My Fave Friday #7....PUPPIES!

Y'all, I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love my two sweet puppies, Mollie and Macy....so this My Fave Friday is dedicated to how much I love them! If you have puppies, I am sure you know exactly what I mean.


And I have to admit, originally this post was HUGE because there were so many wonderful pictures of my sweet girls that I wanted to share. But to spare everyone that may not love them the way I love them, I decided I would only share my absolute favorites.

Here is the story of our lives with Mollie and Macy.

Meet Mollie.

Full name: Mollie Margaret Arnold Crum

(we got her before we were married and Arnold is my maiden name)

Also known as MolMol, Mol, Mollie Girl, Princess Mollie Paws and Momma's Girl.

Likes: being with her mom, scavaging for food, and laying in the window sill like a cat

Dislikes: being without her mom, going outside in the rain, being pestered by Zach

This pic is my fave because this is her and my hubby the day we brought her home.

It was bittersweet because we had just lost a dog and hubby wasn't sure we were ready

for another one. I knew the minute I held her that we were.

And she was the one for us. And she was. Pets are wonderful healers.

Our first Christmas with Mollie.

All was right in her world.

Then, we brought Macy home.

Meet Macy.

Full name: Macy Mae Crum

(we got her after we were married, so no maiden name)

Also known as MeiMei, Noodles, Noodle House and Princess Brown Cheek

Likes: being on squirrel patrol in the backyard, running, walking, playing chase and sun bathing

Dislikes: umm.....nothing really

I love this picture because this shows her in all her glory....being outside in the sunshine with a toy in her mouth. Perfect Macy.

I picked out Macy as a Christmas present for my husband.

Boy, was he surprised. And so was Molly.

The day we brought Macy home, Mollie had nothing

to do with me for the entire week afterwards.

Notice my husband holding her in the photo below.

She barely wanted to be near me.

After I had already picked Macy out, but before I

had picked her up, we found out I was pregnant with Z.

Puppies are great training for kids.

Everyone should have a dog, or two, before having babies.

If I thought Mollie was mad when I brought Macy home,

it was nothing compared to the two weeks she wanted

nothing to do with me once I brought Zach home

and she realized he was staying.

But she warmed up eventually.
And his puppies are his best buds.

Especially Macy. I have a ton of the two of them like this.

Our girls are a huge part of our family, we love them so much and we are so lucky to have them!

(On a side note, anyone interested in a pet link up party? )

My Fave Friday #6 - FUNNY FACES

Being home in Kansas with my family is always a lot of fun, so I am linking up today with my friend Tooje for a weekly segment she always does called "Funny Faces Friday". Funny pics of Tooje's boys and her sweet little girl always brighten my Fridays! Head over to Circling the Square Table and you will see what I am talking about!

Z has taken a real interest in taking picture with mommy's camera within the last few weeks, so he gets the credit for the majority of these funny pics! Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Z taking his mom's picture at the parade

Z playing peek-a-boo in the closet with his Grandma

Another fine photo by Z of his mom

My nephew Chance with a bucket on his head

Another one by Z of his momma and his Aunt Jenny

My Fave Friday #5 - WEEKEND

This week's edition of My Fave Friday is really all about one thing....my most favorite WEEKEND of the year! It is my most favorite time of year in Kansas and the

Maple Leaf Festival is finally here!

Aren't those trees amazing? Those pics were taken around my little hometown this time last year and they are one of my most favorite things about home. This weekend my hubby, my (not so little) little one Z and I are headed to Kansas and will spend every. single. minute. of the weekend with our family and friends...eating, talking, laughing, wandering the festival, playing, and eating some more. There will be little to no sleep!

I look forward to sharing both about the trip and my booth when I get back , but if you do not hear from me by Tuesday, it is because I have packed up and moved back home to my small town where we barely get the internet. :) Have a great weekend!

ps If you are in the KC area, you should really come to Baldwin City for the Maple Leaf Festival! We would love to have you!

