From Chris Kyle to Temple Grandin and the controversies in between

Sometimes I like to sit back and just read my facebook and twitter feeds without getting involved, posting, or commenting.  I just sit there and read.  Read what people like, what people share, what people post.  It is very astounding to me at times.  I sometimes worry about the future of america after doing this.  I mean there is a lot of crazy out there.

This week has been quite the week of controversy in the social media outlets.  The hottest subjects scrolling down the media pipelines in my small world have been about Chris Kyle with the movie American Sniper coming out and Temple Grandin receiving the Distinguished Service to Agriculture award from the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Both of these are quite interesting to me in the controversy they are creating.  First of all lets start with Chris Kyle.  A couple hollywood celebs voiced their opinions of the movie American Sniper in a not so favorable fashion.  I don't even know how one begins to slam a veteran and then is able to sleep at night?  I truly feel that if you don't respect those fighting for your freedom oversees then the gates are open for you to kindly leave.  Unless you have actually spent some time in the battle fields you really have no ground to even start to disrespect anyone in the military.  That's just my opinion......

You can get a lil idea of the comments made here.  Some other celebs quickly took to social media to defend those serving......like one of my favorite country music stars mostly for his lack of a filter

 Next up in the ole interwebs controversy is Temple Grandin.  I've always been inspired by her work in the cattle industry and was fortunate enough to listen to her speak a couple of times.  I think that she is a very honest lady that brings tough issues to the forefront and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She is well known for her cattle handling systems and designing slaughter house facilities.  It was mentioned by some in the Ag industry that she is our own worst enemy and doesn't use scientific evidence to support some of her claims but uses emotion instead.

One of those claims being that in "dairy cattle we are breeding for production and compromising feet and legs and animals are getting too big.  Too many lame cows entering slaughter houses."  First I don't think this is just a dairy issue.  I think all species are bred for production....right?   I also don't think production breeding is 100% correlated to feet and leg problems.  I think that is also a management issue.  You need to evaluate the animal as a whole and while your emphasis may be on production, you need to correct feet and leg issues as well.  Obviously if you want a cow to milk it needs to make it to the parlor.  You can have high production cows that have great feet and legs.  The question is how do you get all producers to equally focus on feet and legs as well as production?

Not to stir up a big debate here but I think a lot of issues come from the show ring.  For dairy they want huge open ribbed cows.  That is not economical for a production facility.  Look at the club calf industry.....Who Made Who....hello?  That bull had the worst feet and legs but was used because 1 out of 25 calves was kickass.  I see so many steers come out of the club calf program post legged and hardly able to walk.  You don't see many people breeding for good females out of club calf bulls do you?  These animals will not survive in a production environment.

One of the important things I think we need to remember is that she is well respected by the large slaughter and packer facilities and the USDA. While some claim not all of her statements are scientific base but emotion based is this really hurting the industry?  With a society that is very emotionally based when it comes to food choices, isn't this something we should embrace instead of attack?  I mean if you can't connect with people on a scientific level but you have someone in the industry that can connect on an emotional level are we really that bad off?  Livestock don't lead their lives by what is scientifically correct.....they do what is comfortable.   I mean lets be real....a woman that can rock those awesome outfits can't be so bad in my book. :)

What are your thoughts on these matters?  I would love to hear!!

Christmas Beauty Swap

I don't know about you but I feel the week of Christmas through the New Year is pretty much a marathon.  You split your time between your 10 family gatherings all while trying to not gain 15 pounds.  I mean you have to at least eat something at every gathering right? I tend to always end up at the desert table......fail.

In all of the hustle and bustle of the holidays I totally forgot to share my post of one of my favorite parties in the social media world.  Crystal Cattle has a beauty swap multiple times a year and they are pretty much the greatest thing ever.   You get to meet new ladies and try out new makeup.  What really could be better than that?  Nothing!

This time I was paired up with the lovely Jill Harvie.  She is an awesome cattle woman from Canada.

Jill sent me an item that was tried and true, one she just started using, and one she was going to try new with me also!  Such a great idea!

1.  Her tried and true: Maybelline Colorsensation Lip Liner Clear  For you women out there that wear bright lipsticks this is your saving grace!  It keeps your color form smearing all over your face.  You know what I'm talking about!

2. Her recently started: Loreal Linear Intense Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner  I love liquid eye liners and have used the one from MAC for many years.  This one has great reviews and I can't wait to give it a try!

3. New to us both: Covergirl Blastflipstick Lipstick in Smooch  This color is amazing.  It has a dark and light to give and ombre effect.  If you put the lighter in the middle and darker on the sides it makes your lips look fuller.

Follow the links to get these great items for yourself.  You won't be disappointed!

I hope you all had a great holiday and your new year is starting off with a bang!!

Enjoy!

Christmas in The Country Reveal

While I realize that it is a touch past Christmas, and when I say a touch I realize it's clearly well past, but nonetheless while it is a current blizzard outside with temps of -10 degrees their is no other time than the present to catch up on a lil blogging!

