The Great American Farm Tour Minnesota Meetup

The Great American Farm Tour Minnesota Meetup

 

Twas the day of the farm tour and all through the house,
Every creature was stirring, yes, even the mouse.
The children were loaded in the van with great care,
In the hopes that the Rhodes Family soon would be there;
The children practiced what they would say in their seats,
While they snacked on organic, non-GMO treats…

We had a lot of fun at the Great American Farm Tour Minnesota Meetup.  The park was packed with kids and the lawns were packed with like minded small farmers.  It was a lot of fun meeting new friends and sharing our farm stories.

If you haven’t heard of The Great American Farm Tour, you should check it out!  It’s about small farmers using permaculture methods to grow food and raise animals.  My Dad recommended the Rhodes family to me last year and I’ve been hooked, watching almost all of their YouTube episodes.

All of us were excited to meet and talk to Justin and Rebekah.  Rebekah was even sweeter and more beautiful in person.  They were kind enough to take the time to talk to each and every person.  I can only imagine how tired they must be after traveling across the country, but they were kind, patient and respectful to everyone.

My Dad and Cat were the most excited to meet the Rhodes.  I think it might be the highlight of the year for both of them.  Cat was especially thrilled that Justin asked her to play her ukelele.

Waiting for the Rhodes to release their video of the day, all of my family had the farm tour youtube tab open and kept hitting refresh all day.  lol  You’ll have to check us out in the video below.  If you don’t have time to watch the whole thing, you can skip to 7:42 to see us!

What farmers are you fans of?  Do you have a favorite YouTube channel or a channel of your own?  I’d love to hear about it!

Happy Farm Tour to all, and to all a good-night!

Check out our video of the meetup!

Check out the video from The Great American Farm Tour to see what everyone was growing at the Minnesota meet up:

 

Oops, We Mixed Up the Date!

Oops, We Mixed Up the Date!

It was a hot Saturday as we drove a little over an hour to Community Park in St Francis, Minnesota.  We drove up to meet my parents and sisters at the Great American Farm Tour Minnesota Meetup.

There was a lot of major road construction along the way, and thankfully Nate was driving.  I get anxiety driving in unknown places with a lot of traffic.  Add detours to the mix and I might have gotten us lost.

As we neared the park, we saw a bus heading toward us.  Nate asked me, “Is that them?”  as he pulled the van over to the side of the road.  The bus had slowed and turned onto a dirt road.  The kids were hopping in their seats in excitement as we saw the Great American Farm Tour logo on the side.

We debated if that was the turn to the park, since we were so close, but decided it was a private farm.  We thought they were perhaps running behind and had just gotten to their host’s house and they might be a bit late to the meetup.

The park was mostly empty when we got there.  There were only 3 other cars in the parking lot.  My parents greeted us and let us know that only two of the people were also waiting for the farm tour.  I let them know that we had just seen the bus and perhaps they would be a little late.  The children played at the park and I caught up with my parents.

As time wore on, I began to worry, was this the right park?  Was this the right day?  The other car waiting for the Rhodes left without saying anything.  I began to look for the meetup information on my phone.  My Dad was the one who let me know, but since I was behind in watching the farm tour, I personally hadn’t seen it yet.

It took awhile to find the info because I couldn’t figure out how to pull it up on my phone.  I watched the youtube video to find out the date and I laughed when I realized we were indeed a day early.  I could tell my Dad felt awful about it, but it honestly didn’t bother me.  I called it our planning prep trip.  Now we knew about the road construction and detours and we also knew exactly where the park was.  Sunday, Nate would be a work and I would have to drive up instead.  Plus, I got the joy of seeing my family two days in a row, a rare treat!

We hung out awhile longer, playing with the kids and enjoying our family time.  Cat ended up going with my parents to spend a night at their farm.On the drive home, we stopped at Aldi’s for some snacks before dinner.  It had been a fun day and we looked forward to returning to the park again on Sunday.

