After chores tonight I needed a little “me” time. With supper in the crockpot, I stole away to the basement.
Last Fall, I had taken a painting class. All by myself! I saw it offered on Facebook and signed up and went. Sometimes you just need to do that.
And I had a great time painting my pumpkins! I was as proud as a peacock when I came home and showed my family. 🙂
Now, I don’t know that my pumpkins were all that great, but I wanted to do that again sometime. In fact, before I left that night I asked the instructor if I could host my own party?
And the following month, that’s just what I did. I had a dozen or so friends and family over for my very own painting party!
We had a ton of fun painting a happy little snowman! I loved how we could choose whatever colors we wanted and make our snowman tall or fat or… whatever it turned out to be!
This is what my finished snowman looked like…
But I also LOVED how everyone else’s turned out too! And they were all just a little different!
So back to tonight.
I came downstairs to the drawer full of acrylic paints and brushes I bought after my party. They were still in the wrappers, along with the various sizes of blank canvases I bought too.
So after doing a little thinking about what I wanted to paint, I decided I wanted to do a night scene with our barn in the background.
This is what it ended up to be…
It turned out a lot like the post I did last week. You can read about it here.
I still wanted to paint one more picture, so I found a picture that made my heart a little happier. And then I went to work creating it in my own style.
This one was fun because I got to use my fingertips to create all the colored dots!
I’m one of those people that wants to do things, see things, learn something new! And I’m always game when it comes to doing something FUN!
My husband, on the other hand, could do the same thing every day and be perfectly happy.
So you can imagine what it’s like when I suggest an evening out.
But this last weekend I managed to get him off the farm for a night out with friends and I think he thoroughly enjoyed himself!
Not far from home, there is an event that’s in it’s 10th year. It’s held at the Starlite Ballroom, a nostalgic dance hall where I attended many a’ wedding reception and dances growing up.
I LOVE going there!
and I LOVE that big ol’ Disco Ball!
So when I saw that Cowboy Poetry and Western Music was going to be held there, I tore the article out of the newspaper and asked Dan if he would take me there for Date Night.
Now I had to haggle a little, see, because he balked when I told him tickets were 25 bucks a piece. After pointing out that it was a fundraiser, I sealed the deal with “They even throw in supper – Swiss Steak!”
“I don’t know… we’ll see.”
Crap. That forecast isn’t good.
So a week later when there was no mention of my suggested Date Night, I threw in that maybe Gary & Theresa would like to go with us? And red turned to green!
The show started off with a warm welcome by Gerry Mishak, who has organized this event every year along with his wife, Marilee, who he lovingly calls “Poopsy,” ha ha.
Like I said, this is the 10th year for the show and Gerry asked how many in the crowd had been there every year? A bunch of hands went up and an old lady piped up “And I’m still alive!!!” I guess she didn’t figure on being around yet!
We enjoyed our meal and as the show began, Gerry introduced an old friend of his, Marty Blocker.
This cowboy had poem after poem about the cowboy way of life! He was a great entertainer and had us chuckling right along.
By the time Brooke Turner took the stage, guitar in hand, we knew that we were in for something special.
Now Brooke opened up with the question “Y’all got cell phones up here?” 🙂
Now this guy could realllllly sing. And write. And tell stories.
He kept us entertained with songs about cell phones… “We’re Breakin’ Up!” and Rodeo Queens… (It’s not about the fall, it’s about the ride…” and a great poem about the Cowboy Code.
I had to laugh when he was telling about the song he wrote awhile back when he was “drugged up” on cold pills, “Well, they were either from the doc… or the veterinarian!”
Now that sounds like something my husband might have tried!
And he ended his time with a patriotic tribute, written with his father in mind. It led us to our feet and we gave credit where credit was due.
Next, a lady by the name of Trinity Seely took the stage. She’s a Rancher’s wife and had some insight I could relate to, being a dairy farmer’s wife.
She had a great voice and sang about the beauty around her, the things she’s come to appreciate and what makes cowboys continue to endure the rugged lifestyle they lead.
She was telling about the wind and the cold and the long hours, and how her husband came in with a wintery, frozen white mustache hanging from his face, cold to the bone, and she says, “Sooooooo…….. ya wanna be a cowwwwwbooooy, eh?”
Made me think of some of the long winter days we’ve spent outside. And how we wanna be dairrrrrry farmmmmmers, eh?” And the similarities between all farmers with livestock. But, like her, we love what we do, and we love the cows too.
As the show neared the end, all three performers returned to the stage and took turns telling a few last stories, through song and rhyme.
