September = Overbooked

I somehow overbooked myself for September.

I’ve been busy getting ready for my junk/home décor/barn sale on the 28th and 29th.  We settled on a name, and you can check it out on facebook (www.facebook.com/TheHomeShed)  I’ve been trying to squeeze painting, cleaning, and organizing projects into every spare minute!

 

 

 

On top of that, the house renovation projects we’ve been hemming and hawing over all summer started a couple of weeks ago, and my house is currently a DISASTER!  Missing walls, bathroom gutted, boxes piled everywhere, dust on every surface…It has to get worse before it gets better, right?  To keep up with our progress, and help me make major decisions, follow my blog’s facebook page (www.facebook.com/OnTheBanksofSquawCreek) where we’ll be choosing paint colors for the exterior soon!

 

 

 

 

 

I’m also helping to organize a benefit for a friend of mine with cancer.  She and I grew up together and spent every birthday together for over a decade.  She is 28 and was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease in 2008, Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2010, and leukemia earlier this summer.  Right now, the doctors have stopped her chemo in order to concentrate on an aggressive fungal infection in her abdomen.  Her family has missed a lot of work and has been staying in Rochester, MN at the Mayo Clinic with her (and her boyfriend dumped her because of the stress.)  She is the toughest chick I know (seriously!) but she could still use your prayers.

 

Finally, CommonGround is coming to shoot a video tomorrow on antibiotic use on our farm. I’ve been reading up on antibiotics again, and referring back to all of the info I collected before writing this blog post.

 

Now, time to get back to work!  See you in October!

First Day of Preschool

This is it!  Today’s the day!

September 2008:

 

September 2009:

 

September 2010:

 

September 2011:

 

September 2012:

Interview:

“Grandpa’s Barn” Wall Art

When my Great Grandpa died, we found this really neat book in his house – The Farmer’s New Guide, published in 1895.  It is really cool – almost 800 pages of “how-to farm” information.


One of my favorite parts is the flipbook style illustrations of a cow and horse.  Each “page” shows a different body system. 



I knew I wanted to do something cool with the images, so I scanned them and then printed them as 5x7’s on heavy duty cardstock.



Then, I dug some barn wood out of a shed.  (Remember?  When Great Grandpa’s barn was taken down, my dad salvaged some of the wood for me!  I used it to make barn wood shelves in the kitchen, too.)

I cut it down to size, washed it off, and attached my pictures.



I found these tacks in the shop, and thought they looked like perfect old fashioned nails.


I stuck them in with my thumb, made sure the placement was right, and then hammered them in.



I like to think that maybe a farmer or farm kid hung these images in their barn 100 years ago, to use as a reference, when caring for their animals.



Now, a “modern” child can use these to study, too!  The art will be for sale at our Fall for Junk barn sale coming up at the end of September!



To see the scanned images up close, check out my facebook page – I’ll be posting them there!

Shared at Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special 
Shared at: Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk  - Salvaged Junk Projects

Dear Teachers,

We, the parents, have given you an enormous responsibility, entrusting you with our most valuable possession: our children. 

Soon, our kids will be in your care for most of their waking hours. You will watch their successes, failures, and everything in between.

And our kids will be watching you.  They will watch the way you respond to a variety of situations, the way you show your emotions, the way you speak and the way you treat others.  They will probably idolize you, whether you deserve it or not.

So please, this school year, keep us in the loop.  Let us know what you see in our children.  To you, things may be obvious, but to us, at home, things might look different.  Tell us what our child’s strengths and weaknesses are.  Tell us what we should be proud of, and what we should be concerned about.  Tell us what accomplishments to celebrate, and what we can do at home to help you.

We send our young children to you full of excitement, curiosity, and a love of learning.  Ask yourself everyday if you are suppressing those feelings in the name of classroom management, or encouraging them.  Do not allow our children to lose that excitement for learning.

Our older children have started to experience failure, and the way you treat that failure will influence them forever.  Embrace it.  Focus on the process, not the end result.  Praise effort and hard work.  Demonstrate that practice leads to improvement, and offer opportunities to practice constantly.

Our teenagers are looking to you for guidance.  You must show them what it means to be a responsible, dependable adult.  You must show them how to treat others, find their strengths, deal with unpleasant people, and work through a problem from beginning to end.  Remember that the way you treat them has a big influence on how and what they learn from you.

We think our children are special. In fact, they’re one of the most important things in our lives. Treat them that way. Remember that we want what’s best for our children, just like you do.  If you and I don’t agree on what is best, explain your viewpoint, so we can understand your actions.

Take the time to get to know our kids.  Remember that they are each unique, they each learn differently, and it is YOUR job to figure out how they learn.  Do not expect that the same approach will work for every student, and do not accept failure.  Every student can make progress, and that is your responsibility.

