RECORDING

go to my music blog to find out what I have been up too all week :)

CLICK HERE

our casita

new house

my view as i drove out of seattle. sad.

juniper really owning the home depot experience

new flower boxes

my sweet retro kitchen

where have i been you ask?
just...
moving.
to boise.
and writing like crazy for my new album.

here are a few pics of my new house.
also, go to www.sarahsample.blogspot.com to hear a new song that will be on the album.
oh, you want to pre-order the album because you have overflowing kindness in your heart
and you love to support your independent musicians. well then...click here.
xox
s

Great Britain

james and I went on a lovely trip
to Great Britain...

to read about our adventure
click here.
xo
s

Dr. James McDonald

I am so proud and happy to announce that
James finished his last day of Medical School
last week!!!
He doesn't graduate till June 5th, but he is
finished with all the course work and rotations!

I have been inspired by James and his decision
to go to medical school. When I met James in college
he was some sort of health major. He then considered
becoming an optometrist. Eventually after prayerful
consideration he decided he wanted to go to Medical
School. He loved the science classes he was taking
and found that if he worked hard that he would do well.

I can't tell you how many applications, interviews,
letters of recommendations, late nights, study sessions,
rotations, tests etc that are part of this journey...

But I can say how rewarding it has been for me to watch my husband find something he loves doing. There is a long line of Doctors in my family. There is also a long line of educators and farmers. It never matter to me what James chose as his occupation, as long as he worked hard and was happy. Four years have passed quickly and it has not been nearly as bad as so many told me it would be. I think James made his commitment
easy on me by cheerleading me in the career that brings joy to my life. Encouraging me while I followed the road of being a singer/songwriter made the respect we have for one another even more valuable. In the end, I feel like we have had a joyful home.

The moments that really stand out are the days that James has gone to work at different rotations at the hospital and leaves feeling like he is making a difference in the world because he showed up.

He makes a difference in my world everyday. He makes a difference in our daughter's world everyday.

We are so proud of him. We love him. We are excited for the next phase of this journey...Residency.

xoxo
s

New Post

my first video blog
is posted over on
my music blog.

come on over...

click here: www.sarahsample.blogspot.com

I'll be posting updates on the writing/recording/becoming hugely famous. ha.

xo

Happy Birthday Juniper~

today is the big day.
juniper is 2.
it is amazing that
my little baby
is now two.

Aunt Kate (aunt kook)
bought junie this birthday hat.
she wanted to wear it at
first. now refuses.

I am baking a double decker cake
from scratch.
I will give you a
preview of my work later.
Have a beautiful day,
if you have kids,
tell them how special they are.

June is saying funny little phrases like:

'here you go, mom. here you go, dad'

when you ask if she wants to do something and the answer is yes
'ok! sure! ok! sure!'

she loves to tickle people
she calls out to every child we pass 'hey friend!'
she loves trying to scout out the neighborhood cats
when she eats something sweet 'mmm, licious!'

loves loves loves; the zoo, the library, singing time, church
doughnuts, her grandparents (all 5)
she wants to say the prayer before meals and at night
still loves the hose, picking flowers, dancing
to records, singing all the time...

we love our june. she fills our hearts to overflowing.



xo
s

Cookbook

For those of you who encountered my cooking skills growing up

or in college...please erase all cheese toast from your mind.

James and I love eating out and have loved all the amazing

food that Seattle offers.

Indian, Thai, Pho, French, Italian.... (though I've only found

one great mexican food restaurant)

AND

we have started sprucing up our cooking skills in the last

few years. I actually really love to cook and although

I don't hold a candle to some amazing chef friends

I have here in Seattle...

I'm getting better.

and this little cookbook is helping.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

I bought it a year ago and I pick at least one

new recipe a week to cook. This is way more

than a cookbook. I couldn't put it down when I

first got it. The have tested every way that you could

make each item and tell you all the secrets.

What you could substitute,

what pan to use, if you are going to use

a store bought brand..which tasted best.

My favorite aspect is that

it tells you easy methods to make

food from scratch. Goodbye mixes and shiny packages

of seasonings. All the food we have made from the book

turns out great every time.....

You can buy one here.

so. go get one. and tell me which recipes you like. My dear

friends Sarah and Bryan got it and we are already swapping

recipes. Sarah, any thoughts???

xo

Chef Sarah

a few catch up photos..

june has loved playing outside lately.

