Life Lately in Pictures

My handsome boys got their hair cut last week. They love it! We usually just get it done once

a year. Harley gets hot really easily, so he looooves having his short hair.

The garden got tilled.....

It got warm! FINALLY!!! And of course I was blasting the air conditioning because I'm not

used to the warm weather yet.

I got a shoulder holster for my gun for Christmas from my parents. I mainly wanted it so

I could bring my gun with my when I run by myself down our county road. It normally hooks

onto a belt that you wear with jeans, but since I had on jogging pants I just wore a normal belt

around my waist. It worked just fine! I only had to scare off 1 person on my run that day :) Kidding :)

By the way, fun fact: Montana is an open carry state. So to wear my firearm like this, exposed, 

I would not need a concealed weapon permit. Now if I wore a sweatshirt over this, that 

would be considered concealed.

My sleepy little Harley after a long couple of days on the farm.

Ahhhh, this never gets old :)

Angel Wings

Remember back in January when I asked you guys to go support this little boy Ryker and his family for the contest with the TV Show Live with Kelly and Michael?

Well we got word on Friday evening from my high school friend Tisha (who is Ryker's aunt), that this precious little baby earned his angel wings and left the earth to spend the rest of his days in heaven.

Please join me in praying for peace, healing and understanding for his family, and everyone else who was touched by this sweet little boy. 

Rest in peace sweet angel.

Soul Food Friday

My fellow blogger Jennifer at Almost Gypsy Soul came up with this idea of Soul Food Friday for the last Friday of the month. I told her to remind me this month and I'd link up with her, so here we are! Link up with us if you'd like!

Anything that motivates you, speaks to you or generally gets you excited about life.....share it at Soul Food Friday!

So when I originally saw this post, I thought it was literally talking about Soul Food...and me and food...I believe Forrest Gump said it best, "We's go together like peas and carrots." Peanut Butter and Jelly..A1 sauce and anything...

So today I'm going to talk about my love affair with cooking. I love to cook. Anything and everything. I watch Top Chef, Chopped, and any other cooking show on TV. When I go on Pinterest, my favorite thing to pin is recipes. I preordered both of Pioneer Woman's cookbooks. After I get my Taste of Home magazine every other month, I immediately cut out all of the recipes I would actually cook and file them away in my recipe box. And my idea of a good time is sitting on the couch, bundled up in a blanket with a diet Dr. Pepper and a new cookbook. I wish I was kidding. 

I even submitted a recipe to Healthy Cooking magazine, which is a subsidiary of Taste of Home, and it was chosen to be published in the 2014 Health Cooking Cookbook.

The thing I love about cooking is the hunt for a good recipe. I browse hundreds of recipes, looking for something just right that will fit into my scope of what I like to make. When I find the recipe, I then file it away. When I'm wanting to feel inspired or try something new, I dig through my recipe box, look through  my cookbooks, or browse my Pinterest list. When I find "THE ONE" I write out a grocery list. 

Once I get everything bought and the dish made, I can't describe the feeling of accomplishment I get. I love trying new things, and it's even better when they turn out to be delicious. I take pictures of the stuff, and of course then blog about it or Instagram it :)

I don't know why, but I just LOVE the feeling I get after trying a new recipe and loving it. It's so weird, I wish I could describe it better...kinda like the feeling after you just nailed a presentation at work. It's like I get a natural high from it. I'm an odd duck, it's fine.

So naturally, I'm going to share one of my new recipes that I've tried and like. It's even better because it's a great way to use up some of the leftover ham from the holidays when that time comes around.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Source

I did make some changes to the recipe...I cut the recipe in half since I was only feeding two of us. I also used swiss cheese that I grated myself instead of sliced swiss, and I used leftover Easter ham instead of slices of ham lunchmeat.

•  Coat 13x9 pan with cooking spray
• Spread 2 cups of cooked rice on the bottom of the pan
• Spread 3 cups of cooked chicken over that
• Sprinkle 1 1/2 Cups of grated swiss cheese over the chicken
• Spread 1 Cup of diced ham over the cheese
• Mix 1 can Cream of Chicken soup, 1/4 Cup milk and 1/2 Cup sour cream together and spread on top of the ham
• Crush 15 ritz crackers and mix with 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp garlic salt, and 1/2 tsp parsley. Mix and sprinkle over the soup mix.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes!     

 What feeds your soul?

It's OK Thursday

First of all, you all should know it's my half birthday today! But you can refrain from giving gifts...I'll let it slide just this once ;)

Linking up with Amber and Neely today...

It's Ok.....

