Once upon a time I was in "the know" about great music. Basically, it was the time I was sponging off the Hackworth Family and absorbing all of their recommendations. If any Hackworth's are out there reading this post, please forgive me, I have only purchased 3 cd's in the last ten years. Back in Idaho, around the Hackworths and potatoes, I was still spazzing off in the high school scene but I caught glimpses of what a cool college girl could be at the local pizza joint, Craigo's Sourdough Pizza.

It was the college hangout, and we pre-empted our grooviness by nibbling pizza amongst the college boys, even though we were still lil' High Schoolers. On night, they had an open mic night, and this beautiful girl with long straight hair with golden highlights, blunt straight bangs, wearing a groovey scarf and perfectly worn jeans took the mic and sang "You Fill Up My Senses" by John Denver. She closed her eyes and yearned above the mic. After that, I spent about 5 years fostering a secret desire to once, just once, be awesome and sing with a small acoustic band on an intimate low-lit stage in the back corner of a coffee shop or pizza parlor.

The closest I ever got was singin' Bodeans, Indigo Girls, and Sun-60 with one of the Hackworths (usually Kristi) around the campfire. I would rock it until my voice cracked. Back to reality of a one-octave range and plus-size jeans....oh well.

So now...with babies, car payments, and kids, the groovey music scene has taken a back seat. But there's two things you see, and they all got stirred up when The Mister of the House brought home the TV-version of the movie Once a couple of weeks ago.

• Thing One: This movie absolutely took me back to when I was a little more sunkissed, and a little more music-wise. I loooved the music of this flick and my secret desire to be the groovey girl at the coffee shop was stirred up all over again.
• Thing Two: It is inevitable that my little lover of music, Rainbow Girl, will soon be sucked into the adolescent vortex of make-up, boys, and music, music, music. Aaaahhh!

Me and The Mister of the House put the kids to bed, and then sit down to watch Once. Here's the gem of the flick and winner of 2008 Oscar for Best Song. I chose this youtube version on purpose because you're not distracted by the video, just appreciate the melody and lyrics of this beautiful tune.

Ten minutes after this song debuts, we hear Rainbow Girl (not asleep) humming this song in her bedroom. Her music radar zoned in right away. Good stuff!

A few days later, we ingest all of the music from the movie and Rainbow Girl sighs Oooh. I just love his love songs, don't you mom?

Why yes, yes I do. [pause] How old are you?

And the music keeps running and running through her head. A few more days later, after plucking out the tune on the piano, Rainbow Girl exclaims I was made for music.

Now I'm not off to push my kid onto the Disney Channel, teaching her disturbing sexy dances, or forming a band...but I will admit, it's a pure delight for anybody, let alone your own kid, to have a sense of purpose in life, a sense of a special little spice given by a loving Heavenly Father. A genuine love of music.

Aside from Christmas songs, the music from Once was our primary muscial diet over the holidays. And little by little, Rainbow Girl, in all her seven years of innocence, interpreted these songs about love: mostly about love lost, life gets sad, hoping for love again...this way:

Rainbow Girl bounds into my bedroom early in the morning and says Mom, I want you to read this!

My life has changed. Oooooo. Yeah.

What can I bo [do] with out you.

Soooo, thers soon gona be

thing's un ushuwall, and that's

is why my world is goin wrong.

and my ooooon, suff [stuff], is goin some

where. So Life is hard

Mrs. Olsen, [disturbed and worried]: Why did you write this? Is this written for someone?

Rainbow Girl [huge innocent smile]: I wrote a love song. I want you to hang it on your wall!

So there you have it folks (is anyone still reading this freaking long post?). After a promise of a dark and private showing, I talked Rainbow Girl into singing it for me. Please enjoy!

Ten minutes later...

Mom, can I start hanging posters on my wall?

I think I'm in for it, what do you think?

Have you ever really looked at a radio and marveled how it can just pluck tunes out of mid-air? How come a song doesn't smack me across the head on it's way? Yet through wavelengths and antennaes it worms its way into your box and comes softly singing you to sleep at night. Just take a second and think about it. It's weird. And wonderful.

My little Rainbow Girl is like a radio. Her spirit, her happy little self, is tuned to music. Before she could even talk she would hum this little baby song that had a distinguishable tune and she would repeat it over and over.

Here she is at ripe young age of 3 and 1/2. We bought the movie Annie and she would watch it and sing the sad little orphan songs. Here she is singing the happy orphan song "Tomorrow!" at the top of her lungs. I swear I didn't pose this pic, I snuck it while she was just going to town. So stinkin' cute!

Just before she finally got a sibling, we took her to Zions National Park. I swear we never do fun stuff like this anymore. But this time, I snuck The Mister of the House and surprised him at this bed and breakfast by the lake. I'm sure he'll be ticked I posted this picture, he's weird like that. Take my word for it sweetchucks, good picture!

