my happy little life

note to self: remember this, be like this

i really wanted to hike the y with nie, but had a previous engagement i couldn't change, and that made me sad in no small measure. friday i felt like i should go see her and express my love and friendship. i only stayed and chatted for a few minutes- her home was full of family- but i left feeling cared for and uplifted, and i have thought of little else since then. how did she do it? how did someone going through so much, living with so much pain and so many adjustments, manage to take the focus off her and rather attend to me in just a few minutes time? her kindness and grace is astonishing. and inspiring.

i want to remember this: i want to remember what she said and the way she made me feel as a life lesson- as an example of how i want to treat others and how i want to learn to be gracious and how i want to focus outward instead of inward. we hugged. she asked after cate and grant. she inquired about my health and life. she tried to feed me. she complimented me. she smiled and smiled and hugged and hugged and told me she loved me. i felt the love of our Savior, for her and for me, thick in my heart as i walked away. i left changed.

i feel humbled to the dust to know such a woman.
and happy! very happy.

(slowly) learning to leave their nest

our chickens just looove their double decker coop. they don't ever want to come out. but we want them to

free-range.

so we coax them out...

that's it girls, very brave!

here, come a little further...

that's it, run! eat some bugs!

but despite our encouragement, they stay reaaaal close to the door. i leave it open for them all day and they stay within 3 feet of its opening, going back in often.

that's ok.

 but we want them to hang out in the garden and eat the bugs. however, when one is deposited over there, she runs back to the coop area just as fast as those little legs can run!

they like to stay together.

phew! back safe at home. i can't blame them, grant made them such a great little house. and they get a little braver each day. i guess they are just chicken....

ba dum bomp.

ps- want some chickens?

i received some emails about how to get started with the chickens- but i don't know how to answer because grant does everything for them (i change their water). but i did find this website that looks like all you could ever need to know:

backyardchickens.com.

have fun!

when it's dinner time,

and i want to make a salad and some sides, i say,

"grant, will you and cate go get me some...

from the garden?"

and they do.

 

it makes me happy.

you want to know what's good? mashed potatoes made from baby yukon golds that were just dug up. simple with just butter, coarse salt, and cracked pepper. BIG hit.

AND

come back tomorrow for an update on the girls...

can you believe how big they are?

i seriously love them.

berry good

you know how there's always a little extra smoothie in the blender after you pour your glass full? don't pour it down the drain! instead keep popsicle molds at the ready to fill with the leftover goodness.

(then get ready for happy smiles on a hot day).

"can you believe how good these are?"

to make a big batch at once of creamy fruit-sickles: blend equal parts fresh and/or frozen berries with plain yogurt (i love brown cow) and freeze.

yummmmmy!

dear coco and dottie,

you are both very, very pretty.

and we miss you.

love, kelly and penny

grant's old school bday invite

i was just about to hop on the computer to design a little party invite for grant's 30th birthday, when i thought to myself, "i'm so sick of the computer." so i reverted to the high school days when i was a professional note writer. every class period (well, the ones i attended anyway) meant it was time to make a friend a collage note of all our inside jokes and draw funny pictures. did you do that too? ahh, those were the days. anyway, five minutes with a sharpie or two and the result was an invite that looked like it was done by a 14 year old. but i love it, plus it's perfect for grant and his maturity level!

i sent it out via email to our local peeps- but i feel like i forgot someone or two because i'm scatter brained like that lately. if you are tight with grant and want to come celebrate and i forgot you, email me! (and sorry!)

i love you grant! it's the last week of your 20s, enjoy!