Childhood pastime...playdoh

 

 

We are on day 12 of snow covered ground. The boys have played in it almost everyday that the temperature is above 20. I bundle them up and watch through the windows. This morning we took a break from winter activities and made play-doh. If there isn't an altercation they can play for over an hour with it. Homemade play-doh doesn't dry out as fast compared to store bought. It is more crumbly but I just keep the vacuum handy.

 

Here's how we made it.

 

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

3/4 t cream of tartar

1 1/2 vegetable oil

1/2 cup boiling water

food coloring (optional)

 

We mixed the dry ingredients first. Add food coloring to the boiling water then add oil to the mix. Add the oil and water combination to the dry and mix with a spoon because it will be hot. When it starts to look like play-doh you can knead it with your hands. If it's too sticky knead in some more flour.

 

Wordless Wednesday

It's a heat wave; almost 40 degrees but the snow is still around.

 

Sausage and Corn Chowder

When I woke to weather looking like this; rain on top of snow I thought soup would be a great supper idea. It was.

Snowed in Day 6

 After lunch I put this soup in the crockpot which made the house smell like sausage and warmed things up.

 

This recipe is pretty simple and can be cooked on the stove or in the crockpot.

I like doing the crockpot so I can fix it and forget about it for a bit.

 

Sausage and Corn Chowder

1 lb Sausage

1 onion, chopped

4 potatoes, peeled, cubed, and cooked

1 tsp salt or to taste

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried basil

2 cups of water

1 can (16 oz.) whole corn

1 can (16 oz.) creamed corn

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

 

 

1. Brown sausage with onion. Drain fat. (A perk of living on a pig farm is having home grown sausage.)

2. Cook potatoes about 20 minutes after coming to a boil.

3. Combine: corns, milk, water, and spices in the crockpot.

4. Add sausage

5. Drain potatoes and add to crockpot.

6. Stir to mix well

7. Cook on low for several hours; stirring periodically

(If using the stove simmer 30-40 mintues or until thoroughly heated.)  

peel, cube, and cook potatoes

I had plenty of "help"

I served with cornbread pancakes and topped with cheese.



Wordless Wednesday

My knight drives a tractor.

Snow Day 2015

We are snowed in. I'm thankful to be home and snowed in. When most people think of snow days they think of snowmen, sledding, no school or work. These same thoughts go through the Little C's  heads but not mine and Big C's. There is so much more to be concerned about when you have a farm with animals during the winter. It would be nice to stay in and stay warm but the pigs are relying on us for care. I say us but it's really Big C. He also has to make sure all the employees make it to and from work safely. This picture below is the view I woke to and snow fell all day totaling 11 inches. That's a lot of snow for this Florida girl.

We were out of town yesterday at the American Farm Bureau Young Farmer conference at the beautiful Opryland hotel in Nashville, TN. We had to make a quick decision to leave 2 nights early to be home near the farm. It was a good decision. We were there with friends who had cows and were concerned about their safety. Many farmers returned home to tend to their animals. Since our pigs are inside the barn they are out of the weather but we have to make sure they have food, water and heat. Thankfully we have not lost power and shouldn't. On our way home we stopped for the usual milk, bread, and eggs to get us through the storm. I started thinking about the farmers who have chickens and dairy cows who help prepare us for this storm. They will also be out watching their animals like we will be watching our pigs.

 

 

This morning the boys watched Daddy head to the barn. He was gone a few hours due to the roads being covered with snow. I think he considered driving a tractor around. He is thankful for four wheel drive or going out wouldn't be possible. Once he came home we all took snow day naps then he had to headed back to the barn to help pull out one of our employee's car out of the snow with no such luck. He took the employee home and will be doing a shuttle service for them in the morning.

 

 

Snow was falling all morning and the boys were eager to play. Little C1 greeted me this morning with 2 shirts and pants and his snow overalls over all that; he was ready to go. I decided to let them play after breakfast and get it out of there system. They had so much fun. We got double the snow by the afternoon and it was too much for Little C2 to walk through. They are hoping to be able to go sledding tomorrow.

C2

C1

To end the night we had snow cream for dessert. It was yummy; I made 2 batches. So easy. Start with clean snow. 8 cups of snow, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 1 cup milk. Mix everything but the snow then add the snow. Enjoy immediately!

 

 

 

*Please remember: not everyone can hunker down by the fire til the snow passes. Many people have jobs that don't stop for snow they just become more challenging. This is why farming is more than a job; it's a lifestyle.*

Winter on the Farm

 

What happens on the farm during the winter?

Some might think we sit around in our warm house waiting for spring time planting. Well, this happens some but is not the normal day. Since we have pigs they still have to be checked daily. They don't feel the seasons change since they stay comfortable inside the barn. They are happy about this setup. We are also planning for the spring: what will be planted in the fields, which equipment needs some service before the next season, and selling last years crop; to name a few things. We enjoy this slower season but it's really not that slow.

 

We travel a bunch in the winter time; which I had no idea was apart of the farming commitment. We have chosen to be involved in several farming organizations in our state. Through involvement with these groups we have the opportunity to attend conferences across Kentucky and the U.S. I've already been to Austin, Texas and Big C will be going to Arizona later this winter as well as many across our state. At these conferences we have the chance to network with other farmers and farm wives from across the country. There are also education classes for learning new farming techniques, technology and general training. Some of these conference are similar to continuing education. Since Big C and I did not major in Agriculture we take the opportunity to learn more in this area. We have met farming families all over the country and thanks to social media we can keep up through the year with their farm and families.

 

We do fit in some fieldwork in the winter time too. The boys were happy to ride in the tractor as it was taken to a field to chop up old corn stalks. Big C has also been spreading fertilizer on the ground to prepare for spring and some for the wheat that is already growing.

 

 



Will there be space for boy number 3?

 

When we say farming is a busy life we can categorize our busy year into two categories conference/travel and field time:planting and harvest. It is a family life though because the boys are with us on the farm and they also attend some of the conferences. Sometimes the highlight for them is if the hotel has an indoor pool.