...that I accidentally parked in a handicap parking spot last week. The ground was dirty/icy and I didn't see it until I was backing out! Whoops!

...to wake up smiling from a dream

...to answer when people call you the wrong name, and not correct them

...to never spend more than $7.99 on a book for my Kindle. And that's the STEEP end. I usually pay $2.99 or less

...to eat out even though you just went to the store and your fridge and cupboards are full

...that the only way I know where I'm supposed to be and when is due to my day planner

...to find it sad and pathetic when people do petty things to try and piss you off

...to have ice cream for dinner

...to love your in-laws and appreciate everything they do for you

...to cut this one short cause I have a lot to do!

Tomorrow I'm linking up with Almost Gypsy Soul for Soul Food Friday!! I'll have a great recipe for you!

What Patrick Does For A Living

So not only is my husband a farmer/rancher, he also has a full time job. Fortunately he is his own boss, and his job helps out the family farm too. 

Remember when I posted this pic last year:

This is the truck and grain hauler we bought last year. 

It wasn't until Easter weekend that I drove with him for a whole day. I'm not sure if he enjoyed it or if I just annoyed the shit out of him....but I was there! I packed us a nice lunch and snacks and coffee. It was a fun idea but I think after about the 100th question I asked, he was ready for a break...so he just turned the music up really loud :)

So, this is what he does:

Goes to the grain bin site for whoever he's hauling for. In this case, it was for one of our neighbors. You can see in this pic the auger is going and the wheat is falling into the hauler.

 And here he is filling up the auger's gas tank. His loads are usually about 

1,000 bushels of wheat.

 When we're done loading we drove the 60-ish miles to the grain elevator.

You first have to drive into this scary little building where the scale is. At the

end of this building there's a probe where they take samples of wheat to see what 

the protein is. Standard protein is 14%. Any lower than that they dock you, but if it's

 higher you get more.

Once they weigh you, you drive through and around to the elevator. I couldn't

get pictures unloading cause it's a very tiny space and there's usually a long line, so no

standing around is allowed.

After you're done you drive back through the scale building to weigh again and see how much you weigh without the wheat loaded. You get your ticket, and drive back to the bin site to do it all over again!

If he's loaded in the morning and there aren't long lines at the grain elevator, he can usually get 3 loads in per day.

Having this for a job is great because he can make his own schedule, which allows him to help on the farm when he needs to. Oh, and he can take off work whenever :)

I would love to hear what everyone else's jobs are, or what their significant others do!

Every Storm Runs Out Of Rain

This isn't meant for anything specific going on, I just found it and had to share. No matter what friends, when bad things happen, you will learn from it. It might consume your life for a little while or even a long time. But just keep your head up, keep praying, and everything will be alright in the end. If it's not alright, it's not the end.

You Have GOT To Watch This!-Patrick's VLOG

Friends...this has never happened here on this blog....a VLOG of Patrick doing his best impressions and impersonations. There are about 15 of them. I read them off of a list, and he did his best impressions. Please excuse if the camera is a little shaky because as you'll hear, I was laughing hysterically. Oh, and my brother Dillon's voice made an appearance doing the Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. Our cousin Nathan was also over when we did this, and he thoroughly enjoyed laughing at Patrick too.

They're quite candid, these two:

You'll have to excuse my laughing in the background. Oh, and FYI...his hat says, "Next to sex I love my John Deere best."

And without further adieu....my husband.

Cooking Lately

Trying some of the recipes I've pinned to pinterest is one of my goals, and this one was a double whammy! Two dishes, one meal! Talk about overachieving...P.S...a side note about weight loss...don't use the gigantic dinner plates when eating. Switch to a salad plate-your serving sizes will be smaller-but they're actually about the right serving size. The picture below is my dinner on a salad plate. Try it! SO simple, and you'll thank me later.

Chicken Cordon Bleu-from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Ingredients:

• 3 large, thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets; you will have 6 total thin chicken breasts)
• 12 slices good quality deli ham
• 1 cup bread crumbs (preferably fresh)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 pound (8 ounces) thinly sliced Swiss cheese

Directions:

1. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.
2. Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with slices of Swiss cheese, layering across the chicken breast to make sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken.
3. Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden. 
4. Note: My cheese completely melted and oozed out the sides of the chicken and ham. I'm gonna have to figure out a way so that doesn't happen next time.

