaning is something I actually enjoy.) Craig, too, was struggling with his own pain and our house was getting dirtier and dirtier. (Dog hair anyone?)
My friend Kathy suggested I try her housecleaner and so we took the plunge and hired Olivia. She's been cleaning for us for over a year now and not only does my home look wonderful, she has become a good friend.
Olivia working on my blinds this week.
For the Thanksgiving holiday, she is doing heavy duty cleaning stretching over two days. She did the downstairs Monday and is doing the upstairs today. I am so grateful that my home will be clean for everyone who is staying with us.
An interesting thing about Olivia - her hobby is skating on a Roller Derby team! That's her kneeling on the bottom right.
Because Olivia is doing the upstairs (sans roller-skates, of course) I had to finish my sewing projects by today as once that room is cleaned and prepared for overnight guests, I don't want to use it.
Mountain Mama Jessie had asked me to make her kids banners like the ones I made for Julie, Kate, and Titan, and I was happy to do so. I just needed to finish them before Olivia came to clean that room.
Because Jessie's family lives in the Rocky Mountains, there are tons of places to go and see, well beyond the National and State Parks.
This is just a list of one summer's places that their family went!
So, instead of using Junior Ranger patches, I found an embroidery design that would cover all that they do. And then I began experimenting with colors, trying to incorporate red and black for Titan and pink and green for Cambria.
That took a lot of experimenting, but at last I was happy with two of the designs and got started embroidering on the banners.
I ran into a big problem - this set of banners that I'd ordered (yes, from Amazon) was off in its measurements. See how the point of the banner pulls to the left?
The point of the banner on both banners was too far over to one side.
When I was measuring and placing the designs, I had wondered what the problem was - I knew I was measuring correctly but still I could not seem to center the designs.
It was when I compared them to the banners from the first set I'd made, I could see the problem - whoever made these banners was off on their measurements. When they'd hemmed the bottom edges, they did not get the hem stitching centered. Somehow it passed QC and was then sold to me.
It's too late to fix them, but if Cambria and Titan want, I can get new banners and make another set. As it is, just looking at the list of places they'd visited in one summer makes me think I will need to make second banners to hold all their badges, patches, pins, and stickers!
Tick! Tick! Tick! (Where's that fast clock video?? LOL)
Two more days before folks begin arriving! And I cannot wait.
Today I will spin to win for the keychains and wristlets that Cambria and Titan made. In each video, I say to the winner, "I will be in touch," but I am going to change that. In order to streamline the process, will you please be in touch with me? (horsiemama8@gmail.com)
Please email me your choices, from first to last ASAP. (Yep, include all five unless you are the first person drawn.) I will start with the first winner and send them their choice. Then, I will move to the second person drawn. If they wanted that same item as their first choice, I will cross that out and give them their second choice on their list. Moving on to the third, I will continue this process and so on.
Left to right: Orange/black wristlet, Highland Cow keychain, Pumpkin keychain, Bat keychain, and white and orange wristlet.
Here we go and good luck to all!
Our first winner!
Our second winner!
Our third winner!
Our fourth winner!
Our fifth and sixth place winners! Except I realized after I'd spun that there are only five prizes! Not to worry! If you are the 6th place winner, I will get another keychain or wristlet from Cambria and Titan and mail it to you, okay? So go ahead and order your choices, too.
It's the for the September Give Away, and this time there will be multiple winners because I have multiple items to give away!
Halloween wristlets and keychains, all made by Cambria and Titan. Check out that Highland Cow keychain!
They auditioned for a special vocal training school and were accepted, but it was with the understanding that they help pay for part of the monthly tuition. They've been walking neighbors' dogs, taking people's trash out, and more, plus they are crafting jewelry and keychains.
This grandmama and mom knows how extra curricular activities can be expensive, and I wanted to support them as they worked to earn money for their vocal school. So I bought some of their handmade jewelry and keychains to give away here.
Like usual, comment on any blog post beginning with this one and ending Saturday, September 27 at 11:59 PM Eastern time to enter. The first person drawn gets the first choice, the second gets to pick next, and so on.
I'll do my best to post extra blog posts to give you more chances to enter. Best of luck!
Angie Killian, the composer, used a very small group of singers this time, and they all hied their way well up and into the Rocky Mountains to record this song. (Which is really named, "Anytime, Anywhere.")
Since it was government land where ranchers run cattle, well...
Cambria is in the back row next to the piano and Titan is smack dab in the middle of the front row. And all the children (and adults) did a great time playing, singing, recording, and ignoring their wild cattle audience!
Enjoy!
Another post is coming this morning. Stay 'tooned!
The Easter video Cambria and Titan made dropped Thursday but I've saved it for today. That wasn't my original intent. I'd planned to share it, point out clips of the two of them caught on camera, and more.
Not anymore.
This video isn't about my grands or the balance of the adults, children, and orchestra. It's one of those rare times when all things come together and you have something extraordinary.
Easter is almost here and Mountain Mama Jessica has sent me the date when the video that her kids filmed with The Tabernacle Choir and The Orchestra at Temple Square (back in January) will drop. It's tomorrow!
As of this writing, I haven't seen it yet, but here are some pictures from the rehearsals.
The kids are in the front row (blue circle) and sandwiched between the Choir (top, in white and black) and the Orchestra (bottom, in black.) You can just barely see conductor Ryan Murphy standing a little to the right and down from Cambria and Titan.
