Branding: When we Give the Calves a Form of Identification

On Friday, we branded our small set of calves, and all of the kids had been anxiously awaiting the day.  Luckily, we keep them in the pastures closest to our house, so we could just walk out the back door once the crew had them gathered.  

 When their separated from their mommas, even for a short day like this, the cows go crazy.
John Paul had been waiting for the day to wear his chinks, but only with his Mickey Mouse shirt of course.

 PoPo (my cousins' dad) even came to help.

 But, Sophie might have been the most interested of all.

It takes quite a few people to get it all accomplished: One to rope and drag, two to flank, one to give shots, one to castrate, and another to actually do the branding.

Genevieve even came out for a bit.

And, I'm sure you can imagine what an appetite you can work up watching all the action.

She raided the Snickers bag - Elley sure had them taken care of.

 Then, sweet Elley helped everyone who wanted to brand a calf.  Peter was very content watching and later told me he just had a hard time seeing the guys hold the calves down.  Bless his sweet heart.

Sophie just wanted to ride.

Then, I think there was a minor mishap where a bad word may have been uttered.  John Paul came home and said, "Momma, you know what you never say?  Shot!  Shot is a bad, bad word.  Tate told me."  Hahaha.

 Then, someone else needed a little flanking.

I know some may not fully understand why this has to be done, and you never want to hurt anything, even animals.  But, we are taking the best care of these animals that we can.  They are our livelihood. More importantly, they are giving these kiddos a chance to see how you care for animals, and I do believe that rubs off on how we care for one another.  We give them medicine when they're sick.  We feed them every day.  We help the cows deliver their babies.  We even get pretty attached to some.  

I don't think I fully appreciated this way of life as a child and young adult.  More than anything, I just saw the hard work involved and the lack of security in the business.  But, from a different view now, I see how excited my kids are to learn...to be out in the beauty of God's creation caring for His creatures.  And, we are doing it all as a family...three generations.  As they watch, perched on the fence, I hear cheers for the one who has just successfully roped a calf.  They shout, "Great job!" after Elley brands another.  And their smiles stretch from ear to ear.  

This is our life...with all of the insecurity and hard work...and I cannot imagine anything better.

A Blue Apron Gift for You

If you've been reading the blog for a bit, you know that we have become big fans of Blue Apron this year.  a friend of mine had an offer code for a free trial that she sent my way, and we've been hooked since then.  It's perfect for us, as we live out in the country and don't make it to town as often as some for fresh produce.  Plus, everything is ready to go - the perfect amount of farm fresh ingredients for each recipe, with no waste.  The point being...it is easy, and anything that helps make mealtime around here less stressful is a win!

Well, Blue Apron sponsored this post and wants to offer you readers a special deal...two free meals on your first Blue Apron order!  I tell all of my friends and family about it, especially since there is no commitment necessary.  Sometimes we have it weekly, and there has been a month or two when we've just had it delivered once.  That makes it work for us.  

Take a look at what we made last week...

The box arrived on Tuesday, and the kids were ecstatic!  They know what is in the coveted Blue Apron box, and they always beg to unload the fresh ingredients by themselves.  It was Carter's turn this time.

He quickly zeroed in on the mushrooms...a favorite of his!

We decided to make the pizza as a family and enjoy the other two dishes for in-house date nights. While my parents took the boys to see Jungle Book, Jeremy and I decided to try the Fresh Udon Noodle Stir-Fry.  I think I mentioned before that I had never tried udon noodles until we signed up for Blue Apron, but I love them now!  This recipe was coupled with shiitake mushrooms, and it was delicious.

I had step-by-step instructions on how to prep the dish.

Jeremy joined in, too!

Sophie saw the noodles and hopped up in her Daddy's lap to share!

Another night with the kids, we made a favorite of theirs...pizza (this time Greek) - and they each had a job!

John Paul stretched the dough.

Peter spread the mozzarella.

Sophie topped it with olives...and complete concentration.

John Paul dumped a few onions.

And, Carter finished it off with the fontina cheese.

Voila!

Crowd pleaser.

Lastly, we had fish tacos and the most amazing coleslaw I've ever had (with chipotle and fresh-squeezed lime)!

Over the last few months, we have tried everything from gnocchi to catfish sandwiches.  We've ordered from the family plan and the 2-person plan.  With every order, we've received fresh produce right at our doorstep coupled with recipes new to us!  It's been a fun way to try new things, to introduce the kids to a variety of foods, and to be able to cook high-quality meals with little leg work.

Most of all it's been a blessing for us in the sense that Jeremy can come home from a long day of branding calves or moving cattle (which in turn means a long day of me wrangling the kids), and we can have a meal ready to eat in less than forty-five minutes that has been pre-planned for us!  I can see this becoming even more of a staple during our busy seasons.

Do you want to try it?  I hope you will!  For the first twenty of you to sign up for a delivery HERE, you'll receive two free meals.  

It's so worth it!

19/52: A Little B&W

Carter // 5 - Riding his bike, with his new pen that stays on his shirt constantly.

Peter // 4 - Back from putting the chicks in the coop for the night.

John Paul // 3 - Just up from a nap, with licorice on the teeth and fruit snacks in the hand.

Sophie // 2 - Going back inside to check on Sister.

Genevieve // 5 months - Just being sweet.