***UPDATE***

Life often takes many twists and turns, and when mental illness crosses a worldwide pandemic, it can become difficult to maneuver.  Josylin did not adapt well to being schooled at home, especially by a former teacher who had expectations.  When she returned to school in the fall to start her senior year, the pressure was too much.  She left home and moved about 100 miles away.  She was a legal adult, so we had no recourse.  She cut communication with us, but through secondhand accounts, we learned that she has graduated from high school and is working.  We wish her the very best and we hope that someday we can rebuild our relationship. Josylin, if you're reading this, remember...we will always love you.

The Story

In 2019, I was focusing on Simplicity.  Newly retired, comfortably tucked into my retirement home by the Lake, former house sold, focusing on me, and a new SIMPLICITY blog.  Those were my goals.  But God had other plans.

In early January, my Dad received a call from Colorado Family Services.  You see, in 2015, my baby sister Andrea had passed away, leaving my niece behind.  Although my husband and I had asked several times to raise Josylin, we had always  been told no.  After my sister's funeral, Josylin went to live with her father and stepmom and her little sister.  The call to Dad asked if he would be willing to take custody of Josylin.  Dad had to say no.  He wasn't financially or in any way suitably ready to take custody of a teenager.

Dad called me, upset, and explained the situation.  I was communicating with my husband throughout the call, and in the language that married people have, we agreed that we needed to try to get Josylin.  I immediately called the caseworker and the ad liteum, and that started the wheels rolling.  In February, I flew to Denver for the first court case.  In April, I flew out for the second.  On June 2, after she finished her sophomore year of high school, we drove to Kansas City and picked her up and brought her home.

I won't go into details of why Joss needed a new home.  Suffice to say, it was a pretty drastic move.  She is now in an environment where she is cherished.  We love her deeply.  We believe in her.  We expect a lot, and she usually delivers.  A child who barely passed her classes before, is now on the honor roll...TWICE!  A child who never realized her worth...is now a national pageant queen.  A child who never knew that she was important, now feels cherished.  This has been one of the most difficult things we've ever done, but every second is worth it.

Oh, and in January this year...we officially adopted her.  She is no longer our niece.  She is our daughter.

That was the biggest thing to happen to us in 2019, but we also faced other challenges.

1. ​​We added 1400 sq' to our home
2. We lost our chicken flock to a raccoon
3. One of my best friends moved away from our new home
4. Michael left college, lived with us for 6 months, then moved 2 1/2 hours away
5. Matthew switched majors just before he got his student teaching assignment
6. I decided to go back to work (a really cool, fun job)
7. We had car problems.  LOTS of car problems.

It was a tough year.  Probably not the best year to start a SIMPLICITY blog.  So I didn't.  It's still dormant, although I hope I can bring it to life.  Now we are in the midst of Coronavirus...Covid-19...whatever you want to call it.  Since I am immuno compromised, I need to stay to myself.  I'm learning words and concepts I never imagined...SIP (shelter in place), pandemic, isolation, respiration, social distancing, quarantine.  These are times that you read about in Sci-fi books.  They aren't supposed to be real.  But I have to tell you..if you're going to be quarantined, this is the place for it.
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So welcome to 2020..  It's a new decade.  It's a new time.  Maybe it's simple.  Maybe not.  But we will trudge through it together.

Love,

Roommates.  A MAJOR part of college.  One filled with nerves, anticipation and excitement.  Will I like Roomie?  Will Roomie like me?  Do we have anything in common?  AHHHH!

