A few things for Friday + an ask

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I found this scan of an old family picture when I was doing some cleaning out this week. Yes, I'm the somewhat mischevious-looking one holding the stick. And if I remember correctly, I probably got scolded for smacking the stubborn steers as my sister and brother worked with them, walking up and down our long driveway. 

History repeats itself, except this time with lambs. The girls and I are walking, tugging and pleading with these stubborn lambs up and down the lane every night. Each night I silently cross my fingers that we'll have a breakthrough. That the lambs will realize that it's way more enjoyable to walk than to be pulled. So far, no luck. And time is ticking. The fair is exactly two weeks away.  

Our mother would send us up and down the driveway with our steers, our lambs, probably even our pigs at some point. And now, I'm demanding the same of my girls. 

In the meantime, here are a few things for your Friday....

*This is my yearly PSA, reminding you to see your dermatologist for a skin cancer "head to toe" check. I went yesterday, and was reminded how important it is. 

*Made these. So easy. So good. No hot baking required.

*Today's rain and cooler temps means I'm making more of this.

*Shameless request. I was chosen as a finalist for the Red Tricycle Awards for best Mom/Dad blog AND most beautiful Pinterest boards. Woah. Mind blown. Would you take a moment and vote for me? I owe you. 

Mom and Dad Blog:

Vote for Me

 

Pinterest Boards

Vote for Me

*The lovely Caravan Shoppe just launched a project on Kickstarter. 

*I've really loved the direction that Erin Loechner has been taking Design for Mankind. This post, while announcing the launch of her new eyeglass frames collection is just a small example of her lovely words and perspective.

*Love this: Mini-herb garden, rethinking the hanging planter

Happy Friday friends! More soon. xo.

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Little things, two of them incredibly cute

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Oh, people. Remember my list of "Things That Are Stressing Me Out"? Well, last night at dinner the girls said to me, "Guess we can cross off 'check if sheep are pregnant', and 'find out what I need for lambs' birth', and 'set up lambing pens "!

Totally unexpectedly, and probably for the best, I was greeted at my bedside very early yesterday morning by my breathless husband...."You've got lambs. Two of them!" He was on his way to work and just as he was pulling out, remembered something he forgot, and as he stepped out of the car to get it, he knew that the sounds he was hearing from the sheep shed were most definitely NOT Penny or May.


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We have babies, people! 

I pulled on my boots and went out to the barn in the dark of yesterday morning to discover two sweet and still-wet baby lambs being every so carefully cared for by Penny. 

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This is how I find them, sound asleep.

Those first few hours were nerve-wracking, I tell you. Watching them struggle to nurse and latch on. Me, lying under a very patient Penny and making sure her milk was starting, trying to direct teats into tiny mouths...(yes, I may have over-managed this a bit.), but little by little, under my nervous eyes, all is well. Though one is smaller, they both seem to be nursing. Dan and I took turns checking on them throughout the night and we made it with no problems. 


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I couldn't have asked for a better mother. Penny is patient and calm and just the right amount of protective--that stamp of her foot at the cats wandering into her pen, or when too many people are visiting her, lets us know she needs her space. 

And the babies, keeping with the tradition of naming them with the same letter as their mother, are being called Pete and Paige. A boy and a girl. 

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Next comes May. Maybe Penny's little ones will trigger something in her. She is definitely keeping a watchful eye on everything. 

Spring is most definitely just around the corner.

In other news....

I was most-honored to be asked to write something up for new-to-me site 3ThingsForMom. Joined by other lovely contributors like Heather of Rookie Moms and Pilar Guzman of MS Living (hello!?!) I shared my 3 things this week--a truth, a tip, and a find. I think some of you may recognize my truth. It was a lesson that needed some serious re-visiting in my life these days. Be sure to check out Lauren's lovely site. It is a well-crafted collection of mama-wisdom. 

