Glorious Gardening

Well with the excessive amount of rain we’ve had since planting our field crops are not very pretty to look at.  It is discouraging, but what can you do about the weather?

On the other hand, my flower and fruit and veggie gardens have been keeping me content.  This year is the first since we’ve lived at our home that I’ve really had time to give to them.  The first year we lived here I attempted a veggie garden; it was a miserable failure!  But, that was because I worked full time, we went away most weekends and I just didn’t realize how much time gardens really require.

Well this year was different.  I went into the season with things already planned out.  I bought my seeds early, drew out on paper how I wanted everything planted in the garden, decided what I wanted to preserve or can, and kept up on the maintenance the gardens require right from the get go.  The kids and I have thoroughly enjoyed it!

Claire has become quite the strawberry patch keeper!  She loves the responsibility of “going to get the berries” every day.  She carefully picks the ripe berries for her berry bowl, but also eats several before we even make it in the house, ha-ha!  We canned some strawberry jam and froze some strawberry pie filling.  I used the Ball Blue Book recipes for the jam and pie filling.  That was my first preserving experience and it went fairly well.

 “Knee high by the fourth of July”, is the old saying regarding corn height this time of year.  Well, I guess if you’re just a toddler your corn should be as tall as you are!

I grew some loose leaf lettuce in my garden this year and it’s been wonderful so far!  I’ve harvested it twice and it comes back very quickly.  I’ve been making a lot of salads for lunch lately with my garden lettuce, an apple, dried cranberries, chicken breast and goat cheese; it’s so yummy!

 

Today we picked some wild black raspberries behind our house and in the woods.  They are very plentiful, but so are the mosquitoes!  I picked for a short while, but there were enough that I could have picked all day long!  Cody and Claire both enjoyed picking with me; Claire did accumulate some raspberries in her bowl, but Cody ate every last one he picked, ha-ha!  I plan to make more jam with these beauties.

I’ve also been enjoying my flower gardens!  Here are just a few of the amazing flowers we’ve had this year.

Clematis



Lilies



I love the color of these day lilies!

Roses

 

Be A Light

Planting soybeans at dusk.

I’ve been meaning to get caught up posting, but life has just been happening with no time for posts!  Brad and I had a spring full of motivating continuing education conferences.  Then planting began….and seemed to drag on for a bit.  Without any major setbacks, but a few rainy spells that strung things along.  Thankfully now corn and soybeans are in the ground.

There never seems to be “time” to be sick, but that’s been the story of our household for the past week or so.  I finally broke down and took the kids into the doctor’s office yesterday.  After seeing the doctor I took Claire the have her lab orders done.

I was disappointed when we walked into the lab to see there were several people waiting ahead of us and they weren’t moving very fast.  Claire was miserable; achy, chilled, whiney…she looked awful!  I just held her and attempted to comfort her while we waited for what seemed would be forever before our turn. 

We only waited through 2 people.  When the next number was called a lady walked over to Claire and I, switched numbers with me (making us next in line), and said she hoped we could get home and get Claire more comfortable.  I was so overly thankful, but was speechless other than saying thank you, and that she was so kind.  Claire and I said thank you again as we walked out of the lab and she smiled and nodded.  I fully intend on passing her kindness along, and am sure I’ll have the opportunity when I’m least expecting it.

On the way home Brad and I couldn’t stop talking about how kind, thoughtful and compassionate that lady acted toward us.  The situation was so heartwarming.

Soon after arriving home it was nap time for the kids.  After they were napping I quickly scrolled through my social network newsfeed.  My eye caught something a friend posted and I couldn’t help think that God was speaking to me about what the lady at the lab had done for us earlier that day. 

The post read:  “When you find yourself in the position to help someone, be happy and feel blessed because God is answering that person’s prayer through you.  Remember: Our purpose on earth is not to get lost in the dark but to be a light to others, so that they may find way through us.” 

The lady at the lab was a light to my family, and I intend on being the light for others too!

Thankful For The Past & Looking Forward To The Future

Our family was very blessed in 2014. 

·         During the winter months we welcomed Cody into our family and enjoyed a more than average amount of snowfall!

·         During the spring months we persevered to complete planting with more than average rainfall.

·         During the summer months we had some wheat to harvest and straw to bale, but the highlight for the kids was a day of play at a lake.

·         In the fall months we had a nice weather to plan wheat, and soybean and corn harvest finally came to an end even though I thought we’d never be done, ha-ha.  We finished out the year by joining my sister and brother in law in Jamaica for their wedding; it was beautiful!

But the best thing about the year was that we all stayed safe and healthy!  And, we are fortunate enough to be able to plant our fields next year and do what we love!

During the winter months Brad and I have some conferences scheduled.  They are great for networking with others that work in the agriculture industry, learning new technology, and being motivated and excited for next year’s crop.  Brad also has a lot of grain to load out of the grain bins and truck to the grain elevators.



Loading the semi at home.  The grain is moved through the grain
bins (where it is stored) and falls into the trailer from the small
"load out bin" located above the trailer.

A couple of weeks ago my Grandma was watching the kids and I was supposed to be doing paperwork.....but, Brad was trucking and asked if I’d like to ride along.  Before we had Claire and Cody I used to go with him often in the semi.  It served as some good quality time!  But, the kids can’t ride along in the semi, so my rides with Brad are few and far between.  Even though I had a lot of paperwork to get done I took him up on the offer.  I know a lot of people haven’t been to a grain elevator before so I thought I’d take some pictures to share!

Loading the semi at home.

  


Upon pulling into the elevator a sample of grain
is analyzed for quality.  You can see the probe
above the trailer taking a grain sample.

                                
                                                           

After the grain is analyzed, the truck is weighed. 

