Our little flock

Wowie wow, do chickens grow quickly...and require lots of time and attention!  I may not be up to the task of giving you play-by-plays of this adventure in anywhere close to real time, after all.  I will endeavor, however, to keep you as posted as possible on the scoop from the new coop.

About five weeks ago, 13/18 of our eggs hatched!  They were unbelievably cute, as you might imagine, and I was immediately more invested than I ever expected (surprising no one else😏).  While we were giving everyone ample time to emerge (i.e. not opening the incubator), the chicks were read to, cooed at, and fawned over.  Once they came out, and after watching a few videos about how to raise tame chickens, we did what we could to gain their affection and imprintation (pretty sure this is not a word).  This included, but was not limited to, making eye contact, holding them often, and according to Lydia, blowing hot air in their face.

preparing the brooder box
(very thankful for friends who have gone before us and let us borrow all the gear!)

All the chicks are still alive and well...and have grown into awkward teenagers!  We have such a variety of colors, though since a few are similar, it has been difficult to keep them straight.  I have considered painting their toes, not only for fun and aesthetic purposes (ha - you're not surprised), but also to help differentiate between those who are similar.  Due to the aforementioned uncertainty, as well as the additional uncertainty about which are hens (staying) and which are roosters (not allowed to stay), we are still waiting to officially bestow names.

Do not fear, though - I took newborn and subsequent milestone pictures for you, all the same.💗  There is little guarantee that any are actually the same chick in each sequence, but in order for me to sleep at night, I am telling myself they are. 😉 Of course, the most recent pictures are already dated, and they have continued to grow and change.

This one (I think...) is named "Dolly," because of her sweet demeanor.
(We sure hope she's a she...)

This one was called "Houdini" early on, because it escaped to part of the brooder box that was partitioned off and screamed loudly till it was rescued.  If she is a she, we may call her "Houdina" or perhaps do some research into Houdini's wife's name.

Lydia named this one "Robin," because of the reddish (brown) tint to her head.
(Again, we're sure hoping *she* gets to stay...)

While the growing pains of acquiring and learning new responsibilities has not always been pleasant for everyone over here, being able to love on these babies and share the miracle and joy of them with others certainly has been.  We are trying to hold them loosely (literally and figuratively) and not get too, too attached, while still enjoying the "pet" void they have seemed to fill and make sure they live their best lives here.  So, they have been on several "field trips" to the yard and garden before making their official move to the coop (soon).  

I hope that sufficiently covers it all.  Please let me know if you have any lingering questions.  We are certainly learning as we go, here, so would also welcome any advice and/or input you might have from your own chicken encounters.  It takes a village!  😁😉

Favorites of the day:

open windows

Caterpillar Chronicles: Part 2!
This one spent a few short days devouring parsley (that's where we found it in the garden) before making itself at home in our butterfly habitat. 
We'll see if this one stays in there for as many months as the previous resident!

♥

Living the Dream

As you may already know, Bryant works one weekend every couple months.  To compensate for working the weekend days, he gets two days off the week prior.  While working the weekend isn't awesome, it is convenient to be able to schedule various appointments and get things done on those weekdays.  He and Jacob also usually have a boys' day, giving me a whole weekday to myself!  You'd better believe I make the most of it, and this time around was no exception.

After having breakfast and some playtime with the boys before they headed out on their own adventures, I took some time to work on a couple things for church (I haven't shared about it here, yet, but I started a weekly mom's group and was also asked to help host a women's conference next year).  

Then, I headed to my haircut appointment at The Glam Room.  I don't usually give unsolicited recommendations, but you guys - if you're in KC, you need to check them out.  (If you're not into knowing alllll the details about finding a new salon you love, feel free to skip the rest of this paragraph...)  The first time I walked into The Glam Room was after my stylist of three years moved out of state and I was looking for a close, affordable-yet-reputable salon that could get me in that same day.  I happened upon The Glam Room and took the only appointment available, which was with a stylist named Cassandra.  I know I've already written too many words about this, but it was seriously unlike any haircut I've had before.  Before doing anything besides shake my hand, she sat down with me and asked several questions about my lifestyle, my "beauty" routine, my hair, my feelings about my hair, good hair days, bad hair days, etc., etc.  It was not at all intrusive, but rather, refreshingly introspective and considerate.  She proceeded to follow the normal wash/cut/style routine, but included a complimentary deep-conditioning treatment and lovely conversation all the way through.  She also gave me several tips/facts/insights about hair in general and my specific hair/style that served me well in my routine and hair care between haircut appointments.  This week's visit was only my second, but it was just as good as the first.  After finding out my thumbs were cracked from the dry weather, she suggested doing a paraffin dip.  I told her it probably wasn't in the budget, but then, she got permission to do a complimentary dip!  Ya'll know how I love "freebies," and this one was just so thoughtful and practical; I (obviously) really appreciated it.  She also sent me out the door with a little bit of an upgraded style, since I was accompanying Christmas carols for the Fab 50's group at church that evening.

