Happy 4th of July!! I love our country and being an American and flying the flag! I hung our flag as soon as I got up! Today I am missing my sister and her calling and asking me what I'm wearing and if I have on the flag pin she gave me with it's sparkly jewels and wanting to know what I'm cooking...then following the questions and my less than satisfying answers...she would tell me what to cook and what to wear etc. etc.
She would not be happy with my doings today. I'm enjoying the freedom of freedom and doing nothing!! I will go see if I can find that pin and wear it in her honor. Cooking?...I don't want to cook today. Fireworks?...I'll listen and watch neighbors and see the city fireworks from my front yard. Memories?...The Hubster and I already relived past celebrations and marveled again at the power of reliving enjoyable events.
Today?...Terry will recover from a sleepless night by sleeping off and on. Me?...I'm going to sit outside and read a book until it's to hot and then?...I'll sit inside and read my Agatha Christie book of mysteries until I decide I don't want to read anymore. I bequeath to myself a day of utter freedom to do as I please and reading made the top of the list!
Here are two past blogs that I hope you enjoy. they are about the 4th of July. of course!! here and here
Showing posts with label 4th of July. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4th of July. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Friday, July 5, 2013
Razzle Dazzle Raspberry Pie!!
Terry has continued to berate himself over char-broiling to an ashen blackened crisp those last steaks.
He really wanted to make amends and he and Kipper both agreed they would stay on task and not wander away. True to his word, their words, they hovered and such perfection from the grill-master!
This year, more than ever, I'm so thankful for our Country. I love, appreciate and enjoy the freedoms of our land. Compromised for sure but I still love being an American.
We had a quiet family meal with our son, enjoyed each others company, and ohhed/ahhed over our home cooking. The meal wasn't necessarily traditional like hot dogs etc. but we savored it.
Steak, cooked over charcoal (yummy!), cukes/onions sliced and marinated in 4 vinegars (yes. 4. Malt, rice, white balsamic, balsamic) along with some toasted sesame oil (just a bit) and garlic salt, new potatoes in white sauce (frozen peas I had on hand were not fit to eat!), Texas Toast. Dessert? Raspberry pie (and a blackberry cobbler that didn't turn out!)
In sorting through all this office stuff and cookbooks, cookbooks galore!!!, I'm trying to figure out why on earth I have all these recipes....not only books but pages from magazines, or ingredient jottings on scraps of paper....all with recipes I've not tried and if I'm brutally honest with myself--I would have to live another lifetime (maybe 2 lifetimes!) to even scratch the surface of the pile. And that's winnowed from even more.
One super old cover-less Ward RS recipe, had scribbled on the outside...1 Crisco 3 flour. My pie crust recipe! I look to the other side of the page and saw, scribbled again, 1 C. short 1-1/2 flour 1-1/2 t salt 1-1/2 flour 2-3 T cold water. My absolutely most favorite pie crust recipe in the world!! From my long ago past, when I cooked!!
Aging destroys cooking skills... unless you work like the dickens and keep your skill level up. I haven't. Remember it wasn't to long ago that I had to learn to make WW bread again. A skill, from my past, that I could accomplish blindfolded. I was so at ease with bread baking. Keep cooking!! Don't let it fade away!!!
Last week I decided to try cooking real meals and real food for my sweet fellow. At least occasionally! So the 4th of July was a great place to start with a homemade pie! I'd not made crust forever.
I easily decoded my shorthand recipe, of sorts. Thus the project began. I forgot to at least aerate the flour so it ended up very heavy and not easy to roll out. It was so thick that I doubted it would cook but cook it did! Looking much like a beginner's first attempt, and without a doubt totally homemade, it browned up nicely. Thick and flaky and tasty.
I filled it with fresh raspberries and poured a glaze over and chilled it. It looked scrumptious and tasted the same. The big thrill was the ego strokes from 2 men that thought I'd thought of this recipe myself and it should be published or the likes, according to their appreciative selves!!!
So here are a couple of pictures for you to see...I lie not!
