Snow and more Snow !

Got a snowstorm yesterday , and we probably got maybe 6 -8 inches . Jim was out at 3am plowing the Township roads. Got home about 8:30 , ate breakfast and warmed up a bit. Then we went out and started clearing the snow. I shoveled out to the garage and to my birdfeeders and a few other places. Jim started clearing the lane , above the barn  and around the garage . He came back the lane and made the corner by the milkhouse and the one pin for the snow blade came out.  So he had to fix that . Finally got it all done. We came inside and warmed up. I made a pot of beef noodle soup and biscuits for lunch . Tasted pretty good.

As I was shoveling , I thought how I used to have to shovel the walks wide enough for Landon's stroller. When he was a baby , before we sold the cows , I would take him  to the barn in the morning and the walk had to be wider than the  stroller so I could get it through. I sure don't miss dressing in about 5 layers to keep warm out at the barn!

600 LIKES !!

YEA !!!  I have reached my 600 LIKES on my Facebook page !!!
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Farmladys-Cupboard/134288573301172

CONGRATULATIONS to Carolyn Schweizer Wheet from IN  !!! You box of PRIMITIVE GOODIES is on the way !!

CHRISTMAS

I can't believe it is almost the end of the year and Christmas will be here soon!  I am so not ready !!! This year has flown by so fast ! We were blessed again this year.  We sold all of our hay and ear corn, which was great ! We had a good hay crop for this year . Our sweet corn did well. We all got to freeze a bunch for eating this winter. My husband was up for re election for Walker Township Supervisor. We were glad he made it for another 6 year term. This is his third 6 year term. I am glad the people of Walker Township appreciate all he does  and voted him in again!

I have both my trees up and decorated. The 9' tree is in the living room. The 7  1/2 ' tree is in the dining room. The little grandson loves them.

For years , when our two girls were younger , we would go up our lane to the mountain and cut down a tree. Some of those trees had the biggest holes you had to hide  ! LOL !  But we always had such a fun time. Well, it was fun til we got it into the house and my husband and I had to put it up. That part wasn't as much fun! LOL !

This Fall my parents had an auction to get rid of some their things. They plan on selling their home in the next year or so. With their health not as good , they can't keep up with everything that needs done . Both my brothers and a niece and nephew came up from Florida to help . We had a wonderful visit !! And of course had a picnic here at the farm  and had a campfire.

We are blessed with our two daughters and the five grandkids. And blessed to live on this beautiful farm . There are times when things do not go well, but so many times when we need a blessing, it always comes through ! 

Hope you all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

500 LIKES !!!!!

YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!  I finally reached my 500 LIKES for my Facebook Page  !  So excited !!The lucky Winner is LISA SCHNEIDER-KRUPA  from Wisconsin!! She will receive a box of MY PRIMITIVE GOODIES !!!

Tractor Ride with Pap

Landon waited all day long for his Pap to get home , so he could have his tractor ride. His very favorite thing to do ! He kept asking me all day......is Pap coming home soon ?  I told him when Pap is done at work. He was such a good boy today Pap gave him two tractor rides. He took him up the lane to the fields up near the mountain. I walked up the lane to get him. Then when I got up there he thought Pap needed to give him another ride.So he took him around the field once. He and Pap are buddies  !

WE have a WINNER !!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEA !!!!!!!!!!! got to my 400 LIKES on my Facebook Page !  and the WINNER of my 4th GIVEAWAY IS ..............................CYNTHIA VAUGHAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU WILL RECEIVE A BOX OF MY PRIMITIVE GOODIES !!!!!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL MY LIKES  !!!!!!!!    I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL!!

Almost to my 400 LIKES !!

So excited , almost to my 400 LIKES on my Facebook Page !! When I reach 400 I will throw all my LIKES in a basket and pick one to be the LUCKY WINNER of my 4th GIVEAWAY !! Keep Tuned!!

GIVEAWAY AT 400 LIKES !!

I am still climbing to my 400 LIKES !!  When I reach 400 I will have my 4th GIVEAWAY !!  you could win some Primitives !! Like a Primitive Candle Holder, a Grubby Doily, a Hand Painted Ornie, a bag of my Grubby Fixins, a bag of  Grubby Star Bowl Fillers and more ! So keep sharing my page with your friends !

CLIMBING, CLIMBING!!

Keep checking back here on my blog for RECENT NEWS about  My Facebook Page!!
I am still climbing to my 400 LIKES !! Thanks to all my new LIKES !! I appreciate it !
Lots of Great Primitives on all my sites !!

Hot and Humid has left !

