Looking for something to give up for Lent? I've got the answer: paper towels.

Seriously. I hear you laughing. I hear your "what-ifs." I sense your eye rolls.

What if the dog pees? What if I need to wipe the counter? What if my kid spills milk?

We've been a paper-towel-free house for almost five years now. We moved to Scotland in 2011 and had a hard time finding paper towels for sale. Then we noticed our British friends rarely, if ever, used them. They certainly didn't use them as a substitute for a plate in the way that so many Americans do. At one point in my life I also didn't think much about buttering a piece of toast on a paper towel -- I mean, it saved the hassle of washing a plate later. Honestly, though, with that mentality, you'll go through multiple rolls a month, and it's just a total waste.

So, while in Scotland, we got a few tea towels and that was that. Since we came back to America over three years ago, I haven't missed paper. Everything can be cleaned up easily -- often more easily -- with a proper dish towel. Think about restaurants ... they don't clean up spills with paper towels. What you can clean up with one tea towel often takes 10-15 paper towels. Or would you wash your car or dry off after a bath with paper towels?

I understand that many people think we are nuts for our paper-towel-free-household, including my family and David's. For them, we keep a roll of paper towels on hand because it keeps the peace. It does amaze me how quickly a roll is used up when family is visiting though -- something I never would have noticed before we went on our paper towel moratorium.

Anyway, just get yourself 4-6 dish towels and try to make it 40 days.

Benefits of being Paper-Towel FREE:

1. Save a lot of trees and thousands of gallons of water. (Various sources say it takes 17 trees and 20,000 gallons of water to produce a ton of paper towels ... and 3000 tons of paper towel waster is produced DAILY.)
2. Paper towels are often toted as being biodegradable, but there are so many chemicals in them that they often don't. Google away to find more discussion. You also can't compost most of them, as they are bleached and loaded with chemicals. 
3. Start a dish towel collection! It's now my go-to souvenir when I'm traveling. I don't need a t-shirt or a coffee mug. I find a cute tea towel or dish towel. My current favorite is a macaroon towel that some friends brought me from Paris last year.
4. Brightly colored towels are an easy way to decorate the kitchen. Added benefit here, as I have zero decorating ability.
5. There are always towels hanging on the stove and by the dishwasher, which makes it super easy for my 3-year-old to clean up a spill quickly.
6. They are really easy to wash. Just toss in a couple whenever you're doing laundry. I don't feel like it has added to my laundry at all.
7. Cleaning counters, floors, etc, is easier and more efficient with rags. 
8. Eliminate the guilt of having gone through half a roll of paper towels just to clean up the kitchen a bit or dust your baseboards.

Anyway, Lent is only 40 days. Give it a try.

What are you giving up? Do you already limit your paper towel use? 

I do love my Emmylou Gibson.

Hope everyone had an happy Imbolc aka St. Brigid's Day! Don't feel bad if you forgot to celebrate ... it sneaks up on me every year too. I celebrated by staying home and putting myself on voice rest. Hot tea, honey, lozenges, anything to clear up this badly-timed case of laryngitis I have acquired.

You see, I have a goal of finishing my album by the end of this month.

My last full-length album took me 4 days to record. I left town to make it, booked 8 days of studio time, used studio musicians and a producer I didn't know that well. We worked for 4 days in a row and realized we'd finished.

This time 'round has been incredibly difficult. I probably should have just left town and booked a studio, but I have zero budget (and have not been brave enough to crowdfund) and have had to rely on the kindness of friends. Even when friends are kind, the timing is still so tough. It's not just about coordinating a time for someone to push record. It's about coordinating that time with an engineer and a babysitter and time off from teaching and a sober drummer.

Playing The Black Pearl accordion because Big Red was stolen. I'll share that story one day.

