Category Archives: Just stuff

What’s this? I. Am. Honored!

by nebraskawheatie

So, I sat down this afternoon to share with you the picture that I have been so anxious to share (and I still will). However, when I logged into my WordPress account, I realized that I’d been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award.

We have Versatile Blogger Award rules to follow:

  1. In a post on your, blog, nominate 15 fellow bloggers for The Versatile Blogger Award.

  2. In the same post, thank the blogger who nominated you in a post with a link back to their blog.

  3. In the same post, share seven completely random pieces of information about yourself.

  4. In the same post, include this set of rules.

  5. Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs. (Or post to Twitter.)

6.  Copy this picture to your blog.

I’m a little unsure what this exactly means BUT it’s always fun to be nominated for any kind of award…right?  I’m not athletic and I wasn’t much involved in anything in High School – except FBLA. As I grew up and got married and started having babies, being awarded for anything other than “the worstest mommy I’ve ever had” award was never imagined. So I’m honored to think that I’ve “met” enough other wonderful bloggers out there who would even CONSIDER me for this award. I have been nominated by my new friend, Joy. The very first posting I read from her blog “My Universe is Still Coming Together” was “My Universe Came Together, While It Was Falling Apart” .  See, I’m still so new at this blogging thing, I don’t even know how to change the font color for my links (maybe someone can fill me in).  I related to how she felt with the death of her Grandma. My “harvest” Grandma meant the world to me and my universe fell apart when she died. I also relate to her desire to write and be a published writer. Thus began my newfound friendship with Joy. THANK YOU, JOY! for nominating me for this award! 🙂

Now, as part of the rules for the nomination, I’m supposed to nominate 15 more bloggers. So, here goes:

  1. My daughter, Jenna’s blog – Yensyphotos

  • The Wheat Harvest Movie

    • 3. Kuntz Harvesting

    1. icanseealotoflifeinyou

    5. farmchiclogic

    1. Lady of Ag

  • The Farmer’s Life

  • Small Nebraska Farming

  • Common Sense Agriculture

  • Agriculture Proud

  • Simple Gifts

  • Confessions of A Farm Wife

  • TALINORFALI

    • 14. suehealy

    15. My story uncensored

    The final part of the rules is to give you seven random facts about me:

    1. I procrastinate. I work better under the pressure of a deadline.

  • When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut.

  • My two least enjoyed household chores are folding clothes and dusting. I think that’s because those were the two chores my mom hated…someone had to do them.

  • Some day I want to visit Alaska. Mostly because that’s a trip my grandma always wanted to take and never did.

  • New things scare me. As soon as they become familiar and I know what I’m doing – watch out!

  • Once I set my mind on doing something, it takes a lot to get me to quit. I’m very persistent.

  • The word IMPOSSIBLE does not fit in my vocabulary.

  • I know I’m only supposed to do seven but I wanted to throw #8 in because I wanted you to know (unless you’ve already got it figured out) that God is important to me. I constantly look and listen for Him each day. When you watch for Him, you can see how He fits each piece of your life puzzle together creating a beautiful picture! I hope the people I come in contact with can see Him through me.

    • And finally, the pictures I wanted to share with you (you know what this means)

    And finally, Callie made a cake for me – complete with homemade fondant frosting – while I was gone Sunday afternoon watching Taylor’s UNO honor choir. What a kid!