As we headed home, we all agreed how much we had enjoyed the evening, and how it really was a unique kind of show.
It’s a great tribute and reminder, that no matter where the trail leads you, there is always much to appreciate and much value in sharing your way of life with others.
Update: Marilee Mishak let me know that Cowboy Poetry and Western Music raised $10,450 for the DOCS for Hope to help build the hospital in Guatemala! Wow! That will go a long way for this project! Next year’s event will be the 4th weekend in January, 2016. Mark your calendars now! I know I have!
Family is pretty important to us, and we’ve always tried to support our girls in whatever they are a part of.
Whether it was 4-H, church, sports, FFA… You name it and we were there. (Maybe a little late, but we were there, ha ha)
Last Fall, Chelsey joined the Fair Board. We have been hearing how they are working hard to get everything planned and booked for the upcoming fair in August. Sounds like she’s been attending lots of meetings and doing her part to help where she can.
She mentioned to her dad during milking the other morning that she was working at BINGO this Sunday and that we should come.
So yesterday he told me about their conversation and he said he was like “Yeah, right. BINGO isn’t my thing.” (I can just see him shaking his head like “No. Way.”)
Besides, I’m sure he already had made his own plans… a Sunday afternoon nap!
And knowing that’s not the kind of thing he would get excited about, I asked him if we were going… and he says “I guess so!”
I couldn’t help but laugh!
And so he asks me if I was going too? And I said “I guess I’ll have to take one for the team too.” 🙂
We rounded up the troops… Cozie, Reed, Kayla (and a friend), Chelsey’s husband Jason, Dan and I… and we headed to the fairgrounds to play BINGO!
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Well, we didn’t win. But we did support Chelsey and the Fayette County Fair!
And we know that THEY win when all of us do our part!
Hubby has one solid complaint about farming. There’s always something that needs fixin’!
Get one thing fixed and something else breaks down. It’s always something. Now some things are higher priority than others, and many times our plans for the day are changed by something that needs fixed.
One job that’s needed done for awhile, is changing some knives in the TMR. We have been waiting for a warmer day (so we didn’t have to freeze our fingers off!) to check this one off the list.
Well, that day came this week.
We’ve had our TMR since the year Kayla was born. Dan bought it new back in ’95.
A TMR is a type of equipment we use everyday to mix up our feed ration for the cows. (TMR ~ “Total Mixed Ration”)
Now I love to bake, and I really love mixing up for the cows too.
I think of our TMR as my big Kitchenaid mixer! It has a scale on it that helps me get just the right mix to help our cows get all the nutrients they need.
So naturally, it’s really important to me that this particular piece of equipment stays in good, working order.
You see, cows like to eat the same thing EVERY DAY. And that means this machine and I have to work together to get the same feed every time I mix up. I follow the recipe (ration sheet) and I’m careful to mix it long enough without over-mixing it.
It has a series of augers inside that turn and roll all of the ingredients together to mix them up. The first auger that the ingredients make contact with has triangular knives on the edges to cut things up into smaller pieces, like hay.
Over time, these knives get worn and dull, or get weak and break off. An errant flip of the bucket could also shear off a bolt or knife, allowing it to shift so it doesn’t cut anymore.
Well, our warm January day brought this task to the top of the fixin’ list this week. Reed had a day off from school for the holiday so we had a little helper too.
In the magnet tray you can see the triangular knife we were changing out, along with the bolts, lock washers and nuts.
Yep! Looks like it could use a little work!
We changed out many of the knives and straightened up a bunch too.
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I helped put the new knives on too, but of course, no pictures to show for it. !)
It went pretty good, and in about an hour we had her good as new!
Ready to “chew” again
I sure was glad to get this job off the list.
And it’s always good to hear Hubby say “That’s a good job done!”
Winter visited while we were sleeping last night and spread a blanket of heavy, wet snow in our neck of the woods.
The trees that fill the horizon every way you look were a snowy white, with a glittery shine. We had gotten a good 2 to 3 inches on the ground.
As I carried a sleepy boy down our front yard to the barn this morning, who knew that I was secretly training for the next winter Olympics!?! Not even I!!!
Where the grass meets the gravel there’s a slight ledge. And a downhill slope. And that… should be enough information for you to guess what happened.
I hit that sucker like a banana peel and up in the air I went!
I’m pretty sure I landed perfectly horizontal! A perfect 10!
Reed wasn’t so happy with my landing. As I was perfecting my form, I probably squeezed him awake before we even hit the ground! He looked at me like “What the heck just happened?”
