Christmas in the Country Gift Reveal!

After a spring-like December, and a Christmas that didn't feel at all like Christmas (how do you southerner's do it? I need cold and snow!) winter has finally arrived in Ohio! I awoke to a -9 windchill this morning and there is snow in the forecast for this evening in to tomorrow. As a teacher, I sometimes pray for snow days...it seems to be the only chance I have at catching up on housework.

This was my second year participating in the Christmas in the Country Blogger Gift Swap, and this year was awesome! It's always fun getting paired up with someone from somewhere around the country and getting a taste of their personality in the mail. This year I had the privilege of receiving goodies from Alison, who blogs at Outside the Ag Room, she is a former Ag teacher, and I feel that most women ag teachers feel a sort of kindred spiritedness or sisterhood among each other. So it was exciting receiving items from someone that knew so much about my career and love of all things Ag and FFA.

I received some awesome soap from The Dirty Goat, which hits my right in the feels, because I raised dairy goats as my high school FFA project, and still have a soft spot for them. I also received some awesome sea salt caramels, an owl wallflower (can't go wrong with owls when you're shopping for a FFA advsior), and some great Illinois Cattlewomen items! I also received an awesome bracelet that has owl and initial charms on it. I wear it pretty much everyday!

Off topic, but isn't my watch the absolute best!?

I had the pleasure of sending items to Lisa, who blogs at Cow Spots & Tales. I sent her some pretty awesome goodies, and you're going to have to check out her blog to see what I sent!

I ended up sending Alison some Ohio love in the form of a North Central FFA t-shirt. She has a picture of herself wearing it up on her blog, so be sure to check it out!

A huge thank you to the ladies that spend so much time putting this swap together! 

Laurie @ Country LINKED

Lara @ My Other More Exciting Self

Jamie @ This Uncharted Rhoade

Kirby @ 15009 Farmhouse

Crystal Cattle Beauty Swap: Round 3!

Two years ago I did a post about participating in the Crystal Cattle beauty swap; I didn't post about last year's swap, probably because I didn't take the time to do it. I noticed today that I haven't blogged since May...so anyway, if you want the nitty gritty on what the swap is all about, check out my earlier post about it. On to this year's swap!

I was paired up with Angela, who hails from Montana. She's a former Ag teacher, so it was awesome talking to someone that "got" my job. We spent quite a bit of time "talking shop" and commiserating on the irritations that is public education. If you have read my previous beauty swap post, or know me at all, then you know I don't wear makeup that often, but own a ton of it. Not exaggerating....I own a ton of makeup. I'm a direct sales junkie and since many of my friends are always selling something, I'm usually buying because I'm a firm believer in supporting people. I guess I love knowing that I have the option to wear something on my face if I want to....and I also like having a lot of options.....

I can't divulge in what I sent Angela, because its supposed to arrive in Montana tomorrow, and I wanted to write this post while I was still thinking about it and had some time to do so.....because, unlike makeup, I don't have much time to myself. If Angela does a blog post about what I sent her, I'll get a link up so you can check it out!

So here's what I received:

I have to say that out of everything she sent, I'm most excited about the curl cream (because I love me some good hair products!), and the chunky necklaces!

Angela also has a printing business, The Rural Rose, you can check out her awesome designs on her Facebook page and Instagram! She made the kids some awesome "Future FFA Member" t-shirts, but I need to take a picture of the shirts without my children in them.....which I haven't done yet. I promised my mom I would never post pictures of my kids on my blog...so you're welcome Mom.... BUT, they are posted on the Rural Rose Instagram page, so check them out! My kids were so excited to get them!

This was once again, so much fun, and Angela and I chat regularly via Facebook....because we're basically social media best friends now....am I allowed to say that? Is it too soon to declare online best friend-ship? Anyway, you don't have to be a blogger to participate in the beauty swap! Follow Crystal Cattle on her blog or Facebook and join in on the next swap!

Why I Take Attacks on Agriculture Personally

My dad was blessed with three daughters; he raised us as the sons he never had. We helped with pretty much everything on the farm; working ground, planting, harvest, equipment breakdowns and maintenance, we were what he had to work with. We've since grown up and started our own families, making our availability to help with the farm non-existent.
I stopped in to my parent's this past week while Dad was trying to get a field of beans finished up, and things weren't going so well. We had gotten a little rain earlier in the week and it had made things just wet enough to cause some problems in low lying areas. So Dad ended up getting stuck...like really stuck. He used a larger tractor to pull himself out and continued planting, only to hit another wet spot and get stuck again. The really frustrating part of all of this was that he was almost finished with the field...so close to being done! He finally finished and moved on to another field; when there's rain in the forecast, you have to keep moving. I had an appointment to keep so I left my parent's house and passed by Dad as drove away, it looked like he was in the second pass of the new field and had a flat tire...things just weren't going his way that day.
I kept thinking about all of Dad's issues as the day went on. I was helping a friend plan her son's first birthday party and she was asking me why I hate Chipotle so much, after I had rejected it as a suggestion for dinner...I knew she wouldn't understand, but I tried to explain anyway. I told her that any business that launches an attack on agriculture, launches an attack on my family. Especially with their new non-GMO campaign. Conventional farmers, like my dad, are targeted; they're portrayed by excellent marketing schemes to be money hungry people that will harm people and animals to make a buck. I know differently, I know this is anything but the truth. Conventional farmers are people like my dad, a man that farms during the week and spends his weekend working in a factory to support his farming habit (ha ha). He doesn't have new equipment, or fancy things like auto-steer, and some days spends more time fixing equipment breakdowns in the middle of a field with the sun beating down on him than actually getting seed in the field. So when multi-million dollar companies, like Chipotle, attempt to destroy the image of conventional farmers with their "integrity laced food," I take it personally, because it's my parent's integrity that they're targeting.
If you're confused about agriculture, or why things are done certain ways, seek out your. nearest farmer....or my dad, they'll be happy to talk to you about it. Just don't ask Chipotle, because it's difficult to get a clear picture of rural America from a high rise in the city.

