Sunday Night Highlights 2.28.16

Weekend Adventures:

• Yesterday, I got a haircut. It was amazing. I love it! I've gotten my hair cut by the same stylist for ten years (yes, ten), and I love her and the salon. It's an experience that I look forward to a few times every year.
• I also picked up Chinese food because when in town, do as civilized people with excellent Chinese restaurants do, and pick up Chinese. Plus, I used to work there (TEN years ago, are you sensing a theme?) so I wanted to bring Wace by. It was wonderful. Wacey LOVES lo mein, as do all babies, according to my old boss, Jin.
• And you guys? THE WEATHER. It's glorious. Wacey and I will be soaking it up on a loooooonnnng walk (read: visit with strollers and babies with my good friend down the road). 

Agriculture:

• Since it's March, a lot of ranches are starting to think about spring. One thing we do is put out high-magnesium mineral blocks for the cows to lick. This helps prevent grass tetany (low magnesium levels in the blood) often caused by low levels of magnesium in new spring grasses. The cows are so excited to see green grass that they go to town on it, but there isn't enough magnesium so we supplement. This is important because you usually find a cow that has grass tetany because she's dead. That's no good. 
• As the grass starts to green up, the guys will change up how they feed the cows. Milking mothers need a lot of protein and calories, which they can get from good hay and cake, but not from fresh spring grass. They'll keep good hay in front of them, but might start feeding more cake protein supplements if the cows aren't eating the hay. Which, they usually aren't, because would you eat the dehydrated version of something you can get fresh?
• Spring is also breeding time for the cattle....and horses! We're sending our good mare, Miss, down to one of the other ranches to run with one of the studs and I'm sort of excited to (hopefully) have a baby horse born next year!

On the Ranch:

• SO MANY CALVES. I love it.
• Ranching is very cyclical, and so there are events that happen that kick off every season. It's different on every ranch, but for me, ultrasounding heifers is the unofficial start of Spring Work. We have ten days before the vet comes down to ultrasound, and I'm kind of excited. It doesn't hurt that it was seventy degrees in Denver yesterday!

On the Home Front:

• My house is a wreck. Just thought I would let you know that. Usually I don't have trouble finding time to clean, but I have been in an anti-cleaning mood lately. I did get to the bathrooms and the laundry today, thank goodness.
• I've also been having trouble coming up with ranchy blog content. I think the issue is that I know we have so many interesting things coming up but they're not here yet! 
• Wacey is sort of talking!!! We're SO excited. Like, first-time-parent, unreasonable-amounts-of-enthusiasm excited. He will occasionally say "Hi," but his favorite word is "dog," He doesn't say "dog," exactly, but he has a word that he says every time he sees a dog (even on TV or in a book!) and it melts my heart. We did see a Great Dane today that threw him for a loop, but I don't blame him--Great Danes are quite a bit different looking than the members of our motley crew of cow dogs (get it--because Rivet is a merle/motley blue dog?!? Oh man I'm hilarious.)
• I got a plane ticket for me and Wace to fly to a college friend's wedding and I'm so excited!! The wedding happens to be in the same state as most of my extended family so we're making a little family trip out of it. 

Motherhood: Year One

I, like most other moms, had grand ideas about what kind of mom I would be before I had a baby. I'd do this, and never do that, and he would sleep, and I would nurse, etc. etc.

And one word that all moms say after they're out of the trenches of the newborn days about their expectations: HA. 

If you know me IRL, you know I'm a Type-A Planner. I like schedules, routines, and knowing what's coming. I like having the same thing for breakfast every morning, and being on top of my game at home and at work. I get immense satisfaction out of showing up with baked goods, and getting things done properly. I'm an introvert and I love to read and do things by myself, but I also love going out to dinner and goofing off with my husband. And now, I have a toddler, and we're planning/hoping for more children at some point. 

I'm still a Type-A Planner. I didn't have any idea about how on earth I was going to maintain my personal sanity and be a mom and do all the things I want to do. Wacey has been one year old for a whole two weeks now (for those of you that follow the family blog, I have his updates written, I just keep forgetting to post them!), and I was thinking about what a difference a year makes--especially since he's my first kid, I had all these expectations about how things would go, so I thought I'd revisit those!

