Pumpkin Pie Practice Run

Thanksgiving prep

I know I've mentioned this before but the Starr Sisters aren't the best of cooks. Our Mom is hands down awesome in the kitchen. And she made several attempts of passing her skills down to her daughters, she can't say she didn't try. Each summer we had to master a meal. Yes, from start to finish an actual meal that you'd serve a group of people. When she decided it was "that time in the summer", she'd search for us in the barn. We'd either be hiding or able to convince her Dad left us a long list of chores that needed to be crossed off before he got home on Friday. It was miserable. Miserable as in crying, screaming, blood on the cutting board and burned skin. All in which resulted in eating burnt food, frozen pizza or running in town to the local Drive-In. Mom came to the conclusion that she was just going to have really clean and well-fed show heifers. Instead she decided to focus on our strengths and teach us things like helping a cow calve, the importance of calves getting colostrum (mother's first milk) and fixing fence. Because those things are best learned first-hand. A complicated recipe could be explained over the phone.
As we get closer to the holiday's (and the spike of pins to Pinterest board we'll never use increases) some of us get a bug to be the next Becky-Homecky, a term us Starr girls use when describing the domestic types. Last Sunday I dug out the rolling pin and pie pan for a practice run at Pumpkin pie. How hard can it be the recipe is on the back of the can, right? Well, in my family we have a crust recipe and it fails every time I attempt it. It's not my fault though, you see it's a temperamental recipe. All the ingredients have to be added in a certain order and you can't stop in the middle of crumbling to call your sister.
All was going well this go around, mom was in the background "really busy on her iPad"; pretending to not really be in the room. The crust was made and into the greased pie pan. The hardest part was done, smooth sailing from this point. The filling was made, even added INSERT FAMILY SECRET HERE, and before I knew it I was proudly pouring the filling into the crust. Then mom says calming while making the upward swiping motion to catch up on her latest Facebook gossip. "You did add sweetened condensed milk, right?" Me, "WHAT?? AUGHHH How did I miss that!" Add in a few swear words, foot stomping and slamming of the spatula on the counter. The good news is, a Starr sister can always figure out a solution, probably because we've had to get ourselves out of so many bad kitchen situations.


Forgot an ingredient? Just stir it in when it's in the pie pan. Who knew this doubled as a mixing bowl!

Then the wait. Would it turn out? I sure hoped so because it'd be a dirty shame to ruin the beautiful crust that I concentrated so hard on.

Of course it turned out!

So Sunday night (and maybe Monday night :) ), I splurged and enjoyed a slice without any guilt. But let's just say it's a good thing a practice run was involved and that I'm not hosting Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall into Michigan

Fall 2013 is complete, in my book. I went on a last minute road trip to Pure Michigan. Yes, I'm partial to this state because I spent the best four years of my life there and made awesome friends. But what I miss the most (besides those awesome friends) is the fall. You can't beat a Michigan fall day. So pretty you could make a postcard out of it. Trust me it's all that Tim Allen describes it to be on the Pure Michigan commercials and more.
My fall is now complete because I went on a wimp and did a last minute road trip and stayed with my college roommate and her husband on their farm. It was fun to see all the hard work they've put into the barn and cattle runs to make it their own. What did we do? We had no plans, which is why it was great. Whenever I visit them, I come back relaxed and refreshed. Dinner with more friends at a local diner, wine drinking till 1:30am and coffee drinking till Noon. Great conversations have been had in Jamie & Troy's farm house.
You know my love for pumpkins, so as a treat I got to go to Gale Aces Farm. Troy's family's farm, where they sell pumpkins. And let me tell you...the DIY fall decor they sell could take Pinterest out of business.

The first time I visited Gale Acres my comment was, "Now this is an ideal Michigan farm. Big white farm house, red buildings and white picket fence." Love it, right out of a calendar.  

N.Starr

Happy Fall Y'all

It's been another busy summer and fall kicked off to a busy start. So busy that I haven't had time to make the decoupage pumpkins that I made the past couple falls. This weekend was a perfect couple days at home to get the fall creative juices flowing. While this is no decoupage pumpkin, I certainly enjoyed not having to peel modge podge out of my nails and hair.

Barn jeans, old t-shirt and no make-up. My kind of weekend.

