Career Mom Mondays...facing the guilt

So I think that all moms face guilt at some point in time, weather they are working mommas or stay at home moms it happens. I mean I know that some SAHM's feel am I doing enough for this family if I worked would we be better off? And then working moms well they wonder if the were home with their kids would they be better off. Lately it has been happening a lot more for me. But let me first start by telling you about my decision of being a working mom.

First of all being a working mom wasn't really a choice, I mean the hubs didn't say you must work but I didn't really see any other choice. Financially we needed my salary to stay a float, not just my salary but I am our insurance carrier. Which all of you know is very important. The hubs and I never really discussed me going back to work I think we both just knew that to be able to achieve the goals we had for our family I would be working. But just because I knew the reasons why doesn't mean I didn't and don't experience guilt. 

Lately Charlot has been asking me a lot more why I go to work. The first time she looked at me on a Tuesday morning as we were getting ready and said "why you go to work, I don't want you to" I found myself running to the bathroom for a good cry! I really didn't know how to answer this question. 

After talking with few other moms about how they handled this I decided to go with the "sugar coated" honest approach. By this I mean I tell her a truth that makes sense to a two year old. The next time she asked the dreaded question I just smiled and said well honey momma works so we can do fun things like go to the swim park, and the zoo and the state fair. She just smiled and said ok! I think this probably went over better than saying " well I work so we can have food and so you can go to college." 

She still asks why I have to go to work and I just throw it back to her and say why does momma go to work? She just says "Fun Things!" As she greats older I will continue to be honest with her and gradually reduce the sugar. I know the guilt will never fully be gone, there will always be days that I am at work but would much rather be home with her. I guess I am just glad that I have found a way that works for me to explain to her.

How do you handle these talks??? Or is my kid the only blunt one?

Teaching Agriculture...

Yesterday was National Teach Ag day, and today I want to honor this. I know there seems to be a trend with my blogs this week, I am most definitely a day late on everything! But back to the topic at hand. National Teach Ag day, well I think this is a day that should be celebrated everyday.

 Teaching is something that I feel takes a very very special person and to teach Agriculture Education takes an even more special person. I say this because it isn’t just teaching in the classroom you are spending 12 months out of the year ensuring these students are getting the most out of their Agriculture Education experience. From classroom teaching to visiting them at their jobs, farms, etc…, to taking them to camps and fairs. So thank you to all Ag Teachers out there, you sure are some special people. 


An Ag Teachers job is never done. And I am very lucky to have three Ag teachers in my family. My big brother spends every day teaching high school youth the importance of Agriculture at our hometown high school. He is a great teacher and I can most definitely see in his kid’s eyes their love for him. This summer the hubs had one of Zach’s students working for him and he asked him who his favorite teacher was, note this kid didn’t know the hubs was related to Zach, he said it is Mr. Crews he is the best. He cares about us and makes class fun.

The hubs sister spends her days teaching in a large Ag program in CoMo. Meridith wears the badge of Ag teacher with pride spending countless hours teaching training and helping her students. When she speaks about her job you really can tell that it is a passion for her.

Last but most defiantly not least is my dad. He is no longer teaching in the classroom but is definitely still educating people. Dad spent his 23 year career as an Ag Teacher in my hometown and has had a lasting impact. One of my favorite things is when I meet someone new and they find out where I am from and what my maiden name is many say, “Well your dad was my Ag. Teacher or I met your dad at this conference or that fair.” I am not certain of others experiences but for me my dad gave me a love and appreciation of Agriculture and I would not and could not be where I am today without his instruction. He approached teaching with a hard nose but an open heart. My dad cared deeply about his students and only wanted the best for them. He sacrificed his own time and moments to make certain that the legacy of our Ag. Program and FFA Chapter were successful. Honestly he always wanted and still wants only the best for each of his students. And if you were lucky like me to have him as your teacher I hope you someday may tell how he helped you!

