Category Archives: farm fun

The way to a boy’s heart…

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Is apparently through his…feet?

Just a few minutes ago, the mailman brought a package to the door that wouldn’t fit in the mailbox. I had an idea about what it was, so I asked EJ if he wanted to open it…

and I have the happiest boy on this side of the county.

EJ opened new boots in today's mail! And they're "tractor boots." How cool is that?

 

Yes, I splurged a little, but not too much. They were on sale through Zulilly (I l-o-v-e that site, by the way) and they are John Deere boots. I knew he would love them, but I didn’t know that they come with a little surprise…

Box for boots, and a BARN!

 

The box that the boots come in turns into a barn! How cool is that! I had to fold some pieces together, but it’s all one piece, and I have one little boy in heaven.

Checking to make sure there's enough room for his tractors.

 

Now, normally I would buy his boots from a thrift store, or off Craigslist, or something like that. It’s not that we can’t afford to buy brand new boots, but really, let’s be sensible. If their main purpose is going to be walking through mud, riding in tractors and traipsing through a barn full of….manure…would it make sense to buy them new?

I’m pretty sure the cows don’t care. And Iknow that EJ doesn’t. But these were a special surprise, and worth every dime, just to hear the squeals of joy.

The box is even printed on the inside. "Just like ours, Mom!"

 

In a world where demands and “I deserve”s are heard more than thank-you’s, hearing my not-so-little boy exclaim with appreciation and tell me that he’s so thankful for his new boots…well, that’s worth it’s weight in cowboy boots.

And, no…they won’t be allowed in the barn yet, but I imagine they’ll make their way there soon. 😉

Dressed to the nines

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It was a weekend to remember…and an amazing Saturday at that!

Boss Man and I went to the Inaugural Stockmen’s Foundation Ball, and even though the day started out rough, Saturday ended spectacularly!

But let me start with the pre-story story. I realized that Boss Man didn’t have the right “tools” in his closet for a formal event. Although I know that he could get by with the different shirts we had at home, I was out and about and thought I would get him one that…well, to be truthful, I thought I would get him one that fit. As in buttoned at the top.

I had never been to a Men’s Warehouse, so I decided to stop and see what they had. I had an “interesting” experience to say the least. I knew when I walked in that the gentleman helping me wasn’t going to see things my way. But I gave him a chance. He asked if he could help me, and I told him that I was looking for a shirt that would work well with a white and black dress for a formal event. He asked the size, and I gave him my best guesstimate. (Have you ever tried to get a man to leave the farm early enough to be “fitted” for a shirt? He keeps giving me the measurements from our wedding…and trust me, those don’t work so well any more.)

The man handed me a plain white packaged dress shirt, with off-white-ish buttons. I asked if he happened to have anything more “western.” He stared at me as if I had grown a second head. He asked what I meant, and I told him that my husband happened to prefer his dress shirts to snap up the front, instead of button. I must have made a major faux pas there, because he kind of sniffled, and proceeded to tell me that, “buttons are what makes a shirt formal. Not snaps.”

Hmmm…I don’t know if I agree with that. I mean, I’ve seen George Strait looking mighty fine at plenty of red carpet events. And I do believe that some of those shirts had snaps on them. Although, I must confess that I sometimes get distracted looking at George Strait and don’t always pay attention to his shirt closures. Same goes for Kenny Chesney, Trace Adkins, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw…ummm…what was it I was talking about again? Sorry, got a bit distracted there.

Anyway, my point is that western wear can look just as formal and nice as a regular suit. So I put the gentleman’s suggested starched shirt back and headed to RCC, where I should have just started. I found a great western shirt that looked spectacular, including the pearl snaps on the front.

We went to our ball, we danced, we visited with friends (old and new) and we had an amazing time. And didn’t look too bad either.

Cleaned up and off the farm...hardly recognize us!

On a sad note: last week Monday I asked for prayers for my mom’s best friend, Darlene, who was in desperate need of a liver transplant. I ask that you now keep Darlene’s family in your prayers, as she passed on last evening. The heavens have indeed gained a beautiful angel…and one that my grandma certainly greeted with open arms!

Introducing cheese buttons – a German tradition

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Connie – pay attention, this one’s for you. Got it?

Earlier this summer, I finally wrote down my grandmother’s recipe for German Dumplings. I entered the recipe into an Iron Chef Challenge sponsored by King Arthur’s Flour…and somehow pulled away with a win! (I’ll be posting a recipe tomorrow, in a battle of the iron chef all-stars kinda thing. Stay tuned.)

