Fishback Family Farms

Check out our new home!

2011-05-18T21:22:00.001-05:00

In Blogville that is. We're doing some changes to our blog, so to keep up with our fabulous farming operation, visit
www.fishbackfamilyfarms.wordpress.com

See you there!
Rachel

Outside Fun!

2011-05-17T21:52:00.006-05:00

Warm weather is trying to set in around the Fishback Farm. Trying being the main word here. We've been battlin gcold, rainy temps this spring. Ugh. Tessa and Clay were outside playing, I was enjoying the lawn chair watching them have all the energetic fun. So, with a non-fighting time, I grabbed my camera.

Clay and Tessa...hugging. Which shows their perfect sibling love. Probably the last time I'll get such a happy little picture of the two of them acting like this:

Happy Belated Easter!

2011-04-25T14:41:00.005-05:00

Happy Belated Easter, my friends! We spent the weekend road-tripping with my family to Indianapolis. Over 900 miles in three days, eleven people in a fifteen passenger van crammed full of us and our belongings. It was fun! Its funny how you notice all the big white vans you pass by.....:)

We went out to see my brother, Vince, and his fiance', Jen. They're expecting a baby girl anytime....so we went to them to celebrate the holiday. We were also able to see Nathan's Aunt Jodi and Cousin Christina during our short jont to the city.

We took the kids to an Easter Egg hunt in Carmel.....they boasted they had 10,000 eggs. Unfortunately, they probably had 9,000 kids and their parents show up.....and I found out those parents love to egg hunt as much as the kids....so their were plenty of adults helping their kids pick up eggs....even for the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. At least we killed 90 minutes in preparing, to have it end in literally 90 SECONDS! I missed our local hunts....:( We also went to a shower given by Jen's parents in Carmel. It was a great evening to meet Vince and Jen's friends, co-workers and some of her family. Here's one of Brenda's beautiful flowers....

And what did our kids look forward to the most? Well, besides Uncle Vinny....the POOL! And HOT TUB! We spent a few hours here. It helped run off some serious steam.

We had a safe trip, and since Iowa has been stuck in a yucky, rainy, 40 degree weather belt for the past 2 weeks....Nathan came with!

Hopefully you were able to enjoy the beautiful holiday, and celebrate in the Rising of Jesus!

Clover Kids Graduate!

2011-04-21T00:05:00.007-05:00

Yesterday marked the last day of our 2010-2011 Clover Kids year. It went by so fast! We had a special treat.....learning about ice cream shops! In case you were wondering....ice cream comes from cows. Google it if your in disbelief. Thanks to Richard and his wife from Korner Kremery for taking the time out of your day so we can learn about the sweet wonders of ICE CREAM!

Here's Clay listening to how soft serve ice cream is made....

Ahhhhhh......the wonders of the chocolate dipped cone......
My favs......WAFFLE CONES!

Oh, the choices!

The biggest decision of the day-picking out the best ice cream to enjoy!

Yummy! Superman, Bubblegum, Strawberry, Mint Chip, Praline Pecan......

RyLee checking out the big freezer full of ice cream.

Madison and her friend, Sophie messing around:)

And it was also the last day for these girls in Clover Kids. I can't believe Madison will be moving onto regular 4-H. She said she's excited, but nervous to move onto another club. Its been a fun first four years, girls! I'm pretty sure I have atleast another six before my Clover Kids fun is over:)

Here's our "Graduates" with their certificates and a picture of them from the year.

Mary Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

2011-04-13T09:09:00.008-05:00

Well, for starters.....lets just hope it grows.

Last year I found this company who produces Heirloom Seeds. They are out of Mansfield, Missouri- Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They are NOT organic, but old fashioned plants that grew way back when.

Now, I will say, I have a love-hate relationship for my choice of purchase....I thought it was so cool to try and make my kids eat PURPLE carrots, or pink tomatos....BUT their main fight seems to be trying to stop the use of products my husband and I use everyday. So, standing on my soapbox, here I go.

Woud you like to use the same technology that was in store 60 years ago? No cell phones, computers, can you imagine a doctors visit or diagnoses? I, personally, do NOT want to back to the 50's, or horse and buggies for that matter. Doing laundry for a family of six with my beautiful, front loading red washer and dryer is quite a chore as it is!

As a farmer, I KNOW Nathan and I are not dumping chemicals on our crops to make a buck. I know my neighbors are not plugging their livestock full of hormones OR drugs, either. We use animal manure to add nutrients to the soil. Believe it or not, we're professionals...and I don't walk around barefoot or decked out in plaid and overalls....computers run most of our equipment, from carefully placing the seed in the ground to properly spraying nutrients on our corn and soybeans. TONS of research has been put into the seeds we're planting, nutirents we're placing on our sacred soils, and into the technology running our equipment. Its no different than the intelligence behind the strides made into the medical field, or gizmos we all get the luxery of using today. So, if you want to tell people HOW they should eat....check out this awesome site: Choose2Choose

There's a reason why our goverment doesn't make us all buy Louis Vuitton shoes. Its not that Targets are disease machines on our toes, but because they're more reasonable for the general public. Just because one product is more $$$ than the other, doesn't autimatically make it better. I think our food choices should be the same exact way.

I LOVE to eat our soybeans out of the field. I wouldn't do it if I had a concern, trust me. I eat the corn when I'm doing moisture checks...maybe more on that scientific farm girl this fall.

Okay...now I'm onto my newest venture. My garden. Here's my model with some of the packets....see....PURPLE CARROTS!

And this variety, it didn't matter what the color or vegetable....its Atkinson Tomatos! I'm hoping its my good luck charm from my late Grandpa Donald Lewis Atkinson:) Tessa, "Mommy, take my pictures with the flowers." So I did. The dirt in the flats with my high-tech variety labels.....get ready for it....paper laminated with my packaging tape. So as in Nathan's infamous comment Sunday, "You know you have to weed it, right?" Ugh.

Please remember to thank a farmer. Please remember we ALL deserve the Right to Choose.... Choose2Choose what we put in our mouth.

Sweet Corn Time!

2011-04-11T21:59:00.004-05:00

We planted our sweet corn crop on Sunday, April 10th. It was a HOT 86 degrees....and now another crazy cool down. Nathan always plants to sweet corn first, just to make sure we don't mix in field corn seed. The planter sunbathing.....

In 85 days our sweet corn will be ready to eat!

Nathan and Clay starting off....we ended up planting 36 rows.

Here Nathan and Clay are checking the population.

Checking the spacing and depth of the seeds....

Everyone digging in the dirt.

Clay found his seed....

Yummy, yummy! Can't wait for July to roll around:)

Demon Dash...tastic - 2011

2011-04-09T12:30:00.003-05:00

Demon Dash was held today! I'm proud to say I crossed the finish line with Madison and RyLee for the 1 mile leg at 10 minutes, 10 seconds. And we had a cheering crowd....Nathan, Clay and Tessa watched and clapped us thru the finish line. Tessa getting into her stroller....stylin'. Nathan was on Clay and Tessa duty, since Clay opted out of running the race. The Fishback Cousin's. Or atleast the ones still in WCSD...we missed Caitlin :( But she's off to college, so its all good! Left to Right...RyLee, Steph, Kyle, Clay and Madison.

Ahhhhh....and the big trio of 50's hotness. Our homemade outfits that took first in the family costume contest! Complete with cat eyes and our initials on our skirts. Our 2011 Theme...Rockin' Washington.

We had a great time, and at lunch both Madison and RyLee said they couldn't wait to do it again next year!

Careers on Wheels...Thank You's...

2011-04-08T16:48:00.003-05:00

So in the

way our world is turning.....email, facebook, texting, on and on and on....you do forget how a handwritten card makes you feel. Especially the hand made ones.:) This week Madison and RyLee brought home tons, and TONS of thank you cards from the Stewart Elementary Kindergarten thru Third Graders. And they were VERY sweet. But I MUST share my fav.....this kid gets 5-stars for making me laugh.

Thank You Fishback's for teaching us about tractors. I didn't know there are computers in tractors. When I was little I thought farmers didn't have electricity at all.

Love, K

....a First Grader.

Its always nice to educate! You may help clear even the most basic questions on how you live. Ha!

Spring is here!