Have you ever gotten a date wrong that ended up being a blessing instead of a disappointment?

Check out our video!

I Turned My Brown Thumb Into a Green Thumb

I Turned My Brown Thumb Into a Green Thumb

I have always joked about having a brown thumb instead of a green one.  I have good intentions with plants, but I usually kill most of them.  My problem was that I watered them too much.  For me, caring for a plant equaled watering it.  I literally loved them to death.

I did manage to keep hardy plants alive, to my great joy.  My brother got me a Philodendron as a gift when I was 13.  It’s the only plant that has survived this long.

My parents were great gardeners.  As a child, they had a huge garden in our yard.  I can remember working with them to weed, pick off pests, gather ripe plants and care for my own little garden plot. And occasionally, they had me get to lawn care and landscaping near me to make the garden more aesthetic-appealing. My favorites were the raspberries bordering 2 sides of the garage and the strawberries.

When I was given my own little corner plot, I planted Shasta daisies, echinacea, and zinnia among a few other flowers.  I loved flowers and the butterflies that they drew to our yard.  My Mother had flower gardens in raised planters that my Father built all over our property.

After my own children were born, I gave plants a renewed interest.  I tried a few easy house plants, a few palms, some morning glories outside during the warm months, hanging petunias or impatiens.  I tried peppers many times but they rarely produced peppers and if they did, were never large enough to eat.    I’ve overloved and killed many orchids over the years.

With the addition of extreme allergies to my life, I’ve had to learn to grow my own food.  Organic food from health food stores is usually incredibly expensive and is not always guaranteed to be corn free.  The safest option is home grown because I control all of the factors of what my food is exposed to.

When I first moved to this house, my Mom helped me plant a small outdoor garden.  The weeds overtook it to my great frustration.  Creeping Charlie choked out most of my plants.  I did get some tomatoes and small ears of corn (ironic, right? This was pre-corn allergy.). After that, I gave up planting in the ground.  Nate built me a planter around the mulberry tree in the backyard, which I grew flowers and hostas in, for an easy to maintain, decorative garden.

Inside, I grew potted plants.  I tried basil by the sink but I ended up overwatering it.  My next sink plant was rosemary, which, as it turns out, LOVES being overwatered.  In fact, if I don’t water it often, it starts to die.  I also grow potted plants on my porch and bring them inside over winter.  My theory was, if they die, that’s ok because they would have died if I had left them outside to die by frost.  If they live, I have another plant to enjoy.

This last year, my gardening skills have grown, as has the number of plants in and out.  I have several plants that live inside year round, Outside, on my porch, my number of potted plants has grown. After installing a critter fence, it was clear that the plants where staying healthier and growing faster. Those pesky critters can really make a dent in most plants. Those interested in the specific fence used, I found it here. I renewed my attempt for ground grown plants.  I planted several things around the porch outside and started a new side garden.  I’ve also planted raspberries and blueberries along the fence.

I am not an expert gardener.  I have, however, turned my brown thumb into a green one with persistence and determination.  I’ve never given up.  If my plants die, I try again.  I do more research. The best way I’ve learned is by experience and trial and error.

I recommend everyone give gardening a try.  It is so rewarding.  When I eat food from my own garden, I have a great pride and satisfaction that I have never gotten from bought food.

If you are afraid of killing plants, don’t let that deter you!  Keep trying!  Start with potted plants.  Try something easy to maintain, like impatiens, petunias, philodendrons, or palms like I did.  Otherwise, try checking out the end of the year plant sales that most greenhouses have.  You can usually get plants cheap or for free.  Use the mindset that if it dies, at least you tried.  Research what you can do differently next time.

Do you care for any plants?  What do you grow?  Have you also overcome a brown thumb or has gardening come naturally to you?

Check out my video for a tour of my garden!

Historic Fort Snelling

5 Week Workout Challenge: Week 4, Day 2
Historic Fort Snelling

Today we visited Fort Snelling.  My parents, my sisters Shannon and Liz and Liz’s boyfriend Jimmy had a lot of fun!  We’ve been here many times and every time I find something new to enjoy.

