WW – Some Sweet Tasters

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First week of summer break is almost gone…we’ve been busy! I’ll catch up more later, but take a look at my boys enjoying a taste-test of sweet corn shipped to us from down south. I’d like to thank Monsanto for the chance to have an early bite of this delicacy…and can’t wait for our own to be ready!

The long-awaited cooler! Smelled so good!

Boiled up and ready to go!

This little boy was enjoying his first on-the-cob experience with sweet corn fully!

EJ gave the corn two thumbs up! (And was looking for more!)

Even Big Bro was excited about the sweet corn!

Our corn isn’t knee-high yet, but we’re up out of the ground…and that’s a great start!

The taste of sweet corn and the seed we planted was provided to our farm through Monsanto, but the thoughts, ideas and photos are my own.

Hunk of Meat Monday – Cheesy Chicken Hashbrowns

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I had part of a bag of hashbrowns leftover this weekend, so I decided to throw some stuff together and it turned out to be such a big hit, that I thought I would share it with you!

Cheesy Chicken Hashbrowns

Ingredients:

  • package of frozen hashbrowns
  • shredded chicken (I used the Schwan’s Philly Style Chicken, but you could even use the fajita meat, leftover chicken, etc.)
  • shredded cheese
  • butter

Simply start the hashbrowns the way you normally would.

Start off with a little bit of butter in the bottom of a skillet. After it’s melted, throw your hasbrowns in and cook as you normally would.

Split the pan in two, and cook (heat-through) your chicken on one side.

When the hashbrowns are just about done, flip them over, so they take up only half the pan. Throw your chicken in on the empty half and let it cook (or reheat, whatever it may be).

When chicken is cooked-through, combine the two.

When the chicken is heated through, combine the two halves together and cook until done. (Crispy, not-so-crispy…whatever your preference for hashbrowns.)

Top with cheese. Why? Because there is nothing that isn’t better with cheese…well, except maybe ice cream…maybe.

Top with cheese. Serve, enjoy! Super simple, but oh, so good! You could also add in onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.

Super simple meal, easy way to use leftovers!

 

Some Sweet Sweet Corn

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My family is a big fan of sweet corn. Big fan. The only issue has been the amount of time and work that it takes (which I will admit, has mostly fallen on the shoulders of my father-in-law).

Imagine my excitement when a late-night Facebook conversation turned into an offer to test an acre of sweet corn? And not just any sweet corn…but sweet corn that could be planted with our field corn, without having to worry about killing it? I was beside myself with joy!

Now, if you haven’t put two and two together yet, this isn’t your regular sweet corn. It’s Round Up Ready sweet corn that’s been developed by Monsanto. (Wow, I was able to say Monsanto without thunder booming, clouds rolling and some menacing creature showing up.)

Now, that last comment was just me being funny. I have no problem with Monsanto, or any other seed development company. And no, I’m not on the payroll. I’m just simply a mother of four working on new ways to feed my children. Monsanto is just one of the companies that we purchase seed from, and they have no say in what we plant, where we plant it, or other management-type decisions that Boss Man makes.

So what about biotechnology? Aren’t I afraid of the unknowns? The simple answer is…well, simply no. Advancements are how we were able to increase food production, while we decrease our carbon footprint, lower soil erosion and improve our environment overall.

Every where I look, I see where technology (especially biotechnology) has made improvements in our world. Need some examples? How about burpless cucumbers? Seedless cottonwoods? Tomatoes that don’t soften after harvest?

I have no problem with any of these things.

So, in this instance, the sweet corn that we planted has a trait built in, that will help it stand up to insects, and makes it possible for the plant to survive if treated with herbicides (those are chemicals that we sometimes use to eliminate weeds in our fields). Now, before you get ahead of me, let me tell you that we have no desire to spray our corn with herbicides, unless we have to…and sometimes that happens.

Our fields were treated right before planting, so the weeds out there presently should die soon. We won’t have to reapply any herbicide until later in the year, and only if we have a weed issue. (Trust me, we don’t apply chemicals unless we have to…and that’s after a discussion with our crop consultant AND checking out each field ourselves.)