What I Thought: I wanted to try and nurse until he was a year, because "nursing is the best thing ever for your child," and because formula's expensive, y'all.

What Happened: We made it to month one. It sucked. It was so hard because he had a great latch, was an awesome baby, and I made no milk. We started supplementing with formula at one month, went to all formula by month four, and never looked back because he was finally happy and gaining weight and it was glorious. While I'm going to try hard again next time, and get a better LC, I'm not going to beat myself up like I did with Wace. Because yes, our bodies do all kinds of neat things, but guess what? Sometimes they let us down, and then science does some really neat things.

What I Thought: Sleep was going to be so hard. It was actually my number one worry!

What Happened: It wasn't so bad, and I probably just jinxed myself for all future children. Oh well. It was rough in the first month because he wouldn't sleep laying flat, and he didn't like being in the swing all night, so I held him and we slept on the sofa together. At the time, it kind of sucked (I remember crying to Bert at 9pm that "I just want to sleeeep. I'm so tired.") I was worn out, but Wacey was so sweet, so that helped. Once he got his days and nights figured out, he gradually started only waking up once or twice a night to eat, and he has slept more or less soundly all night since the four-month sleep regression ended. I will say that that sleep regression was awful. I remember writing an email to my cousin with the subject: I HATE this Wonder Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

We still have had weeks where he does wake up once a night because of teeth or whatever, but sleep training has worked really well for us and we can usually get him back on track pretty fast. It hasn't been easy, per se, because it does require work, but it wasn't the grueling, all-consuming battle that I thought it would be. 

What I Thought: I would be able to go into the office every day.

What Happened: Not anymore. We did go in every day before he got truly mobile, and when he was still happy sitting and playing with blocks or in his exersaucer, but now that he's a wild man, we spend the mornings at home so he can play and then nap in his room, and then we go into the office most afternoons. It's working so far and has made sleeping (and consequently me getting work done) so much easier.

What I Thought: I would have Wacey on a schedule. Babies need schedules. Schedules are the best. 

What Happened: HA. No schedules for this baby! He goes down for his nap at the same time every morning, but that's relatively new thing--since 9-10 months. Before, it was all very ish. You know, he woke up around 7-8ish, had a morning nap maybe around 10ish, maybe an afternoon nap around 1ish, maybe a late afternoon nap, maybe not. And that's okay. While a schedule is infinitely easier to handle, it's most easy to handle when he's happy! I read Baby Wise, tried all the tricks, looked for sleep signs, and you know, he wasn't hip to that jive. Which is fine! 

What I Thought: A lack of schedule would kill me. We had to get on a schedule.

What Happened: Honestly, a little bit. I've become more flexible since having Wacey, I'm proud to say, and although I'm SO HAPPY we have a semi-schedule now, it actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be before, although I think with the next baby I'll have a little better idea of how to get the schedule thing started sooner. I've gotten more productive during naptimes, and work at odd hours. When we're having a rough day, we go out. I put him in the car, and we go get supplies from Big R for Bert, or listen to a podcast in the car, or get groceries. I try to save small grocery runs or trips to Big R for cranky days or days when we need a change of pace. 

I will say that I protect his only predictable nap (morning) fiercely. He is a whole different baby if he misses this nap, and the change isn't a pleasant one.

Sometimes he just needs a change of scene to get out of a funky mood, or alleviate crakiness brought on by a missed nap. This is a good indicator that he has a personality--or at least pieces of his personality--a lot like his mama. Heaven help us. 

What I Thought: I'd take him everywhere

What Happened: I do. Everywhere! Where I go, he goes. The barn, the store, the office, etc. This is because we don't have any daycare options we can afford, and also because I like him. I still relish a baby-free outing every now and again, but we're like a really small gang and I enjoy that. 

What I Thought: The baby weight would be gone within nine months.

What Happened: That's a picture of me two weeks before Wacey was born. I'm happy to report the tummy is a little smaller now, haha.

