A Day in the Life of a Cowboy-girl Mom

6:00 A.M.  Rise and shine!  Get dressed, start breakfast.
6:30 A.M.  Serve pancakes with syrup, vitamins, milk, and tea for mom.
7:00 A.M.  Boys are fed, dressed, and we are on our way out the door to feed horses, old bred cows, our personal cows, and replacement heifers.  Start a load of laundry on the way out the door.
8:00 A.M.  Swing in to the house on the way to feed the bred cows.  Move clothes to dryer and start second load of laundry.  Meet tractor and feed wagon at the gate to feed cows.
8:45 A.M.  Refresh cup of tea and grab snacks for boys.  Lock up horses and wait for the Cow Boss to show up with the feed wagon.  Move QT to back seat of the pick up and load up SiSi so we can go feed the Bulls.
9:20 A.M.  Feed bulls.
9:45 A.M.  Send the Cow Boss to Julio's to do his chores while I run the boys to a friends house to hang out  there while we sort cows.  Saddle horses and wait for Cow Boss to return.  Lock up SiSi and Jack.
10:15 A.M  Try and get on young horse while wearing 10 layers of clothes, while hoping said horse isn't too "tight," once you get on.  Chester is tight.  You hold your breath, squeeze eyes shut and pray you can ride him if he bucks.  No matter how many layers you are wearing or how much snow is on the ground, it's still hard when you land.  Besides, it was hard enough to get on the first time!
10:30 A.M.  Horse bogs head and proceeds to take 3 jumps before he realizes it's too hard to buck in the deep snow while packing a person wearing 20 pounds of winter clothes.  You realize you are still holding your breath.  You let it out and get on with sorting cows.
12:30 P.M.  After getting your heavy cows to the house, you let the Cow Boss unsaddle your horse (fair is fair, right?).  Besides that you have to hurry and get the boys from the neighbor's house so we can eat lunch.
1:30 P.M.  Nap time!  Try and tie a cinch while fighting with the boys to lay down, be quiet, and rest!
2:30 P.M.  Give up on naps and finishing a cinch.  Start home school with TR and sort out dinner.
5:30 P.M.  Give up on home school and serve dinner.
6:30 P.M.  Bath time for boys while you do dishes.
7:30 P.M.  Mop up bathroom.  Start getting boys ready for bed.
8:00 P.M.  Tuck in boys, give 50 good night hugs and kisses to each, complete with "I love you to the moon and back and forever and a days."  Leave the hall and bathroom lights on and head upstairs.  Turn electric blanket on high to warm up bed, change clothes, and fall asleep before your head hits the pillow.  There is more of the same tomorrow!

The Sun is Setting in the West....

Listening:  My Rifle My Pony and Me by Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson from the John Wayne Movie Rio Bravo.  One of my favorites, and as QT says "Ricky Nelson is awesome.  It's too bad he died."

















Eating:  I'm actually cooking dinner.  One of my favorite meals:  Pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy!


Drinking:  Half frozen water and Dasani drink enhancers Pink Lemonade.  Would probably be more enjoyable if it wasn't frozen!

Wearing:  My "Naked and Hungry" shirt because really, where would you be without agriculture?  Baggy jeans, tennis shoes and a ball cap, you know....the usual!  =)

Feeling:  Blah.  Trying to decide if I want to zumba on the wii or tie another cinch after dinner.  This cold weather wears me out!

Weather:  Cold.  The pickup said 9* when I got home about 30 minutes ago.  Looking like another chilly night, perfect for calving!

Wanting:  A Captain and Coke, my toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold drink in my hand.

Needing:  My potatoes to boil so I can start on the pork chops.

Thinking:  I need a house keeper.


Enjoying:  The momentary peace and quiet of the boys being on the other end of the house!

Because It's Wednesday

Conversations with a 3 and 5 year old.

TR:  "Why do we have to feed cows EVERYday?" 

Mom:  "Because cows are hungry.  It's our job to take care of them.  I make sure you have food to eat every morning, then we make sure the cows do too."

TR:  "Why do we have to feed cows hay when there is all this grass here?

Mom:  "This grass isn't very palatable.  It doesn't taste good to cows."

TR:  "How do you know?"  (Think he is being a pill and wants to argue?).

Mom:  "It is coarse and rank slew grass.  If it tasted good, the cows would have already eaten it."

QT:  "Well then, why isn't it slewing?"

Mom:  "Good question.  How exactly does one slew?"

QT:  Shrugs shoulders.

TR:  "I AM not going to be a cowboy when I grow up."

Mom:  "That's fine.  You can be anything you want to, just as long as you try hard and you do your best.  No matter what you choose to be, sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do.  You still have to do them."

TR:  "I know."

QT:  "I will be a cowboy when I grow up.  A cowboy soldier guy."

Mom:  "That's great!"

TR:  "I guess I will be a cowboy on my days off, when I'm not fighting in battles and saving girls from bad guys.  Did you know QT has a girlfriend?"

