Farm Life is our Dream Life

Ed and I decided there is a specific life we want to create for us and our future family... THE FARM LIFE!

Neither Ed nor I were raised on a farm... in fact we are both 2 generations removed from the farm. However, we both love the farm life. The hard work, the passion, harvesting, planting, barns, farmhouses, animals, home cooked meals, living off the land, mason jars, tractors, love, freedom, raising kids out in the country and teaching them the value of work are all the very things that we love about the farm life. But as you can imagine, starting a farm from scratch is VERY expensive and there won't be farm land handed down to us from our family. So we MUST work for our farm life and build it from the ground up.

And today is a perfect day to start living out that dream life! Why wait!?! Yes, we are currently living in our house in town and not in the dream house we picture in our heads. We have only about a half acre of yard with lots of neighbors close by which means we aren't miles away from neighbors separated by our acres and acres of precious crops and farmland like we envision. But why let that stop us!

We are starting to create a mini farm life here in town until we can buy the acreage with that big ol' farmhouse with my wrap around porch and big RED barns! Oh I just love wasting away time dreaming about our dream life! Anyways, back to creating our "mini farm life" here in town. We are working hard to get our trucks paid off, our mortgage paid off on this house, learning about farming, honing our garden/planting skills along with our cooking skills and crafting abilities, completing personal development, and learning how to can and preserve foods from our mentors, so when we are ready to actually start our farm we will be READY to roll!

Working for our dreams is tough... It's not easy! Sometimes we want to give up because it's easier, but giving up won't create that dream life and the ability to live out our dreams. We have to be lazer focused, determined, and work hard each and every day. As they say.... "All the flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds we sow today!"

So what's stopping you from building your dream life? What are you waiting for? Stop waiting/wishing and start working towards your dreams!

Bridal Shower Season!

It's that time of year again.... It's bridal shower season! This year is a special year though because both my baby cousin and myself are getting hitched this year. On Sunday, May 4th, I celebrated my 30th birthday at my cousin's baby shower. She looked amazing and she had an beautiful shower. We had a blast spending time with her and her bridal party.

 These are some photos from her beautiful bridal shower....

Myself, my cousin Kelly, my cousin's wife Haily, and her little baby girl. Isn't she just adorable? 

Table Settings... The plants were gorgeous!

Lots of yummy food to choose from. 

The gift table

Water, Pink Lemonade, and Ice Tea served in Mason Jars

PRIZES!! Who doesn't love prizes!?!

Our Engagement Photo Session

Back on September 14, 2013, Ed proposed to me at a park standing on a foot bridge over looking the Chippewa River. We knew we wanted a fall country wedding and set our day for September 14, 2014, so naturally we JUST had to have a fall country engagement photo session. Our photographer is Dave Helvie from DMH Photography. These are some of our engagement photo's from our session! They turned out absolutely amazing and perfect. I can't wait to see how our wedding photos from our barn wedding this September will turn out. They will also be taken by Mr. Helvie and DMH Photography. 

Who Doesn't LOVE homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies?

So lately, I have been on a cooking from scratch kick here at Dow Farms thanks to Pinterest and all of everyone's lovely inspirational posts and ideas! I decided this weekend to give homemade chocolate chip cookies a try again. It's seriously probably been years since I have made cookies from scratch, but I planned on making these cookies much different than homemade cookies of the past. This time around, I am much more in tune and aware about the importance of organic and non-GMO foods, so I went to the store to purchase organic sugar, whole wheat flour, organic brown sugar, organic eggs, organic butter as well as to pick up some chocolate chips and the other items I needed for the recipe. 

Did I also mention that we recently purchased a brand new range for our new house? I am absolutely in LOVE with this new range and I am sure getting the use of it. This is the first time in years that I have had a real range and we went with gas instead of electric like in the past. Gas is SO much nicer to cook with, but hey if you plan on canning and creating a life made with things from scratch, you need to have a wonderful range capable of producing your work of art, right? 

Well, after creating the cookies from scratch with LOVE, I have to admit these turned out to be the BEST homemade cookies I have ever made! The organic products truly made these cookies bake better as well as taste AMAZING! From now on, I will only use organic products for my cooking and baking. It is well worth the extra cost not only for health benefits, but also for the better taste! :)

Cookie Recipe:

1 cup Organic Butter
3/4 cup Organic Sugar
3/4 cup Organic Brown Sugar
2 large Organic Eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 oz chocolate chips

Directions

1. Mix sugars, vanilla and butter
2. Add in eggs
3. Mix all dry ingredients, then add slowly
4. Fold in Chocolate Chips
5. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes per batch on ungreased cookie sheets

Enjoy!! :)

Simple Homemade Promegran Cherry Protein/Energy Balls

Anyone else sick of chemicals and artificial flavors in so called "food" these days? I, personally, am! Thanks to Pinterest and learning about GMO's and clean eating through my Fitness Coaching business, I am on a making food from scratch kick just like grandma used to make. I can honestly say that I have been living the last 29 years blindly and ignorantly, but now my eyes are open and I am making some changes here at Dow Farms. No more preservatives, no more sugars, no more fake "food" and certainly no more ingredients I can't pronounce.

