I heart spring

Have I mentioned spring is my favorite season?
I'm sure I have :) 

I love the greenness. . .the newness. . .the warm sunshine. . .all of the pretty blooming bushes, trees, plants, and flowers. . .new baby animals. . .something about the renewal of spring and the anticipation of warmer days that just really gets me going!
Here are just a few spring pics!

 Cabbage!

  throwing out the Deer repellent.

Who knew they didn't like mint? 

 The deer mowed down our strawberries.  

You can still see a few blooms!

 Some of the flowers we picked up at the greenhouses last week!

Can't wait for some warmer nights, so I can get these in the ground and in their pots!

 The munchkins playing on the porch.  

I believe this girl is going to love gardening this year!

 Showing off their mushroom.

 Helping clean up around the pool in town.

 Riding the gator with her Papa.  

One of her very favorite things to do!

 Watering Gram's flowers!

 Stopping to smell the roses at the greenhouse! 

 Hard to get pics of this kid these days. 

He's playing around at Gram and Papa's here.

 Such a sweet girl in the morning. 

Can you spot the fungus in this picture?

 Taking a ride on our kubota.

 The boys planting our new trees.  This one is a Tulip tree.  

We also planted a Sugar Maple and a Gingko.

And this is the bread I was talking about yesterday.  These were our first two loaves!  You can see, we couldn't even wait to take a picture before we had to try it!  Nothing beats warm, fresh baked bread smeared with butter!

Traditional Food.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

This book has forever changed my life.

I know that is a bold statement. . . but it has.

A few weeks ago, a friend recommended this book to me. I jumped on Amazon to look it over and I and snagged it right on up.  I did some digging around and came upon a few other books that intrigued me as well and I snagged those up too. I will list them below. Fortunately, I am an Amazon Prime member and I didn't have to wait very long for my books to arrive. Because patience isn't one of my best traits.

I dug right on in to these books and I haven't put them down since.

They are basically recipe books.  But oh so much more.

They look at nutrition and health from an entirely different perspective. One that totally makes sense to me.  I have been having tons of problems. . .what I would call old age problems. . .but I am hoping I can "fix" some of these problems, just by changing our eating habits. Which needed to be fixed anyway.

What impressed me the most about the book is the amount of old knowledge and wisdom in them.

Knowledge that is getting lost.

I love knowledge. I love to learn new things and I especially love practical knowledge like this.

I have to admit. . .some (or a lot!) of the recipes kind of gross me out.  Who would think to boil chicken feet?  Not this girl.  But when I mentioned this to my mom, she said, "oh, yeah!  My grandpa used to have us suck on chicken feet and they weren't bad at all." 
FYI. . .there is only one mention of chicken's feet, but it stuck with me! 

Anyway, even if you do not adopt the practices mentioned in the book. . .they are a wealth of information.  And really, who can't benefit from eating less processed and more whole foods?  

Here is my favorite recipe book out of the bunch

From Scratch by Shaye Elliott

I've tried several of her recipes and they are all spot on and delicious! I've made three batches of her wheat bread already!  It is super easy! I've never been a bread maker.  I'd make rolls once or twice a year, but that's it.  The rolls are super time consuming.  This wheat bread is SUPER SIMPLE and DELICIOUS! She also has a great blog, The Elliott Homestead.

the Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther
This book is a little bit more out of my comfort zone.  Some of her recipes sound really interesting and I can't wait to try them!



Our garden is growing like crazy and I can't wait to harvest our first vegetables and use some of these recipes.

Right now, I am focusing on gaining knowledge and making little steps toward a more traditional lifestyle.  This is a big undertaking. It takes more ahead of time prep (like a day or more ahead of time) and that is tough for me. But probably really good for me too. I'm so bad about planning ahead for meals. I will do good here and there, but there are many nights that it is five o'clock or after and I have no idea what we are going to have for supper. I'm hoping (and so far it's working) this will make me plan ahead and be a little more organized!

I just wanted to share with you how much I have been enjoying reading through these books... you just can't believe the amount of knowledge in Nourishing Traditions!  The recipes are in the center of the page. . .and there is a side bar on each page that is where the history of certain foods and preparation methods are. And a few facts you probably didn't want to know about items we eat.  :(

Happy Reading!  

MB





 

Spring Fun.

We enjoyed a good old campfire cook out. 

There's not much better than a campfire in the spring. Or fall. Or anytime as a matter of fact. 

Hot dogs and S'mores.

Such a treat!

The weather was nice.

A little cloudy, but perfect for a campfire!

Brady is becoming such a pro at building fires. 

He did such a nice job.

The hubby built us some log stools for Brady's birthday party and they sure do come in handy.  

Beats sitting on the ground for sure!

Nan and Pa came over and joined in on the fun.

Such a nice evening to share with the family!

I used to say fall was my favorite season and though I still do love fall, I think I have to say spring is now officially my favorite season.

I haven't been the best at this blog thing for quite some time. . .if I ever was really. . .I've had a renewed interest and hope to be sharing more with you all. . .but I feel as if this has happened before!  We shall see!!  Happy Spring!

