Big Jake's Big News

Big Jake has some exciting news about his newest rider, The Baby from Texas...

Family Farm Friday #93: Gran Was a Liar

*I know it's not Friday, but I forgot to hit publish last week and wanted to get this one up.*

Last week, I made a road trip to Iowa with my dad and The Boy from Texas to go and pick out a new ram.  While we were at one of the farms where we stopped, I noticed a lot of dandelions near the sheep pens.  

I asked the owner, "Do you guys have trouble keeping the sheep from eating these?"  He looked confused and said, "No, we don't care, they can eat them all they want."  I said, "No!  They are poisonous to sheep."  My dad and The Boy from Texas jumped in and asked what the heck I was talking about, informing me in no uncertain terms that this was completely untrue.

Immediately, I said, "Yes it is!  Gran told us that we had to pull all the dandelions in the yard because they were poisonous to sheep."  

Continuing on the investigation, I called Little Brother and the conversation went something like this:

Me:  "Are dandelions poisonous to sheep?"  

Little Brother:  "Yep."

Me:  "How do you know what?"

Little Brother:  "Gran said so."

By this point, my dad was rolling at the fact that my Gran managed to convince us to pull all these dandelions on the farm simply by lying to us and telling us they were dangerous to the sheep.  She didn't want to deal with the weeds and knew that if you tell farm kids they will kill the sheep, her work was done.  While I was a bit offended at first, I couldn't help but laugh.  For those of you who knew her, that was classic Gran behavior.

She set us up when we were little kids running around, and kept it up 30 years later.  Good work, Gran.  Good work, indeed.  

6 Month Anniversary: #tysaidno

6 months ago tomorrow, I said I do to The Boy from Texas on what I'm going to go ahead and deem the perfect wedding day.  Since sappy is not really our style, I decided to go a different route in this 1/2 year anniversary post.

Shortly after we got engaged, I posted something on Instagram with the hashtag "tysaidno."  One of my friends commented that she was excited to see how many times I used that hashtag during our first year of marriage.  I thought that would be an interesting statistic, so I kept track of things that Ty has said no to during the first 6 months of our marriage.

And here we go.

*  Pink flamingos in the front yard.  I texted him a picture of something similar to this while registering for wedding gifts and said, "Can I?"  His response, "No."

*  Riding in a hot air balloon on our honeymoon.  I said, "We could do a hot air balloon ride!"  His response, "The only positive thing I can say about that is that at least we would die together.  No."

*  Naming our firstborn son Tyreek. After the OSU running back with this name ran back the touchdown to tie it up and get us a victory in Bedlam football, I felt like this could be a good way to honor the player, plus it sounds a bit like The Boy from Texas' first name.   His response?  "Um....no."  (Less than a week later, Tyreek was kicked off the football team for beating his pregnant girlfriend...The Boy from Texas was right on this one.)

* Getting more dogs.  I suggested we should take home three, maybe four, dogs from a pet adoption day because they were all alone with no one to love them and had really sad eyes!  "Since when are you such a dog person?  No."

* Buying matching moose footsie pajamas in Canada on our honeymoon.  *Dirty look.* "No."

*Eating lettuce wraps.  Me:  "I found a really good recipe for lettuce wraps and I think you might really lik...."  TBFT:  "No."

*Ingesting the placenta.  Me:  "You know some people take part of their placenta, put it in a smoothie, and drink it."  TBFT:  "Who the hell are these people?  We live in America. NO!"

Worth The Read/Listen

I've collected a few great blog posts, articles, and a song for your listening pleasure!

*  Opening Up.  My friend Lori wrote a beautiful blog (click here) about raising her sweet son who has some developmental delays.  She is honest and loving and this post is just beautiful.  There is one line in there that just rang so true with me and that I think everyone should read and think about.  "I believe that my son sees things differently because the world needs people who see things differently...Your kid is exactly who he or she needs to be - and maybe together, all of our 'different' kids will take the world in a 'different' direction that it truly needs to go."

