Where to use outdoor rugs in your house

Living on a farm, and having boys, we have so much traffic (and dirt) coming in and going out of our house.  It's ridiculous.  As someone who loves to decorate my home, it kills me to not have a beautiful entryway way filled with a gorgeous flat-weave rug, fresh flowers and a few throw pillows.

But practicality, and reality, took over.

Although, I really did need a rug. It just had to be inexpensive, handle dirt, wear and tear, and be easy to clean.  Then it finally dawned on me that an outdoor rug was the answer!  It handles my kids wet stuff from the snowy winter months and the mud they drag in after a rain in the summer.  When it gets dirty enough, I just take it outside and spray it off with a hose.

Not only was the outdoor rug the answer for my entryway, it was also the answer for our old farmhouse basement.

As our family grew in size, and the piles of toys have accumulated, we fixed up our farmhouse basement as a toy room.  It's a little chilly down there with cement walls and floor, and has a tenancy to get a little damp following a hard rain but all-in-all it works pretty well as a toy room. 

Since the basement can get a little damp, a traditional rug was not the answer for the space.  They hold water and take forever to dry out which leads to a stale smell and potentially mold and mildew.  The perfect solution, again, was an outdoor rug. It was inexpensive (we all know kids have the potential to ruin things) and it drys out quickly since it's made to handle the weather. 

I'm sure you noticed that I have the same rug in my basement and entryway - this was a total fluke. I ordered the 5x7 rug from Target for the basement because I liked the style even though it was too small.  Then the 8x10 came back in stock so naturally I snagged it and moved the 5x7 to our entryway.  The UPS man for sure  had de ja vue.  Target has some pretty stylish outdoor rugs that you can usually find on sale.  Bad news is that the one I have is out of stock but, I did link some of my favorites below.

Oh, and I do actually have an outdoor rug outside!  The boys are often outside playing on it and sometimes we even grab a few books and pillows and find ourselves reading stories on nice summer nights. 

Contrast Edge Outdoor Rug

Mod Desert Outdoor Rug

Mod Fish Outdoor Rug

Worn Stripe Outdoor Rug

6 Things That Happened On The Farm In June

June was a really busy month on the farm.  Even though planting was wrapped up in May, there are a lot of farm-related things that happen right away in June.  Farm life is a busy life, but it's rewarding because, unlike some office work, we can physically see what we accomplished.

Here are 6 things that happened on the farm in June.

1 | WATER AT THE PASTURE
When we bought this pasture we originally thought we would have to haul water to the cattle, then we found an old windmill which meant there was a well at one time.  The catch was if there was still water and if there was, how could we get it back into working order.  Fortunately the well wasn't dry so we have water!  Since the windmill no longer works (it's pretty ancient) the well pump is run off of a solar panel.  Cows can drink up to 30 gallons of water per day.

Our son, Colton is all about getting a good look.  I love how he can stand on the VERY tip of his toes.

2 | CALVES WERE WEANED
Before we put the cows out on the new pasture, we weaned most of the calves.  The calves are all approximately 6 months old and no longer need the cows.  These bulls, heifers, and steers get their own pasture and fed twice a day.  What a life!

3 | COWS ARE ON PASTURE
The pasture fence finally got built in June.  Since cattle prices are high, fencing companies are busy this time of year.  Having a pasture is pretty exciting for us!  It's been a couple of years since we've had a pasture for our cows.  In years past, by now these girls and guy would be being fed hay rather than grass.  Grass is high in protein and a perfect food source for a cow-calf herd.  Plus they are pretty happy to have the extra space, water, and lots of shade.  Apparently they don't care much for pictures...

4 | FIRST CUTTING OF HAY
We got our first cutting of grass hay cut and baled in June.  This will be the primary food source for our cows in the winter months.  We hope for 1-2 more cuttings yet this summer.

