A Texan Odyssey

( Egg Basket ) ( Mini Watering Can ) Once upon a time, in the not-so-distant past, we had six backyard chickens! We got four of them as pullets (close to laying age) and two as chicks a few months later. We had: A Black Australorp named Poppy (seed)  A Black Star named Chili (powder) A Red Star named Ginger (spice) A Delaware named Pepper (corn) A Buff Orpington named Star (anise) A Blue Plymouth Tint named Truffle (salt) I guess you could call them our spice girls! We spent way too much money on them (we ordered the pullets from Heritage Pullets ) and for them (a thousand-dollar coop from Urban Northern Coops and organic feed from Scratch and Peck  when it got difficult to find organic options at Tractor Supply Co.), but they were totally worth it. The experience of raising them and caring for them was something the whole family will never forget. We treated them like pets and would rush home before sunset to make sure they were closed up safely in their coop every evening...

Is it even a birthday if you don't blog about it? Kidding! Once upon a time I blogged regularly. First I used the blog to record my weight loss journey after I had a baby, then (as I started to enjoy fashion again) I started posting my outfits and participating in blog link-ups. I did a few guest posts for other bloggers, won a lot of giveaways, wrote a few sponsored posts, and commented on a lot of blogs I followed (and got comments and followers in return). It was a lot of fun, but not something I wanted to keep up with in the long run. I'm not fashion forward or creative with clothes. I do want to dress uniquely and feel effortlessly stylish in whatever I wear, but I refuse to waste money just to have something new to post about. As I work towards getting back to my goal size (again!) I want to curate a closet that only has clothes I love, clothes that are flattering and can be mixed and matched with ease. Anyway, the point I'm ge...

Sean turned six on the 2nd and we ended up having three separate celebrations for him, one with my side, one with friends, and one with Ryan's side. We had so much dessert last week I need to give up sugar again to make up for it! Everyone had fun though, and we're so proud of our smart, fun, six year old! On Sean's actual birthday we treated him and his friends to 2 hours at a local trampoline park. It was the perfect spot for a bunch of active kids to jump around to their heart's content! My friend Karen made the most delicious cupcakes for Sean! The kids had a blast and several of us parents jumped as well. We can't wait to go back soon, even though we were sore and tired afterwards! Connor actually took a LONG nap, unheard of!! We appreciated that for sure. This was from the dinner at my sister's house. That candle we picked out was a sparkler and it spooked Sean a bit! Connor wanted the presents to be for him! M...

Connor has been wanting to give up his naps lately...but since he's soo cranky on the days he doesn't nap I'm not too crazy about that idea. Yesterday was one of those days...I finally loaded the kids up in the car around 6:30 in the evening and they both passed out for an hour while I drove around looking at houses for sale. When they woke up I stopped at a park for some fun before dinner. I had my new camera with me so I was able to get a few pics while they ran around enjoying the playground. I can't wait to familiarize myself with this camera and improve my photography skills. I recently took some photos for our church's website, and I was supposed to take more but my old camera started malfunctioning. Hopefully with this new one I can get back to work on that!