Tag Archives: Vizsla

Halloween Merriment

2 Nov
Halloween Merriment | The Farm Paparazzi

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe here). I made homemade pumpkin puree for the first time this year and this was my maiden voyage using it. Super easy and turned out great!

By the time Oct. 31 rolls around, I’m not always in the mood for Halloween. Sometimes it just seems like more work at a time when we’re busy getting crops out. But, this year I got excited to dress up with my pregnant belly. Who knows if I’ll ever be pregnant during Halloween again? So, putting together a simple costume really got me in the spirit.

Halloween Merriment | The Farm Paparazzi

I bought a $5 orange shirt, some black felt and green pipe cleaners to dress up like a Jack-O-Lantern. The hat is the stem and the pipe cleaners are the vines. I used spray adhesive to attach the felt and at 32 weeks along, Little Girl Lauck filled out the pumpkin portion of the outfit quite nicely.

Halloween Merriment | The Farm Paparazzi

I also talked my husband into carving Jack-O-Lanterns with me. We’ve never done this together and we thought it was great fun! We raised the pumpkins in our garden (I had 34 in total!). I think the convincing factor for him was the promise of roasted pumpkin seeds. It’s the best part of carving pumpkins. Here’s the link to the recipe for Jalapeno Pumpkin Seeds and several other yummy looking options.

Halloween Merriment | The Farm Paparazzi

I got all geared up to give out candy. I get a kick out of seeing all the little costumes and since we live in town, we actually get quite a few trick-or-treaters.

Halloween Merriment | The Farm Paparazzi

We live in a community where most kids say thank you and are a delight to interact with. And they come up with some great costumes! My favorites were Punky Brewster and a Lego Block. Clay, however, was not amused by the constant doorbell ringing and parade of strangers in startling outfits at his door. It was a stressful night for him.

Halloween Merriment | The Farm Paparazzi

Did you pass out candy? Dress up? Hope it was a fun and safe day!

God Bless You & American Agriculture,

Liz

So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God. – Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 (NLT)

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Ready for His Close-up

21 Aug

Clay loves summer. It’s hot. There’s lots of water to play in. There are lots of critters to chase. And he gets to ride everywhere with his favorite human on earth, my farmer husband.

Ready For His Close-up | The Farm Paparazzi

I snapped this photo while we were irrigating one evening and I think he looks like the dog version of Fabio on the cover of a romance novel. Isn’t he fabulous?

Ready For His Close-up | The Farm Paparazzi

“Whatever, Liz. I’m just going to ignore you and pounce on this mouse.”

Ready For His Close-up | The Farm Paparazzi

God Bless You & American Agriculture,

Liz

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

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Soaking up the Sun

18 Jul

After the long weeks of rain departed and the sun started shining, our crops and garden took off with a bang!

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

Clay is happy to be soaking up the sun. Our short-haired dog did not approve of the rain and clouds.

The corn is close to head high and some is starting to tassel.

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

Over knee high on June 25

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

Over chest high on July 10

The barley is getting close to harvest. It won’t be too long before you can drink it from a Coors can.

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Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

The beans are really taking off.

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

The garden is growing like crazy. I’m picking zucchini and anxiously awaiting tomatoes and peppers.

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

Garden on July 2…

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

…and then on July 10!

The sweet corn is all tasseled. If all goes well, we’ll sell some at the Platte County Farmer’s Market this year.

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

Sweet corn on June 25

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

Sweet corn on July 13

Even my herb garden is providing abundant offerings.

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

A bouquet from my herb garden: mint, Shasta daises and lavender.

Tyler and our farm employee, Brian, have been chasing water like mad. Irrigation is a huge task in our arid climate.

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

They’ve been preparing pivots and cleaning out plugged nozzles, cleaning irrigation ditches, laying out gated pipe and plastic ditch and ditching rows and diking the ends of the flood fields to control the water and ensure it runs down the rows.

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

And that’s just to prepare for irrigating! Then they actually have to set flood water and manage pivots to irrigate the crops. It seems like this happens all at once. Two guys and 1400 acres makes for a lot of hard work and long days.

