Over the past week, we've probably all been following the disastrous 'Hurricane Harvey' that's ravaged the south of Texas. It's hard to truly imagine what the people, our neighbors to the south are going through. With their homes destroyed, pets lost, farmland underground, livestock that's missing and entire metropolitan cities that are completely dismantled with the waters expected to continue to rise another 2-4 feet in some areas. I was in high school when Hurricane Katrina reeked havoc in Louisiana and I thought there could be no way so much devastation could happen again, and then it did.

Thankfully there are many disaster relief funds set up to aid the people of Texas to help them in their time of need and in the following months as they start to assess the damage and rebuild. I follow a blogger who's family has a cotton farm in Gary, Texas and the storm hit before the cotton was ready to be picked. It's currently under a few feet of water, and this was supposed to be a record year for the cotton crop. For all of our fellow farmers, cotton, dairy, crop & livestock this will severely affect their livelihood in profound ways. As a farmer's wife, I can't imagine watching my husbands entire year's worth of blood, sweat and tears just slip under water (and most likely lifetime's worth of work since 98% of US farms are family-owned and multigenerational). If you would like to help the farmers of Texas then please visit The Star Fund set up by the Texas Department of Agriculture. 

::: Link below :::

The Star Fund

Also, diapers! Can you imagine not having a diaper for your child? The Red Cross doesn't hand out diapers in their relief packs. So if you're wanting to help out the displaced mommas and their babies behinds they log onto the Texas Diaper Bank and donate directly to them. Or you can send diapers through Amazon and Jet. I'll link it all up below. And if you prefer to buy a few packs at the store (any brand & all sizes) or team up with some friends you can mail all donations to the following address so that they can be distributed:

The Texas Diaper Bank 5415 Bandera Road Suite 504

San Antonio, TX 78238

Texas Diaper Bank

Amazon Texas Diaper Bank Disaster Relief Wish List

jet.com Donation to Texas Diaper Bank

And if you prefer to just give to The Red Cross you can simply text HARVEY to 90999 for a $10 donation. Also, please beware of certain 'charity' groups that may come out of the woodwork during this time and try and take advantage of kindness and generosity of people. The NY Times published an article a few days ago about Where to Donate to Harvey Victims (and How to Avoid Scams). 

xo- Tiffany 

Often, I need to remind myself to slow down, tune into my surroundings, enjoy the simple things in life, declutter my mind and 'take care of myself'. A phrase we often use without giving it much thought but are we really, mothers, are we really taking care of ourselves? Are we taking the time to focus on our own health, joyfulness, and sanity as much as we center our attention on our loved ones? I think not. And I would bet you all of the dirty diapers that I’m not alone. And moms, our wishes are simple, some mothers wish for just one night of uninterrupted sleep, going to the bathroom alone, or enjoying a book or a movie or any grown up activity in peace. These are simple wishes but they are usually over looked because we are the doers, the carers, and it's not ourselves we are serving. Before having my girls if I wanted to escape and get my feelings in check I would throw in some earbuds and get swept up in a playlist of songs or read. Now I usually just hide in a corner and eat a half a package of Brownie Brittle and pray to God that no one finds me. So I've been brainstorming a few simple ideas and ways I can bring myself some inner peace when I do get the rare chance to draw a bubble bath or forgo chores during nap time. Why is this important? Because when you’re happy... everyone’s happy, the whole family.

1. | Journaling -- the 52 Lists for Happiness Weekly Journal by Moorea Seal to be exact. I picked up this book on a trip to Chicago and I love it, I haven't been the best at remembering to take the time to complete the weekly lists every single week but it's not a hard goal to strive for. It was the prettiest cover {and velvet page marker} and different thought-provoking lists for every week to reflect, acknowledge, and invest in yourself and find things that truly make you happy. For example, List #4 asks you to 'List the Things That Get You Out of Your Head' and once you've don't that she gives you a 'Take Action' suggestion for the week ahead such as; plan an hour this week to do one or a few of these things that put your mind at peace. There are also specific hashtags for the book so you can keep track of what others are doing with their 52 list- #52list #52HappyLists

