Welcome!

 My hobbies are camping and playing with my 8 year old granddaughter and my extensive Lego collection.  I am going to try to include a few of my photos of all the fun we have!  I also love listening to Southern Gospel music -  two years ago  I discovered Elvis Gospel - I never knew that side of him.  The Elvis He Touched Me DVD set is very interesting.  I also love The Cathedrals and the Gaithers especially on DVD so I can watch them sing!

My Home Page will sometimes include information of family events and I don't know what else - we shall see!  I just know I'm going to have lots of fun with it.

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    My husband of 19 years is retired, but helps out in the custom embroidery shop we started in 1991.  His oldest son is buying the business from us, but it is in the same building as our home, so it is very convenient for Floyd to help when needed.  I wanted a job that I would be off work in the summer months so we could travel to Colorado, so that is working real well - I'm off when the kids are out of school which means I can help take care of Lexy when she is out of school.

    I got a part-time job about 2 1/2 years ago working in Food Service at a local junior high school.  After not working for six years due to burn out, I welcomed a job that didn't require thinking and making decisions.  The six other ladies I work with are a great bunch.  I don't do any of the cooking, which is a good thing for the students and me!  I wash dishes, wipe tables, help serve the food and various other cleaning duties.  I don't mind doing the dishes - I have always liked washing dishes and didn't even put a dishwasher in our house we built five years ago.  Floyd likes to cook, so we make a great pair!

    We built a metal building in 2002 to live in and just LOVE it!  We started with the embroidery shop part 40' by 50' and then added another 80' by 50' for our private living space.  We took that 80' by 50' and divided it up in three sections - one for a 4-car garage, one for a 1,350 sq. ft. living space, and one for a covered patio that houses our fifth-wheel trailer and gives us an outdoor living room.  It's especially great sitting on our patio when it is raining.  Our camper (with full hook-ups) is our guest house because we only wanted one bedroom for us inside.  We have a huge 27' by 32' great room for family get-togethers.  It has concrete floors and a 13' tongue and groove White Aspen wood ceiling.  The kitchen cabinets are also Aspen that we ordered from a saw mill in Colorado and picked it up ourselves.  Floyd's youngest son had been working in a cabinet shop in Alaska, so he moved back here to build all our cabinets and we love them!

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January 19th, 2009 - We have a Publisher!

I just want you to know God has answered our prayers for a publisher of C's album.  TMG called me today to confirm that C had a wonderful voice and they are wanting to remaster the songs and partner with us to distrubute the album nationwide, advertise, set up events, make posters, contact media outlets, and more (they do quite a bit)!  They did have two questions:  1-Was there an original song on the album? (They don't partner with artists unless there is original work).  I had an answer to that - "One Step From Victory" is owned by C's heirs and it is an original - that was good enough and proves God was working on this project for about 15 years!!  2-They wanted to know if we could get the master copy of the 9 songs on the album that were recorded in Tennessee, and again, I had the answer - that I had talked to Rick and he was going to be sending me the master.  Tate needs it so they can 'remaster' the songs.  What a huge answer to prayers!!  100 percent Thanks to God, and thank you all so very much for your prayers!!

Prayers are answered!
January 6, 2009

Rick returned my phone messages and told me that C's heirs own the rights to the song he won in a contest!  We will only need to pay him 10 cents per CD we make for his royalities.  He also knows the master copy is in his storage and will look for it and get it to me as soon as he can. 
THIS IS A BIG ANSWER TO PRAYERS!  THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

I also finally reached (after 3 weeks) the company that we will be purchasing at least 5 soundtracks/rights from and they gave me some information about another track.  They are very helpful - they are sending me a CD with 8 soundtracks on it so we can be sure we are getting the right ones.  This CD will have the whole song, not just 30 seconds, so this will be a big help.

There is a guy in town that is working on getting me a copyable DVD of the 30 minute TV show that C did in 1993 so his family will be able to see it, so I need to start working on creating the label.

I believe God's hand is in this project and is moving in so many ways!

Update on Mission CD Project January 3, 2009

Since my cousin just couldn't work for several weeks, she had to 'bid' on her working hours and they got changed to 4 ten hour days a week.  The long days are really hard for her, but she likes having the 3 days off in a row and she mentioned it would give her a chance to get counseling.  I have been encouraging her in that direction.

This project is going slow, but that's okay.  I know God is working in this project and it just excites me so very much!  We have had several small miracles happen - one is finding a recording studio that is willing to partner with us in marketing C's album.  I found them by doing a Google Search!!!! and as it turns out, they are a Christian company just west of OKC!!!  How WONDERFUL to have a company such as this so close!!  It is a true blessing! I sent them a couple of snippets of C singing (which they liked) and they emailed me a copy of the proposed 14 page contract.  The whole last page was their Statement of Belief in God - amazing to find a company like this! 

My cousin found a some cassette tapes with 4 more songs on them we would like to add to the album, but the recordings are not as good in quality, so hoping the recording studio can edit them for better sound.  My son-in-law has done some editing and helped them a lot, but the studio has more sophisticated equipment to do more than he could.