DRIVE is having a pumpkin decorating contest. All you have to do use upload it to Instagram or Facebook using #drivepumpkins. Here's a close up of my entry. If you're on Instagram, you can find me at: starrnicole

Contest ends October 31. Get to decorating :)

N.Starr

May Recap: Month of Celebration

Happy 25th Birthday to me!

I love birthdays. So much so that when I was younger I had multiple. A year. Yep, a birthday complete with cake, candles and presents (that I had wrapped). But what completed the party was the dress.. white with red polka-dots and ruffles..I mean, what else would it be? I'm glad I've stayed consistent with my fashions! As an adult (yikes that sounds so old... and responsible) I've continued with my love for birthdays. Instead of just celebrating one day I dedicate the whole month to birthday celebrating. Here's how I welcomed in year 25:

Kicking off the birthday month was a trip to Kansas City to see my sister and celebrate the Kentucky Derby. The derby is KC? Yep, that's right! Watched the big race at the Power & Light District and sipped on my first mint julep, which went down fairly smoothly. Some year we'll be sitting at Church Hill Downs, but the direct flight was much cheaper this year. Plus I finally got to see Danielle's apartment.

Sipping mint juleps, watching the Derby and a little shopping at Good Ju Ju. A fun girls weekend.

Next up was the real deal... Happy 25th to me! Supposedly the age where you should have your "shit" together. I'd say I'm doing pretty good. Thankful for getting up and going to a job I love with amazing coworkers and clients. Also thankful that they support my love for birthdays. It was a fun day!

But what's best about getting older is that now I get to share my birthday with my nephew. Now I don't share birthday with just anyone; I guess that shows how much I love Isaac. We have fun together. Isaac turned 2 on May 16. And turns out, he likes birthdays too! I wonder where he gets it from? A new work bench, garden tool set and pens to keep his animals contained with the highlights of a 2nd birthday.

Does it look like he already has a dip of chew in his mouth and he's heading out to check cows?

Last minute a friend from work, Amanda, had an extra ticket to the Kenny Chesney concert. Before she was finished explaining the details I had my checkbook out to pay for the ticket. It was a no brainer.... Kenny, Eric Church and Eli Young Band at Miller Park...Sign me up! We even got to tailgate before the game! Thanks again for letting me be part of the fun!

Memorial Day weekend concluded the month long partying...however I like to say it went out with a bang. Two weekends in a row at Miller Park. This time to watch the Brewers take on ..... um... OK I forgot who they played, I wasn't that in tune with the game. HOWEVER, I did get on the field so that counts for something right!? Not everyone gets to go on the field and get a behind the scene tour.

Michael and I grew up showing cattle together. Now he's the ground manager t Miller Park.
 Funny where how we all end up. Pretty cool to see some Hereford pictures in his office

 And lastly for a little farm action. We had our last calf and now it's breeding time to get our cows bred back. The corn is planted and just last weekend it was starting to sprout up. Here's to a better summer for the crops than we all had last year.

This little heifer was so little when she was born. Cutie-pa-tootie.

 N.Starr

Mother Daughter Photo Opp

Do people tend to say you look more like your mom or your dad? Maybe even an older sibling or Aunt or Uncle? In my family people say my sister Lindsay looks like our mom, Danielle looks like our Grandma Lindsay and I'm a good combination of both mom and dad. And usually when people say this they also take into consideration personalities too. Well the same is true for cow families.

A mother/daughter photo opp out in the pasture. I'm getting good use out of the
knee high rubber boots, talk about a muddy mess.

My cow Miley is on the left standing next to her daughter who we call Dolly. Do you think they look related? I do. Even more so as Dolly has grown up she resembles her Dam (the mother, Miley). Out in the pasture I can barely tell the two apart. From the way they stand, walk and physical structure. We refer to this as their phenotype (physical appearance).
Funny thing is their personalities are alike when it comes to feeding time too. This weekend I was taking grain out to the Grand Buffet and set the pail down to chain the gate. In the millisecond it took me to do this, someone had their head in the pail inhaling gain as fast they could. I glanced down and without thinking yelled, "Miley! Get out of there!". And then I did a double take and realized it wasn't Miley, it was Dolly! They fooled me:) And sorry Miley for blaming you, but let's be honest you're usually guilty of doing this
Mother like daughter, not only do they look alike but also act alike! Since they're both old show heifer neither one are afraid to come up to me... especially when grain is involved!   