Truly, I'm still working on it! I've been back to my pre-baby weight for awhile, but not my pre-baby size since I don't have as much muscle. I learned, though, that for me it's about changing my lifestyle and finding workouts that I really enjoy doing. I think I've found my groove, and I'm so much happier when I'm not dreading workouts. For instance, I hate jumping, running, and HIIT in general. Totally not for me. I can do some T25 every now and then, but not every day. I do like weights, and I like walking (but fast--no strolling for this gal), and "quiet", strength-based workouts like Pure Barre. If there were a pool nearby, I would swim. But, I feel so much healthier then I did pre-baby, so I'm glad to be were I am. There you go. 

What I Thought: We'd read so many books!
What Happened: I try to sit and read books to Wace every day, but he's just not into holding still for that long! He will, however, sit by himself and look at books, and he's constantly "reading" one in the car, so I'll take it until he's old enough to be truly interested. 

Takeaway: Kids are wonderful, unpredictable but sometimes predictable creatures and we love them even though they're a tiny bit disgusting and smear food everywhere. I miss my tiny little snuggly baby, but seeing him grow and learn new things is such a kick that I'll take the trade, any day! 

Sunday Night Highlights 2.21.16

Weekend Adventures:

• Yesterday, Wacey and I went to the library to get my giant stack of books on hold, and invest in some more sippy cups. And while we were getting said sippy cups, I found a new rose gold glitter nailpolish, so given my obsession with glitter nailpolish, scooped that baby right up and did my nails in the car before driving home. Natch. 
• We also got a car wash because I was driving a dirt beast down the road, and whole chickens on sale for 69 cents a pound. Like four of them. This chalks up to a good day in my wonderful #momlife. Okay, I also got bux. That helps. 
• Today is going to be a lazy day, I can tell. I'm excited about it, we had a busy week! We're currently watching The American semifinals on RFD, and then a nice long walk (because Wacey loves walks again thanks to his wind cover!) this afternoon. Oh and like laundry and cleaning toilets, but this is a blog. We don't talk about those things ;)

Agriculture:

• Calves need to have colostrum as soon as possible after birth. This is because they are born without any antibodies, and get all of their antibodies from their mothers. The antibodies are absorbed through pores in their intestinal lining, and those pores begin to close a few hours after birth.
• When calves nurse and are really getting after it, they wag their little tails and it's so cute.
• Calves start adding grass or hay to their diet anywhere from 3-8 weeks, as soon as their rumen is developed enough to handle the roughage. 

On the Ranch:

• Between all four camps, there were over a hundred calves born last week. Woo! I'm proud of the girls for getting these babies born while the weather is nice! It helps the guys so much. I'm doing my best to keep up with getting all the babies in the computer on time, and trying to keep track of supplies so we don't run out. 
• We're starting to look towards ranch rodeo season, which is always a welcome change. The rodeos are almost all finalized in terms of dates and events, and the guys will start practicing when they can. I'm thinking about what I'm going to wear, of course. 

On the Home Front:

• This week was out of the ordinary, in a good way. We got a new refrigerator, and y'all, my life is changed. Because the ranch provides the housing, we're at their mercy in terms of appliances and we've never had a full-size fridge in the six years we've been together (I know #firstworldprobs), but this can make things rough when you only shop once or twice a month! Our old fridge was dying in a freezing/thawing/leaking sort of way, and the guys came through and brought us a brand-new, FULL SIZE french-door beauty! Timely and perfect because we needed more room because...
• Wacey is now officially on all whole milk, all the time! This is a big deal for us; I wasn't able to make enough milk for him, so he's been on formula since he was a month old, with no breastmilk by month four. That stuff is expensive, our kid eats like a horse, and now he eats like a baby calf. YAAAAS. We're working on sippy cups, slowly but surely! Where did my baby go?
• This week we have nothing on the docket except for work and play, and watching election primary results (yikes, y'all). And hopefully another tooth! Come onnnnn tooth! And figuring out how I want to get my hair cut on Saturday. Which is like, a big deal. 
• Totally put my got beef sticker on the Sub(aru). Totally love it. 

