I Couldn't Sleep...

So the Grammy Ballots arrived! I blogged, Twittered, posted, made phone calls. Immediately after, we went to do a tv taping - nothing big - just filling in for the people who sing at the Mass for Shut-ins... then babysat my 3 year old nephew and we wall went out for Chinese food. Came home. Twittered. Posted more.

I just couldn't get tired! I had 1307 butterflies in my tummy. I counted them. Each one. After the sheep. This is just so exciting.

Do I campaign? I haven't a clue. This is a first for me - hopefully, not a last. But I want to savor every second of this - new is good.

I didn't sleep much - but that just didn't seem to matter much today. :)

Grammy Ballots JUST Arrived!!!!!!!!!!! WEEEEE!!!!!!!

Oh oh oh oh !!!!! Grammy ballots just arrived!!! We're in 6 categories!!! I'm callin' on all of you to spread the word!!!!

Field 18 - Children's
Category 77 - Best Musical Album for Children
We are #093. Stardust - Cher & Gene Klosner

Field 23 - (we have two entries in this Category) Composing/Arranging
Category 85 Best Instrumental Composition
We are #188, "Pillow Soft, Blanket Warm" - Gene Klosner
AND
#283 "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" - Cher Klosner

Field 23 - Composing/Arranging
Category 86- Best Instrumental Arrangement
We are #135. "Pillow Soft, Blanket Warm" Gene Klosner, Arranger

Field 23 - Composing/Arranging
Category 87 - Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
We are #226 "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" - Cher Klosner, Arranger

Field 27 - Production, Non-Classical
Category 92 - Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
We are # 307 Tom Ware, Engineer

If you haven't heard Stardust, you can listen to soundclips here: www.StardustLullaby.com/musicclips.html

Please, please, please pass it on - vote for Stardust - Cher & Gene Klosner - Twitter it, Facebook it, Stumble it, MySpace it, etc., cuz ya never know who is an Academy member!!! Or who is married to one!! :)

Thank you all sooooooooooo much!!!! I love ya!!!!

This is SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cher :)

Busy, busy, busy...

Just so darn busy! Busy with Boo's school work, making sure he is staying on top of his addition and subtraction, spelling and social studies... busy with my work, last minute submitting Stardust to Holiday gift guides, figuring out a fair price for octavoes, getting orchestral and piano parts off to our wonderful music copyists for our Christmas song, "I am a Carpenter" - a 200 member choir and orchestra at a church in Texas wants to use it in their Christmas program this year - WOW!!! (I wish I could hear the performance - I know it will be gorgeous!) And busy trying to balance family - housework, folding laundry, it just never ends. I would love a day of just - nothing. To sit and eat chocolate. And watch a movie that makes me cry happy tears.

Speaking of happy tears, one of my very best friends - Shell - and her two beautiful kids were in town last week!!! Oh, we had fun!! And oh do I miss her! I cried all the way from the airport to my beautician's where I had a hair appointment. She was new, and wasn't sure what to do with me when I burst into tears for having said goodbye to Shell 20 minutes prior... :( Fortunately, her gut instinct told her to just give me a hug, which she did, then went off to mix my colors :)

I am so fortunate to have good friends in my life - and I am so grateful!

Happy days everyone - take time to share a glass of wine with a good friend this week - it'll do your heart good (especially red wine with all the flavanoids ;) ) hehe...

Submitting for the Grammy’s

In my last post I mentioned submitting for the Grammys - Stardust has been submitted –for 7 categories - it is a cool process. We have “submitted 7 entries” - this is not the same as a nomination – that comes later. This has been on our dream board for several years. It seemed so unattainable ’til we started walking through the steps.

Step 1: Recording the CD. We had to start with a recording that we felt was Grammy worthy. So we went into the studio with that attitude – Is it Grammy worthy? Which means, no cutting corners, every song has to be the best we can make it. We also had to plan the release date to fall within the eligibility period – for Grammy 2009, it would have to be released, and able to be distributed nationally (via brick & mortar stores or internet) no sooner that October 1, 2007 and no later than September 30, 2008.

Step 2: Get your credits listed on All Music Guide. Before a recording can even be submitted, we needed to be a member of the Recording Academy (formerly called NARAS). Before we could become members, we had to have several recording credits under our belt and be listed on All Music Guide. They can be on the liner notes of the recording you are submitting, or past projects - fortunately for us, we've recorded several projects prior to Stardust so getting listed on All Music Guide was just a matter of submitting the paperwork with all of our past credits. Once the paperwork was submitted to AMG, it took about 6 weeks to get listed, but once we were on AMG, we were eligible for Academy membership.

