Keeping It Simple:Taking Meals to the Field With Kids...

Several farmers are in the midst of planting. Taking meals to the field is a tough job, I'm not gonna lie, especially when you have to pack up 3 kids (sometimes 4) on top of the lunch, but it is very much appreciated, or so I think;).  When I was little, most of the time my mom packed my dad a sandwich, some chips, a candy bar and something to drink.  Sometimes I do this as well, but most days I like to deliver a hot meal.

You can read my post from a couple years ago about delivering meals here.  And this is one of my favorite things to make to take to the fields.  In fact, it is simmering on the stove as I type!  When I'm finished cooking the food, the first thing I do is load it all into the Suburban before I start packing kids up.  They are much more patient when they have toys to entertain them then when they are sitting in a warm car strapped in their car seat.  It can get a little ugly.  Trust me!  I may have done this once, and quickly learned my lesson!

 I got this "on the go" crockpot  from my in-laws as a birthday gift a few years ago and I love it!  I no longer have to worry about sloppy joes, or whatever concoction I have in their spilling when I hit a bump in the road.

I also like to use a basket like this one to hold most of the condiments and such...

Well, the car is loaded now it's time to get the kids....

This Ciao! baby highchair is quite possibly the best item I have purchase this year!

When B and Mel were babies I often said, "I wish someone would invent a highchair that looks like a camping chair!  I guess if I would have been the genius behind this idea, I might be a millionaire right now!

We have used this thing several times already not just for taking meals to the fields, but when we go to people's houses, ball games, anywhere.  I keep it in the car so it is easily accessible.

My sister-in-law got me this wonderful picnic blanket from Thirty-One for Christmas.  It is also a new must have at the fields.  It is waterproof and the bottom is slick so you don't have to worry about grass sticking to it!  Just fold it up and go!

Happy planting everyone!...and happy eating!

Peanut Butter M&M Cookie Dough Brownies...

These brownies are so good and so rich.  A little sliver will suit you just fine, but it's best to splurge because these won't last long, trust me.

First, bake up a pan of brownies and let them cool.

Next, cream the butter and peanut butter until smooth...

Add the sugars and mix again until fluffy... 

Add the milk and vanilla... 

Add the flour and mix until combined... 

Sprinkle in the M&Ms and stir with a spoon to combine.. 

Spread the dough evenly over the brownies.. 

Richly scrumptious! 

Peanut Butter M&M Cookie Dough Brownies

1 Brownie box mix for 9X13 pan.  

1/4 C. butter, softened

1/2 C. peanut butter

1/2 C. sugar

1 C. brown sugar, packed

1/4 C. + 2 Tablespoons milk

1/2 Tablespoon vanilla

2C. flour

1 C. M&Ms

1. Prepare and bake brownies according to directions on box.  Set aside to cool.

2. Cream the butter and Peanut Butter until smooth.

3. Add the sugar and brown sugar until fluffy.

4. Add milk and vanilla and mix until smooth.

5. Add the flour and mix until combined.

6. Stir in the M&Ms with a spoon.

7. Spread the cookie dough gently over the cooled brownies.

Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday {Planting...FINALLY!!!!}...

7 Months...

Jo Jo is now 7 months old.

Not a lot has changed since 6 months.  She can roll over, but chooses not too.  She sleeps through the night, most of the time.  Occasionally she wakes up, but we put her paci back in and she goes back to sleep.  Sometimes she decides that she doesn't need to take a nap and that usually makes for a fun day!

Check out the onesie!  I thought it was appropriate for this occasion.

Her new favorite face...

She loves her toes...

I had to use the fish to keep her distracted so she wouldn't grab the sign.

But that didn't work very long, so I had to resort to taping it on the wall behind her...

A little wiggle bug...

I don't have any 7 month stats because she didn't have a checkup.  She goes back to the doctor at 9 months.

5 things...

A while back I was tagged by Colleen at Five Little Homesteaders for Five Things.  I am supposed to share 5 things with you that you don't know about me.  She tagged me a couple months ago and I have been racking my brain to come up with 5 things I haven't already told you!  I don't really live an exciting life so there isn't much I haven't shared with you other than getting too personal:) So, here goes...

1) I am terrified of birds.  Any kind of bird. Ornithophobia is the fear of birds (I googled it) and I think I have it!  I think it all started when I was in high school.  I opened the door of our house to go outside and my cat came running in with a bird in it's mouth.  The cat was making a funny sound and the bird was too as well as flapping it's wings.  I stayed outside until my mom came home from work.  We couldn't find any sign of the bird.  Not even the feathers.  Maybe the cat ate those too?  When Brad would shoot starlings as they started to invade our trees, he wouldn't always pick them up(I think he did this on purpose because he thought it was funny) and I would mow around them because I was scared that the feathers and bird goo would splatter all over me.  True story.  I am slowly getting better though because if a baby bird falls out of it's nest and lands on the sidewalk where the girls ride their bikes, I can scoop it up with a shovel...with my eyes closed of course.  If a full size bird is anywhere near me though, it's a totally different story!

