Rodeo

CHris couldn't believe all the Brokeback Mounting!!

Mummy Day

Mums Day last year... Mums Day this year. Do you like my little

garden gnomie?? Touche to all of you haute moms!!

Kudos!

Kudos to my two beautiful daughters who won many awards for their solos and groups this past competition.

Way to go!!! We're soo proud of you both!!!

Happy Birthday Daddio

Happy Birthday to a witty man with a big heart, gentle spirit, and blue eyes that are deep like his soul.

I feel blessed to have you as my parent and grateful for the time you invest in our lives.

One of the best days of my life was when you moved a block away a few years ago.

I cherish our Monday + Fridays and our many laughs! Who else do you know that would want coffindodger as their email address??

We wish you another robust year full of many different walking routes, card luck, and blond bombshells!

Love all of us Hillbillies xox

Sweet Bread

Every Keester and Christmakah, my nonna and I make sweet bread.

It's a century old recipe from Italy and we make it the old fashioned way--by hand.

What a concept heh.

I love baking and naturally spending quality time with nonna is priceless. And the smell of sweet bread baking nurtures my soul.

Sweet bread is very symbolic to me. It represents nonna's warmth and sweetness.

Nonna even made Lil Z a bread bamboli, what a lucky dolly!

I remember

It's been 12 years since my nonno passed away at the age of 89. He was like my second father. A perfect balance to my hippy dad.

Nonno was a retired police officer and was a dictator disciplinarian, but a big puff if he made you cry. And my kidney's are close to my eyes so I saw a sensitive side to him that my grandmother still says didn't exist.

I grew up p/t at my grandparents house. It was a home full of Italian influence, from rosaries to plastic plants.

A refugio from my tumultuous world. I learned to love the quirky atmosphere.

Nonno always had a chocolate bar or gum waiting for me in my special cupboard (where I would write inside JC loves whoever I did that week!) While my grandmother was busy in the kitchen, we would watch TV and laugh hysterically at the same things. And we didn't need PVR back then, cause if Imissed our show, nonno would give me a play by play. And I loved how excited he was to tell me, like I was his best friend.

I am really missing him today and all of his nonno-isms. Isn't it interesting how we remember the small things, not the big things after a person is gone.

I remember how he used to get all dressed up from head to toe just to go down to the corner store. I remember how he would shuffle down the hallway to answer the phone. Half running. I remember how good his hankerchiefs smelled. A synergy of Old Spice and Brut. I remember watching him smoke a pipe and not inhale. I remember the musty scent of home made wine in his basement. I remember how he'd lean over to me, while we were sitting watching TV and hold his hand open to me with almonds or grapes to share. I remember how he'd let me in at 2am and not tell anyone. I remember how he'd laugh so hard he'd cry watching wrestling. I remember how he'd let me sleep in his bed when I was going through daddy withdrawal. I remember how he'd whistle while he worked. I remember how generous he was.

I remember all of his stories he'd repeat at least 10 times. One of my favorites was about a boy who would steal chickens from everyone and how nonno caught him. His ID kept falling out of his shirt pocket when he bent over to steal them. Nonno thought that was the funniest thing and could barely finish telling the story without crying from laughter. After giving him one too many chances, nonno arrested him and when we was reformed he thanked nonno for helping him change. It sounded like it was the highlight of his career.

I remember the look he'd give me, like, you are special. And I remember how he treated me like a real granddaughter even though I wasn't actually his blood.

On his last day here on earth, he asked me to take care of nonna. ME. Not his sons, not his other grandchildren who are flesh and blood, but me. Jenny from the block. I was honoured and promised I would. We bought a house across the street from her and between the 5.5 of us, we're always watching over her.

Have you hugged your angels today???

L'Chaim and Nonno!

Daddy's new toy!

Monkey's drum....and monkey's hum.

Hum drum hum drum hum drum hum.

-Dr. Suess

Personal Sunshine

Seems like yesterday that I was holding my precious son like this and blink almost 19 years later, here is my grown son singing with his precious baby sister.

Some people ask me, "why do you have so many kids"?

My answer is simple.

My children are "my personal sunshine".

A life without children to me, is like a world without light.

Although during the teen years, I'm getting a sunburn from too much "personal sunshine"--if you know what I'm sayin'!!!

(;

Happy 1st b-day Jackson!

Jackson is the cutest little guy in my world right now. His moms pretty adorable too!

Melissa and I first met 15 years ago at work when we were overpaid slaves at Safeway. I was pregnant with Dolly at the time and we had instant chemistry on a cellular level.

M was so in touch with her inner child and loved my kids. I always knew she'd make an excellent mommy one day!