My Fave Friday #4 - TEEN IDOLS

My Fave Friday this week is all about TEEN IDOLS! Here are the boys I loved to LOVE when I was growing up! Justin Bieber (is that even his name?!) and the Jonas Brothers have NOTHING on these guys!

Fox #1 - Kevin Bacon - fell in love with him as Ren McCormick in Footloose

Fox #2 - Kirk Cameron - fell in love with him as Mike Seaver on Growing Pains

Fox #3 - Michael J Fox - fell in love with him as Marty McFly in Back to the Future

Fox #4 - Corey Haim - fell in love with him in The Lost Boys

Fox #5 - Andrew McCarthy - fell in love with him as Blaine in Pretty in Pink

Fox #6 - Emilio Estevez - fell in love with him in The Outsiders and again in The Breakfast Club and St Elmos Fire

Okay, those are my faves, but FOX honorable mention goes to these Teen Idols:

Patrick Swayze
John Cusack
Matthew Broderick
Ralph Macchio
John Stamos
C. Thomas Howell
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Matt Dillon
Christian Slater
Rob Lowe
Robert Downey Jnr
James Spader
Kiefer Sutherland
River Phoenix

Your turn! Who was plastered on your wall? (ps do teenagers even still do that these days?)

My Fave Friday #3....FRIENDS!

I promise this is not a post about my most favorite friends...that wouldn't really be nice would it? I guess except for the people I included, but regardless, my favorite post this week is about my most favorite FRIENDS episodes of all times!

Didn't you just love FRIENDS? Don't you miss it? I miss it. I really miss it. And I have to admit, that most of my most favorite episodes involve Ross and Rachel. I loved them. I can still hear the collective gasp of sorority girls everywhere when Ross said Rachel's name during his wedding to Emily during the finale of season 4 (which may be my most favorite episode, so that one may start the list). I remember the tears when Chandler proposed to Monica during season 6 and more tears when Phoebe had triplets as a surogate for her brother (season 5).

Okay, before I end up going through them all, onto the list! But first....COME BACK FRIENDS! And second, it is a true story that one of my best friends called and sang the entire theme song on my voicemail one day. That is friendship.

Now the list.

1) The one where Ross says Rachel's name at his wedding to Emily (season 4)

2) The one where Rachel drunk dials Ross and leaves a message that she is SO over him

(season 1)

3) The one where Rachel and Ross are "taking a break" and she writes Ross the ridiculously long letter and he falls asleep while reading it (season 3)

4) The one where Monica, Rachel and Phoebe all wear wedding dresses (season 4)

5) The one where Chandler admits he loves Monica because Phoebe is trying to come on to him to get it out of him (season 5)

6) The one where Phoebe has her brother's triplets (season 5)

7) The one where Ross and Rachel get drunk in Vegas and get married (season 6)

8) The one where Chandler proposes to Monica (season 6)

9) The one where Rachel finds out she is pregnant because Phoebe tells her she is not and she is disappointed. She then finds out she is (season 8)

10) The one where Chandler and Monica are trying to buy a house in the suburbs without telling their friends so they can raise their kids outside the city (season 10)

11) The one where Joey walks Phoebe down the aisle to her wedding to Mike (Paul Rudd) (season 10)

12) The one where Chandler and Monica have twins (season 10)

13) The last one, where Rachel doesn't go to Paris because she loves Ross (season 10)

Now, I know that list doesn't even come close to all the greatness that was FRIENDS, but I don't think such a list exists. So, which of your favorite episodes did I miss?

My Fave Friday #2....MUSIC!

Here are my all time fave songs on my iPod!