Finally, remember why you decided to become a teacher.  Savor those “perfect” moments when your 4th graders don’t realize it’s time for recess because they’re so engrossed writing books, when a child who struggles with long division finally “gets it” and when your dream, cross-curricular unit comes together and inspires a student to write award winning poetry.  Your job is important and I know it is stressful, but it is not without joy.  Cherish those joyful moments and it will make a difference for you and your students.

 

Sincerely,

Katie

(former teacher and 1st time mom of a preschooler)

Our Day at the Fair

Last Friday, we were presented with “The Way we Live Award” at the Iowa State Fair.  The award is for farm families who are dedicated to livestock production.

We started out the day in the Animal Learning Center.  This is such a neat building.  It has a variety of farm animals, and you can even watch live births of livestock like pigs, an opportunity most fair go-ers don’t get very often!  It’s located close to all of the action, air conditioned, AND has nice bathrooms, so it’s a really popular spot!

The stage in the Animal Learning Center hosted the “Thank a Farmer Magic Show” right before our awards ceremony, and it was so fun to watch!  Great message and great entertainment!

Then it was our turn.  The president of the fair board, Gary McConnell, read our nomination essay and presented us with our plaque.  Other members of the fair board were on hand to congratulate us, and the state fair queen came for a photo.  Our parents and siblings were there, along with some fellow turkey farmers, family and friends.

After our awards ceremony, we took some pictures…this cardboard cutout is actually a photo of Bart.  People have been texting us and facebook tagging us with pictures of THEIR
faces on Bart’s body.  It’s given us quite a laugh. :)

Then it was time to head out to enjoy the rest of the fair.  We were absolutely blessed with beautiful weather.  Iowa State Fair and blistering heat seem to go together, so the mild temps (60s that morning! and 80s in the afternoon) were a real treat.

Adam loved the carnival rides, and Bart ate like a champ (like usual!)  There were so many things to see and do…wish we would have been there for more than one day, but the turkeys were waiting at home, so home we went.

 

It was such an awesome day and such an awesome honor.  I’ve said it before – there are a LOT of other families working as hard as we do everyday, but it’s nice to be acknowledged for our work.  Bart works 365 days a year with no vacation, and he’s often (often!) envious of those with “town jobs” who have work-free weekends and vacations.  He (and other farmers) are the hardest workers I know.  Our award helps remind him that people appreciate the work that he does, and that it’s something he should be proud of.

Cashew Turkey Stir Fry

I’m sorry – I’ve been slacking on turkey recipes lately.  I have 5 or 6 ready to go from my lovely turkey chefs, and I just haven’t gotten around to posting them.  So, while Bart and Adam are taking a few blood samples, I’m lining up a few recipes!  (We take random blood samples from the turkeys to test for illness before they go to market.  Bart holds the turkeys and draws blood, and Adam hands him the test tubes and then puts the filled tubes in the box.  He’s a great helper.)

Without further ado, here’s a recipe Ann cooked up from the Iowa Turkey Federation’s cookbook, found here.

This stir fry is delicious! It was not very difficult to make and tasted amazing. I love that it uses so many pantry staples.  I will definitely be making this one again.

Ingredients:
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth or turkey broth
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I used crunchy because that’s what we had in the house)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 pounds turkey breast, cut into 1” pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
2 (12 ounce) bags frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed
3 (2 1/4 ounce) packages Ramen noodles (any flavor) – {For a lower sodium option, substitute white or brown rice}
1/2 cup cashews or peanuts
1. Wash hands.
2. In a medium bowl combine first 5 ingredients. Whisk until combined (mixture will not be smooth); set sauce aside.

3. In a large skillet or wok heat 1 tablespoon oil for 2 to 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Add turkey and 2 garlic cloves. Cook and stir 6 to 7 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

4. Reduce heat to medium. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in same skillet. Add vegetables and 2 garlic cloves. Cook and stir 2 to 4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

5. Return turkey to skillet and add sauce. Bring to a boil; remove from heat.

6. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Break Ramen noodles and add to boiling water. Add seasoning if desired. Cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain. OR begin preparing rice as directed on package.
7. Place noodles in 13x9x2 inch baking pan and top with turkey-vegetable mixture. Top with cashews, as desired.

Enjoy!

 

---

Ann is a Registered Dietitian who loves to cook, scour the earth for new recipes and share her love of all things food with family and friends. She has worked in food service for four years, including two years in India, where she has gained a vast knowledge of what it takes to serve the good food that people need in a safe manner. Turkey is a low fat, low sodium protein option. Its functionality makes a simple yet satisfying meal. Outside of the kitchen, Ann loves reading, hosting friends and family, and travelling to new and exciting places.