An Our Prairie Home Easter: Iowa Farm Style

As I've mentioned before in my Thanksgiving and Christmas posts, we are not very formal, when it comes to family gatherings.  You won't find gorgeous tablescapes, fine china, silver, goblets of wine, and flutes of champagne.  Scott is the youngest of four, so when our family all gets together, well, its huge.  All totaled, there are seven adults and fourteen grandchildren, ranging from age 20 to age 4; Ten boys and four girls.  So generally, our focus is to get all the food put out so the men and the boys can pounce on it.  All the boys with the exception of Landon are pre-teen and older, so its like a pack of starving wolves.  LOL  We definitely do buffet style - all the time.  Oh - and paper plates.  LOTS of paper plates.  So we can just enjoy each other and not spend a ton of time cleaning up.


We generally rotate holiday hostess responsibilities, although I haven't hosted for a couple of years now, since we started remodeling everything.  This year, Scott's sister's family invited our family to their farm in Tripoli (pronounced Trah-POLE-lah).

Tammy...

Tammy is in black.  Nancy is in purple.

and her husband, Dwayne 

(or Dewey, as we affectionately call him)...

own and operate Busch Hogs.  They live on a working farm in northeastern Iowa.  Duane owns around 5,000 head of hogs and farms I don't know how many acres of corn and beans.  Tammy also works as a Lab Tech at our local hospital.  They have four children, three boys and one girl, ages sixteen to six.  

We always love to go to Tammy and Duane's.  

Why?  

Because Duane is the best griller EVER. 

Mostly, the men stand outside around watch Duane grill...

And to eat it as fast as it comes off...

All the meat is raised by Duane and Tammy on their farm...  Hamburger, Porkburger, Steak, Pork Chops, and Brats.  They even have their own meat locker on their farm, which is where they cut up and process the meat that they raise for their family's use.  Even the bacon in our sides came from the pork they raise.

Seriously, we are very spoiled.

  

We rarely, if ever, have to buy meat from the store.

I miss my fresh seafood from the coast, but I love our farm grown beef out here.  You can't find steaks like that at the grocery store.

Its pretty much a free-for-all when we all get together.

The older boys play football or ride four wheelers...

because we spend a lot of time shooing them outside. 

With five of the ten boys being wrestlers, 

its inevitable that this happens:

Its gets pretty loud when all five get in on the action.  

Especially when the men start egging them on.  LOL! 

The baby girls play dress up...

and because they are only five months apart, 

we always check to see who's taller...

Its pretty much always a toss up.  ;)

It was quite the celebration when those two came along.  

After nine straight births of boys, 

we had given up that there would ever be more than two girls.  

Needless to say, they are the princesses.  :)

And poor little Landon is usually left to his own devices, 

since he's so much younger than all the other boys.

We all line up and stuff ourselves sick with all the goodies 

that everyone has contributed to our potluck style meal:

This year our menu included:

Meat:  Steaks, Pork Chops, Brats, Hamburger, and Porkburger
Sides:  Green Beans, Fresh Asparagus out of the asparagus patch, Scalloped Corn, Fried Potatoes and Bacon, Baked Bean Casserole, Pasta Salad, Vegetable Tray, Grilled Peppers, Onions, and Mushrooms, Seven Layer Salad, and Grilled Garlic Bread.
Dessert:  Strawberry Pie, and my contributions for the desserts...

Rice Krispy and Cadbury Egg Bundt Cake

And a homemade ice cream cake that was decimated before I thought to take a picture of it:

Recipe:  Two layers of Ice Cream Sandwiches, Cool Whip, and crushed Butterfingers.  Freeze two hours.  Done.  YUMMY

Its always great to get together with the family, so the cousins can spend time together.

Rob, who is the next to oldest grandchild is a Junior at Simpson College and is studying to be a physicist.  Smart boy, that Rob.

Family is just one of the many reasons I love living in Iowa...

Even if Tammy did try to take a picture of me because I was busy being paparazzi all afternoon.  She missed.  LOL 

Easter:  A time to be thankful for our family and more importantly, our Saviour, who's death on the cross saved us all.  

And totally NOT about the Easter baskets I set out when we got home late last night.

XO,

Just One Of Those Days

Sorry I was MIA, yesterday.  Just seemed like someone was driving a big old dump truck of poo...  and decided to unload right on little ole unsuspecting me.  Nah...  Its really not that bad.  I have so super much to be thankful for, but little things become big things and you get overwhelmed and just want to scream, "Enough already!"

Sunday wasn't the greatest day.  Noah informed us that he wants to quit wrestling, which in our household is a minor catastrophe.

Instead of looking like this:

Our afternoon looked more like this:

And instead of getting the family harmony back on Monday (Yeah, I know...  Monday and harmony are like the ultimate oxymoron)...

