Driving on the Farm

When you live on a farm you never know what you might be required to drive. I grew up on a farm and we all learned how to drive at an early age. Usually, you start out with an automatic transmission, then work up to a standard transmission, and go to driving everything from pickups to grain trucks to tractors. I learned how to drive a standard on my dad's old Chevy pickup that had the gear shift on the steering column. Then I learned how to drive the tractor. One summer I drove a small tractor without a cab cultivating 3 rows at a time. I loved it! When I turned 16, Dad had me drive the grain truck to the elevator. I was always a little nervous about running the PTO to lift the bed. The elevator workers were hard to understand in all the noise but everything always went fine.

I learned how to drive the combine the summer after Leon and I got married. I was 8 months pregnant with Emily and he had me on the combine showing me how to run it. We came to the end of the field and he jumped off. I was on my own! Once I got used to it, driving the combine has been one of my favorite jobs. We don't have little grain trucks anymore. Now we use semis to haul the grain to the elevator. My combine bin holds more than the truck I drove for Dad. I have said that I will not drive the semi. Well, never say "never!"

Leon called yesterday and asked if I would bring his semi with the water tank over the field for him. He could start spraying then the truck would be there when he needed it. I told him I would try. The semi he uses for this purpose is the older one that does not have power steering. The steering wheel is so big I can barely reach the far side! I only had to drive it 6 miles and only had one corner. It wasn't that bad but I still do not want to drive one to town!

I also got to ride in the pickup with Katie driving for the first time yesterday. She is learning quickly and doing a good job. She is even practicing her turn signals. Katie usually drives the 4-wheeler during harvest to help us move vehicles from field to field. Emily has been driving the pickup for quite a while and does a fantastic job driving the tractor with the grain cart.

Women of Joy Conference

My mom, Lorena, and I attended the WOJ conference in OKC this weekend. Wow! It was fantastic! Friday evening started with praise music from Charles Billingsley then Governor Mary Fallin spoke. The night was topped off with Sarah Palin. Sarah spoke mostly about her family and how she doesn't let the critics and the haters get to her. She is truly an inspiration.
Saturday morning we enjoyed the comedy of Anita Renfroe. She is hilarious! We had free time in the afternoon so we hit the mall. That evening we were blessed with a concert from Michael W. Smith. I saw him in concert many, many years ago with Amy Grant. He is even better now!
Sunday morning they honored those who died in the OKC bombing and gave a donation to a jail ministry the sheriff is working with and a donation to an officer who was injured trying to keep the peace while he was off-duty. Here is a website that tells Officer Peery's story. http://chadpeeryfund.org
Karen Kingsbury spoke to us. She has such a positive outlook. I love her books too! She also announced that she is starting up a project to help raise money for the officer that was injured. I will post more on that when she gets it put on her website.
This was the first time they have had a Women of Joy conference in OKC. Lorena and I preregistered for next year. I don't know who is going to be there but I know it will be great! If you get a chance to go, take it. You will be blessed, inspired, and refreshed! Check out the website for more information. Women of Joy

DOT Regulations

Leon and I went to Liberal and got a health card today so we would be in compliance with DOT regulations. No, I am not driving the semi! But, if I should happen to go to Liberal with the flatbed trailer and pick up anything for the farm, I am subject to DOT regulations. Which means I have to have a DOT number (on the pickup or Durango that is pulling the trailer) and a health card. If I take the same trailer to Garden City and get a load of lumber for the house I don't have to have one. Doesn't make much sense if the primary issue is safety. Anyway, we are trying to cover all of our bases and comply with the regulations. I need to order some magnetic signs so we can put our number and name on the pickup or Durango when we need to have them.

Sew What!

