John Deere Mom

Five Years

2013-01-01T17:03:00.003-05:00

I started this blog exactly five years ago, on January 1, 2008. My kids were 4 and 2. WAHHH! Babies! They were just babies!

In the last five years, I've posted 575 times. I've made new friends and followers. I've hosted blog giveaways and done book reviews. I've posted countless pictures of my kids and of life on the farm. My kids are now 9 and 7 and have gone from these very first pictures I ever posted

to this.

Le sigh.

Time? It doesn't stand still. It marches on, faster and faster with each passing year. The days may drag on forever...but the years? They fly by.

I haven't been posting very regularly lately. And the time I spend visiting my favorite blogs? Nonexistent.

But I want that to change. I never make New Year's Resolutions. Well, except this one that I do every year.

But this year, I'm getting back to this blog. I want to post at least once a week. And I want to get out there and visit you, my fellow blogger friends. I've neglected you for too long.

And that changes right now. Happy New Year!

Two Weeks

2012-10-08T10:23:00.000-04:00

For as long as I've been teaching, we've had a two day fall break in mid-October. This year, we've done things a bit differently. We started school earlier in the summer which was...difficult. But today I feel completely fine with that decision as we have just started our first day of a two week fall break! Two weeks off smack dab in the middle of my favorite time of year.

It's so nice having time off when it's beautiful outside...when it's cool enough to enjoy it. When it's so beautiful that just being outside and enjoying all the colors of fall is activity enough.

Today we're going to get pumpkins and gourds. I hope to try my hand at a little Pinterest-pumpkin decorating with glitter and spray paint. Tomorrow will be a day spent with my sister and her babies. Wednesday is a kid-free day with a hair appointment, Ikea, Jungle Jim's and Charming Charlie's. Thursday will bring us to an indoor water park. Friday will be a day to rest and stay in jammies. Ahhh.

And the fact that after all that we still have another whole week off? Amazing.

Back at It

2012-08-05T21:12:00.002-04:00

Let's count how many blog posts I wrote over summer break, shall we?

That's right. Zero.

And guess what? I go back to school tomorrow.

Le sigh.

We had a fantastic, albeit, short summer.

We went to Chicago,

had lots of play dates with my sister and her two babes,

went to Holiday World,

visited the Indianapolis Zoo,

went to our first baseball game,

and spent lots of time in the pool trying to beat the heat!

And while I am not looking forward to getting up at 5 AM, grading papers, packing lunches, managing evening homework, or wearing a bra every day....I am kinda-sorta looking forward to going back.

I am looking forward to getting back into a routine with a schedule. I am excited about a quiet drive by myself to and from school. And...well, that's all I can think of right now. Heh.

The kids started school last week. Here are the 3rd and 1st graders, respectively. I know she's taller than him. He knows it too. But we don't talk about it. ;)

That's what's going on around here. Are your kids back to school yet? Do you wish they were? Do you want to go back to school for me? Please?

Spring Break, Days 3 &4

2012-03-23T07:46:00.005-04:00

Day 3 of Spring Break was another beautiful 85 degrees and sunny! Cole had spent the night with grandma and grandpa so it was just the Little Miss and I for the morning. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel (apple cider-YUM!) We also went to Target and Starbucks.

Then we went to grandma and grandpa's house to watch Cole do a little fishing.

The Little Miss even caught a fish (with a lot of help!)

Day 4 of Spring Break...you got it! 83 degrees and sunny! A girl could definitely get used to this beautiful weather.

We spent the day with my sister and her babes at a children's science museum. The kids had a blast playing together.

On the way home, we stopped and played on the playground at my school for awhile.

Cole got to spend the evening chisel plowing late into the night. His favorite thing to do!

I can't believe Spring Break is almost over! It's definitely been an awesome week off! Let the countdown to summer begin!

John Deere Parts Coupon Code

2012-03-22T08:12:00.003-04:00

Need parts for your John Deere? Green Farm Parts is having a 10% off sale on all parts now through this Sunday, March 25. They have parts for all your favorite John Deere machines including lawn mowers, Gators, garden tractors, and more. Just enter coupon code MIDWEST when you check out.

