Happy happy chickens! Usually, I’ve been getting 3 eggs a day in various rotations of colors, meaning most hens are laying every other or every 3rd day. But today, I found 6 waiting for me when I went out to open the coop. Yes! All the pretty colors and size variations.

I haven’t figured out which of the LunaChicks are laying yet (and I can’t really tell them apart since 5 are practically identical) but Black Plague lays brown eggs, Nutmeg lays blue, Clove lays green, and I think the one LunaChick that has different coloring than the others lays that pretty ivory rose color. The other LunaChicks lay white...I think.

#ChickenMama

#OldLadyChickenAdventures

#YesIKnowImADork

#ManCrewChickenCoop Updated to add: As it turns out, I was incorrect about the ivory rose and white eggs. Gray Beard, the one LunaChick that has different coloring, is laying the white eggs, and the other 5 LunaChicks are laying the ivory rose. I hit the jackpot this week, finding 9 eggs in the nesting boxes. 1 Brown, 1 Blue, 1 Green, 1 White, and 5 Ivory Rose. These ladies know it is SPRING TIME!

There's a Vacuum Salesman at the Door...

 This delightful young man came over today to practice his new Kirby sales pitch. Despite the fact that I got a lovely vacuum for Christmas, I really wanted to purchase the Kirby when he was finished with his demo.

Local friends, if you are in the market for a really fantastic vacuum/home care system, please let me know and I’ll get you connected with

Christopher Martinez

for a demo in your home. I can’t BELIEVE how much better my carpet looks!

#VacuumSalesman

#Kirby

#KirbyVacuums

#DoorToDoorSalesman

#ChristopherSJ

#ManCrewHouse

#CleanCarpets

A Well Planned Day...that didn't turn out as I expected.

 My plan for today was to get up early, get all my housekeeping tasks out of the way before noon, and then spend the afternoon hiking Dripping Springs, followed by a relaxing evening at home with Hercules and Slick.

Instead, I slept in, checked the weather and decided to hike tomorrow, skipped morning chores in favor of a delightful breakfast at The Shed with Hercules, and then I headed home while he continued to a friend’s house to help them with a project. I spent the afternoon doing chores, listening in on a Zoom conference, working on a few more chores, chatting with friends, handling a few more chores, and settling in with a late dinner of bacon-filled grilled cheese as taught to me by Dave Bechtel (Anyone heard from him in the last 20 years? I lost track of him). Somehow, I have a few chores left since I have what my friend

Laura

calls “Lifestyle-Induced ADD” which causes me to start 37 things and finish none of them. And so, I shall spend the next hour or so finishing up everything I already started, and then either read until Dan comes home, or head to bed early to catch up on some sleep I missed earlier this week.

Also, I’ll add a few pictures I took this week and haven’t shared yet.

#HappyAtHome

#AdventuresWithHercules

#LifestyleInducedADD

#ChickenMama

#LunaChicks

#SpiceGirls

#ManCrewHouse

#OldLadyAdventures

This is exactly what cleaning is like for me. 

Beautiful Skies in NM

A little frost makes everything prettier

Happy Tummy

My Girls are laying again! 

The very last sight word is now laminated

School should be like this every day, don't you agree?

Happy at Home on a Sweet Saturday

 Happy Saturday, friends!

I am looking forward to a weekend of going nowhere and just being busy at home.

Up first: the housekeeping trifecta...dishes, laundry, and cleaning bathrooms. After that, more cutting and laminating for work. I’m planning to binge Sweet Magnolias on Netflix.

How are you staying busy at home this weekend?

#HappyAtHome

#InTheKitchenWithKristy

#NorwexForTheWin

#ManCrewHouse

#BlessThisMess

#HomeBlessing

Update:

Bathrooms clean

#1  #2  #3 in-progress

Tile swept/cobwebs down 

Upgrade PattyCakes’ car insurance 

Dishes done and away 

Delicate/Mask load washed and hanging to dry 

Call Chili’s to let them know about the missing tortillas from last night’s order  *I even scored some free gift certificates, even though I said it wasn’t necessary. Woot!