Actually I guess the pie isn't quite as glorious as my mind envisioned. Probably all the thanks and enjoyment made me think it was Martha Stewart level. You do have to admit that is one thick crust!!!
I hope you made some great memories with your family and captured a couple of pictures so you can easily relive it.
He really wanted to make amends and he and Kipper both agreed they would stay on task and not wander away. True to his word, their words, they hovered and such perfection from the grill-master!
This year, more than ever, I'm so thankful for our Country. I love, appreciate and enjoy the freedoms of our land. Compromised for sure but I still love being an American.
We had a quiet family meal with our son, enjoyed each others company, and ohhed/ahhed over our home cooking. The meal wasn't necessarily traditional like hot dogs etc. but we savored it.
Steak, cooked over charcoal (yummy!), cukes/onions sliced and marinated in 4 vinegars (yes. 4. Malt, rice, white balsamic, balsamic) along with some toasted sesame oil (just a bit) and garlic salt, new potatoes in white sauce (frozen peas I had on hand were not fit to eat!), Texas Toast. Dessert? Raspberry pie (and a blackberry cobbler that didn't turn out!)
In sorting through all this office stuff and cookbooks, cookbooks galore!!!, I'm trying to figure out why on earth I have all these recipes....not only books but pages from magazines, or ingredient jottings on scraps of paper....all with recipes I've not tried and if I'm brutally honest with myself--I would have to live another lifetime (maybe 2 lifetimes!) to even scratch the surface of the pile. And that's winnowed from even more.
One super old cover-less Ward RS recipe, had scribbled on the outside...1 Crisco 3 flour. My pie crust recipe! I look to the other side of the page and saw, scribbled again, 1 C. short 1-1/2 flour 1-1/2 t salt 1-1/2 flour 2-3 T cold water. My absolutely most favorite pie crust recipe in the world!! From my long ago past, when I cooked!!
Aging destroys cooking skills... unless you work like the dickens and keep your skill level up. I haven't. Remember it wasn't to long ago that I had to learn to make WW bread again. A skill, from my past, that I could accomplish blindfolded. I was so at ease with bread baking. Keep cooking!! Don't let it fade away!!!
Last week I decided to try cooking real meals and real food for my sweet fellow. At least occasionally! So the 4th of July was a great place to start with a homemade pie! I'd not made crust forever.
I easily decoded my shorthand recipe, of sorts. Thus the project began. I forgot to at least aerate the flour so it ended up very heavy and not easy to roll out. It was so thick that I doubted it would cook but cook it did! Looking much like a beginner's first attempt, and without a doubt totally homemade, it browned up nicely. Thick and flaky and tasty.
I filled it with fresh raspberries and poured a glaze over and chilled it. It looked scrumptious and tasted the same. The big thrill was the ego strokes from 2 men that thought I'd thought of this recipe myself and it should be published or the likes, according to their appreciative selves!!!
So here are a couple of pictures for you to see...I lie not!
 |
| Those steaks wouldn't dare burn!!! |
 |
| Delicious! |
 |
| We had a great time!!!! |
Actually I guess the pie isn't quite as glorious as my mind envisioned. Probably all the thanks and enjoyment made me think it was Martha Stewart level. You do have to admit that is one thick crust!!!
I hope you made some great memories with your family and captured a couple of pictures so you can easily relive it.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
4th of July sing-along!!!
Enjoy singing these songs!!!
AMERICA
My country, 'tis of Thee Lyrics
by Samuel F. Smith - 1832
My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.
Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!
Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.
Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!
Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!
America, The Beautiful Lyrics
by Katharine Lee Bates - 1913
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine!
O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
God Bless America Lyrics
by Irving Berlin
God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
AMERICA
My country, 'tis of Thee Lyrics
by Samuel F. Smith - 1832
My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.
Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!
Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.
Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!
Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!
America, The Beautiful Lyrics
by Katharine Lee Bates - 1913
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine!
O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
God Bless America Lyrics
by Irving Berlin
God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
4th of July!!!!