2. | Water - OK, this probably seems like common sense BUT do you honestly drink enough water? Probably not. I know I don't. I do not take the time to get in the amount of H2O that I know my body needs to stay in tip-top shape. How many glasses have you had today? I can tell you, I filled my lovely white corckscile canteen with 36 oz of water at 8 am and I think so far I've downed maybe 8 oz of it, that’s waaaaaaaaay to little of an amount. It’s honestly crazy how little water we drink when pretty much 70% of our body is water. So I challenge you, for the next 30 days, everytime a kid needs a sippy cup filled up with water, pour a glass for yourself! I'm right there with you.

3. |  Mini Home Manicures - my girls love to have their nails painted, and yes I do roll my eye (on the inside) every time they ask because the 'waiting' to dry part is always the hardest for them. Cue the, "Is it dry yet?", "Hey mom, I think they are dry", "Can you check them now?" all with in the first 30 seconds after they are finished. But I digress, they love it and I love to see their pink, blue and purple little digits all brightly colored. Next time your painting those tiny nails take the time to paint your own, it's amazing the confidence boost that a fresh set of manicured nails can give a girl.

4.| Get Dressed - OK, another simple idea that probably seems silly but it the one thing I struggle with the most. I stay at home with the girls so our days and our schedules are pretty lax, we get up, we eat breakfast, we play, I tackle chores, we read, I drink coffee, we play, they make messes, I clean up the messes, and somewhere in all of that craziness I never seem to get myself dressed. Have you ever been in your PJs with spit up on your shirt, no bra, and hair that looks like I don't even know what and your door bell rings! Cue mass anxiety attack. Do I open the door? Do I pretend that I'm not home? Do I quickly run back to the bedroom and throw a huge sweater or robe on? Will they notice? This could all be avoided if I would take the time in the morning to just get myself dressed, you know, nothing crazy just basic and at least put together. I know I'll feel fresher, cleaner and even, confident to open the door if need be.    

5. | Music - This is the thing that I've let go the most since having kids. Music has always been an outlet for me, a chance to escape, relax your mind and just be in the moment. Music has the ability to lift your spirits and soothes your soul and no-- kidz bop or the frozen soundtrack does not count.

Here are a few from my current playlist:
Fire and Rain - James Taylor
King of My Heart - Sarah McMillan
When the Saints - Sara Groves
Unfinished - Mandisa
He Won't Go - Adele
Hey Baby - Trey Kenn
Hoping - X Ambassadors
Either Way - Chris Stapleton
Take a Shot - JoLivi
Broken Glass - Rachel Platten
All On My Mind - Anderson East
Don't Need Permission - Meg Mac
Fallin' - Jessica Mauboy
Sanctuary - Jake Wesley Rogers
Speak the Name - Koryn Hawthorne


So friends, find something simple or indulgent and treat yourself to some self-care.
Do it. I dare you.

xo - Tiffany

“The simplest things are often the truest.”

– Richard Bach

1. |  A divided lunch container is incredibly versatile -  Also if your kids don't like their foods touching this is perfect! Not only can you pack multiple items in one container but the ones listed below are durable and dishwasher-safe and also made with high quality 18/8 stainless steel.

2. | Pack hydrating drinks - Water, Infused Water (if your kids are like mine and get bored with plain old water, their favorite combo is strawberry + lemon), milk, or unsweetened peach or raspberry herbal tea.

3. | A fun, insulated, and wipeable lunch box  

4. | Insulated Containers - These would be great for sending watery fruit or soup, insulated food containers keep food cold or hot for hours. Ava loves soups so when she starts packing I'll be super excited to send her some warm tomato basil during the fall and winter months, also a warm, gooey cup of leftover baked butternut squash mac & cheese. These thermoses are made from high-quality 304-grade stainless steel and constructed with double wall interiors for optimal insulation. Also, BPA- and PVC-free.  

5. | Reusable Snack Bags - these reusable snack and sandwich bags have been tested to ensure food safety, are made with machine-washable materials and feature a water- and stain-resistant liner for easy cleaning.

