Pinterest Favorites and a Snowed In New Year! It’s time to rest!

Happy New Year’s Eve! It’s a beautiful day here at the farm and we have decided that being snowed-in is not all bad! Once the men are finished feeding cattle and servicing trucks we are ready to settle in with some hot chocolate and rest.  Our Christmas parties were fun and time with family is priceless, but now we are ready to enjoy the peaceful snow and relax. For this last blog post of 2012 we want to share with you our favorite holiday Pinterest pins and also a glimpse into an average snow day on the farm!

You can pin this entire post as a resource for next year!

“Brown paper packages tied up with string”…and we attached a favorite photo of the gift recipient!

On Pinterest they refer to this as “Christmas Crack”…but we prefer to call it “Christmas Crunch”…it is ooey-gooey and addictive! Click HERE for the recipe! *We added Christmas M&M’s for color and a little almond flavoring.

The last Pinterest Pin we tried this year was the Peppermint Hot Chocolate Stirrer idea…did anyone else make these?  They were a lot of fun to make and they really add a lot to your hot chocolate! *You can find stirring sticks in the plastic-ware section of Walmart.  For the instructions click HERE.

We are thankful for the time with family and for the opportunity to celebrate the birth of our Savior! We are excitedly awaiting the New Year and all that will come with it. We are trusting that whatever joys and whatever sorrows may come we believe in the One who will carry us through and never leave us or forsake us.

On a snow day like today, our men feed extra hay to the cattle and double check their watering tanks so that they do not go without food or water for a day. The men work extra hard in the windy cold to keep the cattle healthy and ensure their well-being. Often times the cold front will cause an expectant cow to go into labor so the men keep a watchful eye out for newborn calves or cows having any trouble delivering their calves.

Here are some more snowy shots from today!

In the next picture, the cattle are lined up eating their hay. The men use a flat bed truck with “spikey arms” to load up each round bale of hay and then they release it to unroll as they drive along through the pasture. The cattle are excited to see the truck and bales of hay!

The calves are the only real concern in cold weather. Healthy, well-fed cattle like ours can withstand snow and ice with temperatures all the way down to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Their hides are very thick and they develop a winter coat that serves as an insulator for their body heat. They stay together as a herd and usually duck down out of the wind if needed. Cattle are well suited for this weather!

Have Happy New Year and please stay safe on the roads! We look forward to sharing more with you in 2013!