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

But Clay doesn’t mind. This is his favorite time of year.

Growing | The Farm Paparazzi

God Bless You & American Agriculture,

Liz

Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business. We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living. As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13 (NLT)

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Christmas, Kids, Cows and Clay

6 Jan

Over Christmas, we got to spend quite a bit of time with both sides of the family. That’s the beauty of all our family living within a 3 hour drive.

Christmas, Kids, Cows and Clay | The Farm Paparazzi

Christmas, Kids, Cows and Clay | The Farm Paparazzi

There were lots of special moments. One of my favorite memories didn’t have anything to do with food (although it was delicious) or presents (although I love tearing into wrapping paper) or the snow (although it was a beautiful white Christmas). It was when my (almost) four-year-old niece came running up to me and asked if I’d go with her and Uncle Tyler to the farm.

Christmas, Kids, Cows and Clay | The Farm Paparazzi

She wanted to see the cows and the combine. So we put on our boots and ventured out. My father-in-law custom feeds cattle and she loves watching them. Uncle Tyler held her close after they climbed into one of the cow pens. Then he called Clay in and we watched as the curious cows came closer.

Christmas, Kids, Cows and Clay | The Farm Paparazzi

“They like him,” Tyler said and little Skye watched as Clay licked their noses.

Christmas, Kids, Cows and Clay | The Farm Paparazzi

“Ick, yuck,” she said, mystified at the scene. She made faces, chuckled, asked a couple of questions and noticed all the different colored ear tags.

Christmas, Kids, Cows and Clay | The Farm Paparazzi

What fun to watch a kid on a farm.

God Bless You & American Agriculture,

Liz

Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives. – Exodus 18:20 (NLT)

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Corn Dog

3 Jan

One wintertime activity for row crop farmers is hauling our stored corn to feedlots.

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

Notice: This is obviously an older photo because it is not sunny and dry. We have a foot of snow on the ground right now.

This is Tyler’s job. I don’t know how to drive a straight truck and I’m protesting learning how. I’m sort of closed minded, but I’m working on it.

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

So, when my farmer husband comes home this time of year sometimes his pockets are full of corn. One morning he grabbed his hoodie to throw on and corn went all over the floor. It was like a scene out of a Leslie Nielsen movie. It just keep falling and the more he tried to stop it, the more little kernels trickled all over the floor.

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

Normally I’m OCD and this would have made me crazy (I’m working on it), but it was so comical that all I could do was watch and giggle. Then the dog scampered in and started crunching away at the mess. He really loved it. He’s weird, but he’s working on it.

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

So instead of scurrying away to get the dustbuster and broom, I took pictures and chuckled. Farm Paparazzi at your service (even if they are blurry cell phone paparazzi shots).

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

Hope your day is filled with “corny” fun and laughter!

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

God Bless You & American Agriculture,

Liz

A cheerful heart is good medicine… – Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

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The Christmas Photo Session Saga

15 Dec

Hi guys. It’s Clay.

Red and Black | The Farm Paparazzi

My humans have lost it. Could you please come save me? There I was in the kitchen, minding my own business, when they called me into the living room.

The Christmas Photo Session Saga | The Farm Paparazzi

They were sitting on the hard rock, not on the soft chairs. Then, they wanted me to sit down, facing AWAY from them. What?! How’s that supposed to work? I’m telling you, they’re nuts.

The Christmas Photo Session Saga | The Farm Paparazzi

Then the female human, the one that feeds me, well, she kept jumping up and pushing buttons on this contraption. It started to beep and make bright flashes. I was, like, huh? What is the purpose of this?

The Christmas Photo Session Saga | The Farm Paparazzi

The dang flashes about blinded me, but the female human just kept jumping up and making the contraption do it over and over and over.

The Christmas Photo Session Saga | The Farm Paparazzi

Finally, I just got bored and laid down. I’d had enough of this weirdness.

The Christmas Photo Session Saga | The Farm Paparazzi

Send help immediately.

Love and cuddles,

Clay

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. – Proverbs 12:10 (NIV)

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