Aaaaannnnnddddd you can now follow me on Bloglovin! There's a link in the sidebar. I am horribly illiterate with blog stuff, but I'm learning, with a little help from my friends in the blogger help forum (thanks Chuck!). 

Our Favorite Recipes: Internets Edition

Hellllooooo Friday!

This week, the weather has been so nice that I've had a hard time staying inside beyond getting ranch computer stuff done, so I'm committing to getting this post down before we're done with breakfast this morning.

I am getting super excited for spring! We've spent tons of time outside on walks (I've logged 68,000 steps since Sunday! I'm a little proud, a little sore) and just goofing off and although it's windy, the warmth and Vitamin D has me thinking about all the things to do with Wacey this summer!

Today, I'm rounding up my favorite online tried-and-true recipes. I don't know about you, but I love finding recipes online but wish for more honest reviews, especially on blogs. I can usually tell if a recipe is going to work for us or not, but sometimes something I think will work turns out poorly--either just lackluster or completely inedible (I'm looking at you, mustard-marinated chicken breast)--which is a bummer when you've put in time on a weeknight and don't have a backup.

Because we live a rural area (and are on a budget) we don't eat out much, so I cook pretty much every night. We have about 30 recipes that I keep in a semi-rotation, but we go through phases where we'll eat the same ten or fifteen meals a few times per month. Each month I try to try one or two new things, and if we like them, they'll go into the rotation, and if they're a flop, I'll put them in a post someday for you so that you don't have to deal with the sting of disappointment at 6:00 pm on a Wednesday.

I have grand dreams of having a food portion of this blog, but because my food photography skills leave so much to be desired, I'll just review these here babies for you.

Disclaimer: yes, there is a lot of meat and a lot of rice/pasta on this list. It's all about proportion, people, and I throw as many vegetables as possible on the plate to accompany these lovely dishes.

Crispy Baked Pork Chops: We have this one or twice a month with the chops from our freezer, and it's soooooooo good. One thing I really love about it is that I can bread a bunch, freeze them, and just thaw and bake without having to make a mess every time. These chops are crunchy and savory without being heavy. I make with whole-wheat panko, and serve with wild/brown rice or pasta and a big pile of green vegetables like broccoli or asparagus. Potatoes are also good with this!

Pioneer Woman's Beef and Snow Peas: This is one that I love because I can use less tender cuts of meat, which we get a lot of since we get a half a beef--if only it could be all flanks and ribeyes! PW calls for flank steak, which is of course the best for stir-frying, but with longer marinating you can use something like a round steak, which I what I use for this the most. I marinate at least overnight, sometimes longer, with a splash of apple cider vinegar to help tenderize even more. I also double the amount of snow peas for additional greens, and serve over rice.

Pioneer Woman's Cajun Chicken Pasta: This is one of Bert's most-requested meals, and has gotten rave reviews from everyone I've made it for, even my little sister who has a very discerning palate. We're not wild about the tomatoes, so I usually sub tomatoes for mushrooms because they're Bert's favorite. I often add a little more bell pepper, too. I've tried the "lighter" version of this, but to me it's like reduced-fat Oreos. What's the point? It's okay to indulge! Nom nom nom. 

That being said, you can use a heckuva lot less heavy cream and still have this thing taste decadent. I don't measure anymore, but I know I use less than 1/4 cup all told. Bert hasn't commented on any difference, so I think it's a winner!

Chicken Fajitas: We typically use beef for fajitas since again, half a beef in the freezer, but sometimes it's nice for a change and I LOVE this recipe. Sometimes I'll add a little cilantro-lime rice a la Chipotle, plus sharp cheddar, and sour cream for Bert. I use the raw tortillas from Costco that you cook at home in a skillet--the next best thing to homemade, and SO GOOD. 

Soy-Marinated Balsamic Flank Steak: I put this with penne or campanelle pasta, green beans or roasted asparagus, and a balsamic vinegar reduction. Really good, really  flavorful, and also works on different cuts of meat, although I would recommend something more tender than a round steak for this one. I also like that I can broil it if the weather is horrendous. We're fair-weather grillers around here, I'll admit it!

