What is Your Why

“What’s Abigail doing?”

“She’s at home blogging,” says my husband Jeremy.

“What?”

“BLOGGING.”

“What!?”

“SHE IS BLOGGING!”

“I can hear you. I know what you are saying. But I have no idea what you are talking about.”

Guys, this is a legitimate conversation my husband had with his dad while golfing a couple of weeks ago. I would apologize for calling him out (sorry Frank), but I know he isn’t reading my blog. I mean clearly, he doesn’t even know what blogging is. I am not pointing this out to publicly make fun of my relatives, I am saying this to emphasize how few people might understand what exactly I have going on here.

I grew up, and currently live, in a town of a little over 1,000 people in the very center of Middle America. Blogging isn’t something a ton of people are doing. In fact it has been extremely difficult for me to connect with other Nebraska bloggers because, as far as I know, there isn’t really an active Nebraska bloggers group (keep reading for info about Blog Nebraska- a group I am starting to try to connect). But more than connecting with other bloggers, it has been difficult for me to explain to people what a blog is and why in the heck I am investing my time creating one.

So here it is people. Here is my WHY.

I am a Journalist. I have my degree in Journalism- Public Relations/Advertising from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. I majored in Journalism. . I wrote for my college newspaper and also a newspaper back home at a larger publication for a town of a little over 25,000. I participated in The Fund for American studies (TFAS) Institute on Political Journalism program at Georgetown University in D.C. One of my jobs after graduation was as a Sports Editor at a local newspaper. I have also been featured in Darling Magazine in my articles Be A Spy Of Beauty and Respect What You Live In.  So by education and trade- I consider myself a Journalist.

Graduation from The University of Nebraska at Omaha with my bachelor's degree in Journalism

I LOVE to write, take photos, and create content pages. I love the written word. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. After having kids I realized that I hadn’t read a book in an embarrassing amount of time. And as far as writing goes, if it wasn’t something work related, I wasn’t writing. This hurt my heart. Writing has been a creative outlet for me my entire life, and to completely stop doing something you love is always difficult. Also, when I would write- I would tell my family, “Hey I wrote an article about XYZ.” And they would ask, “For what?” “Well for nothing really….just myself I guess.” I literally would write articles, for absolutely nobody to read. So this blog is something I do because it makes me happy. Some people like to cook, others like to play cards, I like to blog.

A bi-product of doing this thing called blogging that makes me happy for numerous reasons, is it is a great way to document this amazing time in my life. We hear it every day and experience it to be true- kids grow up too fast. Amen. I truly don’t know where the last 3 ½ years have gone. My stepmother said something to me this winter while she was staying at my house that really stuck with me. She said “raising my two boys, when they were little like Brecken and Annabelle, was the absolute best time in my life.” Once you become a mom, you are always a mom, but your journey changes as the children grow. I was a mama to newborns, and now toddlers and then it will transition to kids and teenagers and adults. And I’m sure I will find joy in different aspects of the transitions. But, in the event my stepmother is correct :) I want to take in as much of this time as I possibly can. Some people are really great at scrapbooking, I hope to use my blog as a memory book for Brecken and Annabelle.

NOT Reasons I Am Blogging

I am not trying to become famous. I’m not trying to make a million dollars. I am not trying to have 100k followers. I don’t think I am any more interesting than my neighbors or friends. I don’t want you to think that I am more interesting than your neighbors or your friends. I am not trying to pretend to be perfect. I am not blogging instead of taking care of my children or spending quality time with them. This is a big one for me because I don’t want people to think, “Oh poor Brecken and Annabelle. Their mom must be bored and have nothing to do as a stay at home mom so she sits on social media and blogs all day.” It is currently 11:57 on a Tuesday night people. Brecken and Annabelle are sound asleep and I am trying to hammer out some content because I haven’t posted in 5 days. I typically work on blogging early in the morning, during naptime, and late at night.

I currently make no money blogging. I haven’t monetized my site because I want to really create a clean space right now in order for people to want to read my content and return to read again. Someday I may put advertising on my site because gosh if I am spending time doing this, and money can be made, I would kind of be silly not to. We will just see where God leads this.