2) I love March Madness!!!  So much so that Brad threatens to move out during the month of March!

3) I went to a Catholic school for grades K-6.

4) There are certain words that cannot be said in my house.  Of course the usual four letter words are a big no-no, but also "Shut up" and "stupid."  Just saying them makes me cringe.  I don't like them and my girls seriously think they are curse words.  I have recently added "bored" to the list.  When B comes home from school and 5 minutes later announces that she is "bored" it makes me want to scream.

5)I cannot stand stuffed food.  Stuffed pork chops, stuffed chicken, jelly filled doughnuts, etc.  I don't like biting into something and not knowing what the texture is going to be.  Blech!

Okay.  I've spilled my beans now it's time for these five people to spill their's:

Deb at Ladybug From Texas

Lana at Walking the Off-Beaten Path

Jent at From My Front Porch

Susan at Stew Mama Says

Liz at Two Maids a Milking

Wordless Wednesday {Let's Fly a Kite}...

What's Going On?

Just thought I would take a moment to get you all caught up on what's been going on around here while I have a few seconds.

Jody's swing decided to stop working.  This is the second swing we have had since becoming parents 7 years ago.  We thought B broke the first one when Mel was a baby because she would push it when it wasn't on so we thought the gears got stripped or something.  So, we bought another one when Mel was a couple weeks old because those swings are life savers in our book!  We bought the same model and it decided to quit working about a month ago.  That doesn't seem like a big deal considering Jo Jo is now 6 months old and shouldn't have to sleep in a swing right?  Wrong.  She sleeps fine in her crib at night, but refused to nap in her crib.  Plus, she would take a 3-4 hour nap in the afternoon in her swing, so why ruin a good thing??  Well, once the swing decided to stop working we didn't have a choice.  The first few days were rough, but we chugged right along and now she sleeps like a champ in her bed.  Thank goodness.

Even Brad who can fix anything, couldn't fix it.  He tried because we really didn't have anything to lose.  I put this picture on Instagram and someone commented and said that they had the same problem.  Hmm...

Jo Jo doing what she does best:)..

Jo Jo has been on baby food since about 5 months old.  She loves everything, but prefers veggies over fruits.  I think she gets that from me.  Sometimes I let the girls feed her if I am trying to get things done around the house.   

It gets a little messy, but it helps me out... 

Mel always has her mouth open when she's trying to get Jo Jo to open hers... 

I took Jo Jo's six month pictures.  It involved a tutu.  That's all I'm going to say for now:) 

We celebrated Easter which also meant a first for Jo Jo.  The girls were so excited for her to "open" her basket.. 

The best picture I could get of our 3 before rushing off to church.  Does anyone else always run late for church or is it just us??  We always manage to make it in plenty of time, but the mornings are filled rushing to get ready.  No matter what time I wake up, I'm always running late!

The field work is still setting in idle for right now thanks to Mother Nature.  Everyone is trying not to complain especially after the drought we had last summer.  We all know we will probably be thankful for this moisture sooner or later.  Brad did take the planter out for a little test drive a couple weeks ago just to make sure everything was working right.  I posted this picture on Facebook and said"This is happening right now." I think we had everyone talking in all the surrounding counties:)

B and Mel got their pigs for the fair.  B's is Grant and Mel's is Wilbur.  B will get to show hers in the Runt class at the fair, but Mel isn't old enough.  We let her get one because we knew she would enjoy it and it would keep B's happy. 

So far the girls are doing a great job making sure they have food and water. 

Mel is becoming a champ at this... 

She had to check out their house.  She probably would have slept out there if we would have let her:) 

I continue to be thankful every single day for the people that I get to meet through social media.  I have met some pretty awesome people and some of them are now my great friends.  I wouldn't have met them if I didn't start this blog 5 years ago! We went to a birthday party yesterday for Brad's cousin and I got to meet this lovely lady.

I've been following her blog, The Unconventional Doctor's Wife, for a while now and recently started following her on Instagram.  Long story short, her husband and Brad's aunt completed their residency together and now they are in the same practice!!!  Definitely a small world!!   She also has another blog, The Orange Bird where she and her friend Birdie use their creativity to make and sell things to make profit in order to support organizations and people in need around the world.  It's a great blog!  Please check it out!!  They also have a cute little shop that you can find here all of the proceeds benefit someone in need.

I have also been babysitting for about a month now.  Miss Mo Mo is fitting right in with our girls and I think she and Jo Jo are going to be the best of pals!

Whew!  Okay time to get off of here and take the girls to gymnastics.  Happy Monday everyone!