Sometimes it seems like there are so many thoughts and ideas whirring around in my befuddled brain, that I can't sort through them to find out what is important and what isn't. Do you know what I mean? Maybe a weekend at a Kloster where no one is allowed to talk would clear my head.
Or writing stuff down. That always helps!!!!
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First and foremost, I'm busy working on a new solo album. At the suggestion of Markus Bonnert, the A&R from Gerth Medien (record company) it will include new recordings of old favorites. After polling the public for some time, we now have the tracklist set. The album will also include 3 new songs that Florian and I are writing /have written together.
I've decided on a title and a photographer and the musicians who will play on the album. Each of those is a big hurdle in the decision-making process. But, oh how I love this whole creative phase of album-making!
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You may have been aware of the RTL "Das Supertalent 2010" casting show which ended last December with Freddy Sahin-Scholl winning by a landslide voting margin. What you may not know is that the songs that Freddy sang for the TV show, and on his new album, almost all have lyrics written by me! The album has moved from #4 to #3 in the German album charts and is #4 in Austria and #12 in Switzerland.
I'm amazed by Freddy's courage and belief in this album. And I'm so proud to have a part in it. He called me last week, between TV appearances, to ask me to work with him on his second album. It will be released this year by Sony Music.
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After completely selling out of Lifelines (my line of necklaces) during the Christmas tour in December, I'm super busy making new ones - A) to sell at our/my concerts and -B) to finally put some new Lifelines on my web shop. The shop has been empty for a month now, but it seems like as soon as I get a few Lifelines made, we have a concert and they're sold out again! This is such a nice predicament to be in!
Someone suggested that I "farm out" the making of the Lifelines but I just can't do that. I make each one by myself, by hand, and pray for the person who will eventually buy and wear this particular Lifeline. I can't ask somebody else to do that !!
I just want you to know that I'm making new Lifelines as fast as I can. BUT I have another concert on Saturday. Whatever is not sold there, I will photograph and put on the webshop. OK?
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So, that's the big stuff. There's lots of little stuff that I could write about, but I'll save that for later!

Business Meeting.

An interesting thing is going on in my living room right now. The ladies who sell Thermomix in this region are having a business meeting at my dining room table. The team leader had a really cool idea last summer: as a motivational tool for sales, her ladies earned tokens that they could use to pay for.... wait for it...... LIFELINES ! So, the ladies have been working really hard selling their products and collecting tokens.
Today, I decorated the living room and dining room with Lifelines, Memories, rings, spoons, book marks and lots of candles and snacks. After the business part of the evening the ladies can look, touch and try everything on. And then pick out what they want and pay for them with their tokens.
Then I redeem the tokens with the team leader for cash.
I think it's a great idea and I had a lot of fun decorating for the ladies, even though I am pretty tired from singing a concert last night. Of course, the ladies in the living room don't even know that I sing. In fact, the only thing they know about me is that I make jewelry, speak German with an American accent and that I live in a little village on a tiny street that is awfully hard to find. I kind of like "being" that person.

Smell the roses.

I've been asked to write some encouraging and WISE statements to be included in a calendar for women to go on sale next year for Brunnen Verlag.
Do you know how hard it is to be wise on command???? I mean, normally, it is very easy for me to be wise. In fact, I'm wise every day. All the time. But if someone asks me to be wise......... uhhh, nothing!
So, I carried around a little piece of paper for a few weeks in my purse. And whenever I said something wise, I would get out my little piece of paper and write it down. (much to the annoyance of whomever I was talking to! )
Today I changed purses because my old one got soaked in a torrential rain this morning. And found in the bottom of my handbag this crumpled, barely legible piece of paper containing all the wisdom I could muster the last few weeks.
This is what was written on the paper:

"It's the imperfections that make you fascinating. People who try to be 'perfect' spend way too much time doing it, usually to the detriment of other more interesting facets of their life. "

"If you think he's not listening- he actually probably is. He just doesn't know what to say."

"It's NEVER fifty/ fifty. "

" '.....THIS TOO SHALL PASS' . This makes the sad man happy and the happy man sad. The sick man hopeful and the healthy man fearful. This makes the poor man work and the wealthy man rest. "

"Be glad your husband is different from you. You don't need a Mini-Me. So stop trying to turn him into one."

"Relationships, like seasons, are cyclical. If you don't like how things are now- just wait. They'll change. "

"If you want to stay close to your son, always act like you like his girlfriend."