And I let out a loud groan…. Crap.
It was too early in the morning for me to ask Kayla, who I had seen over by the condo as I was coming down the yard, to score my landing. She rushed over to help me up, but I convinced her that I was just going to lay there for a couple minutes.
After I rolled over, curled my spine, and listened to see how many vertebrae popped, I thought maybe I could make it to the barn to tell my Olympic tale.
What a way to start the day. Well, at least it got better…
We had great help, which always makes it lots of fun.
We also stopped by the Mennonite School near our house and served the kids and teachers there a dish of frozen yogurt. The appreciation you get from everyone sure makes it worth doing!
We had about an hour to relax when we got home before we had to start chores. We headed outside a little early so we could get to our Dairy Promotion Board Meeting tonight.
While my feed was mixing in the TMR, I had a couple minutes to play with Reed in the snow.
There’s a spot in our yard that has a deep hill and the snow was packed just enough to make it really slippery! I tried not to repeat this morning’s performance as I showed him how to start at the very top to get lots of speed!
He giggled and giggled and had a great time sledding all through chores!
It was funny to see how his sledding progressed… He started sledding on his bottom at first, then drove it down the hill like a chariot, holding the reins. By the time he was done, he was snow surfing!
You’ll have to stop by my Facebook Page to see the video! (Click on the red words)
As the night gets late, I’m starting to get a little stiff from my (Perfect 10!) landing. Ya know, it’s too bad I couldn’t have gotten that on video!
But then again… I like to think there’s a reason for everything !)
The stars were crystal clear and close enough to touch this morning as we headed out for chores. I made it just outside the door when I stopped, looked up and marveled at how big and close the stars seemed to be.
The sky was a deep, navy blue but quickly faded to black as I changed my focus to the stars. They twinkled a good morning and I realized how warm it was for January.
The pump jumped to life in the barn and I glanced that way to see the lights in the milk house, glowing a candlelight yellow in the darkness.
I joined my family and saw that the cows were up, milkers were put on and the milk was flowing.
I gave a round of good mornings and leaving the barn, I headed toward the shed to start the skid loader and the 4020. I’d start my morning with mixing up feed for the cows.
Hopping up on the open cab tractor, I pulled down the throttle, twisted the key and layed on the rubbery start button. The 4020 roared to life, surely enjoying the warm morning as well.
Backing out of the darkness of the shed, dawn broke and the stars faded, and the sunrise peeked over the trees to the east of our farm. I stopped to snap a photo, framed with our two silver bins.
Jumping in the skid loader, I headed down to the barn to get some hay. I tossed the bale in my bucket, snapped the strings with my knife, pulled them into loops and knotted them.
Stepping up over the bale and twisting as I sat in the cab, I pulled the door shut and turned my hand to the left. I swung around to the East, and the now brighter sunrise caught my gaze. I reached again for my phone and clicked a photo with our calf building, hovering over the glowing light.
Revving down to the bunker, I flipped the hay into the TMR and turned to the North to scoop up some haylage. Pink clouds flashed to my right and I stopped again to admire the now red and deep gray sky, behind the tractor and over the bags.
I kept an eye on my scale as I weighed out the haylage, flipping it into the TMR. Perfect! Turning, I headed to the earlage bag.
As I rounded the corner by the oat bin, the skid loader came to a halt. I opened the door to a sunrise that my camera couldn’t do justice, but snapped one last picture and sat there to take it in.
I thought, “Man, anyone still in bed sure is missing one great morning!”
It has been quite the year for weddings! From June to November, we had 8 weddings to attend! Now that’s a lot of weddings in 6 month’s time!
New Year’s Day of last year, our oldest daughter, Chelsey got engaged to Jason! We had a great time planning and getting ready for their Labor Day weekend wedding!
This year is stacking up to be another year of frequent weddings!
Just before Christmas, our middle daughter, Nichole, aka Cozie, got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Chase! Another wedding in our family this year!
They have set a date for a 10-10-15 wedding (easy to remember, eh?) so the planning has begun!
Nichole & Chase
Twice now I have been invited to go with her and her bridesmaids dress shopping. It’s been lots of fun as she decides what appeals to her and what doesn’t.
The first time we went shopping, she fell in love with the first dress she tried on. And fell in love with the second dress! And the third one she loved more than the first and second!
I thought for sure whichever dress she tried on last was destined to be the one!
One of the dresses she loved. Well, she loved them all! Ha!
She had vowed not to “Say YES to the dress” this round of shopping so we switched gears and the bridesmaids got to try on some of her picks for their dresses.