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!
http://acandlestick.blogspot.com/2011/07/happy-4th-of-july.html
This article is written by Janice Kapp Perry. I hope you enjoy
how she came to write 2 of her patriotic songs. What a talent she has
and wow!....she shares it and uses it all the time! The 2 songs are on
this post so that you can listen to them. Enjoy!!
I love the Fourth of July! This is the month of celebration that reminds us of our blessings as Americans and gives us a chance to express our deep gratitude for our freedom and what so many have done to ensure it. I recently read the words of a Dutch immigrant who came to America as a small boy and said he can still remember the excited throngs on the ship shouting America! America! as the Statue of Liberty came into view. This is especially significant to me as my own grandparents were teenaged Dutch immigrants who came to America for religious freedom. They saw this same statue beckoning them to a new life of opportunity and freedom. They met and married some years later in Ogden, Utah and eventually sent two of their sons to war knowing they might not return.
I was there at the train station as my grandmother, Pieterke Kapp, waved goodbye to her sons, calling out “My boys! My boys!” as they disappeared from view and then fainting to the ground from emotion. Grandpa Jacob Kapp was more stoic believing there was a price tag on liberty, and that price tag is to accept responsibility for defending it. One of their sons returned from war gravely wounded and spent one and a half years in the hospital in Brigham City.
My Father’s Patriotism
My father was a married man and therefore was not called to service during the war, but because of his father’s attitude and the service of his brothers, Dad was deeply patriotic throughout his life.
He was a farmer, a quiet man of strength, uneducated by the world’s standards, but a man of great wisdom. My brother Jack stood beside him at a parade one day and noticed that Dad stood and put his hand over his heart for every flag that passed by in the parade. Jack said, “Dad you only need to stand for the first flag.” Dad said, “I know, but I like to stand for every flag I see.”
One night a man seated two rows in front of Dad at a ballgame didn’t remove his hat during the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner”. Dad politely asked him to remove his hat, but he ignored him. He asked a second time, receiving no response. Then Dad walked down two rows and quietly removed his hat for him saying, “If my brother can be sent around the world and be shot up in defending this country, the least you can do is take your hat off for our flag.”
Every flag ceremony is a time for remembering the people, places, events, and lives lost in ensuring our freedom. We must guard against the temptation to take these things for granted just because we are generations removed from a historic event.
Listen (Go to the above link to listen)
Put Your Hand Over Your Heart - Album – “Heal Our Land”
(Orrin G. Hatch, Janice Kapp Perry)
Remember all the braves ones
Who fought the battles, won the wars
Remember all the heroes
Who wore the colors, bore the scars
Remember all the patriots who loved our liberty
Remember ev’ry life laid down to keep our country free
chorus:
And put your hand over your heart
When the flag goes by
Put your hand over your heart
When you see Old Glory fly
Face that star-spangled banner
And when the music starts
Put your hand, put your hand
Over your heart
Remember all the children
Whose father’s heard their country’s call
Remember tears and anguish
From those who saw their comrades fall
Remember all the families
And what their loved ones gave
Remember every flag-draped box
Beside an empty grave
(Repeat chorus)
Hear the cries of fallen soldiers
Crying from the dust
Praying we will not forget
Their final gift to us
(Repeat chorus)
Collaborating with a Patriot
During the decade of the ‘90’s I spent considerable time collaborating on patriotic songs with US Senator Orrin G. Hatch. Through my association with him and my own research I gained a much deeper respect for the principles that guided the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In January 1997 I was honored to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the second inauguration of Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt in the Capitol Building in Salt Lake City, and heard him say this about the Founding Fathers:
They believed that a nation based on divinely ordained values could endure.
That is the reason every time we pledge allegiance to the flag we say, ‘One
nation under God. . .’ and why every coin in our pocket [says] ‘In God We
Trust’. . . . Our society has developed a misplaced politeness which says we
shouldn’t talk about God because it might offend someone. Heaven help the
society that is too polite to speak about God! (1)
That same year Brittany Salmon, a junior high student and patriotic essay contest winner, said:
“[Our national motto] ‘In God We Trust’ feels right to me. It helps me feel safe and secure to know God is looking over us and we’re looking to Him. I’m grateful that our country believes in God and I hope it stays that way!” (2) I add my voice to hers: I hope it stays that way!
