For the love of the farm

I've shared what my favorite part of being a farmer is, but often I'm asked what is the kids' favorite part about growing up on a farm.  Their answers often vary, depending on the day and what's on the docket for the day.  I know living on a farm is not always easy, but then there are days like today that let me know for sure they truly love it.

Big Sissy had a track meet today and I know she is exhausted after competing in 3 events:  high jump, 400, and the 200.  (She had personal bests and set new school records in the high jump and 400.)  Yet after getting home from the track meet, she headed to our monthly 4-H meeting and is now out in the barn cleaning the pens of the 4-H pigs.  If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

Big Sissy clearing 4' 5"

Bubby is always wanting to help on the farm and today he received a big promotion.  We aren't quite ready to just turn him lose, but Bubby got to do this

Bubby's solo driving debut

for the first time ever today by himself.  He is still on cloud 9 and is probably going to have a tough time falling asleep tonight.

And then there is Little Sissy who was sad I made her come inside to get ready for bed.  She wants to be right there helping Big Sissy or riding in the tractor with Daddy.  As a half-day kindergarten student that spends her afternoons on the farm, I often think she knows more about what is going on than the rest of us as she listens to every one's conversations.

Seeing their love of the land and animals is an amazing feeling for this mom.

Best Part of being a Farmer

I'm quite often asked "What is the best part of being a farmer?"  For me, this is a very easy question to answer.  You see to me it is all about my kids getting to see and work with their parents and grandparents each and every day.  Now I don't mean to imply that every day is easy, but with family by your side, it is always better.

This past weekend our family held an open house for our newly built pig barn for our neighbors and local officials.  I was so proud to see my kids so excited to talk about our family farm with all that attended.  Big Sissy even did the official welcome and introductions.  I may have had to nudge her to do it, but she wrote her own remarks.

Over the weekend, Little Sissy had a homework assignment where she had to write about who and how she could help someone.  The first thing that came to her mind was helping her dad on the farm. As a farmer, it really doesn't get much better than that.

And with the Super Bowl last night, Bubby reminded us that he didn't know if his NFL career would work with farming and that he might have to pass on the NFL.  We assured him that if the NFL called, we would be glad to manage the farm for him.

To me, there is nothing better that having our kids be so involved with the farm.  Their love of the farm is genuine and one that will hopefully continue to be passed down for generations to come.

This is the best part of being a farmer.

Who says you can't go home

Home is where the heart is...

This summer has been full of events that have made me think of "home."  And not just where I live today, but where my heart has been over the years.

The summer started with a major focus on 4-H at this pigpen.  Big Sissy is a 4th generation 4-Her as this was her second year of 4-H.  With our county fair the last week of June, Big Sissy spent the majority of her time the month of June working on her many 4-H projects.  As I've said before, 4-H has always played a big part in the lives of The Farmer and me and it is such a joy to watch Big Sissy love 4-H.  Now I'm not quite sure how we will make it when all 3 kids are in 4-H, but we will find a way just like The Farmer and I's moms did.

 



Any way, Big Sissy had a pretty amazing second year of 4-H that will continue into the State Fair next week.  I'm so glad that she is enjoying carrying on this tradition that was started many years before her and is even seeing some success in the show ring like my mom did many years ago which was  lot of fun as my mom and Aunt S were there to share in the fun that night along with The Farmer's parents and Uncle K. 

 



I even got to visit my "home" county fair this year.  This was my youngest cousin's last year of 4-H.  He was the last of my generation to finish 4-H in our county.  There had been someone in 4-H in my home county since I started 4-H more years ago than I'd like to admit... 1987.  That is a lot of years of family picnics, traditions, and fun at the fair.  Hopefully next year, my niece will start 4-H and start the tradition of the next generation of 4-Hers in my home county. 

Some things have changed but many have stayed the same including many of the faces.  It was great to visit my home fair even if I do like my own recipe for Beef and Noodles better than theirs now, but this is where my love of Beef and Noodles started. 

This past weekend I really did get to go to one of my past "homes." 

 



Several of my sorority sisters and I converged on Purdue University for the weekend to relive our college years.

 



It was amazing to see so many women that had an impact on my life and to visit one of the houses that really built me. 

So I don't know who says you can't go home, because I've been going "home" all summer long. 

And although this summer has gone by in the blink of an eye and isn't officially over, the start of school is coming sooner rather than later at this pigpen as Big Sissy and Bubby head back to school on July 31st.  This just may or may not be the same day Big Sissy's pigs and muffins go to the State Fair for judging later in the week.  (No pressure on The Farmer or I.)  That being said hopefully we can still squeeze in a few trips "home" either down memory lane or making new memories with what is left of the summer of 2013. 