So from me to you Dad. Thank you! You showed me the difference between a T-bone and a Porterhouse steak, you taught me to run a meeting with order using parliamentary procedure, and you taught me so so much more. But most of all you taught me the love of Agriculture and that is something no one can ever replace and I can only hope that I can pass that on to my child. Thanks again Dad for it all.

Wacky Brain Wednesday…yes I am aware it is Thursday

Well I wasn’t really aware that it was Thursday until I sat down to write this post and looked at my phone. Yikes where has this week gone? A definitely random one today!

1. I am finding myself becoming more and more motherly all the time in all aspects of my life. For example I absolutely hate it when people won’t clean up after themselves. If it is trash then throw it away. If it is an item of dirty clothing put it in the basket. Ok so maybe that isn’t motherly maybe that is just grouchy, and means I am getting old.

2. Oh how I love fall combines are running, pumpkins are aplenty, I feel normal again wearing a scarf. I know that it is fashionable to wear a scarf year round but for some reason I feel strange putting an extra piece of fabric around my neck when it is a thousand degrees outside. Is that weird, am I the lone ranger in these thoughts?

3. I would really like a new wreath for my front door and have seen so many options lately. But I can’t really decide if I want to go seasonal, or collegiate GO MIZZOU, or Halloween. The possibilities are endless 

4. We are invited to a lovely rustic wedding this weekend and I got the bride and groom the most beautiful Christmas ornament. I really like giving an “Our First Christmas” ornament as a wedding gift. I know that I cherish the one I received when we got married. 

5. Speaking of us getting married our five year wedding anniversary is quickly approaching, and I am trying to come up with something special for the hubs. I really don’t have a ton of ideas, except I saw this thing on Pintrest about giving the gift of time and having preplanned dates in an envelope one for each month and pulling one out each month. I kind of liked that but I am not sure. I want it to be special. Ideas??? And is five years that big of a deal? I kind of think it is! 

I didn't exactly need that!

There are certain phrases that moms of a toddler never want to hear, ok I can't really speak for all mom's but me for sure. And tonight I heard the mother of all phrases. 

Sure I've heard the oh nos, meaning there will be Cheerios all over my living room floor. And the momma help has been shouted a many of times at me. This typically means she has fallen into her toy box or that she a trying to carry way to many things down the front steps. I have even heard the momma clean this up PLEASE!!!! Which is code for more than likely there will be milk on my kitchen floor. But tonight totally took the cake!!!

We were in her room getting ready for bed and I had just taken her clothes off when she announces to me "I need to go potty!" I said ok. Then I start to get up and she quickly informs me "I do it by myself." I stay sitting on the floor in her room knowing that she really can handle this herself. In just a few minutes  she comes running back in to her room, naked I might remind you. She kind of has a weird look on her face I say did you go potty? And here it comes... "Yes momma I did, but there's POOP on the bathroom floor!" 

Lord help me! 

Career Mom Mondays…A day late

I can use all the help I can get with this little hot mess!

I am thinking of starting a new series here on the ole blog called, Career Mom Monday’s. I am seeing this as a where place I can talk about things I do at home to help Monday’s and all the rest of my week go more smoothly. Now I have to give credit where credit is due and I asked one of my readers what she enjoys about my blog and if she had any ideas for me to try out. She suggested that I talk about some of my organizing tips thus Career Mom Monday’s was born.


Now let me put out a PSA, I am not the picture of perfection at any moment you could come to my home and find my house in a total debacle but I am really trying to do better. I just want a place to share ideas with other moms out there Career Moms and Stay at Home Mom’s alike. Because if any of you out there are like me ideas from others are like gifts of sweet nectar. Taken, embraced and used if possible!

To start this out I thought I would talk about meal preparations. Because anything that can make that go quicker is amazing!!! These are just a few things I do to help.

1. Buy Hamburger in big packages 2lbs plus. It is just as easy to brown 2-5 lbs as it is to do ½ lb. I typically buy a big package when it is on sale bring it home and brown it with an onion, salt and pepper. I drain it and allow it to cool. Then it is portioned up in plastic bags and froze. This can be used later for tacos, spaghetti , in soups, hamburger stroganoff, the possibilities are endless. I try to get it out the morning I want to use it but if I don’t I can just throw it in some spaghetti sauce and it will thaw as the spaghetti sauce warms up.