N.Starr

InstaLife

Hard to believe we're already breezing through April, where did March go? I want to relive St. Patty's Day and Easter because A) who doesn't love celebrating their Irish heritage and B) Easter candy is the best. Yes, it trumps Christmas candy (however not my Dad's chocolates).
So I thought I'd share with you a few of the highlights captured through Instagram. If you're on it, follow me @starrnicole
Here we go...

We kicked off the month with a trip to Lancaster, WI to sell one of our bulls. Pretty sure that he went to a good home and even better was we go our money! It was a busy, but entertaining weekend with my nephew Isaac. I learned that I'm in no way shape or form ready to be a parent that takes kids to cattle events. How do people my age do it? By Sunday I was exhausted, my back was killing me and I was in desperate need of a bottle of wine.

My GREAT Aunt Sally from Virgina was home for a whole week. We had a huge get together and celebrated these two younging's birthdays, it was a wild bash. Aunt Sally turned 88 and Uncle Ralph hit 90.

 Continuing on with the green... the Spartans. They had a good run at it, but bummed to see them lose to Duke. I filled out a bracket but didn't put any money down. Wishin' I would have now, I have Louisville and Syracuse going to the Championship, with Louisville winning. Guess I'll know if I was right after the final four this weekend.

March brought lots of cow watching. We have a few cute little Hereford babies on the ground. We are so ready for the snow to melt. It's a tundra! Can't complain too much, we need the moisture.

I had Isaac for a whole weekend. To myself. The weekend before Easter. So what does the world's best Aunt do? Take him to see the Easter bunny. As you can see there's no reason to stand in the long lines at the mall to sit on Santa or the Easter bunny's lap. He was less than impressed and never even make eye contact. I'm sure he'll appreciate this photo someday.

And lastly, my Easter bunny rocks! She brought me wine to-go in a screw off! LOVE it. And sipping my first glass now.

N.Starr

Calf Watch 2013

The new calf crop will be starting to hit the straw at the Starr Farm. Last weekend when I was home where were quite a few that looked close to calving and one that was over due. Like people, she looked uncomfortable and ready to have her baby. When cows are approaching their due date, we bring them up to the barn from the pasture to the back of the barn a.k.a. "waiting area". This way we can keep a close eye on them. And when they're really close to calving, the cow is moved up into a pen that has fresh straw bedding. This much would be much like a delivery room at the hospital:). We do this to prevent the calves from being born outside and getting frost bitten ears.

Hanging out in the waiting area last weekend was my old show heifer Appi from college. Appi did really well in the ring, in Denver she was a Division Champion. Here is her glamour shot at the backdrop after she won. This day started early (like 3am early) and was filled with a lot of hard work but as you can see it paid off. The adrenalin running through our bodies kept us going and put the smiles on our faces.

Funny how we all change in just five years. Of course the calf is the most important thing to look at, but my eye tend to wonder to my hairstyle and clothes.Yep, I'm a girl:)

 Since then Appi has hung up the show halter and has been put to work in the pasture. She's raised a lot of good calves that we have been able to sell. She's kinda like me, a grown up with responsibilities. Except our responsibilities are different; mine are in an office, hers are raising a calf! Appi has taken up residency in the "waiting room" and the waiting game is on! Bull or heifer no one knows. Stay tuned and watch for #CalfWatch2013 on Twitter (@nstarrgirl).

Since she's a spoiled show heifer I may or may not give
handful of feed and scratch her a for a little extra lovin'. 

N.Starr

Take me back to summer 2012

Escaping the winter blues

Yesterday was a very special person's birthday, my great Aunt Jo. My Aunt Jo is quite the lady and we're very lucky to have her in our lives. In terms of the family tree, she is my Grandma Lindsay's (my mom's mom) sister. Did you get all that? I consider myself lucky because not a lot of people are close with their great aunts, uncles, second cousins etc. However, I am close with these people. And when the we get together we love every minute of it whether it be... to talk, laugh, cook or shop. God bless the men currently in and yet to come into our lives that have to put up with all these women! Anyways, my Aunt Jo is something else. Remember when we went to the National Western Stock Show? Well she traveled with us and spent the trip in Denver to see her son and daughter in-law. She was a good travel companion and made the long direct flight to Denver more entertaining.