1) Just Like Heaven - The Cure - reminds of everything I loved about college and dance parties that lasted all night long

2) Seasons of Love - The Cast of Rent - Saying I love this song says it all

3) And Still - Reba McEntire - Ahhh....watching your lost love walk away with someone else

4) Is There Life Out There - Reba McEntire - My inspiration song

5) Fancy - Reba McEntire - My other inspriation song, this one I sing at the top of my lungs

(okay, enough Reba)

6) Give it Away - George Strait - My favorite George song, and there are MANY

7) Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson - My favorite MJ song and there are MANY

8 ) Whatever It Is - Zac Brown Band - Love it

9) Empire State of Mind - JayZ - Love the music, love the lyrics, this is an awesome song

10) I'll Be - Edwin McCain - I always thought this would be my wedding song, it wasn't, but I love it nonetheless

11) I Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Aerosmith - The other song I always thought would be my wedding song that my friends would tease me endlessly about, but it wasn't

12) When You Know - Shawn Colvin - My actual wedding song

13) Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - My husband and I's song

14) Godspeed - Radney Foster - My little man and I's song

15) If I had a Million - Pat Green - Pure Texas country at its best

16) Stay - Sugarland - powerful, Jennifer Nettles voice is amazing

17) Take a Bow - Rhianna - same thing, powerful and amazing voice

18) 100 Years - Five for Fighting - reminder that life is short, live it up!



What about you? What are your favorite songs on your iPod?

My Fave Friday #1....BOOKS!

I am so excited to share a new weekly segment I am starting here called My Fave Friday, where you guessed it, I am sharing all of my all time favorite things! It can be anything from food to fabrics to pictures to vacation spots....anything I happen to think of over the course of the week!

For the first edition of My Fave Friday, I would like to share my favorite all time favorite books . I recently did this post on facebook between my girlfriends and the response was great! I love to read, so without further ado, here is my list of my most favorite books and a little note about why I love each one...

(sidenote : if you are looking for a list of literary acclaim, this is not the list for you...these are simply the books I love)

1) The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger) I love that this book, to me, is about loving without understanding "why" and "how" and "when" you love, you simply do, just because. This is my all time most favorite book. Ever. And ever.

2) The Last Time They Met (Anite Shreve) I love that this is the story of a life long love affair...except it wasn't. This one is a very close second to TTW.

3) The Pact (Jodi Picoult) This was the first Jodi Picoult book I read, even before My Sister's Keeper, and I thought it was really interesting that characters so young were so complex and had so many secrets.

4) The Pilot's Wife (Anita Shreve) I thought this one was pretty thought provoking about what we really know about our loved ones, and even when our reality about them is shaken, at what lengths will we go to defend them and our memory of them?

5) Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) I loved that this book was magical, mystical and beautifully written. I struggled through the beginning, but loved the last 100 pages or so.

6) Fortune's Rocks (Anita Shreve) This one may be controversial, I know a few friends who really didn't like it because of the subject matter, but I thought this book really described raw, primal instincts in its characters. I really liked it.

7) The Art of Racing in the Rain (Garth Stein) What a wonderful book! Few relationships in life are unconditional, but the love and devotion we are fortunate enough to receive from our pets should never be taken for granted. Wonderful book.

8) The Girls from Ames (Jeffrey Zaslow) As women, one of the best gifts we can give is our friendship, and its absolutely one of the best gifts we can receive. This one especially spoke to me at this point in my life.

9) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Lisa See) I think a few friends may be suprised I list this as a fave, especially after the scathing review I gave it to them right after I finished it...but afterwards I realized that what I didn't like about it was something I have always struggled with myself, and that to me means it must have been a good book because it was causing me to reflect and face something about myself. If you haven't read the book, what I am struggling with won't make sense, but just read it if you haven't, its a really good book.

Honorable Mention -
1) The Help (Kathryn Stockett) - both funny and heartwarming
2) When and Where (Anita Shreve) - A book about reuniting with a first love
3) Have a Little Faith (Mitch Albom) - wonderful book about having faith
4) Eat Pray Love (Elizabeth Gilbert) - I know not everyone liked this one, but I did and I am now reading Committed
5) Same Kind of Different As Me (Ron Hall & Denver Moore) - wonderful book about friendship

Also, have you heard of the website called "good reads"? Its a great site for cateloging and rating all of the books you've read and you can also keep track of books you want to read by placing them on your "bookshelf". You can then connect with friends who are also on "good reads" and share books, have discussions, etc. Check it out! http://www.goodreads.com/

Let's get a great "share" going on here, share which books you love and why!