Paul Harvey Dodge Ram Super Bowl Commercial.

Or click here if the video doesn't work.

Of course I loved this commercial.

One because Paul Harvey reminds me of my Grandparents.

My Grandmother had the radio on every day and listened to Paul Harvey.

And two, because we farm and come from a long line of farmers.

And three, because the images are just so beautiful.

And I really loved the Taco Bell commercial too.

Paint, Floors, Fishing, and Rocks.

I just noticed that is has been almost a month since I last posted an update.

Here is a little of what has been going on. . . 

All of these photos were taken with my iPhone. 

 Brady standing on the partially built rock wall #2 in front of the house. Collie has fretted over what to do in the front of the house to divert water, make it easy to mow, and to look good.  I think he succeeded.  I will show the finished wall later!  I haven't uploaded those photos yet.  

 Trying to pick the perfect shade of gray.  

And let me tell you, there are WAY more than 50 shades. . . .  :)

We did manage a fishing trip on a Sunday.  Can you believe how big this frog is above?  There were tons of them!

There were several Red eared slider turtles basking on these trees.  

This is the same kind of turtle  as our little turtle, Franklin.  

Hope he makes it to be as big and happy as these guys.

  Brady excited to be fishing and to show off how good of a fisherman he is!

 Mom caught another fish!  

 Brady not so happy that his mother is out fishing him.  He had to give up and pout for a few minutes.  He is used to being the star fisherman.

 Later, Nanny and Pa joined us out on our little island.  Here Nanny and Brady are having some good luck fishing off of the point.

 Joe Burkhardt and crew installed our Red Oak hardwood floors for us and they look amazing!  He will come back once the painters and carpenters are done and finish them!  I just wish we could have done hardwood in every room!  I LOVE them!

Hopefully another month won't go by before I update again!  Our move in date for our house is August 1 and I am getting stressed to the max.  I am very excited too. . . just lots to get done before Aug 1 and that isn't very far away!  Wish us luck. . . .and for some rain, please!  Our crops REALLY need it!  

Friday Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek at what I have been working on!
This is one of the layouts available for those who purchased the Olivia Kit and are attending the Workshop on Oct. 17!  It is turning out really cute!  And, hey. . .I even have pictures on this one!!!!!

Here is the link to more artwork done with the Olivia Kit.
I will post all of my Olivia Projects after our Workshop on the 17th!

It has been a crazy, busy week.  Can't believe it is Friday already, but I am glad!
I know Brady is glad too.
He doesn't particularly enjoy getting up so early every morning.
I am getting used to it, but would prefer a little extra time under the covers in the morning.


Here are some pictures from the past week. . .

Here are the large pumpkins my Mother-in-law grows.
And the guy, Moose, who sells them.
They aren't as big this year, but Moose does an excellent job selling them.
If you see a big guy in a white Chevy with a trailer load of very large pumpkins. . .it is probably Moose. He is a really great guy and fun to chat with!  There will never be another Moose.

And Cowboy Brady with his boots on, gun in his holster, Cowboy hat, and watermelon in his hand. . . Moose nicely went out to the patch and found a couple for us. We hadn't eaten watermelon in quite awhile and it was a nice treat!  Brady loves the Cowboy getup.

There are no more soybeans in this field.  

As a matter of fact. . .everything is looking quite bare around our house.  

Corn harvest is over and we are well into Soybean Harvest.  

If you are interested in more farm pictures, check out my other blog, Burgess Farms.  I don't update very often, but there are some pictures there of our farming operation.  

You can find the link if you scroll all the way down to the bottom.

This may not seem like much to most.
But this summer we poured a patio by our back door.
For the past almost ten years, this small space has been a constant pain.
I've tried shrubs, flowers, weed matt and rocks. . . nothing grew and my dog dug up the rocks.
SO, I finally convinced my husband to help me with a patio.  We were going for pavers, but ended up pouring cement.  Something he didn't want to do, because a sewer line runs under this space.
One hot, humid spring day, my dear husband and our dear cousin Delbert, poured me a patio.
When I say, hey, look at my new patio. . most people say, where is it?
Yes, it is small.  But I love it.
It also doubles as a swimming pool when we get a lot of rain.  Guess my concrete pourers weren't the best.
But, I have always wanted a pool too!
Above is a picture of an old glider that was my husband's grandmas. . .sitting on my patio. . . .  I usually paint it, but I like the shabby chicness of it. . .and a palm I have planted in a tub on my new patio.  I really can't believe the palm tree is still alive.  Since my dog can no longer dig up rocks. . .she likes to dig up palm trees.

Can't believe it is the last day of September.  I will miss Summer, but I sure do love Fall!!!

Labor Day Weekend.

Brady & Eli at Layne's birthday party.

Just about the entire gang at the Birthday party.  

The birthday boy is on the right, holding the football.

They had a Spartan Football Party. . .and Brady actually joined in on the football game.

He had a blast.

Though, he was sad he never once touched the football.  

I'm just glad he had fun and joined in! 

Brady loading our watermelon we had just eaten. 

It was our third for the day and not our last!

One of the benefits of raising watermelon on your farm!

