Hey there! 
Holy Moly....Its been a long winter here in Vermont.  We still have snow on the ground and it is April. The river behind our house is gushing with excitement from the melting snow. 

We have seen some glimmers of hope with the warm spring sun that has been breaking thru the clouds reminding us that there will be flowers and green grass soon.  The trees have been shedding their winter fur coats as the sun hits them. 

This winter was a tough one for me and my husband. Most of you who follow me on social media and are in my Kindred know that I am an avid animal lover and that the animals that I adopt are a HUGE part of my life. 

We had to say goodbye to our sweet dog Jasmine on Valentines day.  She was sick with cancer.  She was my soulmate dog and we had a strong connection which made it super hard to say goodbye to her.  I believe that her sweet spirit is still with me and that she has now become my guardian angel.  I don't think that you can have such a strong connection with an animal/person and that it just all ends when they transition into the afterlife. 

I have started writing a song for her and I have put all my other projects on hold for the moment so that I can finish it and get in the studio and record it and release it as a single. I will keep you posted on the developments. 

Looking forward to health and healing and Spring flowers soon! Sending love from my little corner of the world in Vermont. 

Peace, 

Melissa D

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season. We just got our first big snow here in Vermont yesterday and it is snowing outside my window as I write this.  

As you might already know, Vermont is known for making heavenly maple syrup.  As a holiday treat I wanted to share my favorite maple pie recipe.  

This has become a tradition in my house.  I plan on making it this afternoon for a holiday party.  

It's called "Dog Team Maple Oatmeal Pie" named after an amazing local restaurant that unfortunately is no longer in business but was locally famous for their desserts.  

Ingredients - 3 eggs, 2 tbsp. butter(mmmmm, butter..lol) 2/3 cup of oatmeal, 2/3 cup of coconut, 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts, 1 tsp Vanilla, 2 cups of Maple syrup(this is what makes it magic! :-)  1 prepared pie shell 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, Beat the eggs and butter together, Add in and combine the rest of the ingredients and stir well.  Put mixture in the pie shell and bake for 45 - 60 minutes.  

If you would like some music to go with your pie click here and pick up a copy(physical or digital) of my Christmas album.  It is 20% off until December 24th. Type in "pie" during checkout as your discount code.   

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  

Peace and Love, 
Melissa D

Hey there! 
I have not written in a while and feel like a total slacker!  

We had some spring like weather about a week ago that was epic!  People were wandering in the streets and drinking in the unusual warm February sunshine.  However, this week-end the weather made a big shift and it is super cold! We are all finding ourselves tucked up into our houses again making tea and watching movies.  

I have been doing some songwriting!  I wrote a song the other day called 911!  The melody just came to me when I was washing the endless stack of dishes that were piling up in my sink. ;-)   The song is all about having a love emergency!  I plan on putting this song on my album! 

Speaking of albums, I have found a producer that will be a perfect fit for my debut solo album!!! I did a mini road trip up to Chelsea, Vermont earlier this week and met with Kristina Styykos. Her specialty is acoustic music! Along with producing, She is also a fantastic songwriter/artist. The best way to describe her sound would be what Melissa Etheridge would sound like if she did folk music. Kristina has a grittiness and genuineness that just pulls you in. Check out her music here

Her studio is off the grid and is on top of a mountain and it has some of the most breathtaking views! I am going to try and take some good pictures of the views when I go back and post them for you on facebook and Instagram!  I felt totally at home there! She also has two really sweet cats! One of them is a calico cat that kept seeking out my affection. :-)   Recording will begin this spring! I had originally wanted to do the recording over the winter but have had some setbacks between getting a nasty bout of the flu and dealing with life's usual conundrums that come up!  I feel that everything happens for a reason and I might have not made the amazing connection with Kristina if I had rushed and pushed myself into recording sooner! 

How has your winter been going?  Would love to hear from you!  Feel free to catch up with me on facebook. 

If you haven't already,  you can sign up for my kindred for free by clicking here where I will be e-mailing exclusive updates just for you plus a free download.  

Peace
Melissa D
 

I have noticed so much tension in the air lately with the pending election here in the United States and the media frenzy that has accompanied it. It appears to be bringing things to a heightened level.  Everyone seems angry and on edge lately.  I was in the grocery store last week and I heard someone one aisle over having a meltdown and crying and saying "I just can't take it anymore!" and then later in that same week, I was at a clothing store looking for a winter jacket and I heard someone at the front of the store yelling 'its not ok!! no!! Its not ok!"   I have been praying for peace and healing for those two people I heard in those stores and also for peace and healing for our country and the world right now.  

I must admit that I am hibernating a bit this weekend.  As an introvert that is how I often deal with life when things get tense.  I need that time alone to re-charge and reflect. I am in a creative mode right now and have been writing songs!  I plan on releasing an album within the next year. I am shooting for Spring 2017.  Some of the songs will be ones I have had kicking around for years now and that I never recorded and others will be brand new ones I am in process of writing.  I have been talking with several producers, one is in California and two in Vermont and will soon be making some big decisions about next steps.  It has been a lifelong dream for me to release a solo album and stuff is finally starting to come together!! 

The other big news is that I just started a youtube channel.  It's called Vermont Made Songs.  Feel free to check it out at Vermont Made Songs   Because it is so brand new, I don't have any subscribers yet so if you could help me out by subscribing and sharing, that would be awesome!  One of my videos is a live performance of me playing an unreleased song called "Little Girl."  It is a song that I wrote in the 2000's and I plan on having it on the album next year!  I have two videos on there right now and plan on adding another one within the next week. 

I want you to know that I appreciate you and your support and am so glad to have you on this journey with me.  
Peace
Melissa D

 

I am thrilled to share with you that my new single Love of My Life is now officially released and available at my online store vermontmadesongs.com, and thru CD Baby.  Itunes and amazon will also be carrying it within the next week.   I would like to acknowledge Mandy Davis, a local Vermont artist for doing an amazing job on the cover art!  I have dedicated this single to Alan Moorhouse, the love of my life! Every day I am grateful for the love that we share!
Peace
Melissa D

Welcome to my brand new website!  I am so excited for the opportunity to share my journey with you on my new blog. I will try my best to keep up on it!  I am about to release a new single called "love of my life."  It is a song I wrote for my husband for our wedding day on June 30th 2016.  I totally surprised him with it! It was so hard to keep it a secret from him because he is my best friend and I tell him everything! I wrote the song in January and went into the studio in April and started laying down the tracks at Lion Tone studios in Middlebury, VT with Clint Bierman who is an amazing producer and multi instrumentalist.   As I type this blog, the cover art is being made!  I can't wait to share it with you!  Stay tuned! :-) 
Peace,
Melissa D