I was a horrible, terrible, no good, really bad college roommate.  I think that's why I ended up living alone in my uncle's converted garage apartment for 2 years of college.  MY choice.  I was tired of wreaking havoc on everyone else's college experience.  I smoked (been cigarette free for 24+ years now...YAY ME), I was loud.  I was messy.  I was a mess.  The summer before Freshman year, I spent time with my future roommate, and I realized off the bat that she and I weren't the same.  Although we pledged the same sorority and now have a good relationship, we aren't close. I am sad about that.  My second roomie made me look like a saint.  She never went to class, stayed out all night, snuck alcohol into the dorm, had us get rid of our beds and sleep on the floor, and stole from me (everything from money to a boyfriend).  My next roomie was a nice girl, nothing really wrong, but she and I were nothing alike.  My next TWO roomies were amazing, and are lifelong friends.  I love them both dearly!  But alas, they graduated and I still had over a year of college left.  My husband's roomie experience was better...he shared an apartment with his lifelong friend (and the guy who actually introduced us, and was a best man in our wedding).

Emily, similarly, had some unusual roomie experiences.  Her first roomie didn't rush a sorority, so Em was already moved in and had friends by the time this girl got there.  Being a gift giver, Em found out what her roomie's decor style was, and bought her gifts to match it, which she set out on her desk.  I thought that was a lovely gesture, but apparently it had no effect on the roomie.  She moved out the next semester, and one of Emily's sorority sisters moved in.  That was a MUCH better fit!  For the next year, Emily shared an apartment with a sorority sister who was rarely around and didn't do dishes, then Emily shared with a friend from freshman year who was always at her boyfriend's place, and left Emily holding responsibility for unpaid bills.

By that time, Matt was starting college.  With his autism, we knew the dorm environment would not work for him.  We got permission for him to move in with Emily.  That has been a match made in heaven!  This past year was their second year living together, and they mesh really well.

​But, Emily has graduated.  Matt couldn't find a roommate.  So, as I referenced in this post, he is moving into an innovative apartment solution being offered by the college the first time this year.  He will have his own apartment, but will also have the opportunity to interact with other students from college.  We hope this will last until it's time for him to student teach.

And now, Michael is moving into the dorms.  He has a roommate.  We have reached out to his roommate and family, and I think it is  great fit!  Although they are over 1700 miles away, we are already making plans!  We are going to meet the day before move in to just get to know each other (and I'm going to show them Mall Deli, which is a Pittsburg legend).  He and his roommate are very similar.  Apparently they text back and forth quite a bit.  His roommate's Mom and I are also very similar; she and I also chat quite often!  I hope for a wonderful, successful friendship.

Here is a list of things that have helped the roommate situation this time around:

• Get in touch with your roommate ASAP. Call, text, email,  Facebook, Twitter...all resources for touching base.
• Be honest on your roommate survey. Don't try to please your parents; be honest about what you want
• Ask questions. What are your roomie's college plans? What are their favorite foods? Are you night owls or early birds? Do you have any classes together? Do you both plan to go Greek or join clubs? 
• Decide who brings what.  You don't need multiple fridge's and microwaves.
• Get a general idea how to set up the room (okay, if they're dudes, this is probably what the Moms will do!).

Once you're moved in and Mom and Dad have said their goodbyes, you're on your own.  You and your roomie will PROBABLY have issues at some point.  Don't let these fester.  If needed, get your RA involved.  You may or may not be best friends, but at least aim to be friends.  There will be nights of gaming and pizza, or Netflix and popcorn.  GREAT!  Make memories!  And above all...RELAX.

My 20 year old son Matt has been living with his sister Emily for his freshman and sophomore years in college.  It's been a great experience for him.  He is extremely high functioning autistic so we knew the chaos of the dorm would not be good for him.  His sister has lived in a duplex since her sophomore year, so when the decision was made for Matt not to live on campus, she invited him to live with her.  It's been a great experience for both of them (and my daughter's little dog, JoJo!).

Alas, Emily graduated in May, effectively leaving Matt homeless after mid-August!  Panic started setting in.  Matt couldn't find another roommate to take over rent, and he doesn't have the money to live solo.  What to do?

