Fall Beauty Swap

First off, I am so sorry things have been quiet on here. I forgot my password (silly blond moment I know) Today I by chance remembered it and bam i am BAACCCK!!!

Anyway, So for this round of Beauty Swap put on by the fabulous Crystal over at Crystal Cattle, I was paired with Brandi Lang from Iowa. She is a nurse just like my mother so we bonded over that and beauty talk! The awesome box of goodies she sent me were as follows

1. ULTA Body Lotion

I will admit right now that ULTA is one of my guilty pleasures, and also with the days getting colder this was a welcome surprise! and it smells wonderful

2.Pixi Pretty Pink tinted lip balm

I love bright pink lip colors and this was a perfect lip balm, i go through lip balm in the winter so this was wonderful to find in the box. It also looks pretty on me without making me look washed out as many bright lipsticks tend to do

I also received another lip gloss though I cannot remember the name of it right now, I haven't tried it yet but i will be soon

NYX eye pencil

I have never tried this brand of eye liner, i am mostly an Urban Decay eyeliner girl but I can't wait to try this!



For those who have never done the beauty swap, what are you waiting for? Go follow Crystal at Crystal Cattle and sign up for the next one! you get to make a new friend and discover new products!



I have a lot of posts coming up now that my blog is back up and running and the password has changed to something I can remember!

Happy Fall!

Spring Beauty Swap

First off, I know I am a bit behind in my blogging, but for the past 8 weeks I have been plagued with one health issue after the other and am just now getting back into the swing of life and in turn have a huge 'to do' list.

This was my third time doing this Beauty Swap put on by a fellow Agvocate blogger, Crystal Cattle and I can honestly say that this is the best idea anyone has ever had. I have been able to try new products that I probably would not have bought on my own and have made new friends and connections along the way.

My swap partner this time was Tana from Montana. Tana is a ranch wife who helps run a cattle ranch, blogger, and busy mom of 2 children. I enjoyed getting to know her and see pictures of her ranch and cattle via Instagram. On a day when I was feeling particularly lousy, I received a box from her containing the following products (and some chocolate Easter eggs too)

1. Covergirl BB cream, I have always been curious about BB cream since it is an all in one product foundation, moisturizer, and sunscreen. Sometimes I don't feel like putting on separate products so this will be great for days like this.

2. A new make up bag, this was VERY much needed

3. EOS lip gloss in Strawberry Sorbet, I have been wanting to try the EOS lip glosses since their hand cream is amazing and plus it is organic too.

4. A manicure kit, perfect since I am starting nail tech classes soon, also some turquoise nail polish too!

5. JR Watkins hand cream, this is the same brand of products that my great grandmother and grandmother's used back in the day. I can't wait to try it.

Also some assorted samples from Mary Kay.

And last but not least, pink lip gloss from Bare Minerals, I love all of the products from this line but I have never tried their line of lip colors before. I LOVE IT!!!!


Thanks once again Crystal for thinking up this great idea, I have been able to try out all sorts of great products thanks to these swaps and make new connections in the process. Looking forward to the next one although I am afraid I will have to build a bigger area to store all of the new products that I get, haha!!

Range War in Nevada

*Warning, this post contains controversial material that may provoke hard feelings and anger. Please do not comment or message me anything negative or you will be blocked!*



I have just recently learned about a family in Nevada, that is basically having their ranch taken away in a sense. Now having lived in Nevada for almost a year, I came to like this state and wished I could have seen more of it, in the short time that I lived there.


Apparently this all started 20 yrs ago in '93 when the Nevada BLM changed people's grazing allotment rules due to an endangered tortoise which is usually the issue where grazing allotments are concerned, not just the tortoise but bird, rabbit, bear, you name it. I personally witnessed this in 2001 when water was shut off to Klamath farmers due to an endangered fish and every year it has been an issue although both sides seem to be settling down.

The rancher, in protest refused to pay his grazing fees and has been battling the BLM since then over allowing his cattle to graze where said tortoise was habituating. I doubt very much that tortoises and cattle bother each other and can co-habituate just fine.

So why are we hearing this almost 21 yrs later?

I have been reading posts on social media and from what I can gather is, that there are armed Feds involved and they are seizing the cattle, using 'contract cowboys' to round them up, and selling them at auction. I do believe a son was arrested as well just for standing up for his father, his cattle, and his way of life basically. In my opinion that is really uncalled for, a waste of tax payer money, do the Feds really think this guy has bombs or loads of weapons or something?

Armed Feds, really? are we dealing with a Waco like situation? (I know very little about the Waco deal and know it was totally different deal and I was a small child when that happened too) why do they feel the need to intimidate this family and their neighbors???

So why would a girl from Oregon who only spent a year in Nevada, give a hoot? after I am not involved nor really know what is going on.

The answer is simple, as an 'Agvocate' (Advocate for Agriculture) and a supporter of ranchers and farmers in general, I feel that what our government is doing to this rancher is uncalled for, and what is really scary is that they can do this anywhere. Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Florida, anywhere in the country. What will happen to our range lands and our right to ranch and raise cattle? will our beef have to be imported from Canada or other countries?

How long are we going to let the enviro bullies continue to step all over us? when will someone finally say "enough is enough"? I wish I had answers to that.