Trio Stainless Steel Bento Box || Klean Kanteen Kid || Petit Collage Insulated Lunch Box

Thermos Funtainer || ChicoBag Reusable Snack Bags

I hope your little ones have a happy and nutritious first couple weeks of school I know come April that there will be less heart shaped sandwhices and more like a handful of saline crackers, 5 almonds a random string cheese and couple Chick-fil-A sauce packets. Happy lunch packing friends!

xo- Tiffany

When I fell in love with my 'farmer' he was not a farmer. He was an over-the-road truck driver in the perishable food industry (and equally busy industry but an entirely different beast). I always knew his long term plans were to retire off the road and go back into farming with his dad. He grew up on the farm and he didn't want to start and raise our (a) family while he was on the road and gone for 9 days at a time. He's a third generation dairy farmer and farming, of all kinds, goes back in his family tree further than you can see. I was raised in Lancaster County surrounded by tons of agriculture and farms but I had no idea what true farm life was all about. I honestly thought it was an easy, slow paced, simple kind of life with lots of freedom and family time. I've since learned my lesson--big time-- and continue to do so on a daily basis. In our 7.5 years together we have both done a lot of growing and changing and just like farming, there are never two days that are the same.


 Everything is planned around planting season and harvest season. 
Everything. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G
Weddings? Yes. The births of your children? Yes. Although we tried this, it never really worked in our favor. Date nights? Yes. Just pray for rain. Family vacations? Yes. The times you eat your meals? Yes. Showering in peace and quiet and getting 10 minutes to yourself? Yes. Just pray for rain. Family time? Yes. Just hold on for Sunday afternoon. This area of our marriage is where I've had to learn the most about compromise and patience. Farming is unpredictable.

The weather also predicts, well, everything!
Mother nature rules this roost and is the only one that's in control of plans when it comes to field work. It causes you to get phone calls at 4:00 pm saying that all plans for the evening need to be canceled and changed because the hay, the beans, the wheat or the corn needs to come off before a storm hits. Weather plays a huge part in the moisture of the crop and dictates when it needs to be harvested. (But I'm not going to lie to you guys when that 'special weather alert' flashes across my phone I jump up and do my very own happy rain dance!)

You will remember your children's births by the season in which they arrived.
Ava was born right in the middle of soy bean harvest. I'll never forget it, especially since she was our first. Aaron was so good about accompanying me to almost all of my appointments but since they were harvesting beans he was out working in the fields during my 40-week appointment. I called him from triage and told him to park the tractor where it was and get to the hospital ASAP because it was baby time. Charlotte was born during wheat harvest and it was a carbon copy scenario, the tractor was abandoned and he caught a ride to the hospital. So, if you ever see an abandoned tractor on a field, you can only imagine what that farmer is up to... Then with Naomi due to arrive at the end of January, I thought that I was in the clear. Well, it ended up being the busiest winter because they had just started renting and milking at a new farm. Aaron was up for a total of 24 hours at the time Naomi decided to join us (thank god she was our quickest delivery, 5 minutes) but the man only got a 35-minute nap in between her birth and going back to work.


Your husband will bring 'come-a-longs' into the delivery room.
For those who are not familiar, a 'come-a-long" chain is used to correctly position a calf inside the cow, they put the straps around the front legs and use the come-along to slowly pull the calf out. Aaron thought it would be hilarious to pack these and bring them along to Ava's delivery. Needless to say, our midwife wasn't too impressed and didn't find much humor in the joke. We were there to have a baby, human baby, after all. They were banned from the delivery room for all future births.

Your husband will relate your milk production/nursing journey to that of a dairy cow. I've heard things like, "Oh, I'll just go get you a shot of oxytocin" and many, many others. Or I would be compared to what group I would be in if I was a milking cow, group 1 for excellent production and group 3 with low production and have one leg out the door... {all of the eye rolls}


You find random and foreign objects in your washer.
Such as screws, nuts, bolts, bungee cords, breading gloves, heads of wheat, corn silage, and much more in your washer. Another farmer's wife told me that she could fix a tire with the things she finds in her husband's pockets.

