Found My Holiday Stress

I was cruising into my kitchen the other morning and looked up on the wall to see this. Yep it's the end of January and I've still got the Merry Christmas art work hanging. How did this happen?

I vividly remember thinking at Christmas time, why are all these people stressing about the holidays.  I had everything under control throughout the Holiday season.  I had all my gifts wrapped early, stayed in my buying budget, did my holiday baking, hosted Christmas dinner, and pulled off a rockin gift presentation for our family trip to Disney. Well the holiday stress caught up with me- it's just a month late.

What happened- I forgot to look ahead to January and the crazy month I had. I've had a full travel schedule and a lot of different projects going on. I felt horrible that I cancelled the Cloverbud meeting this month, letting down 20 pre 4-H kids just crushed me.  I simply could not pull it together and it was hard to make the call. Thank goodness that January is over! I've looked ahead to February and it's much better. So, I'm optimistic I can get the Christmas decorations down before Easter.

Found My Holiday Stress

I was cruising into my kitchen the other morning and looked up on the wall to see this. Yep it's the end of January and I've still got the Merry Christmas art work hanging. How did this happen?

I vividly remember thinking at Christmas time, why are all these people stressing about the holidays.  I had everything under control throughout the Holiday season.  I had all my gifts wrapped early, stayed in my buying budget, did my holiday baking, hosted Christmas dinner, and pulled off a rockin gift presentation for our family trip to Disney. Well the holiday stress caught up with me- it's just a month late.

What happened- I forgot to look ahead to January and the crazy month I had. I've had a full travel schedule and a lot of different projects going on. I felt horrible that I cancelled the Cloverbud meeting this month, letting down 20 pre 4-H kids just crushed me.  I simply could not pull it together and it was hard to make the call. Thank goodness that January is over! I've looked ahead to February and it's much better. So, I'm optimistic I can get the Christmas decorations down before Easter.

Hadrick's Disney Favs

I know, I know it is way past time to share our Disney adventure with you- but as a busy mom sometimes I don't get to things right away.  I've been on the road a lot this month and just have not had time to get this done. The kids have been bagging me to get the update done,  they wanted me to share their favorites about Disney. We all had a great time and I would go back in a heart beat. 

Teigen threw caution to the wind and tried adventurous things at Disney that surprised us he would attempt.  Space Mountain was Teigens favorite ride hands down.  He tried the other roller costers but in the end Space Mountain has the right amount of thrill. We were proud when he chose to not go to the dark side as he participated in the Jedi Training. He was able to defend himself against Darth Vader and received his certificate of completion.  He also built his own light saber and now is also versed in that skill, this is a big deal in the life of a star wars fan. The other day I caught him checking out the Disney app on my phone.  He told me he was looking at the wait times, he just wants to be prepared for when we go back.

On a ride with Cousin Kayla

Miss O is a roller coster lovin girl- who knew! She went on all of them Expedition Everest, Rock 'n' Roller Coster and Space Mountain. Big smile on her face after each one. I'm not sure where this wild side comes from but it is something I will have to keep on eye on now that I've caught a glimpse. When I asked her what else she wanted to share she only wanted me to talk about the roller costers. I do have to tell you that one of my favorite membories of Miss O is her comment as we were getting done with the Small World ride. She looked at my Cowboy and said "it seems like a big world when you ride this ride."  Always the practical thinker.

Miss R embraced the true heart of Disney, which in turn melted mine. She loved every minute of everything. I have to start before we left telling her favorites. Miss R loves to wear dresses, I explained that in Florida she could wear her summer dresses but she refused to pack any. When I finally asked her why she explained she had her dress- she planned to wear her Rapunzel dress each day we were there. 

She wore her dress the day she became a princess. She went to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique wear her personal fairy godmother did her hair, makeup, and nails. She gasped with delight when her look was revealed. At that moment they created the princess she has always knew she was and my eyes filled with tears because she was so excited. She also loved the Aladdin Magic Carpet Ride. It was the right amount of excitement she was looking for. Miss R is still talking about the trip and the other day I heard her singing the tune from the Carousel of Progress. Disney may have changed her life. 

She really wanted me to share this picture with all of you

As for My Cowboy he came around to enjoying the Disney experience. He went on all the rides including Tower of Terror.  I even heard him use the words 'when we go back'. I appreciate all the coordination he did of our time in Disney and packing my favorite wine. 

For me- my fav- let's put it this way. I always pictured myself working at some gift shop in Yellowstone when I retired but I would consider spending my winters working at Disney...