*  We Said Yes Too. This article (click here) was written by a Catholic mama who has suffered multiple miscarriages.  She discusses how she has to deal with judgment and negative comments because she does not have more children.  I've had good friends who suffer with judgment for the opposite reason, folks thinking they have too many children.  The bottom line is that we never know what someone is going through and instead of commenting or judging, we should just be loving and supporting them.  Period.

* 5 Years, Yo.  My sweet College Roomie recently celebrated the 5th anniversary of her first date with her husband.  I am proud to have been a part of their meeting.  She did a great job of telling the story of that fateful meeting and following first date.  It's hilarious and I'm a genius.  To read her blog, click here.

*  Jayton and Jill.  Zane Williams has my very favorite song right now called Jayton and Jill.  I love everything about it.  The music, the story, his voice....everything.  When I went to go pull a video so you guys could listen to it, I learned that he wrote the song after taking 10 random words from his fans and putting 9 of them into a song.  The words?  121 North, Bearcats, Jill, Oil, Ephesians, Jayton, sarsparilla, flamboyant, 4th of July.  He couldn't make the 10th word (roller skates) fit.  Amazing!  Give it a listen here.

The Oklahoma Girls Have Some News

After 6 years of this blog (has it really been that long??), you all know the Oklahoma Girls.  You've been there for girls trips, birthday parties, bachelorette parties, weddings, and lots of good times.

Well.....the girls have some exciting news and thought we should share with you all.

Blonde Oklahoma Girl:  "Little boots to be filled coming October 15, 2015!"

Loud Oklahoma Girl:  "Waiting on our next Oklahoma sports fan.
Due November 2015.  Just in time for Bedlam!"

That's right, y'all!  Oklahoma Babies are on the way!  I can't tell you how much fun it has been to go through this pregnancy adventure along with two of my best friends.  We are all so excited (and somewhat terrified) to be contributing to our own little baby boom!

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #16: LD's Potato Salad

This was a second dish I made for our Easter dinner.  It went over quite well as you'll see in the comments below!

I ate some of this heavenly creation at the NRA banquet while I was in the throws of the worst of this morning sickness and it was one of the only things I remember tasting really good.  And trust me, if it tasted good then, it will taste amazing to a regular person!


The Boy from Texas Rating:  4   My rating:  5  Cousin Swiss Mister rating:  5

The Boy from Texas Comments:  This is even better than at the NRA banquet!

Sister in Law's Comments:  I don't even like potato salad, but this is awesome.

LD's Potato Salad

(I made the amount below and it was too much for even 7 people.  So I'd probably at least half this.

5 lbs potatoes  {I peeled and diced mine into small pieces before cooking, it made them cook much faster!}
8 hard boiled eggs, diced
1 large onion, diced {I left this out}
2 C kosher dill pickles, diced
1.25 C miracle whip  {I accidentally bought low fat mayo instead....didn't seem to matter.}
.5 C mustard
.5 Tbsp celery seed  {Again, I didn't have any, so I used celery salt}
1 Tbsp salt
1.5 Tbsp pepper

Boil potatoes in water for 1-1.5 hours.    Cut into small pieces.  Place in large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and stir well.

My Address "Book"

Despite the fact that I blog, I'm not real into technology.  For example, I think I may have been the last person on the planet to get an iPhone.  I still don't have a clue what "the cloud" is or how that relates to said iPhone.

It will likely shock no one to learn that I am a fan of the old school, written way to keep addresses.
I had a rolodex for years, but it was a pain to make a new card every time someone moved and they eventually stopped making the refills.  The world moved on and left me and my rolodex in its dust. Sigh.

So, I improvised and created my own system.

Several months ago, Mrs. Arizona asked me how I kept addresses.  I sent her a picture of my creation and she responded with, "That's genius!  It should be on Pinterest!"

Because I am so non-crafty and uncreative, I was quite flattered by this and figured I'd share my little idea what you all just in case you find it useful as well.

