Memorial Day.... And Those That We Remember

Peonies are one of my very favorite flowers. Huge, beautiful, fragrant blooms....

Just as I did last year- I, I clipped a bunch of peonies, put them into a little jar, added a small flag and took them to the cemetery to put on the graves of both our grandpas.

 I love how our Church Cemetery has all of the flags flying. It is so beautiful.

They were both tough visits. We get married in two weeks and these two men should be here for that...They should dance embarassingly at our wedding, meet all of the little babies that have since been named after them both, they should see what we have done with the farm and the family business.

 We miss them every single day, but we do this tradition in remembering them every Memorial day.

What traditions do you and your family do to remember those that you love.?

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Spring Tulips on the Farm

Last Fall I spent a small fortune on tulip bulbs.... I was literally hiding my Home Depot receipt from my farmer, because really, who spends that kind of money on tulips.

Fast forward about 7 months and our farm was full of beautiful blooms. I planted an assortment of early, mid and late Spring bulbs. That way they last a little longer (about a full month.)

Luckily i snapped these pics one evening before we got a big storm. I couldn't wait to share with you all. Next year at this time we should be in our new farmhouse, so i can already see sidewalks lined with tulips...

I love red and yellow, so very classic.... 

I like tulips around the trees in the Spring, in the summer I

 plant pansies and in the fall its mums and pumpkins. 

I am addicted to these boots, but refuse to do actual work in them. 

The look that my farmer gave me when I told him that they were not for work, they were for "good", was very similar to the look that he gave me when I told him the total amount I had spent on tulip bulbs...Lets just hope he forgot how much these boots cost. (I hope he isn't reading this)... 

I love this tree and the swing in it. Right behind that swing is where 

construction will begin to take place (hopefully soon)... 

Soft yellow and pink tulips are another great color combination. 

Ignore all of the gravel (and dirty knees)... This is taken near our mailbox at the road. 

Another place that gets a festive decor and plants depending on the season,

 i.e pumpkins, mums, American flags and Christmas wreathes, just to name a few.. 

I hope you all have been having a fabulous Spring. It is going by fast. Our wedding is exactly one month from today and my farmer has been busy in the fields (minus the past couple of much needed rain days) so we have lots going on. But i will try to keep everything documented and share with you. 

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Farmhouse Engagement Pictures

One downfall to getting engaged and planning a wedding in just four short months is not having enough time to plan your engagement pictures. Think beautiful green summer grass, or fall leaves. Me - I had my engagement pictures done in the month of March. Which if you ask me is quite possibly the ugliest time of the year.  Everything is still brown and nothing is green. But a couple of cute outfits and one amazing photographer later our pictures turned out better than I could have ever imagined. Check out my photographer here

Here are some of my very favorite pictures from that day.

               I can already picture a huge print of this picture hanging in my farmers new office.

                            This is one of my favorites. Just a very natural "cheesy" smile

I knew we wanted the pictures on our farm. That's us, that's what our lives consist of and it's just where we feel ourselves.

                                                               This one is a favorite

I love color photos, but something about these black and white ones that really catches my eye... I can see them lined up in huge black frames and white matting lining a hallway.  Is it bad that I am already planning on where I am going to hang stuff in our new home. The new home that doesn't have walls yet.

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Be Careful....

It's Harvest time in this little town.... My farmer has been in the field for almost a week. Not hitting it too hard because the moisture is still a little high, but we are eating, breathing and sleeping corn and soybeans this time of the year.

It's most definitely my favorite time of the year. The air is crisp (along with the apples) we are  planning hayrides and apple butter making festivities with our families and I'm thinking about pumpkin flavored everything..

I am sharing my post from last Spring during planting season. Take a look - have a Happy and safe Harvest Season.







It's early on a Saturday morning, I am sipping (okay - maybe chugging coffee) staring out the window at a tractor and planter sitting in the field next to our home. With the sunshine and warmer ground temperatures, most people in the area have already started planting - and my farmer is among them. He just headed out the door, a belly full of pancakes, smiling from ear to ear (this is his favorite time of the year) and I tell him what I always tell him..... "Be careful"....

Every farm has a story and ours is no different. My farmer grew up in a tractor, sitting on the floor starring out the window. Listening to stories, taking bumpy naps, getting tips from his grandfather. I am certain that some of the things that make him a great farmer today are those things that he learned in the tractor back then.

 I love that this is our life. I can't wait for the day when our kids ride in the tractors and combines with their dad and grandpa. I understand that it's part of raising your children on the farm, but you can't ignore the fact that nearly 300 children (under the age of 21) die each year from a farm related injury.

I can go on about farming being the most dangerous job. I can give you statistic after statistic of things that I have researched, and tell you that the national average for farm related deaths is 22.1 to every 100,000 people. Someday our children will want to ride in the tractor with their dad or their grandpa. I can't wait for that, and I have pictured that in my head for a very long time. But still, we must not forget that just because it is done all of the time does not mean that it's not still dangerous. Most of the time it's the repetitive things that you do without even thinking that are the most dangerous.

See below for some tractor safety rules that i got from Nationwide Agri Insurance to remember and think about during this planting season.

Follow These Tips to Help Prevent Tractor Accidents

Farm tractors are a primary tool for most farms. But studies show tractors are also involved in a high proportion of farm injuries and fatalities. Most accidents can be prevented by following basic tractor safety guidelines. 

Five major areas cause most farm tractor accidents: rollovers, run overs, road accidents, blind spots and entanglements. Here are tips to prevent each. But the best idea is to develop a "safety first" attitude on your farm. Follow safe work practices at all times and set a good example for others. 

Rollovers

Be sure your tractor is equipped with a ROPS (rollover protective structure) and a seat belt. Always wear your seat belt, back up steep slopes, check for uneven ground or large obstacles, avoid wet or muddy fields and drive tractors slowly. 

Run overs

Always turn the engine off when you're not in the driver's seat. And be careful allowing extra riders – It can be distracting and unsafe.

Road accidents

Tractors should not be operated on the highways without flashing lights and reflective slow moving vehicle (SMV) emblems displayed on the rear of any machinery, even if being towed. Stay aware of any traffic around you, and stay as far over to the right of the road as practical. 

Blind spots

Never allow children to play or hide around tractors or other equipment. Walk completely around tractors and other equipment before getting on to ensure you're aware of anything in your path. 

Entanglements

Be sure your PTO (power take-off) shield is in place or replace it. Always walk around an operating PTO, not over it. Do not wear loose fitting clothing or allow loose, long hair around machinery with moving parts. Disengage power and turn the engine off before trying to manually clear a clogged machine.

To be honest, I have struggled with writing this post. It's now the following Saturday afternoon and I am sitting here (chugging coffee again) trying too find a way to finish it. I have thought about it for a while now, thinking of the exact message that I want to get across to you. I am done with the statistics and facts. They are scary and no one really wants to think about them. Kiss your people every day.... Always tell them how much you love them. 

My grandpa was killed in a tractor accident 5 1/2 years ago, so that's why it has taken me so long to write this. 

I might always be that wife that tells her farmer to be careful when he heads to the field, or that mother that worries until my farm kids are tucked safely in bed at night (and probably even then too.)  

I hope you all have a safe, happy and successful planting season. 

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