Thanks to Indiana's Family of Farmers for getting me to return to my "home" of blogging.  Although this is a sponsored post as I'm a Table Talk Contributor this month for Indiana's Family of Farmers, my love of my "homes" and the traditions and recipes of them are all my own opinions and thoughts. That being said, be sure to check out Indiana's Family of Farmers on Facebook, Twitter, or their blog as they have a lot of fun stuff happening especially with the upcoming Indiana State Fair. 

Nourishing Generations of Hoosiers

Big Sissy's take on Ag Day...

Big Sissy entered an essay contest earlier this year with the theme of Our Food, Our Farmers:  Nourishing Generations of Hoosiers (and a 200 word maximum).  Although she didn't win, we were quite proud of her entry and I thought it would be perfect to share as we celebrate Ag Day 2013.  We are proud to be farmers and to raise food for our own family as well as all of yours and it looks like Big Sissy shares in that love.  

Our food and our farmers… As a fifth generation farmer, I am proud to be able to come from a family that has been able to nourish Hoosiers for generations.

Farmers have been nourishing Hoosiers for years. If it weren’t for all the farmers, we would have a very limited amount of food in our world today. Since before Indiana became a state, Hoosier farmers have provided food for people everywhere.

Animals are a big part of our state. Our state, Indiana, is ranked 5th in pig production. We wouldn’t have near that many pigs today if farmers weren’t growing all the crops for their feed or taking care of the pigs to the best of their ability.

Farmers also play a big role in our environment, and they take care of it well. Farmers everywhere do a lot for our earth and soil. On our family farm, we have cover crops planted in one of our fields. The reasoning behind this is that the plants will put nutrients back into the soil.

These are just a few examples of how farmers have been nourishing Hoosiers for generations.

And with these future faces of agriculture, we hope our family will be able to continue to do it for many more generations to come...

Making memories on the farm

I still remember when my very first litter of 4-H rabbits were born my first year of 4-H more years ago than I'd like to admit.  It is a memory that will stick with me forever.  It didn't go exactly according to plan, but now that I've been through the process of labor and delivery three times I know it often doesn't go according to plan.   That being said, being able to be around and care for newborn animals is an amazing experience and one that I'm glad The Farmer and I can share with our children.  

This past weekend The Farmer, Little Sissy, and myself were out of town for a meeting which meant Big Sissy and Bubby were in charge of our newly born litters of 4-H pigs and one due while we were gone with the help of my father-in-law. Big Sissy and Bubby were so excited.  

Big Sissy took notes on her new iPod Touch from Santa so she knew how to feed the sows and their litters.  

She then not only kept us updated on every happening in the barn including a new litter complete with 12 new pigs, but she kept her best friend, who lives in a subdivision, up to date as well complete with the pictures in this post.

I love that our kids love the farm and their pigs so much and cherish all the memories they are making.  

15 things to do on fall break

Fall Break...

I don't really even remember having a fall break from school growing up.  Now I do remember maybe a half day here or there or one day off in the fall for parent/teacher conferences, but it was never a big deal at our house when I was growing up.  When Big Sissy first started school, Fall Break was a 2 day (Thursday-Friday) vacation from school.  This year our school is now on a balanced calender which means Big Sissy and Bubby started school on August 1st and now currently in the 1st week of their 2 week fall break.  While I must admit I was a bit apprehensive of the 2 week fall break when it was announced (because as a full-time off-farm working mom I wasn't quite sure how it would work), the kids and I have checked a lot off of our fall break bucket list and it is only Thursday of the first week.  (We are in overdrive as this momma will be gone all next week for work.)

I thought I'd share some of the things we've checked off our list as well as a few we are hoping to yet accomplish and although this is a fall break bucket list, a lot of the items could be done on any break from school.  

 

15 things to do on fall break

1.  Go to a basketball game - Big Sissy's first ever school basketball game was last Sunday.  Although the score was a bit lopsided, we know the fun is just beginning.  (Go #20!)

2.  Get your craft on - Heading to Jo-Ann's with this family is often dangerous for my checkbook.  We left with fabric and fleece to make blankets, pillowcases, and maybe even a 4-H project or two for next year.  

3.  Make some of Gal in the Middle's pumpkin chocolate chip muffins 

4.  Go shopping

5.  Visit Kelsay Farms - We haven't made it there yet this year, but we absolutely love visiting Kelsay's and this year they have special fall break hours.  

6.  Get a flu shot - Big Sissy, Bubby, and Little Sissy all got their flu shots yesterday.  

7.  Check out the programs at your local library - Little Sissy has been to a few story times and Big Sissy and Bubby attended a program entitled grossology yesterday.  