This Christmas I participated in the wonderful gift swap that is held by the lovely Lauri Link of countryLINKED and Jamie Rhoades of This Uncharted Rhoade. This is such a fun swap because it focuses on local handmade gifts.  I always enjoy going out and getting goodies for the person I am partnered up with because it reminds you about all the cool local stuff that is made so close to home! 

I was given the name of a fabulous farm gal from Canada.  I instantly went to town to get some gifts!  She is a cattlewoman that loves to snow shoe.  I guess when you are in Canada that is a pretty good hobby to have!  Here is a sneak peak of what I sent which you can find on her blog Buttons Thoughts 

Photo from Buttons Thoughts (I forgot to take one :/ )

I in turn received a gift from a lovely blogger from Missouri.  She blogs at Penn to Paper.  She did such a great job of gift selection.  We give a description of our likes and hobbies to give them an idea.  Well she nailed it.  

I received this adorable cow chalkboard with nails at the bottom to hang items from.  This fits my color decor in my kitchen perfectly!!  I also love this pillow which is a great reminder whenever you read it.  And last but not least the thirty one bag.  I can always use a lil organization in my life so this was perfect to do just that!

This is such a great way to meet new people and you all should plan on participating next year!  You will love it! In the meantime, stay warm out there!  Winter has finally hit here in Ohio.  I hope it is much warmer where you are at! 

Enjoy!

Reflections from 2014

As the new year has started many people begin to look back on 2014 and decide if it was worthwhile or a bust.  As I think back to last year I remember distinctly some of my goals.  My first one was to lose weight.  Classic I know, but this has been an ongoing struggle.  Thankfully this past year the mystery had been solved.  After 2 years of constant working out and trying different diets to see if anything would kick start my weight loss I finally had my blood drawn and was diagnosed with borderline Hoshimoto Thyroiditis.  Cool.......not really.  However I guess the upside is that we have found the problem and now we can get on the right track to fix it.

Now with that right track comes some slightly annoying lifestyle changes.  I have to take a hormone replacement every morning an hour before I eat.  That's all great and dandy except I normally forget until my stomach is screaming at me to pound the leftover pizza in the fridge from the night before.  So I'm working on that.

It also means I need to limit my gluten.....damn you gluten.  So with hoshimoto thyroiditis pretty much what is happening is my thyroid antibodies see my thyroid as bad and attack it.  Fail antibodies.  Gluten increases your thyroid antibodies so it makes sense to limit or eliminate it from your diet so it doesn't continue to attack my thyroid.  They also said to limit dairy but that ain't happening so I will do my best with the gluten.  Give and take right?

You don't realize how much gluten you eat until you aren't supposed to anymore.  I have found some great alternatives but sometimes you just want that bacon cheeseburger on a pretzel bun from Wendy's.......ya know what I mean.

My second goal was to pay it forward more.  I feel I did a decent job at this.  I always try to remember that we don't know what is going on in someones life so if they are cranky with you at the checkout line maybe all they need is someone to smile at them and tell them to have a great day.  My favorite pay it forward of the year was when I was pumping gas and this nice older man came up to me and said "ma'am this is really embarrassing but i left my wallet at home and I just need a couple bucks to be able to get home.  Can you help me out?"  Well I rarely carry cash so I told him I would swipe my card and he could fill up as much as he would like.  He began to cry and said "no no no I'm not asking for anymore than I need.  You are too kind.  I didn't even think you would help".  My first thought was well what's that supposed to mean?  Do I not seem friendly?

I swiped my card, told the man to have a lovely day, and drove off.  It wasn't until later that day I was checking my bank acct to see if a check posted and noticed that the man in fact only took what he needed.  $3.67 worth of gas.  Sometimes you just have to have a lil faith in humanity and that man restored mine.

My last goal was to travel and challenge my mind and thinking.  That I pretty much nailed.  This past year I traveled to Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Nebraska, Missouri, Nevada, Colorado, and Illinois.  I attended many conferences and heard from inspiring speakers that left me yearning for more and wanting to take on the world.

This is my year to take on the world and help make some positive changes. Oh and I'm going to attempt to do better at this gluten free thing.  Against my every desire for yummy pasta and domino's pizza.   What are your goals for 2015?

Time to Party!

New year, new month, new party! That's right, its time for our new Country Fair Blog Party.  This month the theme is Holiday Treasure Hunt.  If you are like me the holidays are a crazy time.  It's almost like a marathon of gatherings.  So hunt through the archives and share with us what you have been up to!  Perhaps it is your favorite recipe from the holidays or even a project you made or received.  Whatever it is we want to see it!

Be sure to check out the other hosts and see what they are up to as well!

Tales of a Kansas Farm Mom

Country LINKed

High Heels and Shotgun Shells

The TIP Garden

Belong With Wildflowers

Uncharted Rhoade

I hope that your new year is off to a fabulous start!!

An InLinkz Link-up