Although I’ve always visited Fort Snelling as a tourist, my Dad visited as a child, before it was restored as a historic landmark.  When he was a child, his uncle and cousins lived here!

Fort Snelling has always been one of my sister Liz’s favorite places.  Since she was a child, she’s always loved the cannon blast.  That might be because, when she was little, my Dad used to tell her that they set it off just for her.

After hearing the cannons go off, we went to get root beer and cream soda for the non-allergy people.  Then, we practiced walking on stilts.  My Dad was the best, to everyone’s amazement.

We checked out some of the usual buildings, like the tower and the schoolhouse, but my favorite was the medical rooms.  There were some new displays that I haven’t seen before.  I especially got a kick out of the weather diary.  The climate here was judged “the most excessive among all military posts in The United States.”

Liz, Jimmy and the kids had great fun making star wands in the arts and crafts building.  Liz has always excelled in making a four-sided star.  In usual tradition, she gave her star to the youngest in our family, Princess.  Jimmy was kind enough to give his star to Mr. Awesome.

After we were done for the day, we cooled off inside the gift shop and art gallery area before heading to our cars.  This year’s exhibit was a display of beautiful photography by Paul Kitagaki.  Accompanying the portraits were moving stories of families and people who had lived through the Japanese internment.  There was also a fascinating display of old clocks.

Later that night, we met up with my friend Joleen and her son Drake for fireworks at our local golf course.  It was a lovely evening.  The fireworks were beautiful and seemed to be right on top of us.  It was the perfect finish to a fun day.

Have you been to Fort Snelling?  What is your favorite part?  What historic sites are near your home?  I’d love to hear about it, share a link to your blog post in the comments!

Check out our video!

5 Week Workout Challenge
Previous Week: Week 4, Day 1: Morning Workout
Next Week: Week 4, Day 3: Night Walk Date

4 Year Old Adventure

4 Year Old Adventure
5 Week Workout Challenge: Week 3, Day 4

The big kids went to the drive in with Grandma and Grandpa, so Princess and I decided to go on an adventure.  We went on a walk downtown and along the river.  It was the perfect evening for a walk and we had a lot of fun!

Princess LOVES going for walks.  She is a little outdoors girl.  If we could live outside, she would be so happy.  One of her favorite activities is camping.  She’s always asking me when we can go play outside together.  I let her lead us on this 4-year-old adventure.

I’m naturally a home body.  I love hiding inside.  I’m always looking for ways to motivate myself to go outdoors more because the outdoors are beautiful and they always make me feel closer to God.  Doing this exercise challenge has been a great way to do that.  I do love to explore new places too, but it’s nice to have a little girl who pushes me to do so.

I hope we’ve been inspiring you to get outdoors too if you are naturally a home body like me.  Exercise doesn’t have to be gruesome and horrible.  Getting outside, exploring the world and all of the wonders that God created for us to enjoy is fun and exciting.  The person who moves slowly on the trail is still moving faster than the person at home on their couch.  So get out there and get some fresh air!

Have we motivated you to get outside this week?  Do your kids love to go outside as much as my little outdoor girl?

5 Week Workout Challenge
Previous Week: Week 3, Day 3: Covered Bridge Park
Next Week: Week 4, Day 1: Morning Workout

 

The Only Covered Bridge In Minnesota!

5 Week Workout Challenge: Week 3, Day 3
2nd Convention Day, Covered Bridge Park

The second day of the “Don’t Give Up!” convention was great!  I felt bad for the people next to us because the kids had to get up and go the bathroom in alternating shifts.  I suppose that’s typical with kids.  Since my kids are all getting older, they sit pretty well except for the bathroom breaks.

After the convention, Princess wanted to go all the way to the top of the parking ramp.  I brought us up and parked the van so the kids could take in the view.  It was a beautiful and windy day in Rochester.