8.  Read

9.   Make a new recipe 

10.  Check out The Children's Museum Guild's 49th Annual Haunted House, Wicked Workshop - Big Sissy, Bubby, and I were very lucky to be able to preview the Wicked Workshop yesterday with the lights on.  I don't think I would have made it out alive with the lights off.

11.  Spend the day at The Children's Museum - After visiting the Wicked Workshop, we decided to spend the day at the museum.  

12.  Take a nap

13.  Visit with family and friends

14.  Take a road trip - The kids and I are headed north to The Homestead Resort for this weekend as Uncle A is getting married on Saturday and we can't wait to gain a new family member.  (The Farmer is staying behind for reason #15)

15.  Celebrate the harvest - In our opinion as farmers, it is hard to beat this time of year.  We love harvest.  Although the effects of this summer's drought are making for a less than desirable harvest, we still consider ourselves very blessed to be able to raise food for our family and yours.

I hope your family has as much fun as this pigpen checking these item of your fall break bucket list!

Time marches on...

3 weeks to go.

The last time I blogged, Bubby had just graduated kindergarten and school was out for the summer.  As I sit here today, I realize that 3 weeks from today Big Sissy and Bubby will be heading back to school to be 4th and 1st graders, respectively.  Where has the summer gone?

The month of June was a whirlwind for us with work for this full-time off-farm working momma,

Big Sissy's 1st year ribbon collection

Big Sissy's first year of 4-H,

Bubby's first year of mini 4-H,

Little Sissy thought she needed to go to soccer camp in Big Sissy's gear

 soccer camp,

Big Sissy and my mother-in-law get ready to board the bus to 4-H camp

4-H camp for Big Sissy and my mother-in-law,

My family at the wedding

 and a very special wedding for Uncle K and Aunt N.

And so far July is just flying by so with the kids heading back to school earlier than normal this year with the introduction of the balanced calendar, their summer vacation is almost over.  This is so bittersweet as I know time doesn't go by any slower during the school year and my children are growing up before my eyes.  I know this is supposed to happen, but I just didn't think it would happen so fast.

So I must apologize for my lack of blogging the last few months and I hope to get back on track, but please forgive me if my posts are far and few between now and August 1st as I want to enjoy as much time as possible with the kids before school starts.  (We refuse to call it the end of summer as we still have a few more things to accomplish once the kids go back to school.)

Needless to say...

Time marches on

The day Big Sissy and The Farmer were the same age ... It's a leap year birthday

It's a big day at the pigpen.  It is an occurrence that only happens once every four years.  As you know today is February 29th, but what you might not know is it is also The Farmer's birthday... that's right The Farmer is a Leap Year baby so it isn't every year that we get to celebrate his birthday on his actual birthday.

So today is special for all of us since it is The Farmer's real birthday, but it is even more special for Big Sissy as her and The Farmer are finally the same age.  Since she turned 9 in October, she's been waiting for today so she and her daddy could be the same age.

To celebrate his big birthday, she made him this sign:

So Happy 9th Birthday to The Farmer!!  We love you at this pigpen!

My random return...

The month of January has flown by and now the groundhog has seen his shadow which means another month is underway.  The start of 2012 has brought a lot of work travel for this full-time off-farm working momma which hasn't left much time for blogging or really much else besides work and being a momma.

February isn't looking much better, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and hopefully with time my blogging will return to some sort of normal schedule, but in the mean time, here's what I got... a bunch of random thoughts.

One month of 2012 has brought the pigpen one case of strep throat, one ear infection, and 2 migraines.  Believe it or not, we may be off to a slower start than past years.

This may or may not have to do with the unseasonably high temperatures we have been experiencing, but I'm not holding my breath.  I'm waiting for winter to appear when we least expect it.  Let's face it, I live in a place that is supposed to have 4 seasons... I like the 4 different seasons, but don't want to experience winter in March when we are supposed to be getting ready for Spring.  Time will tell.

I hate that I live a little over 30 miles from our state's capital and can not get a good high speed internet connection at this pigpen.

I love fountain cokes and yes, the foam cup makes all the difference.  This also applies to McDonald's Sweet Tea.

I am both excited and scared to death that Big Sissy has officially enrolled for her first year of 4-H.  How is it possible that I have a child old enough to be in 4-H?  And for the record, I feel exactly the same way about her starting to read the Harry Potter series.  She is on book 3 of the series.