I know that was a lot, but I just wanted to give credit where credit was due.  I sure hope you're still reading, though, because I have some more really amazing things to share with you.

My next "appointment" that day was lunch with my BFF.  I've told you before, but I'm going to tell you again: we're living our dream living in the same town as adults.  I know I'm so blessed to have a best friend from childhood, in general, but it is just beyond that we get to continue to do life in such close proximity.  *all the praise hands and heart eye emojis*

Anyway, we met at Succotash for lunch.  They serve breakfast food all day, so of course, that's what we had.  It was delish.  I will be back.

♥

Our next stop was ScrapsKC.  I can't possibly explain everything about this place, but in short, it's a craft supply thrift store the benefits the homeless community.  Just writing that sentence knowing you're going to know about it, now, seriously makes me excited.  They call themselves a "Creative Reuse Center," and say of themselves, "ScrapsKC inspires creativity in art and education, positively impacts the environment, and provides hope for the homeless."  Not only do they have an overwhelming inventory of all sorts of craft/building/creating supplies, but they provide several services for the homeless AND they serve teachers in the area by allowing them to shop for their classroom for free.

This is how we felt about ScrapsKC.
The picture doesn't do our feelings justice, though.

We found soooo many treasures, and we didn't even feel like we saw everything in the hour and a half we were able to spend there.  We resisted purchasing some of these treasures, but there were several we couldn't resist.  I won't list them all, but wanted to share one thing in particular:

I was on the look-out for some scrap leather to try my hand at making earrings with my Cricut.  I found several beautiful pieces, including one I was extra excited about.  I also found one little package of earring hardware, so was able to put these together: 

The reason I was so excited to find the buffalo plaid pattern was because I'd just finished making a Christmas shirt with the same pattern!  The K-Mart down the street is going out of business, so I scoured the store for some plain shirts to personalize with some iron-on vinyl, and I was so excited to find a couple and be able to make this shirt for just a couple dollars:

Neither projects turned out perfectly, but they're good enough for me
(and surely good enough for the couple times I'll wear them each year - haha).

The fun continued the next evening with a Favorite Things party with Kansas City friends!  While I was sad to miss out on the one in NE this year, I was so glad to be part of this gathering with sweet friends.  We had delicious appetizers and desserts, good conversation, and a fun time sharing some of our most favorite (and practical!) things.  (If I haven't shared with you about "Favorite Things" parties, yet, please ask.  They're the best.)

I came home to a sleeping baby, folded clean laundry, and a husband meal-prepping in the kitchen, pulling freshly baked biscuits out of the oven. 

Please know that I realize how incredibly lucky/blessed/fortunate I am to not only have the time and resources to spend a day like this, but also a husband who encourages me to do so.  I do not share this to brag, to evoke any sort of jealousy, or to put myself above anyone else.  I'm simply grateful and thought I'd share.  Also, I wanted to spread the word about all the awesome places I've been discovering!

A word to the mamas reading this: if you're in need of a day like this, but for whatever reason, are unable to get it, please reach out to someone and try to make it happen.  If you're in KC, I'd be glad to watch your kiddos, pay for a ScrapsKC shopping spree, do your laundry, bake you something, whatever - seriously.  You deserve it. 

Refreshedly,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

Favorite Things parties

holiday goodies, both sweet and savory

new friendships (I know I've listed this more than once, recently, but it's just something I'm really glad about, lately.)

New(ish) Job Title!