Broccoli Casserole-with no "cream of something soups"

Ingredients:

• 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, jarred minced
• 1/4 cup butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs or 1/2 cup crushed Ritz cracker, fine and dry

Directions:

1.  Cook broccoli according to directions, or if using fresh broccoli, chop it and cook it. Drain well. Add minced garlic to the broccoli. Place broccoli in a lightly greased 1 quart casserole; set aside.
2. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add salt and pepper; stir well. Add cream cheese, stirring until smooth.
3. Pour cream cheese sauce over broccoli in casserole; stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over low heat; remove from heat and stir in breadcrumbs or ritz crackers. Sprinkle breadcrumb or ritz cracker mixture evenly over casserole. 
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

These were both fantastic recipes, and I'll be cooking them again! Super easy too!

It's Ok Thursday!

Linking up with Amber again for It's Ok Thursday!

It's OK...


...to unbutton your jeans if you've eaten too much

...to keep a secret!

...to turn your bathroom into a barber shop

 Patrick giving our brother Dillon a haircut before Dill 

goes to National Guard drill weekend.

...to apologize quickly to your spouse when you've been crabby. Sorry honey!

...to just keep eating the food you already have in your cupboards instead of going to the store

...to pay off debt!

...to pick your nose when that stubborn booger just won't come out. Hey, we've all done it.

...to STILL be wearing cool weather clothes.

...to throw your cats outside at night when it's only 20 degrees, because they're driving you NUTS when they're running up and down the halls playing in the middle of the night.

...to have an impromptu howling session with your dog

...to be in love with where I live

Picture was taken on my way home last week...there were no cars on the highway in front of me, and none behind me. I was literally the only person for miles.

...I Believe...

...I believe in the power of prayer...

...I believe that everyone deserves a second chance...

...I believe in miracles-I've seen one with my own eyes...

...I believe a long hot shower is good to clear your mind...

...I believe that a good snuggle session with your pups can instantly make you feel better...

...I believe in unconditional love...

...I believe God has a plan, and Jesus is the answer...

...I believe in a big, fat, ugly cry...

...I believe it's ok to be surrounded by complete silence...

...I believe in trying to see the good in everyone...

...I believe in every trial and situation, there is something to be learned...

...I believe that sometimes you will always have to be the bigger person when it comes to your relationships with different people...

...I believe in working hard instead of taking the easy way out...

...I believe that you always need to take time for yourself...

...I believe in giving 100% of yourself in every situation and relationship...

...I believe it's ok to get lost in a book or TV show just to escape your own life for a bit...

...I believe we are our own worst enemy and harshest critic at times...

...I believe every person is beautiful, in their own way...

...I believe in being kind...

...I believe in standing up for what is right, even if you're standing alone...

...I believe in being a leader, not a follower...

...I believe that sometimes it's better to just keep your mouth shut and your thoughts to yourself...

...I believe in myself...

What do you believe?

April Goals Update

I created goals for myself this year and my plan was to update you guys on how I was doing with them at the beginning of the month. I figured since we're halfway through April I should probably get it done then huh?
Here goes:

1) Cook 20 new recipes from Pinterest: 6/20
I OWNED this one this month! I cooked four new recipes! You can find all of them on Pinterest with my comments. They included: Chicken Cordon Bleu, Broccoli Cheese Casserole, Crunchy Peanut Butter Cups, and Taco Pasta Bake. I'd make all of them again, except for the Taco Pasta Bake. I'll be giving the recipes and my review for these two below next week!

 
2) No online shopping for 1 month
Nope, didn't happen this month either


3) Visit 5 places I've never been before.
3/5. This month I was able to visit a new bull breeder in Western Montana where we bought a Polled Hereford Bull from Ehlke Herefords.


4) Read 20 books
This month I read 5 books-Reckless, On The Island and the In Flight Trilogy.

5) Send a note once a month to a friend
Still only 1/12...I'll have to catch up on this next month.


6) Complete 10 Pinterest ideas
Yeesh...still haven't gotten started on this one.


7) Use some of my photography to decorate our home.
Yep...still nothin.

8) Complete the weekly savings  money challenge
Nope...still got nothin.

9) Take a week off of work, just because.
Got it scheduled! I'll be off the entire week before Memorial weekend!!! WOOHOO! You know it's getting bad when your boss says, "Nicole, you have too much vacation. You really need to take some time off."

10) Read a daily devotional book with my husband, every day.
Big sigh...haven't done this either. I wish I could say we have been too busy, but really, that's the most poor excuse. 

11) Host 3 giveaways on my blog
1/3. I did my first one with the Name that Cow giveaway!!

12) Give my blog a facelift
This was done in February, so I'll just cross this off the ol' list.

13) Finish 3 projects in our house
Nope, didn't do this either. BUT, I'm starting to work on getting the master bedroom stuff planned!