My morning started off right away on the wrong foot.  Noah woke up on the wrong side of the bed, which is pretty much a daily occurrence anyway, but Sunday's issues made it that much worse.  A morning ray of sunshine, he wasn't.  He missed the bus, the hubs had somewhere to be, and I had the pleasure of getting him to school, grumpy butt and all.  Ian woke up with a sore throat and a bad headache, so he stayed home.  I took Noah to school, picked up some Sprite and Coke - the southern cure-all for everything that ails ya and forgot the apples and oranges that Ian had expressly asked for.  Sooooooo...  Back out I went.  You know, because good moms do things like that.

After spending a lengthy amount of time talking to my mother on the phone about some unpleasant family issues to give a further nudge to the migraine that was threatening to erupt, my day was pretty much shot.  I'm not one to get started on something that I know I'm going to have to stop in just a few short hours.  So, I just did a minimal pick up, instead of a thorough cleaning as I had planned.  Then there was Greyson to pick up from basketball practice and groceries to run and buy.  I walked back into the house at 7:00 to pure chaos.  What little I had accomplished was undone.  Dinner still had to be made,  and then the kids started arguing...

So much for the good mood I had picked up along with a few purchases from the thrift, while I was waiting for Greyson's practice to be over.  And then that splitting headache exploded that had been growling under my temples all day.  :P

At that point, I was ready to throw up my hands and go hide somewhere...  Somewhere preferably dark, quiet, and ALONE.

The house was still a wreck from my kiddos plus my niece and nephew being here all weekend, I was still behind on laundry, dishes were piled in the sink (they procreate and multiply, did you know that?), I determined that my cats that I THOUGHT I had finally trained to go to the bathroom outside had another option in mind...  and I had the pleasure of finding.  GROSS!  (This is why I don't like cats - but I like mice even less, so its the lesser of two evils.  I love farm country, don't you?)

Sooooo, portions of my house are beginning to look like something from an episode of hoarders...

NO, THAT IS NOT MY HOUSE!  LOL!  Its just makes me feel really good to look at it and realize that even on its worse day my house is no where near as bad as this (and if it ever does, please feel free to call CPS and then shoot me).

So, there are some times when you stay and deal, and then there are some days where you retreat.  I retreated.  My patience was worn out and Mt. Momma was about to blow sky high.  I fed them, made sure they were bathed, did homework as quickly as possible, and then hid in my bedroom...  Where they followed me.  Every.  Single.  One.  REALLY??????  You would think they were father-less!

By 9:00 p.m. I was in bed, lights out, snoring away.  I can't remember the last time I did that.

And then was wide awake at 3:00 am.

Darn you, internal alarm clock!  Why can't I ever sleep more than 6 hours??!!!

So, it's now 4:43 am.  I'm up (obviously).  I'm dressed (sporting a lovely pair of sweatpant capris, nightgown, sweatshirt, and wool socks pulled up to my knees.  How's that for a visual?  June Cleaver, I ain't.  LOL!)  I've had my cup o' joe, sorted laundry, gotten a load going in the washer and in the dryer, picked up the upstairs hallway and bathroom, hauled more dirty clothes downstairs, put all the clean dishes away, changed all the lightbulbs downstairs, gotten in some internet time, and done my blog.  Whoa.  On a roll Ta-Day!

Not.

On the bright side, I've got three extra hours to get more accomplished.  Perhaps I'll even get my bedroom shoveled out and rearranged like I've been wanting to do for a week.

So, this is just me touching base with what I've been up to.  And about as real as it sometimes (all though thankfully not all the time) gets around our home.

Sooooo...  How's your day going?  LOL!

Its All About Family

Sorry for being so late today y'all, but I got a little sidetracked with a delightful long distance phone call with Nicole @ Davis Domestications and Furniture Face-Lifts.  If you haven't checked out her blog, you need to!  Nicole is absolutely wonderful and I had an awesome time talking to her - and picking her brain of all her furniture painting knowledge.  Thanks, Nicole!

So, yesterday was a whirl-wind of rearranging my living room to the detriment of every other room of my house and finishing up a project that I gave you a sneak peek of at Our Prairie Home on Facebook on Tuesday.  Its amazing how once you get started, how you get on a roll.  Its the getting started part that's the problem.  ;)

Anyhoo...

If you missed it, this is what I started with (some of which changed as the project developed and took me another route, as it so often does):

Paper Mache Letters (50% off HOLLA!)

Scrapbook Paper

Old Book Pages

Mod Podge
Mod Podge Acrylic Sealer

Spanish Moss

Glue Gun

Spray Primer

Dutch Boy Paint in "Chalk White"

Pittsburgh Paint in "Tall Cattail"

Acrylic Folk Art Craft Paint in "Driftwood"

Technique Glaze

Craft/Purdy Paint Brushes

Scrapbook Applique Flowers

and a few odds and ends from around the house.

Most of the supplies I just had laying around from other projects, so the cost was little.  Aren't those the best kind?!

I initially got my idea from Kelli @ Restore Interiors.  She made a sign for the wall in her booth at Urban Suburban that I absolutely adored!  And of course I thought, I can do that!

