Tuesday, December 31, 2013

What a year!! 2013 in Review

Wow what a year!!! I still can't believe that it's the last day of the year the time just flew this year and I'm not sure that I like that! Yes for school I want the time to fly but for everything else I'd love for it to slow down a little bit! So here are a few highlights of what happened in my life during 2013!

My sister graduated from High School



Got Accepted in Nursing school!!!! 



My Cousin Got Married


I retired from Showing livestock

Met fellow blogger Laurie Link!!!!



Went to several rodeos in 3 different States




Visited 3 new states!!

Got Crowned the 2014 Missouri Honey princess

Received my American FFA degree in Louisville, KY

Northwest was 2013 Division 2 National Champions

Got a picture published in a Magazine!!!!!! (little one)

There were so many other great things and exciting moments that happened this year but I didn't want to tell you my whole life story!! I hope everyone has a great last day of the year and a wonderful start to 2014!!

Monday, December 30, 2013

Christmas 2013

I hope that you all had a great Christmas, I know that I did. For Christmas eve we attended service at church. We have attended Christmas eve service at that church with the same people all 20 years of my life!! It is so special to go back every year and spend it with the same people. Actually 20 years ago I got to play baby Jesus in the Nativity play that they put on.

Me as Baby Jesus

This was my very first visit with Santa at church. 

After our Christmas eve services I came home and got to open presents at home with just Mom, dad, and my sister. I ended up getting quite a bit from "Santa" and was happy with everything!! I got a roping dummy, a GPS, Miss Kay's cookbook, a gift card from both Maurice's and Barnes and Noble, a toy car that's the VW bus from cars, (I want a VW bus so bad!!) and some Jolly Ranchers. 


We got up bright and early the next morning and traveled 3 hours to my Great Aunts house. On my dad's side of the family we usually get together on Christmas day to celebrate. We have a big dinner and do a few gift exchanges. It's always great to get together with them. Of course we had the traditional meal of potatoes, noodles, chicken, and etc. But for desert we had something new that I've personally never had before we had a Hickory nut pie. It's kind of like a pecan pie but with hickory nuts instead. We also have cinnamon rolls. For as long as I can remember we have always had cinnamon rolls at about any dinner with hat part of the family. 






This year like years in the past I've made several people some cookies to pass out. I love baking and I love giving so why not combine the 2!! I made rice Krispies, some Amish sugar cookies, and some chocolate caramel Chex to give to people. 

                                       

I also made homemade Honey Peach Butter with honey from my bees to give to people as gifts. It was the first time I was canning solo! I called mom a couple times and had the help of Betty Crocker but everything else was on my own!! Proud moment :) 


I still have 2 weeks left of my winter break before I have to go back to school I hope to do more baking and cooking. I love it and I know I won't have any time during school so I have to get it in while I can!! I hope everyone else had a great Christmas this year, I know I sure did!! 

Monday, December 16, 2013

Week 2 of Photo a Day for December

Day 8 Ornament:

This was my first Christmas Ornament! Circa 1993 :)

Day 9 Something Your Reading: 


I finally have time to read so I'm reading some historical fiction Christmas stories.

Day 11 Green:


My little Northwest Duck :) The football team played this weekend and they are going to the Division II National Championship in Florence Alabama!! 

Day 12 A Beautiful Sight:


My crazy Corgi Duke rolling around in the snow while we were doing chores. He's a hoot to be around!

Day 14 Christmas Tree:

Our little Christmas tree at the Pizza place I work at. 

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Christmas Wish List

Here are a few things that are on my Christmas wish list this year. I'm a terrible person to shop for. People ask me what I want and on the spot I never know. This list took me a week or 2 to come up with! I never know until it's to late.


 
Link

Junk Gypsy Airstream Pillow!!!!!
Junk Gypsy Mug. I have a bag with the same Logo.
Duck Dynasty Devotional
Found at a Walmart near you!!
How awesome is this!!!! I love her stuff and love the color of the pans! I'll take one of these for sure :)

I need a new golf bag. The one I got I've had since freshman year in high school (6 years) and it's falling apart!! This one is beautiful!! I can't wait to get back out on the course!

I love to read and I buy a lot of books for my nook!


Sunday, December 8, 2013

Week 1 of Photo a Day for December

Day 1: My View of the Day
 
This is of the alter in my church. We had our hanging of the greens ceremony and lighting of the first advent candle. I've been going to this church for all 20 years of my life. I even was baby Jesus when I was just 3 months old.
  
Day 2: Favorite Holiday Movie
 
This is by far my favorite Holiday movie!! I try to watch it every year if it's on. Probably the main reason I love this movie is because one of the women lives in an English cottage in England. It is the cutest little house and looks so cozy and awesome!!
 
