DIY Grapefruit Sugar Scrub!

 It’s that time of the year in Iowa, the dreaded first snow fall! In Northern Iowa we got six and a half inches of snow! With snow comes cold weather, and with cold weather come the even more dreaded dry skin. Earlier this week I whipped up a batch of my all time favorite homemade sugar scrub!

Who doesn’t love a new sugar scrub, and I absolutely love the smell of this one…Grapefruit! (But of course you can choose your favorite sent if you’d like!) I also love this sugar scrub, because it’s SO simple to make, and it’s one of the best sugar scrubs I’ve used. Plus, I think these sugar scrubs are going to make great gifts for those who you always give something small to!

Here’s the recipe:

1 Cup Coconut

1 ½ Cup white sugar

20-30 drops grapefruit essential oil (Or whatever scent you choose)

·      I was able to find the grapefruit oil I used at TJMaxx. I have also used Lavender, which is also great!

Mix together with beaters until mixture is combined. You can choose to add food coloring if you want, this time I decided I didn’t want to.

Be sure to keep your finished sugar scrub in an airtight container! I was able to find these cute little jars at Target in the dollar section! 

My Favorite Apple Crisp

Who doesn't love apple crisp still warm from the oven!? 

Our family LOVES this recipe..(It's one of my dads favorite sweets!) 

I've also had a few friends ask for this recipe after I've made it for a potluck, so I decided I'd share it in a blog! 

Makes: 10 servings
Total Time: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 45-60min

Ingredients:
5-6 apples (I used honey crisp, and granny smith)
1 cup butter
3 tbs vanilla
3 tbs cinnamon
1 1/2 cup quick oats
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder

1.) Peel and thinly slice apples. Toss apples slices in vanilla and cinnamon.

2.) Pour apples into a greased 3 quart pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over apples.3.) In a bowl, combine 1 cup oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda.

4.) Cut 1/2 cup butter into small squares and mix with flour and oat mixture. Combine until all the flour and oat mixture is incorporated into the butter. Sprinkle over the apples.

5.) In a bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup oats.

6.) Cut 1/2 cup butter into small squares and mix with flour and oat mixture. Combine until all the flour and oat mixture is incorporated into the butter. Sprinkle over the first oat mixture.

7.) Bake at 350 for 45-60min.

Do What You Love

Do what you love and love what you do. 

A concept that's stuck in my mind since the day I heard the phrase. 

Agriculture is not a job meant for everyone. 

A job for those who are passionate about the land and a job that raises a product we're proud to serve our own family. 

An industry that's complex with many risks but also great rewards. 

Agriculture is more than an industry, but a lifestyle. 

This lifestyle has given me passion. 

A passion for agriculture. 

Pigs, it's what we do on our family farm! 

Granny's Pumpkin Bars

Fall is my favorite time of the year! Not only is it harvest time, but it's also pumpkin season! Our family loves Granny's pumpkin bars, so I thought I'd share them! 

Makes: 30 bars 

Total Time: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 20-30min

Ingredients: 

4 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

15oz Pumpkin
2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 cups powder sugar

6oz cream cheese

4 tsp butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp milk

1.) In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until well blended. 

2.) Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

3.) Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture. 

4.) Pour into an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. 

5.) Allow bars to cool. 

6.) For icing: Beat the cream cheese, powder sugar, butter and vanilla in a bowl. Add milk until consistency is even. 

7.) Spread icing over bars after they are completely cooled. 

Enjoy!!

Turning T-Shirts into Custom Creations!

Does this look familiar, a pile of t-shirts from high school, college, dance recitals? A sad pile of t-shirts waiting to be turned into something new, something unique and customizable!

Last summer I decided to finally put all of my t-shirts from high school into a quilt. After posting a picture of my finished quilt on Facebook I had people messaging me asking if I would make a custom t-shirt quilt for them! And just like that, Custom T-shirt Quilts By Ashley began! 

When it comes to ordering a custom quilt people always want to know three things: 

*Price

*Amount of shirts

*How long a quilt takes to make

1.) How much is it going to cost? 

Because each quilt is custom, it's hard to know exactly what the cost of each one is going to be! The cost of each quilt really depends on how many hours a quilt takes, the quilting cost, and what fabric the customer is wanting. 

Service Fee: $10 per hour

                                      Average hours for quilt sizes:

                   Throw: 10 hours

                      Queen Size: 10-12 Hours

                        King Size: 12-15 Hours

Quilting:

**Quilting is dependent on the design of the quilting, and the size of the quilt $90-120

Fabric Cost: $30 and up

**Fusible Fabric-Every quilt uses a fusible fabric that keeps the fabric from stretching. This fabric is around $15 for 6 yards on sale.

**Backing-If you choose not to use t-shirts on the back you will need a fabric for the backing. This can range dependent on styles. Softer fabrics, such as fleece and minky are often used for a “comfy” feel!

**Additional Fabric-Many people like columns and rows to separate the t-shirts.

2.) How many shirts makes a quilt? 

It truly depends on how big you want your t-shirt quilt to be! I usually recommend between 20-25 one-sided t-shirts for a queen quilt! 

3.) How long does it take? 

I like a period of about a month and a half for myself, and the quilter! 

**I can work around special dates, such as graduation if told ahead of time! 

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Here are a examples of quilts that I have made! I am currently on my 20th quilt since starting this journey a year ago! 