By accident, we found out that Pittsburg State was building a really cool and innovative solution for older students called Block 22.  Basically, it's single unit apartment units located in preserved noteworthy buildings in Pitt's main street.  And this concept is just SO COOL.  See more about Block 22 here (and be very, very jealous).  His unit will have a bed, bath, living room, full kitchen...and comes with furnishings (including a TV, microwave, washer/dryer unit and a dishwasher!).  Downstairs has a coffee shop, learning spaces, an outdoor courtyard and so.much.more.  I'm excited for him.

Living with his sister, he has gotten a lot of "shared" items, like pans, dishes, silverware, etc.  We basically need to make a checklist of what else he needs.  So, here we go!

Crock Pot   I'm giving him lots of healthy and easy recipes.  We got him the 4 qt. one so he can freeze food for later.
Colander    We got the collapsible one to save space.  The kid loves pasta!  He needs the strainer!
Skillet       I got him this ceramic non-stick skillet.  I just want to see how he takes care of it before we get something more expensive.  I do like this one, though, and it is sturdy and seems like it will withstand Matthew's cooking endeavors.
Keurig          I raised a bunch of coffee drinkers.  A Keurig is a must for them.  He got this for graduation.
​Mini Waffle Maker   I actually got him this for Easter this year.  It's small and mighty

I just got the boys an Amazon Echo Dot.  I thought it would be a great idea...they can set verbal reminders, find out the weather, call Mom from anywhere in their rooms (apartments) and SO MUCH MORE!  The kids got me one for my birthday, and I still can't get over everything it does for me.

We still have LOTS to get.
Bed set.  He will move from needing  twin sized to full sized sheets and bedspread.
DIshes.  He has shared a set with Emily but he is getting his own.
Silverware.  Same thing.  He gets his own.
Storage dishes.  Something like Tupperware or Sterlite containers that can freeze and microwave.
Kitchen towels, pot holders and trivets.  
Wooden spoons and a spatula.  Obviously!

The cost of his laundry is covered in his lease, so I have instructed his brother to forego the dorm laundry and head over to his brother's apartment.  I even told them I would supply the laundry detergent and dryer sheets!

We haven't had the opportunity to see inside his actual unit yet, so we won't actually know what else he needs until August 18.  Luckily there is a Wal Mart and a Big Lots in town, so we can grab what we need when we get there.  He and Michael do move in the same day, but he's been asked to come a little later.  That works!  We were planning on moving Michael and his roommate in first, with Matt's help, then we will all head over to Matt's and move him in.

Let me know if you can think of anything I forgot!  I'm a list maker, so I can just jot it down.  And remember...pics WILL be coming soon!

 And... 
My youngest boy (my "baby") graduated high school!  Congratulations, Michael!  He will be following in his brother's and sister's footsteps and heading to Pittsburg State University. GO RILLAS!  Everywhere I look online, there are tons of information on dorm decorating for girls, but sadly, there is precious little for freshMEN.

I know what you're thinking...Mom's 3rd time around, she has this down to an art.  You could not be more wrong!  I'm
more of a mess this time than with any other child.  You see, this one is completely different.  Unlike his sister, who moved in early for sorority rush, or his brother, who didn't live on campus at all, Michael will live in one of the dorms!  And move in with all of the other freshmen, on the same day, in the same parking lot!  That means I once again need to focus on getting the biggest bang in a small space.  Oh, and since he's a guy?  No help from him whatsoever, except to agree or disagree with something I show him online.  I mean, this is the kid has lived in this house for over 13 years, and he has never painted his room!  I just can't comprehend.

Oh, and speaking of living in our house...we are selling it and moving to the Lake of the Ozarks!  It is ON THE MARKET right now, so it must be magazine ready during every. single. moment., in case somebody wants a showing.  Yeah...not a lot of room to store and organize things.  The summer before Emily went to college, we joked that it looked like a dorm room exploded in our house.  NOT THIS TIME!