Listen (go to the above link to listen)
One Nation Under God – album – “Freedom’s Light”
(Orrin G. Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry)
America has welcomed all
From many distant lands
Brave pilgrims seeking liberty
Who crossed the water in God’s hands.
Ev’ry honest, freedom-seeking soul--
America has welcomed all
The heart and might of this great land
Is found in our beliefs
Our faith in God’s unfailing hand
Will help preserve our liberties
And we invite all men who gather here
To worship God and feel no fear
We’ll sing the song of liberty
With voices strong and clear
We’ll seek for God’s protecting care
Upon this land that we hold dear
For He will guide us through our darkest hour
If we will trust his sovereign power
When we are one nation under God
Our freedom will endure
One nation under God
Whose promises are sure
He will bless and keep our land
Safe by His almighty hand
This is the hope for which men fought:
One nation under God!
Our Responsibility
What can one person do to honor those who have paid such a high price for the freedoms we enjoy daily? It may not be required of us to give our lives but in one way or another we can do something. We have an obligation to preserve and pass on the great gifts we have received. If we want to change the world we start with ourselves, our families, our communities. We honor the laws of the land, we vote, we speak up against injustice, we pray for our leaders—the list is endless.
In 1997 I performed with the Tabernacle Choir at a special convocation at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. Former President George H. W. Bush was the keynote speaker.
His speech was dynamic and touching as he told the stories of several everyday heroes in our nation who had made a positive difference in their neighborhoods, and often far beyond, by giving their time, their means and their hearts to worthwhile projects.
Last year I shared this post. I love what Sister Parry wrote! You will have to click on the link below to hear the songs. Your children would enjoy it!! give a listen!
Have a wonderful day, a safe day, & a happy day counting the blessing of being an American!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://acandlestick.blogspot.com/2011/07/happy-4th-of-july.html
I love the Fourth of July! This is the month of celebration that reminds us of our blessings as Americans and gives us a chance to express our deep gratitude for our freedom and what so many have done to ensure it. I recently read the words of a Dutch immigrant who came to America as a small boy and said he can still remember the excited throngs on the ship shouting America! America! as the Statue of Liberty came into view. This is especially significant to me as my own grandparents were teenaged Dutch immigrants who came to America for religious freedom. They saw this same statue beckoning them to a new life of opportunity and freedom. They met and married some years later in Ogden, Utah and eventually sent two of their sons to war knowing they might not return.
I was there at the train station as my grandmother, Pieterke Kapp, waved goodbye to her sons, calling out “My boys! My boys!” as they disappeared from view and then fainting to the ground from emotion. Grandpa Jacob Kapp was more stoic believing there was a price tag on liberty, and that price tag is to accept responsibility for defending it. One of their sons returned from war gravely wounded and spent one and a half years in the hospital in Brigham City.
My Father’s Patriotism
My father was a married man and therefore was not called to service during the war, but because of his father’s attitude and the service of his brothers, Dad was deeply patriotic throughout his life.
He was a farmer, a quiet man of strength, uneducated by the world’s standards, but a man of great wisdom. My brother Jack stood beside him at a parade one day and noticed that Dad stood and put his hand over his heart for every flag that passed by in the parade. Jack said, “Dad you only need to stand for the first flag.” Dad said, “I know, but I like to stand for every flag I see.”
One night a man seated two rows in front of Dad at a ballgame didn’t remove his hat during the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner”. Dad politely asked him to remove his hat, but he ignored him. He asked a second time, receiving no response. Then Dad walked down two rows and quietly removed his hat for him saying, “If my brother can be sent around the world and be shot up in defending this country, the least you can do is take your hat off for our flag.”
