farm chick favorite

Confidence...wear it like makeup
I love this bag so very much!

 

This bag is made of canvas material that is tan in color. The interior is a blue and white striped ticking. It also has a small pocket on the inside. The bag measures 9 x 11 with a zipper. It is cute inside and out!

 

I found this adorable travel bag at Southern Farm Co.
So cute y'all!

#farmchickfavorite

black walnut cake

Black Walnut trees are close to my heart. They grew in our cattle pastures. And, I grew up on a farm in Walnut Grove Township, Knox County, Illinois. Here is a recipe for a delicious Black Walnut Cake!

1/2 cup      butter
1 1/2 cups      sugar
2 cups      whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons      baking powder
3/4 cup      milk
4      eggs
1 cup      black walnuts (chopped)
1 teaspoon      vanilla

Cream together the butter and sugar. Sift in the flour and baking powder. Slowly add in the milk. Mix in the chopped black walnuts and vanilla. Beat well. Blend in the eggs to the mixture. Grease and dust a 9x13 pan with flour. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

 

This black walnut cake is perfect for fall and winter!

peanut butter cookies

Another classic fall favorite is peanut butter cookies! I was looking through an old Illinois Shorthorn Lassies cookbook of my grandma Stevens and found this recipe!

 

 

1 cup      butter

1 cup      peanut butter

1 cup      brown sugar

1 cup      granulated sugar

3 cups      whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon      baking soda

1 teaspoon      salt

1 teaspoon      vanilla

2       eggs

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Blend together butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix ingredients well. Shape dough into one inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Or, press balls of dough with a fork to flatten making a crisscross. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cookies cool.

farm chick favorite

This is my absolute favorite mug! It is perfect for a cup of cocoa on a chilly day of cattle chores. I adore it. I found it on my 2016 visit to Magnolia Market in Waco, Texas. Such a great reminder of a fun adventure!

 

 #farmchickfavorite

carrot breakfast cookies

Here is a yummy recipe for carrot cookies! Perfect for breakfast during the fall!
They are great for a busy fall days!

1 cup      oats
3/4 cup      whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons      cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon      baking soda
1/2 teaspoon      salt
2 tablespoons      butter
1      egg
1 teaspoon      vanilla
1/2 cup      honey
3/4 cup      shredded carrots
1/3 cup      chopped walnuts
1/3 cup      golden raisins 

Mix oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk butter, egg, vanilla, and honey in another bowl. Combine the ingredients thoroughly together. Fold in carrots, walnuts, and golden raisins. Spoon cookie dough onto a baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes. Recipe makes a dozen cookies.

the farm office

the farm office is the heart of the cattle farm...

  

On our Shorthorn cattle farm, it is very important to have a nice office that is purposeful and well organized. I love to be and need to be organized. Since I often work long hours at times throughout the year in my farm office, I also want a space I love. If I have an office I adore and enjoy working in, I will be much more productive. And, I do love working in my office! I think it's pretty cute...  

 

functional  +  funky

 

black saddle chair
black painted captain chair

laptop & wireless printer

iPad

telephone

desk calendar

sea grass basket [ calendar, patterned binder, portfolios, and Vigortone manual ]

b&w print magazine holder [ natural paper file folders labeled with a black Sharpie ]

clear lamp with burlap shade

2 barn board shelves

clock

sea grass basket [ black binders and a clipboard for cattle records ]
clear + turquoise tote [ calving records ]

black tray [ additional cattle records ]
purple sticky notes

patterned notepads
mini clipboard + notepad

binder clips in an antique Atlas jar

Sharpies [ in my favorite colors...lilac, purple, turquoise, magenta, orange & lime ]

In three desk drawers...
drawer #1    paperclips, business cards, notepads, rubber stamps, and ink

drawer #2    3 hole punch, pens, scissors, washi tape, and string

drawer #3    printer paper, printer ink, file folders, and legal pads

Rustic...the style I have always loved. My favorite colors to use in decorating are black and brown. Then, I add pops of color throughout... purple, yellow, or turquoise. The wall of my office is painted black. And, I absolutely LOVE it! It coordinates well with the two barn board shelves above the desk! The black wall creates a warm and cozy space for my farm office.

A clear lamp with a burlap shade sits on my desk. It adds a warm light as I work. A desk calendar with ultra-fine Sharpies keep track of everything important on the farm. A sea grass basket and b&w print magazine holder are in close reach of working at my desk... while being organized and cute. The wall clock hangs just above the desk. It can easily be seen to help keep me on task.

Onto the backs of black buttons, I glued tacks. The tacks were then pressed into the baskets. So simple and cute! They add an adorable touch to the sea grass baskets. One of these sea grass baskets holds black binders of cattle records. This basket allows quick access to records off a barn board shelf while looking rustic chic.
 

 

I had two extra wood chairs and decided to paint them black. They were sanded for a rustic look. It is perfect for an extra seating at the side of my desk!

 

To add a little of my style to my office

. soy candle

. wax warmer [ linen scented ]

. edition of Feeds and Feeding textbook

. turquoise antique Ball jars - Grandma Stevens

. antique feed scale - Grandpa Stevens
. primitive sheep figurine

. farm photos
. rope knot [ purchased @ Bishop Hill ]
 

feeds and feeding - one of my favorites

 

rope knot from bishop hill

Hanging above my desk is this cute rope knot from Bishop Hill! I love it in my office!

 

 

 

My favorite farm photo is a b&w print of my dad as a little boy bottle feeding his lamb. It is so cute! I will always cherish it. The framed photo goes well with the antique scale of my grandpa Stevens.

capture life

capture life...perfect for this agriculture photographer! I found this adorable wood sign at Barn Owl Primitives! It is on a barn board shelf beside a antique turquoise Ball jar.

my favorite mug from magnolia market

 I adore this mug! It was a from my visit to Magnolia Market in Waco, TX! 

seeding rye

This afternoon, we finished seeding rye as forage for our cattle.

 

bags of rye

Dad sprayed a 7 acre field of hay field to be seeded. The hay field had been cut and baled as forage since 2010. Since we need high quality and quantity of forage, we decided to seed the field. We no-till drilled rye into the field this morning. The rye was seeded at a rate of 72 pounds per acre. Rain is in the forecast, so it should be great for germination.

 

no-till drill filled with rye

We are planning on planting red clover and spring peas into the rye next spring. The rye, clover, and peas will then be chopped and bagged as silage. It should be a quality forage high in nutritional value. I am pretty excited about this forage for our cows!