Garden Variety Thievery

Over the last several weeks we've been dealing with some thieves!  Just your average, garden variety thieves. 

The girls have been stealing snap peas straight off the trellis and aren't the least bit remorseful! 

Don't let those sweet faces fool you!  They're dirty, rotten, four pawed thieves.

"What?  My tongue didn't actually touch it!"

You might be wondering how on Earth did they decide they like snow peas?  

I'd point you in Matt's direction.  Years ago he was out in the garden and decide to throw a snow pea pod in Bella's direction... She's been salivating at them ever since! 

Obviously, Matt had to clue Haddie in on the wonder of the snow pea and now they're both hooked.  It's like crack to them!  They don't even wait for us to pick the pods off for them, it's a doggie buffet!

In addition to the snow peas, they also eat strawberries.  To be clear, they have to be ripe strawberries!  If they're not at their peak, they won't eat them.  Rotten.

Please confirm that our dogs aren't the most spoiled ones on the planet?

Five Faves

To round out National Ag Week, I wanted to highlight five of my personal favorite agricultural products and link up with some of my favorite Friday characters!

ONE
Wine, sweet wine!  Actually I'm a dry wine kinda girl, but "wine, sweet wine" rolls off the tongue a little easier.  Anywho.  Without vitaculture, which is the science, production and study of grapes wines aren't nearly as tasty!  Wineries are becoming one of the largest and most visited Agri-Tourism locations here in Illinois.  All you wine drinkers out there, remember to #thankafarmer!

 TWO
Meat eater's unite.  Having grown up on a farm that raised cattle to put food on our table, as well as others in our community, I know first hand the respect that farmers have for the animals they care for and raise.  It's a luxury that I'm able to go to our freezer and pick out a package of steaks or a pound of hamburger and have no concerns about what we're eating for supper that night.  Don't forget to #thankafarmer the next time you're standing at the meat counter or grabbing a quick burger at your local pub and grub!

 THREE
If you're not aware of my obsession with all things 'fall', you can bring yourself up to speed with a few past posts (here, here, here).  It's true!  From harvest to bonfires and everything in between I'm a fan, pumpkins and gourds are some of may favorite ways to decorate our house!  But someone is growing and tending all the mums, gourds and pumpkins that adorn my house each year... #thankafarmer

FOUR
Who remembers their first sip of beer?  Where you a little kiddo sitting next to grandpa on the swing on a warm July day or maybe it was a stealthy swig at your first college house party?  Mine was somewhere in between.  I've wised up since college and prefer (and can easily afford) "good" beer.  Matt and I both enjoy a good round of craft beer, but without barley, hops and wheat we'd be sunk.  Beer drinkers, #thankafarmer before your next swig!

FIVE
From my head down to my legs, I love eggs!  Just about anyway you can eat 'em... over-easy, hard-boiled, poached, I love 'em.  When I can get them from the 4-Her down the road, farm-fresh are my go-to and I buy them from her two dozen at a time.  Although I've broached the idea of getting our own chickens, to which I was shot down... I support and always #thankafarmer for my eggs whether they come from the store or just down the road.

What are some of your favorite agricultural products?

Linking up with Five on Friday, Friday Favorites and Oh, Hey Friday!

Turkey Time with Family

Last Wednesday, we loaded up the goof troop and headed for Tennessee to spend Thanksgiving with Matt's family.  Despite snow, rain and narrowly killing my husband, we made it safely! 

After unloading the car and feeding the hungry pups, this girl poured herself a LARGE glass of red wine!  It was divine. 

Bless my sister in law and brother in law's hearts for putting up with 13 family members and 2 extra dogs!  Everyone converged on their house Wednesday night and Jennifer managed to get everyone settled, fed and hydrated.  Not only did she make food for Wednesday's supper, but also breakfast on Thanksgiving morning, the turkey and several fixins for dinner and breakfast Friday before everyone headed back out!  Super woman. 

Thursday morning was pretty low key.  Lots of catching up over coffee and breakfast casseroles.  Midday we started getting motivated to get our turkey dinner prepared!  The boys handled frying the turkey, while most of the gals made appetizers, sides and desserts. 