Angel Hair Pasta with Italian Sausage and Mushrooms: This has become a major favorite chez Johnston, because my husband is an Italian Sausage fanatic. I use bucantini for the pasta, it adds just a little more chewiness that I love, and I use hot Italian Sausage for the meat because Johnstons are born with the tastebuds of steel and thus, everything is spicy and then Bert adds Tabasco. Our favorite sausage is Sara's Sausage, which you can find at most grocery stores in the Denver area at least. It's local, handmade, and by far the best we've ever had. Since this is sauce-less, it's light, but thanks to all the spices, it packs a punch for flavor. If you don't like fennel, though, this is not for you!

Kung Pao Chicken: This is delicious and different from what we typically eat. We love Asian flavors, especially since take-out is 25 miles away! It's hard to find dark soy sauce, so I usually just sub in a little balsamic vinegar and regular soy sauce, and it tastes great! I also often use Sambal Olek chili paste in place of the chilis, because, as I've mentioned before, the selection at our local grocery is rather limited in terms of "exotic" fare. I serve this with a pile of snow peas over rice and chop the peanuts. 

Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry: This is my go-to stir fry sauce. I make a big batch and keep it in the fridge for nights when I want to make something healthy and fast. Costco has big bags of frozen stir-fry veggies that are GREAT for this, and cut the prep time considerably. Plus it has little baby corns and who doesn't love baby corns? Did you know that the plural of baby corn is actually baby corns? Truly, it is. I decided it when I was about six so it must be so. This is really good with either white or brown rice.

There it is! I plan on posting more of these as I try more things! Happy cooking!

An Adventure & A Story

You guys. Do you ever have a morning where you find some weird amount of motivation and energy and get so much done?

I know, it's like the unicorn of morning conditions.

But this morning, this unicorn showed up on my treadmill at 6:15 and I wish it would stay. Wacey and I had to go to town to get some important supplies for Bert, so we made an adventure out of it (I always feel like running to even the close town is an adventure since it's forty miles round trip, haha, it makes it more fun).

Our objectives:

Okay, fine, we really only needed a box of calf electrolyte packets (on the left), but you can't tell me that I'm going to town first thing in the morning and not stopping by SB for Productivity-Inducing, Mood-Booting, Coffee Drink.

The Adventure to Accomplish Objectives:

Wake up early, hop on the treadmill and knock out 4,000 steps and half of Downton Abbey before 7:00. Lament the fact that I can't do this every day, but then resolve to try much harder because it's seriously the best. Also lament the fact that Downton Abbey is ending this season and there's only one episode a week even though it should be like Friends and have hundreds of episodes. Lady Violet, y'all.

Scoop up Wacey, and get him dressed in his hilariously cute little track suit because nothing says ADVENTURE like baby-sized exercise wear, gather up allthethings because we can't leave without, you know, everything, and zip out the door.

Wave good morning to our favorite cowboy ever.

Wave good morning to the road grader and get SO EXCITED because the roads have been so rough since the last snow storm and this guy makes them so smooth!

Wave good morning to our resident deer herd--there's a guy that lives right here who feeds them, so they camp here and I like them. 

Take a beautiful picture of what was supposed to be Pikes Peak but is actually an oddly huge fog bank.

Take a picture of my toddler being unhappy about the hood he is wearing, but not so unhappy that he wants to take it off. The struggle is real, y'all.

And then, stop and take a picture of the exact same spot that was sunny and gorgeous less than an hour before. Huh.

And now we come to the storytelling portion of today's post. I am about to tell you a story about one of the oddest, most hilarious shopping experiences of my life. 