We went on two diff paths for awhile and lost contact.

I ran into a friend of hers and was ecstatic to hear that she was expecting!!!

There's that saying about friendships that captures our connection,

"You may not walk through the door at the same time, but you might meet on the other side".

Happy birthday Jack-o-lantern!!

Sleepy in Seattle

I went to see my big sisters dance in Seattle and I got to sleep on clouds!!

Siwwy mommy and daddy thought i was actually going to sleep in this all night..(giggles)

I entertained them for awhile, but decided I wanted to bunk with them instead...

After all, I'm a snuggle bunny!!!

Love Baby

Happy Valentines Day!!

"Where did I come from?" the baby asked its mother. She answered, half-crying, half-laughing, and clasping the baby to her breast, "You were hidden in my heart as its desire, my darling. You were in the dolls of my childhood games. In all my hopes and my loves, in my life, in the life of my mother, and in her mother before her, you have lived. In the lap of the eternal spirit you have been nursed and nurtured for ages.

-Indian philosopher and poet, Rabindrandth Tagore

(Thanks Zia Linda for sharing this when I was in my mommy's tummy)

Love Is In The Air

My Bee has her first boyfriend!!

Can you recall that feeling of your first love?

Miles is a smart, funny, handsome and stylish soul...and treats our Bee like a Queen, which is all we could hope for.

They even have a chaffeur....his best friend!

Happy Valentines to these two lovebirds and to everyone in love!!!!

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR.

Pink Punches!

Rockin' Rita and I have found a new passion---kickboxing. We love it so much that we can't see stopping anytime soon.

It's so much fun and a healthy way to release stress.

We are Modern Renaissance women u-ruh!

I'm soo happy that we were brought together by our hubbies and I have to say that it's so refreshing to know another mom who puts herself first and laughs at the same things!!!

Our mantra is:" Well behaved women rarely make history"!

L'Chaim!!!

Happy Birthday Dolly!

Our former baby turned 14 yesterday and of course we had to go to Cupcakes and get her a very pink cake!

Dolly is an old soul. She was hailed our "Buddha Baby" because she would sit and observe for a very long time before she would act. And when she did move, it was very methodical. She has this inner wisdom that I admire and has a very sweet heart. And she is a natural with babies, Z adores her big sis.

Wishing you a very happy birthday my sweet D and may your butterfly wings carry you through life, down whichever path you choose. You are my pudding, pie, sugar and ice cream.

Love you poohbear oxoxoxo

YEEHAW!

Z has been officially hailed a pinky buckeroo like her mommy! As you can tell, she is thrilled.

We're in the midst of planning Z's 1st b-day bash up at the ranch. Altho it's not til June, us gals always book early to anticipate our next riding adventure. Some of Z's big friends who love horses will be also be attending. There should be at least a dozen of us!

Thanks to gramma for the pink hat! Thank you Aunty Lis for the jean riding outfit! Thank you also to Zia Rita for the pink riding boots and Aunty Rachel for the western dress and bling all the way from Sante Fe!

Giddy'up!!

Welcome Home Jaybird!

Happy New Year everyone! I am sooo happy our Jaybird is back home and had an amazing trip!!!

First off I have a new song devoted for you..seems that you have outgrown your "boyhood" song: (sing it now!)

Footloose-Kenny Loggins

I been working so hard
Keep punching my card
Eight hours, for what?
Oh, tell me what I got
I get this feeling
That time's just holding me down
I'll hit the ceiling
Or else I'll tear up this town
Tonight I gotta cut

(Chorus)Loose footloose
Kick off your Sunday shoes
Please, Louise
Pull me offa my knees
Jack, get back
C'mon before we crack
Lose your blues
Everybody cut footloose

You're playing so cool
Obeying every rule (!!)
Dig way down in your heart
You're yearning, burning for some
Somebody to tell you
That life ain't passing you by
I'm trying to tell you
It will if you don't even try
You can fly
if you'd only cut

(Chorus) Loose, footloose
Kick off your Sunday shoes
Oowhee, Bianca B
Shake it,
shake it for me
Whoa, Sergio
C'mon, c'mon let go
Lose your blues
Everybody cut footloose

FIRST - we got to turn you around SECOND - You put your feet on the ground THIRD - Now take a hold of your soul FOUR - Whooooooooa, I'm turning it Loose, FOOTLOOSE

And now to be a nice mom, i will post some other great pic from his trip!

Words can't ever express how deeply grateful I am to Bianca and her family for inviting Jacob on this once in a lifetime amazing experience and for their graciousness and treating Jay like their own son. We hope to exchange the favour one day in a similiar experience for Bianca. Thanks again from that deep place in my soul full of love and gratitude!