There is a community of people who blog, specifically mommy bloggers. Becoming a “mommy blogger” has been a huge blessing in my life because I have been introduced to a culture of women online who encourage each other and are currently walking through similar stages. Some of us are stay at home moms, some of us are working moms, it doesn’t really matter. We are all just loving our kids, and creating content.

If you have questions regarding my blog or my social media platforms, feel free to email me, or, if you run into me in the grocery store, feel free to ask. I know a lot of my family and friends connect with my blog via Facebook. If you also have Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest make sure to look me up under Acreage of Grace. You can also subscribe to my blog and posts will be sent directly to your email. The subscribe box is on the right hand side of this page. Also, PLEASE comment on my blog so I know people are out there reading :) I appreciate the Facebook comments, but would love it also if you could comment on my actual blog.

I really appreciate the support I have received from my family, friends and other bloggers regarding Acreage of Grace. Thank you so very much!

**Are you a Nebraska blogger looking to connect with other Nebraska bloggers? I started a closed Facebook group called BLOG NEBRASKA. Please join the page and encourage your other Nebraska blogger friends to do the same! Also, use the hashtag #blognebraska in order for us all to find each other :)

My Dad's Advice

 My dad and I pictured on my wedding day

There are certain things you remember in your life. Things that you never forget. Some things are remembered because they were just so great- wedding day, birth of your children, awesome vacations. And some you remember because they were a negative experience in your life- the death of a loved one, heartache, embarrassment. The things I find most interesting are the memories I have of my life as a small child. I feel like the earliest memories I can vividly see in my mind are right before I started kindergarten. I made a lot of friends in kindergarten, one that is still one of my best friends today :) So this is the age that I started leaving my parents to play at my friends’ houses and have sleepovers.

Sorry dad I know this is the creepiest picture of you ever, but I love it :)

This is the specific thing I remember my dad telling me, which I will tell my children someday as well. He said, “Abigail, if you are ever anywhere and you don’t feel comfortable, CALL ME and I will come pick you up.” As a child I didn’t comprehend the weight of what he was saying, but I remember listening to what he said and using it often. You could ask my Kindergarten bestie/Maid-of-honor and she would tell you that a great deal of our early sleep overs ended in a solo breakfast for her because I didn’t make it through the night. (In my defense I told her that if we watched Goosebumps I wasn’t going to make it….even if we followed it up with I Love Lucy). My dad is a funeral director and was often on call at nights. So when I called to ask to go home, my memories are of him coming to pick me up.

My dad holding Brecken when he was first born

I remember my dad telling me this again when I got older. The meaning behind it changed a little, but it was the same concept. He said “Abigail, if you are ever out with friends and there is alcohol around, CALL ME and I will come pick you up. Even if you have been drinking, CALL ME. Even if you are in jail, CALL ME. I will leave you in jail overnight to teach you a lesson, but still CALL ME.” I never had to take him up on this offer because I was a really good kid, but I remember his advice all the same.

My parents are divorced. They got divorced when I was in college, but there were some rocky times there when I was in high school as well. I remember one of the times my dad and mom were separated and no one in my family was speaking to my dad. And I thought about the advice he had given me my whole life- “CALL ME”. So I called him. And I spoke with him. And I cried with him.

My dad holding Annabelle in the operating room when she was born

Still today I know that if I ever really need my dad, I could call him and he would help in any way possible. As a parent myself now, I realize the importance of my dad’s advice. If you are willing to be there for your children- all of the time, 100%, no questions asked; then someday, hopefully, they will be there for you when you really need them as well. Because I know that being the parent of babies/toddlers sometimes feels like these days of diaper changes, Play-Doh messes and finger painting disasters will never end. But in reality, we are all raising adults here. And I know that someday my dad isn’t going to be around to call anymore, but hopefully by that point, my children will be adults with kids of their own, and I will call them.

My dad is not a doctor. He was the audio visual specialist (video camera holder)
in the operating room for Annabelle's birth.