Every flag ceremony is a time for remembering the people, places, events, and lives lost in ensuring our freedom. We must guard against the temptation to take these things for granted just because we are generations removed from a historic event.
Listen (Go to the above link to listen)
Put Your Hand Over Your Heart - Album – “Heal Our Land”
(Orrin G. Hatch, Janice Kapp Perry)
Remember all the braves ones
Who fought the battles, won the wars
Remember all the heroes
Who wore the colors, bore the scars
Remember all the patriots who loved our liberty
Remember ev’ry life laid down to keep our country free
chorus:
And put your hand over your heart
When the flag goes by
Put your hand over your heart
When you see Old Glory fly
Face that star-spangled banner
And when the music starts
Put your hand, put your hand
Over your heart
Remember all the children
Whose father’s heard their country’s call
Remember tears and anguish
From those who saw their comrades fall
Remember all the families
And what their loved ones gave
Remember every flag-draped box
Beside an empty grave
(Repeat chorus)
Hear the cries of fallen soldiers
Crying from the dust
Praying we will not forget
Their final gift to us
(Repeat chorus)
Collaborating with a Patriot
During the decade of the ‘90’s I spent considerable time collaborating on patriotic songs with US Senator Orrin G. Hatch. Through my association with him and my own research I gained a much deeper respect for the principles that guided the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In January 1997 I was honored to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the second inauguration of Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt in the Capitol Building in Salt Lake City, and heard him say this about the Founding Fathers:
They believed that a nation based on divinely ordained values could endure.
That is the reason every time we pledge allegiance to the flag we say, ‘One
nation under God. . .’ and why every coin in our pocket [says] ‘In God We
Trust’. . . . Our society has developed a misplaced politeness which says we
shouldn’t talk about God because it might offend someone. Heaven help the
society that is too polite to speak about God! (1)
That same year Brittany Salmon, a junior high student and patriotic essay contest winner, said:
“[Our national motto] ‘In God We Trust’ feels right to me. It helps me feel safe and secure to know God is looking over us and we’re looking to Him. I’m grateful that our country believes in God and I hope it stays that way!” (2) I add my voice to hers: I hope it stays that way!
Listen (go to the above link to listen)
One Nation Under God – album – “Freedom’s Light”
(Orrin G. Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry)
America has welcomed all
From many distant lands
Brave pilgrims seeking liberty
Who crossed the water in God’s hands.
Ev’ry honest, freedom-seeking soul--
America has welcomed all
The heart and might of this great land
Is found in our beliefs
Our faith in God’s unfailing hand
Will help preserve our liberties
And we invite all men who gather here
To worship God and feel no fear
We’ll sing the song of liberty
With voices strong and clear
We’ll seek for God’s protecting care
Upon this land that we hold dear
For He will guide us through our darkest hour
If we will trust his sovereign power
When we are one nation under God
Our freedom will endure
One nation under God
Whose promises are sure
He will bless and keep our land
Safe by His almighty hand
This is the hope for which men fought:
One nation under God!
Our Responsibility
What can one person do to honor those who have paid such a high price for the freedoms we enjoy daily? It may not be required of us to give our lives but in one way or another we can do something. We have an obligation to preserve and pass on the great gifts we have received. If we want to change the world we start with ourselves, our families, our communities. We honor the laws of the land, we vote, we speak up against injustice, we pray for our leaders—the list is endless.
In 1997 I performed with the Tabernacle Choir at a special convocation at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. Former President George H. W. Bush was the keynote speaker.
His speech was dynamic and touching as he told the stories of several everyday heroes in our nation who had made a positive difference in their neighborhoods, and often far beyond, by giving their time, their means and their hearts to worthwhile projects.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
What a great day!!!!
We had the best July 4th day with our family.....parade, games, crafts, picnic meal, fire for s'mores, fireworks, visiting, laughing and just overwhelmed with gratitude for our children and their children!!! Most especially just loving America and being an American. Being moved to tears, at the sight of flags and seeing veterans. especially the ones from WW 2. I hope your day was filled with being with family or thoughts of family and that you share my feelings of tremendous gratitude.