Baby Shower Part 2

Last weekend I had the privilege of hosting a brunch for my friend that will be having a baby in just a couple weeks! We not only teach at the same school, but are also a part of the same small group in our church. So we see a lot of each other. She's such an awesome lady; I was so thrilled to do this for her! As many things, I tend to go overboard; so what was supposed to just be a simple brunch with our small group ladies, turned in to decorations, special cupcakes, crafts, you get the idea.

CHECK OUT THE TISSUE PUFF BALLS! If you read my post about my sister's baby shower, I mentioned that the puff balls I made ended up in disappointment. These turned out great! They were full, and actually round! My friend is having a girl, so I stuck with hot pink, white, and antique gold tissue, several of them were glittery...because duh...glitter makes everything better.

My sister's friend had this awesome cupcake stand that she let me borrow!

I made this banner on the fly with really no idea what I was going to do with it. My mom had leftover burlap ruffles from making a bed skirt, so I sewed a few together and then stitched pieces of card stock on them that I had written letters on. I ended up putting it on my chalkboard...which I conveniently forgot to erase.

I picked up the most beautiful piece of 2 1/2 inch square maple lumber from our local lumber yard. I cut it in to square blocks and we made baby blocks using Sharpie markers.

My friend, Julie, has commissioned me to plan her son's 1st birthday party, which will be later in June. So be sure to check back and see what we come up with!

Entertaining...it's kinda my thing. Baby Shower Part 1

If there ever comes a day when I decide to lose the teaching gig, I'm going to become an event planner. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty good at hosting events. Both my sister, and a close friend are expecting babies at the end of June, so I've been in baby shower mode lately. Pinterest is going to be the death of me; I remember when I first created an account, I didn't get what the big deal was. Why was everyone raving about this? Now, I'm hooked. I consult Pinterest for everything...because you can literally find ideas for everything on Pinterest.
Anyway, baby showers; first up was my sister's. She's expecting a boy, and is really in to western decor. I did this shower with my mom and youngest sister; so while it was really fun, my sister and I were both ready for it to be over because Mom was freaking out.

I found the "Rock Me Mama" prints on line as a digital download; frames were from Kohl's. The sign in the middle I made using a bare bones frame I picked up at Hobby Lobby. I cut a piece of plywood for the back, painted it and hot glued tin letters on, also from Hobby Lobby. I finished it off with a "lasso" made out of of some jute rope. Mom picked up an adorable button down onesie and jeans to hang on the line we strung on the split rail fence.

While I do have links to some pretty awesome florists, we ordered bulk sunflowers from Sam's Club and accented them with some baby's breath and burlap. The guest tables had mason jars, like the one pictured above, and the larger arrangements were in tall galvanized buckets.

Diaper cakes are SUPER EASY to make! I found a tutorial on Pinterest (of course). Most of it is hidden by the huge bow I decided to put on the top layer.

Another Pinterest find! We had guests write special messages to my sister and her husband on diapers to provide a little late night comedic relief when they find themselves sleep deprived and changing another blow-out at 3am.

We hosted the shower as a brunch, so the food centered around breakfast (my favorite!).

I found a tutorial from Martha Stewart to make tissue paper puff balls. Mine turned out a little flat (Martha makes everything look so easy), but at that point, I was exhausted and just put them up anyway.

The day was a success, and I think my sister was pretty pleased with how things turned out. Check out Baby Shower Part 2 to see what I cooked up for my friend, also expecting in June!

Social Media Sucks...