5 Reasons Why I Hate Iowa

The harsh winter, the ungodly humidity in the summer, and the fact that in Iowa there are more pigs than people inhabiting the state, what could be better!?

We all know the feeling, growing up wondering if there's anything else in the world besides endless fields of grain, small towns, and being confused as the potato state (Incase you're still wondering, that's Idaho). But, living in Iowa is hard to beat, and here's the top five reasons!

5.) Vast diversity

Even though 92% of Iowa's land is used for farming, there is more than just farming happening. Cities such as Des. Moines, Iowa City, Ames and many more have amazing shopping, museums, and so much more. There is also much diversity in the landscape of Iowa. From the flat land in northern Iowa, the hills of southern Iowa and the many rivers that flow throughout the state, there is always an opportunity to see something new. 

4.) Alluring beauty

Sure, Iowa does consist mostly of farmland, but have you ever watched the sun rise above a field of corn in September? Have you sat upon a hill and watched below as cattle graze on a spring morning? Or viewed the golden dome of the capital on a sun filled summer day? Take in all of Iowa's beauty one glimpse at a time. 

3.) Simplistic lifestyle

An appreciation of the little things in life, for the land that most Iowan's thrive off of. A simple life where families still sit around the table, and talk about the day at school, where kids are taught valuable life lessons about appreciating what they've worked for, and most of all appreciating everything that God has given them. 

2.) Its people will never stop amazing me

They say the people of Iowa are the nicest around. We offer a helping hand when times get tough, cheer for each other throughout times of happiness, and support each other within the community. 

1.) No place will ever compare

It speaks for itself, no place will ever compare to Iowa. Though Iowa isn't for everyone, those who love Iowa, love everything about it.

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Travel. Travel to places throughout the world where the beauty will amaze you, food will blow you away, and memories will form, but those who grew up in Iowa will never forget where they were raised. 

Love Iowa? Comment below, and share why you love Iowa! 

Real Stories-Modern Pig Farming Told By Real Farmers

What do farmers, pigs, selfies and hashtags have in common? Combined together, they form a goal. A goal to show consumers how farmers care for their pigs. 

Real Pig Farming allows me to share what pig farming practices look like on our farm. 

The Pigs in the barn LOVE my #realpigfarming shirt! 

Today pig farming and agriculture as a whole has been given a negative image. It seems like there is never a positive article about agriculture in the media. The Real Pig Farming campaign is striving to fix that. Real Pig Farming is about reaching consumers through social media outlets, and allowing farmers all over to share why they are passionate about pig farming, and why it's important to care for their pigs. 

I have had the opportunity to be a part of the #RealPigFarming Student Forces Team. The student team is designed for college students to share their stories across social media. Each month we are challenged to create social media posts, and then share them through many social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

On our farm, we take great care of the pigs in our barns. The smaller pigs are
moved to a separate pen to ensure they receive proper care and nutrients. 

By posting about pig farming and using the hashtag I have been able to have conversations with many consumers, and have often found that consumers have many misconceptions about pig farming. I have enjoyed telling those consumers who are unsure about pig farming how our family cares for our pigs. 

Consumers today are tired of hearing statistics about pig farming and agriculture. They instead want to hear our personal stories, how families are involved in pig farming, and yes even see our ridiculous selfies, because it's personal! 

I'm excited to share my #realpigfarming story across my social media outlets, and hopefully turn the negative image of agriculture into an industry that is transparent, where farmers answer questions from consumers, and share their passion for the industry. 

I challenge you, have a conversation with a real pig farmer! 

Showing Livestock-The Industry & The Truth

This blog post is in response to the article by Daily Commercial entitled: 

"Animals Pay a High Price in 4-H "

Countless nights spent in the barn working with our show pigs, are some of the best memories that I've had growing up involved in 4-H and FFA. 

From start to finish, just like in our commercial hog buildings our show pigs are important to my sister and I and are given the proper care. We are sure to give them the proper care by having years of experience in the industry, consulting veterinarians, and swine nutritionists. 

We also care for our pigs individually by having different feed mixes for each pig, making sure they have clean bedding, and by spending the time working with our pigs, taking them on walks (Yes we walk our pigs around the yard!)

Nina Khan, author of this article talks about the disconnect that 4-H and FFA members are forced to develop when showing livestock. I would instead say that there is often a large disconnect with the livestock industry as a whole, and would invite Nina out to our farm to see how much time, money and effort is put into caring for our livestock! 

There is simply no room for error in livestock production or agriculture as a whole. The markets have continued to become tighter year after year, which is why caring for our animals will ALWAYS remain so important! 

Selfies are essential in the barn! The top picture is Lula, and the bottom is Durc, our purebred Duroc pig. 

As any 4-H and FFA member who is involved in the livestock industry will tell you the hardest time of the entire show career is when the season is finished. When my sister and I are spending every night in the barn, as crazy as it sounds, pigs each have their own personalities and connections with our animals are made. Each day walking into the barn we know that one of our pigs Lula is going to be up and excited to see us, as soon as she hears someone in the barn! 

My sister and I have been blessed to be a part of such an amazing industry that has taught us so much. We have learned confidence, responsibility, time management and many other important life skills. We have also met incredible people along the way. (Read more about the people in the industry here.)

We have met incredible people, and have learned more about the swine industry by showing

I encourage consumers with questions about the livestock industry such as Nina Khan to visit our farm and learn about the livestock show industry. Often times, seeing how we care for our pigs verses reading about how others think pigs are cared for can be a large difference!