At this point, we have barely purchased anything, although we've talked about a lot.  We went to Bed Bath and Beyond during a sale, and with a 20% off coupon, we got a really cool bedding set called The Rowan for just $40.  It comes with the bedspread, fitted and flat sheet set, pillowcase, pillow sham and a throw blanket.  Honestly, this helps a lot because I can (not WE...*I* can) start designing the room.  He chose the navy and black color, and since he already has a black reading pillow, his bed is off to a good start.  We still have to get a mattress protector (ewww on the old mattresses "everybody else" has slept on) and a comfy mattress topper.  To finish the bed, we plan on getting this over the bed storage shelf.  His sister had one and used it a LOT (still uses it, in fact).  She lined the shelves with colorful foam board so nothing would fall through.

We've also gotten some design elements for his wall.  The first one was this Gorilla wall art.  I mean, who at Pittsburg State WOULDN'T want something so cool?  I've seen that wall tapestries are a huge thing right now, so I ordered him one for his birthday.  His is a reference to one of his obscure video games, but I found tons of awesome tapestries on Amazon.  They are so seriously gorgeous!  And FUN!  And an easy way to switch decor.  It's a great way to personalize a dorm room without spending a ton of money.  Michael is a HUGE Kansas City Royals fan, so his sister got him a poster of Kauffman Stadium to hang on his wall.  Whatever you do, remember Command Hooks!  With the concrete block walls, tape won't stick and will leave a mess on the walls, which you will be responsible to fix.  Don't forget cork boards and a calendar! Better yet,combine the two of them! The organization factor is huge.

Michael eats.  A LOT.  I mean, he IS a teen aged boy!  We plan on getting him the 14 meal a week dining plan.  Obviously that doesn't equal the 35 meals a week he usually eats (I'm only partially exaggerating).  I'm sure, with his roommate, there will be college sized fridges and a microwave.  He is also a huge coffee drinker, so we plan on getting a Keurig.  His brother got this one for graduation but I'm probably getting Michael this one.  With Emily living in their college town for a few months, and Matthew living in an apartment, I'm sure they will be able to find SOMETHING to eat!

Michael wants to loft his bed and have a seating area underneath.  We discussed whether to hang a hammock from the bed frame or invest in an inexpensive but sturdy futon.  He decided to purchase inflatable furniture on the cheap.  We got him an inflatable chair and ottoman.  We'll see how long they last!

He doesn't see the need for organization.  I still have about a month and a half to work on that.

We "met" his roommate and Mom on Facebook today!  They are wonderful people.  I look forward to meeting them in person.  His Mom and I are chatting about what the boys really need.  Any suggestions?

Do any of you have pictures of your sons' dorm rooms that you'd be willing to share with me?  Any hints I can use?  Post all help below!  ​

Emily is getting ready to turn 21.  Lucky girl, her birthday is right in the middle of holiday season.  December 26, to be exact.  What does she want for her birthday?  She wants to go to Vegas!  Darren and I had already pre bought a hotel stay in Vegas, so we figured airfare wouldn't be that bad.  After all, not that long ago, Darren and I flew to Vegas for about $125.  Surely we could find something around that price...right?

WRONG!

We are having a heck of a time finding decent flights under $200.  We've tried Cheapoair.com at $240.  Cheapair.com was a little better, with flights starting at $220...but on an airline we do not want to fly.  I've tried Expedia.com, Orbitz.com, Travelzoo.com and every traveling .com I can think of!  No luck.  

Prime time to purchase tickets is supposed to be 6 weeks before the flight in the middle of the week.  I'll keep checking back until we have success.  After all, you only have one chance in a lifetime to turn 21 on the Strip!

Wow!  It's only Wednesday, but this is one heck of a ROYAL week!

First, my beloved Kansas City Royals are the 2015 World Series Champs!  These guys are a heck of a team.  Most grew up and became adults together, winning championships together in minor league ball.  Not too long ago, we were discussing how excited we were about the AA and AAA championships of these guys, and hoping they wouldn't give away our homegrown stars in favor of quick fixes that faded away by season's end.  But no!  David Glass, Dayton Moore, and Ned Yost have come together to create a winning team; a team that brought CHAMPIONSHIP back to the Kansas City vocabulary. 
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Of course, every great victory deserves a celebration, and my family and I, along with approximately 800,000 of our closest friends, shut down the city!  The parade was beautiful, and people were so excited to be there.  I think the reaction of the players was amazing.  They seemed almost unbelieving of all of the positive attention, all of the LOVE, we showed our Boys in Blue.