Other random things my dad taught me:

-Always do your best, because at the end of the day, even if you don’t succeed, at least you know you tried.
-Psalm 23
-Don’t apologize to someone after you foul them in basketball.
-Save your concert t-shirts because someday your children will love them.

-The clothes don't make the man-just because you are dressed like a professional skier, that doesn't mean you can ski like a professional skier
-A frog’s butt is watertight

Dad and Uncle Ted-ok he's not my uncle-it's Ted Nugent

Dad and I after skiing about 4 years ago

My dad is an excellent skier-no, no he's not

Happy Father's Day to all of the Dad's out there! Do you have advice that you remember your dad giving you growing up? Comment below and share the wisdom!

Safe, Healthy and Happy

Photo belongs to Up and Away and Out of Sight Campaign

Every single day I pray the same exact prayer for my family. “Dear God, please keep Jeremy, Brecken, Annabelle and I SAFE, HEALTHY and HAPPY.” I pray other prayers as well, but this is a consistent prayer I have been saying since Brecken was born. I think this is a typical hope for parents-to want their children to be safe, healthy and happy. Parents do everything they can to ensure their children are safe. We have security systems, smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors. We have baby gates and cabinet locks and we cut up their food extra small. Keeping my children safe is my top priority. But sometimes as parents we make mistakes. And it isn’t for lack of love or effort, it is because we are human.

Yesterday, Jeremy was off of work and we were enjoying our day. Annabelle was playing in the playroom and Jeremy, Brecken and I were in the living room. She walked in about 4 minutes after I had last seen her and she was carrying an open bottle of adult extra strength Tylenol.  Jeremy immediately grabbed the bottle and she had one pill in her other hand. He smelled her breath to see if it smelled like medicine. We also looked to see if there was any white residue surrounding her mouth. As Jeremy was doing this I called my older sister Amanda right away. She works as the Director of Nursing at the hospital in our home town. She gave me the number for Poison Control and suggested I call them right away.

I called Poison Control and was not put on hold, but answered right away which I appreciated. I told the lady what we experienced and she asked us how old Annabelle was and how much she weighed. Because Annabelle is 19 lbs, she said that if she had 3.5 tablets of the 500 mg Tylenol or more, it would be considered an emergency situation. We did not think Annabelle would eat the medicine because it would taste really bad, but we had no way of knowing because it wasn’t a new bottle so we couldn’t count to make sure all pills were accounted for. Poison Control said that because it was Tylenol there would be no symptoms for up to 8 hours after ingesting it, and then, if she had eaten 3.5 tablets or more she would start having liver and kidney issues. They suggested we call our doctor’s office and ask them how to proceed.

I called our doctor’s office and the nurse said that the doctor recommended we go get Annabelle’s blood drawn just to be 100% sure that she didn’t ingest any Tylenol. Jeremy and I personally hate getting our blood drawn. Brecken has had to get his drawn once. And Annabelle has had to get her blood drawn numerous times due to RSV when she was 14 days old and high fevers as a young baby. When Annabelle was only a month and a half old we spent a very hard night in the ER where it took them 45 minutes to get a blood draw from her. Then they had to do an X Ray and a Spinal. Because of all of these reasons I absolutely HATE for Annabelle to have to get her blood drawn. But I knew the only way to be 100% confident she hadn’t eaten any Tylenol, was to have them draw her blood.

We are so blessed to have a great lab team at our local hospital. And because we live in a small town, I know the team well and feel confident in their abilities. I also know that they care for my family and my children and want to be as gentle and pain free as possible. They were able to draw her lab in what was probably 30-90 seconds. Annabelle got very upset, but my sister Amanda was able to come in halfway through, after getting out of a meeting, and that helped distract her and helped her settle down.

We received word from our clinic that her levels were normal which was a huge blessing. By this point it was 4:30pm, with her walking in with the Tylenol bottle at 10:30am, so I had been nervous about the situation for a big chunk of the day.