Well, I've not managed to find the sober drummer yet, but I'm close. Today I arranged studio time to finish my vocals -- a task that shouldn't have been too challenging. I canceled my morning lessons (I hate doing that because 1) guilt over my poor students missing class and 2) LOST INCOME), my engineer carved out time, and I had childcare arranged.

AND NOW I HAVE LARYNGITIS!!!

I know, I know. Things could be worse. But I swear, I spend enough time frustrated over my inability to blossom in my career while I'm primary parenting, and I thought I'd finally sorted this out.

What is the DEAL, tonsils? Behave!

So today, rather than gloriously finish my record (it was too late notice to find a sober drummer and studio to use the engineer's time for recording drums instead), I am chugging hot tea next to a humidifier, writing a pity-party blog about my lost day.

And now, having typed this woe-is-me blog, I'm giving myself a massive guilt trip for being so self-centered in a world of misery and looking at photos of outer space and rolling my eyes at myself because I know, I know.

I just really need this album completely recorded by the end of February. One day I'll tell you why I set this seemingly-arbitrary goal.

Looking so deep and thoughtful and curly-haired.

At least I managed to get some new promo photos* taken. I'm trying, people, I'm really trying!

Deep breaths (into steam).

*by the amazingly talented Joseph Mays

It's my half-birthday -- a celebration dear to the hearts of those born in the depths of summer, when no one could come to your birthday parties and you didn't even get to bring cupcakes to school to celebrate. January 25 is also a spectacular day because it's Burns Night!

I did not get my act together in time to host the Burns Supper that I envisioned. I was going to haul out the good china, force people to RSVP and have a sit-down dinner. We would pour single malts from the crystal decanter on the mantle, explaining to our bourbon-loving friends that sometimes good whisky tastes like a campfire and that it's okay to like it.

But my new attitude is to not be hard on myself for not having pulled off such an event. My mind has been on other things. I'm desperately trying to finish a new album before March, so that maybe just maybe I can actually put it out before the summer. And, like, tour and stuff.

Maybe even tour in Scotland, where I can, perhaps, celebrate Half-Burns-Night on July 25.

I was going to link you to some recipes, but I just re-read my blog from last year and determined that it's all you'll ever need for a perfect Burns Supper. So just read it!

Snow day! Which means no childcare, which means I can't work. So I guess I had better make the best of it and make snow ice cream with my wee boy.

Remember this recipe? It's still good. Enjoy! Or tuck it away on Pinterest for the next snow day.

Here's our recipe:

1/2 gallon snow ("not yellow or dirty snow," according to David, as if I was actually going to go collect yellow or dirty snow...)
1/2 cup sugar
2-3 tsp vanilla 
a cup of milk


Mix it all together.

It's pretty good. To me it tastes like those strange milkshakes you could buy in the frozen food section back in the 1980s that you put in the microwave to prepare. Does anyone remember those? David thinks I'm making it up, but he's a few years younger than I am.




Also, from the title of this blog, I suggested I would have some deep thoughts. I thought that, maybe, by the end of this writing, I would be doing some serious philosophizing. I am not. Sorry for the false advertising.

Go read a book!

Little pieces of paper. They (used to) fill up my purse, my counter, my dining room table, various envelopes -- all because: TAXES.

It's January 13, which means two days until you make that big decision: pay your 4th quarter estimate taxes or buy a plane ticket to Paris. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you are not self-employed. Which is a good thing because you likely also get benefits like, say, health insurance options, a regular paycheck (a paycheck with taxes already taken out!), a schedule, paid vacation and maternity leave.

But you also have to ask someone else permission to take a day off. For me, that is the trump card of self-employment.

If I do decide to go to Paris on Friday, that's on me.

Today's blog is for you self-employed folks who aren't quite profitable enough to afford a bookkeeper. Or for you regular folk, who are just tired of saving receipts.

I've been using an app on my iPhone called OneReceipt for the past 9 months. It isn't perfect, but it's the software I've been waiting for for 15 years. For me, it's been life-changing.