Ok, so overall I didn't do so great the month of March. Truth is, March was tough. Patrick's parents were gone for over a week, which meant only us taking care of cows in the beginning of the month. We also went to a bull sale, drove halfway across the state to get another bull (which fulfilled one of my goals, so no complaining here!) and just generally getting ready for calving and the upcoming farming season-paperwork included. 

Now that we're halfway through April, I'm realizing that I haven't been making all of my goals a priority. Which means I haven't been making myself and husband a priority all of the time. That's a hard thing when it comes to farming. We both work during the day, then come home just to do more work. Time together is precious, and growing more few and far between in the coming weeks. That's the life we live though, and we find a way to make it work for us the best we can.     

How are you guys doing on your goals?    

This is Good Stuff Right Here

A friend posted this on Facebook the other day. Any married person, engaged person, or person thinking they want to get married, should read this and REALLY, I mean REALLY take it to heart.

Not only that stuff, but learning to apologize and give forgiveness when it is due.

That's all for today friends. Happy Weekend!

It's OK

My post is up a bit late today, but better late than never, right? So here we go!

It's ok...

-that I've been more tired than normal this week, even after getting more sleep!

-that I still haven't ordered seed for my garden

-that I feel asleep while Pinteresting last night.

-to be late for work because I was making my hair look super cute

-by the way I hate taking selfies, cause it always feels awkward sitting taking pictures of myself to post on the internet. Anyone else feel that way?

-it's ok that my coworker is leaving, moving back to California :(

-that I love my 25 mile drive home from work...because I get to see scenery like this:

 -it's ok to love you job, and look forward to going to it every day :)

-it's ok to feel like a garbage disposal after you annihilate everything in your cupboards, and are still hungry. I blame pms.



Short and sweet, but I'm a busy girl! Hope you all have a fabulous Friday eve!

PBR & Old Friends

Last weekend was one of those weekends you just NEED to have once in awhile. Got out of town, visited my sister, hung out with old friends, ate too much food and saw some cowboys ride bulls at the PBR! Oh, and got some new shoes. That never hurts my feelings.

Patrick and I were lucky enough to take a little time away from the farm and calving to have a weekend getaway that recharges your batteries and makes you feel almost human again. We headed South to Billings, which is like our "big city" around these parts. It's population is a little over 100,000. No, I didn't forget any commas or zeros ;) We arrived Thursday night and just went to bed after visiting with my sister for a bit.

Friday morning we got to visit with an old friend of ours who was in town, then headed over to the State FFA (Future Farmers of America) convention where our cousin was competing in his last year as a senior. We attended the alumni meeting, and visited with some friends from Culbertson. I also won a silent auction bid, and the 2013 FFA Alumni scrapbook award again! That makes 3 years in a row! Kind of helped that I didn't have any competition this year. I think I scared them all away ;)

Friday night we picked up my sister from work, headed to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, then off to the PBR Rodeo! The picture below is what happens when we get to the PBR about 45 minutes early.

Introducing the riders. It's definitely a good show!

After the rodeo we sat in the parking lot waiting to leave for about 45 minutes. That was...fun?

Aaaaand let's just say things got a little western on Friday night after the rodeo, and this was Patrick's outfit the next morning. Lovin' the loafers. And Lazer the dog!

After a little bit of shopping Saturday morning, we headed out to his friend's house for their FFA State Officer 10 year reunion BBQ. I think all but one were able to attend, and it was great to get the whole gang together! When we showed up, one of the guys' wives had bought balloons, a cake and all sorts of decorations! 

 What a great crew! The guy on the left, Darin, was the Best Man in our wedding, and the guy on the right, Brandon, was also a groomsman. That lovely lady in front on the right is the amazingly wonderful Halsey over at Spunky Junky.

Yeaaaaah, this is more like it :)

 Sunday morning we did the obligatory big city Costco run, and headed back to the farm. It was a great weekend to relax, see old friends, and have a great time!

More Fashion

Ok, so more fashion from someone who knows almost nothing about fashion. Like, sometimes when I feel daring, I take pictures of my outfits and send them to my cousin Lacey, who works in the fashion industry, to get her approval.

So here's a little secret of mine: I but almost EVERYTHING on sale. RARELY do I pay full price for something. If I can get it at discount or on clearance, what's the point of paying full price?

So...this whole outfit...

...cost me a whopping $65!

-Jeans: $20 Old Navy-Diva skinny jeans
-Shirt: $3 Gap
-Tank top: $10 Down East Basics
-Scarf: $7 Express
-Boots: $20 Ross
-Bracelet: $5 Local Boutique

I never thought that my articles of clothing from Old Navy and Ross would be the most expensive things I wear! But sure enough. And only $20 each, I say that's a good deal.

