Buck List-Quilting Style

As my life becomes hectic and busier all I want to do is sit down and sew on a quilt. Making quilts is my escape from reality for a few hours. But for now all I can do is continue to pin quilts, fabric and ideas on Pinterest everyday while I should be crossing something off my to-do list. The more things I pin, the more ideas I get, which leads to more quilts I want to make.

For the past year and a half I have been thinking about a blog post I read. Sierra is friend from back home and I enjoy reading her blog about her life in South Dakota. You can read her blog here http://sierrashea.com/ She created a bucket list of quilts to make and techniques to learn. Well I thought since I keep getting more ideas I should create my own buck list of quilts that I want to make. Here is my Buck List:

Abby’s Bucket List-Quilting Style

1. Flying Geese pattern

2. Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt (Does anyone have the book I can borrow?)

3. Blue and Gold quilt (maybe chevron?)

4. Swoon quilt (pattern by Camille Roskelley)

5. Hexagon quilt

6. Moda Love quilt

7. T-Shirt quilt

8. Baby quilt (I need to finish the one I started!)

9. Attend a class at Material Girl Quilt Shop

10. Visit Missouri Star Quilt Co. in Hamilton, MO

11. Attend a sewing retreat

12. Improve my binding skills

Hopefully this summer I can start crossing items off this bucket list instead of my to-do list! What are some other techniques or patterns that I could add to my list?

-XO

Abby

A Recipe for Leftovers

During the holidays one of the biggest thing is food. Everyone is always eating so much food! On Thanksgiving we all stuff ourselves with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn, pie and much more. For my family our Christmas dinner is just the same as Thanksgiving, we have a lot of food. Plus all the cookies, candy, pies, and anything else we can get; we consume it. Food is just part of the holidays. But with so much food comes a lot of leftovers that everyone always feels like they eat them for days. I found one of my favorite left over recipes, potato cakes. Enjoy! Potato Cakes Recipe

Quilting

Growing up I always wanted my grandma to make a quilt for me, but she was unable to see well enough to sew. So in 4H I signed up for sewing so I could make myself a quilt. First I made a bag, dress, table runner, tree skirt for our Christmas tree and then I started in on my quilt. With the help of my grandma I got the quilt done.

This is my first quilt that I made.

I have learned many things since making my first quilt such as pinning the the pieces to make my seams line up right, threading the machine, and tips in cutting fabric. My grandma did a great job helping me with my first one that I went on and started another one by myself. If the pattern is pretty simple and I have the time I can have one cut out and sewed up in about a week.

There are still a few things I need to work on but it will just take time and practice. Such as patterns that are a little more challenging. One thing my grandma always told me is to not run over the pins with the needle in the sewing machine because it will break it…I guess I don’t listen very well because I don’t always take them out like I should-sorry grandma.

I am always on Pinterest looking for new fabrics and quilt patterns. My list of quilts to make is getting longer and with classes and work it is hard to get any done. But I hope to get this one accomplished during the long weekend.

Cows Like to Eat Too

With holidays approaching faster than you may be willing to admit, we all keep getting busier. Between the Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas shopping it’s hard to find time for anything else. It’s also the time of year when you really start thinking about what you are thankful for (even though this should be done all year). While some are thankful for their home, family, food, friends, I could go on and on. I am thankful for those but I am also thankful for being raised on a farm which is something that not everyone can say. Even though on holidays I still have to go outside to help feed hay, grain, or even work outside I am still thankful for the opportunity.

Cows eat on the holidays too and we as farmers are the ones that feed them. Growing up my family bottle fed Holstein calves. We would have an average of 20 calves in each group but anywhere up to about 40. This meant that the calves had to be fed each morning at about 7 or 8 and again at about 4 in the afternoon. Even on the holidays their feeding schedule didn’t change. We would just have to get up early or feed earlier before our family dinners. On Christmas we opened presents early in the morning so the calves could get fed on time (plus my brother and I couldn’t wait to open presents).

My partner in crime

So this holiday season remember the farmers that still have to go out and feed because cows have to eat too.

There’s a First Time for Everything

Have you ever heard the old saying “There’s a first time for everything”? I never really thought about the saying too much until lately and now I catch myself saying it all the time. Over the weekend I experienced a lot of “first times”. My weekends are never dull and usually include learning or doing something new.

One of my new adventures was I got to ride in a semi. I have never really had a reason to ride in one before so I wasn’t really sure what to think about it. I figured it wouldn’t be too different than riding in a truck, your just sitting up a little higher. It was fun to ride in the semi expect my seat wasn’t air ride like the driver’s so it did make for a hard, bumpy ride.

I am from Central Missouri, north of the river where we actually grow crops and not rocks. So picking out rocks is kind of new to me. I had to help pick rocks to help add filler before pouring a concrete sidewalk. That brings me to my next new thing, forming up a sidewalk and getting ready to pour the concrete. I never really remember helping my dad do this before, although we do have a few concrete pads at home. I guess some how I always got out of helping get it all ready. While working on the sidewalk I got to use the sledge hammer to break up larger rocks and some left over concrete. It works great for taking your anger out but sure will make your arms sore!

This next thing that I learned over the weekend was how to play card games. Yes, card games. It only 20 years before I actually learned a card game other than solitaire. Kind of crazy I know, but I was never around it until I stepped foot into the student activities room in Karl hall. I am now an expert at BS and Rummy…just kidding! But I can now play along with the others in the student activities.

It is always fun when you get to learn or do something new. If you never try anything new then you can never say “oh yeah I’ve done that.” Maybe you could event teach someone else what you have learned.

