Another smile (or two), courtesy of some sweet little ones

Hey there!

I have a few kiddo quotes that can't go without sharing:

One of my students was getting ready to play a song titled "Chimes."  He read the title (silently), and said, "Aren't those the green things you put on baked potatoes?"  I wasn't sure where he was going with that, until he said, "Oh wait - those are chives.  haha - that would've been a silly thing to write a song about!"

While driving downtown on our way to the Children's Museum, we passed a man in a suit.  My 3-yr.-old friend said from the backseat, "He looks like church!"

Another "funny" from the same little girl: 
We were eating at Noodles after visiting the museum, and after our waiter asked if everything was "noodletastic" (the kids got a kick out of his word choice), she asked, "Does he have underwear on?"  I wasn't able to keep a straight face in this situation, but composed myself enough to explain that it wasn't necessarily appropriate to discuss such things, especially in public, but that yes, it was probably safe to assume that he did.

I am increasingly amazed by the generous and talented people I am so blessed to have in my life!  This weekend, I did a small (and fun!) favor for a family whose boys I teach, and this is how they thanked me:

It's a homemade Peanut Butter Cup cheesecake with pretzel crust...and it was delivered as a surprise during a long evening of teaching.  (The other half is in my freezer.)  Though their kind words and hugs would've been thanks enough, this wasn't something I was going to turn down...  ☺

Lastly, I have a couple additions to my birthday post:
-I forgot to mention that my actual birthday started with "birthday cake" pancakes made by my roomie before she headed to work in the morning!  I'd been craving pancakes for awhile, and these were "funfetti" ones...and really yummy!
-My brother sent me a very thoughtful b-day package (that arrived after birthday week and weekend...thus prolonging the celebration ☺) that included, among other meaningful things, a capo for my guitar!

I hope this finds you all well...and gearing up for the supposed cold front!

Loving fall,
Kensy

P.S. I don't know what the highlighted background is all about...and I'm not going to retype all this to try to get rid of it.  So...enjoy it, for now!  haha  ☺  Thanks for reading!

P.P.S. I'm potentially in the market for some cowgirl boots.  Any suggestions as to where to get a fairly quality pair at a reasonable price?

Favorites of the day:

new clothes

catching up with old friends (and making new ones)

the song "After All (Holy)" by the David Crowder Band

25

Where to even begin...

Those of you on Facebook know that I have been celebrating "birthday week" for over a week, now.  Those of you who have known me for awhile know that I don't usually make a huge deal about my own birthday, much less make it a week-long celebration.  This year, however, lent itself to lots of celebrating...and I didn't resist it.

I'll try not to be redundant here, since I posted about the week's happenings on Facebook, but here is a brief recap of some of the surprises the week brought:

I painted this spoon rest on a birthday present trip to Paint Yourself Silly (and Ivanna Cone!) with my roomie.

One of the very thoughtful and sweet families I teach brought this birthday cookie and a bouquet of flowers for me to their lessons on Monday.

Tuesday started with a spontaneous birthday breakfast with the family I nanny for followed by a trip to the zoo on such a beautiful, sunny day!

On Wednesday, one of my coworkers brought treats to staff meeting partially in honor of my b-day, and I was treated to nachos and a free birthday dessert while out with friends later that evening.

Thursday included lunch with (and compliments of) a dear friend and these cupcakes (from my favorite cupcake shop, Le Cupcake) from a couple very sweet and thoughtful students.  (They were supposed to have lessons that evening, but had something come up, so made a special trip to drop these off earlier in the evening.)

Friday (the 21st) was my actual birthday.  I'm only a little embarrassed to admit I spent the morning cleaning house (since I'd been celebrating all week, I hadn't had a day at home to take care of things like I usually do).  Then, I taught the Children's Music Academy class I teach on Friday afternoons.  The three precious 4 -year-old girls and I made a "music cake" as part of our normal lesson.  I told them we could put some candles on it, though, because it was my birthday.  They had a real hard time deciding how many to put on the cake.  Once we got to 20, they jumped straight to 35!  haha

I have a little bit of downtime on Fridays between teaching the CMA class and lessons, so this week, I  walked across the street to use my only-valid-on-your-birthday free yogurt coupon at Cherry on Top.  What a pleasant surprise to find they have bowl dividers, so you can get two totally different flavor combinations!  Someone was thinking...

Friday evening was spent out to supper with friends (yes, I got the free birthday dessert...and song), then karaoking at a venue no one in our group had experienced.  It was a little sketchy...and we'll probably try somewhere else next time...but a good time was had by all!

We sang "Summer Nights"...good times!  haha

One of my coworkers (and friends!) offered to make me something for my birthday.  I told her I wasn't picky, but that I really liked cheesecake, so she made me THIS!  Almost to pretty to eat, but oooh so yummy!  What an amazing job for her first cheesecake!

Saturday was spent with my parents and extended family, and today they took me out for a birthday lunch before leaving town.

Words cannot express how blessed and loved I feel!  Many thanks to those who sent cards and gifts, called, texted, posted on Facebook, and helped me celebrate the 25th anniversary of my birth!  

I've told some of you that I haven't really been affected by the number associated with my birthday, until this milestone year.  I'm not sure why it seems like a bigger deal to me, but it does...and I feel a little clichè that it's affecting me at all - haha.  It is what it is, though, and I'm just increasingly thankful for the blessings in my life - past, present, and future - and the new opportunities each year, month, and day bring!

Looking forward to seeing what is in store for the coming year!  Thanks for sharing in the journey with me!  ☺

Old-ly,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

my electric blanket

that cheesecake...!

Room 211 (the church service I attend)