We've got Rain!!!

Well since about 4:00 this morning it has been raining like cats and dogs. This is such a blessing after last year being so dry and having a mild winter we really needed the moisture. Our pond was so low this winter we couldn't chop ice for the cows and had to water them all winter long. Some of our friends who have a well were hauling truckloads of water in every day just to get buy. So this rain is much needed. I went to town a few hours ago and noticed the creek next to our house was rather full and some of the other creeks were full clear up to the brim. I haven't seen our pond yet but I'm sure it's considerably fuller.

The creek that runs the border of our land. 

Nothing much else has been going on and I've had a little big of writers block so to say. I have had the past 9 days off of work (how I managed that I don't know) but instead of relaxing I've been working on lots of homework since it's the end of the year I've got a lot to do. I've got one post that I'm working on but it needs some work. Some exciting news I guess is that I bought a "good" camera for myself and it should be getting it on Saturday!!! I bought a Cannon Power Shot SX50 HS. It's got a 50 times zoom which is amazing and I'm super excited to take lots of cool pictures with it. So prepare to have several posts with pictures!!

VIA

I will have a post on Friday finishing up the 30 questions. I had that wrote up last week when I wrote up the other one. I hope you have a great day!!

Favorite Finds Friday

Like any other day I was scanning Pinterest trying to pass some time when I came across this pin that really interested me. It's original purpose was to be questions for a road trip but I though it would be a fun way to get to know me a little better. I'm going to split up the questions and just do the first 15 this week and then the last 15 next week. I hope you enjoy! You never know we may have more in common than we think ;)



This is the original pin VIA

1. For me I want to travel EVERYWHERE but there is one place that I will visit if not live at before I die that is Alaska. I watch so many shows and have read so many books about Alaska that I fall in love with it more and more each time. There is something about living in the wild and in nature and the peacefulness that draws me there. There are just not enough words to describe my love with Alaska. I know you may think it's crazy since I've never been there but I have this extreme connection with it an I will go there someday!!

2. For this question I hate sharing my name ideas with people because if I tell them they might hate them so I'm just going to name my kids what I want and then if they don't like them too bad! Another thing is that I like names that are different, not crazy, but a little different. A name I came across a little bit ago watching a rodeo is Cheyne (Cheyne Olney- cowboy for PRCA). It's pronounced Shane but spelled different and I really liked that. I have other name ideas that I've came across, mostly inspired by books, but I'll keep them under wraps for awhile longer :)

3. This is easy- Sweet Home Alabama, Lonesome Dove, The Waitress, 8 seconds (Sorry I know that's 4 but I couldn't not pick one of them). I could watch those movies over and over again and I have!! I can probably quote Sweet Home Alabama to a T. There are many more movies but these are the ones that are the best!

4. Best Meal I've ever eaten.... hard one for sure since I've ate some great food over the years but... The best meal that will always be is my Grandmas homemade chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes. Nothing on the planet can beat them. Every time we went to her house she knew to have those at least once while we were there because she knew they were our favorite! My mom and I have made them and they have been very good but they aren't grandmas noodles :)

5. Easiest question on the list!! I'm sure you all probably know this already and have a pretty good guess. My favorite class was AG. I was lucky enough to have it all 4 years and honestly if I wasn't going to be a nurse I would be an Ag teacher. I had an awesome teacher and enjoyed getting to be involved with FFA through that class. The favorite Ag class I took was animal science. We got to go out and preg check cows, semen test a bull, learn how to AI, and make our own branding irons. Fun I know LOL! That's just the kind of stuff I like :)

6. I like orange pop. If it's ever a choice I pick it. But I'm trying not to drink any pop so I will push  my love of orange pop out of my heart :(

7. Ok this is an easy question too. I would be a stock contractor. Bulls, broncs, steers the whole nine yards. Hopefully I will be able to do a little bit of that on the side someday (hopefully full time) but if I can't then I would at least want to work for a contractor. I really want to be a nurse too but my heart and true passion is with rodeo and bulls and it's something I think about almost everyday. I am trying right now to learn everything that I can so that when the day comes I am ready to go. It will happen someday!

8.This is a tough one. There are a lot of people who inspire me but each for different reasons. Mesa Pate and Paige Stout are amazing women who raise bucking bulls. LeAnn Hart is also involved with bucking bulls and a very strong believer in God. Several of you bloggers I follow inspire me the most you all live some amazing lives that I could only dream of and you have some very inspiring posts that keep me going and working towards my dreams. My parents who have introduced me to the things I've loved and have supported me through everything. Really there are so many people in my life that inspire me.