 

 

 

Matt's family also likes to indulge in craft beer, good wine and mixed drinks!  I fell head over heels for this recipe for an Apple Cider Moscow Mule...

Several of us headed out to battle the calories and snapped some great photos of the beautiful TN scenery!

After our walk, I put the hurt on some online shopping and knocked out several people on my Christmas shopping list.  Kohl's strikes again!  I also took advantage of Courtney's 50% off sale at Cowgirl Crush... Excited to see everything come in the mail this week!

Most of Matt's family took off back to their respective states (IL, NC, FL) after breakfast Friday morning, but we decided to hang out for another day!  And after being relatively contained by four walls, the four of us were ready to escape to town.  The four of us had lunch out, did some shopping and then headed back to the house to check in on the pups. 

Speaking of the pups... My girl Haddie was a rock star!!  She was a little timid (obviously), but warmed up to everyone pretty quickly!  She also found a buddy in Matt's cousin's daughter, Eve.  I was a touch apprehensive with the baby crawling all over, but Haddie handled it like a champ!  Everyone was smitten.

After an impromptu session for Christmas card pictures, we all headed into NashVegas!  The last time the four of us were downtown it was rainy and freaking cold, so the mild temps were so awesome!  We had supper at Demos' Restaurant and then went for drinks/live music on the patio at Rippy's.  Let me tell you "Rocky Top" sounds so much better when you're actually in Tennessee!

Sadly, our trip had to come to an end and it was time to go home Saturday.  On the way home we stopped for lunch at an old college fave, 17th Street, which is famous for pork barbeque!  We rolled into the lane at home around 5pm and EVERYONE, human and canine, was excited to be out of the car.  The rest of the night we seriously lounged on the couch and did nothing!

To round out the weekend, Matt and Bella got up and went duck hunting Sunday morning at the God awful hour of 4am.  Like the smart kids we are, Haddie and I slept in!  I was going to take Haddie for a run, but the 25 mph winds kept me in my pjs watching Christmas movies and decorating our big Christmas tree.  I'm pretty proud of the way it turned out this year!  Be on the look out for pics!

Linking up with Biana.

Adventures of a Conference Wife

Obviously 21 posts in October wore me out and I needed a break... Ha! 

Not really, I just assumed my role as 'Conference Wife' to my bestest pal and was busy livin' and not blogging.  But if you missed me, I wasn't absent from Instgram.  That would just be crazy!

Allis told me about two weeks ago that she was going to talk with her boss about flying in from CO to attend a conference in Chicago the first week of November and if it all panned out could I come up and hangout? 

Uh, let me check me calendar.  Yes, duh!  I'll be there!

Sunday morning I headed up to Chi-town to collect Al from the airport and then we went to check into our hotel.  We stayed in a swanky hotel a block off the Magnificent Mile, which was perfect!  After we got settled and drank a bottle of wine (priorities!), we ventured out.  We ended up at a small, hole in the wall bar called Pippin's Tavern for a snack and some brews.  When we left Pippin's we did some more wandering and stumbled (not literally) on Jake Melnicks.  Allis and I always split a couple different items on the menu and here we tried the hand-cut BBQ chips, cobb salad and the special macaroni and cheese... BLT!  Freaking yum!  The macaroni and the Vander Mill Totally Roasted cider were a toss up for me, loved them both! 

 

Monday we got up and went for a run down the lake front, which was good to offset the booze and mac n cheese!  For brunch we ended up at Sunny Side Up and again split a few of the daily specials.  After we finished, the rest of the day was spent traipsing all up and down Michigan Avenue.  So much shopping!  And the people watching, second to none.  Around 3 o'clock we both couldn't stand it any longer... we needed nourishment and libations. 

Enter The Purple Pig. 

We had high hopes for this little place and it didn't disappoint!  I mean when your slogan is 'Cheese, Swine and Wine', can you go wrong?!  Embracing the Mediterranean cuisine and extensive wine list, we dug in for the long haul.  I highly recommend the Brussels sprouts salad and sheep Gorgonzola paired with the Reserve de Sours Rose'.  Simply put... It was epic!

