The Off Season

As I sit at home enjoying yet another snow day, I find myself thinking about the "off season" of farming.  You know, the time after harvest and before planting or the time that the farm sleeps and has quiet time as I like to explain to my children.  Hinkle Heritage Farms does not have an indoor facility where they can work on equipment over the winter which is what a lot of farmers will do.  Because of that, we are at the mercy of the weather.  As many of you are experiencing or reading about, this has been one heck of a winter.  So for us, farming life has been quiet.  Most of the farming that Tony has done this off season has been behind the scenes like planning orders for seed, fertilizer, nitrogen, etc. for upcoming season.  The guys have quite a bit of soybeans and corn in grain bins so they are constantly playing the game of "when do I haul my crop to the grain elevator to get the best price?"  The goal is to get top price and if you wait until the winter, you can usually get a better price than in the fall because supply is down and demand is up.  It has been interesting to watch them come up with a strategy and neat to see them planning for the future of the farm.

This off season, Tony has been working with Tower Bridge Technologies who provide corporate level IT services for small and middle size businesses (which is basically all of Vincennes and the surrounding area). What a great opportunity it has been for Tony to get out and work in the community plus make some additional income for our family.  I wish that farming could be our sole income but farming grain just doesn't cut it at this point.

I have been busy working with my brother-in-law, Troy, on our grassfed beef business, Hinkle Farms.  I never realized how much joy I would get from providing healthy, sustainable beef to friends and family.  Who knew I could get so excited over a cow!?  I am not going to lie, it is so nice to find something that I am passionate about again and that I can really get behind.  Our herd is small so we will build our business slowly but I am grateful for what we can and are able to do with our beef.

So we were out at the farm this past weekend and the kids and I enjoyed a day of firsts.  All 4 of us made our first summit of the new grain bin.  I wish I had a picture to share but it was amazing to climb up top and to look out over the land.  Even in the dead of winter, God's land looked beautiful.  I can't wait to start building our home and be apart of the farm permanently.

I am trying to enjoy and embrace this off season while we have it.  I love having Tony home by 5:30 everyday and on the weekends. Having lunch together has become a regular event.  I know that in just a few months all of that will change so we are trying to get in as many "family" meals and time with each other as possible.  I think that I might be one of the only people who are grateful for this weather because it has allowed our family to truly slow down and hibernate together.  Now don't get me wrong, any day that is above 45 degrees we are outside. But... it has been nice to just slow down and live in the day and the moment.

Who is this city girl gone country?

At the ripe young age of 38, I have had many different lives that have lead me to where I am today.  Instead of boring you with a bunch of unnecessary fluff (I am really good at fluff), I thought I would take you through a brief listed tour of my excitingly, awesome life (hardly).

I am third from the left.

Me, pregnant with the twins and Jennie, pregnant with her 

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• Born and raised in Dallas, TX.
• Was actually on track to become a ballerina but realized that God didn't quite create my body for that and decided to continue swimming competitively.
• Started on the local YMCA swim team at age 5 and may have secured a few state champion titles before the age of 14.
• I am the oldest of 3 children and blessed with 2 awesome brothers who put up with me.
• I graduated from Lake Highlands High School and was involved in just about every club possible.  I rocked multitasking and being over committed.
• I came to Indiana to go to college at Indiana University in Bloomington.  I LOVE college basketball and had followed the Hoosiers. Visited IU my junior year of high school and fell in love.  It was the only school I applied too so thank goodness I got in.
• I went potluck for my freshman year roommate and Jennie is still one of my best friends today.
• I pledged and am a member of Delta Gamma Fraternity which is where I made my best and dearest friends to date.
• I worked in advertising and marketing after graduating from college and can tell you just about where every Hardees restaurant is in Indiana and Illinois (worked on the Hardees fast food account).
• Was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin's disease at 23 and have been cancer free for almost 15 years.
• When you are diagnosed with cancer, it can be pretty life-changing and my experience was no different.  I left the for profit sector and became a fundraiser for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with the Team In Training program.  During this time, I also pursed my Masters degree through IUPUI.
• I met my husband through Team In Training.  He was my cycle coach and I guess I flirted with him enough that he finally broke down and asked me out.  That was 12 years ago. He proposed to me after we completed the Chicago Triathlon. We will be celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary in March.