What about you guys? Are there any good places to shop that have good deals?

Come back tomorrow and I'll have a recap of my fun weekend!

Easter Dinner

Easter is my holiday to host at our house. So we usually have the family over, and it's up to me to plan the main meal and have everyone bring sides. I pulled recipes from Pioneer Woman, Pampered Chef, Taste of Home and Pinterest. Pulling out ALL the stops on this one.

The menu was:

Appetizers: Deviled eggs, hot spinach & artichoke dip, cheese tray with crackers, veggie tray, chips and dip, mini peanut butter cups.
Main: Spiral ham, grilled tri-tip, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted cauliflower, green bean casserole, rolls.
Dessert: Banana cream pound cake, Hershey's perfectly chocolate cake, pumpkin roll.

Let me tell you friends, if you've never hosted a family holiday at your home, where you make most of the food, it. is. exhausting. It takes A LOT of planning and prep work, so I'll give you some tips that I followed to help get everything done on time.

• 3-4 weeks in advance: Plan your menu. Decide what food you will provide, and what other members of your family will bring.
• 2 weeks in advance: Notify your family members what they need to bring. Make your shopping list.
• 1 week before: Go shopping for non-perishables. Most of the stuff should be on sale since it's the holiday. Buy the ham/turkey/meat. If you wait until the last minute, they might be gone!
• 3-4 days before: Go shopping for perishables. 
• Saturday before: Make chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. Make pumpkin roll. Make homemade peanut butter cups (Recipe below!).Boil eggs for deviled eggs. Cut cauliflower for roasted cauli dip. Wash potatoes. Make spinach dip, refrigerate with directions taped to dish:

While this may seem silly, it really helps. That way, when I got home from church

the next morning, all I had to do to get my appetizer going was to reach in the fridge, 

grab the stuff and throw it in the oven. Makes it so I don't have to go searching

again in the cookbook. (I used 3 different cookbooks, so this helped!)

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe

• Morning of: Get up early, finish last dessert of Banana Cream Pound Cake (for the record, mine didn't look nearly as neat as this picture does.) Go to church.
• Come home, preheat ovens, stick ham in the oven. Make deviled eggs. Put out rest of appetizers: Spinach dip, veggie tray, deviled eggs, cheese tray, mini pb cups, chips and dip.

• 1 hour before eating: Dice and boil potatoes, make mashed taters. Roast cauliflower, set table,
• 1/2 hour before: Take meat out of oven/grill to rest. Make gravy. Finish any other food that hasn't been finished.
• ENJOY THE MEAL!

It is tons of work and I was SO tired when it was all over. But I enjoy it! 

As promised, here is the recipe for the peanut butter cups:

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips
1/4 cup milk
Sea salt
Line a  mini muffin pan with liners (or if you don't have any, use small squares of waxed paper).
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter & peanut butter together for 45 seconds.  Stir until smooth.  Add graham cracker crumbs and sugar and mix to combine.  Distribute mixture evenly between the prepared muffin cups.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set peanut butter layer.
After the peanut butter has chilled, combine chocolate and milk in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 25 second intervals until chocolate is just melted.  Stir until smooth.  Distribute chocolate evenly over the top of the peanut butter layer.  Sprinkle with sea salt and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.  Store covered in the fridge.

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

Linking up this week with Steph and Katie for:

When I saw this idea for a "Man's Easter Basket" I thought it was too cute. I often try to do small things for my hubby to show him I love him. Whether it's getting him a nice card, making his favorite dinner, or buying him a small gift, I like to do little stuff like that.

So when I came across this idea on Pinterest, I thought it was too cute!

When I was at the store getting all of my food for Easter dinner, I picked up some of his favorite snacks. We happened to have an empty Coors Light box at home, so I just cut off the top and stuffed everything inside. It was super easy, and I was SO excited to give it to him!

Easter morning it was the first thing I did. I woke up, wished him a Happy Easter, and went and grabbed his Easter basket from the other room where I had it hiding. Well, he loved it! He's been enjoying his little snacks and treats all week.

Here is my final product:

Did you guys do anything fun for an Easter basket?

Sorry I've been MIA all week! Work has been busy, and I've had to help a couple times with the cows and calves! Plus we're getting ready to head to the PBR rodeo in Billings this weekend!

Krazy Kelli

Remember when I did that giveaway a couple weeks ago for helping name our cow? Well today, Kelli is doing the same thing! She and her husband also ranch , and we thought up this fun giveaway together.

So, you have another chance to win!

GO SEE HER!!!