Fall ‘25

Preface:

I was recently asked whether or not "The Scoop from the Coop" was still active.  Ha!  The answer: yes, but with the caveat that it rarely reaches a priority level that allows for anyone to actually know it's active.  I also shared that I had a post sitting in "editing purgatory," because the holiday season had impeded my progress on it.  Here's that post:

This is slowly but surely becoming a seasonal blog, isn’t it? As I use it to document our life’s happenings, the timeliness (or lack thereof) speaks to the busy-ness and priorities of this season of life. All good things, but just a lot at once, and with little margin.

So, here’s a brief recap of some fall happenings:

Lydia turned 5! 
Here she is opening a couple gifts the morning of her big day. 

Her chosen theme for her first ever friend party was "unicorn, flamingo, ballerina."
We did what we could to accommodate. ;)

♥

Some of the last garden zinnias for the season and flamingo straws I'd had the forethought to pick up from Dollar Tree this summer both came in clutch!

Clearance ballerina stockings (thanks, Aunt Jami) and a unicorn/flamingo "duck" game rounded out the theme.

I'm always thankful for my brief stint in 4-H cake-decorating classes...

...and the ability to make cake dreams come true on a budget!

Pin the horn on the unicorn - recycled from one, if not two, cousin's birthday parties.

I also had a birthday!
Breakfast in bed is always a treat, but esp. with tiramisu French toast (Bryant) and gooey rolls (Dad)!

A most delicious cake was made, too!

♥

We took a quick trip to Lincoln to participate in the NWU Homecoming festivities this year.  Families were invited to a tailgate meal, band alumni were invited to perform on the weekend's concert, and there was even a music alumni trivia game (judged by a couple former (and since, retired) professors).  It was so fun to not only relive some of my college experiences with Bryant and the kids, but also some of Bryant and I's earliest memories together with our little family. 

It had been a while since we stopped in Rock Port for the traditional "meet in the middle" photo.

We stayed at "the coop" (this blog's namesake)!
The kids were obviously thrilled.  Me too!

We squeezed in as many favorites as we could that weekend, including a favorite coffee shop!

You know how I feel about a then-and-now...☺

Mannny hours were spent in practice rooms such as this, once upon a time.
This was a really sweet full-circle moment.

I used to give campus tours, so of course, we went in every building we could, including this - Old Main, where the university in its entirety was once housed.

So many feelings about playing on that stage again...but mostly: it was so fun!

The (almost) exact spot we first laid eyes on each other, and in the background, the first place he bought me coffee and the first place we ate dinner - all in the same afternoon/evening!

There is a lot I could say about these seed packets, but for now:
I collected a very large amount of zinnia seeds at the end of this growing season, because we were planning to (and did) do some work to the garden, so we couldn't just leave them to reseed like they had the last couple of years.  I ended up with way more seeds than I knew what to do with.  Shortly thereafter, I was asked to speak at a women's favorite things event at church where ladies would be sent home with gifts from a handful of different themes/topics.  The topic I was asked to share about: gardening.  And guess what I got to do with all the seeds the Lord apparently knew I would need to have collected?!  I got to share them with all the ladies in attendance after telling them all about why gardening is one of my favorite things!

Bryant and I were able to take an anniversary trip to Mackinac Island!  The island hold a special place in Bryant's heart, and as I had never been, it was exciting to have him plan this getaway and show me around.  Being there at the end of their peak season made for such a quiet, relaxing, and refreshing time.  We would love to share more about this trip, so please just ask, if you're interested!

There are no motorized vehicles on the island, so after we got off the ferry, we either walked or rode in horse-drawn carriages!

We spent a whole afternoon walking along the coast of the island.  While it was a bit chilly, the temperature and sunshine were above-average for the time of year, and for that, we were very thankful.

We love taking advantage of everything our proximity to a big city has to offer!
Pictured here: one of several symphony concerts for kids we have attended

Speaking of awesome field trips - we toured Arrowhead Stadium with our homeschool group!
(This was a really cool (free!) opportunity and such an interesting tour.  We were extra glad to have been able to take it after (months later) hearing about the Chiefs' upcoming big move!)