9. I would stow it away. I am always saving money for something and right now I'm saving up for a trip to Wyoming/Colorado for this summer.

10. Um. All of them LOL. Give me any outside chore to do and I'm fine but indoor chores I don't particularly like.

11. I would say qualifying for State golf but I wasn't that great while I was there. So getting my State FFA Degree is my proudest moment. Out of all the state degrees in the country Missouri has the hardest one to get (that's a fact not just trying to brag). In order to get your State Degree you have to be very active in FFA and have a lot of Leadership points, community service, and money earned and invested. I actually applied my junior year in high school but didn't have enough points but I got it my senior year. It has been probably my biggest accomplishment ever.

12. I'm scared of a lot of things bears, mountain lions, snakes but the 1 thing that I'm most scared of is the future. There are so many things that could happen or not happen that scare me half to death. I guess all I can do is trust in the plan that God has for me and just take it 1 day at a time.

13. When I was in either preschool or day care.

14. 2 things: My hair- it's crazy and frizzy and I hate it. and  My height- I'm short and I would like to be at least a few inches taller.

15. This is another easy one it would be the 1800's. I love history and my favorite part of it was the 1800's with the pioneers, cowboys, frontiersman, mail order brides, courting, cattle ranches, trappers, Oregon trail, and homesteading that is my cup of tea. Chances are if you catch a look at what I'm reading it is 99% of the time going to be a book about one of those things. But I also love the 40's and 50's but just not as much as the 1800's.

A little golf is great for the soul!!

Well the past few days have been very stressful for me! A lot of stuff with school has been bringing me down and really stressing me out! One of my classes I wasn't doing to hot in and ended up withdrawing from it because there was no way I would have ever passed it and I needed a decent grade to keep this big scholarship I won. Like my mom told me earlier today dropping that class really took a big weight off my shoulders and I can focus better on keeping good grades in my other classes.

Now that the weather is wonderful out I've been able to do more things outside and one of those being going golfing! If you would have asked me about 6 years ago what my thoughts on golf were I would have told you that it's a stupid sport that's boring to watch on TV and a waste of time! Well......my freshman year of high school I got the wild hair to join the golf team. I had NEVER picked up a golf club, other than at miniature golf, before my freshman year. Well it turns out golf wasn't that bad and I got to be kind of good. I wasn't exceptional really but I got good enough that I won a few matches, qualified for sectionals twice and got to compete at state my senior year.

This is the golf course I go to the most. This was our "home" course for high school. We had to travel about 20 min to go to practice every day. But it's a wonderful course to play on. The course is designed around a lake.

I realized that unlike the other sports at school golf is a sport that you play for yourself. You don't have to rely on other people on a team and the only person you can blame for doing poorly is yourself. I liked that aspect of it because it gave me a chance to really push and challenge myself to do good. One Saturday before the state tournament I was out on a Saturday morning at the driving range practicing. I was the only person out there when my coach drove up. He walked out and said "A true champion is someone alone on the driving range." That really fired me up and made me so proud of myself for working hard enough to qualify for state. I didn't do the greatest while I was down at state but heck I was one of only 80 some girls in the whole state of Missouri playing at the State tournament!!

So today I was sitting around home and flipped on the TV and found they were doing coverage of the Masters all day and so I was watching as they were interviewing the guys and watching them while they practiced. It really made me want to go out and play so I grabbed my sisters clubs (mine are in my dads truck which is conveniently not here!) and went out to the driving range to hit a bucket of balls!

 

 

It is so relaxing and therapeutic to be outside at the golf course on such a beautiful day. It is probably one of my favorite things to do. A lot of the golf courses I've gotten to play on are so beautiful which is an added bonus! I have had many bad days turned into great days on the golf course.

 

 

This picture was taken this past February. My sister and a friend of ours went out on one of the decent days we had this winter and played for FREE at our golf course. They were closed due to winter and said if we wanted to play we could just go out and play. But the pic above is of the beautiful sunset we experienced while we were out there. How can you not smile when you have the chance to experience Gods beauty around you!! It always makes me laugh when you see on TV that wives are always mad at their husbands for going golfing all the time. Heck I bet you anything I'll either be out there with him or out there more than him!!