So what is the point of this post? I want to encourage every household who has children as visitors or residents, to go around and make sure that all medications or toxic materials are either out of reach or locked up. During the summer season this is so important because there are outdoor and garage materials that are especially dangerous and should be out of reach. Though yesterday was a scary experience, it encouraged Jeremy and I to go around and put everything dangerous out of reach and increase the safety of our household.

Up and Away and Out of Sight is an educational program to remind families about the importance of safe medicine storage and is an initiative in partnership with the Center for Disease Control. According to www.upandaway.org “approximately 60,000 young children are brought to the emergency room each year because they got into medicines that are left within reach.” Up and Away Web site is a great reference for information and education tips regarding medicine safety.

Yesterday I was really hard on myself. Even after everything came back normal I still felt bad that because I didn’t have the Tylenol out of reach, Annabelle had to get her blood drawn. I also just felt like a total idiot. I have been a parent for almost 3 ½ years and I felt like I shouldn’t be making silly mistakes like this. But, at the end of the day I know that I am trying as hard as I possibly can to provide a safe, healthy and happy life for my family, and I think that has to be enough. Last night during prayers I thanked God for keeping the Tylenol out of Annabelle’s mouth, and once again prayed for our family to be safe, healthy and happy.

**I was not paid or encouraged to write this article by the CDC or any other sources and was told by a CDC representative it was legal for me to use the Up and Away and Out of Sight images because CDC images and information are public domain and approved to use if the individual is not being paid. Just in case anyone was concerned :)

Taco Bowl Recipe

So, I think I have mentioned a couple of times that my husband and I are trying to find lower calorie meal options. We really like tacos, but hate that the shells have around 170 calories each! So we decided to come up with a recipe using taco fixins’ but not the shell. I was looking in the freezer and realized the Potatoes O'brien we had only had 50 calories per cup, which I thought was pretty reasonable-hence this recipe was born. When I put the ingredients into My Fitness Pal it said that with the ingredients I included in this picturepotatoes, hamburger, corn, cheese, sour cream, avocado, onion and peppers) this taco bowl was around 500 calories.

This is so simple I almost hate to even put it into a recipe, but it is SOOO good because you can add whatever toppings you prefer and make it a little different every time.

Taco Bowls

**this recipe would make 2+

-4 cups Potatoes O'brien

-tablespoon margarine or olive oil or whatever you like to cook with

Cook the potatoes in a pan on the stove until they are browned. We also add a can of corn to this after the potatoes are almost done.

-1 pound hamburger

-½ a packet Taco Seasoning

Brown hamburger and then add half a packet of Taco Seasoning and ¾ cup water and let simmer for a couple of minutes.

OR if you want to, you can use chicken instead of hamburger. For chicken we bake the chicken breasts and then shred them and put them on a skillet on the stove with half a packet of Taco Seasoning, Corn, and water to simmer.

Toppings:

-Reduced Fat Shredded Cheddar Cheese

-Chopped onions raw

-Chopped peppers

-Avocado

-Light Sour Cream

Take 2 cups of Potatoes O’bien and put them in the bowl

Top with hamburger or chicken mixture (to keep it lower calorie we do not use much hamburger)

Top with cheese

Warm up in microwave just to melt cheese

Add toppings

Do you have any low calorie meal options you would like to share? Please email me your recipe and a picture and I would be happy to include it on my blog...and my meal rotation :)

Meet My Husband Jeremy

Photo Credit: Betsy Miller Photography

My husband Jeremy and I have been together for 15 years this July and married for 6 years and 8 months. He is my absolute best friend and I can't imagine walking through this life with anyone else by my side. We met when our small town schools consolidated in 2001 and got married October 10, 2009 in a small church in the middle of the country in between our two hometowns.

Jeremy is the greatest father to Brecken and Annabelle. He is a very hard worker and has been able to make it possible for me to be a full-time stay at home mom off of only his income.

Jeremy has been with the same company for 5 years and works as an operator at a corn processing plant where he helps produce fuel grade ethanol.

