Minuet in D major Ludwig van Beethoven from Pattie Curran on Vimeo.
Etude of Contrary Motion Figures Donald Waxman from Pattie Curran on Vimeo.
Scherzo in D Minor from Pattie Curran on Vimeo.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Piano Competitions are Right Around the Corner!
Sean has made superiors at the UNCG District piano competitions several years in a row, which have allowed him to move up to the State piano competition. He's bee practicing his pieces. He has only 6 weeks to perfect them before he competes!
Minuet in D major Ludwig van Beethoven from Pattie Curran on Vimeo.
Minuet in D major Ludwig van Beethoven from Pattie Curran on Vimeo.
If You Live Your Faith, You Will Be Mocked
The homily given by a visiting mission priest this week was great. I needed to hear him say, "If you live your faith, you will be mocked." After the week I'd had, wow! I needed that reminder.
I am not perfect, nor is my family perfect. We do try to live our Catholic faith, however. Why is it that when you tell some people that you pray, they assume you are condemning them to hell? Why is it when you refuse to participate in sinful behavior, people think you are condemning them to hell? I often tell people that I can curse like a sailor. I can. I didn't grow up on the Leave it to Beaver set and I was in the Army. I can string a few together. The difference is that I don't condone the sin and I don't consciously set out to curse. It happens sometimes. I slip.
This past week, I was attacked with such venom and vulgarity as I have never seen before. Not even when I went through basic training and Officer Candidate School in the Army. Again, my family life was rough, too. Brothers on drugs, in jail...... Eventually one brother committed suicide and one died of a drug overdose. The third one has done 3 different prison sentences in the state pen. I've heard curse words and been attacked before! This was BAD.
As I am an adult, I just removed friend's from Facebook. no problem, right? OH MY! This just increased the attacks. I'm still in shock that anyone would allow such vulgarity on their Facebook wall, condone it and then stick up for it! This even led to my being threatened with a lawsuit. All because I had the audacity to choose not to participate or see filth and vulgarity in my Facebook feed and chose not to have the temptation to go and read the nasty comments being written about me and to me. I had been threatened and much more.
I HAVE been praying for the parties involved and wondering why it was so crazy-making for them that I wanted no part of any of it. They attacked my Catholic faith..... One person said he wiped something with my faith and also said that he was glad I found comfort in my faith, much like some people found comfort in caries and leprechauns.
It was good to be reassured that we would be mocked if we try to live out faith. I have been praying for everyone involved. if we truly know the love of God and believe as the Bible tells us that our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, then we would behave accordingly.
In this culture of Death, it is increasingly hard to live our faith without being mocked. We are made fun of on TV and in other media outlets. We do not think we are perfect-- far from it. We are Christians who struggle to keep God's Commandments in a world that laughs at us for doing so. Jesus, himself, was mocked. If they mocked the Lord, we should expect the same!
I am not perfect, nor is my family perfect. We do try to live our Catholic faith, however. Why is it that when you tell some people that you pray, they assume you are condemning them to hell? Why is it when you refuse to participate in sinful behavior, people think you are condemning them to hell? I often tell people that I can curse like a sailor. I can. I didn't grow up on the Leave it to Beaver set and I was in the Army. I can string a few together. The difference is that I don't condone the sin and I don't consciously set out to curse. It happens sometimes. I slip.
This past week, I was attacked with such venom and vulgarity as I have never seen before. Not even when I went through basic training and Officer Candidate School in the Army. Again, my family life was rough, too. Brothers on drugs, in jail...... Eventually one brother committed suicide and one died of a drug overdose. The third one has done 3 different prison sentences in the state pen. I've heard curse words and been attacked before! This was BAD.
As I am an adult, I just removed friend's from Facebook. no problem, right? OH MY! This just increased the attacks. I'm still in shock that anyone would allow such vulgarity on their Facebook wall, condone it and then stick up for it! This even led to my being threatened with a lawsuit. All because I had the audacity to choose not to participate or see filth and vulgarity in my Facebook feed and chose not to have the temptation to go and read the nasty comments being written about me and to me. I had been threatened and much more.
I HAVE been praying for the parties involved and wondering why it was so crazy-making for them that I wanted no part of any of it. They attacked my Catholic faith..... One person said he wiped something with my faith and also said that he was glad I found comfort in my faith, much like some people found comfort in caries and leprechauns.
It was good to be reassured that we would be mocked if we try to live out faith. I have been praying for everyone involved. if we truly know the love of God and believe as the Bible tells us that our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit, then we would behave accordingly.
In this culture of Death, it is increasingly hard to live our faith without being mocked. We are made fun of on TV and in other media outlets. We do not think we are perfect-- far from it. We are Christians who struggle to keep God's Commandments in a world that laughs at us for doing so. Jesus, himself, was mocked. If they mocked the Lord, we should expect the same!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Scratch and Sniff Cards Tutorial Video
I love, love, LOVE scratch and sniff cards. You can make any scent you want using sugar-free kool aid. I hope you have lots of fun with my tutorial video. I made this last year for a website and luckily, I retain all rights to my video productions and creations and can share them with my blog readers! Happy crafting y'all! Enjoy!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Dr. Harris Presents Grand Rounds at Wake Forest
Back in November, I completely forgot to post pictures of Dr. Richard Harris presenting Grand Rounds at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Shwachman-Diamond America paid for his expenses and helped to set up Grand Rounds. Dr. Harris did a great job. He presented on the bone marrow failure syndromes. The section on Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome included diagnosis, treatment and bone marrow transplant. I was really excited that we had over 80 physicians, medical students and residents in attendance. Shwachman-Diamond America has done some great things this past year. We've supported research and education projects. I'm very proud that I have been part of the board all these years.
