Obsessive? Maybe…

wyranchwife2 Comments

You know when you start out to learn something new and you plan to just dabble in it a little. You in no way plan to become obsessed or purchase any and all things associated with this said hobby.  I mean you plan to just find something to fill those few moments in time when you have time to learn. It’s good for the brain,  right?!

In the fall of 2012 I decided to learn to crochet. My good friend Mandy, (the one that knows how to do everything!), crochets all the time. She whips out these cute little blankets, outfits, hats, etc, etc, etc,.. Yeah, Yeah she is one of those.  Well I was just entering the first fall of my teaching hiatus.  I needed to learn something. I needed to grow my mind! I needed to not be still.  So with that eager yearning to learn I decided to you tube how to crochet.  I immediately learned to chain, then to single crochet. I was so proud.  Then Mandy informed me of a thing called double crochet. Mastered it!!

IMG_0182.JPG
This is a small, small, like only 1/16 of my yarn stash. I had just finished winding it all up. Well with the aid of the new gadget. LOL

Well with crochet comes the dreaded trip to the nearest yarn store.  I dreaded it. I mean piles of yarn. That can’t be as fun as a fabric store.  Well HOLD EVERYTHING! Have you seen these yarns? Have you felt the yarns that they make? There are so many choices of fiber, color, how it’s dyed, weight, and companies.  How does a semi sane person choose? It’s hard and then you grab as many as you possibly can. I like to buy any that I feel are beautiful or soft or pretty, or just because.  So yes, I buy anything that grabs my eye. I literally mean anything!

I perfected my crochet for awhile. I really liked learning to make new things with crochet. It is fun. I was feeling pretty confident. I was now able to read patterns and knew most stitches. Mandy and I would have our crochet time. It is a special bond between master and apprentice.

My mom and I went on our girls trip last fall. On this trip I reintroduced my mom to yarn stores and knitting.  She had been on a break for about 50 years and was willing to start again.  As my mom learned more and more. It became apparent.  I was holding a secret. It was bubbling to the surface at every chance. In the yarn stores I would see knitted patterns and people knitting.  I longed to learn to knit. It was so pretty and soft and the stitches looked so sophisticated and fun.  Don’t get me wrong I love crochet and love how it looked. However I really like the look of knit on certain things better than crochet. It just looks nicer to me. But it has to be so hard. My cousin’s wife Jennifer, (the master of things at home in TN), was a great knitter. She was eagerly pulling me to learn.

As I longed to learn I visited yarn stores wherever I was or when I had time. Then I found a company called YarnBox! I ran across this site on Facebook. Can you believe they have a yarn delivery service!! Oh My!! Now once a month I receive 2-3 skeins of fabulous yarn along with patterns.  It is the most amazing thing ever.

I may or may not have a small obsession with yarn. My office is slowly being taken over by yarn and yarn contraptions.  I mean I can not simply ball my yarn, when there is a fabulous tool for that. I purchased the necessary tools to make yarn cakes. Oh the fun!!

I always have lots of help with my new gadgets.
I always have lots of help with my new gadgets.

As I learn more about knitting, I am stocking up on more and more yarn. At some point I should probably open a store. I mean how in the world will I use up all this yarn. But to actually get rid of this would be impossible. My only option is to knit and crochet faster and use up my stash.

On Friday I am off to learn to Fair Isle Knit in Nebraska.  So the adventure continues. I think that there will be yarn to buy at the Fiber Fair!!!

 

Pound Cake? Recipe Anyone?

wyranchwife4 Comments

My son has entered the county fair in cooking. He is dead set on entering a pound cake. It can contain no cream cheese.

 

Anyone have an award winning recipe they would like to share? I’m desperate he has to enter it on the 18th of July and I am running out of time to find a recipe and to taste test one.

All help will be taken!!

Summertime Supper

wyranchwifeLeave a comment

When summertime finally creeps its way into my world. I try to think of easy and fun things to cook. When the temperatures rise it is very hard to think of cooking a huge meal that not only heats up the house but weighs on your stomach.

I have found that this simple meal is refreshing and light. When the kids head to Tennessee to stay with my parents. I get to take a vacation from the heavy cooking and my husband and I can eat a very light meal. The kids would never touch tomatoes and it works perfect for us. Settle down with this light meal and a glass of wine. Perfect for any summertime evening dreaming of the return of fall and winter!

