Turquoise Thursday and #3in30

Goals in style 

In the month of January I started to participate in the 3 in 30 challenge. Three goals in 30 days. To be truthful I wasn't too successful, but this month I am determined to do better! 

My goals this month are:

1. Finish one of the books I have started. Currently, I have three books started and I am bound to finish off one of them this month. Maybe on my plane ride home from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Convention. 

2. Write in my journal for 10 days. Even though I am posting my goals are a little late this month I have already started this goal. And that is where the Turquoise comes in this month. I love these new moleskin turquoise journals I bought at Barnes and Noble.

p.s. Notice my new blog design. You'll see a few more changes in the next couple of weeks as well. 

3. Pay for the next person in line's meal. I tried this last month, and didn't succeed. This month I am going to work on getting it completed and scratched off my 101 in 1001 list! 

Check out my progress on the side of my blog. I recently just crossed off comment on 10 articles regarding the beef industry. 

Do you have monthly goals? Are you a #3in30 participant?

Add a twibbon - I Heart Beef

Yes, I said Twibbon

Twibbon - a ribbon that is added to your Twitter profile pic to support something. That's my unofficial definition.

This month it is I Heart Beef Month. Now I think they best way to show how much you love beef and cattle ranchers is to go out and buy a steak (filet mignon is my favorite, but if I want a leaner option I go with a sirloin). However, you can also add Twibbon to all your social media profile pictures. 

Here is an easy link to add a I Heart Beef Twibbon to your Facebook profile picture. As you can see below lots of my friends already have and I hope you'll join in too! 

Me and the Boy. I Heart him and Beef. 

Lauren is a Master of Food and loves beef, and her dogs. 

DJ is a cowboy and loves beef. He writes about food on the Food for Thought blog. 

Robert is a college student and a young rancher. He raises Angus cattle in Orgeon and loves beef. 

Will you be adding the I Hear Beef Twibbon to your picture?

Tweeting from NCBA

Hello, Tweeps (Twitter friends)

I'm letting the cat out of the bag, if you haven't noticed I really like Twitter. I even incorporated it into my 101 in 1001 goals.

#62. Meet three of my Twitter friends in person - now completed

I had the opportunity to meet these three loving ladies for the first time at the National Cattlemens Beef Convention in Denver.

Anna, and I have lots of mutual friends and have been following each others blogs for awhile now. She has also joined in on my Turquoise Thursday posts. I was so excited to run into her! It was funny how many people asked if I was Crystal Cattle. You can check out her blog at www.lifebedelicious.blogspot.com

I also met Lauren at NCBA, through Anna. Once our conversation began we realized we were already following each other on Twitter! She works for the Arizona Beef Council, and is soon going to be starting a blog on her Beef Babes against Breast Cancer. 

Sarah, is another one of my Twitter friends, and a member of Collegiate Cattlewomen. My favorite organization at K-State. She started a agvocacy blog after she read my how to start an #agblog post. 

Also, an update on my #3in30 goals. I've been writing in that journal. Not on consecutively yet, but I do have three journal entries in five days. Pretty good for being at a conference all week. Definitely going to get that goals completed! 

365 Days of Beef

Hamburger, T-bone, KC strip...

Could you do it? 365 days of beef, sure sounds good to me. After Oprah ran her special on "Going Vegan" Scott Bennett decided that he would do the exact opposite and add even more meat to his diet. This 22-year-old from Blackburg, Virginia, will document his journey through his blog 365 Days of Beef.

I think this is a fantastic way to celebrate I Heart Beef month - year round. Not only will he get to experience the benefits of lean beef, but he is surely going to get lots of questions about his project, which will allow him to talk about the beef industry and agriculture.

Today is the first day of Scott's adventure, wish him luck and be sure to check out his 365 Days of Beef blog. 

Things don't always go right

Hard and cold days.

If you haven't noticed it's been cold out, and snowy out, and I think most people are pretty tired of it. I really try not too hard to complain because I am inside typing this blog post while my family and the Boy are calving cows.

The majority of Canadian cattlemen and lot of U.S. cattlemen are all calving cows right now. You may wonder why in the world would you calve right now, as the mercury keeps on dropping, but there is some logic.

1. If you are a purebred cattlemen (cattle are only one breed, and have a registration paper) you are wanting to calve now so come next year the bull calves, that were born this year, will be big enough and mature enough to breed cows. Clear as mud?

2. Calving now allows your calves to grow more and be bigger at sale time during the fall. More pounds = more dollars. Also, these older calves will be able to go right into the feedlot.

3. Although, it is cold right now I would much rather calve in the snow than mud. Calves stay healthier in constant temperatures. In March, when you can have huge temperature swings calves can get sick quick.

Although we try and provide the best care possible things can go wrong.

My sister took this picture at our farm over the weekend.

This little guy was born at my parent's farm and he froze his ears. He'll be fine, he just won't have big fluffy ears like all his other buddies. This sometime happens when momma won't stop licking their ears, thus leaving them wet, when it gets extremely cold out or if there is a lot of humidity in the air.

I loved this picture from @purelymom. Becky is a ranch wife, like all farmers and ranchers, know that those that help provide income for the house, might also have to be brought inside it once in awhile. Sometimes if a calf has to be pulled it will take them a little while to be steady on their own, or sometimes because of the weather calves will get real cold and need to be brought into a warm area. 

Becky's little girl reminded me of my sister and I. We loved when a calf had to come inside. That meant we had easy access to pet and hang out with them as much as we wanted. 

p.s. You won't want to miss tomorrow's Turquoise Thursday

Cowhide, crosses and turquoise - Turquoise Thursday

Ooh and aah. 

Last weekend I visited my friend Abby. She's been looking for the perfect T.V. stand, something unique. It just so happens that she visited my favorite store in Manhattan, Kansas - the Front Porch. I probably shopped in this store way too much in college - accumulating more stars than the Boy probably prefers ;)

Abby just so happened to find her perfect T.V. stand their, and to my excitement it was turquoise! The stand is also carried by a company called Black Forest Decor, and these are my finds.

Some times you just need a little bit of turquoise. Like the turquoise nuggets on this cowhide table runner. 

And sometimes you need a lot. This turquoise cross hutch is awesome. I could set up lots of buffets on this. They have several pieces that match this piece on their website. 

I love this piece. I think of a million place I would put this turquoise night stand. I price makes me a little sad though. 

The Covergirl

Her name is Serena.

I get pretty excited when I open up a magazine and some of my work is in it, and this time it was a complete surprise. In December I went up the Boy's house to help him picture and video some of the cattle he would be selling in the Iowa Beef Expo. The Iowa Cattlemen picked up one of my pictures for the cover. Cattle marketing has become just as high tech as retailers swaying you towards certain brands.

Serena will sell in the Iowa Beef Expo Hereford sale on Feb. 17. For more information on this show heifer prospect click here. 

Today, Cattlemen can use Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, E-Blast, Websites, YouTube, Print Advertising and straight ole call you up and try to sell you something marketing.