 

I hope that you all go out at least once and try golf. Weather you do well or not it's still lots of fun to just go out and play!! I guarantee you will love it!

 

Have a great week everyone!! 



Crepes With Fresh Strawberries

This is a recipe I have made several time and love! Usually I make it with peach pie filling instead of strawberries but that's what makes this recipe great you can make it with what ever type of fruit you want. Now don't be scared or think it's going to be hard to make because it really isn't. You just have to be patient and accept that there will be one that rips or gets over done but it won't be the end of the world. When I made these last week I was doing so good and didn't mess up until the very last one! I went to flip it and it just ripped in half. I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients for Crepes:

1 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
5 tablespoons melted butter

Ingredients for Filling: This recipe isn't exact I just took a package of cream cheese and added stuff to it and tasted and added more stuff but here are all the ingredients and an idea of how much I used.

-1 8oz package of cream cheese
-1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar
-1 tsp. almond extract
-1 tsp. vanilla extract
-3 tablespoons milk
-1 can of pie filling or about 3-4 cups fresh fruit (use your judgment on how much you'll use)

The First step is to mix together your milk, egg yolks, and vanilla until well blended.

 

Next you stir in the flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter and mix well.

 

It will then be smooth and lump free. You want your batter to be on the thin side so that you can easily coat your pan when you cook them.

 

 

Now comes the hardest part. You take a non stick skillet and heat it up over medium to low heat (use your own judgment. If your crepes are burning or turning brown turn it down if they take forever to cook turn the heat up.) Add a very little amount of oil to the bottom of the pan. What I did was take a paper towel and just lightly coat the entire pan with the oil. You then take about 3/4 of a cup of the batter and coat the bottom of the pan. I pick the skillet up and rotate it covering the entire bottom. Let cook for about 2 min or until golden brown on bottom and then flip to other side and let cook for another min-2 min or until golden brown.

Sorry this is such a blurry pic but you get the idea.

 

 

Finished product. This recipe makes about 8 crepes.

 

Now it's time to make the filling.

 

What I did first was cut up my strawberries and added some sugar to them so they are sweet and have a little bit of syrup on them. Cut them up, add the sugar, and let them set for about 10 min stirring every once and a while.

 

Combine the cream cheese, milk,  and almond and vanilla extracts

 

Next add the powdered sugar. After combined if it seems to dry add more milk. If it seems to wet add some more powdered sugar.

 

The finished product should be smooth and creamy.

 

Assembly:

 

Take one crepe

 

Add some of your cream cheese mixture to the center of the crepe.

 

Next add some of your fruit

 

You can fold it like a burrito like I did above or you can just roll it up in a log.

 

Now to make them pretty you can add some cool whip, extra strawberries and a dash of powdered sugar.

 

Enjoy!!

Installing a Package of Bees



 

A package of bees

 

Today I went and picked up a package of bees to put into a new hive. Now when you get a package of bees you get them in a box and you get about 10,000 worker bees, 1 queen in a little box, and a can of sugar syrup (bee food).

 

Before I went and picked up my package I mixed up a batch of sugar syrup. The recipe I used was 2 quarts of water and 4 pounds of sugar and some honey bee healthy to keep them healthy. There are so many different ratios and recipes out there that if you want to get into beekeeping you just have to do what's best for you.

 

 

First you boil your water and once it's started boiling you shut it off and then add the whole thing of sugar.

 

You then stir in the sugar until it has completely dissolved. Then you let it cool before adding the honey bee healthy and putting it into your container.

 

 

I put my sugar syrup into an old icing bucket from any bakery with small holes on top.

 

Now that you have your food made it's time to put the bees into the hive. Like the syrup recipe there are about 1,000,000 different methods to doing this. I'm going to share with you the way we have done it and had the best of luck doing.

 

 

 

The first step is to remove the syrup can and then the queen. As you can see from the top picture the bees surround the queen that hangs from the top of the cage and you need them at the bottom to remove the can without all the bees leaving. So what you do is give the box one good tap and they all drop to the bottom as shown in the second picture.

 

 

Next you remove the can of syrup and then cover the hole up with your hand or a piece of wood or something to cover it so not very many bees escape.

 

 

The queen is the one inside the box. There are a couple of bees dedicated to making sure she stays alive and they feed her through the cage. There is a little cork at the bottom of the cage that is sometimes made of candy that the bees chew through to release her. We leave her in there so that the bees get acquainted to her and won't kill her when she comes out. After a few days if she's still not out we will replace the cork with a marshmallow for them to chew out or just take the cork out and let her go.