Happy shopping!

Spring Break, Days 1 & 2

2012-03-21T07:51:00.008-04:00

I'm on Spring Break,baby! Those are quite possibly 2 of the most wonderful words a teacher can hear. You think your kids are happy to be out of school for a week? I guarantee your teacher is 10X that excited. Or maybe it's just me. Heh.

We are breaking all kinds of records with the heat this week and it has been downright a.m.a.z.i.n.g. I just looked through my Spring Break posts from the past 2 years. Last year's first day of break was 33 degrees. 2 years ago, the average temperature was 55 degrees. This year? 80s!! Unheard of! All those midwestern folks who went to Florida don't know what they're missing up here. It was warmer here than in Orlando on Monday! HA!

On Monday, the kids and I drove to the Children's Museum with my mom, where we met my sister and her 2 babes. We spent the day there watching the kids have a wonderful time. Cole loved the new Lego exhibit and the Little Miss was super excited to see the Barbie exhibit was still there. And apparently the beautiful weather kept everyone outside because we practically had the place to ourselves! It was awesome!

Yesterday, the kids and I drove with my mom to a local state park, where we met my sister and the babes again! We had lunch at the lodge and then spent the afternoon in the indoor water park. The kids loved it! They had a huge twisty water slide, a large pool area, and a lazy river. They also had a shallow play area for the little kids. So fun. We were exhausted when we got home. We will definitely be going back!

Cole spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's last night for the first time! The Little Miss thought she was going to stay. We packed for her to stay. But when she was in the guest bed, trying it out, and I went to the bathroom, she lost her mind thinking I had left. She was already crying, calling for me, and wishing she had gotten a hug before I left. Um, I was in the bathroom!!! Jeesh. Needless to say, she did not stay. Heh. Maybe this summer.

On today's agenda? Enjoying a quiet breakfast with just me and the Little Miss. Soaking up more of this beautiful 84 degree sunshine. Watching other people fish while I sit on a lawn chair sipping on a cold beverage.

Ahhh. Spring Break. This is the life.

DSLR for Dummies, Lesson 1-Shutter Speed

2012-03-17T13:45:00.000-04:00

My husband gave me a Canon Rebel T2i for Christmas. I LOVE it. Love. I read the instruction manual 3 times, cover to cover. Well, I skipped the French and Spanish sections. I have played around with different settings, trying to learn as I go.

I have a LOT to learn.

There's no denying it takes beautiful pictures on the automatic setting, but I am determined to learn more about the manual settings. So far, I can only change one thing at a time. I don't know NEAR enough to try to set everything manually and still manage to take a decent picture.

I practiced with shutter speed the other day when the Little Miss was blowing bubbles. I moved my dial to TV and adjusted the knob to different speeds. I let the camera choose the light and AV and all that other stuff that I really don't know anything about.

With a low number (like 1/60), I was able to capture the movement in the picture so that the bubbles look blurry.

With a slightly higher number (1/200), the bubbles appear more clear but they still look like they are moving.

With a very high number (1/1000), the camera shoots so quickly that it "freezes" the movement, so the bubbles appear clear. This picture is a bit darker and I think that's because the shutter speed was so fast, it didn't let as much as light in. Or I could be completely wrong. Because I have no idea what I'm doing here.

I am pleased with how the pictures turned out. Other than a quick "auto fix" on my regular computer program, I didn't edit them. I plan to print a few out to see how clear they are and if there's a difference in the quality between the low and high shutter speeds.

I'm learning.

Baby steps.

Some Things You Should Know

2012-01-28T10:02:00.004-05:00

1. See the Pin It button at the bottom of this post? Best.thing.ever. If you see something from this blog that you want to pin, just click that button. It will bring up pictures from recent posts. Choose the one you want to pin and it automatically brings up a pop-up window. From there you choose which board to pin it to and give it a caption. So easy. I think every website and blog out there should have this button! If you want an easy tutorial on how to add it to your blog, just click here.

