Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Jasper County Fair 2014

Jasper County Fair 2014





Jasper County Fair has come to an end.  Our beginner showman has her first year under her belt.  The whole family has our first year under our belt.  Do you remember trying something out for 4-H and loved it or hated it? Wanted to try something new the next year? If you ask Macie what she thought about her first year, she would tell you she had a great week. We might have signed up for a few more general projects than needed on her first year, but we also learned more about time management!  Kids still talk about the fair, showing pigs, playing with friends, battle of the barns,  milkshakes, and plans for the next year.

I knew her first trip to the ring might be a little emotional for me. I am not sure how to explain it, but she is a determined, hard worker.  She has big plans, big dreams and I hope we can fulfill those dreams for her.  One step at a time.  One day we will have a house, then we will build the kids a barn and then fill it with animals. So, one step at a time.  Try out the first year of showing and see if she likes it. She loves it.  It is moments like these when we realize the dreams and plans we have mirror our children's wants and have's (and have-not's).

We are very proud of her. She received Champion Microwave Cooking in her Division.  She participated in the Battle of the Barns, and her team ended up in 3rd place. Macie also received 3rd overall in the Beginner Swine Showmanship Class.

I can remember my last year of 4-H like it was last summer.  My grandpa Eich was always up in the announcer stand, my grandma's were sitting in the stands, and my mom was always ring-side holding the rope halter and a can of final bloom,  not the camera.  I also remember my first year of 4-H, and the first trophy I brought back to the stalls and showing my grandpa with pride, and him wiping his tears with his handkerchief.  Showing cattle was about family tradition, and working through things one step at time, and raising our own cattle to show.

Challenge yourself and your family.  Try something new. Get out there in the ring. Many life lessons are learned in the ring and in the barn. 


 

  This post is sponsored by Indiana's Family of Farmers, but all opinions shared are my own.
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Crystal Kellner
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Monday, June 23, 2014

LOVE Your Garden!

LOVE Your Garden!




We all heard that from our parents at the dinner table, to eat our vegetables, when we didn't want to finish our meal.  I couldn't leave the table until my plate was cleared.  There were starving children in the world. And I was leaving food on my plate. When I was a kid, I didn't believe my parents when they said that.  Now that I think of it, I have even played that "card" on my kids.  Why is it hard to get the kids to eat their vegetables? How can we get them to try new things? I hope by having the kids help us with our garden, they will have more appreciation for it.

I have always wanted to talk about my garden.  It's really my husband's garden, but we will talk about that later!





This is a few weeks back; the guys were looking over a few things, and the tomato plants that were just planted.  Scouting is important in the fields and in the gardens.  Bugs are detected at an earlier state. Any problems with the health of the plant can be closely monitored. I think this picture was taken shortly after a heavy rain we received. We were lucky we didn't lose many plants in the garden.




Our youngest one likes to jump over rows, and test our patience. He doesn't jump much, I mean he steps on the green beans, radishes and onions. 

His favorite was picking strawberries this spring. 







Go back a few years on this one. August 2009. Must have been a good year in the garden.  Kids always seem to be very excited to help out! It took me awhile to dig this picture out.  But I had to. Needs to be on this blog. It's one of my favorite and seems every year we put out the garden I remember this picture.

Kids are always very helpful in the garden from planting to harvest. This is the first step to introduce the kids to new ideas and new fruits and vegetables in their diet.  We will talk more about what's in the garden, how it's good for you, and what the kid's think about eating their fruits and vegetables!






This post is sponsored by Indiana's Family of Farmers, but all opinions shared are my own.


 
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Crystal Kellner
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Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls


I have never tried stuffed cabbage rolls out of my kitchen.  It's hard to get the husband and kids on board to eat lettuce, let alone cabbage. One year I was so excited about growing cabbage in the garden,  but I was the only one who would eat it. I tried a new recipe last night, Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls, it is super easy, fast, and very filling. It's a great recipe to try summer time, and enjoy the rest of your evening with the kids.



I cut up a small onion from our garden, sauteed in the pan until transparent.  I added one pound of hamburger with simple seasonings, sea salt, pepper, and garlic salt.



Since I was making this recipe for my lunches at work, and knew one pound of hamburger would make four servings for me, I chopped up 16 ounces of cabbage to add to my hamburger mixture after it was browned.




I added the chopped cabbage to my browned hamburger.  I also added about 1/2 cup of water.  Cover and let the vapors help cook the cabbage, and stir occasionally.





 The cabbage is starting to cook down. Keep stirring occasionally. I added tomato paste mixed with water, this gave a little more flavor to this simple dish.  Add some sea salt and pepper to season.




Dinner was served for me, and three other helpings were now ready for my other meals for work.  I think this meal is something the whole family will like! I divided my meals into separate tupperware, and I am taking it to work with me! 

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls
1 lb . hamburger
16 oz cabbage
Small onion
Tomato paste
Water
Garlic, sea salt,  pepper to taste

PRINT RECIPE HERE 

I linked up to Meal Plan Monday #35.
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Crystal Kellner
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