Potty training our kitty

Check out Citikitty for more information on the process.  Here is Hermione getting acquainted with step one.  In about a week, we'll move on to step two.  Stay tuned!  

Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my awesome Dad!  My mom asked if I could make him a cake.  I was trying to come up with an idea that I thought he would like, and I couldn't think of anything.  Truth be told, I didn't think he was super into "cake" at all.  My pop isn't too big on sweets.  And since I can't eat (and honestly shouldn't really even touch) anything with flour in it, I was out of ideas.  Then I saw this on another website and I thought it was the perfect solution.  So... for his birthday, we had a veggie cake.  I constructed a cake stand out of a cup (filled with ranch dip) and a plate.  It was a hit!  Super yummy and so much better for you than cake.  Kids, sorry to break it to you, but I think ya'll will be getting similar cakes this year.  :)

Playful Parenting.

I'm trying to learn to not sweat the small stuff and find joy in my kid's discovery.  My first instinct when I saw this was to put a stop to it... but I decided, instead, to let them have a bit of fun and then just throw the tablecloth in the wash.  The result was giggles all around rather than disappointment.  Now if they try to do it at every meal, I may need to have the "there's a time for everything" chat.  ;)

Chicken craziness.

Well... it has been an interesting adventure.. this chicken raising thing.  When we started, Josh got two light brahma chicks for me for Mother's Day.  

The very next day, we added a third chick.  A buff brahma.  

When they were about 2 months old, the buff one escaped the coop (a puppy corral with a wood lid at the time.. the coop was still under construction) and met it's demise with my dog.  At the time, we had a Dorkie.  He looked like this:

Cute... but deadly!  LOL.  We finished the coop and the two hens left over moved in.  We knew we wanted three hens, so we figured while they were still small, we would add a third chick back in.  Big mistake.  She was significantly smaller and the other two eliminated her.  She was a buff orphington.  She didn't last long.  Sad day, lesson learned.  

Time passed, the brahma's grew.  The coop was complete.  All was well.

And then, we learned the hard way, that the dorkie mix of diggers and hunters didn't work out so well for the hens.  We found a big hole under, the wire had been torn back and we had two dead hens on our hands.  We were hen free for a bit after that.  We knew that we would want to start again though.  Meanwhile, we were having issues with the doggie.... he was a grand escape artist and he continued to find new ways out of the yard.  We learned a lesson about breed researching before adopting for sure.  Lucky for us, we found someone who was searching for a pup just like him.  We gave him to this fellow, knowing he was going to a home much better suited for him.  We moved the chicken coop to the side of the house where the veggies will grow and decided to start again.  Insert these gals.

One Silver Laced Wyandotte

One Buff Orphington

One Light Brahma

Priya

Penny

Bernadette.

Do you watch The Big Bang Theory?  We do.

As they were growing, things were running smoothly.

And then..... as they started to get older, we started noticing that Priya was becoming more dominant.  This struck me as odd because she was consistently the smallest and seemingly the bottom of the pecking order.  She would squabble a tad with Penny, but they all got along great.  Penny was a bit loud for a hen, but she wasn't crowing... just.... honking.  Priya started looking like this;

Long story short (or not... maybe it's too late...) yesterday, I found them mating.  I was more and more certain that Priya was a 'he' rather than a 'she', but yesterday's antics sealed the deal.  

Here they are roaming the yard.

I wondered why he had no interest in Penny though.  Well... once I let them out to free range and they were allowed more distance from each other, I discovered why.  Penny had started to look like this:

I didn't think anything of it though, because the hens can have almost as much of a comb and wattles as the roos.  Here's a hen of that breed:

See?  

When Priya wasn't paying attention, Penny tried to fool around with his girlfriend.  Sad day.  My three hens turned out to be two roos and a hen.  Those are pretty bum odds.  Needless to say, we aren't allowed to have males where we live, so they had to go.  Not to mention the fact that you should have a ratio of 10 hens to one roo.. and two dudes fighting over one chick never turns out well.........So back to the seller they went.  The guy we got them from graciously took them back and exchanged them for two young hens.   

Meet Ginger and Nutmeg.  

As adults they'll look like this:

 They're Ameraucanas.  They'll lay pastel eggs.  They're known as the chickens that look like hawks.  Pretty neat if you ask me.  They're friendly and they're good layers.  

At the moment, we have them in the coop while Bernie roams around.  She's a bit lonely after loosing her coopmates.  Once Ginger and Nutmeg are a bit bigger, I'll let them roam the yard with her.  It's gonna be a long process.  We don't want any casualties like the first time.  They're able to get acquainted in the large area of the yard now that the dorkie isn't around.  Umi, on the other hand, gets along great with the chickens.  Bernie follows her around the yard now that she has no friends.  She mostly ignores the new chicks, but on occasion, she'll come by and watch them or peck at them through the wire.   It's like she's saying, "who do you think you are?".  

Here's a current shot of my gal:

You can see her checkin' them out here.

So, until they become better pals, Bernie will have to rely on Umi for companionship.  She doesn't seem to mind so much, those girls enjoy exploring the yard together.  

See?

Hopefully we start seein' some eggs someday....

Till then~

Baby carriers

The reason this:

Is better than this:

For more information, go here.

Ingredients:

 1/4 cup coconut flour

 8 large egg whites

 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

 1/2 cup water

 Coconut oil

The Process:

1. Whisk coconut flour, egg whites, water, and baking powder (optional) together in a large bowl.

2. Preheat small skillet on medium-high.

3. Melt 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in the pan and swirl around to coat.

4. Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter into the pan. Tilt and swirl the skillet to spread out the batter into a round thin tortilla shape.

