Passion Music: Risen!

Happy Easter! We wish you a day of hope and celebration and offer these two favourite Easter anthems as a musical start to their day.

Passion Music: Surely, He Hath Borne Our Griefs

Handel's Messiah is usually sung at Christmas but every time I have played or sung it, I strengthen my belief that it's actually a piece that celebrates Easter. One of my favourite parts is this setting of Isaiah 53:4-6, which creates a bridge between yesterday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday tomorrow. 

Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows! He was wounded

For our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the

Chastisement of our peace was upon Him

And the Lord hath laid on Him, the iniquity of us all. 

Passion Music: Salvation is Created

Today is Good Friday. The message and meaning of this day is captured succinctly and beautifully by Pavel Chesnokov's Spaséñiye Sodélal (Salvation is Created), sung here by the incomperable Salt Lake Vocal Artists.

Russian Text: Cпасение coдeлaл еси посреде земли, Боже. Аллилуия.
Spaséñiye, sodélal yesí posredé ziemlí, Bózhe. Allilúiya.

English Translation: Salvation is created, in midst of the earth, O God, O our God. Alleluia.

Passion Music: Bach Chorale

My favourite Bach chorale is "Wer Hat Dich So Geschlagen" from the St. John Passion. The text (translated below) paired with the music and sung by the Mondeverdi Choir - exquisite.

Who has struck you thus,

my Savior, and with torments

so evilly used You?

You are not at all a sinner

like us and our children,

You know nothing of transgressions.

I, I and my sins,

that can be found like the grains

of sand by the sea,

these have brought You

this misery that assails You,

and this tormenting martyrdom

I highly recommend the full St. John Passion, sung by the Monteverdi Choir and conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. 

Passion Music: Look What They Doin'

No choir sings the spiritual "Look What They Doin' To Jesus" better than the Philippine Madrigal Singers. Breathtaking.

Passion Music: He Was Despised

My choice of music today is an arrangement of Karl Graun's (1704-1759) "He Was Despised". The arranger, William David Young, updated the string and harpsichord accompaniment last year- I love that he did not compromise the baroque character of the piece. The text, from Isaiah 53, is such a contrast to the jubilant Hosannas of Palm Sunday and sets the tone for the remainder of Passion Week.

Click here and press play to hear it 

"Christ Falls on the Way to Calvary" painted by Raphael in 1516

Passion Music: Born to Die

After our rousing "Hosanna" yesterday, I thought I'd continue with a piece of music every day this Passion week. My choice today is "Born To Die" sung by the Stellenberg Girl's Choir from South Africa. This piece is probably more fitting for after Easter but I thought it would be a great start to this week of music.

Hosanna

While searching for a "Hosanna" song to teach an age 3-4 Sunday School class for Palm Sunday today, I came across a new piece that Jeff and I just can't get out of our heads. Composed by Victor Johnson last year, "Let the People Sing" is the Hosanna we're singing today.

Click here to hear it

"Palm Sunday" by Kai Althoff 

Dilbert and Business Strategy

Jeff here. Seems like in this case, the CIO is saying and doing essentially the same thing...

Have a good weekend!

Sobering Statistics

Lent is a time of reflection. One of the things Jeff and I have been looking at is the state of our world- one of the more interesting tools we've found is this map of life expectancy  It's quite sobering to consider that in some parts of the world, we have reached (or already bypassed) the average age of expiration. An interactive version of this map is available here.

Image courtesy of the Daily Mail

Puddles and Bathrooms

Thanks for your kind compliments on our bathroom. We love it too! Jeff found some photos he took just after he bought this house (before he took possession) in 2002. Check out the bathroom progression:

The Original: January 2002

After Facelifts in 2002 & 2008:
Jeff took down the towel bar, peeled off all the fish stickers (notice the dolphins above the shower), replaced the toilet, mirror and vanity light, and repainted when he moved in in 2002. In the months after I arrived, I repainted the vanity, replaced the door knobs, painted the black tile grout white and stripped & repainted the counter edge dark grey. Also during 2008, we replaced the sink and repainted the walls a second time. Jeff's parent's renovated their bathroom that same year and when they removed their old tub surround, I called dibs on their shower doors (which were exactly like our old ones but without those crazy fish!)

And Today (after the great renovation of 2012)This was nearly a total gut job. We kept the toilet (which Jeff had replaced just a few years ago), the window and the little bit of gyproc that was not sacrificed in moving lights and electrical; everything else was replaced.

Jeff has seen a lot of real estate in Nanaimo and categorizes bathrooms here into three tiers: Mud Puddles (absolutely awful), Water Puddles (not as awful but still far from wonderful), and Real Bathrooms. We don't think our bathroom was ever as bad as a Mud Puddle... maybe just a sad Water Puddle. Nevertheless, Jeff has officially declared it a Real Bathroom so I think our project can be considered a roaring success. I'm just happy to have a drawer to put my hairbrush (and a few other things, too).

Sweet Shamrocks

I usually just decorate for Christmas and Easter... and the little bit I decorate at Easter probably doesn't count. In my growing need for clean lines and simplicity, seasonal decor just doesn't fit. However, I do really like these framed four leaf clovers from Angus and Company. If I was going to decorate for St. Patrick's Day, I'd choose these over leprechauns any day. 

Photo courtesy of Angus & Company

Prayer of St. Patrick

Another beautiful modern hymn from the amazingly talented Keith and Kristyn Getty.

