30 Things I Love: Coffee

coffee

My friends and family know I love coffee. In fact, this is the 5th post about coffee this year!

For many years, I liked the smell of coffee, but didn’t enjoy the taste. I got my caffeine fix through soda (we call it pop here in Minnesota), but that wasn’t as pleasant to drink right away in the morning. Then, my friends eased me into coffee drinking. Now, I am totally addicted.

I know we all have different olfactory sensitivities, and that plays an important role in how we perceive taste. I happen to be one of those with a more sensitive nose. If a food’s taste doesn’t match the aroma, I probably won’t like it as well. I discovered that I liked the taste of coffee, if it tasted how the beans smelled when they were freshly ground. This may be the reason this Mrs Olson doesn’t enjoy Folgers as much as other coffee.

I’ve said before that I like the ritual of drinking coffee in the morning while catching up on social media, and reading the news. I also love having coffee right away in the morning as a wake to fire up the old brain cells so I can function in the morning. This is probably why I liked the quote on my photo so well. Another good thing about coffee in the morning, is that I can fake being a morning person once the caffeine kicks in. Before I became a coffee drinker, I’m not sure how I survived being married to a happy morning person!

Some people are pretty opinionated on how dark your coffee needs to be (black coffee, no cream, no sugar is their preference), but I like all types of coffee. My favorite coffee style is a mocha latte made with 1/2 ounce of dark chocolate syrup, 8 ounces of 2% milk, and 4 ounces of espresso. Sometimes I’ll brew another shot, but I try to reserve that for really tough days. Otherwise I’m a little like Hammy in Over the Hedge. If I’m drinking brewed coffee, and not espresso, I like it with just a splash of milk. If the roast is good, and the coffee tastes how it smells, I’ll drink it black. The choices on how to make your coffee are one of the things I love about it. You can make your coffee according to what will make you happy that day.

Are you a coffee drinker? How do you enjoy your coffee?

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Day 6: NASCAR

Day 7: Black Velvet for Photography

Day 8: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray

Day 9: Peacefulness

Day 10: Winter’s First Snow

Day 11: Freedom

Day 12: Dairy

Day 13: Jonathan

Day 14: Coffee

Click here to go to Holly Spangler’s blog, and see the link for other 30 Day Challenge Bloggers

 

 

30 Things I Love: Jonathan

Jonathan and Anna - Father Daughter Dance

What can I say…I do love Jonathan! I feel pretty darn fortunate to be married to my best friend. When we met in 1987, we talked for hours. He was going to a college that was about 2 hours from mine. So, we had many phone conversations and wrote many letters. Keep in mind, this was before phone company plans had unlimited long distance calling, and way before email. Those letters were either typed on an electric typewriter, or written by hand, and, well, we won’t discuss the long distance charges we racked up on our parent’s phone bills!

We were married in 1988, and that is when I became a farm wife. Over the past 26 years, we have lived, parented, and worked as a team. I love that we can tell jokes while we’re working, we can discuss farming matters while we’re driving places, and we generally like hanging out with each other.

I have always admired Jonathan’s patience and encouragement when teaching me how to run a piece of machinery I haven’t run before. Since I didn’t grow up on a farm, and I really didn’t want to be the one messing things up or breaking things, I was a bit apprehensive at times. It is due to his confidence in me that I was willing to learn how to operate the combine…and now I love it!  Jonathan is also a respected boss to our migrant workers. He always treats them fairly, and genuinely cares about them. It is because of his compassion that we remodeled a shed into a summer apartment for one of the migrant families. He strongly believes that these people need to be treated as…people…not second class citizens based on their heritage or accents.

Jonathan has been a great dad to our three girls. From the time they were little, he played an active role in their upbringing…although sometimes I questioned if what he was teaching our girls was good or bad. When they are around while cookies are being made, the recipe never  seems to yield as many cookies as it does when they are not around. In the past year, each of our girls have lived at home for a little while and worked for us on the farm. Even though they are in their 20’s, the parenting doesn’t stop…it just changes.  When he walked Anna down the aisle this past June, and handed her over to our son-in-law, Doug, the look of love and pride on his face brought many people to tears…including, of course, me. The song that the two of them chose for the father/daughter dance is one that always makes me cry anyway. They thought it was just great that I lost it when the song started. It was difficult to take photos of them with all the tears in my eyes. I love how much he loves his family!

Life hasn’t always been easy, and I am thankful that Jonathan has been such a great teammate in this life of ours. I love you, Jonathan!

