Raising a Farmer

On Wednesday, April 18 Everett and I attended Dairy Day at the Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. with Minnesota Milk. This is an opportunity for dairy farmers to meet with legislators, relay their concerns and share their dairy story. This is a time to discuss new policy and current policy and programs that are working well for farms.

As a mom this is a great way to teach my children. Showing is teaching and teaching is showing. Someone had asked me if this was a school project for Everett because I took him out of school for the day. The answer was, no this is not a school project. This is a farm project. As a mom and a dairy farmer this is to teach my children, showing up is important. Talking about what you love and how it affects your community and communities around you.

As we walked through the halls of the state capital, senate and house buildings, we weren’t alone. The halls were full of constituents with their own concerns for their communities. Showing up shows my children if you want your voice to be heard you need to show up. It shows my children no matter how small your voice is, it matters. There is a process. It shows my children building relationships with people is important and makes a difference. It matters what we say and do. It shows my children we can have a different opinion but yet still have conversations to make a difference.

Meeting with Senator Paul Gazelka

Meeting with Senator and Lt. Govenor Michelle Fischbach. She gifted Everett a Senator pin needless to say we heard all day how he was a Senator. 

Meeting with Senator Torrey Westrom 

It shows my children our own communities need us. Whether we are giving our time to our churches or holding a public office in our towns and communities. Taking the time to listen to a neighbor. Our communities need us. Each and everyone of us are important to our community because all of us make up our community. Our communities need us to listen. Our communities need us to show up.

The decisions that are made today will impact my children. Even if my children choose not to farm they will know how important it is to use their voice in their local communities and beyond. To use their voice kindly and to listen.

The snow is blowing again today.

Easter has come and gone. Winter is still here.

Spring feels like it will never come. Emily from Zweber Farms described it perfectly, “Narnia has arrived on the farm. Always Winter and never Christmas.” 

Today the kids and I turned the oven on and did some baking. Choclate Chip Cookies and Cinnamon Rolls.

What do you do with left over chocolates from Easter. They hang out on the counter waiting for someone to eat them.  Today I chopped them up and used them in

Chocolate Chip cookies 

1 cup butter

1 cup of oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups Flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chocolate chips or (left over chocolate bunnies, duckies or chickens chopped up)

Mix all together and drop by a spoonfull or use a fancy cookie scopper (best investment I ever made, I eat less cookie dough well not alot less but less.)

Bake at 350 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy with a cold glass of milk!  

 

 

 

 

We have been getting some snow in Central Minnesota.  Dusting of snow is normal in the spring time but 10 inches of snow is not normal this time of year.  The real news this morning said we average 2 inches of snow in April, we are way past that.  Southern Minnesota had school closed or late today.

March came in like a lion and it is leaving like a ….Well you will have to watch to see what Nate said March left us like.

Happy Spring time, or late winter, or third winter or….

Rake in the face, the cartoon Tom and Jerry has been the choice of late in the house.

Of course it has filtered into the barn.  Turn up the volume to hear the laughter.  When Tom and Jerry is on laughter and more laughter is heard from the 3 foot tall person in our house.

We have Olympic Fever, do you?

 

It was a Monday. The day after our county fair this past summer. We were exhausted and tired and exhausted. Did I say we were exhausted? Running back and forth from the fair to the farm and back to the fair and then again back to the farm takes its toll. Chores at home and then chores again at the fair. I am thankful for good help at the fair. We were running low on sleep (I was averaging about 3-4 hours a night), low energy and we were tired. We needed a good meal that didn’t involve a granola bar, Little Debbie snack or fried food. (I eat my fair share of chili cheese fries at the fair).

Monday afternoon we had gotten a phone call from our co-op seeing if we were available for a photographer to come out Friday to take promotion pictures. When Nate told me they had called I seriously couldn’t even think about it. I was maxed out in the thinking department. My brain was turned off. Tuesday morning came and our field rep called, they needed an answer. I told Nate “No. I can’t. We can’t. Can we do it next week?” We checked, it needed to be Friday. Nate and I talked about it. Well, he talked me into it, “We will just power through it, Brenda. It will be fine.”