For our wedding, we got a starter set of cobalt Fiestaware (which I registered for, thank you very much! Actually, thank the Wanbergs very much for buying it for us). When I went to Bed, Bath & Beyond to get three more place settings, they sent me back to the china department to order what I needed. While I was there, a girl about my age struck up a conversation about weddings and such. She said "Oh, are you here registering for china?! Me too! What's your pattern?" And I was like "No, just, ah, completing my Fiestaware set." According to her face, I said "No, just here smearing boogers on the counter" while simultaneously kicking puppies with knock-off shoes. She and the salesperson went on a passionate pitch to try and persuade me to buy a real, twelve-person set of china, complete with gravy boat and silver soup tureen, which simultaneously waxing poetic about the lost traditions of china patterns. I tried to explain that everything we own must be durable and dishwasher safe, because of the ranch and the cowboys and the fact that I hate handwashing. Oh and because of life and our lack of staff or aristocratic titles. You know. 

Insert the girl asking "Wait so your husband is, like, a cowboy? Like for his job?" 

I also tried to explain that the only time we would have twelve people over would be at a branding, in which case Chinet will be used. Whaaaaaaat?! However, I will say that we spring for the heavy-duty, pounds-of-meat-holding Chinet.

"I don't see why it matters. Everyone should have nice dishes."

(I do. My "company" set is gorgeous. My "everyday" set is half aforementioed Fiestaware and half Waverly toile. Not china, but gorgeous, and durable.)

"Besides, it's not like your dishes will end up at your barn or whatever." 

 When I was dropping off the electrolytes at the barn, I noticed this:

 

So there's that.

Spoiler alert: I didn't buy any china, and we are still not in possession of either a soup tureen--silver or otherwise--or a gravy boat. Le sigh. 

Happy Tuesday, may you have many happy adventures, and may you always feel free to buy the dishes you like!

Sunday Night Highlights 2.14.16

Weekend Adventures:

• Today is, of course, Valentine's Day! As I mentioned before, we don't make a big fuss. I surprised Bert with a book he's asked me to check out of the library twice (The Cattle Health Handbook--it's a good all-around reference), and Wace and I snuck into town yesterday to get Dairy Queen ice cream cupcakes for our number one guy because we can and they're delicious and little surprises make my world go round.
• I was surprised with potted hydrangeas and chocolate, which is my idea of a good time. I'm an avid chocolate lover, and I LOVE flowers, so while it may seem pretty #basic, sometimes basic is best, you know?
• Wacey and I celebrated today by our first long walk with my neighborfriend and it was wonderful! She got him (us) a clear wind cover (windshield) for his stroller for his birthday and it's made all the difference. 

Agriculture:

• One pound of wool can make ten miles of yarn.
• The pleats in a chef's hat are supposed to represent the number of ways you can make eggs. I guess that means there's more than scrambled, overeasy, sunny side up, hardboiled, poached, and Benedict. I'm actually surprised I know that many. Does McMuffin count? What about mayonnaise?
• One acre of soybeans can produce over 82,000 crayons. 

On the Ranch:

• OMG all the calves, and the mud. You know spring is slowly creeping around the corner, though, because the roping dummies are starting to come out. Ranch rodeo season is getting closer and closer! 

On the Home Front:

• We've had a busy week of one-year-checkups, all the produce, and lots of stuff at work, but you know? I don't hate it. 
• This week, I started Fit Girl's Guide and I LOVE it. I'm doing the fitkini challenge, and it's amazing! While I'm following the workouts, I'm not following the meal plan exactly, but trying to stick to the general theme of all the meals and really ramping up my fruit & veggie intake. The workouts are simple, effective, and take less than a half hour.
• We've (okay, mostly me) been watch Pretty Little Liars and we're almost done. The dramatic hijinks keep on coming and it's sort of great.

Friday Favorites: 2.12.16

Happy Friday, y'all! It's been a lovely week down in these here parts. We've finally hit a thaw, and I will happily trade the cold for the ridiculous amounts of mud that we have from all the snowmelt. #countryliving at its finest, and realest. We don't have any exciting weekend plans--we don't do much for Valentine's Day. 

WHAAAAT?! I know. Let me explain.

We had Wacey's birthday last weekend. Big party, big fun! So, we're not hankering for a big to-do. Every year that Bert and I have been together (this will be Valentine's Day numero cinco), we've been calving cows at this time, or in the middle of blizzards. Or both. Not exactly a recipe for romance. That being said, last year Bert surprised me with a box of chocolates and I cried. Literally. There is nothing more amazing than a box of chocolates (okay, and sleep) one week after having a baby. My mom offered to babysit, but I told her maybe we'll hit the town on Arbor Day or something once the calves are born. If you have fun plans this weekend, I hope they deliver on the fun! 