2. Remember that iPod touch the Little Miss got for Christmas? Well, she had it for a total of 13 days. On the 13th day, she brought her little sparkly purse full of change in to the grocery store. And without my knowing, her iPod was in the purse as well. The purse must have fallen into the side of the front of the cart, because when we got home, we realized we hadn't brought it with us. We went right back to the grocery store and it was already gone. Who doesn't turn in a sparkly little girl's purse? Bastards, that's who.

3. We haven't had any freaking snow yet this winter. I live in a state that typically gets at least 20 inches of snow a year. This year? Nothing. I haven't had one single delay or snow day. At least one or two snow days would be nice. That's one of the unique things about being a teacher, you never know what your day may look like in the winter. It's always exciting to wake up and wonder if you'll have a delay or better yet...get an unexpected day off. But this year, it's been the same old dreary 40 degree days. Blah.

4. I turned 35 this month. 35 feels much like 34. But I do distinctly remember being in my early 20s and thinking just how old 35 sounded. Turns out I was wrong. 35 is very young.

5. The Little Miss and I went to our first Disney on Ice show last weekend! It was amazing! I think I may have loved it even more than she did! It was the Dare to Dream show with stories from The Princess and the Frog, Cinderella, and Tangled. At the end of the show, they brought out ALL of the princesses! It was beautiful and wonderful. The Tangled show had a lot of trapeze/flying through the air stunts. Very, very cool.

6. While at the Disney on Ice show, we bought a bottled water. (Among many other things.) The guy at the counter said he had to take the lid from me. Apparently, ever since the ugly Ron Artest incident in which drunken idiots were throwing cups and bottles onto the court, they don't allow them anymore. I'm pretty sure a plastic lid the size of a nickel was not the problem. Nor do I think the Disney on Ice crowd would be throwing lids onto the ice at Mickey Mouse! But hey, who am I to argue with the concession stand worker?

7. We are well past the 100th day of school and to that I say, HALLELUJAH. This has been such a challenging year. I am so ready for a break!

8. For those of you considering buying a Kindle Fire, I say DO IT. I love mine oh so much. But, I have to admit, I rarely use it to read. It is very heavy and I do the bulk of my reading in the evenings in bed. I have kept my old Kindle for reading. Oh, and I just got a case for the old Kindle (it won't fit the new Fire) but it was only $1.21. It had been $33.99! Even with shipping, it was less than $7.00. Here's the link!

9. And finally, a request. My sister had a local photographer take baby pics when baby #2 was born. This picture is one of the finalists in a portrait photo contest the photographer is sponsoring.

If you have 2 seconds to spare, please go to the photographer's blog and vote for picture #3 of my sweet baby nieces. Spanks.

That's it for this FINALLY SUNNY Saturday morning! Have a great weekend!

Back at it

2012-01-03T17:48:00.002-05:00

I went back to work today.

I missed many things like...

my Kindle Fire.

Facebook and Pinterest.

staying in my pajamas.

sleeping in past 5 a.m.

going anywhere I wanted, when I wanted.

playing games with the kids.

not thinking about lesson plans.

Starbucks.

What I didn't miss was seeing students today. I had the entire day to work in my classroom without the 30 distractions.

Tomorrow? Will be a different story.

But I keep reminding myself...the sooner we get back at it, the sooner the year will be over.

I hope.

Christmas

2011-12-29T08:07:00.006-05:00

Another Christmas has come and gone. And I am settling quite nicely into Christmas break. Sadly, it isn't very long this year, but I am very thankful for these days. No alarm clock. No worrying about homework, backpacks, or lunch money. No concern for lesson plans or grading papers. Just me and an unlimited supply of coffee.

We spent Christmas Eve at my sister's house with her 2 babes. We had a delicious lunch and opened lots of presents. We made it home in time to get the reindeer food sprinkled and cookies set out for Santa. Favorite gifts: pink guitar for the girl and Lego farm set for the boy.

The kids got up uber excited on Christmas Day. Santa had come! Favorite gifts: iPod touches!

We spent the rest of Christmas Day with 2 sets of aunt and uncles, relaxing, eating, drinking wine, opening even more gifts, and drinking wine.