My favorite way to procrastinate is to pour my energy into all the wrong things. Case and point, I'm about to do a major move and redesign of this blog. I'll be moving to a new host which requires pushing the figuartive "big red button" and moving my eight years of writing over to the new space. So if things look wonky or strange for a few days, bear with me. I hope to have things ironed out soon. 

We have a moving date! The Woodlawn house will be HOME beginning the weekend of March 9. Ack, just over a week away. Perhaps it's time to pick out a faucet for the kitchen sink? We're living in the land of chaos, but every time I step foot in that sweet old house, my heart thumps in my chest with anticipation and joy of calling it home. I can't wait to share more of the process and projects with all of you! 

Happy weekend. Happy March 1st. More soon....

 

 

I declare

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I've declared this week to be the week of good things. Things that are uplifting and happy. Behind the scenes, we're hanging in there. The outpouring of encouragement from all of you has been amazing. Even yesterday, when I posted this little shot on Instagram of all of us, while hanging out in the ER waiting for our next dose of the vaccine, it was flooded with good thoughts and wishes, and "I wish I could come out there and buy you all a milkshake!" But the good news in all this is one more round to go! And to quote Elizabeth, "Then I can finally get back to a normal life!"

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In the meantime, a few good things around the webby-web-web:

Probably the only time in my life that my name will appear in the same article with Brooke Shields, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Cruise and Alanis Morrissette....and proof that among mothers, some things know no bounds of language, race, location or income. We all need to ask for help when we need it.

Something about this post hit me in a good spot this week.

This place is always light, fresh, inspiring (and good for my french).

I'm pretty sure warm bread makes everything better, right? This week, probably this one.

I think my girls have earned some of these to stitch on their sleeves.

And tomorrow, another good thing to share with you that gets me all itchy to have the girls back home...

xo, friends. and thank you.

molly

 

 

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Things to love and a bonus

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1. A pre-bed pile up in the backyard.

2. Embroidered cyanotypes

3. This kitchen scene

 

4. This lovely little path.

5. Forgetting. Then remembering, this CD.

6. This playhouse.

 

7. This moment that feels so true to my crazy little family, including the begging. And yes, the duck came, too. And seriously, why do they always talk me into getting the big, unweildy truck cart? Because they NEVER ride in it. Obviously.

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8. This gave me a chuckle.

9. This is huge.

10. And this, totally inspired me. (via DesignMom

BONUS: Know what I don't love? Stink bugs. If you have no idea what these are, thank your lucky stars. But, seriously, if I get dive-bombed one more time while reading in my bed, or sitting here working at my desk, I may just cry. I'm sorry, but I can't find any reason to be grateful for stink bugs.

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why we have children

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driving home, in the valley

When I got home from exercising last night, I was met at the door by Mary :

Mary : Do you go to the Arena Club to lose weight?

Me (weighing my words carefully, wanting so much to protect them as long as I can from every body conscious thought ) : Well....I go there to exercise.

Mary : Oh. Because boy! Do you ever look skinnier! 

And that, my friends, is why I have children.

Did I ever tell you that Mary is my favorite child?

(Emma, if you're reading this, I'm JUST KIDDING.)

In light of THAT good news, here's some other goodness from around the web...

✽  Kristen Chase interviewed me about homeschooling on The Pioneer Woman

✽  Scratch Baking Co.'s Baker's Notes Issue No. 1 : bagels!! my weakness.

✽  Miss Moss : Farm Fashion ( via amanda ) : I want to look this good chopping wood. (cue my husband's laughter)

✽  Soulful Mothering with Tara Thayer : I'd like to carry these words around in my pocket

✽  Dandelion gone to seed : the anticipation makes you hold your breath 

✽  morning light : I favorite all her kitchen pictures

✽  These shoes, in green.

✽  Grapegruit Sangria (do you have a good recipe for red or white? Share?!)

The weather is sticky here again. The three H's of summer : hazy, hot and humid. Once the baby wakes up, we're headed to the pool! Happy Wednesday, friends!

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