My FFA Experience

As Wednesday kicks off the start of FFA National Convention 2014 in Louisville, KY, I can’t help but think about all the fun I had during FFA and everything the organization taught me. Although I never really enjoyed the eight hour bus ride to Indianapolis, IN because I never was able to sleep in the middle of the day, I always had a great time once I got there. Between the career show, concert, rodeo, and fun I always took something away from the three day convention.

Being part of the FFA taught me many things. Even though I hated giving speeches each year for contest I learned how to be able to deliver one well. Everything was a learning experience from contest teams to ag classes. Record books was never anyone’s friend but I learned how to keep track of money going in and out which I plan to use later on my own farm. Being an officer I learned how to become a leader and step up to take control when needed. Also because I was an officer I had to help and attend all of the events, plus school, homework, and working I learned how to manage my time wisely.

2011-2012 Centralia FFA Officer Team

Through my FFA experiences I had always had goals I wanted to achieve but the ultimate goal in mind was to receive my American degree. I wanted to become an officer, have the first place scrapbook, receive my State degree, and then my American degree. I was following in the footsteps of my dad and cousins. All of my hard work paid off because I had accomplished all of my goals that I had set. Last year I wore my official dress for the very last time and walked across the stage to receive my American degree. It was a proud moment to finally accomplish my ultimate goal and now I have my younger brother who is following in my footsteps.

American Degree Recipients from MSU

What Do You Do With Cows During the Winter?

One day at work I was asked what I thought had to be the strangest question ever, “what do you do with cows during the winter?” I was thinking well they stay outside like the rest of the year, duh! But instead I went on and told my coworker about how cows are just fine outside during the winter and explained why they were.

As the weather is getting cooler that means the hair on cattle is getting longer. Cold air makes the hair grow, that’s why those who show cattle will keep their calves in air conditioned barns so the hair grows out and there is something to work with when fitting the calf. Although cattle do get their “winter coat” it is good to still have a barn, trees, or some type of wind break for them to get out of the snow, wind and ice during the winter months. Our cows have a building that they can go into and locked in during the night so if they happen to calve they are out of the weather.During the winter farmers feed their cattle hay and grain to help them still get the right nutrients and grow. Hay is put up during the summer months so it can be fed during the winter when it is hard for the cattle to find grass to eat. The nutrients in the hay and grain helps keep the cow’s body in good condition. Such as body temperature to help keep them warm and producing milk for their calf to also survive the winter. At GRASS Farm hay is feed everyday. We unroll a bale for our cows every night. What they don’t eat out of the bale it is also good for the cattle to lay on with the snow on the ground.

Unrolling a bale for the cows

When I was asked the question it made think about how under educated people are about agriculture. What do they really think cows do during the winter? Go inside our house’s all winter? People have to be educated about agriculture so they do not ask silly questions like what we do with cows during the winter.

Interview With Christi Sudbrock

In my PR class we have been learning about different types of media. The most recent type we have discussed are podcast. So what better way to learn about something then learning hands on? For my podcast I interviewed Christi Sudbrock. Christi is the Agriculture Economics instructor at Missouri State University and also the Outreach coordinator for the Darr School of Agriculture. As an MSU alumni and teacher Christi has watched the enrollment of students climb each year.

“AGB 144 was at 110 [students] this year which is the room capacity”

It is exciting to watch the Darr School of Agriculture grow each year. When I took AGB 144 two years ago, we only had about 50-60 kids in the class and now that number has doubled. During her interviewed I asked what she liked most about working at MSU and why she became an agriculture economics teacher.

Lesson’s Learned

“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings” -Masanobu Fukuoka

A way to perfect a human being is to teach them things that they will remember and use throughout their life. Growing up on a farm has taught me many lifelong lessons, a majority of the time these lessons were learned the hard way. Here are some of the lessons that I have learned throughout the years on the farm:

When driving a truck and trailer make sure to ALWAYS make wide turns.
- Last weekend I was helping move hay at W-W Farms when I got to drive the truck and trailer out of the pasture up to the road. Before jumping into the truck I was given one direction-make wide turns. I headed out of the pasture with the truck and 40 foot trailer with the goal to make it up on the road without hitting anything. About the time I looked back to make sure I wasn’t going to run over anything with the trailer is the exact time I hit the mailbox. It was the classic I covered my mouth with my hand, my eyes got huge and face got red just like in the Brad Paisley song. It’s safe to say I won’t be driving any more truck and trailers any time soon.

This was the truck and trailer I was driving.

Ask for help when you need it.
- Because I am extremely hard headed I never ask for help. Not asking for help when needed can lead to serious injuries on the farm. Although I have never been seriously hurt because I did not ask for help there are times that I should have asked to help simplify the process instead of doing things the hard way.

Be cautious of protective cows.
Our very protective cow and her calf
When leading show calves you should never let go of the rope.
- They must learn that you are the boss and they must listen to you. If the calf starts acting up, hold on to the lead rope letting go shows that the calf is in charge and they know that they will be able to do it repeatedly. I suggest in wearing leather gloves while doing this or your fingers will get torn up, I learned that one the hard way.
When bucking bales you should never wear shorts and Sperry’s.
- The proper attire to haul hay is jeans, boots, and leather gloves. Trust me on this one; it is not a pleasant experience to move hay with shorts on.

This list was just a few of the lessons I have learned along the way on the farm. You have to make mistakes and learn from them to grow as an individual and hopefully not make the same mistakes twice.

Growing up in the GRASS

Where cattle and quilts are made