Since Wisconsin is in a winter storm warning, I'd give anything for warm weather. So yesterday during the winter blizzard I drifted off to the summer of 2012 and recalled a weekend that Aunt Jo spent with us. She let me in on one of her talents. She passed down the tradition of making strawberry jam to the next generation. Me being the next generation:) It was a blast and boy is that strawberry jam a treat to enjoy year round. If you missed the post, you should really check it out. And if I remember right it was my Aunt Jo that convinced me to go car shopping and she also cheered  me on at Lambeau Field during the Packer 5K run. We packed a lot in just 48 hours.

Since I won't be taking a spring break or tropical island vacation to escape winter, I'll settle for the good summer memories made with family and friends when the weather was warm. And to be honest, I don't need to escape anywhere when everything I need is right here.  

Happy Birthday to Aunt Jo!

Jamin' with Aunt Jo.
Learning to make strawberry jam from a pro!
I've never had to follow directions so exact.
Timing is everything with jam making:)

 N.Starr

Dustin' off the Skis

Cross Country style

One Christmas morning, back when we were all fairly young, we walked down the stairs to find that Santa had left us cross country skis. Even my parents. Hmm I thought, besides the few school trips to Nordic "Mountain" we as a family are not skiers. What are we going to do with these? I remember using them a few times, I also remember falling A LOT and getting ticked because my two sisters were cross country ski naturals. We used them a few times around the drive way, to this day I still haven't seen my Dad up on ski's (water, downhill or cross country for that matter). The boots were put away into a closet and the skis found a new home in the garage. And there they sat to collect dust.
I was home this past weekend to see the family, spend time with Isaac and work on a bull we're consigning to an upcoming Hereford sale in March. My friend Brenda came to our place too and helped out. The bull was tied up chewing his cud and there wasn't much left to do, but it was soo sunny and nice out. One of those winter days were the fresh air was too good to be spending the afternoon in the house. Huh... what to do.... hey why not cross country ski? Yes! Let's go... but wait which closet in the house did we decide was a "good", "obvious" place to store the boots? Standstill moment, till we were on the mad search of tearing apart the house. We found them and thank god there were at least two sizes that fit us. Pretty sure I've been the same shoe size since the 6th grade. Boots on... Boots clicked into skis...(This one took me a couple tries) and poles in hand... After a few practice laps around the drive away we were off. To the cross country trails? Of course not! Down the road to the lane my Dad takes with the tractor to get into the fields.

Like a pro!

Carhartts so fashionable.... I'm kidding...
Working in the barn to cross country skiing.

Skiing down the lane and then to my grandpa's house, all without any injuries! Falling down?? Well, maybe just a couple times. But I can't wait to go again (hopefully next weekend), I love it and what great exercise. Do you have a favorite winter outside activity?

Bubblicious Friday

Who loves the weekends?

I love my job, coworkers and the feeling off accomplishment with every item crossed off my list and seeing projects to completion. But.... I love the weekends. At 5 I'm hitting 45 Northbound and headed back to the farm. No big plans, but those turn into the best kinds of weekends. Hopefully checking calves, seeing my best cow-friend Miley, a run and for sure relaxing with my friend Merlot .
Today is a bubblicious day because of the new turquoise necklace from Southern Jewlz that I wearing. I know it big, however I ain't 'fraid to make a statement! And I think it does, mission accomplished. What I like it that I'm comfortable wearing it in the office, but yet would oh so acceptable at a cattle show. Which is good, because let me just say being a grown up and having to miss Louisville, for the second time in a row, sucks! Cheers to everyone having fun without me, boo hooo! I guess I'll just sport my cattle show wardrobe for the next week. However, I'm one up on you all since I won't be nursing the hangovers.
Have a great weekend, where ever it takes you.

It's Friday, why not wear cowgirl boots to the office.

N.Starr

Wisconsin Tourist

Door County weekend.

Isn't it funny we travel all over to the country and world to the "Ultimate Vacation Hot-Spots", but yet we (or at least I'll admit) don't take the time to explore your own state? Now there's not a lot happening in Wisconsin besides cows, corn and the Packers. But there was one place I'd never been and needed to cross of my list (1001 in 101 list especially).... Door County, Wisconsin's Peninsula. It just so happened a family friend of ours got hitched in Bailey's Harbor last weekend. It was fun, got to see a lot of old high school friends and I had an oh-so-Door-County-Nautical Dress from Banana Republic paired with coral Francesca jewelry. Sunday my parents and I spent the day seeing what this peninsula was all about and we literally saw it all. We drove through all the little villages filled with quaint shopping, coffee, ice cream stores and docks/beaches. Great views of the lake and the leaves were just about starting to turn. We took our adventure to the extreme (and not sure if I'd recommend it or do this part again)....