2. Same thing with chicken breasts buy a large package. On Saturday’s I throw a large package (usually 8-10 breasts) in the crock pot with salt pepper and a little stock and cook. When they are done I shred them up and freeze for later use. Think soup, pot pie, casseroles, tacos, enchiladas. Again the possibilities a plenty!



3. Cheese!!! Now I have a tendency to not like the pre-shredded cheese but I also have the tendency to not want to shred cheese anytime I want it. So a few years ago the hubs bought me a food processor for Christmas and it has this amazing shed attachment on it. This comes in handy quite often. When cheese is on sale I buy several packages of the ones we use the most and shred them up bag them and freeze them.



To me meal time should be fun and you shouldn’t spend the bulk of your evening trying to fix a ten course meal. What helps me the most is having items I use the most ready and waiting for me to use when I need.

If you have any topics you would like discussed or ideas for me please send them my way!!!

Twice Baked Potato Casserole…Make it SOON!!!

Before baking!!!

So I was preparing dinner for some out of state family members a few weeks back and I needed something that one would feed a bunch of people and two travels well. I had been in the mood for THIS scrumptious twice baked potato casserole I have made before but it is quite labor intensive and I wasn’t in the mood for peeling potatoes! So I set off to create something of my own, and it was met with great reviews. This dish would be perfect for a church carry in, a Sunday supper, holiday meals, or anytime you want cheesy bacony (I know that has to be a word) potatoes!

After the family had eaten half of it because I an airhead and forgot to take a picture before the dig in started!

Let’s Make it!

Bacon, and CHEESE time



Twice Baked Potato Casserole

5lbs Russet Potatoes washed and cut into chunks

2 sticks butter

2 TBSP Ranch Dressing Mix

4 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)

1 Bag of bacon pieces (I don’t know if that is the official name of those but the bacon bit in the bag)

4 Oz Cream Cheese (cut in small cubes)

4 TBSP Green onion tops (sliced thin)

Boil potatoes just shy of done and drain. Return to pan and add the two sticks of butter and Ranch season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover potatoes with no heat on allow butter to melt then shake the pan to coat all the potatoes with the buttery ranch goodness! Grab your 9x13 casserole dish (mine is pretty deep so if yours is more shallow you may want to use a bigger dish), spray with nonstick spray. In the bottom place a thin layer of potatoes, top with 1/3 bacon, cheese and cream cheese, repeat for three layers ending with cheese on top in the final layer add your green onions just before the cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree oven covered for 15-20 minutes! Then DIG IN!

Tis the season...

Now I am well aware that Christmas is a bit away...but the season I am referring to would be breeding season. Get your minds out of the gutter, breeding our sows of course. I have never given this much thought but when this is going on with the sows it kind of takes over. It didn't occur to me until I got in my car this morning and looked on my dash. What was there you ask? A lovely package of AI rods. And in my passenger seat a foam cooler that the UPS man brings "the goods" in. And on my floor board a boar stud catalog. Well the hubs has been driving my car for a few days and had left his tools in the car. Lovely. As I was driving Charlot to the sitter and she was looking at a different boar stud magazine I began to see it really was taking over. Then I started to think about my house the hubs has a whole slot in the mail filer for boar magazines, he currently has a microscope sitting on the dining room to check the "swimmers" every now and then. And finally he has take over the wine refrigerator, yes he puts the goods in the to keep at the optimum temperature! No worries if you eat dinner at our house I clear out the wine prior to the season, no cross contamination! It is quite a lovely scene about these parts!

Sorry if this too graphic for some but, I am quite honest and this is my life! Just remember this has to happen for the cute little ones to be born in January and February!

Wacky Brain Wednesday



I am definitely feeling very random and quite ready for fall this morning so if you don’t enjoy random thoughts this post isn’t for you!