    A Random Re-post

    by nebraskawheatie

    I’m in dire need of something that reminds me of summer. Eastern Nebraska has had a WONDERFUL winter as far as severity. Maybe a little too nice. We’re in need of some moisture and it sounds like it may be on the way starting Friday. For now, though, I’m really missing summer and the harvest. I started this blog late in the 2011 harvest season so I don’t have a lot to choose from.  I know I have fun reliving the crazy days of harvest:  Click here to read Finished with Winter Wheat in Jordan

    Goodbye 40’s…HELLO 50’s!

    by nebraskawheatie

    Tomorrow, I will be 18,261 days old…or 50 years old…or half a century old. WHOA! How can this be? Life really does happen in the blink of an eye! Am I feeling a little crummy about it, YES! Will I get over it the very next day, YES! I know we never know how long we have on this crazy earth and how long we have with our loved ones but by being 50, I know I’m closer to death than I am to birth.  For the heck of it, I went searching for some fun “being fifty facts” and the following are the ones I found that I liked:

    “Turning 50 heralds a decade of transition, many of them involving bodily changes. Menopause ends the childbearing years. Gray hairs supplant natural color, forcing one of three decisions: let nature take its course, cover the gray or try a completely different shade. (Unlike men, women haven’t embraced head shaving as midlife sexy.) Changes in vision require reading glasses. Gravity takes its toll as our necks sag, stomachs bulge, breasts droop, faces wrinkle, underarms swing like fish bellies. Waists thicken and knees and back ache. Skin loses its elasticity, causing some of us to try and turn the clocks back by means of all sorts of chemical and medical interventions — moisturizers, ointments to reduce age spots, wrinkle creams, Botox injections, plastic surgery, face and eye lifts.” (About.com Turning 50 – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Turning Fifty for Women)

    ” Women over 50 are president, CEO, and the star of their own lives. If you have the attitude that life is precious, that life is grandiose, that you don’t want to waste any time, you will make this quality time.” — S. Mitchell (WebMD 50 Great Things About Women Over 50)

    “It is not unusual for someone to feel a lot of anxiety about  turning 50 years old, but once you reach your 50s and beyond, you are going to  wonder what exactly it was you were so worried about.”

    Tonight, the sunset was spectacular! It was almost as though God was giving my 40’s a grand farewell and it made me smile! I look forward to what the      50’s have in store for me. I do know I’m not going to stop living life to the fullest, I will still view the word “impossible” as a bad word, and I will continue to look for God in every part of my day! Here’s to the next 50!

    Now I can start thinking SPRING!

    by nebraskawheatie

    I know we could have a lot more winter yet. As a matter of fact, March is sometimes THE WORST month for measurable snowfall in Nebraska. At least we know when it snows then, it won’t stick around very long.  Nebraska has been in a roller coaster pattern all winter with very little moisture – really nice for several days and then a blast of cold. Today, we’re headed toward another upward trend with mid 40’s in the forecast.  However, Nebraska weather also has a trend being after the warmer days…watch out! (I think that may be coming on Friday)

    I know you’re probably going to laugh but guess I’ll fill you in anyways. I took down the Christmas tree yesterday. Yes…the tree (and all the other Christmas decorations). I decided that it was time to get the living room back to normal again, regardless of just how much we have enjoyed the tree this year. As a reminder, here’s what it looked like and this is how it came to be part of our family:

    It felt good waking up this morning and walking into the living room knowing I didn’t have that job ahead of me.

    Last fall, I sold our summer home on wheels. Jim felt it was time to look for something that had more “livable” space for the rainy days (or when we find ourselves inside the trailer for longer periods of time). The other trailer house was beautiful and I loved it but it did lack in space for everyone just to hang out.

    When we knew it was going to be a long day inside, Jim would just head upstairs and lay on the bed most of the day. So…now the search has begun. Finding something that fits both of our likes and “requirements” is a little tough. Last weekend, Jim and I decided to take a quick trip to Wichita to look at a specific toy hauler that had caught my eye. He likes the idea of the 3 axles and I want something that feels like home when you come in from the field at the end of the day. Pretty hard to find that in a toy hauler. I thought the one we went to look at would be “the one”. No. We visited a couple other RV lots while we were there and found a 5th wheel we both liked. Now, we wait to hear if the salesman can do his job and make the price somewhat reasonable and maybe worth a second look. I hope he comes through because it would be PERFECT for our family. When we finally find our next “cottage on wheels”, I’m sure I’ll be sharing with pictures. Until then, the days just keep clicking away.  We need to have one in the driveway the first of May so I can start the packing process.