Finally I think the hot and humid weather has left us !  Sure hope so !  And hope the rain is gone for awhile too !We have hay down to bale and hope we can get it next week . It will be the start of our 2nd cutting. That's if the weather cooperates!The barn is slowly getting filled up.Some of our first cutting of hay is some of the best hay we have baled. It is very good quality.We also combined our barley and baled the straw.Our garden is doing really well.Probably because of all the rain! Our tomato plants are big and have lots of green tomatoes on them. Our potato plants are growing . I will enjoy having our own potatoes this winter. I just have to go to the cellar and get what I need.Very convenient !We also planted sweet potatoes, something new, never tried them before. Also some lima beans and lettuce. Can't wait for our first tomato! there is nothing like a fresh tomato from the garden on a cheeseburger !

Facebook Page

Hi All, Just wanted to let you know about some recent news with my Facebook Page. I guess you are NOT ALLOWED to have GIVEAWAYS on your page .So I will be posting recent news about my GIVEAWAYS on here !  so PLEASE  keep checking back. I WILL have a 4th GIVEAWAY  when I reach 400 LIKES on my Facebook page. 
Thanks  !! 

My Facebook Page

Hay , Hay and More Hay

We are getting the first cutting of hay about done. As of last night we have baled ( and unloaded ! ) about  1000 bales of hay. The hay mow is filling up. We unloaded 2 loads last night. Jim, our neighbor Glenn and I unloaded the hay . Today my husband got the big , red wagon ready for hay. I despise that red wagon ! LOL !  It is a lot bigger than our 2 wooden wagons. So of course it holds a LOT more bales and there are a lot more to unload. Today we will be baling  and unloading 3+ loads. When I ask my husband how many loads will there be?  I think he lies to me !  There are always more loads than he tells me. So if he says 3+ there will maybe be 4 or more ! LOL ! It is hot and humid , which makes the unloading even worse. Reminds me, I better dig out an old bandana to wrap around my head to keep the sweat out of my eyes .And you always wear jeans to unload hay.... unless you want scratched up legs ! Which makes you feel even hotter!
Tomorrow we will be baling 2+ loads. So , yes , that would actually be 3+ loads ! I think that will be it for the weekend. Then we will start on the second cutting. But I like to see the barn filling up with hay . That money over the winter and in the spring helps pay bills. Hopefully , we will also have a third cutting too !

 Husband mowed this hay earlier in the week and now we are baling it.

Grandson LOVES getting on the BIG, RED WAGON !

A New Page in My Life

I have always been a stay at home home. I helped on our dairy farm and also did my crafts. I am a 57 year old woman who is starting a new page in my life!  My daughter has been working at the Mingoville Post Office for awhile now . She told me they were looking for some one to work part time , when she needed a day off or was sick. So I thought about it and decided to apply for the job. In May I went for the very FIRST interview in my life! I had a couple of small part time jobs before I got married and and one a few years after we were married. But I never, ever had gone on an interview. So I guess I should have been nervous and  worried , but I wasn't  . I guess it went pretty well. I told my girls afterwards what I was asked and my answers. They said I gave very good answers. I got the job!! I go for Orientation on Monday . It will be all day . Then  later in the week my daughter will be the one training me. Hmmmm....wonder how that will  go ?? Will she think of all the times I yelled at her in her teens ?  And think ..Oh boy, here is my chance to get my Mom ??? LOL !!  I don't think she will. But I did tell her , just train me as a nervous new employee and not as your Mother . There is a lot of paperwork and computer work. But I am used to lots of paper work from working on our local Election Board . I kept thinking will I be able do this ? My 57 year old brain does not work as well as a younger one ! So , in the next couple of weeks I will become a Part Time Postal Employee. Will keep you updated on my progress (  or lack of progress! ) !!

Summer is here !!

Summer is here for sure !! One grandaughter had a soccer game today , It was sooo hot !  Those poor kids were even hotter than we were I am sure , with running all over the field.The other grandaughter has a game tomorrow. I sure hope it is cooler. It isn't til 5:45 so maybe it will be !

Last night we unloaded 2 loads of hay . It wasn't as hot as I thought it would be up in the barn. No more hay til later next week. My husband , myself and our neighbor all unloaded. Then another neighbor just happened to stop by and got  to join in the fun of unloading !

Today my husband had to fix the manure spreader . After that he decided to start cleaning the one calf pen in the barn. It has to be done with a pitchfork so it takes a long time.  He puts the manure spreader back by the pen and we can throw the manure right into it. He got it about 3/4 done and I went out to help .  He got to the far side of the pen . So he forked it over to me and I threw it into the spreader . EXERCISE, EXERCISE !! Wonder if people would pay to come clean calf pens and unload hay for a summer trip ?? I bet there are actually people who would do that !! Come and work on a farm and be around the animals      ! Hmmmm... will have to think about that ! Well, maybe not , I bet the insurance we would have to pay would be huge !!

