2014 Gone But Not Forgotten

 

 Top Ten Most Viewed Posts For 2014

Haven't read them? Click on the titles!

10. Think Outside The (Pizza) Box Some facts and a few suggestions for National Pizza Pie Day.

9. Waiting To Get Our Hands Dirty How much does it cost, and what do we do to prepare for Spring planting season?

8. Why Do We Do What We Do? Why are we dairy farmers so passionate about what we do? Learn about how and where I met other folks that are just as passionate about dairy as I am. 

7. L Is For Lactose Intolerance This was part of my A to Z journey for June Dairy Month. An explanation of lactose intolerance, and some tips to help cope with it.

6. A Step Closer To Princess Kay Of The Milky Way Mid-May marks the beginning of the process to choose the new Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Minnesota's dairy ambassador. What do the 12 lucky finalists have in store for them?

5. This And That Thursday - 20 A video of Farmer John's birthday gift, Daughter Sara gets nominated for Teacher Of The Year, and it's almost time for bunnies and decorated eggs! 

4. In The Blink Of An Eye Why did we decide to hire farm help after more than 31 years of only family working on our farm? How did we find our new "future farmers" and what do we expect of them?

3. Don't Get Mad...Get Even? Chipotle was attempting to share their concern about questionable farming practices by releasing their online-only television series "Farmed and Dangerous." I felt I wanted and needed to tell my side of the story. 

2. Dooby, Dooby Moo And A Giveaway Too! I was invited to be a guest reader on Playful Pages, a local television show. Surprise! I chose to read a book about farm animals heading off to the County Fair. Watch the video here.
1. I Is For Ice Cream Another edition of my A to Z Journey during June Dairy Month, and it's all about ice cream. There's trivia and a delicious little ice cream recipe that doesn't even require an ice cream freezer.

  

Thanks for visiting My Barnyard this year. I hope I've helped you understand the crazy life of our dairy farm family, both on and off the farm. 

If you like what you've seen, please tell your friends about my blog 
and my other social media sites.  

"Hey, how come you don't have to wear one of these silly hats?"

Our Christmas Wish

 Our Christmas Wish For You

 
Our Christmas wish for you
Is not a simple one
For we wish you hope and joy and peace
Days filled with warmth and sun 
 

  May you count your blessings, one by one
And when totaled by the lot
May you find all you've been given
To be more than what you sought 

  May God be your strength and light
May your spirit never grow old
May all your clouds have silver linings
And your rainbows pots of gold 

  We wish this all and so much more
May all your dreams come true
May you have a Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year, too … 

Author: unknown 

 

Merry Christmas from the Bremers 

 

 

Thanks Auntie Margaret

Several years ago I asked my aunt Margaret to share her 

recipe for Date Balls.

 I was never very fond of dates, but these Christmas Cookies are soooo good!

Date Balls

4 cups dates, pitted and chopped

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup butter, of course!

Cook all together over medium heat until well blended, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add 8 cups crispy rice cereal. Cool slightly. Form into balls. I use a small cookie scoop and then roll them into ball shapes with "buttered" hands. Roll in coconut or leave plain. Makes 9 dozen. 

Enjoy with a glass of milk.

During this season of joy, the gift of health and happiness 

is easy to share with families in need through 

the Great American Milk Drive.

Share the goodness of milk with your local 

Feeding America food bank at 

milklife.com/give

Your donation will be matched gallon-for-gallon 

through December 31st.

Every Day AGvocate

I just got home from the YMCA.

 That's where I go for torture physical therapy (PT)

to recover from my darn knee surgery.

You may be noticing my tired eyes, messy hair, or the exhausted look on my face after therapy, but that's not what a lady in the PT waiting area noticed.

She noticed the cow and BREMER FARMS on my jacket.

 "Are your cows nice? Can you pet them? How do they stay warm in the winter? Isn't it a big job being a dairy farmer?" 

That's how our lengthy conversation began.

Who knew I would be an AGvocate today?

I did. Just like every other day!

I just never know where and how the opportunity will arise.

AGvocate defined: anyone who advocates for the agriculture industry, anyone who supports the agriculture industry or works to tell the agriculture story is an agvocate. (agriview.com)

The Decorating Bug Bit Hard!

The "decorating bug" bit Sara...hard!

Daughter Sara loves the holidays...and celebrating...and decorating, and this Christmas, decorating fever really hit! Sara decorates our front yard for each holiday. Witches, ghosts and pumpkins make an appearance for Halloween. Turkeys and pilgrims adorn our yard each Thanksgiving. Sara shares the love with hearts and cupids for Valentines day. St Patrick's Day, Easter, Independence Day...yep, decorations for all!

This Christmas you will see Santa on a tractor, Santa on a skid steer loader, snowmen, penguins having a snowball fight, elf on the shelf (of course), and dinosaurs (who knew?) all helping us celebrate. And that's only a few of the 51 characters perched in our yard.

And did I mention there's a light show synced to music? 

Yep, Sara doesn't skimp when it comes to decorating!

So if you're in our neighborhood, stop by, tune your radio to 88.9, 

and enjoy the show, and who knows, Santa and his elf 

may just be handing out candy canes!

Thanks to Dairy Star for featuring Sara and her holiday display in their December 13th issue, and a big thank you to them for these great photos!

It's National Cookie Day!

Christmas baking has always been a big part of our family holiday traditions. When Sara and Michael were very young, I was asked if I would be interested in selling home-baked Christmas cookies to my sister-in-laws co-workers. Making some extra holiday shopping dollars while doing something I enjoy seemed like a great opportunity. It became a whole-family activity. Sara became the expert at Russian Tea Cakes. Michael rolled the balls for the sugar cookies. John always helped with the date balls. My mom and I spent a day rolling the dough for the gingerbread people! The first year of cookie sales, we sold 79 dozen cookies, enough profit to buy a new front door for our house. Fifteen years later, we topped off our sales at 652 dozen (that's 7,824 cookies)! We no longer have our cookie business, but we will always have the "sweet" memories.

One of our favorite's is M&M Cookies. I use this recipe for many holidays, choosing the appropriate color M&M's to match the holiday. Thanks to Julie, a past co-worker for this recipe.

M&M Cookies

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
4 cups flour
2 cups M&M's ( reserve 1/2 cup)

Mix all ingredients. Add M&M's last. Drop by rounded teaspoon onto an ungreased baking sheet. Top each cookie with M&M. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes. Makes 8 dozen.

Looking for some more holiday cookie recipes? 

How about... 

 

Beyond Hot Dish And Jello 

 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas 

Our Resident Foodie