2011-04-01T22:54:00.005-05:00

The snow has metled and the ground is trying to dry out. The kids and Nathan have had their dirt bikes and the four-wheeler out. We're planning on the first race this weekend, as long as there is no rain! And lets hope no rain, or else there will be a little guy VERY unhappy! Here's the girls watching Nathan and Clay practice on the track. A collage I did of Clay riding....

And Tessa hanging out on the four-wheeler. It must have been a safe place for her!

Reading, Writing and Arithmetic...

2011-03-31T12:12:00.007-05:00

How do you use it everyday? Well, I KNOW we use reading, writing and math everyday....but when you stop and think about it, its kinda hard to think of ALL the ways your elementary education helped prepare you for the "real world." This week we had the oppertunity to join other adults to share our jobs and everyday use of the principals the kids are being taught. It was a great time!

I love this little girls face! All the kids got a chance to climb up into the tractors, and see what its like to sit up high and see the farmers view.

Here's the poster I designed. Showing the seasons and what some of the equipment looks like, our kids, some of the uses of our corn and soybeans that we grow. Things that we read, write and use math in...

All in all, it was a great afternoon. People young and old have so much to learn from what you do. Take the time to educate as much as you can!

Groundhog Blizzard 2011

2011-02-02T16:43:00.004-06:00

Yes, the fabulous blizzard hit us! They say around 14 inches, but on the "prarie" the winds blew so bad, we have either huge drifts or grass. So no scientific guesses from this girl.

"Mom, I look like a Ninja!" When Clay saw his reflection in the dryer after my scarf hanywork:)

This is how a Princess gets picked up for a tractor ride.....Daddy plows thru the snowdrifts to the yard and picks her up!

Trying to make headway thru the lane so we can leave...eventually.

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-07T09:50:00.003-06:00

So I KNOW its been a horribly loooong time.....so I'm wishing you a very Belated Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. On a blog post I read, the writer said, "If you could pick a word for 2011, what would it be?" Hmmmm....... My 2011 word I've chosen is Harmony. It means lots of different things to me....and I think it sounds Beautiful! WHats your 2011 word you like or hope to strive for?

2010-09-01T22:40:00.001-05:00

Summer's Gone......

2010-08-31T18:05:00.002-05:00

Ahhhh.....Summertime. IT'S GONE! And we're all back to school........ Yep! It was jam packed, fair, the Ozarks, dirtbiking, Christmas in July, swimming at the pool........ it's all gone :( Oh, and my computer took a crap....so no blogging, either:( But, I PROMISE....I'm back in the groove, with some cool things happening at this Fishback Farm and I CAN'T wait to share! Keep in touch, I've got LOTS of pictures to show you! Happy Fall, friends!

Summer Fun

2010-06-14T19:45:00.004-05:00

So our summer has been pretty low key so far....but July is right around the corner! And like most, its been rain, rain and MORE RAIN. My window baskets are doing well......The kids have been having fun riding dirt bikes. RyLee and Nathan discussing.... This is what a Princess looks like while riding. Instead of ditching the skirt, she just accessorized her outfit with jeans....

Clay working hard concentrating on his route....

Tessa thinks she needs to ride, as well.

Madison went off to camp this week! It was her second year....so she knew what to expect and was super excited. Here she is with her friend Hannah that she invited along:) They went to Crooked Creek Christian Camp. A wonderful camp...I know first hand! I went there quite a few years ago year after year. The drive is worth it...and kids were crying it was time to go home!:)

Fun after dark.......

2010-05-29T23:19:00.004-05:00

So I fired up some of my studio equipment tonight, and the kids were my "models." Can you tell....I GOT MY CAMERA BACK! Wooot woooooot! They pretty much posed themselves....and did a great job:) This one was their idea too.......

The girls showing off a "trick" they can do with Clay.

And a rougher version of "Ring Around the Rosie..."

And I was going thru some old folders and this one just made me laugh.......:)

Working on a Barn Quilts Map.....

2010-05-25T19:03:00.004-05:00

So its my goal this week! To get this sucker done....... Washington County Barn Quilts has visitors coming from all over to view our barn quilts, which is awesome! And we decided as a group a county-wide map needed to be available to visitors. So here's how it looks so far......

Now I know you need a magnifing glass to read this, but in actual print it goes on 22"x16" paper. Its still in progress, I have TONS of dots to add. We have 112 blocks up in the county, and a Barn Quilt Festival will be happening the end of September. I'll go back to working:)............

Catching Up.....

2010-05-24T13:56:00.003-05:00

Sorry so slow on the blog postings. My photo laptop is down........like way down........like I miss it down. :( And my camera's being serviced. So its a double whammy! Boo Hoo. But life in the Fishback Castle HAS been hectic.

For those of you who are not friends with me on facebook, this pretty much wraps up my week last week:

"Ever have one of those days where you show up to an appointment at the wrong time, take your child to the doctor on the wrong DAY, and hope that you don't pass out infront of an audience tonight?! Pray for me:)..........."

"Playing with 20 preschoolers at Sunset.....just wax papered the slides for a more exciting ride."

And finally last but not least: "Thats fabulous....my fly was down while grocery shopping....for all of you who had a special sighting...you can pay me LATER!"

As you can tell, its not just roses and lollipops everyday for me........

So I've been busy with dance recital, field trips, making mints for my cousin's wedding, mowing and LOVING this heat a puffy clouds we've had the past couple of days! SO if your looking for me, here's my schedule.....

Mondays-coachRyLee's TBall. Tuesday's-coach Madison's softball. Wednesday Clay goes to TBall. And Thursdays the girls start gymnastics in Iowa City.

And since I LOOOOVE pictures, here's one to tiddy you over. Tessa and her babies. She kept bringing me her dolls with diapers, so I kept putting them on. Here she is with six.....:)

Hope to post soon!

Seed Run....

2010-05-04T17:39:00.003-05:00

On some spring days I get calls to go on a seed run. So Tessa, Clay and I headed to Nathan's truck and seed tender to run to town so Nathan could keep running his planter. Clay got to stay behind and ride in the tractor. Tessa rode with me in the truck. She likes to read, and there was a Tractorhouse in the dash...so she spent the ride pointing out tractors and combines :)

Clay's Field Trip

2010-04-28T23:12:00.007-05:00

On Monday I braved a field trip with 20 preschoolers....to Marr Park in Ainsworth. The kids had a full, fun morning exploring and seeing things. They built a BEAUTIFUL building about 6 years ago for visitors to stop by our rent....so swing by the next time your in Ainsworth.

Here the kids are watching the pond fish in the indoor aqarium. Mrs. Miles and Clay feeling and trying to guess what nature items were in the box....

Clay making an animal pizza...you followed the recipe cards for whatever animal you pick out....topping the pizza with its favorite foods.
Oh, and Kathy, our guide, was so sweet and broke out the snakes. I stayed AWAY!

Oh, more snakes......

Yep.....the were eager to touch it. No thanks....I STILL stayed back.

And Mrs. Miles actually got Clay to touch it! AHHHHH!

And some more of the snake....ick.

A game of mosquito tag...the kids were all given stickers, and the object was to get ride of your "bites" as fast as possible without getting stung. Clay was obviously loving running like crazy attacking everyone with stickers....

Off to the prarie to go searching.....

Busy catching bugs.....

Clay caught a worm! He then got to go feed it to the fish inside....

Everyone whipped out their binoculars to study the Canadian Goose on the pond. You can see the building in the background.

And, of course, SNACK TIME! Wooo Hooo!

Clay exploring the water before we left.

It was a fun morning....wish you could have joined us:)

Field Time: Spring 2010

2010-04-21T23:52:00.004-05:00

So, of course, its planting season at the Fishback Ranch here in Iowa. Progress has been AMAZING in the Washington County area! Corn is in and its not May:) Our shop WAS full of pallets filled with bags of corn seed. Here's Tessa and Cocoa checking out the shop. Cocoa was *hoping* Tessa would share her peanut butter cup. Empty bags that needed to be burnt......
Full bags waiting "Oh So Patiently" to be dumped.....
This is what some of our evenings look like...we try to go see dad as much as time allows and exploring is something our kids love to do!

And this has been my view sometimes.......the dust kinda puts a damper on having my window down.