With that graceful segue in mind, here are some things I've been drooling over this week on the internets

Favorite Footwear (That I Keep Pinning But Not Buying): Booo-tays. I love these. They're speaking to me. Maybe I'll buy them in like two years. I have a fear of buying non-rugged, non-washable, non-waterproof footwear because #countryliving. I like the versatility of these, as well as the low heel and interesting strap business. 

Favorite Indulge: Moet & Chandon Rose Champagne. Okay, so the likelihood of me ever actually buying a bottle of M&C is pretty slim--I have about a jillion other things I'd rather spend my money on. But. Apparently, moms drink wine. My mom groups on Facebook say so. I'm not really a wine fan. I'll occasionally (read: less than ten times a year) have a beer (Hoegaarden is my absolute fave. Girly beer heaven, y'all.), but I don't like wine. You know what I do like, though? Champagne. I LOVE champagne. So, I was thinking. Why do I have to wait for a wedding to drink a little bubbly? Why not get a few of those little champagne bottles for when I'm in the mood to celebrate being alive? Bonus points for rose. Because pink.

Favorite Truth: Small Gang. Wacey doesn't talk, but he makes TONS of sounds, and will "talk" back to me. We visit with each other constantly. So, when we're out, we growl at each other, talk about produce, expound upon our love for dadadadada, sing some ditties (not always about Jack and Diane), and people look at us. Like there's the one VERY tall man in Safeway who I routinely see and I think he thinks we're crazy. When I saw this, I was like YES! We're a really small gang. We give a whole new meaning to "womb to tomb, birth to earth." So hey, staring people: you're not in our gang. Your shoes are clean and you think a grocery store is an odd place to growl.
 

Favorite Beauty: Glamglow mask. I've been looking for a face mask, and this one gets alltheraves. It is pricey, so I'll be picking up a sample (or two) when I'm in town in a couple weeks to see if it's all everyone says it is.

Favorite Hairs (?): This. The aforementioned town trip is for a visit to my hair goddess. I've recently discovered some hair products that make me think I might actually be able to style my hair (I'll do a post about it if it comes true!), and am toying with a cut like this one. I was resisting short because I didn't want it to be a mom bob, but this cut isn't frumpy at all, and my hair's at least this thick, so this looks like a possibility!

Favorite Foliage: Lavender. I'm brainstorming what to put in front of the house since I cut down the really sad bushes there last fall. I was thinking peonies, but I like the idea of lavender for this project instead. This variety in particular doesn't require tons of water or care and it will smell ahhh-mazing coming in through the bedroom windows. Plus it's so pretty, and perennial!

Favorite Mama + Mini: Mama Bear/Baby Bear shirts. I don't get very many chances to match Wace, and so I can't wait to scoop up one of these sets! I have a major weakness for baseball tees, but I like the graphics on the grey ones a little better. I also like "baby bear" a little better, I don't know why, but the gal who makes the baseball tees has a "baby bear" shirt, too...ahhh so many choices! This might be a (very) early Mother's Day present to myself :) 

Favorite "Please Oh Please Go On Sale!!!!!": Peplum top. I love this top for so many reasons. It's light, airy, will go well with boots and jeans or capris or shorts (always thinking about summer rodeos ha), it's forgiving to cover up present and future pre- and post-baby body-ness, it's feminine, and it has a longer short sleeve. It's a little out of my price range at the moment, but I've gotten some major steals from Anthro in the past, so I'm hoping and praying this becomes one of them!!! 

Favorite DIY: Restoration Hardware-esque shelves. These are the kinds of shelves I want to do downstairs. Sort of rustic, sort of utilitarian, sort of unexpected, entirely durable, entirely awesome.

Favorite Baby Wear: Chambray shorts. I know I put these on Wacey's birthday list, but I can't stop thinking about how cute they'll look on his chubby little legs. I'll scoop them up when Oshkosh is having a sale closer to summer--I have no idea what size this boy is going to wear!