Wisconsin Tourist. Hopped on a ferry and headed to Washington Island. To do what? We didn't know!

 Washington Island, the little island off the peninsula, doesn't exactly have it "going on" like the map at the ferry station portrayed. But hey, who doesn't like a 30 min boat ride to a barely-any-civilization- island. And surprisingly people do live there, however all of the houses are for sale. Looking to buy a cheap house in a remote location? From the tiny farmettes I'd say these people live there year-round, I can only image what the winters are like. Mom and I were starving, but we thought lunch on the island would be the way to go.....

A trip back in time, To the Simple Life, To when photos were all taken in black and white. As we took in the island locals the one-woman-show took our order, got our drinks, made our sandwiches and rang up our bill. 

And after an 8 mile drive around little Washington Island we were ready to hit the main land and head home.

After driving through the peninsula and getting a glimpse of the towns there's a few areas I'd recommend and go back to for a fun weekend:

1. Fish Creek (by far this is "The Place" lots of little shops and cafes. On the outskirts there was a cute winery and it is getting to be grape harvest season).
2. Ephraim great shoreline, fun shoppes however rumor has it it's a dry township!
3. Sister Bay very similar atmosphere to the two above (shopping, restaurants and water!) 

 N.Starr

 

 

Jamin' with my Aunt Jo

Strawberry Jam Time

What's summer without strawberries? Luckily even with the drought we're still able to enjoy them. I wanted to put some of the strawberries that I cut up and froze back in June to good use. You can read more about that time consuming project here. So I did the most resourceful thing and called my Great Aunt Jo, the strawberry jam expert and now teacher! Last Saturday she passed down the jam-making techniques to the next generation. We had so much fun and much to my surprise making jam isn't really that hard. The biggest take away: EVERYTHING measurements and timing must be EXACT.   

Mash 2 cups of strawberries, add to that 4 cups of sugar. Stir for 3 minutes.

We make quite a team...And there wasn't any crying or fighting! The strawberries and sugar has to sit and merry for 10 minutes. 3 minutes before the 10 minutes is up boil 3/4 cup of water with 1 packet of Sure Jel (this is what Aunt Jo, on right, is doing), mixture must boil for EXACTLY 1 minute. Remove from heat and slowly pour and stir (Yes at the same time, that's why jam making is a team effort) into strawberry/sugar combo. Stir for 3 minutes, then pour into sanitized jam jars. (what I'm doing on the left).  

Sure Jell is the key ingredient. This is what the box looks like in case you're a jam-rookie like me.

TaDa! So pretty! And I think they'll taste even better come February after a cold day of feeding cows.

 What family tradition has been passed down to you?

Anything for my Packers

Packer 5K Run

Living not too far from Green Bay most of my life it's not surprising I'm an avid Packer fan. What can I say I bleed green whether is the Spartans or the Packers! Last weekend I lived several fans' dreams and ran around the inside of Lambeau field in the Packer 5K charity run. However I wasn't like the shirtless hard-core fans you see on TV with green & gold paint on their chest, crazy wigs, cold beer in hand yelling and cheering. I was however on the jumbotron!

3.1 miles later I made it and was ready to pose in the stadium.
In my opinion, there's nothing like Lambeau Field!

I had a cheering section, however they were a little MIA at the finish line. I left them in the Packers Pro Shop prior to the race and finally found them 15 minutes after I was done. I was beginning to think they left me.

Two of the four cheerleaders... Aunt Jo and my Mom.

And how does a Packer fan end an evening of running? At Curly's Pub of course! A cold Coors Light and Burger really hit the spot, plus I recharge my body with beef! If you haven't ever been I highly recommend it, Curly's is a must stop pub.

Menus with a lot of Packer history. 

I announced to  my family that next year when I run it I will be dressing up like a Packer Cheerleader, that way everyone will be able to spot me!

N.Starr

The Drought of 2012

I love summer, but this is getting a little outta hand. Who has green grass? I'm jealous, this past weekend the only thing I mowed was a lawn full of weeds. But who cares about the grass... our poor crops are looking soo rough!
I blame the heat on my lack of blogness! That's not completely true, but it sounds like a good excuse so I'll run with it.
The past two weeks of heat have been filled with lots of summer fun despite the heat index....