5 | RAIN
We got 5+ inches of rain overnight in June.  This lead to a lot of flooded fields and water over the roads.  We are fortunate that none of our crops were heavily damaged by the excessive rainfall but there are some farmers in our area who are re-planting beans.

6 | CORN WAS SIDEDRESSED
What does this mean?  It means we applied additional nitrogen to the corn.  Nitrogen is a primary macronutrient required for corn production.  Without adequate nitrogen the corn wont reach it's yield potential.  This corn in this picture is somewhere between V12 and V15 (12-15 leaf collars) but it was sidedressed when it just under half this size, V4-V6 (4-6 leaf collars).  If we didn't supply the additional Nitrogen, the lower leaves on the plants may have had a yellow appearance, indiciating this nutrient was deficient.

Notice the tree-line in the background?! You thought Iowa was flat as a pancake, didn't you??

Like I said, June was a busy month on the farm.  Stay tuned for what's to come in July!

In case you missed it, here's what happened on the farm in May.

5 Things That Happened On The Farm In May

1. THE CROP WAS PLANTED

Our corn and soybean crop was planted in early May.  It's always a good feeling to have the crop in the ground.  This corn field was planted on Sunday, May 3.  Our friend Mark (the guy in the red shirt), custom planted our crop this year. The hillside you see in the background is our new cattle pasture.  My husband (he's the guy in the orange shirt) has done a ton of work to get the pasture ready to put cows on. (More on the pasture next month.)

2. THE GARDEN IS GROWING
We my husband had so much fun gardening last year that we decided to expand the garden by a few feet this year.  We've got tomatoes, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, green beans, and peppers.

3. THE BULL WAS TURNED OUT WITH THE COWS

You know what this means?! 9 months from now baby calves will start to be born.  

4. THE CALVES ARE ON CREEP FEED

Creep feeding is how we supplement the grass and milk diet of un-weaned calves.  This feed is not available to the cows, thus the feed wagon.  Once the calves figured out what creep feed is, they love it! Plus it helps them grow.  Heifer 3068 loved the camera - she's a friendly little girl.

5. COLTON IS 11 MONTHS OLD

Our sweet and silly boy turned 11 months old this May.  Hard to believe that in less than a month we are going to be celebrating his first birthday!  He loves everything about outside and his dad!  It's important to note that I still rate at the top of his list when he's hungry, hurt, or tired. :)

I hope you've enjoyed this post!  We love our lifestyle and the hard work we, especially my husband, put in each day.  We are working even harder now that we have a family - we hope that what we build we can leave to our children some day.

My Family's Favorite Beef Recipes

May is beef month in Iowa!  We are a first-generation beef producing family.  Cattle have been my husband's hobby since long before I knew him, starting during his days in 4-H. I've also come to love having cattle - so much so that I've been know to help AI a few cows before I leave for work.  In case you're wondering, I was wearing work clothes... that's how we roll here.

For those of you who want to impress your friends with Iowa cattle facts, here you go: There are 3.9 million cattle in Iowa which makes us the 7th largest cattle producing state in the US.

Anyhow, in honor of beef month here are my family's favorite beef recipes.

RIBEYE STEAK
My husband grills an amazing ribeye steak and when we head out to a steakhouse, this is usually what we order. Sometimes, we go out for supper specifically for ribeye steaks.

ROAST
This is serious home-cooking.  Pair it with mashed potatoes and you have an hearty, filling meal.  For a great recipe, check out The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast.

BEEF STEW
Beef stew is a winter favorite.  There is something about coming in from the cold and having a warm, flavorful meal that satisfies your taste buds.

HAMBURGERS
So simple and so delicious.  It's one of the perfect summer time foods that is universally liked by all.

HOBO DINNER
Have you heard of this?  It's ground beef and vegetables of your choice (we use potatoes, carrots, and onions) sprinkled with olive oil, pepper, and seasoned salt all wrapped up in a tin foil pack and put on the grill.  This is one of our summertime go-to meals.

Enjoy.