    Another sign that spring’s on the way is the long awaited (by my family) US Custom Harvester’s convention. This year, it’s in Grand Island, Nebraska and will begin for me the end of February. We’re talking days away now. The kids LOVE going! It’s the time when they can be around people who know what we do and don’t have to ask the question, “what’s a combine?” or “how was your VACATION?” When we get around the good folks who call themselves custom harvesters, it’s like being with family again. LOVE IT and we can’t wait. Curious about what happens at the USCHI harvester’s convention? Check out the pictures you can find at http://www.3-deerphotos.com/  You can also visit the USCHI website at www.uschi.com After the harvest convention, it seems the spring harvest preparations begin and wheat harvest is right around the corner. The Zeorian household is ready for the day when the “train” is headed south again!

    Now that February is nearly here, I will be watching and waiting for the first Robin I see. When that happens, I KNOW spring is right around the corner!

    Thank you!!

    by nebraskawheatie

    We did it! The “black out” helped delay big government and the Hollywood elite from winning the censorship war (for now). Please see the following email I received today:

    Hi everyone!
    A big hurrah to you!!!!! We’ve won for now — SOPA and PIPA were dropped by Congress today — the votes we’ve been scrambling to mobilize against have been cancelled.
    The largest online protest in history has fundamentally changed the game.  You were heard.
    On January 18th, 13 million of us took the time to tell Congress to protect free speech rights on the internet. Hundreds of millions, maybe a billion, people all around the world saw what we did on Wednesday.  See the amazing numbers here and tell everyone what you did.
    This was unprecedented. Your activism may have changed the way people fight for the public interest and basic rights forever.
    The MPAA (the lobby for big movie studios which created these terrible bills) was shocked and seemingly humbled.  “‘This was a whole new different game all of a sudden,’ MPAA Chairman and former Senator Chris Dodd told the New York Times. ‘[PIPA and SOPA were] considered by many to be a slam dunk.’”
    “’This is altogether a new effect,’ Mr. Dodd said, comparing the online movement to the Arab Spring. He could not remember seeing ‘an effort that was moving with this degree of support change this dramatically’ in the last four decades, he added.”
    Tweet with us, shout on the internet with us, let’s celebrate: Round of applause to the 13 million people who stood up  – #PIPA and #SOPA aretabled 4 now. #13millionapplause

    We’re indebted to the people who helped in the beginning — you, and the sites that trusted us — Boing Boing and Mozilla Foundation! And the grassroots groups — Public Knowledge, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Demand Progress and Fight for the Future. Press release is here:http://bit.ly/w4DYz0 and https://fightfortheftr.wordpress.com/press-releases/

    13 million strong,

    Tiffiniy, Holmes, Joshua, Phil, CJ, Donny, Douglas, Nicholas, Dean, David S. and Moore, Fight for the Future!
    P.S. China’s internet censorship system reminds us why the fight for democratic principles is so important:
    In the New Yorker: “Fittingly, perhaps, the discussion has unfolded on Weibo, the Twitter-like micro-blogging site that has a team of censors on staff to trim posts with sensitive political content. That is the arrangement that opponents of the bill have suggested would be required of American sites if they are compelled to police their users’ content for copyright violations. On Weibo, joking about SOPA’s similarities to Chinese censorship was sensitive enough that some posts on the subject were almost certainly deleted (though it can be hard to know). … After Chinese Web users got over the strangeness of hearing Americans debate the merits of screening the Web for objectionable content, they marvelled at the American response. Commentator Liu Qingyan wrote:
    ‘We should learn something from the way these American Internet companies protested against SOPA and PIPA. A free and democratic society depends on every one of us caring about politics and fighting for our rights. We will not achieve it by avoiding talk about politics.’”