Favorite Funny: Got Beef Window Decal. I bought this. No joke. I'm putting it in the back window of the Subaru as soon as it arrives next week. If you've been to Colorado, you know that there are a lot of Subarus. And lots (not all, of course) of people driving in those Subarus aren't exactly in love with beef, or ranching. So, this is my way of supporting my industry while driving in my hippie mom car. Not politically correct in the slightest, but neither am I. 

Favorite Food: White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies. I had a sudden craving for these the other day, and this recipe looks soooooo good. Can you tell I've been trying to eat healthier lately? I'm like "I love brown rice and salad, but Lord, give me all the cookies." 

Favorite YES PLEASE: You Had Me at You're. I guess I'm into shirts this week--apparently the warm weather has me thinking about short sleeves! Anyways. This is so me. I will admit that when I know someone who routinely uses incorrect contractions--not just a typo here and there--or has issues with plural forms of words, etc., it's like spinach in their teeth. I want to forget that it happened, but I can't! I know. Totally awful, sort of elitist, and kind of snooty. I'm like Chandler and his girlfriends. But. The grand, vast majority of these people have college degrees, so I know they were required to take grammar in school. YOU GUYS. Your. You're. A lot. Alot. Woman. Women. Too. To. Two. Lose. Loose. ALL of these things are not like the other.

The Weather Outside is Frightful

It was fifty degrees and sunny today, with no end to the good weather in sight, so we're far enough removed from freezing our hineys off that I can write about snow!

Storms in calving season are the worst, but we expect them, since we sort of live in a snowy state and we calve in the winter, when it, you know, snows.

A question we get asked a lot is "What do you do with the cows when it snows?" They stay outside, we just take extra good care of them!

The main thing is food, food, food. Cows eat more to keep themselves warm and keep up their milk supply. Bert will feed the cows extra hay, and then give them a whole extra bale of oat hay or straw for the calves to lay in. He’ll also bring them into a pasture between the pivot (where they go when they’re big) and the barn (where they’re born) that’s mostly trees, to give them more shelter.

In the pens, we’ll bed them deep with straw, feed them extra food, and try to bring the cows into the barn as they calve so the babies are born in the barn where it’s warm and dry. 

The calves are checked a LOT more often, too. Normally, you don’t have to worry as much about the older calves since they are bigger and stronger, but when we get a lot of snow and wind, they can freeze down or get buried, so it’s important to make sure that they are doing well and their mothers are taking good care of them.

 
If a calf gets cold or sick in these storms, there isn’t always time to bring the mother and the calf in together. While that’s always the ideal situation, sometimes it’s more important to get the calf warm and treated than to bring the pair in together. They are reunited as soon as possible, but keeping the calf alive is always the number one priority. One of my greatest frustrations involving cattle is when you’re trying to bring a mom in to her calf and she just won’t go because MOM JUST COME WITH ME I’M TAKING YOU TO YOUR BABY GEEZ.

Cold kills more calves than the snow does, so storms like the one we’re in now where it snows a foot and then gets down to below zero at night are the really scary ones. Checking, checking, checking all the time.

How do you know if calves are cold? A good way is to put your finger in their mouth. If it’s cold inside, then that calf is cold inside too. You can also feel their feet or their ears, since you can tell by touching them if the calf has or is well on the way to having frostbite, which is another good indicator that they need to be warmed up. You can also tell by how they look or how they’re laying if they’re feeling poorly or if something’s wrong.

If a calf gets cold, they come into the barn and get put into the hot box. Every ranch has a different variation of a hot box involving a box with a small opening or a door lined with straw and heated with heat lamps. If the hot box is in use or too far away, the floor boards of the pickup with the heat blasting are also a popular option, as is inside a (heated) vet room, or the kitchen floor!

So, next time it snows, or gets very cold, or next time you hear someone say that ranchers don’t care about their animals, remember that while the rest of the world is taking snow day, they’re working even longer hours—sometimes around the clock—outside in the blizzard taking care of everything.