Happy planting, everyone!

Tessa enjoying Spring!

2010-04-13T13:44:00.005-05:00

I thought with it being such a beautiful morning and the three older kids at school, it was a perfect time to photograph Tessa. She wasn't really into it...more impressed with the sounds of a bustling small town...the cars....people she was able to wave and say "Hi" to....and the birds flying fairly close. We'll have to go walking in Washington with the nice weather!

Its that time of year again!

2010-04-06T10:11:00.003-05:00

I think we can officially say "Spring IS HERE!" The yard is greening up...along with the beautiful little tree buds and flowers! Same with the skies....YES, the skies. I'm so excited to finally see CLOUDS! And, although I hate storms, I love to watch how the skies go to a deep blueish gray. Changing into unique and wierd patterns that rarely ever seen. So pay attention to the details.....they're so intrecut and refreshing. A true beauty!

And with the renewing season of spring....brings planting! My husband's busy time of year is just around the corner. Last week, Nathan had a great head start of soil finishing, spreading some manure, and finishing up on the planters to make sure they're field-ready. Clay FINALLY got to ride with Nathan one evening. I say "finally" because he knows when ANY piece of equipment has been moved...asking "Why did they move that?" "Who put it there?" "Where are they now?" "How am I suppose to go work for dad when he leaves me at home?!"

Yes, you heard it right. Apparently my son thinks he's been hired by his dad at the age of 5.

We made it to the fields after dark to pick up Clay. He had a fun afternoon/evening riding in the tractor "getting his work done." So here is the first picture of the 2010 field work season! Have a safe spring to everyone out doing work, and PLEASE be respectful of slow moving equipment when driving!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T17:20:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter, Everyone! Today it rained. My dad said "Rain on Easter means rain for seven Sundays." Wonder what this hail means......
Tessa and I were home when it happened. So I left the porch to take some pictures, and she, of course, followed. :) She wanted to eat those cute little ice balls. Gross, I know, but I only let her eat like one!

Hope you've had a wonderful holiday!

Winter Wonderland.....

2010-02-20T10:13:00.003-06:00

Snow, snow, fog, ICE, more snow, snow, snow again...... late starts ad no school days have pretty much summed up the winter of 2009-2010. So when life gives you lemons....make lemonade! My therapy to cabin fever was looking at the ice-coated scenery with my favorite hobby-my camera:) And as much as people look forward to the beautiful flakes that fall from the sky....unfortunatly the beauty fades by two months, wishing for our balmy perfect 72 degress of paradise us Iowan's live in.....RIGHT?! Little do we remember, it only lasts maybe 3-4 days anymore, and we're all cranking on our AC for the 102 heat index.....

One of our family barns

Ice on my grandpa's gate

The creek at the end of our lane

Oh, and since Christmas is my FAV, FAV, FAVORITE holiday....our stockings hung on the mantel with care:)

I have plenty more...maybe I'll share some later...possibly when its 98 degrees in August, our AC's haven't had a break for 2 months, and we all can't wait for a cool down:)

Just a little FYI.....:)

2010-01-15T10:56:00.002-06:00

So, two things I thought were for your information. First, I was introduced to a new blog, Money Saving Mamma . She's a fabulous Washington gal, her mom and sister have both been preschool teachers to some of our children...anyway, a fabulous family! Janelle posts links for ALL TYPES of coupons, no matter where your located. Check it out!

ANd speaking about coupons...WHO WOULDN'T WANT FREE GROCERIES FOR A YEAR! A year I said! Meet some fabulous farmers doing right. And register for their drawing! Farmers Feed Us is just that...in case you have no idea:(

Happy Friday!

Off to the Dells!

2010-01-01T23:04:00.003-06:00

In between Christmas and New Years, Nathan and I took Madison, RyLee and Clay to the Wisconsin Dells. It was our first time, and we loved it! We'll definately be going back! We stayed at a wonderful resort, Wilderness Resort, complete with three indoor waterparks, restaurants, shops.....we had no reason to go outside for 3 days:) But, we did. We took the kids on their first skiing trip at Cascade Mountain. It was only 15 minutes from the resort.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-27T22:04:00.000-06:00

Well, I can see I'm once again, WAY BEHIND! So, here's wishing your home a Merry Christmas from the Fishback Household.....and hoping we've all remembered "The reason for the season." And its hard to believe, our little "Sweet Pea" has turned the fabulous "2" today!

Today we enjoyed Tessa's birthday at the Atkinson Christmas in Wellman, sharing her special day with my Aunt Deb. I don't think Tess knew what to do with the big group singing "Happy Birthday to them":)

Its that time of year....

2009-12-09T08:51:00.003-06:00

Sorry, no Christmas trees or cookies just yet. Its deer season! Let the chiors sing and everyone rejoice! Yeah, I know you can all hear my joy. Okay, enough about my sarcastic pouting. I should be grateful Nathan shot his on opening day. Which worked out, he went back to field work. Booo nasty Iowa weather for our growing season......I'm sure thats what Nathan was thinking! Now, let us all enjoy jerky and deer bologna!

And thank you to Rick Fulton for sending this picture to me....you wouldn't catch me in one of those fashionable vests with a gun in my hand. No Sarah Palin wanna-be here!

Happy Birthday, Madison!

2009-12-03T21:38:00.003-06:00

Today at 4:20 PM, Madison officially turned 8! Its crazy...I wonder where the time went. For lunch I surprised her at her school and ate lunch, and this evening we made her favorite meal....Cheesy Potatoes with Ham and French Bread. Topped off with birthday cake and cotton candy ice cream, that is. She's been asking for a radio so she can play CD's in her room...so TA-DA.....A stereo! Happy Birthday Madison:)

Work Horse....

2009-11-30T10:11:00.002-06:00

We had a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you were able to share yours with family and friends. We're hoping to be finished harvesting this week. YEAH! Then its on to more chiseling and hauling manure. This is by far our latest harvest, nothing to be proud of, but things could always be worse. I took my brother and his girlfriend to the farm where Nathan was working and snapped some pictures. This one I did alot of work to, but love the outcome.

Life is Beautiful...

2009-11-22T00:42:00.003-06:00

So I haven't created a quilt, but someday it is a goal of mine....and hopefully MANY quilts! Almost everyone in my family quilts or sews, my mom, sisters, aunts and my grandma. I LOVE quilts! Any way, I came across this entry and wanted to repost her giveaway. Helen has designed this wonderful piece of art and shes wanting quotes to giveaway her pattern to some wonderful artists...so enjoy!

Life is Beautiful

He didn't like what I had to offer......

2009-11-06T15:36:00.003-06:00

So I was out driving yesterday and saw this deer. A BUCK to be exact. And he wasn't afraid of me. He ran towards me bright red tahoe, ate some grass. Danced around a bit. Posed for some pictures. I stayed safely in my car-behind the windshield photographing. Tessa was freaking out. It was pretty neat. I had my zoom lense on and he was about 30 feet from my vehical.

Happy Trick-Or-Treating!

2009-11-04T10:58:00.004-06:00

Hope everyone had a happy trick-or-treat night! Here's some pictures of the kids....Tessa was a kitty cat...... My sister makes amazing costumes and she made RyLee and Madison's outfits this year. RyLee was a Giesha, Clay was a Super Hero, and Madison was an Ice Princess. Dad was able to come along from ALL the rain....here we are trick or treating around the square.

Clay was done with pictures...

Beautiful Fall Sky

2009-11-03T15:22:00.002-06:00

This one I'm ordering! The colors on my computer are beautiful....and they were the other evening when the kids and I were outside playing. I'll be sure to add our Halloween pics ASAP, but I have the lovely head cold and would much rather curl up with a blanket and hot glass of tea in the evening! I never realized the difference in skies during Iowa's seasons until I commissioned a private winter scene painting by Sean Miller of Washington a few years back. So enjoy the skies:)

More carving!

2009-10-29T13:19:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I went and helped Madison's 2nd grade class carve pumpkins. Her teacher was taking home the seeds and baking them for the class party today. Now I'm off to celebrate two more Halloween parties for the day! I'll post pics tomorrow:)

Carving Time!