This one was a favorite among the ones that she saw. (In a different color of course)
Then one night last week we traveled to another nearby dress shop to see what else was available. Road trip! We had all the ladies in the wedding party along and had a great time!
Cozie went down the whole wall of dresses and pulled out several she thought she would try on. Then into the dressing room she went!
The first dress she came out in… well, you could tell she just didn’t love it. The next dress had her so twisted up we thought she’d never come out of the dressing room! She was laughing so hard that she could hardly stand up straight on the pedestal to get a picture!
Another dress she tried on, she couldn’t stop holding onto the top of it! Oh did we laugh!!!!
She was almost to the end of the ones she picked out, when Holly the owner, brought one more in.
And this time when Cozie walked out of the dressing room, we knew it was “the one.” Her eyes welled up and she was biting her lip and she said “This is it! This is the one!”
🙂
She lit up with pride as she turned in the mirror to admire all sides of it. It fit almost perfectly and was a beautiful choice!
Of course, I can’t show you what her dress looks like. But take my word for it, she will be one beautiful bride as she walks down the aisle in that dress!
After Cozie had made her final decision, the girls had a great time trying on all of the bridesmaid dress styles that were available… and ohhhhhhhhh did we laugh!
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Throughout the night I just couldn’t get over how much the dress shop owner and Cozie looked alike! It was like they were mother and daughter!
Cozie’s long, lost mother?!?
She did a great job for us and it was a great experience.
We ended the night sharing a meal at Johnson’s.
What a great time we had picking out dresses! And now… on to decorations 🙂
Today turned out to be one of those days that livestock farmers hope to get in January. A day to haul manure!
It’s been warming up this past week and today it made up into the 40’s. That means that the housework waits and we spend the day in the skid loader and tractor, cleaning out our lots.
This morning after chores we worked at home and got the Monster pile in the cow yard hauled out. I loaded with the skid loader and Dan spread it in one of our nearby fields.
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Dan’s sister, Teresa, stopped in around lunch time so we got to take a nice break. We haven’t seen her for almost a month so it was good catching up with her, and hearing how her Christmas and New Year’s went.
While we were in the house I made some goodies for the Community Awards Banquet tonight. I made a cheese tray, a beef stick tray, and a batch of snowballs. They will be served during the Hor d’oeuves portion of the evening.
Last year I worked at the Chamber and helped put on this great event. Community members nominate volunteers in 5 categories to be honored at this Banquet. It’s a great honor for the volunteers and also a fun social night out.
Dan and I at the Awards Banquet
We were also happy to see a good family friend of ours be honored, Lester. He is a very giving person and does a lot for the community.
Lester was so happy and humbled to be honored
Hats off to you Lester! And to all of the others who were honored tonight!
The day before Chris and Mom visited, I made 3 long slabs of Beef Baby Back Ribs. I love having our own Beef in the freezer and tend to store up these cuts for special occasions.
I figured putting up with the cold was a good enough occasion!
So here is how I made these fork-tender, exceptionally seasoned, finger-lickin’ ribs.
Season the whole slab on the meaty side with Cavender’s Greek Seasoning and Lawry’s Seasoning Salt. Pat it down with your hands so the seasoning stays on.
Cut the ribs in between the bones to get single pieces
Sear the ribs in a skillet, meaty side down, until golden
Add them to a tall stock pot after seared
Fill the pot with water so all the ribs are covered
Add a Tablespoon of salt, a good dash of pepper, plenty of liquid smoke, and a sliced onion.
Bring to a full boil (you will keep it uncovered the whole time)
Turn down to low, just so it’s barely bubbling, and let it simmer all afternoon (Add water, if needed, to keep the ribs covered)
Before heading out for chores I turned it off so it could cool.
When I got back in I turned the oven on to 350 degrees
Drain off all of the water and dispose of it (Do not put this down your sink!)
Cover a sheet pan with foil and spray it with cooking spray
Place the ribs on the sheet pan
Squirt a line of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce down each rib
With the back of a spoon, spread the BBQ sauce over the whole top of the rib
Bake 20 to 30 minutes until heated through and the BBQ has set
Enjoy!
I’m not sure this picture does them justice, but boy were they good!
I happened to have a couple left when Mom and Chris stopped by so naturally, I had to get mom’s opinion…
Mom gave good reviews as they easily pulled apart with her fork! “Mmmm… Tender!”
This is the kind of meal you wish you could have more often, but as my husband says…
“They take some time to make, but they sure are good!”
Food, Family, Farmin' and Fun 