• I am afraid of flying.
• Buffets gross me out.
• I have three beautiful children that are true miracles.
• I love to run because it is the one time that I have to myself.  
• I don't get mad about much but when someone takes advantage of me or my family for whatever reason, you better look out.
• Family is EVERYTHING to me.
• I love coffee, green olives, Coca Cola and chocolate.
• I have always wanted to be a writer, a mom and drive a minivan.  
• I have many people in my life but just a handful of close friends.  I both love and adore people while I struggle with sharing who I am and letting my guard down.
• I believe that God has a road map for all of us and that we are here to be and do our best everyday.  Now, most days I fall completely short of that but I know God understands.

So, I am learning that I love the small town life and the people that make up this quiet town.  I am learning to be grateful for just the simple act of getting up in the morning and spending time with my kids and husband. I am learning to be kind to myself and grateful for the life that I have had which has led me to where I am today.  I am learning that I am grateful to be able to run all my errands in just one hour and that driving 25 mph is just fine.  I am learning that I find comfort in knowing that we go to church with our family doctor and several teachers at Em's school.

Life's gifts and treasures have always been around me but for years, I have been to busy to really stop to see and appreciate them.  This slower life that we have asked for has forced me to take a step back and realize what we have.  What I am slowly realizing is that country girl has so much, so, so much and as each day passes I am getting richer and richer.  Time...time...the greatest and richest treasure of all.

DIYing it

Since our plan and prayer is to build our own farmhouse in the Hinkle homestead, I am focusing on ways to cut costs and see how to best pinch pennies.  This is a challenge for me because I am not good with money. I find budgeting, recording, spending, saving in my personal life all confusing and overwhelming.  For many of you out there, you must be thinking "this girl has to be an idiot.  It is not rocket science."  I agree but for some reason this is a big weakness of mine and area where I struggle personally.  Now in the professional world, I was the cost cutting queen and could always stay on budget.  I know, makes absolutely no sense. I have a masters degree but struggling balancing a budget.  We all have things we have to work on, right?

I am currently OBSESSED with The Prairie Homestead website and Jill who is the blogger.  I CAN'T STOP READING IT.  http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/  I love that her focus is on simple, sustainable living and how we can all create our own little homestead no matter where we live.  Oh, if you could see the happy smile on my face as I write just thinking about the site.

So, I am not crafty.  I don't really like crafts.  I know, you are shocked right.  Tony will tell you that I am not detail-oriented but I am the queen of multitasking.  I guess they don't go hand in hand. At any point in time, you can walk into my home and see at least 4 projects going on at the same time.

While I am not crafty, I do love to create things.  I love to cook and bake and am slowly learning that I love making things from scratch.  Who is this crazy woman who use to bow down to Target because anything she could dream up, they made and therefor she would buy?

Well, we don't have a Target, Costco, Marshalls, or Trader Joe's so I have to get creative.  Praise God for Amazon.com.  A small town girl's best friend, I tell you.  I just ordered Castile soap (never heard of that stuff in my life) and glycerine (yeah, only knew of that word because of the song by the band, Bush, years ago).

What is a city girl going to do with these mysterious items?  Well, I am making hand soap, all purpose cleaner and body butter lotion.  I already make our own laundry detergent and am currently mastering a recipe for dishwasher detergent.  Next up, window cleaner.  Do you know how expensive and toxic current cleaners are for you?   So it is like a double bonus, I can save money and also make sure that the products in my home don't harm me or my family.

So my project for January is to stay focused on simple living, not being wasteful and being frugal. I will have to keep you posted on how that goes.  Pretty nervous about that!

In the meantime, here is the recipe that I use for our laundry detergent.  Enjoy!

Leigh's Laundry Detergent

One 55 oz box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
One 4 lb box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
One 76 oz box of Borax
Two 400g bars of Zote Soap or Fels Naptha (what I use because I grew up on the stuff)
2.5 – 3 lbs of OxiClean (or any generic oxygen cleaner)
{I’ve used two 1.3 lb containers of OxiClean here but I think they make a 3 lb container as well and you can use that if you wish}

15-20 drops of an essential oil (love lavender or lemon)

You’ll also need a container to put the detergent in! This recipe makes 2 gallons of powder detergent so I would recommend a nice 2 gallon glass jar. I got this one from Walmart for only $9.97!