I had 3 things on my Christmas wish list: a new camera, Kindle Fire, and Keurig. And I am pleased to report that I am very lucky (read: spoiled) and got them all!

We spent our first day of Christmas Break running errands. We spent Tuesday at home playing our new Wii games. We visited my sister and the babies again yesterday. Today's plan? Going to the movies to see the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie.

Ahhhh. Have I mentioned how much I love Christmas Break?

Christmas Card Photo Shoot 2011

2011-12-24T09:36:00.004-05:00

I took advantage of a mild day last month to take pictures of the kids for our Christmas cards. We went to a local park, walking trail, railroad in the middle of nowhere, as well as our own yard and barn. They all turned out so well, we opted for a collage photo card. Here are some of the best ones of the day!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Stitches

2011-11-13T16:35:00.007-05:00

The day we brought the Little Miss home from the hospital, exactly 24 hours after delivery, daddy and not-quite-2-year-old-Cole were playing and bouncing on our bed. Meanwhile, I was on the couch involved in one of many marathon nursing sessions. A few minutes after the play began, I heard a thump and much crying from the little boy. When daddy carried him out, blood was pouring from his head.

Grandma and Daddy loaded him up, took him to the ER, and brought him home with 3 staples in his head. I stayed on the couch with the 24 hour old baby and cried my eyes out.

8 years have passed since then and except for routine doctor appointments and one scheduled tubes/adnenoid surgery, Cole has needed little medical care.

And then this happened.

Cole and daddy were on the farm early in the day, gearing up for a long day of harvest. The last day of harvest for the year. They were making feed for the cattle, as most mornings begin. Daddy was scooping ground corn to put into the feed mixer. Unfortunately, Cole leaned in to get a scoop just as Daddy was lifting his shovel up.

Forehead? Meet shovel.

When Daddy raced up the road in the truck, carrying a crying Cole through the door, I assumed he had gotten in trouble and was being dropped off. (You see, spending time with mommy on the weekend is the worst punishment he can receive.) Imagine my surprise when he turned around and his entire face was covered in blood!

After an initial gasp, I took him into the bathroom and cleaned him up. The gash was small but pretty deep. I took him into urgent care, blood all over his coat, his lips blue from the children's Advil I gave him on the way.

Several numbing shots (OUCH!) and 2 stitches later, we were on our way to the local farm supply store for a new John Deere combine toy for my very brave boy.

He's excited to show off his war wounds at school tomorrow. And I am very relieved it wasn't any worse!

My Messy Moments

2011-11-02T20:09:00.016-04:00

With a little boy whose favorite things in life are dirt, mud, and manure (in no particular order) life gets pretty messy around here on the farm.

Few things make this kid happier than a huge dirt pile to play in.

And then momma gets her messy moment. Seriously? You want me to wash these?

But that's nothing compared to a fun-filled day of working in the cattle barn.

That ain't dirt, my friends.

But the thing is...I wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything. Not the dirt or the mud. Not even the manure. Because this face?

Makes it all worth it.

I received information about Clorox’s Bleach It Away campaign and am sharing my messy moment for the chance to win prizes from The SITS Girls. To learn more about the messy moment program, check out www.BleachItAway.com. Sharing your story on the Clorox fan page gets you entered for the chance to win $25,000 and daily prizes, and you can grab a coupon for Clorox® Regular Bleach.

Who is this 8 year old and what has he done with my baby?

2011-10-24T17:30:00.000-04:00

We celebrated the little man's 8th birthday this weekend!

We had a party at our house with 10 of his friends.

They rode pedal tractors.

Played in the dirt.

Ate cake.

Opened presents.

Played kickball, cornhole, and dodgeball.

We had a pumpkin ring toss, pumpkin seed race, and even pumpkin bowling with toilet paper ghosts!

After the party, we headed to my parents' house where we had been hiding our gift to the birthday boy.

Could it be?

Is it really what I think it is?

Yes! A 4 wheeler! Woo hoo!

He is SO excited about his new 4-wheeler. Now he's one of the big guys.

But he'll always be my baby.

*sniff*

Happy 8th birthday, my little man. Momma loves you more than you know.

The Speed of Life

2011-10-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Over the past month...