2009-10-28T21:49:00.004-05:00

We carved our pumpkins tonight! The kids worked really hard and very well with their designs. Madison and RyLee drew, and for the most part carved their own. Clay told me how he wanted his face drawn and I helped him carve it. I did one by myself for Tessa. It was a nice evening, and then Charlie Brown's Halloween Special came on TV. It was festive!

RyLee broke out the sunglasses after Tessa was done with them. She was carving its freckles...you can see on the left where she drew them.

Madison with her 2009 Pumpkin!

Clay with his 2009 Pumpkin!

I love RyLee's shock. She cleaned out her pumpkin pretty much all by herself, but when she popped out a freckle she was quite surpised! I'm glad I caght her reaction.

See all the slimies?

RyLee and her 2009 Pumpkin! Oh, she totally wiped out on the asphalt yesterday at recess. She said she cried, but Nurse Shelly made it better. Nathan told her this morning that she needed to use her hands to stop her body, not her face. Advice was a little late, dad. :)

Happy Carving 2009!

Big. Fat. Pigeon.

2009-10-27T17:09:00.002-05:00

He MUST have been pigging out on Iowa's fabulous corn.

The "Haunted Train"

2009-10-26T13:32:00.004-05:00

This Saturday...thanks to the rain.....we had our dad around so we went to the Haunted Rails in Mt Pleasant at the Old Threashers Reunion grounds. It was alot of fun! I highly suggest going no matter your age, but I would "suggest" you be over 5 and realize Halloween is just people dressed up having fun. My favorite was the haunted trolly ride when the "Headless Horseman" charged our trolly and ran beside us for a while:) For $10/person, you had unlimited rides on the haunted train, haunted trolly, carolsel, carnival rides, hey also had hay rack rides, hay bale maze, bouncy deals for kids, and a haunted house(that was additional). We'll be going back next year:)

Hanging out by the bon fire

Enjoying some hot choco:)

Whats New?

2009-10-21T10:02:00.004-05:00

Not much. Nathan is still plugging away in the fields....dodging rain drops. And hoping for proper moisture. Its a normal fall for the kids and I. I, however, FINALLY changed my license plates. And they came! Do you realize how hard it is to find a farming license plate thru the Iowa DOT?! Wow. I had a list of like twenty spellings of farm sayings.... "Sorry, its taken... this one is taken, and taken."

Excuse the bug-a-licious car. I had just washed it, drove home to take the picture....this is what it looks like driving a few miles home. Nice."Farm In Iowa"

Like riding a bike:)

2009-10-14T12:18:00.002-05:00

Sorry I didn't upload my "Fishback's Food Frenzy" blog last Friday....but I had MUCH better things to do:) Like help my best friend get ready for her wedding! It was beautiful and Lexi was GORGEOUS (I knew she would be) and she found the perfic guy to complete her life, Tayte. I was honored when she asked me to photograph her wedding day-and it was almost 2 years to the DAY I had photographed my last wedding. People were asking, "So are you having fun photographing? Is it just like it was when you were photographing weddings?" Yes and YES! It was just like I had climbed on a bicycle after two years of not riding.....and I got to be with Lex ALL day long:) So here's a few to share....... And so I'll remember...it was FREEZING! We weren't even outside a whooping five minutes and went back in. Mostly because I'm a pansy to the cold and didn't wear my long undies. It SNOWED on her wedding day! My friends and I have ALL had snow on our wedding day....so I guess it was a sign of picking the perfect wedding day for the right guys for us!:OShe's SOOOOO beautiful!
Their beautiful new family....Lexi and Tayte with Tayte's little sweet heart of a daughter, Madison:)

And the FAB-U-LOUS duo......:)

And our WHS Class of '98.
Congrats Lexi and Tayte!

Visitor from Brazi

2009-10-11T22:01:00.006-05:00

A week ago I opened my email with an amazing request from Jeff at Successful Farming. They had a group of magazine/newspaper reporters coming to Iowa, staying a night in the Iowa City area, and wanted to know if they could visit our farming operation. We were excited, and despite the weather and very little combining happening, I lined up some of the people we do business with in Washington to answer questions the group may have. They were able to ride in equipment, visit with people, see Hal's unique shop, and enjoy a "traditional" Iowa dinner at the Washington County Farm Bureau Building on behalf of Washington State Bank. A special thanks to Fred Greiner of Pioneer Seeds, Rick Fulton of Fulton Insurance, Nick from LiquiGrow, Kendall and Kevin on behalf of CAT/Lexion Combines, Jeff from Washington State Bank, Jerry at Wash Co Farm Bureau, The Owen Family and Hal for letting us bring the group to their fields and buildings and our hard working guys Matt and Mark. Nathan's dad, Larry, was also able to join us. So Thursday morning was a little hectic, but well worth it! The entire group-all of us-Photo by Washington Evening Journal*

Riding in the combine thru the field with Nathan

Liking the sprayer Nick from Liqui-Grow brought out.

Interviewing Kendall and Kevin

Interviewing Nathan

They REALLY liked Hal's shop. And with special thanks to all the decorations, Brazillians will probably think we all deck out our shops complete with a bar and full service winery:)

So I ran out of coffee at 10:30, so Hal thought he'd break out his homemade wine. They thought it was amazing. I guess it was five o'clock somewhere, right?!

We all enjoyed pork loin, cheesy potatoes green beans and a roll at lunch. This was her "cheers," but they say "Ching!"

Thanks to Jeff and Successful Farming for visiting, we were honored! And especially to the entire group for spending their morning with us!

Family Picture Time!

2009-10-06T10:37:00.002-05:00

For those of you who don't know me very well, I use to have a photography studio in Washington where I was a member of Professional Photographers of Iowa. I met ALOT of fabulous photographers thru this organization, and everyone has their own style and look to their art, just as every farmer grows a crop-but a little bit different from their neighbor.

This year, Jodi and Rodney Gehman did our pictures, and they just gave me a sneak peek on their blog, so wanted to share! http://www.gehmanphotography.blogspot.com/

In case your wondering, we're on Oct 6th entry with the combine:)

Thanks guys! You were great to work with!

My First Hawkeye Game

2009-10-04T14:08:00.004-05:00

Yep. You heard it right. Thirty minutes from Iowa City all of my life, and Saturday apparently marked an Eastern Iowa milestone....I went to my first Hawkeye Game. It was fun, and I can honestly say I've never seen so much gold and black in one are my ENTIRE life. And like 20 red shirts...appparently not many from Arkansas were able to attend. And, of course, in TRUE Rachel style, I took my camera:) It was Nathan and I (we've had a TON of rain....so no field work:( )

Food Frenzy Friday :)

2009-10-02T08:43:00.000-05:00

Hamburger Stew

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes

1 cont. chicken broth
4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 c. frozen green beans
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 to 2 tablespoons salt
1 to 2 teaspoons pepper
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT (for each batch of stew):
1 cup water
Directions: In a Dutch oven or soup kettle, cook beef and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, broth, carrots, celery, potatoes, green beans, water, rice, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables and rice are tender. Uncover; simmer 20-30 minutes longer or until thickened. Freeze in 3-cup portions for up to 3 months. To use frozen stew: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Transfer to a saucepan; add water. Cook until hot and bubbly. Yield: about 5 batches (15 cups total). To use frozen stew: Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Transfer to a saucepan; add water. Cook until hot and bubbly.

*** The first time I made this stew, I also added corn. I would think you could substitute many favorite vegies if you'd like. All of my vegies I chopped with my Pampered Chef Food Chopper:).

Dad's Shadow

2009-09-28T21:26:00.003-05:00

WOW! This is my post number 101! I need to go thru all the pictures I've been doing. My camera cards are FULL of images. But this one I think is adorable. Clay LOVES to follow his dad around, tinkering with tools as he goes. I thought it was so funny when Clay had on a welding helmet, and when Nathan was ready to weld, they pulled down their protective gear at the same time. I wish I had a video camera! It was like a rehearsed movie scene:)

Go Big D! 2009

2009-09-23T15:08:00.003-05:00

With fall, it bring lots of fun things like leaf piles, pumpkins, harvest and hometown football games. Madison and RyLee participated in the Washington High School Lil' Cheerleading Clinic for 2 days after school, and then the third day was cheering at our home football game. The girls were so excited to walk out on the field with their poms and do their cheers. Here's some pictures of the girls cheering away!