Directions

1. Set aside the Fels Naptha Soap and the baking soda

2. Pour the remaining ingredients (Super Washing Soda, Borax, and OxiClean) into the bucket

3. Cut the Fels Naptha Soap in half lengthwise so that it will fit through the feed tube of your food processor. {If you are using a box grater you may skip this step}

4. Using the shredding disc on your food processor, grate the Fels Naptha Soap and transfer the grated soap to a large bowl. {If you are using a box grater, use the smallest possible grate. You’ll want to get the Fels Naptha Soap as small as you can since you won’t be using a food processor to take it to a powder consistency.}

5. Change out the shredding blade in your food processor and put in the regular blade. Working in batches, place about two handfuls of the shredded soap into the processor along with about 1.5 cups of the baking soda (just eyeball it).

6. Pulse the soap and baking soda until it forms a powder. You can add the essential oils at this time too.The purpose of incorporating the baking soda in this step is to help prevent the Fels Naptha from clumping. The baking soda should coat the soap so that it doesn’t stick to itself. If the mixture still looks a bit clumpy just add more baking soda until it looks like a powder. {If you are using a box grater, I would just add the baking soda to the soap in the large mixing bowl and stir it up so that the shredded soap gets coated with the baking soda. I would start with about 3 cups and add more as you need it}

7. As you process the Fels Naptha Soap and baking soda just add each batch to the bucket with the rest of the ingredients. And don’t forget to add any baking soda left in the box!

8. Screw the lid on tight and shake, rattle and roll until everything is mixed well! This is a bit of a workout so you can skip the gym on detergent making days. Also, husbands are good detergent shakers.

9. Once the ingredients are all mixed, you are ready to transfer it to your pretty container! To avoid making a big mess, I recommend scooping it out with a large cup until there isn’t much left in the bucket. Then you can safely dump the rest of it into your container.

10. Enjoy!

You just need 1-2 Tbsp of detergent per load. Many people say to add it directly to the washing drum but I put mine in the dry detergent dispenser. If you used a box grater for the Fels Naptha Soap, you may want to add the detergent directly to the drum so that the larger pieces don’t get caught in your dispenser. I wash most of my loads with cold water and have no problems with this detergent dissolving. I also have an HE washer and have no problems using this detergent.

Also add about 1/4 or half depending on load size of vinegar to the softener bin to soften your clothes and take out some of those yucky smells.

The Hinkle Homestead

Our hope and prayer since moving to Vincennes is that we will be able to build a home on the Hinkle farm land, within spitting distance of Tony's parents, brother and sister's family.  I find so much peace in the country.  Now, we can get a little rowdy and crazy at times but the simple laughter and joy that happens on Hartley Road leaves my heart full and yearning to be there always.  I am grateful that we now live in Vincennes so we can go out to the farm whenever we want too. Just turning onto Main Street Road to head out to the farm puts me at ease. You should see the big cheesy grin on my face too because I always have the boys with me and they will scream at the top of their lungs for the entire 20 minute drive, "Tractor, Combine, Grain bin, Auger, Big Truck, Cows, Horse."  I think that it is safe to say that ALL members of the Hinkle family LOVE the farm.

Tony and I are excited because we think that we have finally found the house that we want to build.  It is simple, nothing fancy for us.  It isn't huge.  When we first started looking, I found homes that were much bigger but as time passed I thought more and more about what we needed verses what we wanted.  I need a home that is cozy and personal.  I need to be able to entertain our whole family in one space.  I need a fireplace, a front porch and an outside shower.  I don't want to spend all my free time cleaning some mammoth house or to have all this space that is filled with stuff that isn't important to us or has a purpose. Simple living is my personal goal and I think we may have found it with this home.  There will be a few tweaks made like adding a walkout basement and removing the fireplace from our room but overall this is it.  

For now, this is our dream and hopefully will become a reality sooner than later.  The big man upstairs holds the cards and we are doing everything we can down here to make our dream a reality.  I can't wait for the day that we can break ground and create our own Hinkle Homestead.

Drum Roll Please...

So 2014 is here.  Not sure how that happened but the door has closed on 2013 and I am staring 2014 right smack dab in the face.  It is hard to believe that this time last year, the decision had been made to move to Vincennes, I was beginning to pack up a house to move and our lives were going to be changed in a very dramatic way.  We didn't have a place to live, we had no idea how farming would work out...we were leaving everything we knew, everything that we had worked so hard to establish for a new life. So as I stare at 2014, all I have to say is "well played Hinkle, well played."  Moving from the city to the "country" and a small town has been the best decision for our family and for me.  Now, don't get me wrong, it has been quite an adjustment and it will continue to be but I can't wait to see what will happen in 2014 and what crazy country adventures this city girl gets to experience.

Resolutions depress me and make me feel defeated so I quit making them (only because I start out strong in January and by March have completely given up).  I love to have focuses and reminders and even a few goals.  So here are mine and I know that all of you can hold me accountable for them over the next year.