Restore Interiors

 So, when I suckered the hubs into stopping in at Hobby Lobby while we were in Waterloo last Friday, I got the makings for my own.  It took me a while to figure out what word I wanted to use.  Time and time again, I kept coming back to "Family".  Because as a SAHM, that's what's most important to me.

After working on and off on it for the last couple of days, I finally finished it up last night.  I looked at it up on the wall and realized that just hanging the letters up there wasn't going to work.  What to do?

Well, I just happened to have an old unfinished wood door to the hubs and I's chest of drawers upstairs that had fallen off due to the little man using it as a swing (Does this kind of stuff happen in your house too?  Please tell me it does!) and it wasn't repairable.  He ripped the hinge clean out and splintered the wood on one corner.  I decided to replace both sides with curtains, so I just had these two doors laying around up in the attic.

So at about 10:30 last night, I decided to sand it lightly, primer it, paint it with a sample of "Fairytale" blue by True Value Color Made Simple that I got for $1.25, distress it, and glaze it.  Thus my reason for being up until 2 am.  LOL!  I don't have any befores of the door, because the light was terrible for taking pictures since it was dark.  When I hot glued the letters to it this morning, I realized it was a fantastic idea!  And I completely love how it turned out!

You wanna see it don't you?

You want me to shut up and post the pictures, right?

LOL!

Okay!  Okay!  Here it is:

For some reason,
a few of the paper rosettes look a different color only in the pictures.
Drives me nuts, but I couldn't figure out how to fix it.
It doesn't look like that when you're looking at it.

Total Cost of Project:  $11.00

And for once, since I was rearranging my living room, it actually has a home on my wall instead of being stuck in a corner somewhere after I stage it.  LOL!

As you can see, I've done a TON of rearranging!  The buffet and rocking chair are now at home in the living room, as is the ladder.  We'll save that reveal for another day, but I've already taken pictures since who know's how long it'll stay in immaculate condition!  LOL  Since I've moved everything around,  I now have more space to buy more furniture for the dining room and office.  HA HA HA!  See, there is a method to my madness!  Are you wondering what's behind those pocket doors?  Let me tell ya, you don't even want to think about seeing what's behind Door #2.  The dining room is in a shambles - which, lucky me, I get to work on today.  I get the booby prize!  :P

Here's hoping y'all have an awesome day!

Stay away from my family, IRENE!

This morning I am obsessing over my family and friends that are laying in the direct path of Hurricane Irene this morning.  Looks like she's coming ashore right where my entire family lives - in between Cape Lookout and Ocracoke Island.  Carteret County has managed to miss a lot of direct hits over the years, but it looks like this time their luck has run out.

I talked to my Momma last night and it sounds like pretty much everyone is staying in my aunt's brick house, except for my cousin (more like sister) who's riding it out at home with her husband and 2 kids.  They're all taking it in stride, knowing there's nothing they can do about it anyway.  Everything has been battened down and they've made their run to the store for batteries, candles, and the staples of munchies.  My cousin has a generator, so they'll be able to keep their fridge going and they're hooking the computer up, so she can give everyone updates via Facebook after they inevitably lose power.  There's priorities right there, peeps.  LOL!  My daughter, who is 45 minutes inland, is going further inland to Thomasville which is up by Greensboro.  That makes me feel a whole lot better that I don't have to worry so much about her.  I just pray for a safe trip for her, as she travels.

It sounds like ole Irene has been downgraded to a CAT 2, which is somewhat of a relief.  However, before we moved out here, we dealt with Isabelle, which was also a CAT 2 and did quite an impressive amount of damage.  The hubs was busy for weeks taking care of storm damage, banks were closed, we couldn't get gas because there was no electricity, and forget about getting any kind of food.

I just hope that all my family and friends back home stay safe and that just maybe they'll avoid a disaster once again.  But looking at the projected storm track, it doesn't look like that miracle is going to happen.  If any damage is going to occur, I just hope its minimal.  Something tells me that I'm going to be up half the night making phone calls to check in with those I love.  Its like my cousin said, "Our time is up.  We're well passed due a hit and now here she comes."  Of course this was said a little gleefully, as my cousin loves the excitement of a good hurricane.  Only this time, I'm afraid she's going to get her wish.  I just hope they're spared the misery of no electricity for weeks, no gas to be had, and no way to get food.  I've told my Momma that if it was really bad, I'd drive in with gas, food, and water.  And being the grandmother she is, "Not without the children you won't."  Oh yeah, because I'd bring my children with me into that!  But you won't be able to keep me away if its bad enough.

So, as I sit here thinking about my kin, I thought I'd share a video from our vacation on the Crystal Coast this summer.  We spent a glorious month enjoying her beauty and the love of family and friends.  I'm glad I got to see her one more time before the inevitable changes a storm of this kind will make in her landscape.  The beauty of the coast is why so many people choose to live there, even when threatened with massive storms such as Irene.  And its why all of us who have ever lived in the glow of that coastal paradise, somehow always find our way back.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Atlantic Beach, NC

2011