Friday afternoon came. One meltdown and I began to look on the brighter side. We had Lady Wilt still used to the halter and 304 wouldn’t take that much to wash so soon after the fair. “It will be OK,” I started to tell myself. Cowboy Media came and took some photos of our family on the farm. They did more than that. I look at the pictures and I think, “I wanted to say no to this?” This picture means more to us than anything. Little did we know in a couple months we would have to say goodbye to 304.

We take so many pictures during the year, from what we had to eat, to what part is needed, to “look at this,” to the kids sleeping. Not every family picture is perfect but some are more than perfect. There are few pictures, which live on in our hearts and this is that one. This picture I wanted to say no to. The picture that captures everything that is important to us. Family, love, farm, faith.

The Vikings didn’t bring the win home but we are welcoming them back home with open arms.

They gave us football fever this year.

No one talked about how great their season was all fall because we didn’t want to jinx it.

We finished the season with some barn ball, by the looks of it the barn team needs to do some training in the off season.  I think the best part is Everett laughing. I love his laugh. Why is it always “Blue 42”

The Country Christmas Connection is a way for agriculture bloggers to connect with other bloggers or ones who are active on social media sharing their story. This is a great fun way to connect.

It amazes me how someone you have never met before can know you so well. I patiently waited for my package to arrive wondering who my Country Christmas Connection would be? I wonder what we would have in common? Who is it? What part of ag would our connection be in?  Talk about suspense!

It arrived from Chelsy Mesman over at Organic Dairy Mama   I love handwritten notes.  Her words were so sweet and kind.  Thank you Chelsy.  As I continued to open the package each gift was individually wrapped.    With each gift opened I was amazed how Chelsy knew me so well.  At the same time it gave me comfort knowing my online self and my off line self are the same.

Candy for my never ending sweet tooth. Lipstick and pretty soap to help me feel like a girl (Some days I just want to be a girl but barn clothes and barn smell takes over). Homemade apple butter I love canned goodies. (The love and patience that goes into canning is a gift) A Nicholas Sparks book, How did she know? (Can we say the Notebook?)   And of course a new cook book.  Seriously Chelsy, have we met in another world before? Thank you Chelsy so much for all of your gifts!

 

#TCCC17

Winter is here.

There is nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup to give you the feel goods from the chills of winter. This recipe is so easy. When the kiddos are feeling under the weather this is on the menu.  When I want  a good bowl of soup this is on the menu.  When we are under the weather I add noodles.  When we just want a good bowl of soup I add dumplings instead of noodles.

What you will need:

1-12.5oz can of chicken meat (I use canned chicken its easier, it looks like a tuna can but bigger, when I have the time I will boil a whole chicken in water, onions, garlic and celery salt and pepper)

1- 32oz carton of chicken broth

1-tablespoon of oil

3-4 cloves of garlic

1-med onion

1-small package of carrots

water

1 package of wide egg noodles

2 tablespoons of chicken broth base

salt and pepper

Start by sauteing chopped onions and chopped garlic in large pot, salt and pepper to taste with about a table spoon of vegetable oil.  

Saute till sweated

Don’t begin a, well lets say a conversation/discussion/disagreement with your husband where you may be distracted because this will happen.

This is burnt you do not want your onions and garlic to look like this.    Let’s start over. Saute onions and garlic in pot.

 

Add chopped carrots, chopped celery and drained chicken. If you start with raw chicken the water you boil the chicken in would be your base for the soup.  Stir around.

Stir in chicken broth. Fill empty chicken broth carton with water add to the pot. Stir together. Simmer on med-low. Add 2-3 tablespoons of chicken base.

 Simmer till vegetables are tender.  Add noodles, if you like less noodles add less if you like lots of noodles add the whole package. If you feel like you have to much liquid let it simmer longer and if will reduce. (That’s a fancy cooking word for evaporate.)

When noodles are tender it is ready to serve.

My favorite side with chicken noodle soup is buttered crackers.  I’ll dunk them in the soup.  Let them sit around the bowl. I’m a crackers in my soup kinda lady.

Yep life is better with chicken noodle soup and buttered crackers.