Working together

This time of year is the Farmers down time for most but my Farmer its the opposite due to our cows. We have a cow sale in March that we sell our cows at and it has gotten bigger and bigger each year. This year we have more cows than we have ever put in there and so that means double the work. Nick and I are fortunate that we can work together. I think it is because we don't mind being around each other days on end. I mean lets face it we are hardly ever apart. We have been getting our cows ready and sending in paper work, catalogs passing out, advertising, updating our own H5 website, making brochures, taking pictures, getting tables and tablecloths ordered for our H5 table, making gift bags for our buyers, designing and ordering hats, pens, and koozies, and that's just a small bit into out "cow sale" ready life lately. We still have a lot more left to do but we are making progress and checking it off our list. We still have tons of work left to do on the website but we are slowly coming along.

March 12, 2016 Catalog (PDF)

We have also been artificial inseminating some of our heifers. This is our first time dealing with A.I. It's been an interesting last few weeks to say the least. My whole schedule has been around the heifers. I had to reschedule some appointments due to these heifers having to be given shots at a specific time. Nick and I have learned so much and I will say it wasn't without a lot of laughs and I hope I'm doing this right with a few cow in heat jokes here and there.





 

We were talking while one of our lunch dates about who would of thought in 2004/2005 when we talked about how we would love to get a few cows as a hobby and how that few grew and as we grew even more and found our true love in the cattle industry: Registered Black Herefords. In 2011 that's when we sold our herd and went head registered black hereford only. It's crazy to think we went from 1 child building a fence for a few cows we had dreamed of having as a hobby to now 3 kids and a full time cattle operation. This is why I tell my kids anything is possible with God on your side and ambition to go for what you want.  

 

 

 we all know the girls and I couldn't have just a black and white plain jacket...





It finaly happened...

We have been trying to get some family pictures for what seems like forever now. The weather has played a huge part every time I would schedule something it would rain or either be to wet to take them. Nicks mamaw is going to be 75 in February so I thought getting everyone together for one big family picture would be perfect.

My girls...

I love love love having daughters. They grow up into your best friends. Maci is at the teenage years and so far so good. I am their mom firs then their friend but so far I haven't had to venture to the mom only side. I love hanging out with her and listening to all of her stories and jus catching up with her I also feel privileged she feels like she can tell me anything. Mauri is in a sewing and cooking spree right now and  I love teaching her and enjoying the time spent. 

 

 On our way to grab a bite to eat then take pictures

My mini me, I see myself in this little punk

 Some of the big girl cousins
all of these girls should be still little but they just grow up so fast and haven't so pretty



a few of the middle kids

doesn't Nick look like a creeper in the back. How funny

 



I cant wait to get these pictures back. Believe it or not it went so fast and smoothly. It was well planned thanks to AB's list.

Fri-Yay



 

1. Tried a new potato soup recipe and it was a hit and the bonus was it is a healthy version of potato soup. We will be making it again in our near future

 

2. We have 8 heifers that are in the process of artificial insemination. This is our first time to ever do this and it is a fun little learning adventure. The hubs and I started the process this week.

 

no shame in the no makeup game



3. I have had a friend who was in need of prayers and I am so excited to say as of now it is a praise report. I give God all the glory for this one.

 

 

4. Mauri's basketball end this Saturday. I am so ready to have my Saturdays free. Well 2 free ones until her softball starts every Saturday.  

 

5. My Peyton plays Nick's Brady this Sunday so a little fun rivalry has been going on all week .
and we can't forget the food



Phone Dump

We tried a new place in Sterlington and it was not good! Everything about it was terrible. Our waiter was out there and couldn't comprehend what we wanted and then brought out way to many hamburgers and then asked us why we didn't want them...Hello there are 5 of us why do we want 7 burgers. Then she tried to charge us for all of them and brought our appetizer out after our food and said I didn't put it in before you food, you wanted them before your food and I was like oh my chick where have you been? We food wasn't ever good either to make up for the service.

 

We were watching the food network and they were making tomatoes basil soup and it looked so amazing. I'm a tomatoes hater so I would never try this but I couldn't get this soup out of my mine so I called my sister in law who eats this all the time and I figured I would be asking her a stupid question but it turned out that this soup doesn't taste like tomatoes. While Nick and I were out I decided to give it a try and it did not disappoint. It taste like a pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce its so good and I realize I have been missing out all of my life. 

I think this child accidently/on purpose went through the mud.

I remember those days

Nick and Mauri have been hunting and she got her a 4 point the other night.

They were so excited

 

 

I feel like all we have been doing is traveling 2/3 hours for Maci's basketball games.

The perks of that is all the day dates I get to have with the hubby.