 

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Day 6: NASCAR

Day 7: Black Velvet for Photography

Day 8: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray

Day 9: Peacefulness

Day 10: Winter’s First Snow

Day 11: Freedom

Day 12: Dairy

Day 13: Jonathan

Click here to go to Holly Spangler’s blog, and see the link for other 30 Day Challenge Bloggers

 

30 Things I Love: Dairy

Dairy

When I say I love Dairy…I’m totally serious. Take a look at the tray above. Those are the dairy items I have purchased in the last 10 days.

As you can see, we eat a wide variety of dairy foods at my house. Sometimes brands change, depending on what my grocery store has in stock, but this is pretty typical. You may also notice that I have a Lactaid milk in the group. That would be mine. I became lactose intolerant in 2008. I figured that out when my niece had a soft serve ice cream machine at her graduation party. Let’s just say, I had a lot of alone time at my sister’s house that weekend.

In the last six years, I have come to know what I can and cannot handle dairy-wise. Unfortunately, I have had to give up ice cream. That was difficult. The good news is, I have found that most types of cheese (aged is better), milk, yogurt, and butter are all okay if I take a Lactaid supplement. I love the lactose free milk, because it is so convenient to be able to pour that over my cereal or in my coffee instead of needing to take a pill.

For me, giving up dairy was not an option. I love cheese, milk, and butter too much! I also need the calcium and vitamin D…more than what I can get from non-dairy sources. I’m pretty convinced that the reason I haven’t broken any bones, even with a couple of really great bone bruises, is due to my dairy consumption, and the running I’ve attempted to do when not healing from the bone bruises. Being Lactose Intolerant can stink (really), but we are fortunate that we live in a time where medicine has figured out how to keep dairy in our diets.

The National Dairy Council has some awesome resources on dairy and bone health, as well as the general health benefits of consuming dairy.  Both resources are very helpful in understanding the importance of dairy in our diet…especially for women, who may be prone to osteoporosis.

Since I am not a dairy farmer, I need good farmer resources when I have a question. One of those resources is Carrie Mess. She is also known as Dairy Carrie. She blogs at The Adventures of Dairy Carrie, and can be found on Facebook at Dairy Carrie, or Twitter @DairyCarrie.

I also turn to Tim and Emily Zweber when I have questions about organic dairy farming. They can be found on Facebook at Zweber Farms LLC, on Twitter @ZweberFarms and @EZweber, or you can go to their farm’s website at Zweber Farms.

There are many dairy farmers on social media who would love to answer your questions about dairy farming. Who are your top two trusted resources for agriculture questions?

 

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Day 6: NASCAR

Day 7: Black Velvet for Photography

Day 8: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray

Day 9: Peacefulness

Day 10: Winter’s First Snow

Day 11: Freedom

Day 12: Dairy

Click here to go to Holly Spangler’s blog, and see the link for other 30 Day Challenge Bloggers

 

 

 

30 Things I Love: Freedom

Freedom

Today, I simply want to say “Thank you” to all of our veterans. Thank you for ensuring our freedom. Thank you for the sacrifices you and your families make every. single. day.

 

If you see a member of our military, past or present, please take a moment and say, “Thank you.”

 

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Day 6: NASCAR

Day 7: Black Velvet for Photography

Day 8: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray

Day 9: Peacefulness

Day 10: Winter’s First Snow

Click here to go to Holly Spangler’s blog, and see the link for other 30 Day Challenge Bloggers

30 Things I Love: Winter’s First Snow

First Snow

I love the first snow of the season. It is so magical! I remember as a kid, going to bed like any other autumn night, and waking up to a different, distinctive kind of light coming in the window. I would jump out of bed, and look out of the window, and be so excited that my world had transformed overnight.

After Jonathan and I were married, we lived in a little house across the section from where we live now. We tried to wait to turn on the old fuel oil furnace for as long as possible. That first year, the house was so cold, so I baked some Christmas cookies to heat it up. A tradition was born. There have been years (like this one) where the cookies may wait a day due to other things going on, but they always get baked! This year, I’ll be once again be making one of my favorites: Peanut Blossoms!

Peanut Blossoms

For my birthday this year, I received a GoPro Hero4 video camera. My plan is to use it one farm equipment once spring work starts, but in the meantime, I’m having a little fun with it. This afternoon, Jonathan and I went out on the 4-wheeler and the Ranger to play in the snow a little bit. We had a blast! The GoPro was attached to the front push bumper on the ranger, and it did really well considering the temperatures. I’m still learning the best settings for the camera, and how to edit a lot of footage down to the length of a song. This is the result from today’s adventure:

I know some don’t like the snow as much as I do, but I hope we can all take a little time to appreciate the magic of the first snow.

What is your favorite “first” in a season? Do you find magic in the first snow, or do you dread every aspect of winter?