It was requested that I work on a recipe for Grandma’s cheese buttons, and here it is. Well, kind of. If you want to go through the work of making your own dough, go ahead and use my recipe on the dumplings post. But I’m all for ease, and speed, and still tasting authentic. And oddly enough, my “new” way of doing this works just fine. Even my dad didn’t notice the difference!

So here it is, German Cheese Buttons, updated for 2011:

Ingredients:

  • Wonton or egg roll wrappers (egg roll wrappers can be cut into 4, wonton wrappers are just the right size)
  • Cottage cheese
  • Butter
  • Salt/pepper to taste
  • Meat of choice, I prefer fry sausage…but ham, pork or seasoned burger would work just fine…or go without

Place a kettle of water on the stove and heat it over medium to a boil. While water is heating, take your cottage cheese and place it in a bowl; season with salt and pepper to your liking. Take wonton wrapper and place a small spoonful in the middle of the wrapper. wet around the edges and fold the wonton in half, making a triangle with all the edges sealed. (It’s important that the edges seal, so that your cottage cheese doesn’t leak out.)

Yummy cottage cheese in middle, preparing to fold it in half! Notice the outside edges are wet...use water to seal!

Cheese button folded in half, press around edges to make sure it seals!

Make as many cheese buttons as you think you need…add 10 more. Trust me. They’re that good.

In a frying pan, melt half a stick of butter or medium heat. Place cheese buttons in the pot of boiling water, four or so at a time. Let them boil for 3-4 minutes. They should float when they’re done. Using a slotted spoon, take the cheese buttons out of the water, letting most of the water drain off. Place them directly into the frying pan. Continue until all cheese buttons are in the frying pan. Be sure to flip occasionally, to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Warning: some of the cheese buttons may rupture in the water, some may stick and rupture in the pan. It will not affect the tastiness of the dish, just might tarnish the presentation a bit. One taste and all thoughts of what the plate looks like will fly out the window. Again, trust me.

Water boiling, cheese buttons floating. They are ready!

Use a slotted spoon to drain off excess water...then...

Fry them in butter!

Once all cheese buttons are in the pan, add your sliced sausage, meat, etc. Serve when meat is heated through.

I try to find ways to incorporate as many food groups into one pan as possible. I make these meat chunks large, so that I can pick them out for George's diet.

One thing you may want to add in if you’re really wanting to be authentically German, is bread crumbs. Fry them up in the butter, along with the cheese buttons. You won’t be disappointed. But do me a favor, don’t tell your doctor I told you to do that, ‘k?

Things you need to know:

  1. German cooking is not low-fat, low-carb or anything else a health professional would claim as “good for you.”
  2. German cooking tastes wonderful. And my grandma was 89 when she passed away. I can live with that.
  3. You may need to add more butter as you’re cooking, to “keep it from sticking.” At least, that’s what I tell myself. I’m sure it’s true.
  4. Do NOT boil your cheese buttons for too long. They will rupture. And then the dough will get gooey. It still tastes fine, just not appealing to the eye. And the textures a little oozy. Consider yourself warned.

Good luck, have fun…and enjoy your meal. And stay tuned tomorrow. I get crazy with a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread.

I’m linking to the Gooseberry Patch Christmas Favorites Round Up today…this was truly one of my holiday favorites that Grandma would make!
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Trucker Tuesday

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Cross one thing off my bucket list…I can drive a semi. OK, not only do I have the ABILITY to drive a semi, I actually did it. This morning. By myself. With a load of straw. And nothing fell off. Really.

What? It’s not your dream to drive a semi? Well, it wasn’t mine either. But when the boys got on the bus this morning, the house phone rang and Boss Man was in a bind. He needed to get the straw bales off the field before the cows came home…today. I know, I know, nothing like waiting for the last minute. But it encouraged me to bite the bullet and say, “Sure!”

This was the view through my windshield:

Big rig mama, that's right!

 

I will admit, all the buttons and switches and doodads kind of fascinated me. But I didn’t play and stuck to the guidelines given. And I would do it again, in a heartbeat!

Some days, when I’m all wrapped up in kids and house-stuff and dishes and laundry, I wish that I was more involved in the day-to-day activities on the farm. I know I’ll have my time (once some of the wee ones aren’t so wee), but I love being outdoors. And the thought of spending a day in the peace and quiet of a tractor is like balm to my soul.

But for now, I’ll enjoy each of these little snippets of farm life that I get to enjoy. Who knows when the next one will come!

Yes, those are black fuzzy slip-ons...I didn't say I was DRESSED to drive semi, just that I was able to! 🙂

Just Left of Norm

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Yes, I’m a tad bit on the crazy side. I admit it. As I stated in the title, you’d probably consider me just left of normal…well, actually right, depending on the day. But I love to have fun, I love to laugh and I love those around me.