    Like Two Sparrows in a Hurricane

    by nebraskawheatie

    I heard this song today – while on my way to the chiropractor.  I’ve heard it a million times and it’s sung by a country singer that I never really liked very well. Her voice is one, though, that makes me think about being a little girl. Her first song, “Delta Dawn”, was released when I was 10. She was 13. So, I guess we’ve sort of grown up together.

    When I heard Tanya singing her song on this particular day, it brought tears to my eyes. Why? I guess because I finally REALLY listened to the lyrics and it made me think of the past 30+ years of dating and being married to Jim.  We’ve been through the first two stanzas of her song and are now headed into the third. I realize she talks about being 83 and I’ve got a ways before that birthday finds me but it is right around the corner. The years go so fast as we live each day, which turn to weeks, months and years way faster than it did when I was 10.  Being “middle-aged’ makes a person reflect and realize just how fast life really does go. How do you make anyone going through the first or even the second stanza of this song realize that in the blink of an eye they’ll also be looking at the third?

    My advice to the first and second “stanza-ers”: Carpe Diem (seize the day)! Each day you are given on this earth is being exchanged for something.  Exchange your days working hard, build strong relationships, do something good, right, worth your while, and of good purpose. Above all else, keep the faith and watch how God meticulously pieces together your life puzzle as you experience each stanza of your life.

    “Two Sparrows In A Hurricane”
    She’s fifteen and he’s barely driving a car
    She’s got his ring and he’s got the keys to her heart
    It’s just matter of time
    They’ll spread their wings and fly

    Like two sparrows in a hurricane
    Trying to find their way
    With a head full of dreams
    And faith that can move anything
    They’ve heard it’s all uphill
    But all they know is how they feel
    The world says they’ll never make it, love says they will

    There’s a baby crying and one more on the way
    There’s a wolf at the door with a big stack of bills
    They can’t pay
    The clouds are dark and the wind is high
    But they can see the other side

    Like two sparrows in a hurricane
    Trying to find their way
    With a head full of dreams
    And faith that can move anything
    They’ve heard it’s all uphill
    But all they know is how they feel
    The world says they’ll never make it, love says they will

    She’s eighty-three and he’s barely driving a car
    She’s got his ring and he’s got the key to her heart
    It’s just a matter of time
    They’ll spread their wings and fly

    Like two sparrows in a hurricane
    Trying to find their way
    With a head full of dreams
    And faith that can move anything
    They’ve heard it’s all uphill
    But all they know is how they feel
    The world says they’ll never make it, love says they will

    Are you sure it’s January 5?

    by nebraskawheatie

    Ok, so something is definitely up with the weather in Eastern Nebraska this year! I’m not saying anything bad about it whatsoever. Today’s record high is 62 degrees. We are looking at breaking that record. What this does do is mess with my day. When temps this nice happen, I feel like I should be finding SOMETHING to do outside. Maybe I should take down the Christmas lights. If Jordan were still with us, she’d have fun playing catch or chasing a frisbee. I’ve even recently read somewhere that someone local saw a snake in their yard. This is NOT typical weather but I’m loving it. Usually, though, when it’s this nice outside, it generally means something nasty is right behind it. I don’t think that’s the case this time. The weather man just called for 50 tomorrow and mid 40’s for the weekend.

    I’m still trying to get through my huge stack of “things to do” because I chose to ignore it over the holidays. I’m paying for it now.  I felt like I made progress yesterday and need to stay on track to be able to say the same today. But now…we’ve got a heat wave calling me to come outside. Spring fever – which leads to thoughts of this:

    And this:

    P.S.

    by nebraskawheatie

    P.S. There were no noisemakers coming from this house last night. I think the day has come before I was ready! However, the new year still made its way into our world. Happy January 1, 2012!

