Good Word Wednesday!

Our pregnant milk cow, Peter, had her baby! She had a little girl cow. Is there a name for a little girl cow? Just calf maybe? Anyways, I am so happy because now we can start milking Peter again. We had to let her dry up a couple months before the due date to prepare her for delivery. Not exactly sure why or how that all works, but I'm learning. I love the whole milk, and cream and butter that we get from Peter. She's been my favorite food storage investment yet. Peter lives at Uncle Brawner's ranch down the street and we haven't been over to see her and the baby yet. When we make it, I'll post pictures. She's such a pretty mama.

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K, Homes, you won't see me for a couple days now. I'm hitting the road tomorrow for the mother load of races, Ragnar Relay.

Teams of 12 runners starting in Prescott and ending in Mesa. It's 202.1 miles and 24 hours of running awesomeness. Each runner runs three different times (called legs). I am runner #4 on my team. When you're not running you hang out in the team van with the rest of your crew and talk, eat, try to sleep and pretty much just love being out and apart of something huge while cheering on your fellow runners. Then when your leg is coming up you get ready for the exchange and hit it hard.

I've been preparing for this race since last year. I am so stinking excited I can hardly wait!

I leave for Prescott tomorrow afternoon and so Olen will be solely in charge of the kids and house. I am ultra-perfectionist-paranoid about leaving someone else in charge of my house (I know, even Olen; ease up, I'm working on it) so I have been setting out clothes for my kids, I showed Olen the simplest way to fix London's crazy-frizz hair and I have meals for the weekend in the freezer. I'm not worried about the welfare of my kids, though. The Sportsman's Expo is in town this weekend and so Olen and my gang have their plans laid out. And I think I overheard Porter whispering to Olen that Peter Piper Pizza would be a good dinner on Friday, so they'll be fine. But if you happen to see smoke coming from the roof tops (we don't have a fireplace) or if you can smell something funny while standing on the front porch, please give Olen a ring and make sure everything is okay. I'll have my cell phone if you need me. The number is on the fridge.

See ya Monday!

Turns out that we couldn't have just one dog.

While Porter was at school London and Danger would romp and roll all over the yard and in the dirt. Then when Port would get home he wanted the dog all to himself to teach it how to sit and roll over and fetch. There was just not enough doggie to love. So we had to get Danger some company, and reinforcement.

This dog would be London's so we let her choose its name. Knowing that her favorite movie at the moment is Sleeping Beauty, the name she chose is no surprise. When I put the spotted pup in her lap and asked her what we should call her, London said without hesitation, "Make it Pink!" (Remember that part in the movie where the fairies fight over the color of Sleeping Beauty's dress? London always votes for the pink one.)

So now here is the newest member of the family, Pink.

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Guess what?! I forgot that I will be out of town on Friday (how I forgot I don't know, it's kind of a big deal and I'll probably talk about it all tomorrow) so that means that I'll be pushing the deadline for apron names till Monday. Have I mentioned how you guys are total allstars?! Seriously, you rock.

Um, remember theses?

You do! Good. Now you are all apart of my... Flashback Friday!

My sewing machine is on fire creating these handy aprons for an upcoming boutique I'm participating in. It's time to order the cutesy tags to go with them and I have a major problem! What should I call these?!

Well, duh. They are aprons. But remember, they were once pillow cases and men's shirts, cloth napkins and women's handkerchiefs, boys jeans and little girl dresses. Plus a hip towel!
So I'm stumped as to which name or combination of names to choose.

So, here's the deal: Leave me a message about what to name my own little pillow-case-hankie-shirt-towel-aprons and the winning name will receive their very own pillow-case-hankie-shirt-towel apron! Out of state? No worries, I know where the post office is.

OK. Sit back down and collect yourself. Now get those creative juices flowing and be a winner! Hooray for you!

A big thanks! in advance. I know I've got such clever Homies, and I can't wait to get started on your apron!


Deadline: Next Friday - February 27th (That's Mamasita Bonita's "magic" birthday. She's 29, ya know.)

FURTHER UPDATE: There are no restrictions to the name suggestions. So bring it. Yeah!
Also - I am loving them all; so I've asked my Mamasita Bonita to do the selecting. When it comes to being crafty, she's pretty much where the buck stops for me. So I know she'll choose wisely. It will be random and anonymous and pending my final approval. Keep 'em coming!!

Homies, we're skipping town this weekend (or maybe just hanging out in the basement).

Until our return, I present you with 12-minutes and 10-seconds of real life Olen and Molly goodness.

You know you want your own goodness. Here's where you can get it.

(After Olen and I watched the finished video, I had to give him a slug in the shoulder because at some points it looks like he's yawning! Am I right? Yes, I am; just watch. Hello? Love story, remember? Be awake. Thanks Sugar.)