So, here we are, sweet corn in the ground, waiting for some rain and excited to see where the year takes us!

This is the sweet corn we planted!

Getting ready, making sure equal amounts of seed are in each.

Going in the ground!

Look at those rows! Love it! See the residue left from last year’s crop? And the weeds that are there should be dying in the next day or so.

I’d like to thank Monsanto for providing us the opportunity to test out a new product (Obsession II). Although the sweet corn seed was provided to us, the thoughts and photos are my own.

4-H Project – Dinosaur Gardening

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Pinterest. It’s my new best friend. And as a 4-H mom, the ideas there are endless!

The county fair is a few months away, but we’re gearing up and getting projects out of the way early…I know, crazy idea, right???

So here’s our first completed project. And as long as the dog leaves it alone, we’ll be good to go!

Dinosaur Pots

1) We found these two dinosaur toys at the 4-H rummage sale on Saturday…cool coincidence! They are pretty well the perfect size, but it wouldn’t hurt if we could find a few bigger ones as well.

Cutting through the plastic was a little tough. But we poked a hole to start, then used a snips to work around.

2) Cut a hole in the top of the dinosaur. Big enough to plant in, but not so big that you can’t keep dirt inside.

Make sure to add drain holes in the underbelly, and down the tail.

3) Be sure to add drain holes in the bottom!

Get dirty!

4) Fill the tail with dirt. Get it damp, so that the dirt really fills it. You don’t want any air pockets killing off your new plants!

Final step…water well!

5) Pick plant of your choice (but make sure it will fit) and plant it in the new pot. Water well. (We went to our local garden center and looked around, asking the horticulturalist for advice…he did suggest moss roses, since they are smaller to begin with and will grow just about anywhere!)

6) Enjoy!

Cool planters that even little boys will love!

I love it! And can’t wait to see what we come up with next!

Surviving Mother’s Day – Planting Widow Syndrome

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According to my calendar, yesterday was Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, since it didn’t rain on Saturday or yesterday, I was on my own. Just a note to the powers-that-be…scheduling Mother’s Day smack dab in the heat of planting season was not a great idea. Father’s Day is a much better date…and I am considering swapping them out.

Instead of enjoying a lazy day and letting my family pamper me, we started off early and kept on trucking through the day. I made a mention on my Twitter account that I was tackling church alone, with four boys, and someone responded that she would like some tips on handling church alone with kids. Great idea!

So here they are…my tips on taking kids to church (follow the ones you like, ignore the ones you don’t, and remember, it’s all about attitude…mostly yours.):

  • Start off on a good note. Wake up early, make sure everyone is wearing their favorite church-going outfits, eat breakfast, etc. Being rushed, miserable and griping the whole way to the car sets everyone off on a bad foot. It’s not worth it, trust me.
  • Take with a secret stash of snacks. Make sure they are “quiet” snacks. Fruit snacks work wonders, Dorito’s – not so much so. Animal crackers – great, Cheetos – not so great. Granola bars – super, anything chocolate – skip. Don’t forget that if you take with something too salty, you’ll need a bottle of water as well. (And some wet wipes for clean up!)
  • Pack distractions. The boys get to choose two things to bring with and put in their church bag. Remember, these need to be quiet toys, so skip the electronics and noise makers. For my boys, the key is Transformers, cars and tractors. Although, I will admit, that sometimes the sounds the boys make with these is just as distracting. Another good idea for older children are puzzle books, word finds, etc. (For those old enough to sit still, but not old enough to quite get the message of the sermon.)
  • Know when to say when. Not only do I have four children (ages 9, 8, 5 and 3), but I married into a front-of-the-church family. When our first son was born, and I realized that my husband still intended to sit at the front of the church, I was horrified. I never thought it would work. I was wrong. It can work…but you have to know when to say when. We did not have strict church rules until after our boys turned 2. At that point, we figured it was possible for them to stay in the sanctuary throughout the service. Yet, even then, there are sometimes problems. There’s a fine line between teaching a lesson and making everyone miserable, and you need to be able to read your child’s cues to know when you’re at that point. But make sure you’re not rewarding the behavior. If your child isn’t feeling well, and is acting up, go to the back of the church, but don’t reward them by taking them to the play room. On days when everyone sits well during church, and aren’t too loud, reward them with a special treat.
  • The best offense is a good defense. What does that have to do with church? I’m talking about the seating arrangement in the pew. Our biggest problem is George trying to escape and running throughout the sanctuary…or deciding to join the pastor at the pulpit. So I strategically place people at both ends of the pew. But they have to have stiff legs and a quick arm! (Big Bro is much better at this than Boss Man…just sayin’.)
  • Involve your children in the service. Make sure they all know when they should be praying, let them help with passing the offering plate, let them hold the hymnal. The only time I don’t let my kids be involved during the service is communion. They could be…our church has no rules regarding who can/can’t receive communion, but I do. They have to be able to explain to me why communion is significant to them, before they can participate. I expect that it will be a few years before Big Bro tackles the subject, although he remembers to look it up during the communion service. I figure if it were that important to him, he would remember outside of church as well.
  • The most important key: your attitude. It’s hard not to become frustrated, but it defeats the purpose. Making your child/children miserable in church sets a bad example and a bad precedent. I want my children to think of church as a fun, safe, happy place, where they can pray, learn and share.