What a GREAT day!!!!!
Enjoy singing these songs!!!
AMERICA
My country, 'tis of Thee Lyrics
by Samuel F. Smith - 1832
My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.
Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!
Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.
Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!
Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!
America, The Beautiful Lyrics
by Katharine Lee Bates - 1913
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine!
O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
God Bless America Lyrics
by Irving Berlin
God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
What a GREAT day!!!!!
Enjoy singing these songs!!!
AMERICA
My country, 'tis of Thee Lyrics
by Samuel F. Smith - 1832
My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.
Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!
Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.
Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!
Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!
America, The Beautiful Lyrics
by Katharine Lee Bates - 1913
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine!
O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
God Bless America Lyrics
by Irving Berlin
God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy 4th of July!!!
This article is written by Janice Kapp Perry. I hope you enjoy how she came to write 2 of her patriotic songs. What a talent she has and wow!....she shares it and uses it all the time! The 2 songs are on this post so that you can listen to them. Enjoy!!
I love the Fourth of July! This is the month of celebration that reminds us of our blessings as Americans and gives us a chance to express our deep gratitude for our freedom and what so many have done to ensure it. I recently read the words of a Dutch immigrant who came to America as a small boy and said he can still remember the excited throngs on the ship shouting America! America! as the Statue of Liberty came into view. This is especially significant to me as my own grandparents were teenaged Dutch immigrants who came to America for religious freedom. They saw this same statue beckoning them to a new life of opportunity and freedom. They met and married some years later in Ogden, Utah and eventually sent two of their sons to war knowing they might not return.
I was there at the train station as my grandmother, Pieterke Kapp, waved goodbye to her sons, calling out “My boys! My boys!” as they disappeared from view and then fainting to the ground from emotion. Grandpa Jacob Kapp was more stoic believing there was a price tag on liberty, and that price tag is to accept responsibility for defending it. One of their sons returned from war gravely wounded and spent one and a half years in the hospital in Brigham City.
My Father’s Patriotism
My father was a married man and therefore was not called to service during the war, but because of his father’s attitude and the service of his brothers, Dad was deeply patriotic throughout his life.
He was a farmer, a quiet man of strength, uneducated by the world’s standards, but a man of great wisdom. My brother Jack stood beside him at a parade one day and noticed that Dad stood and put his hand over his heart for every flag that passed by in the parade. Jack said, “Dad you only need to stand for the first flag.” Dad said, “I know, but I like to stand for every flag I see.”
One night a man seated two rows in front of Dad at a ballgame didn’t remove his hat during the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner”. Dad politely asked him to remove his hat, but he ignored him. He asked a second time, receiving no response. Then Dad walked down two rows and quietly removed his hat for him saying, “If my brother can be sent around the world and be shot up in defending this country, the least you can do is take your hat off for our flag.”
Every flag ceremony is a time for remembering the people, places, events, and lives lost in ensuring our freedom. We must guard against the temptation to take these things for granted just because we are generations removed from a historic event.
Listen
Put Your Hand Over Your Heart - Album – “Heal Our Land”
(Orrin G. Hatch, Janice Kapp Perry)
Remember all the braves ones
Who fought the battles, won the wars
Remember all the heroes
Who wore the colors, bore the scars
Remember all the patriots who loved our liberty
Remember ev’ry life laid down to keep our country free
chorus:
And put your hand over your heart
When the flag goes by
Put your hand over your heart
When you see Old Glory fly
Face that star-spangled banner
And when the music starts
Put your hand, put your hand
Over your heart
Remember all the children
Whose father’s heard their country’s call
Remember tears and anguish
From those who saw their comrades fall
Remember all the families
And what their loved ones gave
Remember every flag-draped box
Beside an empty grave
(Repeat chorus)
Hear the cries of fallen soldiers
Crying from the dust
Praying we will not forget
Their final gift to us
(Repeat chorus)
Collaborating with a Patriot
During the decade of the ‘90’s I spent considerable time collaborating on patriotic songs with US Senator Orrin G. Hatch. Through my association with him and my own research I gained a much deeper respect for the principles that guided the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In January 1997 I was honored to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the second inauguration of Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt in the Capitol Building in Salt Lake City, and heard him say this about the Founding Fathers:
They believed that a nation based on divinely ordained values could endure.