After we finished the calf pen I had the bright idea to spray weeds ! What was I thinking , as hot as it was ?? I needed to spray by the ditch, by the milk house, around my flower garden , down by the spring and down the one bank. I think I may have overdone it !

Before supper my husband and I sat outside and had a glass of iced tea. Boy, did that taste good ! Good and COLD !! I have come to the conclusion we ARE NOT as young as we used to be ! LOL !!  when we both tried to get up put of our Adirondack chairs it took us awhile !! LOL !!!!

I cooked cheese burgers on the grill for our supper. Then we finished off our night going to our daughters to have cake for our grandsons 13th birthday !

Hay Making Time

It is that time of the year again, hay making time. I always look at it as some great exercise ! Climbing up on the hay wagon and hoping I don't pull a muscle in my leg as I climb up. Now when I get on the wagon  I have started using a ladder . Throwing the bales off the wagon onto the barn floor where my husband stacks  it in layers makes my arms sore til we get a couple of loads done. If we have a couple loads of hay usually there are two of us on the wagon and two on the barn floor. So it is good exercise throwing the bales from the back of the wagon to the person in the front . There is nothing like  the smell of freshly mown hay !

MEMORIES

Last night Jim and I were over in Centre Hall at the Heifer Sale. We had sent over two bred heifers  for the sale. We decided to go over and watch the animals being sold. It brought back so many memories of the year we sold our dairy cows. It was a sad night for us then. But also exciting as we knew our lives would be so different . I came across this picture of our dairy cows , it was the morning we loaded the cows up on the trailer to be taken to the sale. So many good memories of our dairy life !

Roy Clark - "Yesterday When I Was Young" live at The Grand Ole Opry

Love , Love this song by Roy Clark !!

Mike Reid - Walk On Faith

Love this song !!!!!!!!!

Monster Cookies

I LOVE to watch PIONEER WOMAN on the Food Network. I would love to go visit her !! The other day when I watched the show she made these great Monster Cookies. So I wrote down the recipe and made them.Turned out pretty good I thought. They have lots of yummy stuff in them . Like M & M's , oats , chocolate chips , nuts and you also add some Rice Krispies. Here is the recipe: 375 for 12 minutes 2 sticks butter, softened 1/2 c. white sugar 1 1/2 c. brown sugar 2 eggs 1 T . vanilla 1 1/2 c flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp salt 1 1/2 c oats 1/2 c ( or more ! ) M & M's 3/4 c (or more ! ) choc. chips 1/2 c chopped nuts 2 1/4 c Rice Krispies Cream together the butter and sugar til fluffy. Add the eggs , one at a time , beating after each egg.Add vanilla and beat. Combine the flour, baking powder , baking soda and salt . Add to the bowl and mix well. Then start adding the goodies ... choc chips, oats, etc. Add the Rice Krispies last and mix til just combined. Use a scoop to scoop balls of dough on the cookie sheet . I used parchment paper on my cookie sheets. Bake til golden brown and enjoy !!

Loading Hay is GOOD Exercise !

We are slowly getting rid of the hay in our hay mow. We have sold some to different farmer neighbors. On Saturday a local Fire Co was having a consignment auction. So we decided to take some of our hay down . Friday morning Jim and I loaded 60 bales of hay on the old dump truck. I pulled the hay from the hay mow with the curved pitchfork. Then threw them up to my husband on the truck. I just kept thinking " you are working a lot of muscles doing this " ... this is great exercise for you ! We ended up taking down 2 truck loads. We got a good price for the hay, so even better. We think we will also advertise in the Lancaster Farming paper. This summer we will bale more hay .. more great exercise unloading hay !

The Notebook Soundtrack - Allie returns

I have probably seen THE NOTEBOOK at least 50 times ! I just LOVE this movie  and the music! And every time I watch it I cry and cry . It is one of my very, very favorite movies. It touches your heart .When James Garner and Gena Rowlands play their scenes ...wonderful ! And I think I cry the hardest when they show them together in bed and holding each other forever.

Michael row the boat ashore - The X-Files

The X Files was one of my very favorite shows ! I never missed a show. I love this song , but every time I hear it I cry ! The saddest show ever on the X Files !

Memories

My parents and three brother's moved from Pennsylvania to Florida the same year I got married. So while my kids were growing up my parents were far away and didn't get to see them much. That was before the days of computers and cell phones and Facebook. I would tape the girls on a cassette tape and mail it to Mom for her to hear the girls talking or singing. The other week my brother found some of the tapes at Mom and Dad's and put it onto a CD. He gave me the CD last week. I put it in the car to listen to on the CD player.The girls were about 5 and 2 on the tape . As I am driving up the road it starts and I hear this sweet little voice saying a poem from a Christmas Program at our church and then singing Jingle Bells . Next I hear the younger daughter singing Jingle Bells or at least trying to sing it like her older sister did. Hearing those little voices was wonderful. It brought back so many memories of when they were that age . You forget how little they sound . It brought tears to my eyes to hear those little voices . The older daughter got to hear herself on the CD the other day when she was in my car. She loved it too ! What a special memory to have and to be able to share it with the girls and their kids. The grand kids want to hear their Mommy's singing on the CD. I can't wait for them to hear their Mom's singing Jingle Bells and Rudolph. I will treasure this CD and listen to the girls singing over and over !