I've been feeling lately that social media is equatable to the people that they put on American Idol auditions that are there to purposely suck. It's so horrible, and is like nails on a chalk board, but you just can't look away. Why? Because we LOVE watching other people fail, and judging them on the way down. As a society, we've become a bunch of self righteous buttheads that make ourselves feel better by judging everyone else from behind a computer screen or smart phone while we delicately tuck our own skeletons neatly in the closet and pretend they don't exist.
Before you come at with me with pitchforks and torches ablaze, let me preface that social media does have its perks. It's great for businesses and organizations; my FFA chapter's Facebook page has a great following, and it allows our community to be a "fly on the wall," if you will, to what's going on in our classroom and chapter each day. Insert shameless plug: you can follow us here; we're pretty awesome.
From a personal stand point though, social media tends to bring out the meanies...and there are a lot of them. I will admit that I've been a "mean girl" via social media, but I would also like to think that I haven't said anything in a post or comment that I wouldn't say to someone's face...though that's yet to be tested. I've watched women brawl in the comments section over a kid in a winter jacket in a car seat; some women went so far as to say the poster of the photo should have her children taken away and should never have been allowed to have children in the first place...the profanity was abundant, and then the Googled research and articles flowed in about how unsafe it was (and as my sister frequently says, "You can find numerous articles online that will support both sides of an argument, so it's pointless to use Google when defending yourself"). Would these women have attacked this lady in person? Probably not, but it's easy to do from a keyboard when you don't have to look the person in the eye.
I'm becoming appalled more and more each day by the things people are willing to say to each other online; and it doesn't even have to be a hot button issue like food safety, or vaccines, it can be something simple. Like this morning, I came across a blog post by Country Outfitter about Miranda Lambert and how she never thanked her husband, Blake Shelton, in any of her acceptance speeches at the ACM's. Apparently people took to social media to call her out on how distasteful it was...so, because she has a great marketing team, she issued an apology to her hubby via Instagram, and made sure to tell the world how amazing he was (like we didn't know). What floored me more than the fact that this was "newsworthy" was the comments that followed (I'm a sucker for the comments section, they always infuriate me, but I read them anyway). People were literally outraged. The trash talking commenced, and was 72 comments deep by the time I got to the end of them. Here's my question for the angry masses: "WHO CARES!?" Why is this such a big deal that it even requires your input? I especially love when people go after a celebrity snafu; maybe it's because we hold celebrities to such a higher standard than the rest of us, but people really get bent out of shape when a celebrity has a human moment. In this case, Miranda is human just like the rest of us; I mean, I probably unintentionally disappoint my husband on a daily basis...in fact, I know I do, so who am I to judge her for forgetting her husband in a speech?
We need to stop pulling out our self righteous, fictitious perfection, and waving it at people via the comments section on social media. What ever happened to just silently judging people and talking about them behind their backs? (Kidding! I'm just kidding! But seriously, be nice, life is too short.)

My Addiction...

"Hi...I'm Jess...and I have an addiction." It's really not too startling to admit; according to my quick Google search, I found staggering statistics on the percentage of Americans addicted to something...mostly drugs and alcohol, but nonetheless, an addiction. My addiction is a little different; let me explain.

Like most other addictions, there are highs and then crashing lows. Any medical professional will tell you that addictive behavior isn't healthy; extreme highs, followed by crashing lows are NOT healthy. But I continue...why? Because the highs are worth it.

So what's my addiction? Drugs? Alcohol? Shopping? Close on the shopping, but no, my addiction is my job. Let me start over: "Hi, I'm Jess, and I'm an Ag teacher."

You read that right; I'm addicted to my job, it destroys my health, my personal life, and reeks havoc on my family, but I can't stop...trust me, I've tried. I have an AgCareers profile and everything; I've tried to leave teaching more times than I can count...but I never do. Why? The highs.

There's a tremendous rush in seeing thousands of FFA members stand together, and in unison say "To practice brotherhood, honor agricultural opportunities and responsibilities, and develop those qualities of leadership, which an FFA member should possess." Sounds crazy, but it really gets the blood pumping.

This is what roughly 10,000 FFA members speaking in unison looks like.

It doesn't stop there; watching my FFA members work their tails off, crunch numbers until they can't see straight, and count every last penny and hour to finally walk across the stage and receive their State or American FFA Degree brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

My students work hard to represent their chapter, they take pride in what they accomplish, and they will fight you to the death if you ever tried to tell them it was a waste of their time. These moments make my heart sing, and make me wonder what kind of crazy person would ever want to leave this profession.

With every addiction comes a crash; my crashes, however, come after I've spent a week at the National FFA Convention, running on 5 hours of sleep, so my FFA members can have an experience they'll never forget. They come after agonizing over what to do about a particular student or situation, and actually losing sleep over it. They come after weeks of feeling like no one cares how much time my FFA members and I put in to serving the community, and screaming into my pillow at night, "Why am I putting myself through this? Is it really worth it?" After my husband expresses his frustration of having another weekend where his wife is absent, carting FFA members around the state while he's left at home with children who want their mommy. The crashes happen, and they happen a lot...and my health records show it; but I continue on.

Because if I don't who will? Oh there's always another Ag teacher out there, The Ohio State University churns them out every year; but I took on the task of building this program, and turning it's members into future leaders that will represent the industry of agriculture, and represent it well; and fortunately, the highs are outweighing the lows at this point.

So, as we close on FFA Week 2015, clip and save all of the newspaper articles about your chapter, congratulate and thank those that work hard to represent the FFA, and know that somewhere out there, is an Ag teacher hoping they can make it to spring with at least a shred of their sanity left.

Happy National FFA Week!