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Day 6: NASCAR

Day 7: Black Velvet for Photography

Day 8: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray

Day 9: Peacefulness

Day 10: Winter’s First Snow

Click here to go to Holly Spangler’s blog, and see the link for other 30 Day Challenge Bloggers

 

30 Things I Love: Peacefulness

Peaceful

Today’s post will be short on words…on purpose.

I love the peacefulness that follows a chaotic harvest. I love harvest time, but that first day when the corn dryers are shut off, the machinery is in the shed, and there is no need to rush is so peaceful.

During the rush of harvest, or of spring work, I often think back to some of our vacations. My favorite spots have a common theme…water. Whether it is the lake home we rent for family gatherings, or this scene in Oregon, there is something so calming about the sound of water lapping a shoreline, or moving over rocks. Thinking of those times brings memories of peace, contentedness, and joy even during those crazy days.

Where are your favorite peaceful experiences? Do you go on vacations to relax, or are you more of the work hard, play hard type?

 

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Day 6: NASCAR

Day 7: Black Velvet for Photography

Day 8: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray

Day 9: Peacefulness

Click here to go to Holly Spangler’s blog, and see the link for other 30 Day Challenge Bloggers

30 Things I Love: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray

Vintage Strong Coffee

I love coffee. Most of my friends and family know that by now. I also love a good, strong hairspray – one that will keep my spiked hair spiked. When I saw a vintage inspired tray on Pinterest with this saying, I knew I had to make something similar! It fits me perfectly!

Mornings are not my thing. I married a happy morning person. I have learned to cope after 26 years…by consuming espresso first thing in the morning. The other thing that makes me happy? A shower and looking decent for the day. Trust me, having spiked hair may seem like bed head wouldn’t be an issue, but it is. And it’s bad.

While strong coffee and strong hairspray sometimes make me feel like I can conquer the world…especially if I have an extra shot of espresso…it’s not the only thing that makes me strong. My family and friends are a great support system for when I’m feeling weak or vulnerable. They are my cheerleaders. Being an extrovert, that is important to me. My other source of non-caffeinated strength would be my faith. I don’t know anyone who has the “perfect” life. I’m no different. My faith has sustained me through Anna and Jonathan’s MS diagnoses, the death of family members, and, to be honest, in parenting our girls and our current foster child.

Have you ever noticed how good you feel when a meeting goes well and you were able to contribute in a positive way, or when you were able to lift someone’s spirits after a tough day? What about the feelings accomplishment when an event went really well, because you empowered other members of the group in the planning of that event? Those are instances when we are the coffee and the hairspray. We can energize a group with our participation and engagement. As the leader of a group, we can hold our members together while we give them the ability to use their strengths for the planning of the event. That makes the group stronger overall. Part of the reason that I am running for our Farm Bureau state board of directors is to be the coffee in the room. I hope to energize others for the good of the organization.

How have you been the coffee or hairspray for your friends, your job, or volunteer organizations?

 

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Day 6: NASCAR

Day 7: Black Velvet for Photography

Day 8: Strong Coffee and Strong Hairspray

Click here to go to Holly Spangler’s blog, and see the link for other 30 Day Challenge Bloggers

 

 

30 Things I Love: Black Velvet for Photography

A few years ago, when I started taking photos of more than family and sunsets, I read a tip about using black velvet for a back drop. The next time I was in a fabric store, I purchased 1 yard of black velvet. I love how it makes objects pop when they are placed on it.

So, why black velvet? The way the fibers lay on the fabric prevents velvet from reflecting light back at the camera. The background then becomes a nice, solid color. In the photo below, you can see how the fabric absorbs the light. Black Velvet for Photography

When I’m taking a photo of a smaller object, I usually throw the velvet on one of my counter height kitchen chairs. This becomes a mini mobile photography studio. I can move the chair around to get the best light, and it is super quick to set up. All things that make an impromptu photo session at midnight go quite smoothly…which may or may not have happened in the making of this post.

This next photo shows how I am using the back of the chair as the back drop, but left enough fabric on the seat so that I could have the same solid color all around my porcelain creamer. The contrast is good, and the lines around the creamer are crisp. If you plan on taking photos of larger items, or a number of items at the same time, I would go with a larger piece of velvet.

Mini Mobile Photography Studio

I use this technique when I am taking photos of something with a busy pattern, or something I want to isolate, making the subject the only thing you see. When I took the photo of the Shout Stain Remover a few days ago, I used the black velvet because the can was pretty busy visually. Here, I took a tighter shot of my creamer. I like how clean everything looks, and how you are focusing on the details of the creamer instead being distracted by a busy or dirty background.