Its that time AGAIN!

2009-09-22T13:28:00.003-05:00

Yes, with today being the official first day of fall, I thought it was fitting my procrastination of this post NEEDED to be done! Saturday September 19th, 2009 was Fishback's first officail day of harvest. Nathan combined corn, with a moisture of 20%-22%.

Nathan and Clay opening the field up.

One of the first dumps of 2009!

Madison watching on as dad dumps the corn into the grain cart

Clay & Dad grabbing a bite to eat

RyLee posing with the new combine

Have a safe and bountiful harvest everyone!

Fishback's Food Frenzie Friday...Chocolate Pecan Bars

2009-09-18T09:42:00.006-05:00

CHUNKY CHOCOLATE PECAN BARS

Okay, so this is new to me... Fishback's Food Frenzie Friday! I love cooking and baking, and people are always looking for something new to try (including myself) so I thought I'd start a new blog post every Friday. I love Taste of Home magazine's....here's a new delicious recipe for you to try out of their Fall Baking Edition.

RECIPE:

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
FILLING:
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Directions: In a small bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, corn syrup, butter and vanilla until blended. Stir in chocolate chunks and pecans. Pour over crust. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Yield: about 6 dozen.

ENJOY!
I was taking the pictures of my new dessert, and Tessa REALLY wanted a bar, so I didn't stop her:)

Good Report on Clay....

2009-09-17T10:08:00.005-05:00

Just opened my email and one of them I read was:

Dear Rachel and Nate,
We are certainly enjoying Clay at preschool. He's a delightful boy! Love his smile!!!! Enjoy the photos.
Julie Zahs and Brenda Miles
Kingdom Kids Preschool

So I thought I would share them:) Although, this morning was a different story. He cried, sat in the car and was a struggle to get to the classroom. And when I left, all I heard was Clay crying:( I felt really bad, but he wanted to "Go work with Daddy." So hopefully he's having a great time right now!

Clay with Mrs. Miles

Clay working on paper chains

Clayton Reading

Support Your Local Businesses

2009-09-16T02:02:00.004-05:00

I found this on a photography blog I check and thought it was interesting....and a great reminder! Its the 3-50 Project

Newest Mamber to Our Operation!

2009-09-14T12:49:00.004-05:00

Meet the newest member of our team....Our CAT 480, complete with a 40' Bean Platform and 8 Row Corn Head. Yes, Nathan is REALLY itching to get into the fields with this bad boy. In July we went to Omaha for a two day clinic on Cat Combines where Nathan and I were SOLD on their capacity and efficiency. And I WAS paying attention...complete with answering questions correctly for some fun prizes! I was, however, quite a bit out-numbering on the male to female ratio. Special thanks to Kendall at Altorfer......you can be sure to call him if you're ready for some info:)
Hi Kendall!!!
Kendall Havran
Ag Sales Representative
319-350-3937
khavran@altorfer.com

Clay was BEAMING with excitement when we came down the highway that day....he could see it over the corn field (we live down a quarter mile lane). The big CAT letters were plain as day for Clayton to read. His smile was SO big...the first thing out of his mouth was, "Does it have duals?" WHAT?! My four year old was concerned about duals? And yes, it does!

Never Forget....

2009-09-11T15:24:00.003-05:00

I couldn't resist taking this picture this morning in the fog. 9-11-01 Is a day I will never forget where I was, or what I was doing. I was going to work late that morning, laying in bed, pregnant with Madison watching Good Morning America (I'm not a morning girl...as you can tell). And I watched the towers fall. It was something I couldn't believe what was really happening....and had no grasp of how many lives were about to change that day. My hearts STILL go out tho the thousands of families who ache for someone they lost in those horrible acts.

One other thing I'll never forget was when they shut down the air flights for everything...and that afternoon Air Force One flew over our farm. I know I stopped dead in my tracks because the skies were silent....and I heard the fighter jets fly over.

Be thankful for our freedom. For the people who serve for us, and sacrifice so much. Thank YOU for letting me choose what I, my husband, and my kids get to do with our daily lives. THANK YOU!

Another 1st......

2009-09-08T14:06:00.004-05:00

Clayton had his first day of 4Day Preschool this morning. He was SOOOOO EXCITED!!!! He's been waiting since the girls started almost 2 weeks ago....its been a long 2 weeks of "Why can't I go to school?!" This year he is going four mornings a week at Kingdom Kids Preschool in Washington.The kids riding their bikes to the end of the lane. We do this when its nice out:)

Locks of Love Part 2....

2009-09-03T23:31:00.003-05:00

RyLee could not stand her long hair after Madison had hers cut off, so she was certain she was going to do the same thing. Ry wanted to make sure her hair was given to the kids who needed her hair also. So two days later we went back to Salon Rage and had Ry's beautiful hair cut and given to a much worthy cause. Here she is so excited to see it cut!Holding her pony tail!RyLee and her fabulous hair stylist, Stephanie!The girls with their new 'dos!!!!!

Art In Agriculture

2009-09-01T21:39:00.004-05:00

Being apart of a farming operation, its easy to see there's TONS of work to be done. And every time you turn around....it should have been done this morning, or yesterday, or even last year. I stop and think, "It will always be there, whether now or tomorrow." Nathan thinks, "I'm going to get this done now, and won't go in to shower until it IS done." Thats probably whay Nathan is such a successful farmer and business person! But from my marketing classes in the photography world, I've realized most farmers are SO SILENT about what they do in their everyday business. I love capturing agriculture. If you haven't seen our farming website, you should check it out. So when Aaron Putze from CSIF contacted me about doing a photography shoot, I was honored! I spent three hours documenting the Wessling Farm in north central Iowa on one of our ONLY hot and sweaty summer days:) But it was worth it. I can't wait to see some of my pictures throughout CSIF's new campaign. Here's the fabulous Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers Team:

And the wonderful Wessling Family who took their whole morning and early afternoon to be everybodies models!

1st Day of School - 2009!

2009-09-01T21:19:00.003-05:00

This year we sent Madison off to Second Grade and RyLee had her big "debue" of Kindergarten! I drive the kids in the morning because I will start the preschool run next week for Clay (By the way, he is one NOT SO HAPPY camper that HE does not get to go to school) We hear about it every morning on the way to dropping Madison and RyLee off. But, anyway, we were two blocks away from their school and RyLee sayd, "Mom, my tummy feels funny." I told her that she was just nervous and she'd be fine once she got to her classroom and met some of her friends. When she got off the yellow school bus that afternoon, I wish I had the camera. Her smile was SO BIG...it was adorable!

Locks of Love

2009-08-26T14:46:00.006-05:00

So Madison & RyLee are starting school today....and yesterday we were ready to head out the door for last minute clothes shopping. BUT, this mom was NOT on the ball....and thought I had better get Mad's hair cut. It was getting long, and unfortunatly some "self inflicted cuts" (by Madison or RyLee....still no proper explaination on that ordeal from last year) were REALLY showing. She NEEDED a hair cut! Thank God Stephanie had an opening:) I've always wanted to donate my hair to Locks of Love but haven't been able to since I choose to highlight my hair.......so I told the girls about it. Madison REALLY wanted a "bob" so she was all for this. At 2 we bopped into Salon Rage (YEAH!) for Madison's wonderful hair cut. For those of you not familiar with Locks of Love, they use donated hair for wigs available to cancer patients. Its a wonderful cause, and its always hard for me to have hair cut off drastically (whether on myself or my daughter), but this makes it ALL worth it.

The before............

Cutting off the back pony tails......

There they are!Ta-Da!!!!! Madison and her fabulous hair artist, Stephanie:)

Meet us in St. Louie!

2009-08-24T22:14:00.008-05:00

This past weekend we took a last minute family vacation to St Louis. School starts tomorrow, so Nathan wanted to get away "one last time" before school started. So here's some pictures from our two day getaway. Enjoy!

First we checked into our hotel Drury Inn....highly recommend it for families!

We went out to a great restuarant downown "Calecos"

And we rounded out our evening with a horse drawn carriage ride around downtown. The kids loved it!

Friday we didn't have any plans, so we walked a block from our hotel and visited the fabulous Arch of St Louis. And across the street to the river.....