 I will never forget our amazing 2015 team, and the unity of an entire city.  There are photos everywhere showing the huge throng of blue jerseys and shirts around the parade route, with a sign that says, "We don't burn down our city, we SHUT it down!"  Kansas Citians have always acted with such class, and I am so proud to be Kansas City! No rioting, no shootings, no violence.  There is a report of a few people standing on the roof of cars, but they have stepped up and chosen to take responsibility for their actions. 

On the other hand, I have two molting chickens.  One is Royal and one is Rocky.  Now, molting is a natural process.  Every year, chickens need to shed old feathers and grow new ones.  Friends, you know I love my chickens.  Let me just say, when they molt, they are not pretty.  In fact, they are quite ugly.  So, I love on them, try to tell them I still love them, and that I think they're still kind of pretty (they are not).  It takes a lot of energy to molt, so they don't lay eggs during this time.  I'm just trying to make the process as stress-free as I can so that they will go through their first molt with as little anxiety as possible.  

When the seasons change, so change my chickens' behavior.  Right now is kind of tough, but we're working through it.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that I was only getting 2 eggs per day, instead of my typical 4-6.  Of course, I started worrying.  Are my chickens sick?  Molting?  Mad?  Scared?  After a few days I realized that as the days were growing shorter so was their outside time.  They were waking later and sleeping earlier.

A chicken needs approximately 14 hours of light per day in order to maintain a near-daily laying cycle.  Right now my area we are down to 10 hours and 41 minutes of daylight.  That's not enough light for ample egg production, folks!

I have several options here.  Since it's getting cooler, I can put both a heat lamp and a light in the coop.  That simulates daylight, which will amp up their egg production.  I can also leave nature as it is, and when the days start growing longer, know that I will have eggs again.

It's a tough decision!  I love my eggs!  I made a delicious quiche the other night...I love skillet egg salad boiled eggs...I love eggs.  But I also love my chickens.  Chickens are born with only a certain number of eggs they can lay.  Once they're gone, that's it.  So do I basically shorten their egg laying span, or do I let nature take its course?  

For this week, it will be status quo.  I'm not changing anything.  However, if my surplus starts to run low, I may change my mind for a bit.  What would you do?  

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I am a substitute teacher.  My degree is in communications, emphasizing in broadcast journalism.  I'm 4 hours short of my history degree.  I have my personal teaching knowledge certification, as well as early childhood education.  In my younger years, I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I would be in the public eye...as a Broadway actress, as a radio personality, as a newscaster...

I was a forensicator in high school.  Back in the good ol' days, that did not mean that I looked at dead bodies to decide how they died (ewwwwwwww...blood and guts are NOT my cup of tea).  Back in the day, that meant I spent  hours every week working on dramatic interpretations, original oratories, poetry, humorous, interpretation, duet, duo interpretation, radio, one act, reader's theater...you know, competitive drama!  I spent my weekends traveling across Missouri to compete in tournaments...and I was really good (toot toot...yeah, that's my horn).  I loved living this life!  I loved my forensics classes!

Fast forward.  My husband was a high school debater.  We both know and have experienced the benefits of forensics and debate.  Our joke is, in our family. you must take a year of debate in high school.  After all, if you think you can argue with your parents, you better know what you're arguing!  We firmly believe that forensics and debate teach you to step out of your comfort zone, speak well on your feet, look at both sides of issues, and win arguments.  Every one of our children complained about "wasting classes" on debate.  Emily graduated 4 year varsity.  Matt is in his 4th year (yep, he's a Senior!).  Michael loves his second year of debate.  HI, LD, Congress, DI...all of these terms flow freely through our household.  Yes, I am a DB8Mom.