Other small miracles is we have found 6 of the soundtracks that C used in recording, so are ready to buy those rights.  We just need to find 6 or 7 more soundtracks now.  If we can't find them all or can't purchase the rights, then the album will have less songs on it, but we are wanting 13 songs in the album now.  Three of these last songs are very powerful songs and you can just hear the emotion in them!

I have also sent TMG a CD with 13 songs on it so they can listen to it and give us their opinion - I hope to hear from them next week. They have never done a memorial or legacy album, so this is going to be new territory for them, too.  It is a big company (about 85 employees), so they have the capabilities and distribution connections that I don't have.  They would be a HUGE help in marketing C's CD, but now it depends on me finding the background music that C used 15 years ago (he must have thrown away the cassette tapes, so this is taking a lot of research) and purchasing the rights.  When I purchase the rights, I will get the information to be able to pay the royalities (should be less than 10 cents per CD per song) to the song writers.  And only then can we produce and market the album on CD.

I have found out that I can email out snippets of the songs we have without having the rights purchased as long as it is only 30 seconds long.   I'll try to make some 30 second mp3 file snippets so that I can email them out for you to hear his voice.

His life wasn't perfect, but he had a heart for ministering in song.  He knew God gave him his voice and he knew he wanted to use it for God's work.  I know in my heart these songs will be a blessing to many people!

Neither my cousin nor I have heard back from the recording studio about the master copy of 9 songs that were recorded in Tennessee.  Please keep praying that Rick will communicate with one of us.  I have the money set aside for that purchase and the purchase of the rights to the songs, but it will take another $2,000 to enter into a contract with TMG to produce, market and distribute all over the USA.  They also set up appearances in churches and make the flyers and posters.

My cousin found a DVD of a performance for a local TV station in 1993. I have gotten the written permission to copy it for family members, but not to broadcast it.  The quality is not good enough to broadcast.  I am trying to make copies for C's 14 siblings and his father - some have not even seen the program.

As you can tell - alot going on in my music world - I am learning a lot!!

PLEASE keep us all and this project in your prayers.  Thank you so much - it is really, really appreciated!!

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Update on Mission CD Project December '08:

We have been making progress on C's album, but still some things to work out.  We have found about 6 soundtracks and can buy the releases for them - still looking for the other three.  I do have the money to buy the releases for those songs.  When we get the release, they will give us the information to be able to pay royalities to the song writers.

 

I have an urgent prayer request for the one song that C won in a singing contest.  The recording studio owner, Rick, will not return my cousin's phone calls or emails about getting the master copy of the album recording.  Also we are wondering if he would know who owns the rights to the song C won.

 

So, please include Rick in your prayers that he would communicate with my cousin or me.  I'm getting ready to try calling him myself.

 

My cousin's son seems to be doing okay.  My cousin has had some challenges this past month, but is now past them, so is ready to work on this project again.  I can't tell you how much I appreciate her help in this.  She did find a recording of an interview and and mini-concert C did here in 1993, so that is very neat.  I wish the quality was better on the video and the audio - it is very poor and not good enough for broadcast.  I did get the release from our local TV station to copy the program for all of C's siblings and his dad so they will have it and I'm hoping to have it to them by Christmas.

 

My cousin also found more wonderful songs on cassette tape that C had recorded and we have them on the computer. They were not recorded at a quality studio like the other 9 songs were, and my son-in-law did a great job in editing them, but they need more help, so I'm working on that.  I would LOVE to include them on the CD album.  C's voice is so very dynamic and he put so much feeling into these songs - I just am so excited to possibly get to have these songs on the CD too.  One of the problems is recording off of a cassette tape made 15 years ago - it tends to drag.

 

We both Appreciate and Thank You so much for all your prayers!

 

Hope everyone has a safe and Happy Christmas!

 

Love, Loretta

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My New Mission Project  

     I would like to share with you a mission project God has laid on my heart.  This has been on my mind and in my prayers for weeks and the end of September, I found out God has been working his mysterious ways since the day my cousin by marriage passed away (from now on known as 'C') – I just didn’t know it yet.

      'C' was survived by his wife (my cousin) and two sons, age 20 and  17.  'C' died of Leukemia on July 9th, 2008 then only 5 weeks later on August 18th, the oldest son died in a car wreck.  There has not been a memorial service yet but my cousin would like to have one soon.

      I had no idea that I had been working with 'C' 's sister for about 1 1/2 years until his obit came in the newspaper.  We were on vacation in Colorado at that time, but I keep in touch with our local news via my laptop and WiFi at our campground.  One day after we started back to work this school year, she asked me if I had ever heard her brother sing and since I hadn't, she brought me a CD with nine songs on it – eight gospel and one pop/gospel.  I was surprised to say the least!!  It was recorded at a studio, so it has good quality, and I was overwhelmed with the sound of his voice. 