• The 4th of July--- attending the Manawa Rodeo
• A visit with a good college friend
• A trip to paradise see my Kansas City sister and lots of cattle friends(definitely wasn't paradise, but this is my blog so I can say whatever I want:)
• Lots of swimming at a family friend's outdoor pool (I tell ya if you're looking for friends, buy a pool your "friends" will flock)
• A mini trip to Rhinelander for a little concert

Hope you're all having a great summer! What's been your highlight thus far?

N.Starr

Cookin' with Crown

I love to eat meat, especially the 29 cuts of lean beef. But I also have a sweet spot for chicken wings and when it's smothered in barbecue sauce, even better. But what's better then BBQ chicken wings is when it's made with whiskey. Like every other livestock person I love to drink whisky, Crown Royal is my whiskey of choice.  This weekend while I was at my parents, looking at my new Pioneer Women Cookbook I saw this recipe and couldn't resist. Grabbed my purse, put Rex in his kennel and told my dad I was headed to our fine local grocery store.
There's a little story behind my new cookbook. It's from our great family friends, The Geodderz, and they gave this to me for my 24th Birthday. How sweet right? So I thought it was only appropriate that the first meal made go to them to enjoy. Some may say they were my guinea pigs. But when a recipe calls for Crown Royal how bad can it be?
When making something with Crown Royal, why not double the batch right? That's what I thought too. Making enough for my parents and I to enjoy during the week. So tonight I had 2 CR BBQ chicken wings, and let me just say it's dangerously good! Can't wait to hear the reviews from my taste-testers. Never tasted such a sweet, tangy sauce, I'm guessing you could use the sauce in other recipes... baked beans, ribs, chicken breast.
I've now found my go-to BBQ sauce recipe, but what is yours?

Photo courtesy of the PW Blog. Make sure you enter in her turquoise pot giveaway. All you have to do is comment saying which color you'd like to be for the rest of your life! Click here to register.

N.Starr

Isaac turns 1

It's hard to believe on May 16 my little nephew Isaac turned 1! Where did the year go? I can't image our lives without him. It seems like just yesterday I skipped out of work early to be one of the first to see this little bundle of joy in the hospital.

 Over this past year, he's gotten quite the personality... So we know he loves spending his evening at the farm. He was helping AI cows at only 1 week old. Lindsay & Brad better watch out, he'll be taking over the farm before he's 5!

He looks forward to summer evenings when he can cheer on his dad at the baseball games.

He doesn't quite have teeth yet, but when he does we're sure he'll be requesting steak at supper time, after he gets in from AI'ing the cows.

Cows are his favorite, but he decided to really scare people at Halloween and dress up as a lion.

We know he likes to tease, flirt and put on a show when he's around his aunts. And we have such a good time when we're together! Right Isaac?!  

Isaac and I are spending the weekend together at my family's farm. Yes the whole weekend! We plan on being outside, taking care of Aunt Danielle's show heifers, maybe working in the yard and most of all kissing those cute cheeks! I'm so happy I get to be his "Fairy God Mother"

We Survived!

Iola 5K Trail Run

For those who aren't runners but want to be runners, I recommend the Coach to 5K app for your iPod or iPhone. I wasn't (and really still am not) a runner but this walk-run-walk routine sure whipped me into running shape. You start slow, and the running gradually increases. Just plug in your headphones and play your favorite music, and the app will tell you when to walk and when to run.

Well I thought I was ready... I mean I did two 5 K's last Fall (Bear Creek Kraut Run and Susan G. Komen) how could this one be any different? The trail running portion is what totally got me (I'm such a rookie!) I never would have thought this would be more of an obstacle rather than a runner. It wasn't anything like the previous day's walk in the pasture. After millions of hills, narrow trails and dodging of tree stumps & roots the finish line was in sight.

"They" (as in the professionals) say you're more successful if you have a running buddy. I don't know if Brenda will trust me anymore to pick the races. Needless to say I don't think we have a strong future in trail running. Brenda finished in 39 minutes, I finished in 44 minutes. No sprained ankles!

Have a great Tuesday! Anyone participating in 5K or 10K runs this spring/summer? Someday I hope to have a Team Beef running jersey.