That is the reason every time we pledge allegiance to the flag we say, ‘One
nation under God. . .’ and why every coin in our pocket [says] ‘In God We
Trust’. . . . Our society has developed a misplaced politeness which says we
shouldn’t talk about God because it might offend someone. Heaven help the
society that is too polite to speak about God! (1)
That same year Brittany Salmon, a junior high student and patriotic essay contest winner, said:
“[Our national motto] ‘In God We Trust’ feels right to me. It helps me feel safe and secure to know God is looking over us and we’re looking to Him. I’m grateful that our country believes in God and I hope it stays that way!” (2) I add my voice to hers: I hope it stays that way!
Listen
One Nation Under God – album – “Freedom’s Light”
(Orrin G. Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry)
America has welcomed all
From many distant lands
Brave pilgrims seeking liberty
Who crossed the water in God’s hands.
Ev’ry honest, freedom-seeking soul--
America has welcomed all
The heart and might of this great land
Is found in our beliefs
Our faith in God’s unfailing hand
Will help preserve our liberties
And we invite all men who gather here
To worship God and feel no fear
We’ll sing the song of liberty
With voices strong and clear
We’ll seek for God’s protecting care
Upon this land that we hold dear
For He will guide us through our darkest hour
If we will trust his sovereign power
When we are one nation under God
Our freedom will endure
One nation under God
Whose promises are sure
He will bless and keep our land
Safe by His almighty hand
This is the hope for which men fought:
One nation under God!
Our Responsibility
What can one person do to honor those who have paid such a high price for the freedoms we enjoy daily? It may not be required of us to give our lives but in one way or another we can do something. We have an obligation to preserve and pass on the great gifts we have received. If we want to change the world we start with ourselves, our families, our communities. We honor the laws of the land, we vote, we speak up against injustice, we pray for our leaders—the list is endless.
In 1997 I performed with the Tabernacle Choir at a special convocation at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. Former President George H. W. Bush was the keynote speaker.
His speech was dynamic and touching as he told the stories of several everyday heroes in our nation who had made a positive difference in their neighborhoods, and often far beyond, by giving their time, their means and their hearts to worthwhile projects.
I love the Fourth of July! This is the month of celebration that reminds us of our blessings as Americans and gives us a chance to express our deep gratitude for our freedom and what so many have done to ensure it. I recently read the words of a Dutch immigrant who came to America as a small boy and said he can still remember the excited throngs on the ship shouting America! America! as the Statue of Liberty came into view. This is especially significant to me as my own grandparents were teenaged Dutch immigrants who came to America for religious freedom. They saw this same statue beckoning them to a new life of opportunity and freedom. They met and married some years later in Ogden, Utah and eventually sent two of their sons to war knowing they might not return.
I was there at the train station as my grandmother, Pieterke Kapp, waved goodbye to her sons, calling out “My boys! My boys!” as they disappeared from view and then fainting to the ground from emotion. Grandpa Jacob Kapp was more stoic believing there was a price tag on liberty, and that price tag is to accept responsibility for defending it. One of their sons returned from war gravely wounded and spent one and a half years in the hospital in Brigham City.
My Father’s Patriotism
My father was a married man and therefore was not called to service during the war, but because of his father’s attitude and the service of his brothers, Dad was deeply patriotic throughout his life.
He was a farmer, a quiet man of strength, uneducated by the world’s standards, but a man of great wisdom. My brother Jack stood beside him at a parade one day and noticed that Dad stood and put his hand over his heart for every flag that passed by in the parade. Jack said, “Dad you only need to stand for the first flag.” Dad said, “I know, but I like to stand for every flag I see.”