Madison

RyLee

Clayton watching a barge clean the bottom of the "Mighty Mississippi"

We finally walked back into the Arch. We went thru a gift shop where the girls found matching hats they wanted to "model."

And of course, we went up in the "egg" elevator to the top and looked down. RyLee said, "Mom, come here, QUICK! Look at all of those ants on the sidewalk." I had to smile, but I explained those ants were people walking where we were just at!

We then went for a walk by Busch Stadium. No games were happening that weekend, but it was still neat to see!

We then walked to the Metro....its alot like a subway/train. Here we are waiting for the right train.

Tessa patiently waiting:)

And we road to Union Station. We ate lunch at Landry's and checked out all the fish.

Watched the singing fudge guy....it was worth it! The fudge was AWESOME:)

Friday we ended up at Uncle Jay's & Aunt Delores'. We had a fabulous supper (Like always!) Here's Tessa having a conversation with Aunt D.

And everybody feeding Uncle Jay's fish and ducks.

Then, around 7-8ish we hoped back on the Metro and road back to our hotel. Two nights and two days of last minute family fun!

Fair Time Again!

2009-07-18T14:45:00.004-05:00

The fabulous 2009 Washington County Fair is here! Today Madison took her projects in to be judged. Since she's in Clover Kids, its just a chance for the members to get use to talking with judges about what they've done. So everyone gets the same purple ribbon for their hard work! Its great "practice rounds" for everyone. Madison loved her judge, Lisa, and its actually the same one she had last year....out of luck! She talked all the way there on how she was kinda nervous, but the lady last year was really nice and she felt better after she talked with her for a while. I remember those butterflies! Then Madison said, "I wish you were my judge. THEN I wouldn't be nervous!" She thought that was funny.

Madison being judged about her pillow

Madison with the NEW Washington County Fair sign for the livestock photo backdrop. Its beautiful! Madison-2009 finished 1st grade. Can't wait for the fair food and entertainment:)!

Fun at the pool!

2009-07-09T13:20:00.002-05:00

Washington has a great aquatic center....complete with slides and zero entry, perfect for Tessa. So during a hot day two weeks ago, the kids and I went to the pool to cool off. Clay really, REALLY wanted to go down the slides, but since he still wears floaties they said no.

Knee High by 4th of July

2009-07-04T18:42:00.003-05:00

Sorry its been a horribly long time since I've added to our blog. I take pictures almost DAILY, so I'll start posting more! Happy 4th of July!!!! A special thank you goes out to soldiers serving for our freedom, especially our friend, Stan, currently over seas from his wife, Mandy, daughter, Taryn, and family and friends so we can choose what to do with our daily lives. Its been a drizzly, rainy day, but we've been having fun. Unfortunatly, no fabulous Iowa sweet corn.:( Anyway, my tradition every year on the Fourth of July is to take Nathan and the kids' picture next to our corn. Why you ask? An old wives tale was if your corn was knee high by the Fourth of July, you had a great crop. Here's the corn next to our house. Its been doing wonderful! I did hold my breath....it survived two heavy wind storms within two days of each other. It should tassle in the next week. YEAH!

Dance, Dance, Dance!

2009-05-07T17:13:00.004-05:00

So spring is hectic, this week is just caotic! We have Melissa's Stairway to the Stars dance recital 2009 this weekend. Last night we had dress rehersal and I was able to get some fun photographs of Madison and RyLee.

The girls both received trophies for having excellant attendance.

The girls tumbeling

The girls doing clog.....

Signs of Spring!

2009-05-05T15:20:00.003-05:00

Its that time again.....Nathan is busy planting in the fields, I'm running the kids everywhere and its becoming BEAUTIFUL outside! I couldn't resist the other day when I was out driving. I HAD to stop and take pictures of the amazing blossoms in Washington. Enjoy!

Fun Ice Skating

2009-03-29T23:19:00.002-05:00

Iowa winters take a toll on your "what are we going to do today" and so we're always trying to come up with something to do with the kids to get out of the house. We decided to take everyone to the mall one Sunday afternoon and saw there was open skating at the CoralRidge Ice Arena....and took a stab at it. I went first with the kids. When it took Clay and I LITERALLY 10-15 minutes to make one lap.....Mr. Cordinated Nathan said "I went and talked with the lady, she said we could just switch with out paying extra, so take your skates off and sit with Tessa." It drove him NUTS, I'm sure, watching that view. And, of course, despite NEVER ice skating in his life, Nathan was a natural! They always say kids catch on fast, and I was surprised with ours. So here's some shots from my cameras phone (DISCLAIMER......As a photographer, I NEVER suggest using a camera phone, and I CRINGED when I did, BUT it was our first family ice skating experience:) ) Nathan and Clay

Clay skating...he kept skating forward, then backwards, ON ACCIDENT that is. I couldn't figure out his way of doing it, but it was funny being he's 4.:)

RyLee, she did awesome!

Madison did great, too! She had gone once before for a birthday party. Most of the time she was in her "own little world"....she imagines alot and this day was no different!

RyLee's New Style

2009-03-12T21:06:00.005-05:00

We found out last week that RyLee needed glasses. Her new frames are here and she's been lving wearing them. We have had a few instances where Clay felt HE needed to be sporting the purple pair....but it was cleared up quickly! Here's Ry trying them on..... And TA-DA!!!!!!

They're beautiful!

Big Upcoming Weekend:)....

2009-01-27T14:56:00.003-06:00

This weekend is a BIG one for me...I've been invited by Iowa Farm Bureau to speak with another Young Farmer couple, Mike and Sarah Ver Steeg, at Iowa Farm Bureau's Young Farmer Conference. We'll be doing three break out sessions, "Networking to Telling Your Story." Websites, Blogs, to Facebook and UTube will be talked about. Helping other farming businesses get their word out in a positive professional manner.

So wish me luck....I'm much better talking one on one with someone instead of a group of 50 people:) Hopefully I don't
A) Get sick.....:)
B) Pass Out....:0
C) Puke in front of an audience:)lol...that ones for my sisters:) I DON'T have nerves of steal......

As my mom would say..."Aww, Rach, just imagine them in their underware." Don't think I could hack hat one, either.

New Website!:)

2009-01-25T12:33:00.002-06:00

For Nathan's birthday LAST April, I bought Nathan a website for our farming business....and 10 months later I finally made my work live! You can check it out.

www.fishbackfamilyfarms.com

A BELATED Merry Christmas:)

2009-01-16T21:03:00.007-06:00

So...alot has gone on in over a month and I'm SLACKING!!!! First off....Happy Holidays! I hope family and friends shared in your Christmas Season. Here is how ours panned out....

Santa snapped a picture with mom's camera before shooting up the chimney.

Madsion.....

RyLee....

Clay.....

Ha....Ha.....The whole group:)

First Winter Snow '08

2008-12-02T23:24:00.006-06:00

We had our first official winter snow for 2008 this past Sunday. The kids were freaking out when they woke up and had a new view from their bedroom windows. I think Nathan was just as excited. The pictures were taken around 10:00 AM.....so everyone was dresses and ready to go pretty early. Since we have the privelage of living on the windy prarie...we don't have the best hills for our sleds. Nathan pulls the kids around by a 4 wheeler on an old hog feeder lid. The girls had a great time. Clay told me he cried when he had to ride on the make-shift sled, so he helped drive.
Off thru the field....

and off thru the yard......

out by the bins.....

and around the evergreen trees.....

Tessa hanging out in the house:)

Happy Thanksgiving:)

2008-12-02T23:15:00.005-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. Everyone is healthy and safe, and Nathan finished harvest the weekend of the 23rd...so YEAH!!!! We had my family over for lunch, and then went to Nathan's brothers home for supper. Here's RyLee building a domino tower with a toothpick in her mouth.

My Grandpa Stout deep in conversation...Grandma was building too.

Madison and RyLee reading ad shoppers with my sister, Megan

Dad and Tessa hanging out.

Finally ALL FOUR!!!

2008-10-12T23:32:00.003-05:00

I took the kids to my fav fall spot to get a picture of all four of them. Bribbed with ice cream:) Wasn't as bad as it could have been....

10 years!