My sick ones playing puzzles. You are seeing this correct she has no pants on they are totally optional in her world.

My whole house has been sick for the past four days YUCK! Nasal gunk and coughs I am so ready for it to be over. I have heard that there is a ton of it going around so I pray that we will be swiftly over it and not re-contract (is that a word??) it.

Today is my boss’s birthday and going with my tradition of making treats for the people I work with on their date of birth. I made him delicious apple dumplings, it is the Pioneer Woman’s recipe, so good so easy. For the full recipe click HERE. This a picture I sent a co-worker last night after they came out of the oven, I am sure she appreciated having to think about them all night long!

Making those dumplings and the chili I made the other night has really gotten me in the mood for fall and harvest. But apparently Mother Nature isn’t quite finished messing with us this year because it is supposed to be in the 90’s the next two days.

Speaking of harvest it really is one of my favorite times of the year. I love seeing combines in the fields and for me in my job seeing the results of all the summers’ hard work. It really is quite nice. The thing ok two things I don’t look forward to during harvest is the fact that I need to leave a minimum of thirty minutes early to allow for time to be stuck behind machinery, I know they are just doing their jobs as well but it really messes with my leave at the last possible second strategy. The second thing is bee’s wings. Now if you are not from an area with massive amounts of corn are grown you will have no idea what I am talking about but let me explain.

Bees Wings are the loose pink particles that come off the corn cob when it is shelled. Well you would so what’s the big deal well let me tell you they go and stick wherever the wind blows them! I have lived in the same small town since I was born so I always knew the hum of the elevator in the fall and I knew the hum of combines in the field I also knew this hum would soon be causing a fine pink dust to be blowing all over town sticking to cars, windows, and everything in between. This may sound trivial and it is, but the little buggers really just drive me crazy.

Have a Fab WEDNESDAY!!! 

Cornbread Topped Chili...

With the onset of a little cooler weather the past few days I totally felt the need for some hearty chili! But me being me, I wanted to try something new and different with my standard chili! I had been cruising Pintrest and saw all these chili and cornbread casserole dishes and I do love some cornbread with my chili. Most of the recipes I saw required making the chili then pouring it into a sperate dish to make the casserole. Well that is not my style, extra dishes NO THANK YOU!!!


I set out to make this dish by using my basic chili recipe and two boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. I just made my chili in a Dutch oven and let it simmer for a half an hour or so. Then I prepared my muffin mixes according to the box directions with the addition of a squirt of honey, I thought the chili might have gotten a bit hot! Once the chili was nice and bubbly and the corn mix was ready I just topped the chili with the mix and baked it for 20 minutes and topped with cheese. Wow it was delish! Perfect for a cold fall/winter day idea for a football party or even a tail gate it would travel nicely!



Chili!

2 lbs lean ground beef

2 cloves garlic (Minced)

½ onion (Chopped)

¼ tsp red pepper

1 tbsp cumin

2 tbsp chili powder

½ tsp salt

1 can tomato paste (the little one)

1 can petite diced tomatoes

1 can chili beans (drained)

2 cups beef broth (or if your like me and can’t remember to purchase all ingredients use water)

Brown the beef with the garlic and onion. Drain off most of the fat add in spices and stir around for a few seconds to get the spices incorporated really well. Add in remaining ingredients allow to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

This is my basic recipe for chili so it is delish with or without the cornbread topping

Cornbread topping

While it is simmering make your cornbread with whatever mix your like! Add some honey it really adds a nice sweetness!

Dollop the cornbread mixture over the chili until top is covered bake according to package directions in the last 5 minutes top with shredded cheddar cheese

Enjoy! I topped mine with sour cream just because it seemed like the right thing to do!



I hope all of you are enjoying some cooler weather!

9/11

I know this is a day late but for some reason I was unsuccessful getting this posted from my iPad last night??? But I still wanted to share.