The most annoying part of tax preparation is organizing all my receipts into categories that fit neatly into the Schedule C. If it were just a matter of calculate-total-expenses, that would be easy enough. But keeping my advertising receipts separate from my supplies, separate from my travel, separate from my parking, separate from my business meals, etc., well, it's just been a headache, no matter what my system. I've done everything from shoeboxes, to accordion files, to envelopes, to QuickBooks, to an Excel spreadsheet. It's hard to be consistent when the enemy is, truly, little pieces of paper. 

I wish the Schedule C categories were pre-programmed into the app, but I can't have it all, I suppose. I have just been creating tags as I need them, snapping a photo of the receipt within the app, throwing that stupid little piece of paper away, and trusting in the cloud. (I know, I hear your hesitancy, but I'm full-in with the technology.) The wonderful thing is that right now, I just need to go to the website, sign in, check the box that says "Advertising" and I get a sum total of all the advertising receipts, without having had to keep up with a spreadsheet all year.

Anyway, I meant to have this piece of advice for you self-employed folks at the end of December. But it's still only 2 weeks into the New Year. Rid your lives of little pieces of paper! 

And, no, I'm not getting anything for endorsing this product. I just happen to really love it.

Also, I still have two days to decide between taxes or this:

It's been three years since we moved back to America, and I still miss Scotland like crazy. One of the biggest things I miss is accessibility to the rest of Europe and the little ethnic shops run by actual immigrants ... like, the amazing Italian coffeeshop in Stockbridge run but actual, real-life Italians. In particular, I miss the Chocolatissimo!

On one level, it's just hot chocolate, but that's kind of like saying a 30-year-old Laphroaig is "just Scotch."

So, while David and the wee boy were freezing their adorable tushes off making snow angels last night, I stayed inside and attempted to re-create Chocolatissimo with whatever we happened to have in the cupboard.

The result was pretty magnificent, if I do say so myself:

I made a simplified graphic for your Pinterest pleasure, but a couple of notes:

 I used almond milk, not real milk.
I did use real Half&Half.
I also used about 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, but then I used 1/4 cup of of a broken dark chocolate bar. You could add a splash of vanilla and a dash of sugar if you like, but it's not necessary.

Boil the milk first, then stir in the chocolate. So so so so so good.
I'd also recommend a serving size of 1/2 cup. It's very rich.




Beware both the cuteness and the mess:




Also, Louisville friends, swing by Mama's Hip on Wednesday morning for Family Music Jam! 10:30am, drop-in class. $10/family.

It's the first day back from winter break -- the toughest Monday of the year, following weeks of presents, cookie-making, spontaneous trips to the playground or pool, parties and staying in our pajamas for days at a time. My wee boy was, um, disheartened, to say the least, at the idea of returning to preschool. I've since picked him up from that long day back at school and my long day back at work. We are now playing Lincoln Logs and sipping tea together ... from the good, vintage, yes-they-were-my-grandmother's teacups.

We had a tea party last week with three other children, each only slightly older than my child. I could see fear on the mothers' faces when I delivered the herbal tea in the fragile cups*, but I declared, "It's okay. It's my fault if they break. But what good are the dainty, beautiful vintage cups if all they do is decorate the china cabinet?"

It's optimistic of me, I know. Truthfully, I'm prepared to lose a few cups here and there.

But I'm on a mission of positivity and enjoyment. I don't want to spend years waiting for the day when my boy will be able to properly sip tea out of Grandmother's china. Is this what they call living in The Present? If so, I think I like it.

Happy new year, friends. Break out the good china.

*Not all the tea was consumed (plenty of, "Yuck! I don't like tea!"),  but all the teacups remain intact.

Today I've got absolutely nothing deep or wise to share with you. I've been working on developing some sort of self-care routine, which, apparently, does not involve as much blogging as I would like. But priorities, right?