Here she is, in all her glory:

I just got a little note-card sized tupperwear box at Target, a thing of letter labeled dividers, and index cards.  Super easy to make, and if someone moves, it's easy to either get a new index card or just mark through their address and write in the new one because you've got plenty of room.

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #15: Mom's Macaroni Salad

The next few Newlywed in the Kitchen recipes are going to be the dishes I contributed to our Easter dinner.  They all went over very well with everyone and were pretty quick, easy, and painless to make!  So in addition to the usual Boy from Texas comments and rating, you'll have some guest appearances by those at Easter lunch.

This is one of my favorite things my mom cooks.  It's easy, but seriously so good.  I especially like it in the summer when it's hot and it's hard to think of a food that sounds good.

The Boy from Texas Rating:  3    My rating:  5  Cousin Swiss Mister's rating:  4

The Boy from Texas Comments:  I don't like macaroni salad, but this isn't bad.

Cousin Swiss Mister Comments:  I've never really had such a dish before.  Macaroni salad.  How do I compare this to nothing?

Mom's Macaroni Salad

(My mom makes a massive bowl of this.  I halfed this recipe for Easter and that was still more than enough for 7 people).

10 oz macaroni
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
Chopped ham {I buy it already diced, but you could buy deli ham and dice your own.}
12 oz jar of Mayo
Squirt of mustard
2 tsp. sour cream
Salt
Pepper
Celery Seed  {I only had celery salt, it worked fine.}

Boil and drain macaroni.  Rinse with cold water and put in bowl.  Add all other ingredients to the bowl.  Stir well and refrigerate.

If you plan to east left overs, my mom says it dries out a bit, so you can just mix up some more of the mayo, mustard, sour cream, and spices dressing and add to it.  I didn't do that and ate it the next day with no problemos.

Chivalrous Acts and Wet Willies

“Real love--it's less shiny than solid and simple.” ~Deb Caletti

Last week, there was a massive wind storm that blew through our little town starting at about midnight.  I'm serious, we are talking hurricane force winds here!  Earlier that day, The Boy from Texas had been changing a light bulb and trying to eradicate a wasp next on the roof of our porch.  He had left the heavy-duty ladder set up there to finish the next day.

Well, about 1 in the morning, the wind blew that ladder into our front door, making a series of loud crashes.  It actually sounded like someone was shooting at the front door.  We both woke up right away, and The Boy from Texas threw himself on me like you see cops do in the movies (or Joey did for his meatball sandwich during the ride along on Friends).  

After the commotion died down and my heart stopped beating about 257 times a minute, I just laid there thinking about how lucky I am to have found this guy, such a great husband who is so chivalrous and protective.  We should probably write a book on this, I thought. Smiling, I went right back to sleep.

Then, come about 7:00 that morning, I was awakened by that same husband asking me what I was making for breakfast and giving me a wet willie.  Book deal sort of went out the window.  Chivalry may not be dead, but it's not constant either.

And after I got done sternly informing him that was not the way I wanted to start my Saturday, I just laughed and thought, again, how happy I am to have found him.  We're not perfect, our marriage is not perfect, but man alive.....we sure love each other and always have the best time together.

God bringing us together is the biggest blessing in my life, wet willies and all.

Honeymoon Update Day 7

Honeymoon Update Day 7: Kicked things off with homemade eggs Benedict. Then a tour of Mader Ranches. Next was Bass Pro. That was a lot of camo and dead animals. The Boy from Texas took me for birthday ice cream. Then it started snowing. Been going for 10 hours. We may never get home.  Spent the afternoon in our hotel room in my favorite sweat pants, watching football, hanging out with the husband, pizza for dinner. It was the perfect end to a perfect honeymoon. The only thing better will be getting to keep doing life with him every day.


Day 7 of the adventure also happened to be my birthday!  After lots of fancy hotels and food and running around, getting to sleep in and enjoy a phenominal home made breakfast was just what we needed!

We had an absolute blast on a tour of Mader Ranches that morning.  We got to see beautiful views, great cattle, experience ranching in a different environment, and hang out with some of the nicest people on the planet.  I can't thank them enough for allowing us to visit!