My new sweet baby niece was born.

4 days later, my own baby girl turned 6.

3 days later, my other sweet baby niece turned one.

Then the kids and the husband were in a wedding for my cousin and his beautiful new bride.

We are now enjoying Fall Break. And when I say enjoying, I mean screaming at the kids to QUIT FIGHTING.

(These pictures of the Little Miss were taken 2 weeks ago, when it was 80. It is currently 30 degrees.)

And today we are celebrating my little man's 8th birthday. Gah! Crazy. Unbelievable. Impossible. He was as small as his new baby cousin just yesterday.

Life is flying by too quickly. Someone, please pass the pause button.

It's October

2011-10-05T17:32:00.000-04:00

So that means...

1. I am knee-deep in papers to grade.

2. The combine will be rolling out of the barn soon.

3. The boys in my life will disappear for a few weeks.

4. My baby boy will soon turn 8.

5. Both kids will be in a wedding next week.

6. I am knee-deep in papers to grade.

7. The leaves are changing.

8. I am making way too many stops for this.

9. I can start making meals like this again.

10. Fall Break is only 2 weeks away.

My Newest Obsessions

2011-09-13T21:45:00.001-04:00

Pinterest.

I am forever ripping pages out of magazines, printing pictures of things I love, bookmarking websites and pictures to come back to later. And then I lose them or they get thrown away. Or I never remember to go back to those sites.

Enter Pinterest.

Pinterest allows you to "pin" all your favorite things, creative ideas, recipes to try, all in one place. My pins include shoes I must have, ideas for my classroom, party ideas...the list goes on. If you haven't tried it, do it. It's crazy addictive, but it feels...useful. Purposeful. And although it leads you to believe you need to be "invited" you can request to be added and it only takes a few hours. Click here to get started.

Guess-the-Google.

Oh my dear. What an enormous time waster...and yet? Completely addictive. The gist: You see a series of Google images and then guess the keyword that brings those images up.

Go ahead. Click here to play. Well, finish reading this post first. Because I know once you go over there, you won't want to come back.

Montage-a-Google.

Brought to you by the same genius who created Guess-the-Google, Montage-a-Google is another cool Google image time waster. You type in the keyword and it will make a montage of images based on that word. Here's one I made:

Yum.

Big Huge Labs.

I may be severely late to the party on this one. But...I just discovered this site and am in love. Basically, you can do lots of fun stuff with your own pictures.

Remember the motivator posters that started out as serious?

But then ended up as fake and hilarious?

At Big Huge Labs, you can make your own!

and seriously if you don't know this story, go read it here.

I have also made some for school. They make great teaching tools for whatever you're studying: vocab words, content area, story elements, etc.

At Big Huge Labs you can also make magazine covers, movie posters, pop art posters, and more using your own pictures. So fun! Click here to check it out!

I hope you have fun playing with my newest obsessions. What's keeping you from cleaning your house?

Award Winning Spaghetti Recipe

2011-09-07T05:00:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from the deacon of a small Georgia church. He had made my spaghetti casserole for a spaghetti cooking contest and won first place! How awesome is that?! If you haven't yet made this, what are you waiting for? It's so yummy and now... Award Winning! Click here for the recipe. Enjoy!

Back at It

2011-09-05T21:00:00.000-04:00

Several of my friends have been posting on Facebook that they are going back to school tomorrow. And to that I say :p~~~~~~~~. (Does that sound like a tongue sticking out making a raspberry?)

I've been back for months. Okay, it's only really only been a few weeks, but it feels like it has been months.

The kids went back to school a few days before I did. Here they are on the second day of school because this mom forgot the camera.

Can you believe I have a second grader?! He's going to be 8! 8 years old. C.r.a.z.y.

And my kindergartener! She loves school. Loves it. She gets a weekly homework page on Monday to be turned in by Friday. She has it done in about 2 minutes on Monday afternoon, begging for more!

The boy on the other hand? Is doing great in school but really lives for recess and playing with his buddies at after-school care. The 6 hours of school are really an inconvenience to his playtime. And homework? Not quite as willing as his sister.