We are similar in some ways and polar opposites in others. Our biggest difference is that I am a naturally high strung and anxious person, and he is totally chill. I embarrassingly lean towards the negative, whereas he is very positive. It is my hope that our children take after Jeremy when it comes to his work ethic, sense of humor and roll-with-the-punches mentality.

It's funny because you marry someone when you are 22 after dating them since you were 14 and you really honestly have no idea what you are agreeing to. Am I right?! How in the world are you supposed to know that the person you are saying "I do" to today is the person you will want to lay your head down next to in 5, 25 and 50 years. I am blessed to say that Jeremy and I have grown up together nicely and I am so proud of the man he has become.

Let's get real for just a minute though and say that we have our disagreements. I have a honey do list that just keeps getting longer and you know he is thinking "honey don't". We are raising a 1 year old and a 3 year old and I am at home with the kids 99.9% of the time. There are days I've had not enough sleep, not enough coffee and not enough time to decompress before he comes in the door after working a 12 hour shift and things aren't always mason jars and lightening bugs.

But at the end of the day, there is always love. For me, for our kids and for the life we are working so hard to maintain.

Jeremy is a great man- and I am a blessed wife.

Random things about Jeremy:

-He loves the Price is Right and can explain how to play every single game. “It’s something to get excited about in the morning!”

-He is really good at dodgeball and has played (unprofessionally) on a league for over 10 years

-He is kind of obsessed with mowing our lawn

-He is really great at grilling steaks-actually he is the cook in the family

-He has owned 20 cars in his 31 years of life and is currently rebuilding a 1994 Mustang

-He enjoys popular radio music (94.1 Omaha station) and wearing plaid shorts

Fun at the Farm

Last week we were invited to one of my very best friend Laura's family farm. Brecken, Annabelle and I made the drive through the countryside to one of the most peaceful places I've been to in Nebraska.

Pictured left to right Laura, me, Catelyn and in the front Annabelle

I met Laura as a sophomore in college when we roomed together in the dorms at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). The first time she met me, she shook my hand-she was very formal like that. The funny thing about making new friends is that no matter how much they try to explain their life story, it's hard to really understand where they "come from" because you weren't there to live it with them. That is one of the reasons I was so excited to visit the house Laura grew up in. I feel like it made me understand the person she is that much more.

Annabelle and the farm cat Brecken named Raccoonie

Laura's family farm is about 5 miles away from the nearest town on a gravel road. The farm belonged to her grandparents, with the original home converted into a barn that still sits on the property. Her grandparents built the ranch-style farmhouse that Laura's family now lives in back in 1968. Laura's dad grew up there and moved back to take over the farm in 1990 when Laura was 4 -years-old. Maybe my perspective is different because my family moved a lot from my birth to second grade, but I feel like it is rare for someone to live in the same place nearly their whole life - rare and extremely special.

Brecken climbing the cherry tree

The first thing my kids noticed when we got there was the farm cat (they lovingly named her Raccoonie) and their black lab, Domino. Brecken loves cats and Annabelle loves dogs. Those poor animals got more attention than they probably preferred. We started the day going into the chicken coop and watching Brecken collect eggs, which he thought was really special. Then, Laura showed us around the different barns and outbuildings. Brecken was so excited to see a Yamaha motorcycle that Laura's dad used to ride in his younger years, and a Yamaha Grizzly four wheeler. He loves Yamahas because his bicycle is designed to look like a Yamaha motorbike. Laura's sister Marie took Brecken on a ride around the farm and his smile was so big!

Marie and Brecken riding the four wheeler

Our friend Catelyn arrived and we continued the day playing outside on the swings and playing kitchen inside. Then we drove a half mile down the road to Laura's uncle's house and her cousins showed Brecken and Annabelle 3 new baby calves they had: Superman, Lightening and Jenga. We also got to see their bunnies Chubs and Cloudy.

 

We returned to Laura's farm for a nice lunch with a table setting of Nebraska wildflowers, fresh lemonade and chicken salad croissants, watermelon and home made vanilla ice cream.