Day 3: Red
 
Since it was back number night at the NFR I had to post this pic for Red!!
 
 
Day 4: Joyous

This autograph was the first "Cowboy" autograph I had ever gotten! It is an autograph from Wade Sundell a saddle bronc rider. I had asked my Art teacher to get his autograph when she was in Vegas. I never thought she would get it but when she came back to school she gave me this and I about died!! It was one of the most joyous days of my life!! On a side note...Wade won round 3 at the NFR yesterday!!!
 
Day 5: Today's Temperature

You can barely see it but it was a brisk 16 degrees that morning. The next day I think it was -1.
 
Day 6: Shopping
 
 
Well this isn't shopping but it was cold that day and I didn't want to go out so I stayed in and watched one of my favorite movies!! I did however get this on my trip to Wyoming. My friend and I stopped in North Platte Nebraska for a break and went shopping at Goodwill. I got lots of cheep stuff there!
 
Day 7: Bright
 
 
This was the sunset Saturday night. It was so pretty.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

A Walk Down the Dirt Road with....Alyssa from Love Crosses Borders

For this Walk Down the Dirt Road I'm featuring Alyssa who blogs over at Love Crosses Borders. If you don't already follow Alyssa you're in for a treat! She and her husband live on a working ranch in Mexico! I have enjoyed following Alyssa's blog the past year. On her blog she has gorgeous pictures, tasty recipes, and a new aspect of ranching. So go check her out and give her a follow!!

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Tell us a little about yourself and how you ended up in Mexico?

I am originally a Colorado native. After graduating college with an accounting degree I went to work for a meat packing company, which is quite ironic now that I am on the opposite side of the industry and raise cattle. I really appreciated my "Corporate America," experience because it makes me grateful everyday I wake up to enjoy the smaller more simple things in life, like the sunrise. Now for the "How I ended up in Mexico," part. The short answer is love. In the summer of 2011 I bummed into a good friend from college and from that very second something told me he was the man I was going to marry. You know what they say, sometimes the best things in life are right in front of you. The only problem was, he is a ranch owning cowboy from Mexico. After falling in love and dating long distance for several months I gave up everything and moved to Mexico to see if the love we had was real and enough to make a life in a foreign country. I am pleased to report love was plenty to keep me here and this past summer we were married. So ranch life and Mexico are now home.

Talk about your ranch, garden, and many pets.

My husband is the 5th generation to take over and manage his families ranch. Our ranch is quite large compared to most in the United States. We run a cow calf operation on a little over 10,000 acres. Our ranch is located in a desert climate comparable to New Mexico. We are recovering from a four year drought, the same one that hit the US severely. We had to de-stock from 800 cows to 250. Currently, our totally head count is around 300 animals. Our primary breed is Beefmasters. We have planned breeding and calving seasons. Since our rainy season is in the summer time we calve in July, August and September. Those are our "green" months. We don't get a lot of winter moisture so we don't practice spring calving. We find pastures and grasses are too dry and brittle for a lactating mother cow. I do enjoy gardening and growing as much of my own food as possible. Since our climate is mild I am able to garden 9+ months out of the year. I have tried to grow just about every vegetable and herb imaginable. Most things do great, except in the dead of summer when it is too hot. The things that do best in the summer is chillies, melons, and squash. We also have a small fruit orchard and have had great success with figs and pomegranates. I do have many "pets." I don't know if they can be classified as pets, but we have the typical ranch or farm animals. We have 100 chickens and sell the eggs every week for extra income. We have several horses, of course, that are working horses. I also have three black labs that are my "kids." A ranch dog had a litter of puppies a while back and we kept three males. The father dog is also and lab and is a ranch resident. So I have my hands full with four dogs.




Why did you start blogging?

I started blogging purely to keep my family and friends informed about my life and to share pictures with them. However, since starting my blog it has become so much more than that. I am blessed to have followers and people who have magically found it all around the world. This way of life is totally new to me, I grew up a city gal, so I use it to share my day to day ranch life, adventures and experiences. The blog title is pretty self explanatory, Love Crosses Borders. I thought it was cute and catchy!

How is ranching in Mexico different from ranching in the United States?

I think the biggest difference is land size. Our ranch is over 10,000 acres and that is considered small compared to other ranches. In north Mexico, which is the area we live, it is primarily an export region given the proximity to the United States. This means most people have cow calf operations and there are few feed lots or finishing operations. Another difference I have noticed in Mexico is that ranching is viewed as a side business. Most ranch owners do not live at the ranch and only go once a week to check in with their workers to make sure everything is running smoothly. We are one of the few families to live at the ranch. The role and female presence is also very different in Mexico vs. the United States. In Mexico agriculture is viewed as a mans business. So I am changing that stereotype and confusing a lot of men little at a time!