One night a man seated two rows in front of Dad at a ballgame didn’t remove his hat during the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner”. Dad politely asked him to remove his hat, but he ignored him. He asked a second time, receiving no response. Then Dad walked down two rows and quietly removed his hat for him saying, “If my brother can be sent around the world and be shot up in defending this country, the least you can do is take your hat off for our flag.”
Every flag ceremony is a time for remembering the people, places, events, and lives lost in ensuring our freedom. We must guard against the temptation to take these things for granted just because we are generations removed from a historic event.
Listen
Put Your Hand Over Your Heart - Album – “Heal Our Land”
(Orrin G. Hatch, Janice Kapp Perry)
Remember all the braves ones
Who fought the battles, won the wars
Remember all the heroes
Who wore the colors, bore the scars
Remember all the patriots who loved our liberty
Remember ev’ry life laid down to keep our country free
chorus:
And put your hand over your heart
When the flag goes by
Put your hand over your heart
When you see Old Glory fly
Face that star-spangled banner
And when the music starts
Put your hand, put your hand
Over your heart
Remember all the children
Whose father’s heard their country’s call
Remember tears and anguish
From those who saw their comrades fall
Remember all the families
And what their loved ones gave
Remember every flag-draped box
Beside an empty grave
(Repeat chorus)
Hear the cries of fallen soldiers
Crying from the dust
Praying we will not forget
Their final gift to us
(Repeat chorus)
Collaborating with a Patriot
During the decade of the ‘90’s I spent considerable time collaborating on patriotic songs with US Senator Orrin G. Hatch. Through my association with him and my own research I gained a much deeper respect for the principles that guided the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In January 1997 I was honored to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the second inauguration of Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt in the Capitol Building in Salt Lake City, and heard him say this about the Founding Fathers:
They believed that a nation based on divinely ordained values could endure.
That is the reason every time we pledge allegiance to the flag we say, ‘One
nation under God. . .’ and why every coin in our pocket [says] ‘In God We
Trust’. . . . Our society has developed a misplaced politeness which says we
shouldn’t talk about God because it might offend someone. Heaven help the
society that is too polite to speak about God! (1)
That same year Brittany Salmon, a junior high student and patriotic essay contest winner, said:
“[Our national motto] ‘In God We Trust’ feels right to me. It helps me feel safe and secure to know God is looking over us and we’re looking to Him. I’m grateful that our country believes in God and I hope it stays that way!” (2) I add my voice to hers: I hope it stays that way!
Listen
One Nation Under God – album – “Freedom’s Light”
(Orrin G. Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry)
America has welcomed all
From many distant lands
Brave pilgrims seeking liberty
Who crossed the water in God’s hands.
Ev’ry honest, freedom-seeking soul--
America has welcomed all
The heart and might of this great land
Is found in our beliefs
Our faith in God’s unfailing hand
Will help preserve our liberties
And we invite all men who gather here
To worship God and feel no fear
We’ll sing the song of liberty
With voices strong and clear
We’ll seek for God’s protecting care
Upon this land that we hold dear
For He will guide us through our darkest hour
If we will trust his sovereign power
When we are one nation under God
Our freedom will endure
One nation under God
Whose promises are sure
He will bless and keep our land
Safe by His almighty hand
This is the hope for which men fought:
One nation under God!
Our Responsibility
What can one person do to honor those who have paid such a high price for the freedoms we enjoy daily? It may not be required of us to give our lives but in one way or another we can do something. We have an obligation to preserve and pass on the great gifts we have received. If we want to change the world we start with ourselves, our families, our communities. We honor the laws of the land, we vote, we speak up against injustice, we pray for our leaders—the list is endless.
In 1997 I performed with the Tabernacle Choir at a special convocation at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. Former President George H. W. Bush was the keynote speaker.
His speech was dynamic and touching as he told the stories of several everyday heroes in our nation who had made a positive difference in their neighborhoods, and often far beyond, by giving their time, their means and their hearts to worthwhile projects.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)