After a quick stop at Bass Pro (didn't buy anything), some lunch, and some birthday ice cream, the snow started to fall.  It did not stop even by the time we left the next morning.

 We decided our best bet was to just hunker down in the hotel.  We ordered pizza for dinner, laid around in our sweats, and watched football.  There was nothing better I could think of to wrap up such a great honeymoon!

Honeymoon Update Day 6

Honeymoon Update Day 6: Left the mountains. Took care of the ticket situation. Drove a lot. Listened to Fox News radio a lot. The Boy from Texas declared he was pretty sure he would be good at curling. Greeted trick-or-treaters at the Mader household. Mrs. Mader made me a cake for my birthday, complete with singing and candles. Went to a little saloon for a good band and even better people watching.

You'll note a serious lack of photos once we left the mountains. I think we might have just been a bit pictured out!

We stopped for lunch at the historic Black Diamond Bar.

Then, we arrived at our next destination outside of Carstairs, Alberta:  Mader Ranches.  When we decided on Canada for our honeymoon location, my friend, The Crazy Canadian, immediately offered we could stay at her parents house at least one night.  Knowing how much fun her family is and excited to get to see a cattle ranch in Canada, we of course accepted!

Their place is just beyond beautiful.  Plus, we were there on Halloween so we got to see all the nearby children come and trick-or-treat, and after that, it proved for some excellent people watching at the local saloon.  I am kicking myself for not having my camera out there!

Honeymoon Recap Day 5

Remember when I started my excellent recap of our honeymoon and then for some reason totally forgot to finish?  Yea, I barely do either.  Here is a link if you missed posts 1-4.

Honeymoon Update Day 5:  Slept in, had an amazing brunch, then off for massages. I don't really like strange people touching me but I survived.  Next up was the Banff gondola. Amazing views. Then Banff Springs Hotel, some shopping, and the Hoodids.  Another wildlife sighting: two deer on the lawn at the hotel.  Finished the day with a steak dinner, phenomenal. In honor of Aunt Midge, The Boy from Texas even smelled the sprig of rosemary on his plate.  Oh yea...The Boy from Texas' fashion analysis continues. "If a girl is built like a linebacker for Nebraska, she shouldn't wear skinny jeans."

Because you all know how much I like to talk food, I feel like I need to report on breakfast.  Someone recommended a steak house called Melissa's Missteak for breakfast, so we decided to give it a try.  Y'all.  Phenomenal.  Seriously, so good.  In fact, as you will see in tomorrow's recap, we went back for seconds.  

The Boy from Texas had steak, eggs and French Toast and I had the banana Nutella crepe.  If you find yourself in Banff, eat here.  Twice!

Then we were off to massages at the Mountain Spa in downtown Banff.  The Boy from Texas was really excited about doing this, I was lukewarm.  He got an hour massage and I did half an hour.  We took no pictures and I don't really have much else to say about that.

Next up was the Banff Gondola, which I had really been looking forward to the whole trip.  It did not disappoint!  It's pricey, but the views are worth it.

While at the summit, The Boy from Texas considered a new hat...

The other main Banff attraction, the Banff Hot Springs, were closed the week we were there for some sort of maintenance.  I have to admit I was not too heartbroken, I'm not much of a fan of public baths like that.  I hesitate to even do hot tubs full of chlorine, so I was not totally sure about this thousand year old pools.

We made a quick stop at the Banff Springs Hotel, the fanciest and oldest in Banff.  It was huge and beautiful, but honestly, after staying at Chateau Lake Louise, we weren't as impressed.  That view of the lake ruined us for life.

One more stop at a little water fall before dinner got us this view.

We wanted to do one dinner on the trip sort of fancy and dressed up, and we selected Saltlik Steakhouse.  And boy, was that a good call.  Best food of the trip.  Here's a little photo of us from the event.