The truck is weighed again after the grain is unloaded 

since the farmer's pay is

determined by the weight of the grain.

After being analyzed and weighed we get in line
waiting to unload the grain.

 

 

A chute under the trailer opens to dump the grain
at the elevator.



"Look Mommy, There's Heaven!"

Recently my Great Grandma passed away.  This was Claire’s first experience with death.  I chose not to take her to the visitation or funeral, but we did talk about the fact that she passed away in her sleep and went to Heaven.  We talked about how Heaven is a wonderful place where everyone is happy and healthy, and all our loved ones that have passed away are there. 

“Where is Heaven?” Claire wanted to know?

 I simply answered that Heaven is far away in the sky, and it’s so far away that once we go there we can’t come back home. 

Claire seemed to grasp the idea as much as youngster can and didn’t talk much about the topic until last night.  We were driving to the field to meet everyone for a wonderful dinner my mother in law had made for us.  The field wasn’t far from home.  It was on a dirt road and we were enjoying our time driving there.  The sunset was beautiful; much more vibrant than normal.  Like normal Claire was telling me about how excited she was to see everyone in the fields, but then she said something that surprised me. 

She was looking at the sunset and remarked, “Look how pretty that is Mommy!  That must be where Heaven is!  I want to go there when I get older someday.”

With a big smile on my face and tears in my eyes I told her that yes, it was beautiful!  And I bet she is right; that is Heaven.   I told Claire that I hope she doesn’t go there for a long time because I would miss her. 

“Ok Mommy.  I’ll stay here with you,” Claire softly responded.

Oh, she makes me smile inside and out!

Rain Rain Go Away!

What’s going on in our fields right now?  Well nothing today due to the rain!  We are still harvesting soybeans but the weather is making that difficult.  To harvest soybeans the field and the soybean plant need to be dry.  So if the air is damp in the morning or evening we can’t harvest and we can’t harvest in the rain.

The kids and I have been staying very busy lately!  Though we are only in the fields for a couple of hours each evening we find plenty to do.  Since farmers don’t keep a normal 9am-5pm day with weekends off, we have to keep everything going at home while Brad works in the fields.  The kids and I have been enjoying the extra outdoor work while the temperature has been tolerable.  We spend lots of time caring for the dogs, cat and horse, raking leaves, picking up sticks, and finding other outdoor tasks to keep us entertained during the day. 

But, the best part of our day is taking dinners out to everyone working in the fields.  We do our best to prepare a hot home cooked meal every day, pack them all up, and deliver them to the fields before they get cold.  Sometimes this is quite a challenge due to the drive time between fields.  The kids sure miss Brad during this time of year, but I know they are learning to appreciate hard work and what it means to love what you do!

Claire giving her Daddy a big hug at dinner time.

 

Yummy Donuts!

I try to eat healthy and exercise regularly.  But, donuts are my true weakness!  I have my Great Grandma’s fried donut recipe that I haven’t attempted since I’m a little intimidated by it!  I know there’s a quite a knack to making fried donuts and just haven’t had the time to dive into and master it.  But, I recently came across a baked donut recipe and thought that was more up my alley.  The donuts were very easy to make and turned out really great! 

Claire loves to bake with me.  I used to prefer baking by myself.  It served as my relaxing alone time.  But, now I really love Claire’s “help” and feel a little lost if she isn’t standing on a chair beside me at the counter. 

We enjoy taking any food to the fields, but yummy warm homemade donuts are the best!  Accompanied by a hot drink we stop and drop off our “love”.  I know I will always remember and cherish Claire’s sweet little voice saying “Look what we made you Daddy”, as she proudly holds up the donuts she just helped bake.  I know Brad will remember those moments too!

I hope you take some time to bake some “love” for someone special in your life!  Try the recipe below.  I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as we do!!

Cinnamon Apple Donuts

·         1 ¼ c. apple juice

·         2 cinnamon sticks

·         1 tsp. apple pie spice

·         2 c. flour

·         ¾ tsp. baking powder

·         1 tsp. baking soda

·         1 tsp. cinnamon

·         ¼ tsp. cloves

·         ¼ tsp. salt

·         1 egg

·         2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

·         ½ c. brown sugar

·         ½ c. granulated sugar

·         ½ c. water

·         2 tbsp. dry buttermilk

·         1 tsp. vanilla

Topping-

·         1 c. granulated sugar

·         1 tsp. cinnamon

·         ¼ c. unsalted butter, melted

Directions-

-          Simmer apple juice, cinnamon sticks and apple pie spice over low heat for 15- 20 minutes until reduced.  You will only use ½ c. of this reduction.  Cool in refrigerator.

-          Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves,  and salt and set aside.

-          Mix egg, butter, brown sugar, sugar, water, dry buttermilk, vanilla, and 1/2 c. apple juice reduction.

-          Add wet ingredients to dry.  Mix just until incorporated, a few small lumps may be in batter. 

-          Divide batter into greased donut pan or greased mini muffin pan.

-          Bake at 350, for 9-12 minutes (until test toothpick comes out clean).

-          Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

-          Dip tops of donuts in melted butter, then in sugar/cinnamon mixture.  Allow to cool another 10 minutes.

-          Store in paper bag.  Best same day. 

 

Can't Get Enough

Lately I’ve been doing something that as a mother I know isn’t right.  I’ve been snuggling and holding Cody while he naps.  I never do this!  My kids always nap in their beds….but, he is getting so big so fast and I know soon I won’t be able to cuddle him like this anymore L

I only hold him for his Thursday morning nap.  He and I hang out together while Claire is at preschool and the house is nice and quiet and perfect for a cuddle!  He is so fat and cute; I just can’t get enough!