"Home Shopping Clerk"

That's it.  That's my newest job title. ☺

About 10 months ago, I started working at HyVee.  As some of you know, I love grocery shopping.  I had been known to say, "I'd do this for other people...paid or not!"  And now, I'm getting paid to do it...for real!  Dream come true?!  I'd say yes.

The store is about three minutes from our house, so it was the one I shopped at before applying for the position.  I always saw these home shoppers in the store, and thought, "I wonder if that's all they do..."  So, I decided to just ask!  The girl I asked told me that yes, indeed, she was just there to shop for customers' online grocery orders.  She also told me to apply right away, because they were short-staffed and in need of help.  I applied shortly thereafter and was hired about five minutes into my interview.

After some general training, it was official!  My schedule at HyVee is flexible, because they understand this isn't my only job, so I'm able to work some weekday mornings and have afternoons open for teaching lessons, etc.

Least favorite part about the job: the uniform.
At least they spelled my name right.

First Day Flowers from my sweet hubby. ☺

People are always very curious about this position...so, I'm going to assume you might be, too...?  Here are some FAQs and answers:

How do people place their orders?
Everything is done online!  I've not actually taken the time to go through the process of placing an order, myself, but pretty much anything any HyVee carries is available to put on an online order.  Sometimes, customers call to add things they might've forgotten, but that only happens occasionally.

How do you know what is on each order?
Technology.  Haha.  But really - each order is printed out, so there is a hard copy, but we also have scanner "guns" that we use to scan each item as we put it in the cart.  These make for a pretty fool-proof process - not only is there a picture of each item as you go along, but also, the gun won't let you scan the wrong item if you happen to pick up the wrong size, or something.  Sometimes, though, there are more shoppers than there are guns, so there have been times I've had to shop "by hand" using the hard copy list to check UPCs, quantity, etc.

What if you don't have something on the list?
Customers have the option to "allow substitutions" or "no substitutions."  If we are out of (or don't carry) an item on a list, and the customer allows substitutions, we can give them a different size/brand/flavor, as applicable, for the same price as the item they actually ordered (unless the substituted item is cheaper, that is).  For orders not allowing substitutions, items out of stock or unavailable are often "scratched" from the list, and the customer is not charged for these.  There are certain cases where I may substitute a different size or brand, depending on what the item is (i.e. it is evident they'd need it for a recipe, the item they ordered is no longer available, period, etc.).  I will often call customers to double-check these substitutions.

How do you know exactly what they want?
It's amazing to me how many options of everything are available to us, as Americans, anywhere and anytime...but esp. in grocery stores.  There are so many decisions to be made while grocery shopping!  Each customer's list is a starting point, but several judgement calls are left to me, as the shopper.  There is, however, a "comment" section that many customers utilize to make special requests, and these are usually very helpful.  My favorite/most memorable comment, to date, was something like, "3 green and 3 ripe bananas please" - in that moment, I knew for certain I'd been preparing for this job my entire life.  My mom regularly requested we pick out bananas this way when I was growing up, and it was a habit I adopted for myself, as well.  Other examples of customer comments include: requesting items they know we have in our store, but aren't listed online (because not ALL HyVee's carry that particular item); ripeness of avocados; special packaging for meat (i.e. 4 lbs. of ground beef packaged in 1 lb. increments); and one of my favorites (on an order allowing substitutions), "Please do not substitute anything but Fruity Pebbles for the Froot Loops with Marshmallows, or my grown husband will throw a fit."

Do you deliver the groceries?
I do not deliver the groceries; there are delivery drivers who do so.  I do, however, take "pick-up" orders out to customers, sometimes.

Do you receive an employee discount?
Yes!  We have access to a 10% discount coupon every pay period (every 2 weeks).  We also have access to damaged (non-perishable) items that are sold at a discount.  Yes, I love these perks.

How long will you keep working there?
This is a question I've been asked more recently, due to my current, growing "state." The answer: I'm playing it by ear.  I have some great coworkers who have been willing to help with the (literal) heavy lifting part of the job, and so far, I've been up for it's activity level.  I will not be back on a regular basis after our baby is born, but may stop in to help, on occasion - we'll see.  There's been talk of a HyVee opening that will be for online orders, only, so my job at my current store may be liquidated soon...who knows.  Either way, I'll continue to shop there and enjoy knowing/recognizing several employees while I'm there!