 

 Got my hair done last week and I cant believe how healthy it is. I knew bleach was horrible for you hair but didn't realize how healthy my hair would be without using bleach. The products she uses are Paul Mitchell and bleach free and it makes my hair so soft and I have gone to a more of a rooty look so instead of going to the salon every 4 weeks I can go every 8 weeks.

 

 

Rhett killed him another deer he got a 6 point so I have meat in the freezer



 

 

Another day date with the hubbs and another basketball game

This is my life right now along with Mauri's basketball games on the weekends



and I think I am now caught up. Lets see if I can keep it that way

Meal Plan Monday

Monday:

Chicken Supreme Pasta Bake

new recipe to I'm trying



 Tuesday:

Maci has a away basketball game so we will eat out

 

 

Wednesday:



Easy Crockpot Beef Stew

this is a new recipe but if it taste as good as it looks we will be good

 

 

 

Thursday:

Burrito Rice Bowl

 

 

Friday:

Honey butter pork tenderloin

this is a favorite an super easy recipe

 

 



Date night at home

My mom had the kids and Nick and I didn't want to get out and about. We just wanted to stay in and have a relaxing night at home. There has been a recipe I have wanted to try and thought why not try it at home since Nick is an awesome steak maker. He makes the steaks and I can whip up the sauce.

Here we go:



I started on the sauce while putting on some music and just being silly with my man.

 Its a must that you fix a "drank" before beginning



 

When Nick does his steaks inside they are my favorite but we have to open the windows and turn the venter hood on high. I love love love a blackened steak on the outside and medium on the inside. Something about a charred steak on the outside just gets me every time. See the smoke 

 

I put my own spin on move being I love caramelized onions I decided to top the steak off with them and it was perfect-o!!! I will make this again over and over.

We had so much fun spending time in the kitchen together. It was much needed and even added a new recipe to the rotation

one little word

My one little word for 2016:

Give

The end of 2015 God began speaking to my heart and every where I looked or turned he showed me GIVE. I began to pray Lord what do you want me to give? who do you want me to give it to? As I prayed and waited and prayed and waited I began to see that it wasn't about money but about so much more.

Give Freely...

Give my body mind and soul back to him...

Give more of my time reading his word...

Give my full presence when and where needed...

Give a Hello and a smile to a stranger...

Give a prayer for someone who I feel led to pray for...

Give extra I love yous...

Give a random act of kindness...

 

 

I could keep on going but you see Give is not limited to one thing it keeps going so I am going to give it all I've got at giving. 



a Kardashian New Year



 

Yes I do watch the Kardashian's! Khloe and Kourtney have always been my favorite. I have been thinking about what I wanted out of 2016 because 2015 was a blur and I was so busy at being busy I don't have a lot to say about 2015 except I'm glad its over. I started reading Khloe's book and it hit home and a lot of the same things I have been thinking about.

My kids school sports schedule in one big joke!!! I think we should just take the schedule out of it because either they don't have one and you never know what the heck you are doing or you get one only to be changed 40,000 times. Who wants to have that many scratched out things in their pretty planner. This girl right here!!! That issue has almost lead to the death of me. That is my sole issue with this year and I let my mood from that drift into all the other aspects of my life and it just wasn't good. I'm so OCD and thrive on schedule and routine so when I don't get a schedule and its fly by the seat of your pants kind of thing or another change in the schedule oh wait another change it drives my cuss word nuts. I understand things change from time to time but not all the time and times again because of another change. It got to a point to where I was mentally and physically ill over this. I have been dealing with this for 4 years now and this past year I literally had ENOUGH!


While reading her book I decided right then and there that this is the last thing in life I should let it effect my mood, my husband, my kids, and my friends. I never wanted to do anything due to my brain being mentally exhausted from it all nor did I feel like dong anything from being physically drained from the chaos. I have a God who loves us wholeheartedly and never forsakes us that shows more grace than I ever deserve, a husband who does his best providing for us, healthy kids who I would be bored without, great friends who I have been put on the backburner.

 

2016 Goals:

 

Grow in my Faith

I've put it on hold for business when I should of made it my first priority

 

 





Khloe's advice: Don't sweat the small stuff.

we spend a lot of time wallowing and or complaining about what's wrong with life...

It's not fair we complain, not realizing that, perhaps, it was never intended to be





Be present: live in the moment!!

The dishes and laundry can wait



This hits home with me so much and its my biggest struggle in life.

I want to house to be perfect with everything its in perfectly organized spot with all my candles filling the rooms with wonderful fragrance in the air, my planner planned out for the week, month, or year anything I know in advance is color coded as well as meal planning. If I am doing something I am all in and I want it perfect. One of the hardest things for me is letting the kids make a mess I want to shout and cry buy I realize that's what being perfectly imperfect looks like. Trying to strive to make everything perfect is never ending and in turn has stolen my joy for loving life it feels more like a chore that never ends.

There you go those are my New Years resolutions. What are your?