Step 3: Becoming Recording Academy members. This was so exciting – I have dreamt of being part of the Grammy process since I was a kid. All the years of watching the Grammys and envisioning me there – as an audience member, as a voting member, as a participant, as a nominee, as a recipient… these visions are the sugarplums that have danced in my head. So signing up online, was absolutely painless (almost anti-climactic) – we filled out a form, paid our dues…that was it. We got a quick confirmation online that our credits were accepted and verified. A few weeks later, we got the packet – we were official Recording Academy Voting Members!

Step 4: Submitting the Entry Forms. In July, we got another packet containing all the info about how to submit. There are 31 fields (genres) and 110 categories of music within those fields. I have to admit, the children’s music division is in dire need of expansion, as there are only a two …but I digress. There were plenty other categories in which we were able to enter Stardust, or tracks thereof.

So, over the next few weeks Gene and I went back and forth on which categories were appropriate, and entered online once again. With each entry my heart raced from the rushes of adrenaline…my hands are sweating now just relaying my excitement! And we got it all done with just minutes to spare before I hit a landmark birthday - oh happy day!!! We boxed up a package – 4 CDs per category - and shipped it off to the Academy, got the confirmation that it was received.

Step 5: Tell the World!! Okay, maybe not the world, but we definitely want to let people know, and if they happen to have friends who are voting members of the Academy, to please consider Stardust for a nomination…then we hope for the best!If it is meant to happen, it will. It may be a longshot, but it’s not impossible. We’ll know by early December. And if any of YOU are Voting Academy Members, your vote for a nomination is greatly appreciated!!!

Stepping Away...

I took a couple weeks off of blogging, PR, computer work, just so I could get back into the swing of school - sometimes I wonder if it is a bigger adjustment for parents than it is for kids! And how the heck do parents of more than one child do this? Homework, ordering books, having clean clothes ready... gee wiz...I have a whole new respect for my mom - she had 6 of us!

So during my work hiatus I shampooed carpets, met with a personal trainer, gave two keynote presentations, organized and cleared out all my sons drawers that had clothes that were too small - by next year, I will pass this duty off to my son... I got a lot of rooms cleaned in the house...it felt good to get this all done - but no better than hiring a house cleaner would have felt. The end result is the same. A clean house.

The positive of all this is de-cluttering. Stepping away from my daily "work" routine allowed me to de-clutter a bit - not just my house, but also my head and spirit. I feel a little more focused on the things that I want out of my life, by taking a look at the things that are keeping me from or are distracting me from attaining what my purpose on this planet is, things I don't need in my life anymore - and letting go.

It ain't easy, but I'm ready to move forward.

In my last post, I promised to post about the Grammy's - I will get that up tomorrow. Cross my heart. :)

Oh yea, ...homework.

So, I haven't posted in a while. One word will tell you why...homework. Boo has started second grade. I liked Preschool, Kindergarten and First grade. He did his school work at school, would come home and we'd go to piano lessons, ride our bikes, make dinner, take a long bath, snuggle and head off to beddy by.

His world - and my world - are forever changed. Pages upon pages of math, spelling, and more math are coming home daily in his bookbag. The "tests" have begun - the teachers set goals that the kids need to attain in the classroom. I saw the despair on his face the morning of the math testing - he asked if I would still love him if he didn't reach the goal. And I saw the pride on his face when he got home from school, scoring well above the goals that were set for him. My little boy is growing up. I don't want to miss another minute.

Winds of Change

Reverend Wills was laid to rest yesterday.
I have to share a beautiful story someone told at his funeral yesterday. A man saw Reverend Wills walking with his brooms and stopped to give the Rev a ride in the car (which I learned that so many of us had done over the years.) After the usual pleasantries, the man asked, "Rev, are you ever angry with God?" Reverend Wills replied, "Why, no." The man said, "Come on, not ever?" the Rev said, "Not ever." The man, wanting to hear a different answer, said, "Rev, you mean to tell me that you have never once been angry that you were born blind?" Reverend Wills paused a moment, then answered, "Why would I be angry? I have never had to see war, or bloodshed, or hatred in someones eyes. How can I be angry when the first face I will ever see is the face of God?"

It must have been glorious, Reverend. And I know you are now playing and singing with the angels.

Other stuff...
Alleluia! Ben will be back to work September 15!!!! Oh LORDY - I am 10 pounds lighter from the stress that has melted away. I slept like a log last night. First time in 10 months, since that stupid writer's strike went into effect. I am THANKFUL!!!!!!!!!! I can breathe again! AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!! Stardust has been selling like crazy, thanks to the Omaha World Herald, Borders, and to the special sale we ran for our mailing list and a couple of Mom sites where I feel very at home.

The winds have changed - I can feel it.
Tomorrow - all about submitting to the Grammys, (yes, we did) and, everyone needs a birthday party!! :)

Tonight. More restful sleep.

Happy Labor Day weekend, friends and loved ones!