We had our second session last night. Carolyn has named the class Sew What! I like it! The girls did a great job on their projects. I taught them how to make a coin purse with a zipper. We were surprised that their new Singer sewing machines did not come with a zipper foot. The new Brother did and I had a couple of extra zipper feet that we shared. They have already bought fabric and started on projects of their own. I am so proud of them! Those of us that do sew keep lamenting how no one sews anymore. Maybe it is because they have no one to teach them. I challenge you that sew, find someone who wants to learn and teach them. You will find it to be a very rewarding experience. Now go help others catch the sewing bug!

Crock Pot Pork Chops

I found a recipe on my friend's blog and tried it today. The original recipe is called Crock Pot London Broil and can be found at  http://www.cooks.com

I used a package of boneless pork chops instead of the london broil.
1 pkg ranch dressing mix
1 pkg Italian dressing mix
1 pkg brown gravy mix
1 1/2 cups water

Put all of this in the crock pot and cook on low overnight. It has a wonderful flavor and the broth makes a yummy gravy.

Body Scrub

I have used a salt body scrub in the past and it seems to work really well. The only drawback is it seems to be insanely expensive! I found a couple of recipes and tried today.

Sea Salt Body Scrub
1/4 cup sea salt
2 - 3 Tbs oil ( I used grape seed oil - you could use apricot kernel oil, EV olive oil, etc.)
A few drops of your favorite essential oil for fragrance ( I used eucalyptus)

Coffee Body Scrub
1/4 cup ground coffee (a good way to use grounds that have become stale)
1/4 cup sugar - white or brown
2 Tbs EV olive oil
I added a dash of vanilla for good measure!

They say the caffeine in the coffee is good for your skin. Helps prevent cellulite and varicose veins. Both scrubs are good for circulation if you scrub in a circular motion.

Body Whip

Our fantastic A-Ha Secretary shared a recipe for body whip a few months ago. It is wonderful stuff! I tried a different version today. This is what I used.

1 large bottle of Vitamin E lotion
1 large tub of petroleum jelly
3 travel-size lotions (I used some I bought on sale at Bath & Body Works)

Combine Vitamin E lotion and petroleum jelly in a bowl. Whip with an electric mixer till fluffy. I split this mixture into 3 bowls. I poured a different scented travel lotion into each bowl and whipped again with the mixer. Each batch made about 2 cups of body whip.

The original recipe calls for a bottle of baby lotion instead of the travel-sized lotions. If you make just one scent, you can just mix all 3 at once. This is a good way to make your favorite lotion go farther.

Busy Week

This is going to be a busy week. I worked at the Adams post office today. Then I made a big batch of hashbrown casserole for tomorrow. Our church is providing the lunch at the MSC at Goodwell. We are serving ham, potatoes, green beans, fresh bread, and dessert. We usually have around 200 join us for lunch.
Tomorrow evening I have an election board meeting and a 4-H Federation meeting. Wednesday we may go pick up our planter. It is down close to Amarillo. We will take the semi, two pickups, and the flatbed trailer to get it home.
Saturday I work at Turpin post office. I would also like to do some more work on my kitchen and we need to get the green house built.

1st Sunday Dinner

Every first Sunday of the month we have dinner after church services. Everyone brings dishes of whatever they choose to make. There is always lots of variety and plenty of food! I took bierox, cornbread salad, and  cream puffs. That was my first experience with a vanilla bean. Thanks Amanda! Katie made chocolate pudding which we topped with the same whipped cream I used in the puffs. Then she put bunny-shaped marshmallows around the edge.

Sewing Class

This afternoon I taught a group of young moms how to sew. We made dresses along the same lines as the Little Dresses for Africa. You can read more about that project at http://www.nancysnotions.com/text/pdf/LittleDressesforAfrica_pattern.pdf The ladies were excited about making something that would help others. There were four students today and another one may join us next time. The classes are being held at the Oliver Warmer Memorial Library in Hooker. That library holds a lot of programs for the community and is a great place to find fantastic books.
It was a rewarding day for me. The ladies really seemed to appreciate the class but I enjoyed the afternoon and felt like I was the one that received the reward. I am looking forward to our next meeting. They want to learn how to install zippers and create buttonholes! Yippee!