N.Starr

Starr Farm Report: A Walk in the Pasture

#CalfCrop12

Throughout the spring and summer (and maybe fall if you're lucky), I will give you a little update as to what's happening on the Starr Farm. As the temperatures rise, grass becomes greener and baby calves become more energetic and show calves needs rinsing, I can't resist a weekend on the farm. Continue to check back for more updates on what's happening at the Starr Farm.

Some people spend their weekend taking a walk in the park, I like to spend mine by taking a walk in the pasture to check out the new calf crop and seeing how the cows are doing raising their calves.

It's exciting to see the results of the breeding decisions made early last summer. Most of our cows are bred by artificial insemination (A.I.) or were implanted with an embryo. Incorporating this technology allows my family to apply elite Hereford genetics from all across the country into our own herd right here in Wisconsin!

Unlike dairy cows, beef cows nurse their calves. It's important that the cows stay healthy so they can produce an adequate milk supply to raise their calf until weaning. Generally calves are weaned at 7-8 months of age and can weigh approx 500 lbs. Fortunately, this year we didn't have a lot of calving problems, most turned out like the calving video I posted last week. This is a result of the bulls we decided to breed our cows to through A.I.

Some farmers end their walk in the pasture with a cold Coors Light, a Crown and Coke or some even Natural Light. My mom and I like to end our pasture walk by sitting on the patio, glass of red wine in hand and overlooking the view of the field my Grandpa Lindsay is getting ready for planting.

Wordless Wednesday: An Indiana Easter

Indiana is just a hop away!

To celebrate the Easter weekend, we (Mom, Dad and 3rd sister Brenda) packed up the car and headed down to Boilermaker Territory for a weekend of cattle, Harry's Chocolate Shoppe and Easter celebration. Proudly, I even squeezed in a Saturday morning run through a subdivision.

Mom thought she'd be funny and pose by this sign at the sale. We always knew she had a future as a donor female. It was just that kind of joky-type of a weekend! This was funny after a Starbucks caffine high.

 

The Starr Girls (minus Lindsay of course) at the Golden Girls Sale. It was such a nice weekend to be outside and at a cattle sale!

Thanks to one of Danielle's best college friends, originally from New York but has recently taken a job in sales with Dow Agrosciences upon graduation, for taking this photo! She's grew up showing hogs, bet she'd love yesterday's Pork Be Inspired post. Can't wait to spend more time at Harry's Chocolate Shoppe in May at graduation!

N.Starr

March in Review

Hello 2nd Quarter!

Is anyone else besides me shocked that we survived the mild winter and are 5 days into April? I'm excited for spring and summer, but the weeks have just been flying! March was a fun hectic month with trips to see friends near and far. So to reminisce here's a few shots that capture the month activities.

Lucas Oil Stadium. Except I didn't go in! March kicked off with a trip to see my sister Danielle. She goes to Purdue University (graduating in May). Click here for more highlights of the trip and our day in Indy.

Who's seen this famous statue of Marilyn Monroe in Chicago? Danielle and Cullan couldn't resist getting their picture by it after a night celebrating St. Patrick's Day in the city. And if you recall, Cullan also took a ride on a space shuttle on this day too.

Awww.. the city was soo pretty that day! Hopefully I can fit in a train ride to the windy city!

Now for some random animal encounters......

These ladies were out for a morning stroll across town one morning as I was getting my oil changed.

Never have I seen a baby turtle in MARCH!! But I guess it was 80*, I'm sure the poor thing didn't make it across the sidewalk (either being run over or frozen to death once the temperatures dropped to "normal")

Ever have to wait behind a box of "LIVE ANIMALS" at the UPS Store? Me either, it was my first. The man "in charge" of the box couldn't speak English, after several failed attempts to communicating with Mr. UPS, he backed his cart out and left in disgust. Needless to say I thought it was pure entertainment and wondered what on Earth was in the box. My guessing the Milwaukee Zoo wasn't happy with their shipment of.... Monkeys? Kangaroos? The guy was probably looking to put whatever is was on a direct flight back to Madagascar.

Whew! There it was, a fun-filled month, the only thing I'm missing is the trip back to my Ole' Stompin' Grounds, but you'll just have to read the post to relive that weekend! Cheers to hoping April is just a memorable, it's starting off right... heading to Indiana this weekend for Easter. We don't stay put too long:)

N.Starr