Harvest is Almost Done

I worried about how I was going to get through harvest well into the 3rd trimester as a "single" mom. With Jay out in the field for 14+ hours every day for 4 weeks and counting, I look back and wondered why I worried. Braden has been better than good, and I'll write more on that later... BUT, for right now...I'm ready for harvest to be DONE. So are the guys. 34 weeks pregnant today, about 4+ weeks of being a "single mom"...yup my harvest tolerance has been maxed! But, when you look at these pics, you'll see why I really do love harvest so much!

We headed out to see the harvest crew at the Rosebud land, which is about 20 minutes away from the farm site, last Sunday when we got back from the wedding. I missed my boy like crazy, I think more than usual because he's at an age where he is keenly aware of all that is going on around him, and missed us and knew where we were and that we were gone.

This is his "cheese" face!

Since it was a gorgeous fall evening, I decided to dress my boy up in his finest harvest duds and do our annual harvest photo shoot. Uncle Craig even said to me "did you have to dress him exactly like me?" But I think he was very flattered! Funny he said that, because I did tell Braden he was going to wear his "Uncle Craig shirt"!

I still love all of my free Pioneer Woman action sets and playing around with them! The effect on the above photo is called Sunshine and below are Vintage, Sepia, & Soft Faded. Also...how adorable is his cowboy hat? So glad Jay bought that for him when we went to the Calgary Stampede this summer! Braden calls it his "Hoody hat" as in Woody, from Toy Story!

This is his "BIG CHEESE!" face!

And, if it's not evident the bond between these two in this photo...I don't know what is! Braden missed riding the combine with his Papa and his Papa missed him just as much!

Best pic I've ever gotten of these 3!

Braden loves everything about harvest. Being with his family, going for combine and truck rides. I'm just so thrilled that he is just so passionate about all things farming, he's just in head first!

Just check out these beautiful harvest skies! This was our last wheat field and the guys are just finishing up the last fields of canola now. We can see the light at the end of the harvest tunnel!

This one I call "The Tweeting Farmer"

Then it was time for a harvest take-out supper in the field. I love these moments and capturing the memories for years to come. Note, this is the FIRST picture of me ever at harvest time. I noted that when James was putting together the movie for our farm, there wasn't a single.picture.of.me in the last 7 years! It's because I'm always the one taking the pictures! So, for the next harvest movie...there can be a picture of me at 33 weeks pregnant with Squishy!

My New Camera's Debut!

Well I finally busted out the brand new camera the other day! I was having a high-on-life, feeling very creatively inspired day after I spent the evening watching the farming movie, as Braden calls it, so I went over to the farm with Braden and this is my first "session" with the new T3i!

What farm is complete without a border collie? Really? We were going to walk through the pasture down to the field where Papa and Travis were combining canola...but it was too far, so we turned around and drove back instead!

This was Braden's first combine ride of the year with Papa, and I think Papa is pretty happy that Braden gets so excited about all things farming. I really hope that he keeps up his passion, he has a career waiting for him if he so chooses it like his daddy did before him.

Braden just loves Travis. Well, he loves the idea of going to go and see him and sit in the truck with Travis, anyway! Travis has been wonderful to Braden! So we got a bucket from Travis and it was Braden's job to take the bucket to Papa so we could take a sample of the canola back to the farm to test it (for moisture & temperature - very important for storing it).

It was my job to go and spot for Jay, driving the swather down the road. It takes up the whole road with lots of blind spots, so Braden and I headed over to meet him and guide him safely back to the farm.

Here's some scenery along the way. This is God's country! Or, as my mother-in-law has said, it's all God's country...He just spent a little extra time here!




Then we met Daddy back at the farm, Braden started swathing a new field of wheat with him, so we snapped a few pics and headed back to the farm for supper!

Definitely my new favorite picture of these two!

Overall I am super super happy with the new camera. I still have lots of things to learn about tweaking my manual settings, but for my first round out with it, I'm super happpy! It is quite the upgrade and I am LOVING all the little features that I didn't think I would appreciate, like the flip out LCD screen. It made it super easy to take my own maternity pictures and I think it will be absolutely amazing to take my own pictures with my kids and even do our Christmas card pictures all by myself. I got this steal of a deal off Kijiji for only $500 brand new. BRAND NEW. They retail brand new for $630+ so I'm really happy with that savings. Definitely my last purchase for a long time, as I am no longer receiving an income until Squishy is born. It also has a built in HD video camera that is nice to have along, one of my goals is to be able to put together short videos together, I need my brother to teach me!

All I can think with this picture about myself is "MOVE, HEAD! MOVE!" What a huge noggin' I have!

Happy Harvest! Happy Fall! Happy Autumn!

P.S. Braden finally "loves doze boots!" And he is officially 3 feet tall today...he's grown 1/2" since the end of July! Growth spurt! 

Schultz Farms 2012 Seeding to Harvest Video

This takes Farming 101 to a whole new level! Enjoy a video put together by local filmmaker and friend James Westgate Snell. He's been filming since May and just put together this amazing heirloom of farming. I'm so blessed to live in this beautiful land and have grown to love this farming life so much. And to answer your question, yes it really is that beautiful where we live!


(And single ladies...Travis, our dear friend helping with harvest this year, is also single!)

Farm Boy Update

It's been a long "spring" for the guys. With all the moisture that we've had, spraying the crops (for weeds, insects, fungus, etc) has taken a lot longer than it usually does, plus all the grain & canola from last year's harvest has to be hauled to the grain elevators by the end of July! So Braden and I stopped by one afternoon to see what Daddy & Papa were up to!

They were using the grain vac, which is essentially a giant vacuum cleaner, to empty out the bottom of the grain bins. My friend Natalie - the hearing aide tech - should be very proud that Braden was wearing ear phones!

Braden just had to "drive" the brand new swather! Scares us that in a brand new machine, he just instinctively knew to lift up the arm rest to find the keys! Hmmm.....

Then I had to check and see how the wheat below the farm was doing...

And lastly the little dude had to check out the inside of a grain bin and get nice and dirty!

 I hope Braden keeps up his passion for farming as he grows older! He loves just about nothing more than going to work with Daddy and Papa right now!