Wednesday, October 25, 2017

33 for my 33rd

Today I turned 33 years old and I have to say 33 feels pretty good.  I have been married for almost 10 years to my best friend and have four healthy, growing children who give me constant entertainment and love.  My Farmer and I continue to grow our farming operation and have even been recognized for some of our accomplishments.  I feel comfortable where I am in life and at the same time am inspired to do more, do better and help others.

And that is how come, to celebrate my 33rd birthday, I'm vowing to help others and give back through 33 random (and not so random) acts of kindness.  I already have ideas written down and am going to put my plan in action tonight when I run to town to go on a parts run (because when it's your birthday during harvest, you take any excuse to run to town to treat yourself for supper. ðŸ˜‰)

Celebrating my 33rd Birthday through 33 Random (and not so Random) Acts of Kindness

So now this is where you come in to help:  First, please comment below with any random (or not so random) acts of kindness ideas.  If you know someone in particular that could use some encouragement, feel free to reach out to me, as I would love to help that person through you or anonymously.  Secondly, reach out to someone and perform a random act of kindness yourself.  When we help others we not only uplift them, but make our own hearts full too.

I can't wait to hear your suggestions, as well as learn how you paid it forward!  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

FFA: I Can. We Will.

The National FFA Convention officially starts tomorrow!  This was such a fun experience that I luckily got to experience twice while in high school.  It was at National FFA Convention that I first thought about agriculture beyond the corn and soybean fields of Iowa. 

FFA: I Can. We Will. Looking at this year's Convention Theme from the eye's of an Alumni
Attending FFA Convention in 2002 (I'm on the far left)
In recognition of this year's convention I wrote a post over at Blue Corduroy about this year's theme "I Can. We Will."  This was my first time writing a piece for this media outlet that shares everything about FFA, a youth organization that builds leadership skills, personal growth and career success in agriculture.

Be sure to check it out!  FFA: I Can. We Will

Were you in FFA?  Have you ever attending National FFA Convention?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Friday, October 6, 2017

23 Family Favorite Apple Recipes

Over the last couple of weeks on my blog I have been all about apples.  Apples are such a great fruit that can be used in both sweet and savory dishes, and while nothing beats picking a fresh apple in the fall, I love that they are essentially available all year long in the grocery store and have a wide period of time for harvest in the United States.  Because apples are so versatile, they are a family favorite of ours, and the reason why nearly 120 recipes were shared on the Celebrate 365 All Things Apple Blog Party!

Today I'm sharing with you a handful of recipes linked on the blog party that are perfect for feeding a crowd and will soon become favorites for you and your family!

23 Family Favorite Apple Recipes - Breakfast, Snacks, Savory and Sweet #Celebrate365

Apple Breakfasts

Apple Oatmeal Muffins, A Day in the Life on the Farm
Apple Cinnamon Donuts, Vickie's Kitchen and Garden
Apple Pie Bread, Sew You Think You Can Cook
Upside Down Apple Bacon Pancake, Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats
Oatmeal Crusted Apple Stuffed French Toast, Jolene's Recipe Journal
Apple Coffee Cake, Bear & Bug Eats
Apple Crunch Muffins, Flint & Co.

23 Family Favorite Apple Recipes - Apple Breakfasts #Celebrate365

Apple Snacks

1 Minute Caramel Apple Dip, Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Applesauce, My Fearless Kitchen
Homemade Caramel Apples, House of Nash
Fast and Easy Peanut Butter Yogurt Fruit Dip, Cooking with Carlee
Apple Nachos, Simple and Savory

23 Family Favorite Apple Recipes - Apple Snacks #Celebrate365

Savory Apple Dishes

Savory Apple Bacon Pizza, Cooking with Carlee
Molasses-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops with Apple Butter, Sew You Think You Can Cook
Harvest Brats with Apple Slaw, Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apple, House of Nash
Grilled Cheese with Apples and Bacon, Feeding Big
Apple BBQ Meatballs, Tip Garden

23 Family Favorite Apple Recipes - Savory Apple Dishes #Celebrate365

Sweet Apple Treats

Apple Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars, Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats
Skillet Apple Crisp, The Frugal Pantry
Apple Cinnamon Roll Pie, Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
Mom's Apple Cake, Books-n-Cooks
Glazed Apple Pie Cookies, House of Nash

23 Family Favorite Apple Recipes - Sweet Apple Treats #Celebrate365

Be sure to get check out the almost 100 other recipes on the All Things Apple Celebrate 365 Blog Party and get inspired to cook and bake with apples this fall.  Which recipes are you excited to check out?  What is your favorite apple dish?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

23 Family Favorite Apple Recipes - Breakfast, Snacks, Savory and Sweet #Celebrate365

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Comments for a Cause - Farm Rescue

Comments for a Cause - Farm Rescue
It's October 1st and time to talk Comments for a Cause!  To start off, thank you to everyone who took time to comment last month in support of the Houston Food Bank Harvey Disaster Relief fund.  During September I had a total of 141 comments, creating a donation of $70.50 to help those affected by the hurricane, both short term, as the food bank provides food and supplies to those distressed, and in the long term, as they continue to help residents as they rebuild their lives.

In the month of October I'm proud to be supporting Farm Rescue.  I will donate $0.50 for every comment made on my blog to help their efforts provide assistance to farm families in need.

Comments for a Cause - Farm Rescue

Last year around this time, as I was busy myself with harvest, I saw a fleet of harvesting equipment drive down the highway with Farm Rescue, written along the sides.  It made me curious and after a quick google search I found out that the organization, Farm Rescue, was helping a local farmer outside of Clarksville, Iowa, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease a couple month's prior, harvest his corn and soybeans.

Farm Rescue is a North Dakota based nonprofit organization that helps farmers in need by providing labor and equipment.  For the Clarksville farmer, his disease had progressed enough he knew he couldn't harvest his crop alone, so him and his wife sought assistance from Farm Rescue.  Since the group's inception in 2006 they have assisted nearly 400 farm families that have experienced severe illness, injury or natural disaster.  Farm Rescue helps with planting, harvesting and haying assistance.

When someone in the farming community is in need, neighbors come to help, and I'm proud to help out this organization that is helping out their neighbors in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Montana.

So help me this month by commenting all month long to provide help for the Farm Rescue volunteer workforce, as well as fuel for vehicles and machinery.  How can you help your neighbor?  Remember to Comment for a Cause.