IMG_00002097

Bruschetta

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

1 loaf of french bread, sliced into 6-8 slices 1/2 inch thick

olive oil

2 medium tomatoes

6-8 basil leaves or dehydrated basil

fresh mozzarella

Salt and pepper

  • Chop the tomatoes and basil into small pieces.  Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine.
  • IMG_00002094
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Slice the french bread about 1/2 inch thick and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Place spoonfuls of the tomato mixture onto each piece of bread. Top with sliced mozzarella.
  • IMG_00002093
  • Bake until cheese is melted and heated through.
  • IMG_00002096
  • Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Attempt One and going!

wyranchwife1 Comment

I have decided to learn to knit. I love crochet and feel pretty confident with it, but i want to be able to knit. I visited two amazing yarn stores in Laramie over the past several days while my daughter was attending their volleyball camp. during these visits it juzt became so clear that I need more to do and shoukd therefore take up the challenge of teaching myself to knit. I left the Cowgirl Yarn store armed with a skein of yarn, a pattern, and some needles. I have watched several videos online and so far feel pretty good with my progress. Hopefully soon I will have a finished hat.

IMG_00002133

 

Well things are progressing nicely with this hat. I have a few holes from dropping a stitch and doing some weird thing. However ripping down to that and fixing it as my mother suggested is DEFINITELY not going to happen.  What happens in the knitting stays in the knitting in my book.   So I keep going. I have lost the pattern and will be calling the Cowgirl Yarn store ASAP today.

IMG_00002139 

We’ll I am finished! It came along pretty quick and I really enjoyed the knitting. I guess now I have to begin a new hat.

20140717-075547-28547781.jpge

20140717-075548-28548165.jpg

Oh Winter I will Miss you!

wyranchwifeLeave a comment

When most people are looking forward to warm weather, shorts, and grilling. I am counting the days till Fall and winter begin. 

Winter is by far my favorite season. I love the cold weather. I love snow and ice. I love sweaters and warm jackets. But most of all I love cooking in the winter. I mean who doesn’t right.  Soups, stews, and hearty dishes to warm tummies and hearts. There is just something about chopping up vegetables for a great soup that truly touches my soul. I just enjoy it.  We have had another cold snap that came through and I was able to get in one more soup last night. I made ham and potato and let me say it was divine!   Cooking is one of my all time favorite past times. If I could serve people out of my home I swear I would open a restaurant. However I would then have to cook and clean continuously and as much as I love cooking, cleaning is not my favorite. If it is yours, let me know I will give you my address.

The other thing I love about winter is that life on the ranch slows down.  We bring cows home from the mountain in November and life seems to gain a sense of normalcy.  The kids are not involved in anything that requires the constant driving to town, so we are able to relax and enjoy family time. This is also the time that we go on vacations and travel to see family.  Every other year we venture across the country to my family in Tennessee. It is a wonderful car ride and the kids are very good.  They have been making this trip since they were 6 months old and really are great travelers.  If I had to say it, which I will, they are much better than their father about driving without stopping.  

As we round the new year I begin dreading the months to come. It just seems that once it starts it doesn’t stop until November. Here is a sneak at our calendar. It is probably pretty close to what every rancher does but in case you aren’t a rancher here it is.

  • ‘Calving our heifers begins at end of February
  • Cows begin calving toward the end of March.
  • Branding the calves starts in May.  We have three large brandings and then several small ones to catch all the late calvers.
  • In May we spaying the yearling heifers that we are not keeping.
  • Yearling steers need EID tags
  • Heifers get shots and then we begin AI’ing them at the end of May.
  • Bulls need tested to ensure they are in working order ! LOL
    Image
    Trailing heifers up the mountain. Day 2 of three 2013.
  • The last weekend of May we will trail the yearling heifers up the mountain to summer pasture. This takes 3 days and is a fun time for everyone. We are tired but enjoy it, well we enjoy it if the weather is nice.
  • The kids 4-H steers need feed daily from January through fair in July. They must also teach them to lead and be handled.
  • The cow/calf pairs must be trucked up the mountain from the north ranch to summer pasture.
  • Fence must be fixed at all locations. On the mountain the elk bring havoc on the fences. There are times we fix them only to return the next day to wires broke and more work than the day before.
  •  We take archery Antelope and deer hunters around the middle of August. This means that the hunting house must be cleaned, linens washed, and food purchased for the hunters.  It is 2-3 weeks of very early mornings and late nights. But it is so much fun and we meet the nicest people.
  • Kids begin school and fall sports in August.
  • On the mountain cows and heifers are moved to different pastures.
  • Weaning takes place and the calves are brought off the mountain. 
  • We truck or trail the cows home from the mountain depending on weather in October or November.  Last year we trucked them home due to the traffic and construction that our town has begun to see due to the oil boom.  Trailing takes a week to get the cows home.
  • Ultrasounding the cows will be done to ensure pregnancy.

Then it relaxes.  Yes it slows down.  It is fall. It is chilly outside and I am cooking soups and stews. I can’t wait. We are only like 24 weeks away from fall and cool weather, and maybe snow.  I can’t wait. 