We went up to the Tulip festival. The flowers were

amazing and came in every color.

we failed to capture the moment when june

ate it in a mud puddle and we had to take off

her muddy pants. this left her running around

the mass amount of senior citizens in nothing but

a diaper and hauling a bag of kettle corn. we are

awesome parents i know.

after 3 years of living in seattle

we finally made it up the

space needle. now we can

move on in our lives.

xoxo.

on other news...i'm still raising funds to make my next album.

oh you want to help? Great! Click here.

s

Help me make a NEW RECORD!

Help me make my new record!

Hello Friends! Welcome to the fund raising page for my fourth album! This album will be full of all new songs including “Every Time I Go” written for my daughter June. I am recording this album independently (meaning without the financial backing from a record label) and I need your help. Pre-ordering the album can make this dream happen!

When I was seven years old I knew I wanted to write songs and be a singer. So in honor of childhood dreams becoming a reality I’ve named my pre-order levels after my favorite songs at age seven. (don’t laugh, ok maybe you should.)

Here are the five pre-order levels:

The Lyle Lovett "You Can’t Resist It" Level ......................................................................... $30

- you will have the warm and fuzzy feeling in your heart of knowing you contributed to the success of the album!

• 1 personalized advance copy of the new album

• 1 signed guitar pick

The Bonnie Raitt “Thing Called Love” Level ........................................................................ $50

- you will have the warm and fuzzy feeling in your heart of knowing you contributed to the success of the album!

• 1 personalized advance copy of the new album

• 1 signed guitar pick

• 1 DVD short film on my music and the making of this album!

The Randy Travis “I’m Gonna Love You Forever" Level ................................................. $100

- you will have the warm and fuzzy feeling in your heart of knowing you contributed to the success of the album!

• 3 personalized advance copies of the new album

• 1 signed guitar pick

• 1 copy of any of my other albums

• 1 DVD short film on my music and the making of this album!

• A sweet love note of thanks to you in the album credits

The Debbie Gibson "Only In My Dreams" Level ............................................................... $250

- you will have the warm and fuzzy feeling in your heart of knowing you contributed to the success of the album!

• 5 personalized advance copies of the new album

• 1 signed guitar pick

• 2 copies of any of my other albums

• 2 free show tickets

• 1 DVD short film on my music and the making of this album!

• A sweet love note of thanks to you in the album credits

The "William Tell Overture" Level ........................................................................................ $1,000

- my Dad would put this record on and all the kids in my family would run as fast as we could around the house pretending we were horse racing. If you choose this level, I will run around the house cheering your name aloud to this record

- you will have the warm and fuzzy feeling in your heart of knowing you contributed to the success of the album!

• 10 personalized advance copies of the new album

• 1 signed guitar pick

• 4 copies of any of my other albums

• 4 free show tickets

• 1 DVD short film on my music and the making of this album!

• A listing as an "Executive Producer" in the credit

• A private house concert for your friends and family, I will fly anywhere in the US for you! Invite as many folks as you want.

• for this option please also email sarah@sarahsample.com so that I can gush my thanks to you and we can arrange a date for our totally awesome house concert.

The "You Know Best" Level ........................................................................................ ??????

You decide the amount of your sponsorship contribution. This is pure sponsorship and any amount is appreciated. No amount is too small! You will receive a personal note from Sarah Sample expressing her eternal gratitude.

Remember to include this info with your order:

• NAME

• STREET ADDRESS

• EMAIL ADDRESS

• PHONE NUMBER

• WHICH PACKAGE/LEVEL

• WHICH OTHER CDS YOU WOULD LIKE (if they are included in your package)

• TO WHOM EACH CD SHOULD BE SIGNED

If you don’t want to use the Paypal option you can mail a Check/Money Order:

Please make them out to "Sarah Sample" and send with the above info to:

Sarah Sample

P.O. Box 27292

Seattle, WA 98165-1792

Thank you dear friends. I am having the faith that this will all come together and I will make an album you will hold in your hands and think "I had something to do with this!"

xoxo

s

Plugged In

I've had a few realizations over the last weekend,

including that I need to work on being patient.

Easter day was beautiful and filled with the people I love most

and yet I found my mind wandering in various directions.

I felt unresolved

and I felt like crawling under my heating blanket

and disappearing for a week.

I did crawl under my heating blanket,

but I awoke this morning disappointed to find out it was monday.

I have a nice little phone that notifies me when

I am being called, texted, emailed.

We live in a social networking world where

you can find out when people

are going to the dentist, what indian food

restaurant they like, and when they have cancer.

Yet I find the more I am 'plugged in' the more restless I feel.

I need to introduce a little space

into my heart and life.

Let things soak around in my brain a bit longer

before I let my mouth and legs take off.

Where is the balance?