 

 

You then remove one of your 10 frames from your hive body and wedge her in between 2 other frames so she is hanging and they can try to release her and can still feed her through the screen mesh.

 

 

After you got the queen in place you then tap the bees down again and remove the can again and then you can turn the box over and shake the bees out or like we did was place it upside down so they can go out when they want. The shaking method can be very intimidating for a first time beekeeper because the bees literally fly out and surround you and you have almost all the bees buzzing very madly around your head. After a few hours most of the bees will go out of the cage and down into the hive. You will then put your syrup container in and let them get started on producing more bees and honey!

 

Here Is a picture of me with the new hive :)

Favorite Finds Friday

I hope you all have had a wonderful week. Around hear it is finally starting to feel like spring and I'm excited. Plus it also means that it's getting closer and closer to summer!!! My two favorite seasons are spring and summer. With sprig and summer comes warm weather, gardening, being able to walk outside every day, livestock shows, rodeos and so many other of my favorite things!!! What are your favorite things to do in the summertime?? I hope you enjoy these pins inspired by spring and summer!

Quote

via- Pinterest

Something to Do

You haven't thoroughly enjoyed summer unless you have had at least 1 smore!! It's a rule!!



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Something to Wear

I love flip flops end of story! Plus Old Navy always has awesome sales on them.



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Gardening

I found this idea and thought it would be a cool idea to grow herbs in. I love cooking with fresh herbs and I want to try and drying some this year.



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Livestock Shows

Sometime this week I'll be getting my show wethers for this upcoming show season!! I'm so excited because it's been a couple of years since I've shown goats and I've really missed it.
I may not be from Indiana but during our county fair the most important thing is always the livestock shows!!

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RODEO!!!!!

OK, the best thing about the spring and summer for me is being able to go to rodeos. Around hear we don't have very many during the winter since most are outside. Last year we went to almost 10 rodeos. Most were small local rodeos but I did get to go to 2 PRCA rodeos which were awesome!!

Here is a pic of one of my favorite Saddle Bronc riders Wade Sundell from Iowa! Who by the way just won the Houston Rodeo last month and $50,000+.

Photo Credit Matt Cohen Photography
If you want to see some amazing Rodeo Photographs check his website out!!

Easter Throughout the Years

For as long as I can remember I have spent my Easter doing the exact same thing. We start out getting up bright and early to go to sunrise service at church which is usually around 6:30. Following the sunrise service we enjoy a wonderful home cooked breakfast by my church family. Then we head up to my Great aunt and uncles on my dad's side for dinner and some family time.

One of the traditions that we have done every single year is to take a picture out on the steps with all the cousins. It's fun to go back through some of the pictures from many many years ago. It's hard to believe that me and my cousin Renae are in college, my sister Rachel and cousin Greg are graduating from high school next month, and my cousin Patrick is a sophomore and cousin Abby is in Jr. high. We were saying that before we knew it we would be hiding eggs for our kids to find which is a very scary thought!  Here are some pictures from throughout the years!

Easter 2000 (Look at how little we were!)



Easter 2002
 

This was from Easter 2006
 

Easter 2011 
 



Easter 2013!

 
Now something that you need to know about my cousins and I is that we are all farm kids. I went out on the porch to get something and looked down and noticed that all of our shoes (except Patrick with his purple basketball shoes) were boots. So I snapped this pic :)

 

Now there's a rule that if you know your going to be with this group of cousins you NEED to bring a change of clothes because you never know what your going to get into. Almost every time we were together when we were younger we would go up into the barn loft and play. One year we went shed (deer antlers) hunting. One year I helped my aunt pull a lamb. One Christmas we decided to go sledding and didn't have a change of clothes we were all running around in my uncles clothes while our clothes were in the dryer. But we always seemed to have a good time and find something on the farm to do to entertain us.

One sad thing was that a couple years ago they decided that we were "too old" to hunt for Easter eggs. I guess when you get into high school and college your too mature for egg hunting. BLAH BLAH BLAH!! So my cousin and I decided that we would fill eggs, sneak them up there, and then hide them. Well we were busy doing other things so we just divided the eggs up and still ended up with the candy!! All in all it was a pretty great day!

My Loot!

 

I hope everyone had a great Easter filled with Faith, Family, and great Food!