The weather for the first 2 weeks back to school was amazing. Low to mid 80s with less humidity. The entire summer was 95 degrees with unbearable humidity, so we definitely did our best to enjoy a few beautiful days after school at the park.

It was 100 degrees on Friday and today? A high of 62 with no sun. It was SO cold this morning! But it was definitely a welcome change. I love nothing more than chilly evenings and extra blankets.

We have a busy couple of months ahead. The little miss turns 6! this month with a party at the local gymnastics center. My niece turns one this month AND becomes a big sister! I can't wait to meet my newest niece or nephew! The boy turns 8 and they are both in a wedding next month!

Not to mention we have gymnastics, book club, and Girl Scouts. All the while I try to keep my sanity teaching all day! The good news...Fall Break is only 5 weeks away. :)

Winners!

2011-08-22T21:59:00.003-04:00

We have winners!

The lucky winner of the John Deere backpack from Rungreen is...

Emilie Rose from Just Us!

And the winner of the John Deere computer bag is...

Handy Family from Handy Family Happenings!

Congratulations, ladies! Please email me right away with your shipping address so that our friends at Rungreen can get your prizes to you ASAP!

Thanks to everyone who entered. Don't be discouraged if you didn't win this time. I am sure this won't be the last John Deere giveaway you see here. :)

John Deere Back to School Giveaway!

2011-08-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

Odds are, if your kids aren't back to school yet, they will be soon! Rungreen is offering you the chance to send them off to school in John Deere style! Not only are they offering you 10% off back to school items using coupon code "school" they are also giving away two fantastic John Deere bags to two lucky John Deere Mom readers!

One lucky reader will win this John Deere green and yellow backpack. This high-quality, John Deere embroidered bookbag would be perfect for a preschooler or kindergartener!

Another reader will win this John Deere laptop computer case! This embroidered John Deere laptop bag comes with organizing pockets and an adjustable shoulder strap. It's perfect for carrying your laptop, papers, or school books!

To enter this giveaway, just answer the following question in the comments:

Which bag would you like to win-the John Deere backpack or the John Deere computer bag?

For additional chances to win: (leave a separate comment for each)

*Visit Rungreen's back to school page and let me know what other product you would love to have!
*Tweet about this giveaway
*Like Rungreen on Facebook

Fine print:

* Contest open to U.S. residents only
* Giveaway ends Friday, August 19, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. EDT
* Winner will be selected by Random.org
* Contest sponsored by Rungreen
* Thank you and good night

The Goings On

2011-07-11T08:41:00.004-04:00

The BFF came to visit! She drove 8 hours with 2 kids to see me! Well, and others too. But I like to think it was mostly me. We had a great time visiting...it was as if she had never left! I was very sad to see her go...but hope we can continue these cross-country visits. We managed to get one picture of us-from her phone. Must do better with pictures next time.

Vistaprint has consumed my life for the past few days. I can.not.stop.myself. I am completely making things up at this point, but I just can't NOT order when it is only costing me $1.24 for SOOOO much stuff! And having all of this stuff will require me to purchase more organizing containers to store it, furthering my obsession of all things organizing. I need help.

I refuse to count the days left of summer. Suffice it to say, June went way too fast. I literally cannot believe it is already July. And I saw school supplies out at Target. Lalalalala. Covering my ears and living in denial!

This is fair week in our county. And we are under a heat advisory with the heat index nearing 110. Oh, and it's hay baling time as well. Those things ALWAYS fall on the hottest damn week of the year. Always. The kids have been begging me to schlep them to the fair and I put it off all weekend. Little did I know those 90 degree days were going to be the coolest of the week.

I have been redoing our kitchen. Wallpaper removed. Glue scraped. New paint applied. New microwave. New dishwasher is to arrive tomorrow. Next step? Replace the countertop, new backsplash of some (cheap) kind, repaint the cabinets, new hardware, new Roman shade blinds. Then we wait for the refrigerator and stove to die. :) I'll post pictures of the before and after when I am finished!

Stay cool this week! And if anyone wants to take my kids to the fair, let me know!