The Hunger Games was the December book for my book club.  I was unable to attend the December meeting and unfortunately, never found time to read the book... that is until about 2 weeks ago.  Let me just say, it was amazing.  I ended up reading all 3 books in the series in less than a week.  (This was one place where the work travel really came in handy as I had lots of reading time at the airport and on the plane.)  I would highly recommend the series and can't wait for the movie to come out in March even though I may have to wait for it come to Redbox before I ever get to see it.

We love Redbox at this pigpen.  So far this year, we have seen Mr. Popper's Penguins, Courageous, and Moneyball among others.

We love football at the pigpen and I'm so thankful, we were able to spend a few hours last night at the NFL Experience and the Super Bowl village.  Indianapolis is quite lucky to be hosting Super Bowl XLVI and we were lucky to soak it all up last night.

Speaking of lucky, Uncle A, my brother, has tickets to the Super Bowl thanks to that special lady in his life that we adore.

I'm addicted to Cookies & Cups recipes after finding her recipe for Salted Caramel Butter Bars on Pinterest thanks to Martini.  Two weeks ago I made those said bars and The Farmer called them "caramel crack."  Last week I made her Swirled Caramel Pretzel M&M Blondies.  I think I might try out her Peanut Butter Cup Fluffernutter Blondies for the Super Bowl.  Besides her recipes, I also love the commentary she shares prior to each recipe.

I can probably count on both hands the number of times I have wore a dress in the last 5 years; however, I am planning on packing 3 dresses to wear next week while I'm gone for work.  I've decided that they are really pretty comfortable and so easy to pack.

And I think I'll end my random thoughts with one really random happening in my life... I currently live 3 hours away from where I grew up and most of my family still lives.  Any way, Big Sissy's basketball coach is from that same town and we just may or may not have graduated from high school together.  What a small world!

What random thoughts do you have running through your head right now?

Back to reality with the end of 2011 and the start of 2012

Well as hard as it is to believe, the Christmas season has come and gone even though my Christmas tree is still in the process of coming down this weekend.  It wasn't my intent to stay away the last few weeks, but I was trying to balance being a working mom and spending as much time as possible with my kids as Big Sissy and Bubby don't go back to school until Monday.  I don't know if I succeeded really well with either one, but during my unintentional boycott of social media, I did have some great work appointments and some fun with the kids. 

So I thought I would just share some of the highlights...

Thanks to Pinterest and B. jane brewing and her Hot Moma Makeovers, Big Sissy made matching shirts for herself, Little Sissy, my mother-in-law, and Cousins L, B, A, and E. 

Big Sissy made some yummy cookies for Santa with some special Hershey kisses.

Little Sissy got to place Baby Jesus in the manger as Big Sissy read us The Christmas Story from the bible. 

The Farmer read "Twas the Night Before Christmas before the kids went to bed on Christmas Eve in their coordinating Christmas pajamas. 

My in-laws came over for our traditional Christmas breakfast on Christmas morning. 

Big Sissy went from this

to this after donating four 8 inch pony tails to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program and a cute new haircut from Aunt L.

We rung in the New Year complete with a pork crown roast decorated by Big Sissy and a special 2012 cake made by my mother-in-law, Big Sissy, and Bubby. 

We saw Alvin and The Chipmunks:  Chipwrecked

and we cheered on the Lady Boilers to victory!

Now it is back to reality for all of us this week as Big Sissy and Bubby head to school on Monday and I have a lot of work travel to do during January and February that starts on Monday.  So as much as we love breaks from our normal schedule; hopefully, the return of our routine will bring some regularity to our lives. 

So what have you been up to while I've been away?

Big Sissy's Pumpkin Fluff

I have to admit I have done a lot of Christmas shopping and decorating the last few days.  So much that it is almost hard to believe that Thanksgiving was just a few days ago.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.  We were able to spend Thanksgiving Day with The Farmer's family and then headed north to spend the rest of the weekend with my family.  I even squeezed in some Black Friday shopping with my mom and sisters and we took the family to see the new Muppet Movie and created a whole new generation of Muppet fans.

Before I completely move past Thanksgiving, I wanted to share Big Sissy's pumpkin fluff that she made for Thanksgiving.  Now Big Sissy can be a picky eater and I never pegged her to be a fan of pumpkin, but ever since she tried Gal in the Middle's pumpkin chocolate chip muffins she has been a huge fan.  In fact we made some of Miss Megan's muffins for Thanksgiving as well.

Pumpkin Fluff
Ingredients
16 oz. can of pumpkin
8 oz. container of Cool Whip (we used fat free)
6 oz. container of vanilla instant pudding mix
1 t. pumpkin pie spice

Directions
Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and blend.

Serve with regular or cinnamon graham crackers or sticks.

I don't know what she calls this face. :-)

Enjoy!