Flashback Friday!

Christmas Day 2008

The whole gang (except Daddio who was standing behind the camera, see below).

Daddio and Mamasista Bonita

Ever see that movie "Cheaper By The Dozen", the one with Helen Hunt and Steve Martin? What a load of crap. I hope you didn't buy it.

Big families are nothing like that. There aren't food fights at every meal, there are never four-person-pile-ups outside the bathroom door and not once was anyone forgotten, lost or left behind.

You wanna know what growing up as #2 out of 12 kids was like (that' right, an even dozen; so now you know I know what I'm talking about)? Well, it was full.

Full of love. Full of laughter. Full of friends and people who understand you. Full of warmth and kindness. Full of fun. Full of work to be shared and sorrows to divide.

After you toss your copy of that bogus flick out the window, you should come on over for a Sunday dinner. Now there is a real life comedy-drama-horror-chick-flick-saga-documentary-biography that you can believe.

And we still always have left-overs.

Molly's Rule of Life #20

Every Princess needs a Prince.

Good Word Wednesday!

Danger. Danger Reynolds

Danger Reynolds (named by Porter thinking about "...all the racoons [they'll] hunt together..." ) joined our family yesterday.

We've been mostly a hairless-pet-family (as in goldfish only) up until now, so this is a pretty big deal.

I smell good. Just ask Furmin.

Every first Friday of the month the Phoenix Art Museum and Science Center are free from six to ten o'clock in the pm (props to Katie Mae for her good deal hunting skills). Free is my favorite four-letter word. Love is my favorite, too. Olen might think I have another favorite four-letter word...food!...yeah, yeah, that's what I was going to say...ok.

So to make our frugal outing complete, we hopped aboard the new Valley Metro Light Rail for our commute to the museum. When I say "we", I mean, me and Olen, Katie Mae and Jacob and Bethany and Chase.

Have you ever taken The Rail? Well, it is a trip. Literally. We were experiencing some serious sardine love up in there. The first couple stops (we had 13 to go) our group had the whole car to ourselves. Then we had to switch trains and by stop four loads of people were flooding on. That's because there is another "First Fridays" going on in the streets of downtown Phoenix. Olen's new BFF told us it is an "urban movement of local crafters, vendors, musicians and artists". I'm always up for a good urban movement and Furmin had me sold (he was one of Olen's new BFFs), but our group was museum bound. Our BFFs insisted on getting a picture together and then one of us, too, to document our Friday night light rail ride.

Furmin and Juan had just come from "the best Irish bar in Tempe" and were feeling friendly. Furmin announced that someone smelled good and started searching out the scent by getting reeeaally close to this one girl next to him. I was unnecessarily close to Olen and the wall to avoid his searches, but when the girls around him came up clean, he announced that it must be I who smelled so good. So yay me! I won the ol' "Who smells so good?!" on the light rail test.

The museum was wonderful, as always. I especially loved the American art exhibits. We were a little bummed out that the fashion exhibit was temporarily closed, but all the more reason to go next month. You're all invited. See you on the rail.

Molly's Rule of Life #2

The Laundry Can Wait.

That's a king-size yo! Embarrassing but true. So whatever.

I've got better things to do...

Hey, hey. It's Flashback Friday.

OK, so if you didn't know me pre-Olen, I need to take a minute and update you on the maiden Molly.

My mom decided that our family should be semi-vegetarian when I was about sixteen, maybe seventeen, maybe fifteen. So we didn't eat any red meat and very little chicken. My dad's idea of hunting was probably scavenging the garage for a lost tool. We went "camping" at the family cabin (running water, flushing toilets, the works, thank you). This is very important stuff to keep in mind; you'll understand in a couple paragraphs.

Then comes along this dashing young man. I think he's the tops and I caught his eye (get it eye?! Oh man, I'm funny). So we get to know each other and turns out we're soul mates, so we decide we oughta get married.

My little country boy is from, well, the country, and boy do I love that. Except they do things a tad different than us city folk. It's still awesome, just country-awesome. For example. At the very first bar-b-q I went to with Olen's family they were grilling four different kinds of meat! Four!! Remember, semi-vegetarian? No meat. In my future mother and father-in-law's house hung heads of six different kinds of animals, a bobcat pelt and multiple antlers. I learned that one of those heads and the pelt belonged to my future spouse and would soon find a home in my house. Hooray for common law.

Well, I decided to embrace this new world of hunting and fishing and outdoorsey stuff. It's been a real ride. I can hook a worm, gut a fish, skin a deer, make killer elk stakes and if you've ever had my fried cat fish and hush puppies; then you know what I'm talking about. Now, our world doesn't revolve around the outdoor hobbies; unless it's hunting season or Alamo Lake is hopping. Otherwise my husband is very domesticated and well behaved.