5. Cook until golden brown on one side and then flip. (Careful! If you try to flip it too early or too quickly, it will rip. Be gentle and make sure the tortilla is not sticking to the skillet before you flip.)

6. Cook the other side until golden brown. Remove to plate.

7. Repeat the steps 3-6. This should make 8-10 tortillas.

1. Cut round, flour tortillas (whatever size you prefer) into eighths.

2. Lightly brush a 9×13 pan with olive oil.

3. Lay your tortilla triangles in the pan, then brush over them lightly with the olive oil. Make sure they’re not overlapping too much.

4. Sprinkle garlic salt over your tortilla triangles.

5. Bake on 350º for ten minutes.

Adoption and employment

So, we've heard back from our contacts in Ross's birth country. All systems are a go! Next stop.... Home Study! We have about half of the funds that we need to get started, so we're gonna plan a couple fundraisers. I'm thinking about doing a fundraiser night at our local Chick-fil-A. I like how they play worship music in there and it would be a great atmosphere for our church family to gather. Hopefully we would have a good turn out. Fellowship night style! 

We have an updated photo of him. He's looking so much older to me... I don't wanna miss out on any more of his growing! His caretakers described him as "tender" and "sweet". I love to hear that. I'm praying that the Lord blesses him while he waits for us. 

Check this out... I didn't notice this so much till after we got this photo. We always joked that our ballerina had the same face shape as Josh's side of the family. The jawline and chin in particular. See how pronounced his chin and cheeks are? Now look at this photo of ballerina.

See what I mean about the jawline/chin shape? Very much alike. It's funny eh? Also, check this out:

What do we notice about this photo of Josh's mom? Yes! Same jawline. I love it! 

Even lil' hipster has it... although his is much chubbier.... I love my kid's faces!

So anyway, I'll continue to keep you updated as we trek along this adventure the Lord has called us into.

Also on the horizon, I will begin training for what is to be my new business venture. Now..... I know it's not your average job... but I'm super jazzed about it. 

In about 5 weeks, I will be a certified Placenta Encapsulation Specialist. For more information on what the Placenta has to offer new mothers, go here. I will also be able to provide new mothers with Placenta prints like this one.

I think these are supremely beautiful. So... if you know a soon to be new mom who would like to know more about how her placenta can help her with post birth healing, postpartum depression, milk supply, and energy, point her my way. 

Well... that's about all for now. I hope ya'll have a super blessed weekend. Stay dry, stay safe, and above all, stay joyful!

Hens!

The hens and the dog are becoming fast friends.  It's nice... while she's out there with the chickens, it keeps them safe from other predators.  Here's a bit of video I grabbed while they were peckin' around.

I love how adorable lil' Hipster's voice is in this.  He's such a doll.... if I do say so myself.  :)

Let's hope we start gettin' eggs soon!  

New sling...

I think this one is one of my favs... I bejeweled it to hide some unsightly stitching and I think it turned out really cute and girly that way.  Whatchu think?

Pocket at the bottom.

Wedding hair and make-up

I've had two amazing opportunities lately to do hair and makeup for weddings.  I gotta say... I LOVE doing it.  There is something so special and personal about being the one that creates the look the groom sees on his bride.  I consider it an enormous honor to be chosen to have such an intimate part in the wedding.  A bride will always remember how she felt and how she looked on her most important of days.  A few rules I follow when creating a bridal look.....

Keep it venue appropriate.

Is the wedding inside?  Outside?  What's the lighting like?  What time of day is it?  Is it daytime casual or evening elegant?  These things are important in deciding on a bridal look.  If the wedding is outside and midday, you don't want as much drama as the evening wedding in a grand chapel.  Follow me?  

Keep it true to the bride's personality.

Do you have a bride that typically has more dirt on her face than makeup?  Is she outdoorsy and natural on a typical day?  The last thing you want is for your groom to not recognize you.  Wow him... yes.  Shock him with how different you look?  Not so much.  Are you the self proclaimed spokeswoman for MAC cosmetics on a typical day?  A bit more drama is more your style then.  Bottom line... a bride should look like the best version of herself, not a totally new version.

Keep it timeless and classic.

How many people do you know who have wedding photos that are soooo easy to date because of the crazy and outlandish styles of that time?  So many!  Your photos should be beautiful and timeless so that when you look back on them 80 years from now, you aren't doubled over in laughter.  

These are looks that I can't recommend for your wedding day.  

Look to your dress for inspiration.

Is the dress simple?  Frilly?  Strapless?  Keep these things in mind when creating your look.  If you have a dress that looks like this:

 you may not want to go with a super "natural" and "fresh" face.  This look allows for a bit more drama.  Keep balance in mind.  If your dress is huge, you better have some volume in your hair girl!  Can you guess how your face should look if your dress looks like this?

Hint:  Probably not like this:

The Groom's opinion matters.

Does he prefer you to be glam?  Or does he like a more natural look?  Find out!

You want his face to look like this:

Not like this:

Got all that?  

I also think it's important for the stylist to be on hand for the entire wedding and reception.  The bride shouldn't be left to do her own touch-ups and if the curls fall or adjustments need to be made, the stylist should be there to deal with things like that.  It's a whole day commitment, not a morning appointment.  

So in conclusion, I'm sooo grateful to have been given the opportunity to work a bit in this arena.  I was blessed to be a part of these weddings.

I love what I do.

See?