So drum roll please...

Live Simply

Dream Big

Be Grateful

Give Love

Laugh Lots

and

Have two boys potty trained

Purchase a REAL pair of cowboy boots

So God bless to all of you and may 2014 be a year where you enjoy the little simple blessings that are around you every day.

A Heart-full Christmas Eve morning

This morning Emily, our dear friend Penny and I embarked upon a Christmas Eve journey.  As I have said before and I will say it again, I love LOCAL - local food, local people, local businesses and local experiences.  We enjoyed all this morning.

Our family is truly blessed to have our friend, who is really family, spend Christmas with us.  Our Christmas is extra special because Aunt Penny is here.  Em, Penny and I loaded up the van and headed to Odon.  Odon is a sleepy, tiny town about a half hour northeast of Vincennes.  One may ask what would draw us to Odon on Christmas Eve.  Well the best soaps and lotions in the state in my opinion.  Our destination was Pure Hearts and Clean Hands Soap Company, a small business that began just 5 years ago in the garage of Adam and Heather's home who own and operate this wonderful gift of a store.  They began making soaps to cut down on costs and also for a more natural, healthy alternative to the store bought version.  What they have created is pure heaven.  To quote them, "Our handmade natural soap is made using the cold-process method; each soap batch is being made by hand with wholesome vegetable oils and ingredients with integrity and hard work."  I hope you visit their website soon (http://www.phchnaturalsoap.com/).

This was my second trip to Odon and "the soap shop" as we fondly refer to it and it didn't disappoint.  I wish these pictures could capture the feel of this little piece of heaven and the wonderful aroma of soaps.  I just smile and relax thinking about it.  Such a special time with Emily and Penny and learning about the benefits of natural soap.  

All this shopping made us hungry so we had to swing by the Donut Barn on our way out of town.  Holy cow did I have an amazing glazed twist donut!  I am salivating thinking about it right now.  



Emily and I both agree that we are going to have to make this an annual tradition.  Now off to rest before our evening of fun with the rest of the family that will include caroling, eating yummy Mexican food and playing games.  Could get wild and crazy on this special and first Christmas Eve as residence of Vincennes and Knox County.

Calm in the midst of the storm

Picture taken by Jill Frey of the tornado that went through Decker, IN

As many of you saw on Sunday, the Midwest was hit hard by severe weather.  Knox County, where we live, had quite the storm blow through.  My sister-in-law even captured a tornado as it plowed through farm fields just two miles north of our family farm.  Thankfully, everyone was alright and damage was minimal. When you see a tornado for the first time, fear isn't always the first thing that comes to mind.  It is this creepy, weird, mesmerizing feeling where you can't seem to walk away or turn your head (of course, this only holds true if you know that the tornado is not heading your way).  Harvest is over for most farmers so the fields are bare again and you can see for miles and miles. Let me just say that that tornado had quite the "hay" day in those fields.

When unexplained and uncontrolled events like a tornado happen, it serves as a reminder to me of God's great and almighty power and the constant lessons and gifts he gives us.  We really don't control much and what will happen, will happen.  We can stress and fret over things but what good does it really do but rob of us of another day that we are blessed to have on this earth.  I have said this before, but will say it again.

We are guaranteed only two things in life.  We are born and then we die.  

What we do in between is up to us.

Now, the above sentences I have said over and over in my head more times than I care to admit so please don't think that I don't worry or stress.  In fact, I do it everyday and too much.  I am getting better about taking pauses and deep breathes.  Living in Vincennes has helped my stress level greatly and forced me to slow down.  My personal storms are thankfully fewer than most.  Like right now, I have this awesome boot on my right foot because I thought I was superwoman and could run through throbbing pain in my heel and everything would be alright.  Nope, not a good choice.  I am not actually sure what is wrong but it has something to do with a possible stress fracture/planter fascias/bone spur/some crazy lady running all over the place knowing perfectly well that she should stay off her feet.  My storm was navigating a major life change. Having successfully made it through harvest, my storm is over for now (my foot pretty much guarantees no more running around and crazy multitasking).

We all have storms and while it rages through our lives, it is hard to see the sunshine or rainbow on the other side till you get there.  We just have to remember to hold on tight and know that God's plan is greater than any plan we have for ourselves.  His path may not be the path that we would choose but there is a reason. Now, if we can only hold on, keep our chins up and have the faith needed to see that rainbow on the other side.