What I do believe is that be it cowboy, buckaroo, or whatever you call yourself, is a strong breed and probably won't be disappearing anytime soon. However, I do believe that it is time to stand up to these bullies that are supposed to be 'protecting' and 'helping' us.

In closing, I would like to say that this family is in my prayers and thoughts. My heart hurts for them, as for the ranching community as a whole. BUT, I do know that we as a group will get through this as we have for 100s of years before.

In the words of the 'Buckaroogirl' "Don't underestimate the man who feeds the land"

National Ag Day!!!

Happy National Ag Day everyone! today is not only a day to celebrate agriculture but also take time to thank our farmers and ranchers. Without them we don't eat, have clothing, or the other things that we have become acustomed to. Almost everything starts on a farm.

With that in mind, here are some fun facts that I ran across that I want to share with you!

97% of farms and ranches are family owned

There are more than 1 million US cattle ranches and farmers

Farmlands include more than crops and animals, it also includes open space, wildlife habitat, and wetlands. So not only does it benefit our wildlife friends, it also benefits the environment as well.

There are half as many farms and ranches in the USA as there were in 1960, the population has doubled since then.


If you have any facts you'd like to add, just let me know! :)

No FFA, No future?

I have been following via social media that California wants to cut off funding for agriculture education programs in their schools. Even though I don't live in California, I live about 10 miles from the Northern California border and am familiar with the small town FFA chapters around through my travels and fairs that I have attended in Siskiyou and and Modoc counties which include the Siskiyou Golden Fair in Yreka CA and Tulelake/Butte Valley fair in Tulelake CA which is about 2 hrs from where I currently live.

So why is this sticking in my craw because I don't live in California and therefore shouldn't be concerned about it??

Very simple, I was an FFA member at Phoenix High School in Phoenix, Oregon (yes there is such a place) before I switched schools and joined, I was on the verge of dropping out of my old high school because I was bullied and really school at the time didn't interest me. Hard to believe now, but it is true.

I switched schools and joined FFA after finding out what it was all about and since I had been riding horses and interested in livestock for years, I joined up and never looked back!

During my years as an FFA member, I saw many places that I'd thought I'd never see (I mean i would have never saw Kentucky or the South any other way if I hadn't gone to National Convention in 2003) I learned how to work as a team with my fellow members, and a lot more about agriculture. Needless to say, the urge to drop out of school went away!

Most important, it helped me discover that agriculture was the career path that I wanted to follow after I got out of high school. After graduation in 2004, I headed to the East Side of Oregon a spitting distance away from the Idaho border to attend college at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario Oregon which among other things, is a big agricultural community and also the alma mater of both of my parents!

I spent about 4 yrs attending college and despite a few minor set backs, graduated in 2010 with a degree in Ranch Management.

The point I am trying to make here is that Agriculture Education programs are important for our future of agriculture, if we are going to feed the world then we need a lot more hands to help. It also bridges the gap between rural and urban, educating kids who think milk comes from Walmart. Among these things, it also teaches public speaking which is vital if you are going to go out into the world of work.

Yes, drama club, chess club, and sports programs are important too, I too was in choir and on the dance team. But how are we going to build more hands to help feed the world without Agriculture Education? without 4-H and FFA programs it will be next to impossible in my opinion. It also gives farm kids a place to gather where they feel safe from judgement and misunderstanding from the more 'urban' groups at school.


So, please California and other states, keep these programs in our schools. Our future depends on it.

Me in the Blue Jacket, 2004!

Why a new blog?

If you are reading this then you're in the right place, you probably are familiar with my other blog "Tales from The Sagebrush" which is where I write and share cowboy poetry and stories. Since that one is sort of related to poetry and poetry related things, I decided to start another blog for other things that are of interest to me and probably to the agriculture community as well. There will also be snippets about non ag related things such as make up, yes people ranch girls DO wear make up!

Why agriculture issues, aren't there enough blogs out there dedicated to that?

Well yes, but I think there need to be more out there. As ranchers and farmers, we have a duty to educate the public aka town and city folks about what we do to keep them fed and clothed. there is so much misinformation in the media and I feel that if it comes straight from the horse's mouth, then people may take a second look. People really are interested in ranching and farming even though it doesn't seem like it sometimes.


So, no more cowboy poetry?

Of course not, I will still keep up 'Tales From The Sagebrush'



Do you even know what you're talking about?

Yes, I do. If I don't know the answer to something, I usually know someone or can find something that does.


My background?

I have an Associates degree in Agriculture emphasising on Ranch Management, I have lived in Eastern Oregon which produces the Spanish Sweet onion, as well as potatoes and sugar beets. My father actually worked in the fields back before I was even heard of or even thought of, I always remember him telling me stories about it. When we'd go visit my grandparents in Nyssa Oregon, my dad and I usually brought home a sugar beet for me to take to class and tell my classmates all about it!

I also worked on a ranch in high school, and again in 2009 near Emmett Idaho only that ranch produced organic beef so I learned about the whole 'organic' deal but that is another story for another day!

I am a huge supporter of FFA and was also a member in high school, recently I have begun helping the new crop of kids in my old FFA chapter as an FFA Alumni member. I started this in 2012 at another high school in the town I was living in at the time and loved it!

And of course, I am a cowboy poet, musician, lover of vintage things, and well make up!!




Hopefully I will be getting this blog up and running with some interesting tidbits and information and I hope people read, learn, and enjoy!