Good Friday and Embracing Our Cross

If you've read this blog for, oh, maybe 5 minutes, you know that I am a Saint John Paul II devotee.  He was a Godly, good, powerful man.  He helped bring down communism.  Bravely survived Nazism.  He was an athlete of whom you've probably seen photos skiing or kayaking.  He seemed larger than life.

Ten years ago on Good Friday, my favorite photo of Pope John Paul II was taken.

Photo via Pinterest

It shows not only a powerful Pope holding a crucifix, but a child of God, embracing his cross.

During his earthly life, Pope John Paul II greatly suffered.  He lost his mother at a young age.  Then, his brother.  He lost many friends during the Holocaust.  There were two men that attempted to take his life during his time as Pope.  And then, came Parkinson's disease, that eventually succeeded in doing what those two men could not.  And yet through the struggle and the pain, he remained faithful.
He must have understood that which is so hard for us to comprehend....sometimes, maybe oftentimes, God uses suffering to draw us closer to him, to make us more holy.

As we remember the events of the first Good Friday, as we recall Jesus embracing his own cross as he carried it up the hill, as the nails were drilled into its wood, and was it was risen into the sky, let's remember the importance and value of embracing our own cross.  Whatever that may be.

And when Sunday comes and we celebrate the Savior who defeated the cross, let us remember that our suffering, our cross, is only temporary.  And that the reason we have that assurance and hope is that Jesus willingly embraced his cross all those years ago.

Wishing you all a blessed Good Friday and a joyous Easter!

Newlywed in the Kitchen Recipe #14: Mom's Chicken, Bacon & Rice Casserole

This is one of those "it's been a long day but we need something fairly nutritious and hearty" kind of recipes.  It's not listed in my top 5 favorites, but it's a good standby to have in your back pocket.

The Boy from Texas Rating:  3

The Boy from Texas Comments:  I don't really like chicken.  The bacon is a nice addition.

Mom's Chicken, Bacon & Rice Casserole

1 pound of chicken, cut into pieces
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, minced onion, garlic, celery seed, tarragon, parsley, basil (My mom doesn't measure, she just eyeballs)
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 cans chicken broth
2 small cans of mushroom stems and pieces drained (I leave this out)
4 stalks of chopped celery
2 tablespoons of butter cut into small pieces
1 small package bacon bits (get the ones that are real bacon chopped up, not the ones that are like hard little pieces)
3C rice (not cooked)


Brown chicken in olive oil.  You don't have to worry about cooking throughout, just brown the outside.  It will finish cooking in the oven.  Add salt, pepper, minced onion, and garlic to skillet while browning.

In a large bowl, mix all other ingredients.

Spray bottom of 9x13 casserole dish.  Pour the soup/rice mixture into the dish.  Add browned chicken on top.

Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.  If you want to, remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to brown the chicken and crisp up the rice a bit.

Last Week

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth.  I did, however, drive all around Texas doing presentations for work.

7 presentations.  5 days.  1,300 miles.

I decided to snap a few photos of my trip and thought I'd share them with you all.

Sunrise over Palo Duro Canyon.

Windmill on range land near Mertzon, TX

Cactus somewhere between San Angelo and Ft. Worth.

Horse patrolling the parking lot of the local Target in Ft. Worth.  God bless Texas.

I drove all over Ft. Worth to get my hands on an Einstein Bros.
 6-cheese bagel with reduced fat cream cheese.
So worth it.

I gave three presentations at the Texas Cattle Raisers Convention.
Great turn out, great questions, a great time!

Brahman bull handing out in the Ft. Worth Convention Center.

We had a little family dinner at Chuy's.  You'll recognize Aunt Delta Dawn,
Cousin Swiss Mister, Ski Trip John, and his sweet girlfriend.  See
those yummy drinks?  I didn't get one.

Lots of cowboy hats at the Cattle Raiser's Convention

Our ring bearer (center, blue shirt) turned 5 so we celebrated at a trampoline park.
See all the fun jumping going on?  Pregnant lady missed that too.

And our final photo.....the sun setting over the Panhandle.  It's good to be home!