First and foremost, I am a northsider.  I was born and bred to be a Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks, and Bulls fan.  I was born in Evanston and raised in Des Plaines.  I love deep-dish pizza with a sausage patty from Gino’s East, although I would never turn down Lou’s, either!  My farmer husband, John, grew up on the farm where we live and raise our three children, Bella, Mae, and Nolan.  We currently own and operate a 9,600 head pig facility, and raise corn and soybeans.  Through watching my husband work, reading farming magazines, and attempting to “help”, I have learned many things.  Here are a few of the things that I have taken to heart:

 Read more...

I am not a coupon-savvy shopper by any means, but I usually go for “store brand” items most of the time.  Recently, I was able to take my time and double-check prices and brands on milk.  I've always said that "milk is milk is milk", regardless of the label.  It is all safe and nutritious, and you can take your pick in the dairy case of whatever suits you and your family.

There is a really cool trick you can try at home with your milk.  Go to:  www.whereismymilkfrom.com, and type in a 4 or 5 digit code that is printed on every dairy product, next to the "use by date" info.

 

 

 Read more...

Grateful to be guest blogging today from Prairie Farmer!

Who doesn't love a road trip? I have been game for hitting the open road with a girlfriend since, well, since I turned 16 and could. My first was but days after my 16th birthday, when my best friend and I loaded up in my mom's Caprice Classic and headed to the big city, where we each got a second hole pierced in just one of our ears. We were total rebels.

So when the opportunity arose to travel to Chicago on behalf of Illinois Farm Families for an evening with a group of Chicago moms, I jumped on it. So did Emily Webel, of Confessions of a Farm Wife fame. In fact, we commenced to emailing each other pretty much instantly and formulating our wild plans. The lengthy exchange ended with a reference to cruising the square in high school; I'm not sure how we got to that point in our conversation but it was a fun one.

 Read more...