9/11 the day that will never be forgotten. I was a senior in high school in 2001 when the attacks happened. I never thought something like that could ever happen in our country things like that didn’t happen here. I remember feeling so childlike and scared, I mean really really scared. I didn’t know what to think or feel or how to react I was just scared and I wanted to cry. I remember feeling relieved when it was announced that all games and practices were canceled for the day, I just wanted to go home. But the thing I remember most about that day happened hours after I had found out about the attacks.

It was later in the evening my parents and I had eaten supper and were watching the news I climbed into my dad’s chair with him and laid my head on his should in disbelief as to what was happening. I said to him words I am certain he never thought he would hear from his daughter. I asked “Dad why do people hate our country so much they would do this.” And for the first in my life my Dad didn’t really have an answer he just said “well I really don’t know.” Then he and my mom spent a few minutes trying to explain the happenings and explain what might happen in reaction to this.

And today as I am at home with a sick little girl I can’t imagine what my parents were going through that day as they tried to explain to me and protect me all at the same time. To this day every year on 9/11 I still tend to feel like a small child that just want her mom and dad. So today when Charlot sitter called and said she wasn’t feeling well and kept asking for her momma, I took that opportunity to leave work a little early and hold my baby. If I could choose one thing that we as a country learned from this day it would be to hold your loved ones tight, you just really never know.

Summer Babies



Thank you for the lovely smile daughter of mine!

We have had a few summer litters of pigs…oh they are so cute. And I don’t have to freeze my rumpus off to go see them either. Charlot love the babies, who am I kidding Charlot loves all pigs big and small she has no preference. Uncle Zach is really great with Charlot and she loves for him to take her out to see the babies. Here are a few shots of their most recent trip.

She is convinced she can handle them "All by myself"

Quiche

As you can tell I was running out of day light.

 A few nights ago I made this delightful quiche for supper; I also doubled the recipe to take to a friend who is recovering from surgery. Now I have never in my life made a quiche but I kept trying to think of something different than my typical casseroles to take to my friend. I saw a few recipes on Pintrest and on The Pioneer Woman for quiches and thought what the heck who wouldn’t like meat cheese and eggs in a flaky crust.

It was a hit at our house! I have a little extra filling so I just poured it into muffin tins with no crust and baked it the hubs loved both version the whole pie effect flaky crust and all and the muffin form. He even started requesting what I should put in the next one I make!

This is a really simple recipe that could be made in advance and froze or make the filling and refrigerate for a day or so then bake when ready. It is a wonderful breakfast, lunch, or supper. I served ours with a lightly dressed salad. YUMMY!

This recipe is enough for 2 deep dish quiche’s…

2 pie crusts (either bought or make your own my momma’s recipe can be found )

1 ¼ lb bacon cut into large pieces and cooked to almost crisp (I like a bit of chewiness) and drained

3 Tbsp Butter

1 large onion sliced very thin

1 ½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I used sharp)

2 oz Cream

2 ¼ cups Heavy Cream (you could use half and half or a mixture of the two)

12 Eggs

Salt and Pepper to taste



Prepare your pie crusts and roll out into deep dish pie pans. Put in fridge to keep cool while other ingredients cook. Pre-heat oven to 350. In a large non-stick skillet cook bacon to desired crispiness. Remove bacon from skillet leaving some of the grease in the skillet. Add butter to skillet and turn heat to a med-low add your onion. Allow onion to cook slowly to develop the flavor. Once cooked remove from skillet and allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl crack eggs and whisk, pour in the cream. Whisk until well combined season with Salt and Pepper. Add bacon, onion and cheese to egg mixture make sure bacon and onion are not hot you don’t want scrambled eggs. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into prepared pie crusts. Bake for 40 minutes covered loosely with foil. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the top is nicely browned! ENJOY!

Please don’t let the bacon onion cheese quiche be your only option. The hubs thinks Sausage, bell pepper, mushroom and pepper jack cheese would be divine.  I think chicken and broccoli would be lovely. What do you think??? Quiche ideas please!

Hope all of you are having a wonderful Monday!

Momma's biggest helper!!!