After tearing ourselves away from The Purple Pig, we headed to Trader Joe's.  One of our traveling traditions is to hit up a market or some cases Walgreens, and spend one night at the hotel in our PJ's just chillaxing.  It's always one of my favorite things we do, no matter where we are! 

Tuesday morning we got in a workout in the hotel fitness center and then Allis and I went our separate ways.  She headed to her conference and I was off to tackle the city on my own.  I ended up checking out Millennium Park and doing some shopping on State Street. 

I was a little early to see any of the Christmas windows at Macy's... Maybe Matt and I'll head back up a little later this year? 

Around lunch, I headed back to the hotel and busted out the work I brought with me.  See, it's not all fun and games.  I did some work too!  When Allis got back from the conference, I insisted we head to the Signature Lounge that's on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building.  While the drinks and waitstaff are a bit over-priced and pretentious, you can't beat the view! 

From the Hancock Building, we excitedly made our way to Eataly!  Matt's family and countless bloggers have been raving about this place and I was dying to go for myself!  Paige put together a fantastic post about the experience that is Eataly, I was too busy stuffing my face and gawking to get too many pictures...  #sorrynotsorry  We ordered the meat and cheese platter, the shitake mushrooms and a bottle of champs! 

Matt's cousin, Flannery and her roomie, showed up as Al and I were just deciding to head over to the wine counter.  Broke, post-college kids have great timing.  Several glasses of wine later it was time for gelato!  More yums. 

Not ready to head back to the hotel... We went back to The Purple Pig.  It. Is. That. Great.  And why order anything different than what we already knew was awesome?!?

You won't be surprised to read this, but Wednesday morning we didn't work out.  Shocker.  We slept in and then went back to Sunny Side Up for brunch.  Really, why mess with a good thing? 

After brunch, Allis and I said our 'See ya laters!' on a street corner on The Mag Mile.  Nothing too long or drawn out., just two pals knowing that we'll see each other again soon! 

Another Weekend. Another Adventure.

Have you noticed a trend?

I'm not real big on sticking around home, especially during the summer!  There's just too many fun things going on to be cooped up in the house.  And summer provides the perfect backdrop for things like traveling, horse shows, and day drinking!  Pepper in some gal pals and I'm a happy camper.

Speaking of day drinking, isn't Little Big Town's song the perfect summer anthem?

Tomorrow I'm on the road again.  Five of my girlfriends and I are heading down to Carbondale to partake in some college reminiscing and wine trailing! 

The wineries of southern Illinois really came to life while I was in college at SIU.  Some are quaint and homey, others are quite grand!  In college (if I remember right... but with all the wine some of the memories are a bit hazy) I spent at least one day a week parked on a patio with a bottle of wine or pitcher of sangria.  Since graduating, Matt and I try to go down at least once a year! 

Technically, I may go more than Matt...

 

We've rented a cabin smack in the middle of all the winery goodness and I have created what may be the. perfect. itinerary!  And it just so happens to be the weekend before I celebrate the THREE-OH! 

Yep, I'll be "thirty, flirty and thriving" come Monday!  Name that movie.  

Okay, I'm off to work knock out a few more items from my 30 BY 30 list before I run out of time...

Have a great weekend!! 








 

Friday. Friday. Friday!

Today's post is a nod to all the fun I had out in Colorado the last few days!

Thursday night after getting into town we sat on the patio and enjoyed a bottle of wine and some snacks.

Friday all the fun really kicked off!

The day started off with an epic breakfast at Snooze.  Seriously, if there's one near you GO!  Delicious.  In Fort Collins, we did as the locals do... ride bikes to the cideries and breweries and partake in the drinking festivities during what would be most peoples normal work day!  After spending way too long the day drinking and biking, we decided it would be best to head back to the house.  After making it HOURS without any biking incidents I missed a curb and tumbled not so gracefully off my bike!  Oh the memories!

Saturday we slothed around the house, Allis and I did get a workout in, watched 8 Seconds (duh!), took a nap and then got ourselves all gussied up for the Lady Antebellum concert up in Cheyenne!  It's a pretty quick trip from FTC to Cheyenne which we passed singing our hearts out to the radio and gabbing.  We had some time to kill before the concert and decided to go check out the saloon for drinks and two-stepping!  I mean when in Rome Cheyenne...