Is all the brilliance of the universe encapsulated in those statements? Nope. I sure hope not. 'Cause that would be pretty sorry!
But it is definitely stuff I've learned and/or are learning. Becoming wise is an on-going process. (Was that another wise statement??!!)
What I really wanted to write though, might not apply to all women. But it certainly applies to mothers.
You know when your children are small and you say, "This is my son/daughter."?. And you kind of have the feeling that they are your possessions and you take them a little bit for granted and they get on your nerves a lot and are a complete and utter joy and adventure? And there are never enough hours in the day for everyone and everything?
Then those children grow up and one day you realize, once and for all, they are NOT your possessions in the least! Because, without asking your permission, they've grown up and are gone. They no more belong to you than the rose blooming in my garden.
And I still hear myself saying with a large dose of pride, "This is my son!"
And I still take crazy amounts of photographs because I know that Luke getting his high school diploma from the European School in Karlsruhe and then playing guitar for the graduation ceremony will only happen once.
And Alex receiving his Masters diploma in Business Administration from University of East Anglia in Norwich, England will only happen once and it is worth the flight to England to be there and photograph that moment.
I remember being advised so many times when my children were babies, "Oh, enjoy this time, because it will pass so quickly".
And I'm learning that the baby age was actually slow in passing when compared to my sons' walking across the stage to receive their well-earned diplomas.
Those moments are a heartbeat, a blink of the eye, a breathing in and breathing out- and then they're over.
What I really wanted to write on my little piece of paper was something wise that I have learned that sounds probably too Buddhist or Tao for a lot of people. But here goes:
Live Now. Consciously. Stop and smell the roses. They will be gone too soon.

"Life is all memory except for the one present moment that goes by you so quick you hardly catch it going." Tennessee Williams

Would you share your stories with me?

Hi there!
I'm working on a new album. Yup. It's about time, right?
The plan right now is to take some of my older repertoire from early albums, (like C.A.E. and Oh, Cae and Alive and Circle of Love andWelt von 1000 Wegen) and "re-dress" them. Just get rid of their old clothes and put on some clothes that fit our sound world of today. After all, some of the songs are almost 25 years old! Would you wear the clothes you wore 25 years ago???? I wouldn't. I couldn't! :)
My request to you: What are you favourite songs from those earlier albums? This is the first time EVER that I have entertained requests for an album. I'm curious to hear which songs have meant a lot to you. I would really love it if you could also write your associations and/or experiences with a song. That is what brings music alive. When a song touches a person, reaches into their heart and mind and accompanies them through a time of their lives.
Would you share your stories with me?
For your viewing pleasure I've added here two pictures from circa 1988. One is me with Dieter Falk, and one with Lothar Kosse. Smile!

Darling Domestic Animals

I have had cats and I have had dogs and this detailed description of trying to medicate your darling domestic animal is oh, so TRUE!

How to Give a Cat a Pill
1. Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby.
Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cats mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth.
Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa.
Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand.
Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe.
Call spouse in from the garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws.
Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail.
Get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit.
Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans and drink one beer to take taste away. Apply band-aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed.
Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door onto neck, to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink.
Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw tee-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom
.
12. Call fire department to retrieve the damn cat from the top of the tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat.
Take last pill from foil wrap.

13. Using heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed, tie the little *&#%^'s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of filet steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour two pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room. Sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Arrange for RSPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

How To Give A Dog A Pill
1. Wrap it in bacon.
2. Toss it in the air.

Now who could these two people be?

Mother's Day

What is the hardest AND the easiest job in the world? Being a Mother. And today, we celebrate mothers. Our own, and the ones we know. I stood in the grocery store in front of a package of vanilla wafers yesterday and cried. My Mom loved vanilla wafers. She always carried some in her purse in case she or one of us kids got hungry. The last gift she was given, the day before she died, was a box of vanilla wafers. It is interesting to me to find out that thinking of her still makes me cry. I miss her. She loved me unconditionally.
I realize that not everyone is lucky enough to have an amazing mother like I did.
My two boys have an amazing mother. Yes, I am a good mother! Just ask me!!! :) I don't "mother" like you do. I "mother" like I do. In a way that comes natural to me and I think is best for my boys. Do I get it wrong sometimes? You better believe it! But my boys know that I love them unconditionally with all my heart.
This is a year of graduation for my sons. One will graduate from Gymnasium and one will graduate from graduate school with a master's degree. Would I love them if they didn't succeed? Yes. Would I be disappointed in them because I (and only I) can see the enormous potential in these two people? Yes. Are my sons talented, smart, good-looking, multi-faceted, kind and compassionate human beings? Well, of course!
I am their ally and their catalyst, their prayer warrior and their cheer-leader.
It's a great job! I wouldn't trade with anyone.