What are some of your hobbies?

If being a wife could be a hobby I think I would include it on my list. I like to cook and spend time in the kitchen canning and baking. I also love photography, writing, gardening, catching up with friends and family on weekends and snuggling with my puppies and chickens! When time allows, I enjoy reading other blogs and relevant cattle and agriculture articles. I try to stay informed.



What has been the hardest thing to adapt to while living in Mexico?

The hardest part has to be learning Spanish. My husband and I have always spoke English to each other, since he studied and we met in the Untied States. Plus, his whole family is fluent in English so it does not force me to speak Spanish. I think I am getting better. I try to study when I have time and it is a high priority and goal of mine to be fluent. I can understand most conversation but to speak the language I still get tongue tied. Everything else has been very easy.

What is the best piece of advice anyone has given you?

Oh man I can't recall an exact moment or piece of advice. However, if I could give someone a piece of advice it would be to never live for anyone else's happiness except your own. People were skeptical of my decision to move to Mexico and give up my career, apartment, sell all my furniture, walk away from a weekly paycheck, and move away from a life I had always known surrounded by friends and family. Had I listened to those individuals I would have robbed myself of a life full of love, passion, lessons, and happiness like I have never known. I also believe I would have lived my life everyday in regret. So live like there is no tomorrow and take a leap of faith if the moment ever presents itself!

Since you are an excellent cook, what is your favorite recipe?

This is the trickiest question of them all because I don't follow recipes! I actually enjoy studying recipes and reading cookbooks then I take bits and pieces of recipes and flavors and put them together. My family then gives me the thumbs up or down. I joke they will never have the same meal twice since I don't follow recipes. I don't even have a favorite recipe because I love all food. But here is a nice and useful canning recipe for homemade spaghetti sauce. I like to use it on pizzas and in Spanish rice.



Ingredients:
20 lbs of tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
3 tsp chicken broth powder (or they come in cubes)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion chopped
One head of garlic minced
2 tbsp oregano (dried or fresh)
2 tbsp parsley (dried of fresh)
Sprig (stem) of rosemary
Spring (stem) of thyme
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
2 or 3 dried chilies for spice (optional)
2 cups fresh chopped mushrooms (optional)

1. Wash tomatoes and dip them in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until the skins start to split. Dip them in cold water and slip/ peel the skins off. Cut any bad sections of the tomato, including the stems and set aside. Once you have skinned the tomatoes process them in batches in a food processor. Depending on how chunky you like your tomato sauce will depend how long you pulse them in the processor. (I use an assortment of tomatoes, basically whatever is fresh from the garden. I use cherries, Roma's, beefsteak, orange beefsteak, heirlooms. I always try to skin the big tomatoes but with the little ones I am not as worried and picky about peeling the skins off.)

2. After you have processed all the tomatoes put the mixture into a large pot. Add the wine, sugar, salt, pepper, and chicken cubes. Start simmering on low to medium heat stirring occasionally to make sure the bottom does not burn.

3. Sauté the remaining ingredients with the olive oil in a separate pan. If you do not have all the herbs just improvise and add the flavors and spices you like. Sauté together for 15 minutes on low heat then add it to the tomatoes in the large pot. Your kitchen will start to smell amazing during this step!!

4. Cook the tomato sauce for at least an hour with the lid off. The long it cooks the more flavorful and thicker the sauce will become. Once again stir occasionally. If you like your sauce extra thick add some tomato paste. I like to keep my sauce as natural as possible so I don't add any but many recipes call for tomato paste. It all depends on personal preference. I try to cook my sauce for 2 hours.

5. After the sauce has cooked to your liking it is ready to serve for dinner or can and save for a rainy day.

6. To can, ladle the hot or boiling mixture into clean mason jars allowing 1/4 space at the top. Put the lids on and place them in a boiling pot of water to "hot water bath," them. Keep them in the boiling bath for 15 minutes. Take the jars out and make sure the lids are tight. ** If you are not familiar with canning or the hot water bath process be sure you research it to make sure your products don't spoil.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Be Thankful



I am all for hearing about what people are thankful for on different social media sites but I feel that we only think about it during the month of November. I know that I don't express enough what all I'm thankful for in my life. I tend to take many things for granted. So instead of posting something every day or even once a week I will just come up with one post to share many of the things I am thankful for in my life. I know I'm probably going to miss many but this will cover a majority of them.

1. My Family. I have one of the best families in the world. My parents, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, everyone has supported me over the years and have taught me so much! We may not be perfect but they are the best around!