I feel like the job I do as a songwriter requires

me to be available and working often from my computer/phone.

What advice do you have for staying connected

to the world and yet keeping space for your

heart to breathe a little? Would love to hear what you think.

have a great monday night even if it involves a heating blanket.

xo

s

New Post Here: www.sarahsample.blogspot.com

hey utah friends...two shows coming up next week. come join me.

MY NEW BLOG

hey friends....

I've started a new blog about my life as a musician. Lately I've started the practice of songwriting more consistently to get ready to record a new album this summer.

My daily life will still show up in my new blog, but I will be posting there more often for awhile...I want to be including friends and fans more in this musical journey.

I hope you will add my new blog to your sites... send your friends and family there...and come say hello now and then.

www.sarahsample.blogspot.com

xoxo

s

THE MATCH

HEY FRIENDS.

been a long time. missed you.

so this lil note is to tell you all that we officially matched for Residency at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

we do our first year of internal medicine at a UW program in Boise, ID.

we move in june to Boise and a year later we move to SLC.

james has worked so hard these last 4 years of med school and I am incredibly proud of him. we are looking forward to being close to family. and i am looking forward to making touring a little easier.

thank you for all your support. here we come idaho.

my lil seattle heart might be breaking a tiny bit.

xo

s

oh sarah, nice to see you again.

sorry I have disappeared for a few weeks.

it has been wonderful to be back in seattle. i love it here.

we have been spending a lot of time thinking about where we could end up for the next four years...

seattle belongs in my heart and yet to have family support next door would really make my music career so much easier. not that this decision is mine, it is ours and of course it belongs to the program who wants us. in truth, i am so proud of james. he has worked so so hard these last four years in medical school and i know he makes a competitive applicant. whatever program gets james in the end is lucky indeed.

i am about to go on my dream cruise in a week. CAYAMO is a music cruise, and the artists this year include emmylou harris, lyle lovett, brandi carlile, rachel yamagata, darrell scott, and on and on. the thought that I will get to sing, my songs, on this boat really sets my heart sailing.
maybe if you are reading this you will say a little prayer that my little songs will find a way to be heard by one or two of my heros...and maybe they will be charmed enough to take me on tour? sounds good right?

Valentines Day was special. I love any reason to celebrate...especially reasons to celebrate the people I love.

anyone have any sweet valentine stories or traditions to share?

xo

Sundance

Had a lovely trip to Utah to perform during Sundance.

The point was to connect independent musicians with filmakers.

I was not offered any movie deals nor did I get to sip hot cocoa with adrien brody to my

disappointment. But I did make a few connections, meet a lot of new people, and

I was reminded that I am not cool at all. I'm pretty nerdy when it comes down to it. I am a folkie lets remember. But I do believe that most good things that happen to us in life come about by working hard and treating people well. I think I did both this week.

buckets of joy for me this week were found in playing with my talented friends ryan tanner and dylan schorer. Playing with people you feel safe around is pretty indispensable.

also, junie and most my family caught this awful flu. anyone else been sick? so I will not included the number of hours we watched tv and movies. lets just say. a lot.

xoxo

Not too hot to handle

Ever not have hot water for 3 days.

don't recommend it. it's lousy really.

but hot water is back and is my new best friend.

happy weekend to everyone.

xo
s

also, if you live in Utah, I am playing a bunch of sundance shows next week. Probably the best one to join us at would be Mon. Jan 25, Beehive Room in SLC 7-9pm. Open to public. Ryan Tanner and Dylan Schorer joining me.

Getting Clear

I've started a life coaching program again with a wonderful woman named Christine Kane.
It is a 7 week course and I did it first last April
and loved the results.
One of the main exercises is called 'BE-DO-HAVE'
with the purpose being to get clear.
most people are so distracted
from what really matters
that they never really ask themselves
"What do I want? Who do I want to be? What do I want to have? What delights me?"
they never get clear.

So the exercise is to write down
1. who i want to be?
2. what i want to do?
3. what i want to have?

also, when writing, do it as if it has already happened. Like:
"I am generous. I have traveled to Italy. I love driving my new leather-interior BMW." etc.

She also says to think "If I could not fail, and if I had no fear - here's what I would want."

So....

what would you want if you could not fail, if you had no fear, who do you want to be.

big things are coming this year. big things.

xo
sarah

sarah's new motherhood survival guide

not that you asked.

but I thought that I would share a
few items I have found that have made motherhood
easier
more do-able
more not cry everyday
no wait that was just the first 2 months.

Getting back into my normal routine with Juniper has been really refreshing.