Beautiful centerpiece made from Nebraska wild flowers that Laura's mom and sister picked

The kids had such a fun time and slept all of the way home enabling me to have a nice quiet ride. It was truly a perfect day! My trip to Laura's family farm gave me a new appreciation for her as a friend. She really did grow up away from it all. I now understand why she enjoys being outdoors so much and likes to live an active lifestyle. She says she enjoyed growing up on the farm because there was so much space and the whole farm was the kids playground. Her dad built them a balance beam, a swing set, a play house and a tree house. They spent their time riding four wheelers and bikes and they also had calves that her and her brother and sisters took care of.

Laura has such a great appreciation for her farm and how she grew up, and I hope someday Brecken and Annabelle look back on their upbringing with happy memories and appreciation as well.

 

Every Good and Perfect Gift

Photo Credit: Betsy Miller Photography

This summer, along with being a stay-at-home-mama and watching my two children, I am also watching my nephew Cohen (3 years 8 months) and my niece Raegan (8 years) 3 days a week. Summer vacation officially started two weeks ago and we are working on getting into a daily routine. I decided that it would be a good idea to try to get the children to memorize some scripture this summer and discuss the Bible verses. We started with James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” We went around the table while we were working on crafts and I asked each of them to identify a blessing in their lives or tell me something they were thankful for. Brecken and Cohen both agreed they were thankful for their side-by-side ATV’s and their bicycles :) When it got to Raegan she said “I am thankful that God has given me the strength to dance.” Her response kind of caught me off guard and I just stared at her for a little bit until she went back to putting glitter on her craft because she probably thought I was a weirdo.

I was not surprised that Raegan’s response had something to do with dance. She has been in studio dance since she was 2 years old and it occupies a great portion of her life. I was surprised she thanked God for the STRENGTH to dance. I could have understood if she thanked Him for the pretty costumes or the fun time with her friends. I could have even understood if she thanked him for allowing her to place first numerous times this competition season. But I just felt like thanking God for the strength to dance was a very profound thing for an 8 year old to say.

So I’ve been chewing on that for a couple of weeks now, trying to decide why her response meant so much to me. And I was reminded of a situation that occurred probably about a year ago now. I was attending a Cancer Care support group that a radiation clinic in a community near mine puts on once a month. No I do not have cancer, but I was attending as a sponsor for the company that I worked for. I started out taking cookies and drinks as a part of my job, but I always ended up gaining so much from the groups conversations and speakers. At this particular meeting there was a young lady, probably a little bit older than myself, her husband, and her son who I would say was less than a year old. She was recently diagnosed with cancer and her doctor had put her on a weight restriction, only allowing her to lift a certain amount of weight. Unfortunately, her son surpassed that amount, so she was unable to even hold her baby boy.

At this time in my life I was extremely overwhelmed by being a full-time employee and trying to take care of a 2 year old and a little baby. Seeing this mama and everything she was facing and having to deal with was heartbreaking and encouraging all at the same time. She had a smile on her face. A smile. She was thankful that God allowed her to have her son knowing that he would possibly be an only child due to the type of cancer she had. She was looking forward to her next appointment to see if the weight restriction would be lifted so she would be able to hold him again. She was thankful for her husband and a family friend who was coming home for the summer to help nanny while she went through radiation.

This mama might not have physically had the STRENGTH she needed at that moment to do all of the things that she wanted to do. But she had the emotional and spiritual STRENGTH she needed to praise Him in the storm. I still can’t look back on this life experience and not get teary eyed.

Being a parent is difficult. It can be physically and mentally exhausting at times. I know that over the last 8 months of being a stay-at-home-mom there has been more than one occasion that I have looked for career opportunities and updated my resume because goodness gracious I couldn’t possibly do this another day longer. But God gives us the strength we need to keep going and to love our children and breathe life into them regardless of how weak we may think we are.

Today I want to thank God for the strength to be a mama. I want to pray for other mother’s and father’s out there who may be feeling physically, mentally or spiritually weak. And finally, I want to pray for the children we are working so hard to raise. May they find strength to grow in God’s grace.