When Jessica was attending BYU, he directed a choir that she sang in.
It was just last October when the kids sang in the Conference Center that he and Jessica reconnected for the first time in years. (Ryan is now one of the directors of The Tabernacle Choir.)
Cambria in rehearsal at top left and wearing glasses.
Another rehearsal shot showing part of the orchestra.
A group photo of the Tabernacle Choir, the Children's Choir, and the Orchestra at Temple Square. The kids have had to spill out on both sides.
While the Conference Center is massive, it's not big enough for this group of musicians.
Having said that, I am grateful that they squeezed all the musicians in and that I will soon be able to watch Cambria and Titan sing.
This time it's me who is staying 'tooned!
Last day for the Second April Give Away! Just whose nose is it that is poking through the rails of the overlook?? One guess per blog post Monday through today at 11:59 PM EDT but you can guess different dogs!
Mountain Mama Jessica sent me this picture of them rehearsing but I have no idea where Cambria and Titan are.
Jessica used to sing in an ensemble that was conducted by Ryan Murphy, the same man who is conducting this production. After the rehearsal, they got to chat and he took a photo with Titan and Cambria.
This past Sunday morning the Tabernacle Choir, Orchestra at Temple Square, and the children's choir recorded the song all together. I can't wait to see it! (It's for Easter so I doubt it will be released before April.) I will post a link here when I get it.
I've gotten two more trade shirts completed for Kalamazoo.
This is a 2XL with horn buttons. I like the geometric pattern that is interspersed throughout the print.
This is a Medium. I don't do checks very often even though they are correct for the time period. It can be is a real bear to get the checks all matched at the seams before you cut the pieces out.
An example of checks (in this case, plaid) that do not match.
It is a sign of quality workmanship when plaids, checks, and stripes match - the next time you are looking at clothing with checks, plaids, or stripes take a closer look. If they match, then it is a better quality piece of clothing.
In the "Nash, you are SUCH a goofball" department, I was startled to see this when he visited the other day:
(Judging by the toys scattered around, clearly he had been playing hard.)
Nash had flopped down on his belly and was leaning against the back of the couch. His back legs were extended just a bit past the edge. I didn't know he was there and so I was pretty taken aback when I came around the corner and saw them sticking out!
Another picture of a hard-playing and tired Nashie, this time up on the couch. No one can flop like Nash does!
Breyer has already announced two more BreyerFest Limited Editions this week and said that they will announce something "cute" later today. My guess? The plushie.
This is a big Grammy brag but keep in mind that this blog functions as my journal. I'm really excited about what I am going to share.
Not interested? Scroll to the bottom for the reminder about the Give Away - it ends at 11:59 Eastern tonight!
Cambria and Titan started their unexpected musical "careers" by joining a children's chorus several years ago. As time has gone on, that has grown into bigger and bigger opportunities for them.
The first was when they auditioned for parts in a production of Roald Dahl's Matilda, with Titan getting a lead role as Nigel
and Cambria a role as one of Matilda's classmates.
A Utah composer, Angie Killian, was in the audience and heard Titan sing in Matilda. She tracked Jessica down and invited Titan to sing a Christmas song she had written. Cambria was also invited and after Matilda closed, the two of them went into the recording studio.
Titan was given a solo/duet in that song and video.
They have since made five or six more recordings for Angie Killian but this one is my favorite of them all.
They continued to sing in choruses and shows (they just wrapped Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat this weekend) but they had another huge musical opportunity last October.
They auditioned to sing in a children's choir at our church's Worldwide General Conference. 2,800+ kids auditioned; 380 were selected including Cambria and Titan.
They were accompanied by the 10th largest pipe organ in the world
and sang to an in-house audience of 21,000 and a broadcast audience of 17 million. That was a crazy opportunity for Cambria and Titan.
But, it led to another opportunity the very next month, November.
This was held in the historic 1867 Salt Lake Tabernacle - a smaller venue but with another incredible pipe organ, one that has 11,632 pipes.
About half the kids from the October performance were brought back to sing
and what an opportunity for the children to sing in that historic building.
Yet another wonderful opportunity to sing just came to them - like the November performance, one that they did not audition for. (I can only guess that their director for the October and November performances recommended them.)
Read this text from Mountain Mama Jessica:
They are going to be singing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!! (Now called The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.) One of the best choirs in the world and often called "America's Choir." (The phrase was coined at Ronald Reagan's inauguration.)
The musician in me is pretty geeked out about Cambria and Titan's big opportunity. I don't often talk about my musical side, but I an a classically trained soprano with a minor in Music and a Masters in Science/Music Education. (Specifically, using Fine Arts to teach Science and Science to teach Fine Arts.)
As an opera singer, I've had my share of times onstage, and some of my fondest memories are having my kids join me there. When I was younger, I dreamed of being a member of the Tabernacle Choir. But, we stayed in the midwest and so it never happened. That's okay - I have had plenty of musical opportunities here.
It is because of my musical background that I know just how big an opportunity this is for the kids, one that they will remember all their lives. Lucky, lucky kids.
They rehearse Tuesday evening and hopefully Jessica will send me some pictures that I can share. Recording will be next Sunday, a week from today. It is doubtful that she will be allowed to take photos then.