In the mean time, it's Christmas, and I feel the need to look at John Lewis ads.
John Lewis is a department store in the UK. It's huge, it has a haberdashery, and it's got the best commercials I've ever seen, always guaranteed to make you weepy.


Here is one for this year:


Here's my favorite ever:


Seriously, that one. Tears!!

This week in Louisville:

12/23 at 10:30am Holiday singalong at Mama's Hip! $10/family. No signup required.
12/23 at 7pm (I play at 8) at Headliners Music Hall. $10/person or FREE with new or gently used blanket to donate. Johnny Berry headlines. Just decided to make this a band show, so I called out a couple of friends to play with me. Bring your dancing boots!

Louisville! I'm playing at Headliner's next week. So maybe if you're in town, you can come? 

Facebook event for more details and tickets. I play first -- at 8:00. Doors at 7. Then I'm just gonna hang out and dance because that's what one should do at these sorts of events.

103.9 The Hawk presents Johnny Berry Presents Honky Tonk Holidaze
featuring Steve Cooley, Jeff Guernsey, Emily Portman, Stephen Couch, Ricky Puckett & Dave Johnson with Brigid Kaelin and a special appearance by Hillybilly Santy Claus
Wednesday, December 23
Doors 7PM Show 8PM
$10 or free with a new or gently used blanket for Salvation Army
18+

What else has been going on?

Poor puppy was sick last week. No one got anything done:(

I'm trying to establish some kind of routine for myself. Pre-motherhood, it wasn't much of a challenge. Or, rather, a routine wasn't really necessary to my actually getting things done. I've never enjoyed linear work or workdays. Some might call it ADHD, but even in school (and I was a straight-A student, people) I always had a million books or projects or whatnot going at once. I'd do half a math assignment, start the english paper, come back to math -- it worked for me. 

I'm starting to realize now that I need a routine. There just isn't enough time to myself to work the way I used to work. All internet searches for daily routine or self-care routine or whatnot lead me to the conclusion that none of these people have children. Of course it would be great to "start the day with 30 minutes of exercise, followed by a 10-minute meditation session and a 20-minute hot shower!" I read one yesterday that continued this fantasy of "not doing anything but rehearsing or writing music until noon." It's laughable. But it's a really nice thought, people.

I am stuck in this little world of self-employed-work-from-home-parent. That is vastly different from work-from-home-parent or stay-at-home-parent or work-away-from-home-parent. 

Anyway ... trying to find a little room for self-care in the midst of winter illnesses and holiday stress and thousands of dollars in unexpected home repairs has me, um, a little stressed out. Anyone out there have it all figured out? Can you just print me a little PDF, so I can tick off the items nicely? Thanks. I'm working on my own, but I'm sure you have much better graphic design skills.

Maybe I just need a little more coffee.

Reminder: Family Music Jam this week is WEDNESDAY 12/16. 10:30am. Drop-in. Come sing holiday tunes with me:) $10/family at Mama's Hip. www.mamas-hip.com 

Playing music with your kiddo is the best. Also, I know this is a banjo, not a uke, but the Wee Boy is asleep with a cold right now, so I shan't bother him for a photo shoot.

People ask me ALL the time if I will take their 5-year-old on as a piano student, and I always suggest waiting until the child is 7. I'll write another blog about all the reasons why, but today I wanted to throw out the alternative that I usually suggest: buy a ukulele.

Once you are able to communicate with your kiddo that perhaps s/he shouldn't throw it across the room, then you are fine to get an actual, real, will-even-stay-in-tune ukulele. Then grab a book or get on the YouTube or sign up for a Parent/Child Intro-to-Uke class to get them started. Louisville friends, Guitar Emporium has many ukuleles in the $40-55 range that would be perfect. I stopped by this week to check out their selection and was pleasantly surprised with the choices in stock.

On that note, Louisville parents, I'm considering offering a Parent/Child intro-to-ukulele class specifically for those families who might be welcoming a uke into their families this holiday season.