2008-10-07T09:22:00.008-05:00

Yep...Its been TEN big fat years of being out of the fabulous Washington High School. This year our class reunion fell on homecoming weekend, so we did a float in celebration of the event! We included our kids, and they enjoyed throwing candy to their friends:) A special thanks to Jennifer for emailing the pics to me! Most of the crew....

Clay and I...

Madison & RyLee with my classmate, Jennifer's little boy.

Madison loaded with candy:) What little girl wouldn't be smiling?

Another Bobcat!

2008-10-03T09:35:00.005-05:00

This past Monday, Nathan's dad trapped a bobcat. It was with the help of our DNR. His free-roaming chickens were disappearing at a rapid rate. The only thing left would be a pile of feathers:( One day his dad was certain he saw a bobcat, so he called the DNR and they brought out a trap. Within 4-5 hours with a decoy rooster....this is what they had! Anyway, its kinda odd, if you remember this past May I also took pictures of a bobcat. FYI:No bobcats or chickens were harmed in this capture:) Nathan, the kids, and Larry Sr. a safe distance from the trap.

Someone wasn't very happy......

Harvest is Back!

2008-10-02T10:21:00.009-05:00

Harvest 2008 is now here! This year was definatly a late one....our first day was Thursday Sept 25th. Nathan is well under way with both corn and soybeans.

The three older kids waiting for their first ride of the '08 season...

Seeing daddy that day!

Just some creative retouching by myself....

Tess and I hung out by the pond waiting for everyone. She turned 9 months this weekend....and I think my pics turned out pretty well for the occasion!:)

AAAAHHHHH......Where have I been?

2008-09-18T23:09:00.003-05:00

I know, I know.....its been crazy. We've been camping. Iowa State Fair. Camping some more. School Started!!!!! Painting, Painting, painting. Old Threashers. Fun City Water Park. Dance lessons. Bulldozing old buildings. My main computer crashed:( Need I say more?

Madison brought home her first grade picture today. I ordered a CD, something new you could do this year, and I wanted to share it.

Sea of Red, White and Blue...

2008-08-03T23:05:00.003-05:00

So this is what I've been helping with this summer...painting barn quilts! I'm on the Washington County Barn Quilts Committee (link is along the side) and we're busy working on our second loop...the Liberty Loop. We replicate quilt blocks, paint them on plywood, and hang them on area barns. All of our BQ's for 2008 will have a liberty theme and painted in red, white and blue, with the exception of a few that also have gold.

Its gotten to be addictive this year. All I think is "If I just run out for and hour or two, then tomorrow I can paint the next layer..." Each color need two coats, so it can take a while.

The girls have gone with me a couple of times. They have quite an imagination! The first time they were so occupied with collecting rocks from the driveway. RyLee even found some absolutely beautiful ones (asphalt shingles in REALLY small pieces...I didn't have the heart to set them straight). They've also been playing restuarant/grocery store with the bottled water in the fridge. So, anyway. Its fun for me to do, and the next time some of you are in Washington County, you'll have to watch for them! Here's a sample of a finished one...

Attempt at Family Pictures.....

2008-07-24T22:42:00.008-05:00

This evening we attempted a family picture .... this is what turned out after a few head swaps.... A special THANK YOU to Andrea for manning the camera and dealing with the screaming kid car ride:)

Miss Madison....

Miss RyLee....

And Mr Rambunkchious Clay....you'd say, "Clay, say chesse..." And you'd just get a NASTY ""CHHEEESE"" and him looking away....
Here's his impersonation of a reindeer....And here's smiling Clay...climbing and getting all dirty...

Nathan with the girls....

Fun in the sun....

2008-07-21T17:28:00.011-05:00

So here's just a few odds and ends to post.
RyLee with her Aunt Ashli watching TV....definately a Fishback thing:) Nathan with his little sister Ashli going for a tractor ride....

Can we say "SUPERCLAY" the amazing fighter of evil!!! Here he comes to save the day!

Nathan and the kids at the motocross at the fair....

Tessa with her cute little pony...

Enjoying her Bitter Biscuit....

RyLee covered in MUD from swinging...

Clay throwing a fit because I wouldn't push him near the mud hole...

Ashli's Senior Pics...

2008-07-17T13:38:00.012-05:00

After our meetings in Southwest Iowa, we drove two hours south to Kansas City and picked up Nathan's little sister, Ashli. Its been fun having her back, and the kids ADORE her! I took 120 pictures of her yesterday and had a BLAST in two hours. I wanted to share some of my favs.... I wanted to do some shots at our laundramat...I know, I know...sounds crazy...and I was hesitant about it, but Ashli said, "Lets do it...its not like I'm ever going to see these people again..." Good point. And we ended up with some great shots!

Diet Coke Break, anyone?:)

And she HAD to have an Iowa Corn field shot....how cute?

With her cowboy boots showing.....

Fun at the Fair....

2008-07-16T15:15:00.014-05:00

This week is the Washington County Fair, and Madison finally got to take her projects and show her sheep with her mentor, Kristi. Here's Madison in the sheep pen with one of her new friends.... Here's Madison with her mentor, Kristi.....

Getting a quick drink before the show. The kids with their cousin, Kyle....

This I think is so funny. They load the kids up with the sheep into a lift/trailor and haul everyone to the show ring.....

It was full! Madison was with Kristi's dad, and the sheep decided to eat her number....

Kristi and Madison being introduced.....

Madison speaking with the judge.....

Kristi and Madison right after the show....

After we were done we went and did some fair activities. Here's the kids riding Thomas the Train...

RyLee in the pedal pull.....

And Madison in the pedal pull....

We had a great time and will be back more this week!

End of a GREAT Journey.....

2008-07-14T14:39:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, Nathan and I fulfilled our three year term on the Iowa Farm Bureau's Young Farmer Advisory Committee. We had the oppertunity to meet amazing young farmers from throughout the state and United States while serving. When were put on the board, we came on with two other disticts, Randy Kreager of District 5, he's from Adel, IA and Justin and Jennifer Damman, District 9, from Essex, IA. Six other couples also serve, but these were the people we traveled with when we went to Washington D.C.(2008), Salt Lake City, UT(2007) and hosted the National Young Farmer Conference with in Des Moines, IA in 2006. Here's the entire committee this weekend...three of the couples are replacing the three outgoing members(us).......

Boys and their toys....Nathan was busy drowling over this one. We had the oppertunity to go to Justin and Jennifer's farm, where Justin starting up his mistress.....you can see the smoke pouring out the exhaust pipes when he reved up the engine.....

The ongoing joke among committee members is...there's always someone pregnant. And last July out of 9 committee couples FOUR of the couples were pregnant and we all had beautiful baby girls! This little guy Elijah, was not in the pool at the time, but he made the fifth family to have a baby from July 2007 to our July 2008 meeting and here's the little cutie! Only three weeks old! I think that year set the record for babies!!!!!

And you always forget how little they are....here's Mark holding Elijah and his hands in perspective of the little guy!

Nathan and I had a great time and will miss all of our wonderful friends and staff. We had a GREAT JOURNEY!

Getting Ready for Fair....

2008-07-10T18:57:00.005-05:00

Madison did some 4H projects for her first year in Clover Kids. Her first project is a pillow. Madison picked out her fabric, drew two pictures and then helped sew it together. Here she is with her finished pillow.... Madison sewing with Aunt Ashley's help.....

Her second project was beads she made from clay. Here Madison is with the formed clay, ready to put them in the oven to make them hard and officially beads.

Madison putting holes thru the clay so she'll have a spot for the string...

Dang Bugs!

2008-06-24T11:09:00.003-05:00

Clay got bit by the eye from a bug on Monday. I took him to the Dr. that afternoon because it was starting to swell, and woke up to his eye swollen even more, so off to the doctor again! Its one of those things, where you feel really bad for your child, but you have to laugh (as long as nothing serious comes out of it). Here he is right before we went in to the Dr's office this morning. So I think he kinds resembles the Hunchback of Notre Dame....what do you think?

Home of the Free....

2008-06-23T20:11:00.007-05:00

Because of the Brave. A saying I absolutely love and one thats not taken seriously enough. Sunday we took the kids to a going away party for one of our best friends, Stan, who will be leaving July 1st for his second tour of Iraq. We had a great time hanging out with everyone.