I am so honored to do something today that I never expected.  I am going to be the substitute debate coach at a tournament!  The head coach asked me if I would be interested, and of course I said yes!  In about 2 hours, I will be on a school bus, heading to a local school, and taking care of the squad.  This was never on my radar as a bucket list item, but now that I'm doing this, I think it should have been all along!

GO EAGLES!  And if you need me, I'm there for you.

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When I was 11, my grandparents took me to Branson. This was LONG before Branson was the entertainment mecca it is today!  We came across a street fair, and my favorite part was playing tic tac toe with the chickens.  I was a premier tic tac toe player, and had no idea how those chickens kept beating me!  Nickel after nickel, I paid, they played, they won.

When I got my chickens, I was really surprised at how quickly they got used to things, and how they would respond in the same fashion, time after time.  As young as 2 weeks, if I lifted the top of the brood box, they would jump on the roosting bar.  If I put my hand in the box, one or more would try to jump in my palm.

As time goes by, I see them habitually doing things in response to other things.  Before I moved their coop, they were close to the driveway.  As soon as I would get out of the car, they would come to the front of the fence to greet me.  It didn't matter if it was light or dark, if they were in their coop or outside playing. The second I was out of my car, they took note.  Of course, with all that chicken cuteness, I would have to come over and say hello!  Each chicken would then walk up to me and lightly peck my hand.  When I would range them, when it was time to go inside, I would stand by the gate, and most of the time, most of them would walk inside.  One day my chickens ended up in my neighbor's yard.  I must have looked pretty funny when I chastised them, then had them following me in a single file line as I walked up our alleyway!

Now that they're in their new digs, I've noticed a lot of other habitual responses.  Since they are located close to the kitchen windows, when the windows are open and I see them, I say, "Chick Chick," and they come running toward the sound of my voice.  If I coo or talk sing son-y to them, they respond likewise.  The past couple of weeks, when I say a name, that chicken will inevitably respond.  And if I catch them doing something naughty, all I have to do is say their name in my teacher voice, and they will quit what they're doing.

I just find it fascinating.  I do believe we can train them.  Perhaps not as easily as we can train our dogs, and of course not the same tricks (can you imagine teaching a chicken to shake?).  I'm interested to see if others have had experiences with chicken training.  I mean, this lady seems to have taught her chicken how to maneuver an obstacle course!
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This has been a funny week for the girls.  It basically boiled down to one chicken and a great short story:  The Mystery of the Missing Eggs.  Where was Royal? Why isn't she laying eggs?  Why did the chicken cross the alley?  Shall we do some sleuthing and find the answers to these questions?

Whenever I'd come home, I'd be down to 6 chickens.  Missing one.  EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.   It was always Miss Royal.  I'd walk around the block looking for her, and by the time I'd end up back home, she'd be walking around the yard like she was queen of the flock.  Yesterday, I finally found where she was.  She had been flying the coop and walking over to where the old coop was.  She was homesick, I guess!  She also stresses out really easily, so I wonder if she still hadn't recovered from us uprooting her home, and moving her into a strange, albeit nicer, location.  I chalked up her recent lack of egg laying to her being stressed.

That answered the question, "Why isn't Royal laying eggs?"  Much to my surprise, when I picked her up to move her, I found 18 eggs buried in a homemade nest, where Royal had been secretly laying!  Can you believe it?  I did the fresh egg test, and all but 2 were good.  I've kept an eye on her all day, and she never escaped.  She did act like she was having a tummy ache, though, and her egg today was soft shelled. I'm keeping an eye on her to see what's up.

Now...the question we've all been waiting for...Why did the chicken cross the alley?  Because my neighbors have really cool shrubs for my chickens to hide under!  Okay, that's a joke from this summer. They really don't cross the alleyway anymore.

And that, dear friends, are the mysteries solved with my chickens today.
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