Using Black Velvet for Photoraphy

What are some of your favorite photography hints? Do you have a DSLR, or a point and shoot? What are some of your favorite things to take photos of?

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: NASCAR

Day 6: Black Velvet for Photography

Click here to go to Holly Spangler’s blog, and see the link for other 30 Day Challenge Bloggers

30 Things I Love: NASCAR

I Love NASCAR

I love Nascar. So far, I have been to the Daytona 500, Phoenix International Raceway, and Kansas Speedway. Watching the race on television is okay, but when you’re at the track…nothing compares. The sights, the sounds, the mullets. It’s all there, adding to the experience of race day.

A month ago, Jonathan and I were guests of Brandt Professional Agriculture at the Kansas Speedway. We had the privilege of meeting Rookie of the Year contender, Justin Allgaier at a Saturday evening reception, and again on Sunday morning before the race. Let me just say, after meeting him, having a conversation with him, and listening to his in-car audio during the race, he has a couple of new fans! Thank you, Brandt Professional Agriculture for the opportunity to meet Justin!

Because we were there with an agriculture company, I was a little more aware of other ag related sponsors there were at this race. The Brandt hospitality tent was right next to the Fastenal tent (where I was able to snap a quick photo of Carl Edwards). Down a little further, there was a Farmland Foods golf cart, complete with a curly tail. I noticed the Farmer’s Insurance car out on the race track, as well as the Farmland car.

As I looked around at the crowd there in Kansas, I thought about how perfect the pairing of Nascar and agriculture is. The spectators are pretty much as diverse as any gathering, but there tends to be more hunting and agriculture decals on their pickups in the parking lot than you would see at most events, making it a great place to advertise Farmland, Fastenal, and Brandt Professional Agriculture, to name a few.

As I mentioned earlier, we had the opportunity to meet the driver sponsored by the agriculture company we were guest of. We also had pit and garage passes, so we were able to go down and see everything up close and personal before the race. That part was awesome! When we arrived at the hauler for the 51 car, Jeff Gordon’s car was going through inspection. Jimmy Johnson’s and Dale Earnhardt Jr’s cars also went through inspection while we were down there. After our garage tour, we were able to go to the pit boxes for a bit. The Brandt crew has Alumacraft seats in their box, which is cool, since Alumacraft boats are made in Minnesota.

The race itself was exciting, even though our drivers were involved in wrecks. When you are watching the race on television, it seems like the races drag on for so long. However, watching the race at the track, time flies by! There are so many things to look at, and you aren’t limited to just what the broadcasters are showing. We had so much fun, that I am looking forward to checking another track off the list soon!

What are some of your hobbies, or events outside of agriculture that you like to attend? Do you have a goal of seeing every baseball diamond, or attending races at certain tracks? Let me know in the comments below!

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Day 6: NASCAR

Click here to see other 30 Day Challenge blogs!

 

 

30 Things I Love: My Heritage

Stroopwafel and Coffee traditional Dutch treats

I love my heritage. Last Christmas, my side of the family decided that we would research and prepare foods from the countries where our ancestors were born. The list of countries is quite long, especially when you add those of your spouse. We each brought a main dish and a dessert from one (or both) of the countries we were assigned to. The food was delicious, and we all ate way too much!

Part of the planning for our meal was researching the traditions, the foods, and the culture of the different countries. I was given the task of researching and making foods from Germany and the Netherlands. German and Dutch food is quite filling, and great for cold winter days. The cultures are very different, yet the Christmas traditions are very similar. When I was trying to find cookie recipes, I came upon the Stroopwafel, and wanted to try it. I haven’t attempted making them yet, but I have found them at a few stores nearby. They are delicious! I learned that they are eaten either warmed by placing them on a cup filled with a warm beverage like coffee, or eaten cold. They are good either way. 🙂

My mom and sisters shared about their countries: Norway, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, England, and Poland. (I hope I didn’t forget any major ones!) One of the things I really appreciated, was realizing what parts of our traditions may be related to our heritage, and what parts are the result of wanting to blend in with other Americans my ancestors arrived in the United States. When we asked our Dutch relatives what traditions their mother had at Christmas time, there weren’t any distinctly Dutch traditions regarding food.  They did, however, keep up with Dutch tradition on being frugal, and acting properly.

Call it nature or nurture, or whatever kind of influence you want…but I find myself loving cheese, coffee, and pickled herring…although not together. Thanks, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Dykstra!

Do you keep up with any of your ancestor’s traditions? Do you find yourself gravitating towards the foods associated with your heritage?

 

Day 1: Pizza

Day 2: Shoes

Day 3: Shout Stain Remover

Day 4: The Ability to Vote

Day 5: My Heritage

Want to read more 30 Day Blog Challenge posts? Click here!