Rural Winter Scenes

I have been looking at different sites with all these neat country, winter scenes . Here are a few of them !

Winter scene

Source: google.co.uk via Wanda on Pinterest

Beautiful scene !!

Source: coffeelovinmom.tumblr.com via Wanda on Pinterest

Beautiful scene with the sleigh

Source: the-athenaeum.org via Project on Pinterest

Beautiful scene

Source: steveshaluta.com via Teresa on Pinterest

Recipe for Spinach /Artichoke Dip

A lady on Facebook shared this recipe. This is one of my favorite dips ! I am making it for the Super Bowl.

1  10 oz. Package Birds Eye Steamfresh Creamed Spinach (  thawed and drained)
1  can artichoke hearts ( drain and chop )
1/2  c. mayo
1/2  c. sour cream  (  I use light sour cream whenever I can )
1  c. Parmesan cheese (  divided )
dash hot sauce
1/2  tsp. garlic powder
1  c. Mozzarella cheese

Cook spinach in the bag about 2 minutes in the microwave , til it is thawed. Then mix the spinach , artichoke hearts, mayo, sour cream, garlic powder, hot sauce and the 3/4 c. Parmesan cheese .  Put in a 1  1/2 qt. casserole dish . Sprinkle with the Mozzarella cheese and the rest of the Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350  for 30 - 35 minutes or til bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips or toasted bread .

OK, Winter is HERE !

OK, I think winter is here ! It has been very, very windy and cold here in central PA. We have had snow squalls go through the last couple of days. Last night I looked outside before I went to bed  and the ground was covered with snow.  We got about 1/2 " . Then about 3 a.m. Jim's cell phone rang  and he got called out to work on the roads for the Township. He got back home about 9 a.m. He thought we got about 1 1/2 " . I thought the wind was to calm down but I guess not yet. The wind blowing makes it feel even colder . I thought I would take my walk this morning. But after I opened the door  and felt how cold it was I changed my mind ! I decided to use my bike inside where it is warm ! Much better idea !

New Year not starting out very well !!

Our New Year is not starting out very well. Dad is having these health issues. They are still working on Dads' blood clot and are still waiting to hear from the heart Doctor. Then my husband has this cough he seems to get every winter. He hasn't been to work since last week. He can't sleep upstairs in our bed. As soon as he lays back he starts coughing. He tries to sleep on the recliner. But that doesn't seem to work very well either. He hasn't had much sleep the last couple of nights. Neither have I .... I wake up hearing him coughing up a lung. He went to the Doctor and they put him on prednisone  and  is to use an inhaler. Plus he already takes allergy pills  every day . Plus his blood pressure pill and his acid reflux pill. When we had the dairy cows , all he took was acid reflux pills and a vitamin. Ever since we sold the cows , he is on all this medicine now ! I told him I am thinking of trading him in for someone younger and healthier ! LOL  ! This morning I took him to an office in State College for a chest X ray. They called and said the X ray was normal. So that is good. This afternoon they called in a prescription for a cough pill. I went and picked them up. Hopefully they work on this cough  and he gets to feeling better soon!

New Health Problems for Dad

Dad now has some new health problems to deal with. His leg was bothering him and was swollen. We took him to the Doctor and they said go to the hospital and have an ultrasound done on the leg. To check for a blood clot.  And that is what it was. He is on a blood thinner and Mom has to give him shots in the stomach. He has to have blood work done about every other day. To check for a level in the blood. They want it to be about 2 . It started out at .9  and then went up to 1.6 . Then it got up above 2 and that was too high. So they were to cut back on his blood thinner and quit the shots. He goes again on Wed. for blood work again.

Then last week I took them for his regular appointment for an ultrasound on the artery in his neck . This is the same artery that was blocked the other year , which caused his stroke. They did the surgery on  the artery to open it up. They do this routine ultrasound about every 6 months. The last time they did one the artery was about 59% blocked. Thursday's ultrasound showed severe blockage, maybe in the 90 - 99 %  range! They set Dad up for an CAT scan  this morning. I took them to the hospital . His appointment was at 9:30 am. They did the scan , now we wait to hear from the Doctor.To see if the ultrasound was correct and he does have blockage. Once they get the results we will  go from there. More than likely they will decide to do surgery on the artery again.  We are hoping for the best !