Puppies at 6 weeks

wyranchwife1 Comment

The puppies all got their shots today and were all given a clean bill of health. I can’t believe that they will be leaving soon to go to their homes and begin learning their jobs. Here are the current pictures that I was able to get this morning.

I didn’t realize until I was uploading that I forgot to get a picture of Hank alone. I will update that soon.

Jynx-female
Jynx-female  Sold Moriah – Douglas, Wyoming Hank -Sold Jill and Chuck Webb Savery, Wyoming

 

Dru-Male
Dru-Male Sold Linda and Fred Matthews Buffalo, Wyoming

 

Nell-Female Sold- Pat O'Connor North Dakota
Nell-Female
Sold – Cadence Vollman Douglas, Wyoming
Zip-Female Sold- Sharon Douglas, wy
Zip-Female
Sold- Sharon
Douglas, wy
Tip-Male-sold Levi and Lack Kendrick, Wy
Tip-Male-sold
Levi and Laci
Glenrock, Wy
Duke-Male Sold Becca Shoshoni, Wyoming
Duke-Male
Sold
Becca
Shoshoni, Wyoming
Zac-Male Sold JMooney Gillette, Wyoming
Zac-Male
Sold
JMooney
Gillette, Wyoming
Meg-Sold Aaron Douglas, Wyoming
Meg-Sold
Aaron
Douglas, Wyoming
Red-Sold Nick and Gloria Tennessee
Red-Sold
Nick and Gloria
Tennessee
Zeke-Male Sold Natasha and Keith Wright, Wyoming
Zeke-Male
Sold
Natasha and Keith
Wright, Wyoming

4 week pictures, My they are growing.

wyranchwife1 Comment
Ready for Pictures!
Ready for Pictures!

Well we are close to 4 weeks now. They will officially by 4 weeks on Thursday, but I am calling it close enough.  They are starting to get more rambunctious and energetic. Taking pictures was definitely more of a challenge.

I am down to only 2 boys left. I can’t believe they will be leaving me in around 3-4 weeks. We have been working on going potty on the puppy pads and so far only a couple are still going outside the pad.

Puppy List

  1. Aaron – Female
  2. Moriah-Female
  3. Sharon-Female
  4. Natasha and Keith-Male
  5. Nick and Gloria – Male
  6. Pat-Male
  7. Pat-Female
  8. JMooney-Male
  9. Becca-Male
Jynx - Female
Jynx – Female She is the runt of the bunch, but is growing quickly.
Dru-Male
Dru-Male
Tip-Male
Tip-Male
Zeke-Male
Zeke-Male
Hank - Male He was my last born. He is one of the bigger pups.
Hank – Male
He was my last born. He is one of the bigger pups.

 

Zac
Zac-Male
Zip
Zip-Female
Nell
Nell-Female

 

Duke
Duke-Male

 

Meg-Sold
Meg-Sold
Red-Sold
Red-Male-Sold

The best and easiest bread I have ever made!

Image wyranchwifeLeave a comment

The best and easiest bread I have ever made!

This recipe was so easy and most is completed in the mixer. Recipe to follow.

I was watching Barefoot Contessa from my DVR and she made this bread. It looked so easy, almost the entire process was made in the mixer. I am so game for that! I adapted it to fit my purposes and what I had on hand.

One note that she made that totally made the most difference was that when she mixed the water and the yeast, she stirred it with her fingers until it was all dissolved and activated.  I think this made a change in my bread.  I followed her recipe for the most part so I am just going to put it here. I would add a little more honey because it is a little bland.

Enjoy!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/honey-white-bread-recipe.html

Honey Bread

  • Servings: 2-4 loaves
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Print



1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
2 packages dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees)
1 stick of butter
3 tablespoons honey
2 extra-large egg yolks
5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten
Directions
In a mixer bowl add the water and yeast. Stir until it is dissolved. Let it stand until bubbly. 

In a small saucepan, heat up the milk, butter, and honey. Stir until everything is warm and the butter and honey are melted. Let cool.

Turn the mixer on medium speed and add the milk mixture. Add the egg yolks one at a time. Then add 4 cups of flour and the salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low speed, add up to 2 more cups of flour. Raise the speed to medium and slowly add just enough of the remaining flour so the dough doesn’t stick to the bowl.  Knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Make sure you lock your mixer. If it starts getting stiff remove.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand until it is  smooth and elastic about 1 minute. Grease a bowl with melted butter, put the dough in the bowl and turn buttered side up. Cover the bowl and allow it to rise for one hour, until doubled in volume.

Separate the dough into loafs. It will make 2 loaf pans or you can roll it into 3 or 4 smaller loafs on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until double.

Brush the tops with the beaten egg whites. Put pan into a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until they sound hollow when tapped and are a wonderful golden brown.