2. My Faith. I have to say that the past year my faith has grown so much stronger. I joined a campus ministry and have made great friends and have grown in my faith. Also this whole nursing school thing has really tested my faith. I don't think I've prayed so much in my life. I just need to remember everything happens for a reason and I'm on the right path.

3. My Health. I was thinking about how thankful I was for my heath just the other day when I was watching the speech therapist working with my resident at clinicals. My resident had suffered several strokes and the therapist was working with her to regain her speech and strengthen her mouth so she doesn't choke. Just the simple act of puffing her cheeks was difficult and it broke my heart to see her struggle and get frustrated. I wake up every morning, jump out of bed, not a pain or struggle and I take it all for granted!

4. Blogging. I've been following blogs and blogging on this blog for little over a year now. I have learned so much from other people and I have had a great outlet to share my joys and sorrows.

5. Blog Friends!! There are so many people who have come into my life through blogging! There are many amazing women who I have connected with and have formed wonderful friendships with. I feel sometimes that I can connect better with them (most of whom I've never met) than people I've known my whole life.

6. Books. I have shelves, piles, bags, and a nook full of books!! Many I haven't read, yet most I have. I love reading books, it takes you to places all over the world and allows you to forget everything around you!

7. Duke my Corgi! I have been very lucky throughout the years to have grown up on a farm. We have always had pets and animals of all kinds to play with. Duke is one of the best dogs a person could have. Not only can he chase cows but he is always around to lift up your spirits.

8. History/Genealogy. I am so thankful that my parents and family have such an interest in history and genealogy. I know all about my family many generations back. I've seen pictures and visited graves and have been able to connect my personality traits to past generations. It just gives you a sense of belonging and It's great to find out someone several generations back shares the same interests that you do.

9. Antiques. I am an odd duck. Most people my age today want whatever the new technology is today. Not me, I want that old piece of "junk" covered in rust and dust!! The older the things and the more wore out the object is means that it probably has such a great history and story connected with it. I love to buy antiques but it's even better to get them from family.

10. Nursing school. I may be stressed all some of the time and I may have no free time but the stuff that I've learned and the people I've connected with has made it all worth it. Being in the nursing home and connecting with the residents is a great feeling and it lets me know that I am going into the right profession.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Pumpkin Roll


A while ago I posted a picture on Facebook of a pumpkin roll that I had made. I got a few comments about the recipe and how to make it so here it is!! Yesterday the college church group I'm involved with had thing called  a Progressive Thanksgiving Meal. What we did was had a 4 course meal but traveled to different locations to eat the different courses. We started at our building for appetizers, we then walked a few minutes to one of the dorm buildings and had salads. We then hopped in several cars and had a convoy and headed out to one of the board members houses where we feasted on the traditional Thanksgiving meal. After that we headed to our ministers house for desserts. I decided to make a pumpkin roll for that. I brought home an empty plate so I think everyone liked it!!
This recipe I got from a great friend of mine. I actually went to her house a couple weeks ago to learn how to make it!! I am so blessed to have so many great cooks in my life! So here is the recipe!!

Pumpkin Roll

In a small bowl combine:

3/4 cup flour
1/2 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn baking soda
1 tspn pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tspn salt
1 cup sugar
3 Large eggs
2/3 cups pumpkin (or half the can then you can make 2 it works the same)





 

Take a cookie sheet with sides (not sure the size but probably one that's 9x13x1 or if you have  a jelly roll pan use it) cover it with a sheet of waxed paper/parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray and then dust with flour.


Then pour your batter on to the pan and spread it evenly all over the pan.


Then you bake it for 13-15 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

 
 
Once you take it out of the oven let it cool a few min and then very carefully turn it over on to a powdered sugar covered tea towel. Make sure you put it on one of the edges so that it's easy to roll. 


 

Now you roll the pumpkin roll up tea towel and all and then stick it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes so it can cool.

While it's cooling in the fridge mix up your cream cheese mixture.The recipe for it is...

1 package of cream cheese softened
6 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract




This is where I'm a bad person because I stopped taking pictures :( But now all you do is roll your pumpkin roll back out VERY CAREFULLY!!! If it starts to crack just go very slow. Then you spread the cream cheese mixture and then VERY CAREFULLY roll it back up and place it seam down on a plate and serve!! Keep refrigerated. Top with powdered sugar when you are ready to serve.

 
Oh and a fun tip.... While I was making my pumpkin roll I decided to measure out everything that I would need to make one for our family Thanksgiving. I was going to put it in a zip lock bag all mixed up. Well sitting on the counter was a 32 oz plastic cup from HyVee. It was the perfect size to hold the Ziploc bag open. So while I was measuring the ingredients out for the one I just stuck some in the other and now I have everything ready for Thursday.