A farmer's sense of 'time management' is slightly skewed.
Example: You add 30 minutes to everything he tells you- So when he says "I'll be home in 15 minutes." It really means he'll be home in 45 minutes.

Your farmer, always, always finds another farmer on vacation.

At some point and time, you will help round up a group of jail birds. 
Funny story, late one night, Aaron received a call that one of the gates wasn't latched properly and some 1st group cows were out. (Remember: these are the good milkers--they are NOT expendable!) So, he jumped in his pick up and went to help out. He was back about 30 minutes later and as we were settling in to go to sleep, both of us on our phones we kept side glancing at each other. I looked at him and said, "Would you please turn those cow videos off?". His response, "I'm not watching anything, you are." We both shot up out of bed and sure enough, there were cows in the front yard, on the road, and across the street in the field. About 10 of them got away from the original escapees and made their way towards our house which is about 5-6 houses down the road from the main farm. Now, we live on a busy road and it was a Friday night so just picture the two of us in pajamas and boots blocking our road with my SUV while he herds them back up the road with his pickup.


You learn to adapt and give grace.
All joking aside, it really is an amazing life. Farm life lets you look at the big picture and appreciate where things come like milk comes from a cow, not the grocery store. Ten years ago if you would have asked me where I'd be today, this is not what I would have pictured but I don't regret a minute of it. You learn to roll with the punches and gain a thick skin; especially when you stay up late at night talking your child through the loss of her first show animal. You'll come to realize that your husband isn't putting the farm before the family, he's farming for the family.They are natural born hard-workers and they can't even imagine not putting forth the extra effort that it takes to accomplish all that they need to, and I wouldn't want any other example of a man for my girls. Life is constantly switching itself up on me and I’m constantly adapting and growing. I've learned patience like I never thought I could; this lifestyle has changed my world, my values and my views in so many different ways. And, if my little ladies find a life partner who’s even half of the hard working man that their father is then they will be just as lucky as I am.

I recently talked about how excited we are for Kindergarten to start! Two weeks from today we will be starting the next big chapter. When Ava has her mind set on something and when she's excited for something she likes to prepare, she'll lay her outfit out in advance and spend time picking the perfect way to many accessories. She also has been talking non stop about how she can’t wait to meet her teacher ("What's her name again mom?"), make A TON of new friends, and her excitement to ride the bus is unparalleled. So today I'm talking about back to school styles, I used to love back to school shopping with my mom and I can't wait to do this with my girls as the years go on!

Powder Pink Pom Backpack // Top with Tulle Flounce // Superstetch Skinny Fit Jeans // Chambray Shirtdress // Polka Dot Cat Dress // Bomber Jacker // Pink Glitter High Tops // Three Pack Headbands

Ava picked out the CUTEST backpack! I'm not a huge fan of character backpacks so thankfully with her age I still have some sway in this department, I give her a choice of three pre-approved backpacks... she also chose a few dresses that she just had to have (like the kitten one above!) We'll eventually add some layers for cooler weather, some versatile pieces like a scarf for chilly mornings at the bus stop, kitten tights (kitten obsessed) and lots of glitter! I also found a tip to pick up a few cartwheel/bike shorts on to wear with her dresses until we pair them with leggings or tights when the cooler weather hits. And since Rapunzel Ava is growing out her locks for our upcoming trip to Disney in the beginning of 2018 we will be using a ton of headbands and braids (if I can finally master a french braid, send me tips! ha!) to keep her hair out of her face.

Happy Back to School Shopping Friends!
xo- Tiffany

Next, it was time to figure out what to do with all of those delicious peaches. First, I sliced up a ton and froze them in bags for smoothies. Then I decided to try out peach jam for the first time. I had really great success with my strawberry jam this year that I decided to give it a go. Now, I'm not a fan of the flavor of peach jam alone (maybe that has something to do with not liking the taste of canned peaches) so I decided on a Blackberry-Peach freezer jam! I literally just pulled out a loaf of Dutch Oven bread, slathered on the jam and it was like summer and heaven in my mouth all at once.