So why the whole back story? Because of this, my flashback:

February 2002, Valentine's weekend.

Don't I look like I might actually know what I'm doing in my sexy camo overalls?

Turns out that Valentine's weekend falls right about javalina (hava-leena) season. So for the first three years of our marriage we would apply for tags and go on a little road trip to southern Arizona and hunt the javies. Just the two of us. I know you're thinking, "Why didn't my husband ever think of such a romantic getaway?" Well, don't feel bad. I don't think anyone but my husband would have thought it to be romantic hiking and following pig droppings in the wilderness with your Sugar. But it really was.

We never caught any (thank goodness, what stinky things) but we always had so much fun. The first year I had no clue what I was doing and so I let Olen plan the whole weekend. We had tin-foil dinners in the campfire and slept in the truck. The next year, we booked a hotel room with cable and ate out at the town's one restaurant. Gosh, it was a blast. Those are some of my favorite Valentine's Days.

We call them, The Javalentine's Days.

Maybe next year we'll start up again. Maybe.

Molly's Rule of Life #56

Book clubs are a necessity.
Add book clubs and cheesecake, and now you're talking about some good times.


i heart libros monthly consuming of cheesecake and book conversation.

Welcome back to another installment of Good Word Wednesday.

On this day of the week, we stop to remember the joy sprinkled into our journey.

Leave a good word and take time to pick one up on your way out.

Here's mine.

Last night I had a hot date. With two gorgeous guys.

Olen and Porter took me out to see BUY's Living Legends in Seasons. If you haven't heard of this beautiful traveling performance before, let me enlighten you. It is a collection of dances from around the world; North America, Fiji, Mexico, Alaska, Samoa and more. All in authentic and elaborate costumes and music.

My parents took my brothers and sisters and I to amazing shows, like this, when we were growing up to open our minds to different cultures and educate us about what else is out there. It was special to me to be able to share this experience with my son. (We left Elle to play at Nana and Papa's because she is a wild cat when forced to sit still.)

On my mom's side I have Paiute and Navajo ancestors and this heritage is important to me. I couldn't help feeling a lump grow in my throat while watching the dancers preform, in full dress, the dance of the Eagle; which is sacred to the natives of Northern America, embodying strength, courage, and wisdom. Having so many Native Americans in the audience calling back to the dancers in their native tongue made the experience even more amazing. The air was electric.

We must have been in the Tongan/Samoan section of the auditorium because when the dances from Fiji and Tonga and Samoa were preformed the whole audience around us exploded in calls of energy, happiness and strength. It was just fantastic. Porter looked around at these people calling back with wonder, and asked if he could give a "yee-haw" (he's got a great yee-haw).

But, I told him that it wasn't our turn.

(I wonder what that says about us if my son felt inspired to holler yee-haw? Is that our call? Oh well.)

Visiting things like this makes it clear that we live in a world where learning about our ancestors is something that primarily happens in school, from books, or when forced to. This stuff needs to be taught in the home. I wish that we, as a society, put more emphasise on remembering where we came from, who fought for us, who won our freedoms, and what are we doing to deserve them and to be grateful for them?

Last night while taking part in this celebration of cultures, song and dance, I felt an awakening; that at least within my own small family I can teach my children about their heritage and we can remember and cherish those that came before us and what they stood for. Just by passing down a treasured recipe, a story, or a tradition. These are ways we can begin to remember again.

What is it that you will choose to pass down to your next generation?

More importantly, what will be passed down about you?

Now you're going to be thinking about this all day. As you take calls at your desk, sweep the floor, drive home from work, surf the web, cook dinner, bathe the kids and lay in bed trying to sleep. And it's good for you. So go ahead and think about it.

I left the first message. Now it's your turn.

Yes. I kiss on the first date. Check out the paws on my Sun-shine!

Better Luck Next Year and Introducing our House Elf

Congratulations to anyone who won money on yesterday's game. Good thing I'm not a betting girl. Now that the fair weather is over, I'm back to being just a fan.

Awh, well. They sure did give it a great try; and gave us a reason to have family and friends over for some food and football. That's good enough for me.

Cards, here's to next year...

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So, you know how London likes to sort things out and put them in other things (like baggies or purses or dresser drawers)? I think I may make this a regular segment since I daily find random things gathered and moved into new locations of my house. Sometimes it's just her My Little Pony's corralled in the cup cupboard, and then other times it's even better. I'll document my favorite gathering discoveries.

I think I will call it: House Elf

I came into the living room to find London had color coordinated all of Porter's Connectagon pieces (an awesome building toy) and put them into their own baggies. She had put the other colors away and was placing blue pieces in between each stair rail.

I said, "LaLa, what are you doing?"

She said, "Working."

Well, she worked on this for an hour and I got all the laundry done.

Nice working with ya Elf.