High Expectations

Two things most know about me is that I have high expectations and I appreciate good service. Going into our trip to Disney World I was looking for both of these things to be met. I also have to tell you the I'm not a Disney fanatic- sure I was excited to have this experience with my family but I actually could take or leave Micky Mouse.  I have to admit at first my socks were not knocked off, and I started to question the Disney experience.  As our trip went on I started to understand what people rave about with Disney. What it comes down to- they know how to entertain people and provide great service.  

Look close these are Minnie Ears

On our second day I had a question about PhotoPass option and I walked up to a random cast member to ask, figuring that I would get redirected to a place that I could get a answer. No, they knew the answer and I found that time and time again that each of the cast members know not just their job but can answer questions about all related to Disney.

By day 4 I started to pay attention to the cast members and how the reacted to each person, there was always a smile and they seemed to really want to know your concern/question and would do anything to fix it.  We had purchased a pin the day before for Miss O that broke and we went back to a different store to see if we could get a replacement. The cast member offered Miss O a pin off her personal collection.  Miss O really had her heart set on replacing her baby Daffy pen and when the lady saw her face she quickly went to the rack and got her a new pin. 

The food was great and the food service cast members where very helpful. Our first night we dined at the Teppan Edo in Epcot.  The food was great and the presentation was better.  My family was entertained and had a quality meal. That set the tone for the rest of the week, Miss R carried the chopsticks fashioned for her the rest of the week. We ate so much My Cowboy says that I almost killed us with too much eating. Disney does not want you to go away hungry when you use their dining plans. 

Disney sure has something for everyone and I was amazed at their entertainment levels. We had 10 people with us that included my mom and Aunt K, Uncle B, Cousins K & C we all had a great time riding the rides,  watching the parades and shows and meeting the characters.  The Kali River ride is an example of just one of many rides we did as a family.  I had not laughed that much in a long time!

The family right after the Kali River Ride- We are WET

All in all my expectations were met with flying colors. Every part of the trip I saw how Disney was working to make my families experience the most it could be. Even My Cowboy had a good time!

Don't Know My Round from My Loin

Today I got to do something I have never done before- it involved a hairnet, sharp knives and a trim bin. Any guesses?  Well a few more hints: I was in a lab, it was cold and conversation included terms like loin and round.  As a beef producer I think it is so important that I learn as much about the product I raise. How better to do that then spend the day fabricating a beef carcass. It was an amazing experience to start with the whole product and turn it into smaller cuts of meat- like ribeye steaks.  I now understand what product goes into ground beef and the process of making it leaner.  In fact I believe that all beef producers should be required to do this process. I think that it's provided me more insight into how to raise a better animal for quality meat. My group worked as a team to break down half a carcass and we were fortunate to have a ton of help from the meat scientists at South Dakota State University. They walked us through every step and explained every detail.  

We went from this 

To pieces like this... Cool.

I know I look pretty cool in my fabricating outfit.  My proud moment of the day was when our qualified helper said I did a great job at filleting the connective tissue off a piece of trim. Which means I finally figured out how to use the knife and he wasn't afraid I was going to cut off my fingers or hurt the guy next to me working on a different piece.
I consider myself fortunate to be a part of raising food for people and I'm proud of myself for taking the time to learn more about the food I produce so that I can do it better.

It's January 4th and I can't believe the weather in South Dakota! That's a statement I've said many times in January about our weather but I'm usually talking about how horribly cold it is or how much snow we have. This year I'm in shock because of how warm it has been. The past few days have got into the 50s! That is crazy for this time of year. It really confuses the kids since they are programed that it's winter and in winter you never leave the house without full winter gear. This consists of snow pants, snow boots, stocking hat and gloves. Although I have told the kids they dont need to carry these things with them. My kids are still packing all these things in their backpacks just in case a freak snowstorm hits while they are at school. I've trained them well.

Although I'm enjoying this weather, I'm nervous. As farmers we rely on Mother Nature to provide the moisture needed to grow crops. For us in the Dakota's a chunk of our yearly moisture comes in the form of snow. So when the snow doesn't come we start to get worried. Of course we don't say it out loud for fear that someone else may be thinking the same thing. No, farmers like to pretend that if no one else talks about it then it's not really happening. And what I'm talking about is the D word. D word? Drought. Now for those of you keeping track at home- we did have abundant moisture last year but this fall we dried up. But I'm optomistic Mother Nature will provide. We did get some fog last month so in March we could receive mositure- just in time for calving. That will keep My Cowboy out of trouble.