This does not fall under the question category, but I want to share it with you, anyway:
You may have seen something about this on Facebook at the time it happened.  HyVee's everywhere had the opportunity to participate in a "Springtime Party" contest, and our store was one of the participants.  The theme (each store chooses it's own) was "Kansas City," and each department was decorated as a well-known KC district/landmark/etc.  I happened to be working on the day of judging, and it happened to be a slow day, so when I arrived that morning, my manager, somewhat guiltily, told me he needed a favor...and really, that he'd volunteered me for something.  He went on to explain that our store would receive bonus points for up to ten different sample stations, and the bakery needed help manning theirs.  So, he was wondering/asking if I'd be willing to be the sample lady.  Of course, I said yes, and he went on to explain I'd be handing out Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake.  I said something like, "Seriously?!"  I think he thought I wasn't thrilled about it, and he said, "Are you sure you don't mind?"  I said, "Of course not - this is a dream come true!  For real."  I've always loved samples and thought it would be fun to be a sample lady for a day...and that day, I got to do just that!  Of course, for only a couple hours starting at 8:00 on a Wednesday morning, I didn't get a lot of traffic, but it was still fun...and yes, I got to partake in a sample...or two.  I was stationed by the donut case, and the most interesting part of the experience was how many people came back for their Wednesday morning "treat" only to be faced with the decision of whether to buy a donut or partake in a bite of free cheesecake.  Some chose the cheesecake, others stuck with their donut...but several (with my encouragement) treated themselves to both.  ☺

My cutting/serving resources were limited, so the pieces were a little unconventional...though, no one complained.  ☺

So, there you have it - another one to add to the always-growing résumé!  ☺  Happy to answer any other questions you might have.

Thank you, as usual, for reading and for your interest!

Shopper-ly,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

feeling this wiggly/active baby boy moving inside me on a regular basis, now!

garage sales

being able to use Bed Bath & Beyond coupons at BuyBuyBaby

We're having a baby!

This is not a drill.

I know you've been "burned" by me before with sharing pretend big news, but this time, I'm not pulling on your leg.  (I promised I wouldn't do it again after that one post...)

We're actually having a baby!

Here are some common questions we've received upon sharing this news with people in person, along with our answers:

When are you due?
mid-July

Will you find out the gender?
Yes.

How have you been feeling?  
Eh.  Ok...haha.  I keep telling people I definitely know there's something different going on, because I haven't wanted to eat anything, really, for the past month+.  Who am I?!?!  I'll leave it at that, for now; more details upon request.

Are you excited?  
Duh!  haha - jk.  Yes, we're so excited!

Have you started prepping the nursery?  
Kind-of.  We (and by "we," I mean my amazingly-handy husband) are in the middle of finishing up several house projects.  Once they're done, we'll be able to (finally!!!!!) move things downstairs, including the guest room.  Then, and once we find out the gender, we'll be able to focus more on the nursery.

What have you been craving?
This is what I always like to ask expectant mothers - I think it's so interesting!  Come to find out, though, my experience with "cravings," so far, has not been so much what sounds good on top of my normal diet, but rather, it's been the only things that sound good, period.  And they change daily.  (Bless my sweet husband.)  Some "regulars" have been cereal, fruit juice popsicles, grilled cheese/fried egg sandwiches, and banana/PB/marshmallow cream roll-ups (these were already a thing for us - not a crazy pregnancy creation).  But really - these are just a few of the "Yeah, I think that sounds good..." items.  More extensive list upon request.

Any questions we forgot to include?  Ask away!

In case you missed it, this was our official announcement for the world of social media:

I thought I'd treat you, dear readers, to some behind-the-scenes shots of this gem.  ☺

Sometimes, neither of them looked.

Sometimes, Charlie looked.

Sometimes, Pepper looked.

(kinda)

And sometimes, she stuck out her tongue.

Sometimes, they got tired of waiting for treats...

Sorry to not have video documentation of this ordeal...I'm sure it would've provided even more entertainment.

Anyway, that's our news!  Thanks to those of you who have shared in our excitement!

More later...

Pregnantly,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

pineapple juice/ginger ale/orange sherbet/vanila ice cream NYE punch!

Christmas pictures/letters/correspondence (we didn't send one out this year, for the record)

my hard-working husband ♥