Here is my first attempt at making Protein/Energy balls from scratch. They might not be the prettiest, but they are delicious, healthy and clean!

Recipe:

1 cup of oats
1/2 cup natural Peanut Butter
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup Pomegran Cherry Granola (Nature's Path Organic)
1/3 cup honey
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein (Beachody)

Mix the ingredients in a large bowl until they are mixed well.
Roll the dough into balls. (I ended up with 14)
Refrigerate for 30 mins.
Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

15 Rules for our Stars and Stripes that Every American Should Know

Did you know there is something called Flag Etiquette? It's true!

 One of the things that was instilled in both of us is a LOVE and RESPECT for our great nation. An American Flag waving in the breeze and flying high is one of the ways we show respect and the love we both cherish for this country, so an American flag is a MUST at Dow Farms. However, there is more to it than just simply flying the Star Spangle Banner from our house. There is some responsibility that comes with it as well. Here is a list of some of the rules for flag etiquette that every AMERICAN should know....

1. Flags should be flown from sunrise to sunset daily. Flags maybe flown at night if they are properly illuminated during the hours of darkness. 

2. Flags should not be flown during inclement weather. Only if the flag is an all weather flag, may the flag be flown during rain, snow, etc. 

3. When flying two  flags on the same posts (ie. American flag and state flag), the American flag always goes on top. 

4. Never use the flag for decoration. Use Bunting instead of a flag for decorations. 

5. When flags are flown at parades, all uniformed military personnel should display the military salute. Military personnel and veterans who are not in uniform may display the military salute. All civilians present should face the flag, stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and remove all hats and other headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder (hands should be over the heart). 

6. Stars on the flag when displayed should face north or east depending on the direction of the street the flag is being displayed over. 

7. On special days the flag maybe flown at half staff. For example, on Memorial day the flag should be flown at half staff until noon and then raised. 

8. Do not let the flag touch the ground, EVER!

9. Do not fly upside down unless there is an emergency. (Flags flown upside down is a sign of distress)

10. Do not carry the flag flat or carry things in it.

11. Do not use the flag as clothing. 

12. Do not store the flag where it can get dirty. 

13. Do not use it as a cover. 

14. Do not fasten it or tie it back. The flag should always fall free. 

15. Do not draw or mark on the flag. 

Now that you know the flag etiquette for our American Flag, I strongly urge every American to display an American Flag on their house. Our soldiers and veterans have fought for our freedoms and some even gave their lives to protect our freedoms, so let's show them some respect for their service by displaying a flag and being a responsible American by taking care of our flags. It really is the least we can to do celebrate our freedoms and salute the soldiers and veterans everyday, isn't it? 

Info taken from: https://www.vfw.org/Community/Flag-Education/

Easter Sunday

Well, I must admit today was not only special because today was Easter, but it was also special because it was finally beautiful outside here in Michigan. We are both winter people, but it sure is nice to be outside watering our plants and enjoying a little time outdoors. The warmth of the sun on our faces sure does warm our souls. 

The day was spent watering our seedlings and plants. The seedlings are really starting to pop up. This year I am going all out for our garden and keeping my fingers crossed I can actually grow some veggies and fruit this year.  Let's just say my past gardening experience has proven, I do not have a green thumb! We have cucumbers, tomatoes, hot peppers, green peppers, sweet corn, pumpkins, sunflowers, carrots, peas, green beans, watermelon, cantaloupe, gourds, raspberries, grapes, strawberries, and fresh herbs. Boy, is that a lot of stuff! I'm still not really sure where we are going to put all of these plants. One of the many downsides to living in town is we just don't have the yard space we truly want to have for our garden. We will be building our raised garden beds soon and we surely will figure it out though or at least I hope we will! 

Today wasn't all work though. Chevy and I spent some time relaxing in the yard, watching the clouds roll by, and daydreaming. I'm sure Chevy was daydreaming about chasing all the squirrels in the neighborhood while I spent the time daydreaming about our dream farm. Yup, I can see it now..... Big old Farm House with a nice wrap around porch. Acre after acre of plants, fruit trees, and our future kids running a mock on the farm picking fresh fruits and veggies for cooking, selling, and canning while Chevy tags along. We both want to start a brewery/winery as well as having our own farmers market available. Oh the dream life..... We are working hard to make this dream a reality!