Mom:  "Really?  QT, is this true?"

QT:  "Yep.  Pais-lee.  Not our Paisley, but Andy's Pais-lee."

Mom:  "Does your brother have a girlfriend?"

TR:  "No, I don't.  I can't think of any girls I want for a girlfriend."

Mom:  "I see.  That's okay, isn't it?"

TR:  "I guess."

Later......

TR:  "Dad, who is your girlfriend?"  Mom raises eyebrows...

Dad:  "I can't answer that right now."

TR:  "Why?"

Dad:  "Your mom is sitting right here."

TR:  "Doesn't she know your girlfriend?"

Dad:  "Maybe she's my girlfriend.  What makes you think I need a girlfriend?"

TR:  "QT has a girlfriend.  You need a girlfriend so Valentine's Day will be for you.  It's a lovers holiday."

Oh the things you learn while feeding cows!

Currently

Listening:  The playlist I finally figured out how to download to my iPhone.  It includes Waylon Jennings, Pink, Marty Robbins, Nickleback, and Colder Weather by the Zac Brown Band, which I am listening to right now.

Eating:  Nothing.  Just finished dinner.  Spaghetti...yuck!

Drinking:  Spiced Apple Cider from Costco.  Where else can you get a million single serve packets for $5?

Wearing:  Feeding clothes.  Long underwear, wool socks, ratty jeans, wife beater tee, long sleeve tee, fuchsia hoodie.  Good thing I haven't seen anyone today, I look pretty much like I could care less how I look.  Which I actually could care less today.

Feeling:  Tired, sore, blue.  Long day.  Feeding takes so much longer with fresh snow.  Our pick up is a piece of junk.  I got tired of bouncing around the cab of the tractor with the Cow Boss, 2 boys and a jack wiener, that I decided to walk home in a blizzard.  In snow up to my knees.  1 mile.  I tweaked my hip wading through a drift.  I'm starting to get the winter blues.  I hate the winter blues.

Weather:  Cold,  right now it is 18* outside, the wind is howling, snow is drifting and according to my phone we should get more snow.

Wanting:  A warm bath, glass of wine, and a good book to curl up with.

Needing:  A hug and 5 minutes peace and quiet.

Thinking:  About going to bed.

Enjoying:  The thought that summer will be here in 5 months.

Snow Fun

Leftovers

The Cow Boss is not a fan of leftovers.  Honestly?  It blows my mind.  In college, and while single I would make enchiladas, spaghetti, meatloaf, pretty much any kind of casserole or roast and that would feed me for a week.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  It was wonderful. 

I can usually serve something twice, and after that, he will sneak what is left out to the dogs, or flat out refuse to eat it.  It is really hard for me because I feel like we are wasting something, and I hate that.  Especially when I am trying to save every penny I can.  So I have had to get sneaky.  Part of my problem is that I have never learned how to cook for just 2 people.  Growing up, there was never fewer than 5 people at any meal, and really, with the Cow Boss, boys, and I, we just don't eat enough to feed 3 people at a meal!

One of my favorite things to do with leftover meat is to hide them in beans.  The Cow Boss loves beans (me, not so much!).  I will put left over taco meat, Swiss steak, BBQ pork chops, you name it.  Pretty much anything that has a tomato type sauce with it.

The other day I baked a spiral ham we got for Christmas.  It was pretty good, but after 2 days of ham for lunch and dinner I knew I was pushing my luck.  I also made my grandma's recipe for Potato's Chantilly.

The next night I made a pasta dish similar to Straw and Hay.

What you need:
1 Tbsp. Oil
Leftover Ham, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 small can of mushrooms
Heavy Whipping Cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cooked Pasta

What you do:
Boil water and cook Pasta.  In a cast iron skillet (because everything tastes better cooked in cast iron!), heat oil and cook onion.  Add ham and mushrooms and heat until warmed through.  Add Heavy Whipping Cream (enough to make a decent sauce) and cook until thickened.  Add to drained pasta and season to taste.

Tomorrow I plan to make a split pea soup with dumplings with the ham bone and remaining ham.  I love split pea soup.  Let's hope my crew does too!

I am most proud of my dinner tonight though.  I made breakfast burritos (crazy for supper I know!).  I cooked 1/2 diced onion in a couple of tablespoons of oil.  Added leftover Potato's Chantilly and diced ham.  Then added to 8 eggs and 2 tbsp. cream and scrambled together.  Then I took tortillas and put 1/2 tbsp plain Greek Yogurt in center and spread.  Next I added 1 tbsp. salsa, 2 sliced of avocado, 1/4 c. of egg mixture and 1/2 slice of American Cheese, and folded like a burrito.  They were pretty tasty, and I had enough leftover to make 1/2 dozen more breakfast burritos.  Don't worry, I will freeze them for later!

How do you like to use leftovers?