Dilbert and Travel

Jeff here. My favourite (and only!) in-laws arrive today for a visit and we're excited to see them. I'm sure my very efficient mother-in-law packs better than Dilbert does.

Have a good weekend!

My view last Wednesday...

... included these. A member of our care group (who's nuts about Lego) was celebrating an important 4th birthday and it was my turn to bring something sweet to celebrate the milestone. I admit- it's not the best icing job in the world but I think it was still a success.

And my view yesterday? More care group baking! Another fine member of our care group turned 3 this week. As the son of an avid fisherman, I thought fish cupcakes were in order.

The care group that eats dessert together, sticks together. That's just how it works. 

Reveal Day

The day is here- the day we declare our bathroom officially finished. Forgive the slightly grainy, grey photos- we don't have sunshine expected here for a few weeks (I really miss natural light). Our spirits, however are not as damp as the weather because this bathroom is DONE! Here is our masterpiece:

And YES! I finally found a shower curtain last weekend, at Home Depot of all places. I tried several all white curtains but with the white walls and white tile, a white curtain looked a little blah. Here are some more of the details:

It's not the bathroom we thought we'd build (remember our inspiration photos back here? And our vanity disagreement here?!) but we're thrilled with the end result. Our favourite elements? Jeff loves the stone floor and the new tub; I love the heated floor and all the additional storage. Somehow, we've made this room more functional- it just works much better. And it feels so much better, too. Jeff says it feels like a spa, and I think it feels much more spacious than it did before (amazing, since we didn't change the square footage or size of the window). It was a bigger project than we thought but it's been incredibly worthwhile.

I promised my dad I'd show before and after photos with the final reveal so here they are:

I will admit, there was a time when I thought the new tub would permanently live in our dining room.

Somehow, the tub challenges were overcome, and everything slowly got finished. Inside the wall, on the side of the recessed wall cabinet, I left a message for whoever renovates this space next. I think it applies to the whole project. 

Bathroom Renovation Materials

Here are the materials used in our Main Bathroom renovation:

• Floor Tile: Brazilian Slate
• Tub: Venco Naturelle 34 SK L/R  
• Shower Tile: 12" x 24" and 12" x 18" plain white ceramic; 12" x 24" "Rainfall" white ceramic
• Accent Tile: 1" x 1" clear glass squares
• Shower & Sink Faucets: Kalia Umani
• Shower Curtain Rod: Moen Curved in chrome   
• Shower Curtain: M.Style "Flora" in aqua  
• Shower Curtain Rings: HomeSense
• Recessed Cabinet: custom in maple built by Jeff. We recycled the door from Jeff's parent's old kitchen cupboards.
• Vanity: custom in alder built by Carson's Custom Wood Design
• Vanity hardware: Ikea "Glira"
• Mirror: custom in alder built by Jeff 
• Counter: Environite "Glacier"
• Sink- Ronbow 200520
• Vanity light: Hampton Bay #001-70243CH 
• Paint: We always use General Paint's Breeze line. I don't know the exact colour we ended up with- the first coat was colour matched to Behr "Frost" but it was just too frosty so we mixed in some Benjamin Moore "Cloud White" we had on hand to warm it up.  
• Towels: Hotel Collection from Macy's Home
• Towel bars & TP holder: Moen "Retreat"  
• Art: Laura Amiss Etsy shop
• Art Frames: recycled (originally from Jysk)

If I have forgotten anything, just comment and I'll update.

Happiness is...

... assembling a triple batch of Shepherd's Pies and having the right amount of mashed potato.

If you want an excellent recipe for Shepherd's Pie, try this one. It's delicious.

House Art

This Rebecca Seale print is very sweet, isn't it? She will also do a custom version with a drawing of your house.

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Seale Illustration

Schaffe in Mir Gott

Psalm 51: 10-12 is a text set to music by numerous choral composers (Brahms, Bach, Loewe and Buxtehude, to name a few); it is also a text very fitting for Lent. One of my favourite choral compositions of this text is the 17th century motet by German organist and composer Andreas Hammerschmidt. Here is this motet, beautifully sung by the Regensburger Domspatzen (Regensburg Cathedral Choir).

Dilbert and Career Advice

Jeff here. My former career counsellor wife loves this one. Me too.

Have a great weekend!

My View Yesterday...

involved grommets and measuring. And more measuring. And then some nervous cutting. It all worked out- I'll show our new bedroom blinds, curtains and pillows soon.

Inspiration

Cake and Candles

March 5 is a double day of birthdays in our family. In honor of this, here is Venezuelan improvisational pianist extraordinaire Gabriela Montero with  "Happy Birthday" (and yes- she's making the whole thing up off the top of her head!).

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I am in love with this doorstop. I'm just not sure I need a doorstop...

Doorstop from Rockett St. George

Tuned Hearts and Melodious Sonnets

"Come Thou Font of Every Blessing" has long been one of my favourite hymns. Written in 1757 by pastor and hymn writer Robert Robinson, the text is remarkably relevant today. While this hymn has been covered a lot in recent years (by contemporary artists David Crowder, Jars of Clay, and Matthew Smith to name a few), it's no surprise that I prefer more classical versions for choir. One of our favourite arrangements (with a brilliant organ accompaniment that Jeff just adores) is by Leo Nestor.

  Click here to hear it

Dogbert and Movies

Jeff here. Stefanie watched the oscars last weekend and now has a list of movies she thinks we should see. Here is what Dogbert says about movie advertisements.

Have a good weekend!