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!

 

Patchin' Things Up

2 small tears on the back of the vest.

My husband recently brought me his Carhartt vest with a small request.


 “I ripped my vest while cutting wood yesterday.  Can you fix it?” 

Sure, I thought, I can patch that!  But….while I do try, I’m not a very talented seamstress, lol.

I did manage to practically fix the vest.  Even if it doesn’t look the best that’s fine with me considering it is just a work vest.  I simply slipped a patch between the lining and outer shell, then sewed over the rip with the widest zig- zag pattern my sewing machine will do.  Only time will tell if my patch job was adequate, lol.

Good as new?

While having a few quiet minutes to myself during the vest project, I thought….”what else in my life needs patching up?”

 Of course there’s the pile of work jeans, and kids clothes that always need a quick mend, but what more important things need to be mended?  I thought of a few relationships that need to be mended.  Relationships where communication was lacking, feelings got pushed aside and buried, and life just moved on without addressing what really mattered.

I am sure everyone has these sorts of relationships that could be patched up.  After all, I’ve found that practicing good communication is one of the most difficult things to do in life.  So I decided I will make a change; attempt to fill those relationships with more meaningful conversation than “what did you do today, or what’s the weather supposed to do this week….”  I’m going to put my heart back into it!

I challenge you to do the same.  It isn’t always easy to start that healthy communication link, but much more fulfilling in the long haul.

Time For A Change!

Change is a good thing!  That’s what I kept telling myself as I pushed back the tears while I told my boss of 10 years and a mentor of 20 years that I was resigning from my position at his veterinary clinic.  When I finished my education as a licensed veterinary technician at MSU I never imagined in just a few years I’d be quitting my job to stay at home!  When I started working as a technician I was “the job”.  I loved spending all my free time reading veterinary magazines, I eagerly took on extra shifts, I was overly excited for veterinary conferences….the list goes on and on……I loved my job! 

Then things changed over the years.  I still loved my job while I was there, but my free time got prioritized differently.  Brad, a serious boyfriend at the start of my employment as a technician, later became my husband.  I had new priorities and interests as his wife….a farmer’s wife.  My free time was now consumed talking about what piece of equipment we needed to buy before the end of the year, or the ever changing grain market prices, or the WEATHER, lol.

Then things changed again.  Brad and I became parents to Claire and then Cody 2 ½ years later.  At that time I had taken on more responsibility at the veterinary clinic and also within our farm. 

Yes, my life was busy and sometimes chaotic.  I like being busy, but was it too busy?   I always go above and beyond with any of my tasks in life, and I had too much on my plate for that to happen any longer.  I was spreading myself too thin to be a great farmer's wife, mother, and veterinary technician.

When I enrolled Claire into preschool it hit me….. “Where has the time gone!?  How is my oldest child old enough to be in preschool already?”  I realized even though I was working only part time at the veterinary clinic that I still had too many other priorities in my life to continue working outside of our family.  It was a hard decision, but it was time for a change.

My life had changed.  My heart had changed.  My interests and priorities were so different from where they were 10 years ago.  I will forever miss my relationships I developed at the veterinary clinic with pet owners and with coworkers.  But, after just a short month with my new “stay at home mom” title, I know I will forever cherish the time I am spending with my kids and husband!  Being able to have picnics under the shade tree in our back yard, or being able to go for ride on the ATV all together as a family when Brad comes home in the evenings, or having the kids deliver warm cider and donuts to everyone in the fields during harvest….these are the important things, the memories I will hold onto and cherish.

 

I am so blessed to have gone to college, loved my work in the veterinary field, and maybe go back to it someday?  But, I am more thankful for my opportunity to be at home being a farmer’s wife and mother……where I feel my place in life truly is!

Wicked Winter Calls For Comfort Food

I really do enjoy winter, but this winter has been a doozy!  Typically winter allows us to enjoy snowmobiling, skiing, sledding, and snowshoeing, but not so much this year.  We started the winter with a wicked ice storm.  The ice storm was more destructive than any I can remember.  We were very fortunate and didn’t lose our power, but many people in the surrounding counties did lose power for several days.

No sooner did the ice melt and we got dumped on with snow!  Frigid temperatures, blustery winds, and deep snow made taking care of chores outdoors difficult.  Thankfully Brad does all of the outside chores while Claire, Cody and I stay cozy inside J  But, even though I’m not working in the bad weather it still is difficult to get out of the house to run errands, and after a while we all go a little stir crazy!

