Messy Kennedy

Cast Iron 101 from a Yankee

I am from Michigan. Growing up I always saw cast iron as a trait of southern family cooking. I still believe that but since then I have realized it’s not just a southern thing. Cast iron lovers are everywhere. Being obsessed with watching cooking on television, I decided to try a cast iron pan. The word try and cast iron aren’t good together. I learned this the hard way. That usually means you’re going to wing it. Winging it equals an unhappy cook and a pan that everything is sticking to. Often people who have a family history of cast… Read More

I Do Not Hate my Post Baby Body, So Stop Trying to Make Me

I am four months postpartum. Am I bigger than I used to be? Definitely. Do I still have a belly? You betcha. Do I have stretch marks? For sure. Do my pre-baby pants not fit real well? You know it. But you know what? My body did something amazing. It grew a beautiful, wonderful baby girl. It then pushed that baby out. And now it is sustaining and feeding said baby. My body is amazing, not something that needs work. Am I going to the beach and wear a sexy, two piece swimsuit? Negative. But I don’t hate my post baby… Read More

Most Useful Baby Products: Newborn Edition

Tiny humans require a lot of stuff. In reality, they don’t really need all of that stuff, but some of it is really nice. As a first time mom, I know how hard it is to know what you really need and what you can wait on. Today I wanted to share my picks for those things I used all the time with my newborn. Keep in mind, a lot of these things aren’t huge or expensive but they made our lives so much easier. We had a winter baby and having a winter baby includes a few extra challenges…. Read More

Calving Season at G & G Cattle Company

My friend Lindsay from For the Love of Cattle volunteered to write a blog post about calving season on her and her husbands cow-calf beef operation. I was so excited because I love cow-calf operations and I can’t learn enough about them. Make sure you follow along on her blog and enjoy this blog post she is sharing on here today. Thanks again to Lindsay for the post and the pictures. We are deep into calving season here on the farm and while this is always an exciting time of year it also comes with its fair share of… Read More

Roast Chili: Leftovers Remade

Being a beef farmer, we regularly get a new freezer full of yummy, wholesome beef raised on our farm. One of the things I struggle with using up is the roasts. I have always liked roasts but my husband isn’t the biggest fan of them so I don’t make them often. This past summer we ran out of ground beef for a while and I refused to buy it from the store. Not that I doubt the quality or safety of the meat in the store, I swear I do not. I decided to challenge myself to see what kind… Read More

A Letter to My Daughter: A #MothersPromise

I was compensated for the #motherspromise campaign. However, the opinions are all my own and my love of Pampers is completely unrelated to this campaign and began the day my daughter was born. Dear Calli, After trying so hard to have you, I knew we would love every second of being a parent. What I couldn’t imagine is how much I would instantly love you. The strength of my love for you is something I cannot describe. I have to admit I love being a mother more than I could have imagined. This is the most challenging, yet the most… Read More

Spring on the Farm

Spring on the farm is my favorite season. Winter is slowly being put behind us and all the promise of summer is ahead. This winter I was cooped up in the house so I am itching to get back outside and working on the farm. I have been trying to get outside at least a few days a week. It’s strange that although things are mostly the same, they are also different. It’s all the little things. I don’t know every single cow in the barn and most of their history. I don’t know each and every detail of what… Read More

All About Maple Syrup

This is my final maternity leave post. A big shout out to my friend Myla who eloped me out with two posts. This post is so appropriate because maple syrup season is just starting here in Michigan! In my work as a county agricultural literacy coordinator, I come up with monthly lessons to help educate students in schools and at after-school programs about agriculture. I’ve done programs teaching about topics like corn, cows, pigs, the water cycle and soils. This winter I was itching to diversify and thought talking about how maple syrup would be a fun lesson! In any… Read More