Quick and Easy Chicken Recipe

2011-06-21T07:44:00.008-04:00

When I am looking for a new recipe, I have very few requirements. It needs to be easy. And the prep work needs to be minimal. I found a wonderful recipe that meets both of those criteria and is delicious to boot!

The ingredients needed are:
*6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
*6 slices bacon
*1 C uncooked white rice
*Salt
*Pepper
*Paprika
*Cajun seasoning
*1 can cream of chicken soup
*1 C chicken broth
*Garlic salt
*1 tsp. oregano
*Parsley

Preheat oven to 300.

Line the bottom of an 8" or 9" square glass baking dish with bacon.

Add the cup of uncooked rice.

Place the chicken on top.

Season the chicken with plenty of salt, pepper, paprika, and cajun seasoning.

In a separate bowl, combine soup and chicken broth.

(today water is playing the part of chicken broth.)

Add a dash of garlic salt.

Add 1 tsp. oregano.

Add 1 large palmful of dried parsley.

Whisk together.

Pour on top of the chicken. Don't stir.

Put a double layer of aluminum foil over the pan and bake for 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Life in the Country

2011-06-19T19:53:00.001-04:00

Except for a short stint in town when I was in grades one and two, I have always lived in the country. And for the last 11 years, on a farm. And while there are a few aggravating things about country life (read: flies!) I can't imagine living anywhere else. Here are my top ten reasons for living in the country.

10. The smells. Fresh cut grass, wood smoke, corn pollinating, the fresh country air. (Not manure-we're pretending manure doesn't exist for the sake of this post.)

9. Lightning bugs. There's something about sitting outside in the summer, watching the lightning bugs. There isn't much light out here, so it makes it even more special.

8. Seclusion. We aren't very far from town, but one of my favorite things about where we are is being surrounded by fields. I love when the fields around the house are planted with corn (as they are this year.) By late summer, the house is completely surrounded by corn plants 7 feet tall. It's a very secure, secluded feeling that I love.

7. No noise. Living out here is quiet (when the kids aren't around.) There's no traffic or street noise. No horns beeping or sirens blaring. There's the occasional "moo." That's about it.

6. Experiences. I love giving our kids this experience of living in the country. They get to get their hands dirty and work. They have plenty of pets to care for. They get to see cattle every day. They can see, ride, and work on machinery. They watch the crops being planted, grown, and harvested. There's so much to do and experience here.

5. Plenty of space for a garden. This year we have planted corn, tomatoes, cucumber, green peppers, red peppers, zucchini, squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, and eggplant. Can't wait for those tomatoes to be ready. These's nothing better than a fresh, warm tomato straight from the garden.

4. Grass to mow. Fresh cut grass is one of my favorite smells, and I love mowing the grass. It gets me outside in the warm sun and gives me a couple hours of me time during the summer while the kids play. I love how the sound of the mower drowns out everything else.

3. Telling the kids to "go play outside" and not having to worry about them being out there without me for a few minutes while I take a deep breath and regroup.

2. Hanging laundry on the line. I am sure you can do this in town as well, but there's something about the fresh country air and seeing those clothes gently sway in the breeze.

1. No neighbors. I love looking out and seeing land, not houses. Being able to run outside looking a mess or half-dressed...unless there is a whole crew of farm men in the field nearby. Heh.

What do you love about where you live? Is it the tall buildings and city lights? Maybe a quiet neighborhood in the suburbs? Tell me what makes your space special.

Keeper of the Light

2011-06-18T09:57:00.004-04:00

I just finished yet another Diane Chamberlain book, Keeper of the Light. It did not disappoint. It was slightly slow to start, but once it picked up, I couldn't put the Kindle down.
In this book, we meet married couple Paul and Olivia. Paul is secretly in love with his former flame, Annie. One night, Annie is rushed to Dr. Olivia's ER and dies. With her death, she leaves behind a trail of sorrow and heartache, confusion and questions. This book offers twists and turns as Olivia struggles between Paul and Annie's husband, Alec. I loved the ending...although it was so good I didn't want it to end! You can find this book on Amazon for $8.61 or send it to your Kindle for $8.18.
Happy reading!