And I’m very impressionable. As in, you can make a suggestion to me, and for some reason my mind believes that things MUST be that way. For example…tell me there’s a man outside my window at night. I become freaked, hear the strangest of sounds and am ready to call 9-1-1 at a moment’s notice. My friends in school used to get a real kick out of it. Scary movies were really entertaining, because I couldn’t sit still, would scream and then wouldn’t sleep for weeks. Fun stuff.

What difference does all this make? Well, it’s moved with me into adulthood. And this time, it’s kinda funny.

You see, on Halloween Scooter was responsible for apples for his school reading party. As I was cutting the apples up Monday morning (and dipping them in lemon juice, so they wouldn’t turn brown before the party that afternoon), a spider dropped out of the bag onto my hand. Needless to say, I wasn’t impressed. But since these weren’t local apples, I caught the spider so that my boys could study it. (I’m such a good mom, right?)

Well, I’m also active in social media, so I posted it on Facebook…where a good friend made this comment:

 

Of course, I immediately thought of my grandmother. She’s been gone more than a year, and I still miss her so much every day. Not only that, but she would have celebrated her 91st birthday just a few days before, so I was content that the spider was her, telling me she loves me, supports me and misses me too.

So I kept the spider in the jar, talked to it, watched it…even fed it a few flies. I figured a day or two, the spider would die and all would be well.

Here we are, more than a week later, and this spider is still alive. And now I can’t kill it. I’ve tried. I want to, really I do…but…well…I can’t. I even asked Mark to kill it last night, while I was sleeping. He said no.

Any thoughts on how long a spider will live? Any volunteers to spider-sit when we’re gone? (And I believe Christy should be the first to volunteer.)

A Trick for Treats

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Our 4-year-old, EJ, is in preschool this year, four days a week. Last year I didn’t have the chance to really get involved with snacks and things like that. (George was having problems and EJ only went to school two days a week.) Well, I’m going to do a better job this year!

Now, I didn’t say it was going to take a lot more time…I’m just going to take a few minutes here and there and try to be a more involved parent. Which is why EJ and I sat down and made these last night:

Witches’ Hats

Witches' hats...all ready for school.

Cute little things, aren’t they?

I got the idea from Pinterest, and it’s easy as could be!

Step 1: Buy fudge striped cookies, a bag of Hershey Kisses and orange frosting.

Cookie, check. Kiss, check.

Step 2: Place cookie striped-side down, circle hole with orange frosting.

Circle of orange frosting, used for "glue."

Step 3: Place Hershey Kiss on top of frosting.

EJ spent more time on placing the kiss than anything!

Step 4: Sit back, relax and enjoy the praises rained upon you by your 4-year-old that you’re the best cook ever. Because you are. Really.

Aren't they just adorable?

Yeah, not every one made it on a cookie...but that's to be expected.

What is your go-to school snack for the masses? Do you go season-themed? Or just general snacks?

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Thankful Thursday – Electricity

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Our farm is undergoing a facelift. And it’s all due to the hard work of our electric cooperative, Dakota Valley Electric.

After this summer’s storm and issues that we had last spring with deer and such, Boss Man and I decided to make some changes around the farm. One of the biggest cosmetic changes is the switching over from overhead power lines to underground.

Now you see it...

 

 

I didn’t think it would be that big of a change, really. I mean, as far as cosmetics go. (I completely understand the amount of work and time it takes to actually achieve the goal!) But I was wrong.

It’s amazing!

Now you don't!

 

 

So, aside from no longer worrying about the wind snapping off a line in our yard (it happened), or ice building up, or having to farm and mow around polls, it’s all gone.

It’ll take me a little while to get used to the look. I step outside and feel like something’s missing. But it’s a great change, and one that I’m glad we went through with.

So, thank you Dakota Valley Electric and those involved in the switch over. It was fast, problem-free (at least from my point of view) and a great new step for our farm. Thank you!

Wordless Wednesday – Butter

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It’s been a few days since I posted last…life has been on a roll again! When I say there’s never a dull moment here, I truly mean it! I’ll explain later, but for now, enjoy this photo:

The other day I opened the fridge, and was greeted with this:

Hmmm...wonder if this is a hint?

 

 

Call me crazy, but I believe someone may have been playing in the fridge! And for my dairy friends, half the sticks are real butter, half are the “other” kind. I don’t use real butter for George’s stuff, but Boss Man insists on it! 🙂 We’re a mixed house like that.

Today, I’m linking up with Katie over at Pinke Post for Wordless Wednesday. Go check her out and give her a follow, she’s amazing! (And a fellow Prairie Mama!)