No, going to church alone with children isn’t easy. It’s not for the feint of heart. Yet, it is extremely rewarding when your children finally get to the age where they ask questions, read their bibles on their own without prompting and share stories regarding what they’re learning.

I may not have all the answers, and I may not know how to handle every situation just right, but I have someone who does on my side…and His answers are so much clearer than mine!

This group of boys keeps me on my toes, especially in church!

At the bottom of it all, you have to find what works for you…but don’t give up without trying. And remember, everyone has bad days, it doesn’t always work out the best. Be flexible, be reasonable…

and don’t forget to pray!

WW – Vote for a Farm Mom

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It won’t be my words today, but a post from someone else…and all I ask of you is to go to the site and vote!

We Need Your Help this Mother’s Day!

Vote for National Farm Mom of the Year

Guest post by Meghan, Allie, Trent, Tyler, and Eric Blythe
This year for Mother’s Day we would like to honor our mom, Debbie Lyons-Blythe, as National Farm Mom of the Year. This title is determined by voting so we need your help.
You may know Debbie Lyons-Blythe as a blogger, rancher, and advocate. We know her as “Mom.” Parents often brag about their children, but let us reverse roles and tell you about how proud we are of our mom’s accomplishments.
I asked my four younger siblings and Dad to describe her. Over and over again I received the same answer… unselfish. Mom is unselfish. All of her efforts are focused on giving to something bigger than herself. She shares her story in blogs for the agriculture industry. She wakes up early and works long hours for our cattle ranch. She serves the Kansas Angus Association and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in leadership positions for the advancement of the beef industry. She volunteers for our community, and she goes above and beyond for our family. Mom embodies the spirit of American agriculture, and demonstrates the beauty of sacrificial love through the giving of her talents, her time, and of herself.
Please visit http://www.americasfarmers.com/farmmom/vote.aspx  to cast your vote for our mom, Debbie Lyons-Blythe. Don’t forget to complete the voting process by entering your name and email address! And please pass along mom’s story and the information to your friends as voting closes May 12th.
Thank you for helping us out with this Mother’s Day honor. We really appreciate your support!
Meghan, Allie, Trent, Tyler, and Eric

Head over to http://www.americasfarmers.com/farmmom/vote.aspx and vote!

Now, just to clarify…I know Debbie. I’ve met her, I’ve had coffee with her and I admire her, look up to her and have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her, both online and in real life. She’s an amazing woman with amazing energy, and I know that if she’s survived the craziness that’s her life, then I can too.
But that’s just my opinion. Check her out on your own…but I think you’ll find the same thing.
Good luck, Debbie! You deserve the recognition, and I’m proud to call you a friend.