Here's some of the high school friends, Ryan is showing off his "verticle advantange with Nathan and Stan.
Fast Forward eleven years and this is what you get...Beautiful Wives and Babies!

Ryan entertaining the girls...

Stan's little cutie, Taryn.....

Clay with his new "Aunt Misty."

Stay Safe, Stan:)

Whats Up?!

2008-06-20T14:36:00.003-05:00

Yep. Still planting. Its been RAIN FREE around our terrain this past week, so I've been bachloretting it with the kiddos. The kids got a slip and slide yesterday...and over the past 24 hours...no broken bones or stiches. We're doing great! I'm busy working on a website for Fishback Family Farms, hopefully I'll have it live by next week. The funky picture above will grace one of the pages:) Take Care....RF

Clay, Tessa and a fawn....

2008-06-07T21:21:00.005-05:00

Here's little Miss Tessa. I took some pictures of her this afternoon. It always feels like shes always asleep when I'm, snapping shots of the other kids, so I wanted to grap some good ones of her. Plus she changes so much!

So here's Clay, all dolled up...as you can see:) He NEVER lets me take pictures of him, and he ASKED today. So I wasn't going to argue. Actually, he wanted me to take a picture of his monster trucks. So I did that, too. This is how you'll normally find my child around our house. Covered in dirt and food...and more dirt. I'm sure if you look closely you'll see the blue marker, some ketchup and snot. Yes, I'm a bad mom.:( Please don't send me wash clothes...I have some. Trust me, its a lost cause with this boy. The quote on his shirt, its right behind his name says.... "Something smells fishy and its not me!" Sums it up QUITE nicely!

And here's a fawn that we spotted today.....

Off to Nebraska....

2008-06-03T23:18:00.013-05:00

So this past weekend, the kids and I, along with my family, headed out west. To Fairfield, Nebraska for my cousin's wedding. During our eight hour drive out, we made 11, yes, ELEVEN stops. I didn't think the end was ever going to come into sight. But it did. Around 5:45 PM we rolled....no more like zoomed... into our hotel in Hastings. My brother, Vince, the kids and I were about a half an hour late for the rehearsal, but we made it! Here they are practicing.... Clay starring at the big boys....

Madison and RyLee getting piggy back rides from Uncle V and Cousin TJ...

The "Soon to Be" Mr. and Mrs......

Clay with his gift from Robbie and Becky.....

RyLee getting her hair done......

Madison getting dolled up too....

All dressed up!

Becky getting her butt slapped by the swordsmen.....

My bro Vince with our two cousins, Rob and Josh

Tessa talking to Nana.....

And the part of the fam that made the trip in two vehicals:).....

Welcome Baby Allie....

2008-05-28T14:59:00.004-05:00

Our friends Matt & Bobbie had their first baby yesterday morning.....Allie Mae! She's adorable! We snuck up yesterday afternoon so I could grab a few pictures.....
Get this girl a hair bow:)

Graduation Time!

2008-05-28T14:47:00.005-05:00

Nathan's little brother, Devin, graduated this weekend. So we went to graduation and his party afterwards. The kids only came to the party:) Hard to believe this guy was one of our ring bearers for our wedding! Devin with his SIGNED diploma
Nathan with his three little brothers....

Our FIRST family picture with Tessa!

Bobcat Sighting

2008-05-25T20:53:00.007-05:00

We went out early this evening checking fields and we came upon this...a BOBCAT! Lucky for me, I had my camera and zoom lens along. It just hung out and looked at us for a couple of minutes. It was about the length of our dog, but with shorter legs. It was really beautiful, I've never been that close to something like this. The bobcat was probably thinking, "What are you wierd people looking at?" We were northeast of Brighton when I captured the photos.

*****

Madison's question was, "Mom, do bobcats eat people?"

"No, Madison, I don't think so."

"Well I hope not because we were mushroom hunting over here the other day with daddy. Do you remember that? And if bobcats can eat us, we can't go mushroom hunting anymore." I'm glad to see she's at least thinking about safety:)

And then there's Clay sitting on my lap, sticking his arm out saying, "Come here, come here."

Tessa

2008-05-24T09:05:00.004-05:00

Little Miss Tessa is a few days away from being 5 months. That's just crazy! So I thought I'd put together a collage of pictures that I took the other day. Tessa is busy cooing and talking to her toys. She also laughs when you laugh at her!

RyLee's Last Day

2008-05-22T14:22:00.004-05:00

of Preschool!!!! Its hard to believe RyLee had her last day of preschool today. Our Iowa spring has not had the balmy warm temps like "usuall" if there is such a thing, so it definatly felt odd. Here's RyLee with her two teachers, Mrs. Miles and Miss Pemberton.

Busy Planting

2008-05-22T14:11:00.003-05:00

Nathan has been busy dodging raindrops trying to plant corn and soybeans. We've seen very little of him over the past couple of weeks unless its pouring down rain. Here's some pictures I captured last night when Clay and I ran food out to the guys. Clay also got to ride.

Sea of Sleeping Bags!

2008-05-18T11:27:00.013-05:00

This weekend Madison hoste her first slumber party! It was actually a make-up birthday party from her iced out origionally planned one for December...and mom's just NOW getting around to it:) We had a great time going to Build-A-Bear Workshop ( I HIGHLY recomment them!)

The girls warming up their cheeks...
To yell out the doorway that we were having a party at Build A Bear...a few people turned their heads!
Now, we're off shopping...everyone had to put up their arms and say "La-Di-Da....La-Di-Da...." around the store.

Madison stuffing her blue bear.....

The girls stuffing their bears.....

The girls coloring their bear homes.....

Everyone with their new bears.....

Madison ringing the birthday bell. The entire store sang and clapped for Madison's big day!

Back at the Fishback House for pizza, cake and ice cream. Plus pop and snacks:) Whats a sleepover without munchies????

Madison and her birthday cup cake

And the "Sea of Sleeping Bags." Nathan had the joy of coming home from the fields at 2:30 this morning to step his way over this crowd to the bathroom. Everyone was asleep by midnight. I was laying in bed with Tessa this morning to hear girls coming up to our bedroom. Three little heads poked in, "We just wanted to let you know we're awake and ready for breakfast!" I thought that was pretty funny. We all survived:)

'shroom hunting

2008-05-12T23:39:00.007-05:00

Thats right! Its time for mushroom hunting. Last weekend the kids and I went out, my sister Ashley came along. Tessa stayed behind with my mom. Unfortunatley, we didn't find any. Nathan saved the week, a few days later he came home with a bunch.

The kids checking out the cattle as we get out of the truck...
Busy looking for mushrooms and picking wild flowers....

The girls HAD to be fashionable. Brightening up those drap colors with a splash of lavender. Great accenting with the ribbons, girls!

Enjoying the view......

And the cement pad with our family name-STOUT

Dance, Dance, Dance!

2008-05-11T18:28:00.020-05:00

This past week was full of run-thrus, dress rehearsals and recitals....and for those of you who missed it, enjoy a photo recap....

Madison hanging out before dress rehearsal...

They gwt awards for attendance, a trophey for 0-1-or 2 absences, and a medal for perfect attendance. Madison and RyLee received both!
In the group attendance photo, along with over 160 other students!
RyLee during her tumbeling routine... Summer Saute time...

RyLee doing bridge ups...

Tumbeling class ending....

Madison during her tumbeling routine....

Cart Wheels!

Side Steps......

RyLee's Tap Preformance

Madison's Tap Preformance

Mom and the girls....

Devin's Pictures

2008-04-22T09:58:00.008-05:00

I took Nathan's little brothers senior pics yesterday. I had a great time and just wanted to share some of my favorites!

I think the next two are my fav's.....

Dance Time!

2008-04-09T20:00:00.004-05:00

The girls are in gymnastics and tap dance classes, and we had to get all dressed up for pictures. Here's Madison and RyLee with their friend Leah Evans... And here's RyLee all dressed up in her tap outfit....

Visiting a baby calf....

2008-04-08T12:17:00.002-05:00

This past weekend we went to our friend, Matt Wulf's farm, to see a new baby calf.
The kids posing on a bale of straw

RyLee with the calf...she wasn't scared:)

Madison touching the soft calf

Clay kept a safe distance with dad...

And Clay had to climb what seemed to be a mountain....