Next, I decided to really go outside of my comfort zone and try my hand at making a Zesty Peach Barbecue Sauce. It is super zesty but the taste will remind me of summer all winter long! I currently have mozzarella stuffed meatballs in the crock pot covered with this stuff, I can't wait to try it. Then I tried out a recommended recipe from a sweet friend for Peach Melba Popsicles...holy moly, they are amazing! Also, for dinner one evening this week I made my first Dutch Baby also known as a german pancake. It's made in a cast iron skillet (I love cooking in cast iron). When it was time to serve it I drizzled mine with maple syrup and dusted it with powdered sugar while the rest of my family topped it with vanilla ice cream.

Then, after having plenty of bags of sliced peaches I chose to whip up some peach puree (I also do this with my watermelon during the summer). I just blend sliced peaches in a blender until smooth, they are naturally a watery (word?) fruit so you should be able to get them to blend on their own juices, if you need to add something you can add a tad of water or OJ. Once blended fill ice cube trays and freeze, after their frozen pop them into a freezer bag and store them until you want to add it to a recipe or cocktail!

1.|| Blackberry Peach Jam - recipe from: Yesterday on Tuesday

2.|| Zesty Peach Barbecue Sauce - recipe from: Ball-Fresh Perserving

(you will need to blend some of the peaches down, I used my immersion blender to break down the chunks)

3.|| Peach Melba Popsicles - recipe from: Smitten Kitten

( I used these popsicles molds)

4.|| Fresh Peach Dutch Baby - recipe from: Macheesmo

5.|| Peach Butter - recipe from: The View from Great Island

Have a wonderful weekend.

xo - Tiffany

We received our Kindergarten information packet in the mail today. When I ripped open the packet, I felt as though angels were singing loudly in a chorus. It's just one more sign that school is just around the corner for us. Ava was so excited for me to read over everything it said and to hear the name of her teacher. We thankfully received our first request and were given morning kindergarten which will be nice for setting the schedule for the rest of us. But as we prepare for this new adventure and chapter in our lives of sending our first born baby off to school, I wonder; am I the only mom who's excited for this? Excited for school to start? Excited to send her off to learn and grow? Because I'm ready. She's ready. So let's do this. 

I feel as though I should be feeling a sense of dread and sadness that my first-born baby girl is leaving the nest (for just under 4 hours) but instead I'm thrilled and on fire for her! Maybe it's her personality that causes me to feel this way, maybe she's actually the one that's making it easier to grasp. And, if I was feeling nervous or apprehensive, I wouldn't want her to pick up that vibe and feel scared because of me. I want her to step off of that big, yellow school bus on her very first day and hit the pavement running (not literally, see: rule breaker). I want her to walk into her classroom that first day with a smile on her face and her little head held high. I want her to make new friends and talk to everyone. I want her to feel confident in herself because we feel confident in her and her ability to leave us and venture out on her own. 

I feel like ever since she's been born we've been those parents pushing her out of the nest and trying to see if she can fly on her own--"Hey, here's a roller coaster, let's go conquer it!" and "Look, here's a 43-foot water slide, let's do it!".  Not, "Would you like to try this?" or "How would you feel about ____?" while she's staring at those steep hills and starting to doubt herself. And maybe that's not the right way to go about it but she's always been willing to try something new and she'll dive in head first.  So as we prepare to send her off into the next chapter of her life, I welcome it with open arms and can't wait. I can already hear all of the stories that she will share at the dinner table with the same enthusiasm she did during her preschool years. I'm thrilled to know all that she will learn in the upcoming school year, educationally, emotionally and physically. She's been trying so hard to learn how to read her own books and 'write' in her journal so when she learns to master these skills, I know her little world is going to be rocked in the best way! She's a social butterfly, so I know she won't struggle to create connections and friendships. So instead of waiting for the bus and hiding tears in my coffee cup, I plan to stand there beaming with pride. 

Kindergarten, I hope you're ready for my girl because she's ready for you!

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xo - Tiffany