      My daughter  told me she heard him sing once years ago and his voice just filled the room.  You can definitely tell that from his recording.  In my mind I would compare him to Johnny Mathis, but different.  He most certainly had a voice given to him by God and he used it for gospel music.  The music minister at our church has written and recorded his own songs, so I let him listen to the CD and he was of the same opinion as I – that 'C' had a very good voice, a big range, very good diction and control of his voice and it should be marketable.  My cousin told 'C' 's sister that she had really worked hard with him on his diction – well, it was worth it!

      The down side of this wonderful CD is that he recorded it in the mid-1990’s with accompaniment tapes that were to be used only for live performances, so they can not be sold or broadcast.  Well…..we want to change that and make them “legal”.  I emailed my cousin and told her I had a mission project in mind for her and her son and she emailed me back that ever since her husband died she had been having a strong impression that she needed to work on getting the legal rights to use the songs and eventually make a new album.  My cousin has just recently found another cassette tape of songs her husband would sing at nursing homes, so we will be checking on doing those songs also.  'C'  also had sang in some local productions.

      I’ll tell you a little about the youngest son now.  He took care of his dad at home in his last months and his grades went from straight A’s to failing.  His teachers all knew the situation  and liked him so much that they passed him on to the next grade anyway for this school year.  I think that says a lot for him, but he and his mom are still having a hard time with the circumstances emotionally as well as financially as we can only imagine.

      I really didn’t think my cousin would be able to help me much – she has had to take off of work a lot – emotions just knocking the sails out of her and not being able to concentrate on her job – but she has been a big help.  She emailed me one day that she has no doubts at all that we should move forward with this project and I’ll explain why:

      While on vacation in the Colorado mountains this past July, we went Jeep trailing one day with two other couples.  We were all trying to spot some wildlife and also take in the wonderful views with our cameras in hand.  We had stopped to take photos, and I looked up and saw a bird flying overhead against the blue sky and some clouds.  I told everyone to look, but they didn’t seem as interested as I was.  I took pictures until I had one with the bird’s wings open and for some reason that I can’t explain, this photo has been my favorite vacation picture this year!  My husband and daughter remember me going on and on about that photo, but not knowing why I felt that way.

       Well,  I wanted to make a CD label for our three copies of 'C' 's CD, so I emailed the photo to my cousin.  She emailed back:  “Did you look at the date stamp on the photo?”  It was the day her husband passed away.  So I made up a label with the song titles on it and emailed it to my cousin again.  This is what she said:   “He sang His Eye is on the Sparrow around the house quite often.  He also watched birds closely, he was part Cherokee/Creek, so he had a deep connection with nature, birds in particular.  The label is perfect ... 'C' would approve 100%.”  She had also told me that a few minutes after he had died… about 8:10 pm on July 9th, she started thinking about him singing “His Eye is on the Sparrow” almost like she was hearing him sing it in her thoughts.  She found out later that at the same time, his sister in Wyoming and his niece in southern Oklahoma started singing the song over and over again…neither of them knew that 'C' had just died.

      What we are working on right now is getting the master copy and having it made into a computer format so we can remove the background music on the songs that we can’t get a release for.  We should be hearing about that soon – we have no idea how much it will cost, but it will be necessary to have the master so we can separate the vocal from the background music.  We will also have to get a performance release (if we want to broadcast over the radio) and a mechanical release from the song writers (except for “His Eye is on the Sparrow” – it is public domain).  There will be royalties to pay on every CD we have made and also royalties to pay every time his songs are played on radio.  If we can’t get the releases for the accompaniment tapes, then my son-in-law is going to try reproducing the background himself.  'C' also has a niece  that sings really well, so we might get her to do some of the back-up singing if need be.

     Anyway – there are lots of things to think about and do and research.  My cousin will probably have to talk to a music lawyer.  As of right now, we are not positive how much the total cost will be to get a “legal” CD made, but we are pressing on.  I am giving my paychecks (which are not a whole lot because I work only part time) but it’s a start.  Most of all I am asking that you PRAY, PRAY, and PRAY again for my cousin, her son and me - that God will lead us and guide us and open the doors He wants opened for us.  I know nothing of the music industry, but I know in my heart that I want to be there for my cousin to do anything I can to help and I believe with my whole heart that this is what God wants me to do.

 His songs are songs of hope and stepping out in faith and are so inspiring!

We greatly appreciate all your love and prayers, Loretta 

My Family

    My daughter and son-in-law sell real estate in Enid, Oklahoma. They are very creative and also do web site design on the side.

    I have a blast with their 7 year old daughter, Lexy, who likes to sell her own children's artwork.  Be sure to check our her web site.

    My husband already had 3 adult children, two boys and one girl.  The oldest (buying the embroidery shop) is not married, but the other two are, so.....
that is where seven more granddaughters come from!  They are fun to play with and do crafts with!  Four of them live in Tulsa, OK, not as close as we would like - they range in age from 3 to 19!  Three of them live in Kremlin, OK (close to us) ages 10, 11 and 16.  The 10 and 11 year olds like to come visit us and play Legos.