On the way home, we stopped in Zumbrota to see the covered bridge.  I have always wanted to go check it out.  It’s really beautiful and in great shape!  I’m so glad we got a chance to visit!

We took a walk along the creek and then stopped at an amazing wooden park.  It reminded me of a park that used to be in Burnsville called Skyland.  It was torn down to put in a modern park several years ago, which has always made me sad.  I loved playing at Skyland when I was younger.  I’m really glad the children had the chance to enjoy this park.  They want to come back every time there is a convention.

Park Info: http://www.ci.zumbrota.mn.us/index.asp?SEC=F8BD36E0-EA64-410F-B42C-3C819352F226&DE=05948FF6-7AB9-4FDC-996C-29FBF2FD779B&Type=B_BASIC

Have you been to the covered bridge in Zumbrota or do you have one near where you live?  I’d love to hear about it or see your pictures!

UPDATE: I made a typo!  It turns out that it was advertised as the only remaining “original” covered bridge in the state.  There are other “non-original” covered bridges.  I did find a list of all of the covered bridges, check it out!  http://www.dalejtravis.com/cblist/cbmn.htm

5 Week Workout Challenge
Previous Week: Week 3, Day 2: 1st Convention Day, Rochester
Next Week: Week 3, Day 4: 4-Year-Old Adventure

Enjoying A Lovely Day In Rochester

5 Week Workout Challenge: Week 3, Day 2
1st Convention Day, Rochester MN

Today was the first day of the “Don’t Give Up!” convention.  We really enjoyed it!  We left right before lunchtime.  Every time I’ve tried to stay for the second half, I’ve had an anaphylactic attack from airborne food allergies.  The last time, I had to have my dear friend Karen drive me home because I couldn’t walk, much less drive.

I could have gone to the E.R., but I usually try to avoid it if at all possible because there’s always the potential that they could do more harm than good with corn allergies.  Hospitals are full of corn derivatives.  In the severe allergy support group I’m part of, I often hear stories about how the ER accidentally gave them something that made them worse because they didn’t understand what was safe and what wasn’t.

This was the first time I left during the final song instead of after.  I think this was also the only time I’ve ever left not gasping for air or incredibly dizzy.  From now on, I’ll always leave during the final song before lunch.  I always wish that I could stay, but I’m thankful that I’m at least able to attend the first half.

My favorite part of the conventions is hearing the singing of thousands of people.  I love the Kingdom songs and hearing that many beautiful voices always brings tears to my eyes.  Seeing everyone work together to pull off such a large event is always another of my favorite parts.  There are always so many smiles, helpful people and a feeling of love and unity that I haven’t found anywhere else.

After leaving, the kids and I enjoyed a walk along the river in Rochester.  It was a beautiful day.  When we got home, Cat and I stopped by our local health food store for gluten free tortillas, then made a quick trip to the library to return books.

I’ve challenged Cat to read four classics over the summer.  She really enjoyed Romeo and Juliet during school.  Hopefully, she’ll learn to love the older classics as I have.  Lately, she’s been into learning about Japan and learning more about drawing.

Have you attended the “Don’t Give Up!” convention yet?  What was your favorite part?

5 Week Workout Challenge
Previous Week: Week 3, Day 1: Hastings Riverwalk
Next Week: Week 3, Day 3: Covered Bridge Park

Hastings Riverwalk

5 Week Workout Challenge: Week 3, Day 1
Hastings Riverwalk

We started off week three with a walk along the river in Hastings, Minnesota.

Before leaving for our walk, Princess enjoyed checking out our lilies at home.  This is the third year since we planted them and they’re doing great!  I can’t believe how many came up this year!

We’ve enjoyed walking Hastings Riverwalk many times.  This is where I took the kids pictures a few years ago.  The Hastings Rivertown Carnival is also hosted here every year.  Earlier this year, Cat and I came here for our 52 project, cold.