The good thing about this weather is it gets me in the comfort food mood!  One of my favorite dessert brunch foods is monkey bread.  I have seen many variations of this yummy bread, but this is my favorite and dangerously easy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

·         24 Rhodes Frozen Rolls, thawed but still cold

·         1 small box of non-instant butterscotch pudding mix

·         ½ c. pecans, chopped

·         ¾ c. butter

·         ¾ c. brown sugar

 

Directions:

·         Cut rolls in half then roll in dry pudding mix.

·         Place coated rolls in Bundt pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

·         Layer pecans on top of rolls.

·         Sprinkle remaining pudding mix on top of pecans.

·         Combine brown sugar and butter.  Heat in microwave until syrup is formed.  Pour over rolls.

·         Cover pan with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

·         Let rise until double in size or until the rolls are at the top of the pan.

·         Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 for 15- 20 minutes.

·         Cover with foil and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes.

·         Immediately after cooking invert rolls onto serving plate.

·         Enjoy!  And try to eat just 1 roll J

I thought it would be fun to look through the recipe and figure out exactly how each product ties back to agriculture.  Where did all of those ingredients come from?  They came from the grocery store…..but how did they make it there?

Ø  Pecans grow on trees.  Today the USA produces between 80- 95% of the world’s pecans.

Ø  Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk.  It takes 10 quarts of milk to produce 1 pound of butter.

Ø  Brown sugar is produced by combing sugar and molasses.  The molasses and sugar come from sugar cane.  Sugar cane is a stout fibrous stalk that can grow to be 6- 19 feet tall.  In the USA sugar cane is grown in Florida, Hawaii, Texas, and Louisiana.

Ø  Pudding mix is made up mostly of gelatin and sugar.  Gelatin is a protein that comes from animal bones or connective tissue and has been used especially in desserts since the 1400’s.  Butterscotch flavoring is made after combining brown sugar and butter.

Ø  Frozen bread dough is made up mostly of flour, sugar, butter and yeast.  There are a variety of flours, but most are made with wheat.  Wheat is a grain grown in many parts of the world including the USA.

So there you have it…now you can picture where all the monkey bread ingredients are coming from J

What's Going On In Our Fields Right Now?

When I started this blog almost a year ago, I did some research to learn how to drive readers to the blog.  The number one thing I came across was to post consistently and frequently.  Through my research I read that posts should be done as often as you water house plants if you want to keep your readers “alive”.  Well, I apologize to you readers….if you were house plants you sure are hearty or desert loving plants because I haven’t been regularly “watering” you with posts, ha-ha!  I feel like this fall and beginning of winter has been a whirlwind and unfortunately my blog posts have been lowest on my list of priorities.

So, what’s going on in our fields right now?  Harvest is finished!  So that means that nothing is going on in the fields right now…. YAY!!!  Some fields have been plowed and will lay that way until spring field work.  Other fields are not plowed, but also lay untouched until spring.

I am so excited that harvest is done!  This year harvest seemed to drag on.  We had our fair share of rainy days which slows up harvest significantly.  Even though we had a few bumps in the road I am thankful of several things after this harvest season; here are just a few J

#1:  MOST IMPORTANTLY…. my family remained safe and healthy during harvest.  I know there are a lot of jobs that are hazardous, but according to the CDC, “Every day, about 243 agricultural workers suffer a lost-work-time injury. Five percent of these injuries result in permanent impairment.”  Not only remaining safe is a challenge, but after working such long hours, with no “weekends” as a break many times a person just runs their body down and gets sick, but everyone made through harvest unscathed, and for that I count my blessings!

#2:  The grain bin and dryer are up and operational.  The grain bin and dryer are crucial to our operation.  The construction was quite a big project and didn’t wrap up until after harvest started so that was stressful….but it is done now! J  Here are some pictures of the progression of the grain bin being built.  Over just a few days it was up, but then took quite some time before it was operational.

 

 

 

 

#3: We had bountiful yields!  We don’t have any irrigation systems on the ground we farm so you can only do so much to help the crop along throughout the year; aim for optimal planting times, apply fertilizer, control pests, etc.  But, we still rely on Mother Nature.  This year we couldn’t complain about how the plants matured and the crops yielded!

#4:  Styrofoam take out containers are easy to find!  I know this sounds a bit silly, but these handy containers make my life so much easier when trying to get meals out to the fields.  Getting hearty dinners out to everyone I feel like is essential to keep things running as smooth as possible.  The first year I took food to the fields I tried doing so in nice plastic containers I wanted back, or on paper plates, or wrapped in foil….I tried everything and nothing is as handy as these containers J

#5:  And lastly, but most motivating, is that we will be able to do what we love again next year.  We will learn from hurtles this year, and continue with practices that worked well.  I feel blessed to be doing what we love and raising our kids to work hard, reflect on the good and bad, and persevere!