I'm always hesitant to offer new classes, but several parents have asked me about teaching such a class. So maybe get in touch if this is something you'd be interested in? I'm looking at doing a 4-week class in January either on Monday or Thursdays, early-afternoons, location TBA, but in the Highlands/40205 area for sure (I'm car-free, remember?) Probably a 6-children limit. 45-minute class. Aimed at ages 4ish-5ish. One day I'll work out a group piano class for preschoolers, which I find more effective and a better use of your money than private lessons at that age, but for now: ukuleles for wee fingers, it is.

It's that time of year! I didn't make it home from my gig with The Birdies until after sundown, but we didn't let that stop us from eating all of Grandma's homemade latkes. Here's Grandma (my mom is now known as Grandma instead of Mom because the circle of life and all) passing down a bit o' culture to her grandson:
   


















Speaking of The Birdies, we played two SOLD OUT shows this weekend at Indiana University SE, singing with a 15+ piece band and spreading holiday cheer. Here's a much more calm version of us on the radio singing a version of Silver Bells with the addition of our Hanukkah verse at the end:


And OF COURSE .. here are my two classic Hanukkah tunes. Available as free downloads here:


Or just watch the silly videos on the ol' YouTube:






Happy Hanukkah, y'all! It's been quite a year.

Last night I cooked a dinner, and two of the dishes had only one ingredient. It was completely amazing. Don't get me wrong, I like Thanksgiving food. I like it a lot. It's comfort food (i.e. the Kids' menu in adult portions), and it tastes delicious. We ate Thanksgiving food or road trip food or takeout-because-we-didn't-want-to-mess-up-our-kitchen-for-the-Airbnbers food for at least week. Macaroni and Cheese is amazing, but it is not a vegetable. Last night we had curried quinoa, roasted butternut squash, and Brussels sprouts. I could feel every cell in my body thanking me with each bite.

Anyone else still hungover from Thanksgiving? We had a fun holiday. We traveled to Arkansas and spent 5 days with David's family in a condo. My introvert self was a little freaked out by the close quarters, but the company was good. The Wee Boy had an absolutely blast playing non-stop with his cousins, yelling to wake everyone up as early as possible, and eating sugar all week. He also pet an alligator, which you've already seen if you follow me on Instagram:


We also learned that he inherited our weak stomachs for car rides. The boy is an amazing traveler on planes and trains, but take this boy on a car trip and yikes! I lifted my screen-time rules and let him watch the iPad about 30 minutes into our journey, and he puked EVERYWHERE shortly thereafter. I ended up reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz aloud to him to kill time, which was, honestly, mostly delightful. He really liked it, particularly the Winged Monkeys and "the soldier with the green whiskers."

I got a little accidental down time yesterday, when the horrendous driving weather forced our hand. We stopped for the evening in Nashville, exhausted and ready for bed. After a swim in the hotel pool and a little alone time, I felt reinvigorated and wanted to show the Wee Boy a honky tonk. I had never even thought about it, but it turns out that most of the honky tonks on Lower Broadway are all ages before 6pm. We wandered to the Second Fiddle, danced, clapped, tipped, and eventually settled in at Robert's Western World for some comfort food and some comfort music. The Wee Boy, of course, is no stranger to live music, but he was still mesmerized. We left just before it turned 21+ and pretty much went straight to bed.

I'm now plotting the next time we can get down to Nashville for an entire day of honky-tonkin' with the Wee Boy. I don't know why I had never thought of that before.

Speaking of country music, it's time again to start forcing you to listen to my Hanukkah music. Here's a free download or listen to "Blue Dreidel No. 9" from a Christmas Compilation (I know, I know, ironic?):



Also: Louisville parents: Bring your kiddo to Mama's Hip on Wednesday morning for Family Music Jam! 10:30am, drop-in, lots of fun. $10/family. Pretty please?? We have so much fun there.