    Now, for a little interesting information to pass along. I have been posting since August. Yesterday, WordPress sent a note to inform me of the top rated blogs since that very first one. I thought maybe this would be of interest to you – my dear, loyal readers:

    #5. “And I wonder why it takes me so long to get back in the groove!” – September 2011

    #4. “The visible results of the 2011 Missouri River Flood” – November 2011

    #3.” When can I breathe?” – October 2011

    #2. “My first posting on my brand new blog” – August 2011

    And the #1 read posting goes to:

    “On the road…again“-  August 2011

    So…if you’re really bored today, check them out and see why so many read these particular posts. Have fun! 🙂

    One of my favorite Christmas traditions

    by nebraskawheatie

    This past week has been CRAZY!

    When I got home from Washington, DC on Saturday, I knew I was going to have to hit the ground running since I had only purchased one gift for Christmas. On Monday, the race began. Every day it was a trip to the big city to find the perfect gift for each name on my list. I was still looking for those gifts last night and am still short one (that I know of). It has been one of the longest weeks ever! Thank goodness Jamie didn’t have to work on Monday and was able to tag along with ideas and pointers for her sisters.

    Wednesday night was the night set aside to head to the mall for the annual Santa picture. I didn’t get any bad vibes about doing it until we were standing in line (a very long line) with a whole bunch of little, little kids. And, of course, the camera was having issues so we had to wait. At least I didn’t have to try to keep my kids happy and deal with the crying like most of the other parents did. However, while we were standing there, I was informed by my kids they were the oldest ones in line and this would probably be the last year for this tradition. Ok, I suppose I have gotten away with it a lot longer than I ever anticipated. I decided tonight, though, that I would share the “firsts” and a few “in betweens” just in case this IS the last year. While I was looking through the book, the pictures I saw reconfirmed the reason why I have insisted on this tradition. It’s great fun to see how the girls have changed from 1986 to present.

    Today was spent entirely in the kitchen. It started fairly early this morning and ended about two hours ago. I haven’t made holiday sweets in quite a long time. We always make our traditional sugar cookies for Santa but nothing more than that. I used to make goodies to give to my neighbors along with a Swedish Kringle. BUT, it got to be too much and trying to be Martha Stewart was killing the holiday fun. Today just about killed the holiday fun once again. So much work and most of it will probably get thrown away in a week or so.  We started the morning making Oreo balls, Mocha balls, some sort of Frito chewy treat, bugle snacks dipped in white almond bark and an m&m candy (looked like an ice cream cone), spritz cookies, cut out sugar cookies and brownies frosted with cookie dough. Tomorrow afternoon will be spent decorating the sugar cookies and making Jim’s favorite – peanut brittle. Guess what…there’s zero calories in all of this 🙂

    As I’m typing this, my personal elf, Miss Callie, is wrapping my presents. I think Christmas is actually going to happen in the Zeorian household after all!

    Gosh…I look so young! The first year of being a mommy – 1986. Jamie was NOT happy about sitting next to that big man dressed in a red suit. That’s why I’m in the picture, too.

    1988  – Jamie was almost 3 and Jenna was 7 months.

    1994 – Taylor had just joined our family 7 weeks prior to the picture. Jamie was almost 9 and Jenna was 6.

    1997 – Fourth and final addition to the family. Callie was 2 1/2 months old, Jamie nearly 12, Jenna 9 and Taylor 3.

    2000 – Jamie was too cool to join the sisters for the Santa picture. She was nearly 15 years old at the time. Jenna is 12, Taylor is 6 and Callie is 3.

    2003 – Jamie decided to jump back in the pictures in 2001. She is 17, Jenna is 15, Taylor is 9 and Callie is 6.

    2006 – This was taken on Jamie’s 21st birthday, Jenna is 18, Taylor is 12 and Callie is 9.

    2009 – Jamie is nearly 24, Jenna is 21, Taylor is 15 and Callie is 12.

    P.S. Happy 26th birthday, Jamie!

    by nebraskawheatie

    “A man’s character is like a tree and his reputation like its shadow; the shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”  President Abraham Lincoln (my hero)