Again - this post is so very belated, but I am thankful for your continued unconditional interest, as well as the opportunity posts like this present for me to reflect on and remember (both now and in the future!) our life's happenings.  Time continues to pass at an alarming rate, and I try hard to not only enjoy and relish in the present moments, but also document them in a way that will allow myself and others to look back on them in years to come.  Someday, perhaps I will have something more profound, or at least timely, to share.  In the meantime, thanks for your grace.  ;)

Tardily yet happily,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

the new coconut oil popcorn from Aldi

the opportunity to homeschool

this self-starting, hard-working girl
She asked for a box to paint so the noise-making kitten toy that is required to live in the basement could have a home.  I'd been saving a box for such a time as this, and we had the tail end of a can of paint, so she was in luck.  She asked to have her breakfast outside so she could "get right to work," and finished the job (really well) with no assistance.

Life, lately

Happy 2022!

This is not a New Year's resolution post (if you've been around for a bit, you know I don't really make resolutions).  It's also not a "recap of holiday celebrations" post (though I'd love to share all that!).  It's more of a "here are some things we've been doing, lately, that I haven't gotten around to posting about on social media" post.  😬  The holiday season just made for busier days - you can probably relate - and I just didn't get around to sharing everything I'd hoped. 

Also - and this probably sounds a little trivial and silly - the app I like to use for making photo collages (Layout by Instagram) isn't working since updating to IOS 15, and I haven't found(taken) the time to find/learn a new app.  Is this happening to anyone else?  Again, I know this seems so silly, but it really put a kink in the efficiency of my posting preferences.  

So, here are a bunch of random posts all in one "photo dump" of a blog post.  Enjoy.  😊

This handmade jumper and saddle shoes were hand-me-downs from dear friends (who babysat me from infancy, then I babysat their girls, then they babysat Jacob), and I wanted to get Lydia in them while they fit, even though it was well before Valentine's Day.  These were taken when she was just starting to free-stand on her own, and she looked so grown up to me!

These scenes from a Lego Nativity book we got from the library made me laugh out loud.
Have you ever seen a pregnant Lego person?!

Thanks to an Instagram influencer I follow, I forewent baking Christmas goodies with a preschooler this year and made stovetop potpourri jars, instead.  (Don't worry - we bake together often and did make a few small-batch treats this season.)  Jacob was a true helper, and it was really fun for both of us (I'd forgotten how much I love an assembly line and seeing the finished product).

Thanks to Amazon for the bulk spice offerings, HyVee for a significant cranberry coupon, and Home Depot for the free scrap tree cuttings!

♥

I had plans for most of the ~24 we made, but we had a few extras, and it was so nice to just be able to easily grab a homemade gift from the fridge when an opportunity presented itself.

In all humility, I thought they were just so pretty...and with very little effort to make them so!

Another Christmas project was thanks to Scraps KC (the arts & crafts thrift store I love).  I'd gone to browse and ran across a kit for clothespin reindeer.  It seemed as though someone had put it together for a crafting event and donated what was left of the supplies.  Growing up, I had (and still have) a Rudolph clothespin necklace, and because Jacob was particularly interested in the character of Rudolph this year, I knew he'd be excited about this nostalgic project.  We were happy to give these (ultra-cheap) supplies a second life!

My original. ☺

The herd at the top are the ones he made for himself, and the others were gifts.

I don't consider myself a "crunchy" mom, by any means, but I've been reminded repeatedly of the importance of kids getting ample outside time and opportunities for encounters with nature.  In my first round of motherhood, I was fairly concerned about Jacob putting things in his mouth, getting dirty, etc., but this time around is different (for several reasons, I'm sure).  While Lydia may put some things in her mouth, she is pretty good about taking them out upon request (or even not by request - she'll just hand me something slobbery I hadn't even seen go in), so she spends plenty of time roaming freely.  One thing that kept her particularly occupied this fall was picking the little spores off oak leaves.  Super random, I know.  I don't even remember how it started, but she would happily work her way through several leaves for many minutes before losing interest.  Thanks to winter's mild beginnings, we were spending lots of time outside through the end of December.