The concert was amazing!  Lady A put on a fantastic show and it was great to hear Clay Walker again!  In my opinion, nothing beats 'old country'.

Sunday Allis, Maggie and I headed back to CFD.  This time to do some shopping and watch the rodeo.  Each day during CFD, they lead a 'Behind the Chutes' tour of the facility.  You get to hear about the history of the event, see the stock and learn about rodeo events.  We went last year, but it was something that Maggie absolutely had to see.  Plus we needed our second annual buckin' shoots photo!

Dress from Cowgirl Crush.

 The rodeo at Cheyenne never disappoints!  It really is the Daddy of 'em All!

*Just a quick shout-out to Ree for sharing the magic of Slo-Mo videos on the iPhone!

After we got home from the rodeo, some of Allis's girlfriends in FTC came over for an ol' fashion hen chackle.  Obviously we busted out more wine and snacks to soak up the drinks.  I may have ridden a kids tricycle around the yard.  Good times.

Monday we pampered ourselves with a pedicure downtown.  The plan was to enjoy some bubbly during, but we may have been over-served the night before and just weren't feeling up to it!  But by lunchtime it was game on!  Speaking of lunch, we also saw Jesus.  It says he will come again...

And because we're awesome, before heading home we went for a hike at Horsetooth Reservoir.  We hiked into the falls, played around in the water and then headed back.  On the return trip, we were treated with a rattlesnake on the path!!  Eek!  Not cool Colorado, not cool.

But with blue skies and views like this, I can forgive one snake!  Two would be pushing it though!

Linking up with September F A R M and The Farmer's Wife.

Ag Chat: Agritourism and Fair Oaks Farms

How can farmers spread their message to those who've never been blessed to know how a farm operates or even what one looks like?

Enter agritourism.

Agritourism is all about bringing visitors to the farm and educating them by using engaging, fun activities.  These activities could be you-pick-em berry farms, guest ranches, Christmas tree farms, pumpkin patches, wineries and farm tours.

One place that in my opinion that is knocking it outta the ballpark by educating thousands of people every year about farming is Fair Oaks Farms.  Fair Oaks is a family owned farm located in Northwestern Indiana.  They welcome visitors hoping to find relief from asphalt and city life and dazzle them with engaging activities that also educate them about farming!  Because contrary to what you may think, not everything you read online about farming and food is true!

Fair Oaks offers it's guests many opportunities to soak up agriculture.  One of the first things you do upon arriving is listen to a quick introduction about the farm.  Fair Oaks originally started just with dairy cattle.  36,000 of them to be more exact!  The Dairy Adventure introduces visitors to what goes on behind the scenes of a dairy farm through a bus tour.  You learn about what cows eat, how much milk the provide a day, how they are cared for and also get to seem them milked on the large rotary or carousel.  Using modern farming techniques the dairy farms can milk 72 cows every 8 minutes!

Visitors can also explore Mooville, an outdoor adventure area with farm themed activities for the youngsters or the young at heart.  Many people think the highlight of  farm is the Birthing Barn, where you have the opportunity to see a baby calf be born!

Just last summer, Fair Oaks added Pig Adventure to their already impressive agritourism experience.  The pig farm is the only production facility in the country that allows visitors inside!  You have the opportunity to see three different aspects of raising pigs: Growing, Breeding/Gestation and Farrowing.  Through the technology implemented at Fair Oaks odor is kept to a minimum, but they also remind you... "If you smell some, remember it's still a farm!"

You may remember my first Ag Chat was all about how electric cooperatives turn cow poop into electricity, well the farms at Fair Oaks are no different!  The manure is recycled in a digester, the gas is collected and used as electricity to run the farms.  The farms are truly "Powered by Poo"!

Fair Oaks Farms is like no other place!  If you're ever in the vicinity you should definitely stop in and check it out.  You won't be disappointed, especially if you purchase some of their delicious cheeses or amazing ice cream made in house at the cheese factory!

