Make a Joyful Noise

Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  Around the age of 7 or 8 I taught myself to play the piano.  I was gifted with the ability to play the piano by ear. My sister, B, started taking piano lessons.  She came home, sat at the old upright and practiced scales and songs.  I listened closely and waited with anxious anticipation for her to be finished.  Now it was my turn to pick out the notes through trial and error that she'd just played. It wasn't long until side-by-side we sat at the piano, B showing  and teaching me how to read music.  I never learned correct fingering, but I learned to play the piano well enough without ever taking a lesson from a teacher besides my sister. 
I played trumpet and French horn in the band, but it was always the piano that enchanted me. Then one day I had a little girl of my own. She learned to play the piano through the instruction of several area pianists, but  she wanted to play the flute.

 And boy...could she play the flute.  Her sound was rich with lush bravado.  To this day I love the sound of the flute, the violin, and the piano, my three favorite instruments.

When I think back music enriched my life from the deep baritone of my dad's voice to the sweet lilting notes of my daughter's flute.  My sister went on to get her degree in music and teach.  I went on to play the piano in the solitary confines of the parlor, and my daughter...once in a great while she picks up her flute and makes a joyful noise that this mama adores.

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Oh that Kim Klassen!  She's done it again with yet another lovely texture titled, Lola.  The flute photo is layered with Lola and also Kim's Wonderful Magic Stars.  Search for more textured beauties here...

Day 2: Mom's Recipe Box

One of the happiest holiday memories I hold deep in my soul is baking with my mom and siblings. What fun we had frosting cookies and each other.  Oh my the glorious smells that wafted through the house during the holidays...sugar cookies, gingerbread men, peanut butter blossoms, and many more.  She was a passionate candy maker, too.  Chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, penuche fudge, divinity, peanut brittle, buckeyes, caramels and taffy filled tins. 

As we grew up and moved on with our own lives, we still came together to make candy. By the time each of us arrived the recipe box was open with a stack of recipes at the ready.  We got busy kneading, mixing, dipping, and creating.  Sisters and sister-in-laws came and went as life sent us in various directions, but the tradition continued for those who could make it until my mom became too ill to open her recipe box.

Now when I hold those recipes in my hands and admire the lovely handwriting that was my mom's I can hear the music of her kitchen; the deep, rich sounds of Bing Crosby singing White Christmas, the laughter of the ladies in my life, and for a moment she is right here once again.

*Blowing a kiss to the heavens above*

This is day two of Kim Klassen's 12 Days of Textures.  Each day she's sharing a texture that can be downloaded for free.  Here's your chance to give textures a try on your photography.  Follow the cookie crumb trail here.