It was definitely a win for fine motor skill practice!

Only took a few corrections for her to remember they weren't edible.

I think I've mentioned Favorite Things parties here, before...if not, forgive my memory.  The ones I've attended in the past have been fairly small gatherings and are just so fun!  So, when there was a strong desire and several requests for a women's event at church, a Favorite Things party quickly came to mind.  Since we hadn't gathered as a large group in quite some time, it was my hope for everyone to get to talk to as many people as possible, so we did a Favorite Things party speed-dating style!  Everyone brought one of their favorite things (around $10), and over the course of the evening, each lady had a couple minutes to talk one-on-one with everyone in attendance.  If nothing else, they could talk about the favorite things they had brought along!  As with most things, there were a few unforeseen kinks, so it didn't go quite as smoothly as it had in my head (in my late-night run-throughs of the event (ha)), but everyone still had a lovely time and got to connect with friends, old and new.  I had some wonderful help with this event - a couple talented, capable, and generous ladies took care of the amazing decorations and delicious food!  Their work was Pinterest-worthy:

My favorite thing about these parties is seeing what everyone else brings...

...so, I documented the items the ladies brought. 

One of few out-and-about dates with these two. 
They did so well after being out of (or having no) practice being in public.

Speaking of dates...Bryant and I took advantage of our school-aged sitters being on break and went out on a mid-week date after Christmas!  Of course, we hadn't considered how many other people might have the same idea, so we tried three restaurants before finding one that could seat us without a reservation...haha.  Regardless, it provided quality time for uninterrupted conversation and dining, and it was so refreshing!

My picture of our actual dinner didn't turn out (seriously - this latest phone update has been terrible), but I did get this one of dessert.  "The Chocolate Bag" was filled with white chocolate mouse, whipped cream, and berries.

The Plaza lights were still up, so we enjoyed a (brief) after-dinner stroll!

Dates these days aren't complete without a trip to the store.  This evening's quest was a clearance storage bin for Jacob's growing Lego collection.  Not only did we find one on clearance, but it was 95% off!  Post-Christmas clearance shopping is one of my very favorite activities, so I can speak from much experience when I say this level of discount is unheard of!  (My heartrate accelerated even typing about it here - I still can't believe it!)  A deal like this is exponentially better when it was something you actually needed AND actually stopped for at that exact time, in my opinion.

The neighbors had a tree removed, and they were so thoughtful to let us know it would be happening.  Provided at solid hour+ of entertainment; Jacob said, "It's like I'm watching television!"  (Pretty sure we have my dad to thank for this vernacular: "television."  Cracks me up!)

Bryant made this stool for Jacob a few years ago, and it came in clutch during lunch prep the other day!

She did such a great job actually helping (and I didn't mind at all if she snuck a bite or two here and there.)  She was so proud of herself, and so was I!

Thanks for reading and caring and showing interest!  You know these blog posts are fewer and further between, these days, so wanted to make the most of this one - haha.  I know the subject matter of past posts may be a little more spiritual/deep/interesting/universal, but in this season of life, these daily happenings are the bulk of what I have to offer (mostly because they represent the bulk of what occupies my brain power, time, and resources, at the moment - haha).

While I don't make resolutions, I'd love to hear about yours!  Perhaps you don't call them "resolutions," though.  Goals?  Things you'd like to implement/improve?  Growth you'd like to see?  This year more than others, I'm feeling the need for a reset/regroup, now that the holiday season is behind us.  Maybe you feel the same way.  Either way, wishing you all the best in your endeavors in this new year.  Praying you find the direction, wisdom, resources, and will power to make the changes you set out to make.

Convictedly,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

the Kindred Conversations podcast (an episode was recently recommended, and I've really enjoyed catching up on previous episodes, as well - very relevant for my own season in life)

my electric blanket

These two. 
Jacob asked for a selfie with Lydia...then asked for a "video-ie," but Lydia was ready to move on to the next thing.