I told my husband, that I was a good mom the last two days.
he said I was always a good mom.
I said, no I'm not, but I have been a great mom the last few days.

June and I were queens in the castle. I gave all my energy to June instead of putting energy into finding distractions for June so I can get other things done. We played with blocks, read books, danced to records, played piano and drums, sang in the car, arranged stuffed animals, colored pictures, ate good food, played with the dogs, took baths, and cuddled.

June is getting heavy, but there is something about the weight of her in my arms that makes my heart feel lighter. I don't know how else to say it. I love carrying her, and I love being able to hold all of her, I know that being able to cuddle my entire child won't last too much longer.

ok. onto my favs.

I just added this one. BUT HOW COULD I FORGET! (thanks ricki for the reminder) Yes, the controversial topic of sleep, forever to be debated between mothers. I loved this book. I felt it suggested a few ways to help your baby develop better sleep pattern that changed our lives, and provided a few alternatives to just one method. Junie goes to bed still around 7-7:30 and wakes up at 7. my free evening time is pretty sacred to me.

We recorded this song for the new old hymns album coming out this year. June LOVES this song, and if you pause before each time the word "shine" appears, she fills in the blank amazing well.

my iPhone. this would be one of my three items in the game where you are stranded on an island. I know it is not wise, but I have let june play a game or watch a show countless times on this machine when she is in her carseat and having a meltdown.

The bunny.
I think that every child has their comfort toy/blanket. For Junie it is this little bunny that my lovely friend anna gave me at a baby shower. The company is called "Bunnies by the Bay" and we have purchased 3 more bunnies, because can you really ever have enough? Also, June won't leave home...wait, she won't leave the room without bunny.

The Bob.
I can't say enough...I LOVE THIS STROLLER. We take it everywhere, dog park, plane rides, etc. I bought a dinky stroller to take to the airport because it was 'smaller/easier to use' not so fast wise mom...soon I realized that crappy strollers need two hands pushing to move an inch. Not the Bob, I push the bob with one hand, tow guitar or bag with the other just fine.

I think the disposable stick-on place mat is genius. I use them all the time. No mess, no germs, easy clean-up. They also come bio-degradable and eco-friendly. Click here. Also www.diapers.com has saved me, free shipping over $50 and it arrives within 2 days. always.

my favorite toddler bowl, sticks to the table surface great.
made by Boon.

We started watching a little of this DVD pretty early on to help Junie learn her signs. She loved it and picked things up fast. There are many signing videos out there, but this is on the top of my list. Junie still signs simple things, even though she is learning words now.

I love this book. Junie loves it. She loves the animals, and it is a book that any adult likes to hear over and over. By Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Jane Dyer.

This book has got to be over 25 years old, because I remember reading it as a kid. Still love the idea of it and the pictures are great.
By Audrey Wood

June loves sticker books. She likes Shrek. Great for church or planes, I guess confined space in general.

My lifeline; Sarah Jane Powers.
We grew up as best friends in Santa Barbara. She went to Chicago for School, I went to Utah. But just over 2 years ago we had a phone conversation in which we both told eachother we were pregnant, turns out our daughters were born 9 days apart. I know most new moms are not so lucky to be able to talk with your dear friend about every stage of pregnancy and motherhood, and I still thank the heavens that I have Sarah in my everyday life. She is a wonderful mother and helps me to be a better mom all the time. Word to new moms, find another new mom and hold onto eachother for dear life.
I joined a wonderful group in Seattle called PEPS, it pairs new moms in the same neighborhood with same age babies.

Have you ever eaten Fran's salted Carmels? Oh you haven't...
you might want to change your life right now.
thanks to lovely laurel for this one.

Pair. My lovely friend Kelly brought me here. It has become a staple in my life. I bring out of town guests here all the time because the food is so good and it incorporates all that I love about seattle; good food, a community centered restaurant, not wasteful, simple, delicious, inimate setting. My favorite items? Roasted artichoke, half chicken, and fondue with apples and pears.

there has been a lot of dr. pepper in my life.

All of my family has been amazing to me on this journey of Motherhood. James especially deserves all the praise I can give a person for being an incredible hub and dad. And all of my McDonald family has been kind, gracious and supportive. But I have to give an overflowing bucket of love and praise to this woman. My mom. She watches June every month for a few days while I tour, and she loves June more than she loves pretty much anything. Thank you mom, for being a wonderful mother, and making it possible for me to keep making my dream a reality...motherhood and musician.


I always love to hear what has made life a little easier
more simplified
more beautiful
more meaningful
to new moms.
please share any favorites you have .
xo
s