Melekalikimaka and Aloha!

I'm sorry to be alittle late wishing everyone well but I have a good excuse...

We were in Hawaii! We wanted to celebrate Z's first xmas and Hawaii seemed like a dreamy destination.

Although it was beautiful to wake up on Christmas day, slip on my swimsuit and head to the beach, it was kinda weird to wake up in a hotel with no tree or tacky wrapped presents to guess at and rip open like a little kid.

I know this probably sounds superficial but I'm just being real. Obviously, the most important thing is that we were together and healthy etc. Well, sans Jay which added another weird layer on top of an already weird layer.

I know wah wah wah! Life's a beach and then you die....poor baby right? ha!

Well, we all agreed (Jay included) that next year we want to be home on Christmas, cause after all Dorothy was right. There IS no place like home.

But jet hopping on Boxing Day is just fine!

Ola J.J!

My eldest son left for Peru today with his girlfriend + her family. He has been working very hard towards this all year and he's finally on his way.

It didn't hit me when I said g/bye at 4 this morning, but now that I'm awake, I'm starting to go thru Jay-withdrawal sniff sniff.

The day Jay was born, I knew he was destined for great things. He is a young renaissance man.

Knowing Jay has made me a better human. He has an inner wisdom that most 18 years don't have. The highlight of his trip is going to be visiting an orphanage and bearing dolls to little kids. And Macchu Piccu. Lucky!

Here is a song that played in the hospital a few minutes after he was born...

Forver Young by Rod Stewart

May the good lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
Surround you when you're far from home
And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As you'd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart youll always stay
Forever young, forever young
Forever young, forever young
May good fortune be with you
May your guiding light be strong
Build a stairway to heaven
With a prince or a vagabond
And may you never love in vain
And in my heart you will remain
Forever young, forever young
Forever young, forever young
Forever young, forever young
And when you finally fly away
Ill be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime
No one can ever tell
But whatever road you choose
Im right behind you, win or lose
Forever young, forever young
Forever young ,forever young
Forever young, forever young
Forever young, forever young

I love you and miss you terribly, yet I'm proud of you for following your bliss

Love mom x

Edvard Munch-"The Scream"

It's Edvard Munch's b-day today, in case anyone was wondering. A dear friend shares his birthday who happens to love this Impressionist.

Everyone's seen this ghoulish painting, but do you see what I see??

A skitzophrenic suffering.

Maybe it's not as simple.

It reminds me of once we were at shall we say an "over educated" friends house. He had invited me and the clan over to get my perception on this painting he had just bought.

I was flattered!

Him and his wife made the whole clan a haute cuisine meal..dusted off a bottle of Chianti..his wife even had dessert baking in the oven. The full on royal treatment. I kept thinking, wow, this painting must be something for them to go through all this work. The anticipation was building!

Anyways, I'll never forget when he whipped off a velvet cover and all I saw...were a bunch of fat brown cows eating grass.

His analogy was how brown cows do hang out with other brown cows. Much deeper than what I saw. I'm lucky he thought it was funny!

What do you see?

I find it fascinating how different us humans see things.

Blog your heart away !

Deja Vu

I think i have some essplanin' to do..


1)This is my twin sister in the picture above.

False. I have a sis but we ain't twins!

2) I have a tattoo of three dolphins on my back.

True. After swimming with the dolphins in Hawaii, I designed a tattoo and got inked to imprint the experience. (if you look closely you'll see the kids initials)

3) I played trombone.

True. Me and Nelly Furtado. I believe it was an outlet for my comical side. And the band teacher thought I had "good lips" for it!

3) I owned a pet rat as a teenager.

True. I wanted a monkey but settled for a rat. I think it was for attention. Gross, what was I thinkin'!??

4) We're going to Hawaii for Christmas.

True. Melekalikimaka!

5) I was in a movie with Stanley Tucci.

True. If the movie ever makes it past editing, it's called "The Whole Shebang". Stanley Tucci is the nicect man, bald is beautiful!

6) I raised thousands of dollars to aid African hunger.

True. This is one of the most proudest things I've ever done. I threw a bash and raised lotsa deniros for World Vision to aid African famin. There's alot of money out there!

7) I have a yin tattoo on my chest.

True. My BH and I decided to symbolize our love. We gave new meaning to the saying, "screwed, blued and tattoed"!

8) I think Borat is hot.

True. have you seen Sasha Baron Cohen in real life??? Holy Snappin' Catfish he is hhhhhot!

9) I ride horses.

True. Been riding since I've been a grasshopper...started in Cherryville.

10) I collect rocks.

True. Altho I don't put em in my socks!