It's no secret that I have a soft spot for anyone that helps spread the message of agriculture to those who are outside of the farming community!  I believe that it's terribly important for people to understand the passion that goes into farming and raising livestock.  It's not a cake walk.  Believe me.  There are sleepless nights spent worrying about the weather, the markets, that sick calf and how in the world will I be able to get up tomorrow and do it all over again?

So what is it that keeps farmers growing healthy and wholesome food for consumers?

Passion.  

It's truly a passion.  A love for the land and the lifestyle.

Linking up with Nicole for this week's Country Fair Blog Party.

Escape To So ILL

Last week, I hot footed it down to southern Illinois to spend some time with my friend Susan.  I had some time off of work that I had to use and decided heading even just a few hours South might be good for my soul!

I got into town late Thursday night, but after spending 3.5 hours in the car I was totally cool with just vegging out on the couch.  Susan, her hubby TJ and I spent the rest of the evening chatting. catching up and figuring out our plans for the weekend.

Friday morning, Susan and I headed to town to do some shopping at a local boutique, Eccentrics.  Susan's photography business partners and outfits the models in cute clothes from Eccentrics throughout the year.  The boutique owner, Lauren, is a local gal who in the last few years has opened this great clothing store.  Susan had nothing but wonderful things to say about Lauren, the store and the clothes!!  Naturally, I was really excited to go and check it out!  When we walked in I was so distracted by all colors, patterns and prints that I bee-lined it to the racks to see what I could find that I couldn't live without!  A few minutes later, Lauren came around the corner to greet us and my mouth literally fell open in surprise... Back in college, Lauren and I worked together at Applebee's!  What a small freakin' world, huh?!?  Thinking back, it all makes sense though.  All those years ago, and now too, Lauren was always so stinking trendy and her owning a boutique really shouldn't come as a surprise!

Source

After purchasing some new Spring and Summer staples, Susan and I headed to one of our favorite restaurants, Harbaugh's Cafe, for a late lunch.  Harbaugh's has been open since 2000 and serves some of the best breakfast and lunch in Carbondale.  The restaurant itself was furnished piece by piece as owner Laura Harbaugh, hit up garage sales to outfit her new place.  The walls are covered with art and knick knacks that only add to the atmosphere!  If by chance you're ever in Carbondale, Harbaugh's is located just across from campus and is most recognizable by the polka dotted awnings and the line of hungry patrons lined up out the door and down the street.  Trust me, waiting in line is worth it!

Once our bellies were full, we decided it was high time to hit up some of the local wineries that southern Illinois is becoming famous for!  Blue Sky Vineyard was our first stop, naturally.  In my opinion, Blue Sky never disappoints.  The wine is good, the scenery is gorgeous and you can literally lose track of time while you're there!  I speak from experience.  Susan and I enjoyed a carafe of our favorite red wine while we soaked up the sun on the patio. 

After Blue Sky we navigated the winding roads of the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail and ended up at Alto Vineyards.  Alto recently built a brand new building that offers a large tasting room and second story patio that overlooks a small pond and the vineyard. 

Our favorite wine at Alto is their Dawg House Red which features SIUC's mascot, the saluki!!  We drank a bottle and took some home too!

After closing down leaving Alto, we headed back to Susan's.  Our original plan was to make supper, but when we realized the chicken was still frozen solid we had to resort to Plan B.  Plan B was 17th Street Bar & Grill.  17th Street is another local favorite that is always top notch! 

On Saturday, Susan and I spent running errands at places like Home Depot, Hobby Lobby and Party City.  We grabbed lunch out at the Longbranch Cafe and Bakery and then rented some movies.  Because we are mature adults we ended up with Saving Mr. Banks and Frozen!  After just getting back from Disneyland, I loved 'revisiting' it in Saving Mr. Banks.  I also really enjoyed the sisterhood aspect of Frozen and how Princess Anna was relate-able and modern compared to other princesses.  We ate and drank at home Saturday night and crashed somewhere around midnight.  Disney movies will wear a girl out!

Sunday morning I helped Susan get squared away for a photo shoot she had later in the day and then I hopped in the Jetta and drove home. It doesn't look like we did more than eat and drink the weekend away, but I swear we did!  And to be honest, isn't that paired with good company what great weekends are made from?!?