Pay City bill 

Send Venmo requests to my people for our shared (fleet-sized) vehicle policy 

Carefully read insurance claim emails regarding Dastroyah’s missing cycle. 

Clear off the dining room table and reorganize the card game drawer 

Peek in the freezer and do a quick mental meal plan for next week:

M-Chicken and Alfredo noodles with broccoli

T- Taco Pile Ups with refried beans and rice

W- Garlic Butter Steaks with baked potatoes and green beans

Th- Leftovers

F- Veg tray, chips and salsa, plus cheese abs crackers

S-DT cooks (tbd)

S-Pizza with the gang 

Phew!

I’m going to finish that last bathroom and settle in for some laminating work and Netflix.

Clean the 3rd bathroom 

Finish soaking Norwex and start them on a hot load in the washer 

Re-clean kitchen and do dishes after early dinner 

Brew tea 

Try to figure out game expansion with DT and determine that it is out of my range for today 

Water plants 

Clean out critter cages 

Sweep laundry/storage room and clean off top of dryer 

Finally get to cutting and laminating, woot! 

#RedeemingTheQuarantine: March 20, 2020

#RedeemingTheQuarantine:
What did you today so that your brain doesn’t fall out and to keep yourself from going stir-crazy? 

I read in Sahara and another book, worked out (WiiFit is super), did the last shopping trip, and scored some toilet paper, read the news, talked or texted with my people, delivered groceries to my quarantined Sister-Girl, hollered at The BIGS to stay home for the love of humanity, made disinfecting reusable wipes, caught up on laundry and dishes, disinfected all the door handles and light switches in the house, snickered at some hilarious memes and in general tried to stay busy.
How about you? 

#CoronaVirusPandemicQuarantine2020
#ManCrewHouse
#StayingBusy

#RedeemingTheQuarantine: March 15, 2020

#RedeemingTheQuarantine: 

Making spice mixes, tidying and taking stock of the pantry, sharing links to educational activities and websites, heard a great sermon by Pastor Roy, hole-punching and filing my recently printed recipes, and Chex Mix is about to come out of the oven. Yes, it has already been a great day. 

#StayingHomeIsNice
#ManCrewHouse
#InTheKitchenWithKristy
#CoronaVirusPandemicQuarantine2020

It's the Little Things: Day 272

I want to focus on the good things this year.

All the things people get right.

All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.

All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.

So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

•  A day spent almost completely at home. As often as we strive for them, in this busy busy busy culture, an at-home day is a gift. DT is still really embracing the idea of Sabbath, even though to him it just means a day at home to do whatever he wants. ;)
• Dan was helping Roger, Teresa, and Karen move into their new home, so it was just DT and I most of the day. I'm glad he's willing to help friends and family with whatever he can. The tv was on, but quiet, and DT took breaks often to help me with things or head out into the sunshine for a bit. I even snuck in listening to a CD or two while DT was otherwise occupied.
• I chatted on the phone with my mom for over an hour about her recent trip to Ohio, life around here, and just stuff. I miss her. I'm grateful for technology that helps the miles between us seem shorter.
• I accomplished several small projects that had been lingering on my to do list all week, like getting out the Autumn decorations and putting away the Summer ones, catching up on ALL of the dishes, 'helping' DT get his room cleaner and giving the rats a bath, folding some laundry, adding several books and a few items of clothing to the donation box, cleaning the bathroom and scrubbing the counters. Little things, but as a whole, made the house feel ready for Autumn and clean.
• When Dan came home from helping them move, he painted my nails so I would sit still next to him while he watched a movie. Oh my goodness, I love this man. He just wants me to sit by him. (Hello, quality time love language)
• I helped Ricky draft an email to fire his current lawyer, which was the only reason I left the house. I spent an hour at The Hooligan House eating pizza, laughing over the guys' love language quiz results, drafting the email, and generally enjoying myself quite a bit. I got to hug Carolina and Judah, have a chat with Johnny, and listen to Alex put everyone in their place a time or two. Good stuff. 
• When I returned home, Dan and I watched a few episodes of This Is Us, season 2. Netflix DVD service is awesome. It really IS the Little Things.