Along the trail, there are a lot of interesting things to see.  There are giant vine woven orbs hanging in the trees as part of an art installation.  I got the privilege to see the artist creating them since his studio is not too far from my house.  There is a great view of the new Hastings bridge.  There’s a spot on the side of the trail that has a piece of the old Hastings bridge.  Along the trail, there are signs with bits of history of the area.  There are a lot of beautiful wildflowers everywhere too.

At one point when we were exploring the edge of the river, Nate found a tiny, baby frog.  As it turns out, they were all over the place!  They blend in so well with the ground that it’s difficult to see them, even if you’re looking right at them!  I really hope we didn’t step on any of the little guys!

After our walk, we went to pick up a desk for Cat’s room that we found on Craigslist.  We got to travel quite a ways into Wisconsin and explore an area we’d never been before.  After that, we picked up pizza at Papa Murphy’s for the gluten tolerant side of the family.  Then we came home and made gluten free pizza for Cat, Princess and me.  We watched Enchanted for family night while eating in the living room.  It was a great way to end a fun day!

Have you been on the Hastings Riverwalk?  What is your favorite part?

5 Week Workout Challenge
Previous Week: Week 2, Day 4: 2nd Plank Challenge
Next Day: Week 3, Day 2: 1st Convention Day, Rochester

Homemade Bug Spray

Homemade Bug Spray

With summer right around the corner, I decided to whip up a batch of homemade bug spray.  With 4 little ones, I needed something that was 1.Safe to use on kids, 2.Safe for those of us with allergies 3.Non toxic, 4.Affordable and last but not least 5. It needs to actually work.  If it could also not smell horrible, that would be a plus.

I set about my project as I do with most new tasks to tackle, research, research, research.  I wanted to be sure that whatever I chose, it would meet all of my expectations above.

Safety

I have read a lot of differing information about the safety of using essential oils on children.  Some say that essential oils are natural, therefore go nuts!  As someone with allergies to a lot of “natural” things, I know that it is better to err on the side of caution.  Since essential oils are highly concentrated forms of the original, it only makes sense to me that less is more.  After reading about an alarming number of injuries and deaths from essential oils, I knew I wanted to proceed with utmost caution.  I joined a few essential oil safety groups on Facebook to learn about what books, websites, and companies would aid me in my search.

I found this awesome site that lists oils that are and are not safe for children:
http://www.usingeossafely.com/essential-oils-and-children/

Allergies

As with any new product that comes into our house, oils and accessories need to be safe for our unique allergies.  I wondered 1. How are they processed 2.What hidden ingredients are there 3. Has anyone else in my allergy group had any reported reactions?

Corn Allergy Statement
This recipe is unfortunately NOT corn free.  Thayer’s witch hazel uses citric acid as a preservative.  Princess and I do break out in mild hives if applied to the skin, so I try to spray mostly on our clothing, with a light application on exposed skin  Since we live in a high mosquito area, a few small hives are preferable to having entire limbs swell up from mosquito bites. Thankfully using this has not created any breathing problems, but we will always stay on alert for safety since the severity of allergens can change at any time.  I’m, hoping to learn how to make my own witch hazel in the future.

Non-Toxic

This is a no-brainer for me.  If it has ingredients I can’t pronounce, it’s off the list.  I believe part of why I am allergic to so many things and have been so sick in the past is due to the fact that I have been exposed to too many toxins.  I want to decrease the bucket load of toxins for my family and me.

Affordable

We live in Minnesota so we get a lot of mosquitoes.  I need something that I can afford to use a lot of.
Let me break down what making homemade bug spray costs for you.  I’m using Young Living, and also NOW for the prices.
8oz Bottle $2.00
15 Drops Lavender Essential Oil at 9 cents a drop $1.35YL or >2 cents a drop $0.23NOW
15 Drops Cedarwood Essential Oil at 5 cents a drop $0.75YL or >1 cent a drop $0.13NOW
10 Drops Geranium Essential Oil at 17 cents a drop $1.70YL or >3 cents a drop $0.28NOW
20 Drops Vanilla Essential Oil at 10 cents a drop $2.00
Young Living does not sell vanilla essential oil because vanilla is not an essential oil.  I instead used the price for the vanilla oil I got from my local health food store.
4oz Witch Hazel $3.03
4oz Distilled or Boiled(and Cooled) Water Free!