Hunk of Meat Monday – Gooseberry Patch Recipe #4

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It is definitely Hunk of Meat Monday…and today I’m featuring another fantastic recipe from my Gooseberry Patch Cookbook “Dinners on a Dime.”

And I’m also reminding you to head over to my latest blog post and sign up to win a Pink’ed-out Kitchen! That’s right, a pink Kitchenaid complete with accessories! Who can beat a deal like that? Check it out!

But now on to my recipe…this was a great one, but I learned a lesson or two!

Tac-Ole` Bubble Bake

Ingredients:

Simple, just the way I like it!

  • 2 12-oz. cans refrigerated biscuits, quartered
  • 1/2 to 1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
  • 1 1/2 c. salsa
  • 1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
  • Optional: sour cream, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes

This is my meat of choice...hamburger!

Arrange biscuit quarters in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Spread beef (or leftover taco beef) evenly over biscuits. Spoon salsa over beef; top with cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Garnish as desired. Serves 4 to 6.

Little did I consider that the full dish would cause a problem...but still looks yummy!

Costs:

  • Biscuits – $2.27 each – $4.54 total
  • Beef – $2.97
  • Salsa – homemade (free!)
  • Cheese – $1.97
  • Total – $9.48 (6 servings = $1.58 per serving!)

Follow directions and be ready for some amazing food!

Lessons I learned:

1) Only use ONE layer of biscuits (one bigger container of biscuits will do it, don’t need two!) – Otherwise the biscuits rise to the point of making a mess while baking, then the inner biscuits don’t get done…and let’s just say that it makes a mess and a headache that’s not needed. One layer, one layer only.

2) Put a pan or something under it to catch the overflow…just in case you do something like what’s listed above and it makes a mess. Just a warning. 😉

Although it wasn’t an error-proof attempt (follow directions, Val, follow directions), it was absolutely yummy! And my boys ate it up like crazy!

Hunk of Meat Mondays

Fight Like a Girl

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Right now, it is Sunday evening, and I spent a fair amount of time watching NFL football today. Yes, I know, it’s a tad unusual for the wife of the family to be the avid football watcher, but that’s the way it works around here. And what I loved about today’s games was the sea of pink.

For those that don’t know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month…as far as I’m concerned, it could be Breast Cancer Awareness Month every month, or just simply Cancer Awareness Month. But October has received the designation. And in honor of the pinkest month on the calendar, I’m hosting a giveaway.

This isn’t just your ordinary, everyday giveaway either. This is a big one.

In fact…I wish I could win, because I’m giving away something that I don’t even own myself. That’s right, my kitchen is not complete. I do not own a Kitchenaid.

But one of my lucky readers certainly will!

On Halloween (that’s right, October 31!), I will draw one lucky winner to receive a pink Kitchenaid 5 qt. Artisan Stand Mixer. I’m not kidding. It’s on it’s way to my house right now!

Imagine all the goodies this bad boy (or should I say girl?) can whip up?

Not only will the winner receive a Kitchenaid mixer, but I also have a slug of pink Kitchenaid stuff to go with it. Including: whisk, bamboo spatulas, set of 4 prep bowls and set of 3 mixing bowls. Kinda cool, eh?

Not quite the tools needed to fight cancer, but great tools to use as a pick-me-up!

So, how do you win? Easy…comment on this post. Tell me one way cancer has changed your life, or affected your family, or made you appreciate all that you have. Leave a comment, and you’ll receive one entry. Only comments on this particular blog post will count towards winning the mixer and gadgets, but comments on other posts are encouraged as well! 🙂

Ah, but you can earn extra entries…send some Cancer Kicking Love on over to my blogging sister Leontien, leave a comment on her blog, letting her know that many others across the country are praying for her, and helping her be strong when she feels week. Do that, leave a separate comment letting me know you have, and you’ll earn another entry. I’ve even made it easy, just click on the button below!

And, if you so choose, you can earn five extra entries by emailing me at: wagntales@gmail.com and telling me your story. This month isn’t JUST about breast cancer. Tell me about your struggles, your fears, your moments of amazement. Make us laugh, make us cry, inform us with statistics. Whatever it may be. I hope to intersperse our stories throughout the month. You can stay anonymous (just tell me so in your email), or I can give you full credit. Whatever you’re comfortable with, I’m game. And I’ll be adding mine in as well.

For those that don’t know…my mother is a cancer survivor. It was a fluke, an accident, a cold that didn’t get better. And somehow a rare cancer of the soft palate of her mouth was found. I’ll tell you her story later, but I know that almost everyone reading this has a story. Cancer sucks that way. It touches everyone.

But the good thing is, we have each other…and pretty soon, one of you will have a Pink’ed-out kitchen!

Good luck, God bless…and Fight Like a Girl!