See how easy it is to come up with things once you start looking around?
What's on YOUR little things list?

#100HappyDays2018: Day 13

#100HappyDays: Day 13
New towels!! PattyCakes bought them for me as a belated Mother’s Day gift.
If you’ve been to my house in the recent past, you KNOW the battle I’ve been waging regarding #TeenagersRuinEverything so rejoice with me over new towels!

#100DaysOfSummer
#100HappyDays2018 — with Patrick Meyer at The Man Crew House.

It's the Little Things: Day 147

 

I want to focus on the good things this year.

All the things people get right.

All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.

All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.

So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a lovely hour and a half long chat with your bestie after she calls to announce that she's just dropped her daughter off at my house. The last one we lived in while we were in IL. #ItsASmallWorldAfterAll
• It's using and enjoying Wal-Mart's free grocery shopping app so I don't have to wander through the grocery store on a holiday weekend. Plus, it helps me avoid impulse buys...or snacks to keep my shopping 'helpers' happy. 
• It's having friends and family to celebrate with for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday. That's not a little thing, but something to appreciate for sure.
• It's getting a new bookshelf at the LFAL office so we can bring in more books to add to our lending library. 
• It's having an overdue convo with Dan after a compelling sermon by Pastor Dennis in regards to our marriage and how we can improve it. Good stuff.
• It's having another stellar week of community group. I'm loving our study by Rick Warren- '40 Days of Love', a study based on a book called "The Relationship Principles of Jesus" and also the topic of our current sermon series. 
• It's getting a phone call announcing big news from my daughter-in-love. No, they are not pregnant, but it's still big exciting news that will be made public in the near future. Sometimes, secrets are fun.
• It's keeping the counters clean and dishes done this whole week again. 
• It's another fun, late Game Night. Adam learned how to play 7 Wonders, we all laughed ourselves silly over Bananagrams and Farkle, and then once everyone else was gone, Dan, myself, Pat and Nathan played Golf until like 3:30 in the morning. Eek! 
• It's a friend that wants to you come play paper with her and when you are too busy, she brings it to you at a more convenient time. 
• It's being invited to Little Miss's birthday party. DT and I had just been talking about her this week.
• It's a friend that wants to set up a toe-nail painting party and checks with you three times to make sure the time is good for you so you can attend. 
• It's a working lunch on a Saturday with your sister and nephews while admiring your new bookshelf, filled to the brim with books.  
• It's a nephew that comes early to Game Night to share dinner, help set up and to squeeze in some extra visiting time because he's moving away soon and won't be able to attend anymore. 
• It's your sons knowing that they can bring home friends without first asking for 'permission' and that their friend will be welcomed without question or reprimand. It's satisfying to know that our children know our home is a safe place for not only them, but for their friends that are struggling at home. 
• It's a friend that you can truly talk to about your life. Not the perfect soundbite options you post for FB fodder, but the gut-wrenching, brutally beautiful, bittersweet, take-your-breath-away moments. Everyone should have a bestie like my Lizzie. 
• It's the truly simple things, like cutting my own boys' hair. It's a happy little time every few weeks when we get to chat, just us. Or when I pop my head in their room just to say hi and end up chatting for 30 minutes. It's when they wander into the kitchen and start helping make a meal while we are laughing together. 
• It's paying off your ridiculously high library fines so you can start checking out books again. (Some day, there will be a plaque in my honor for all the fines I've paid. I just know there will. LOL) 
• It's a high capacity washer so that even know I've only done one load of laundry this week, it will only take me 2 more to get caught back up. Phew! 

Life is so full of little blessings, happy moments, and beauty. If we only take the time to look at it, we will realize how rich, and how deep and how sweet our lives are. Take a minute to look around. 

What's on YOUR little things list today?