This ends up being $10.83 for the first bottle and $8.83 for each refill with Young Living.
Or $7.67 for the first bottle and $5.67 for each refill with NOW.
For a price comparison
Burt’s Bees Outdoor all Natural herbal Insect Repellent 4oz bottle $13.50= $27.00 for 8oz
Honest Co Bug Spray 4oz $11.69= $23.38 for 8oz
BabyGanics Shoo Fly Deet Free Natural Insect Repellent 2 oz $4.99= $19.96 for 8oz

So there you have it!  Homemade bug spray wins the price comparison again!

Effective

I sprayed the kids at the beginning of mosquito season as they went out to jump on the trampoline at dusk.  They came in with one bite on one kid.  Earlier this week we had a bonfire.  Cupcake and I stayed out the longest.  I sprayed myself an average amount of spray.  I was wearing a skirt, so my legs were pretty exposed.  I did get one bite on my foot and after that, I made sure to spray my feet too.  I didn’t get another bite after that.  I was lying in a lounge chair and I saw several mosquitoes fly around me and close to my skin before changing their mind and flying off.  Incredible!  I’d definitely say that it’s effective!

I read that adding vanilla oil increases the duration of the effectiveness of oils.  In bug spray, the longer it works, the better!

Comforting

What is more comforting than not being eaten alive?  Seriously, I have been bug bait my whole life, mosquitos love me.  I’m so happy I’ve finally found something that works!

I was worried the smell would be gross after mixing everything in the bottle.  It’s actually quite pleasant.  It smells better than all of the chemical ones I’ve been using my whole life.

First Homemade Bug Spray Attempt

Ultimately, I decided to give one of the oil blends from this site a try:
http://blog.oneessentialcommunity.com/diy/diy-bug-spray-works-kid-safe-options/
After assembling all of the supplies, I waited anxiously for my daughter to arrive home from school.  I promised her we would make the first batch together.  I had everything set up and ready to go on the table and I pretty much sat at the table waiting for her to walk through the door so we could play.  Ahhh, big kid toys are just as fun and exciting.

We started by dropping oils into our bottle, stopping to smell each one as we went.  Cat helped me count in case I lost my place.  I had already boiled and cooled the water before she came home, so we added that in and topped it off with witch hazel.  After we shook it up we both excitedly took a whiff of our new concoction and grimaced.  It didn’t exactly smell awesome.  It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t very pleasant either.  Oh well, it is supposed to repel bugs after all.

Next time, we are going to try lavender scented witch hazel instead of aloe vera.  I believe this might have contributed to the weirdness.

Homemade Bug Spray

Homemade Bug Spray

8oz Bottle
15 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
15 Drops Cedarwood Essential Oil
10 Drops Geranium Essential Oil
20 Drops Vanilla Essential Oil or 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract*
4oz Witch Hazel
4oz Distilled or Boiled(and Cooled) Water

Add Oils to bottle first.  Add in water next, then top off with witch hazel.  Test a small area of skin on each person before using liberally.  Spray on clothes and especially ankles and wrists for adults.  With small children, avoid spraying hands or near faces to avoid accidental ingestion or rubbing eyes.

*Vanilla oil is not an essential oil

Thank you for reading!  What do you use for bug spray?  Have you tried ours?  I would love to know how it works for you!



As always, this is not medical advice.  Please consult your own medical practitioner for any health-related concerns.  Everything shared in this blog is based on my own personal experiences and are what we do for our family but may not necessarily work for yours.  Please do your own research to find out what works best for you.  An informed and educated choice is always best!  🙂