So when we weren't terrifying Rainbow Girl on the water, we were wandering through the park. Every now and then Rainbow Girl had to burst out in song. Here she is singing "I'm a little teapot". Go girl.

For the most part she chugged along. We didn't take a stroller or a pack, and she walked a lot that day on her little legs. Every now and then her little toddler legs wanted to stop hiking and watch movies instead. This is Rainbow Girl on a short little jaunt to Weeping Rock. When the park guide talked about this formation, The Mister of the House and I were fascinated by these facts:

1. Water is constantly seeping out of the cliff face, supporting a beautiful array of flora and fauna. When is the last time you said flora and fauna out loud? Please do it now.
2. They have actually carbon-dated the water coming out of the cliffs, and it's really old. Man it's been a long time, so exact numbers are fleeing my old lady brain. But it's up there, I'm talking hundreds and maybe even thousands of years old. I wish I had tasted it! Maybe next time.

So me and The Mister of the House kept talking about osmosis, and seepage, and Weeping-This and Weeping-That until finally Rainbow Girl stopped and looked up and asked "What does weeping mean?"

Well sweetie, it's just means it's crying. The rock is sad and it's just cries and cries. Waaa Waa Waa we laughed and joked on our way to the top. She thought that was funny and for a short moment forgot that she had walked 10 miles that day.

When we got to the formation, we joked again about this sad rock that couldn't stop crying. We paused to look at the flowers, the rocks, and the ferns growing out of the rock face. Then we looked over to see little Rainbow Girl standing a ways off and looking up at the rock and saying something really soft, we couldn't really hear it over the drip.

Me and the Mister did the eyebrow curl at each other: What is she doing?

Then we figured it out. She was singing! That oldie but goodie song "I Am a Child of God". So we had our proud parent moment, snapped a picture, and gave her audience. She didn't budge or explain until she was done with the full verse.

" I sang it a song so it willn't be sad anymore" she explained completely serious. What could a mother do but give her a big fat hug and tell her I love you kiddo?

Willn't is trademarked by Rainbow Girl by the way. Email me if you want permission to use it.

In case you forgot, or you're feeling a little sad, here's a reminder:

I am a Child of God, and He has sent me here

has given me an earthly home, with parents kind and dear.

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me

help me find the way!

Teach me all that I must do,

to live with Him someday.

Just in case you forget your divine potential...

Here in my neck of the woods I am pretending to be a bit of a farmgirl. But I don't really know what I'm doing. Plus animal poop triggers my gagging reflex. Across the valley there is a Living Historical Farm, where people really do know how to farm...without machines...in petticoats.

Volunteers plow the fields with a horse-drawn spade, and long-skirted women bake stew and bread in the wood stove at the homestead. They put my bread making debacle to shame. A little while ago Rainbow Girl got to sing some Christmas songs at The Farm's Opera House.

When we went inside the Opera House, some old time singers were harmonizing the old Christmas tunes that I couldn't name. There was a gee-tar, violin, and four-part harmony all cozied up with western pine floors and victorian red walls.

This was the queen matron of the group, and she was feelin' it. So was I.

Back then...was life simpler? Sweeter? When you have to work 2 hours for a loaf of bread, do you pull up your petticoats and run whenever there's a gathering at the Opera House, or a barn dance? Did the women bring fresh pies for refreshment? Did pioneer boys try to steal kisses behind the curtain? Did the men still smell like "fertilizer"? Did the women blush when asked to dance?

Hey buddy! What's with the levis? You just ruined my memories of the long-forgotten past. Levis are 20th century. Get back in your homespun!

Oh well, in comes the crop from the 21st century...featuring Rainbow Girl.

If only Justin Hackworth had been there with his camera. Can you guess which shoes belong to Rainbow Girl?

Being a 21st century girl is worth it, but only if you have purple clogs. Thank you Grandma Cozy.

My beautiful little girl has got some pipes. She can carry a tune and...when no one is looking...and there's a song she really likes...and it's high and loud...

...she does the falsetto vibrato thing-ie with her voice. What is that called?

I know I'm being the proud mama here, so forgive me. But I've never been able to do that. And I always wanted to.

If they had waited just a couple of days, these horses would have been pulling a wagon with sleigh-runners...not old-fashioned handcrafted wooden spokes made by the carpenter named...

Heeey, wait a second. What's with the rubber wheels?

Oh well, back to the good life. Come on Rainbow Girl, let's hurry home to some hot cocoa bubbling in under 60 seconds, cooled off with a scoop of frozen cream. From a cow I didn't milk. In a freezer that doesn't need ice. Who would have imagined such things back on the farm!

Merry Christmas

After moving to the country, we decided to be chicken lovers and bought some baby chicks. The Mister of the House loves them so much he built them their own cottage in the backyard. And my oldest child, Rainbow Girl, well let's just say her Saturday morning cartoon days are over!

Rainbow Girl: Mom, can I have some chocolate frosted sugar bombs for breakfast?