Throwing it away.  I think he just wanted to smash it.

My brother-in-law would be very proud of this hat!!

Nothing too exciting over our Labor Day Weekend.

We did get to sleep in!  I wasn't sure if we would be able to!

Lots and lots of watermelon. . .picked, loaded, and eaten.

Pizza at Van Till Farms on Friday night.  That place is amazing!  If you are close, you have to go!

Birthday Party on Saturday Night.

Hanging around home on Sunday and Monday.

Now, we are gearing up for Corn Harvest on our farm.  

Just waiting for it to dry.

Kind of like waiting for a pot boil. . .feels about the same!

And I see some Pumpkin Picking in my near future!  

Hope you had a good Holiday!  

Stories.

Ya know.
A friend of mine. . .and fellow scrapbooker. . .has me thinking about why I scrapbook.
We were having a conversation about organizing albums and photos and other stuff.
And she just got me thinking.
I don't know if I have done a good job of conveying why I scrapbook.
I am sure all of us have different reasons.
Mine just happens to be the stories.
As much as I love photos, they take a back seat to the stories.  For me anyway.
What I want to remember when I look at my scrapbook albums is, that Brady thought synchronized swimming meant you "sink chor ya swim. . . (sink or swim). . . or that he always wears his white tshirts inside out and backwards. . .or that he used to always wear his shoes on the wrong feet.
That is the important stuff to me.  The little, everyday things.

So, I may have a page of different pictures of Brady with his tshirt on backwards. . .taken at all different times and locations.  Where we were wouldn't be the important thing.  What would be important is that Brady was 5 and didn't care that his shirt was on wrong 95% of the time.  Actually I think he did it just to bug us.  Kind of like why some of my friends are Jayhawk fans.  Just to bug us.  Still love you guys though!  :0)

I recently purchased a really pretty little journal.  I am using it to write down some of the funny things Brady says.  And the funny things he does.  Things I don't want to forget.  Especially by the time I might get around to scrapbooking it.  I have started something similar before.  I really hope I stick to doing it.  It isn't anything formal.  Just quotes, thoughts, or events that I don't want to forget.


I do absolutely love taking pictures.  So, I am in no way saying pictures aren't important.
And a lot of times, I take pictures just because.  No story.  Brady was just looking cute or I wanted some practice with my camera or lens.  And sometimes I scrapbook these pictures, just because he looked cute.  A lot of times I use these cute pictures of Brady to tell something about him.  Nothing to do about the action in the photo, but just about Brady himself.  A personality page, if you will.

SO. . .enough rambling.

I just wanted to share why I scrapbook.  Must be the history teacher in me.

Now for a picture of the cute little bugger. . .

Inspecting the cantaloupe load.  He believes he is an expert. 

The End is Here.

The End of Summer.

The End of my days filled with my little boy. 

This Summer sure flew by fast. 

Brady learned how to ride his bike.  

(on his first attempt, I was very worried he was never going to get it. But he picked it up very fast!)

He even took the training wheels off himself. 

He heard his cousin was learning to ride and he couldn't be outdone.

We spent most of the summer on our Farm.  

Doing farm things.

Or at my Parent's House.

Doing more farm things.

Above, Brady is posing "at the Pumps."

 His Dad spent a lot of time "at the Pumps" this summer because of all the rain.  

That is the Missouri River in the background.  

We did manage a few days in Branson, minus the Dad.

And we fit swim lessons and T-ball in.

Lots of fun.  Lots of great memories of my last days with my boy.

Here are my niece and nephew and my boy. . .hamming it up at my Parent's house.

Even though it doesn't sound like it, I am VERY excited for Brady to start school!

We met his teacher and she seems really nice.  

I said, "Brady, I think you are really going to like your teacher."

Brady said, "I already do like her, Mom."

I think she is going to be perfect.

Such a milestone. . .starting school.   

I know the next few years are going to fly by, just like these first five have.

And the schedule school will bring to our family, is going to be life changing for us!
Especially in the winter!

I know Brady is going to love it and do great.
I just hope I am somewhat composed as I leave my little guy. . who isn't so little anymore. . .in the care of other people. . .meeting new friends and learning new things.  

Geese and the Hill. . .

This picture was taken just east of our house. . .thousands of geese. . . our dog is about to go crazy.  

You can hear them chattering at night.  Lady, our dog, barks continually at the geese. 

 She never barks at cars, but she will bark at geese.  Strange dog.  

The above picture is the view from our hill where we always thought we would build a house. 

 It overlooks the driveway, which is down the  hill a bit. 

 It is a pretty spot.  

Below, is the flat area where we thought we would build.  

Now, I am trying to talk my hubby into building up the hill a bit.  

There used to be an old house there long, long ago.  

And there is a spectacular view.  

Though the trees block the view a bit.  

Can you see the view between the trees?

The picture above was taken a little further up the hill.  AHHHH. . .what a pretty view!

My husband just isn't that impressed with the view.

It has been fun dreaming and my hubby has actually done some work on the hill.  

Hopefully, someday we will have a new house there!

Still dreaming. . . .reality isn't as fun as the dream!