Karina Jones

If you have young kids like we do, this month becomes a busy blurr! Christmas programs at church and at school. Christmas parties in classrooms and with various groups and clubs. Add in the usual chores around the ranch and the fact that we start kidding 4-H goats this month and it all piles up fast! But, as the song says, “Its the most wonderful time of the year!”

Was everyone ready to get back into the daily grind routine? I know I had some girls that weren’t exactly thrilled about getting on the school bus. If there is one thing that this long holiday weekend on the ranch created, it was an appetite! Are there any other big breakfast eating families out there? From the time my kids were babies, I swear they consume 75% of their calories before 11 a.m. Our girls have just always been BIG breakfast eaters, which they get from their dad. I am happy with drinking a pot of coffee for my breakfast most days.

My oldest daughter and I did take a short trip down the road for a cattle show. We will only be gone for the day. The only thing I plan on buying today on Black Friday is some cattle show supplies and some super nachos at the show. So, I guess our day should be more appropriately named “Hereford Friday” instead of Black Friday, get it?!?!

Karina Jones is a real-life ranch wife in the Nebraska Sandhills and one of the most highly sought-after speakers in the cattle industry nationwide!

I think that it is natural for consumers to automatically think that they farmers and ranchers must be living “high on the hog”, no pun intended. But really that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Last week our kindergartener had a show and tell assignment where the kids were asked to bring something that they were thankful for and they must be ready to tell the class 3 things about that item. When I asked our kindergartener what she was going to take, without skipping a beat she said she was going to take her cowgirl hat. I thought, hmmm, that is interesting. So I asked her why choose her cowgirl hat? She said because I am so thankful that God made me a cowgirl.

Last week our kindergartener had a show and tell assignment where the kids were asked to bring something that they were thankful for and they must be ready to tell the class 3 things about that item. When I asked our kindergartener what she was going to take, without skipping a beat she said she was going to take her cowgirl hat. I thought, hmmm, that is interesting. So I asked her why choose her cowgirl hat? She said because I am so thankful that God made me a cowgirl.

Tonight our girls have their 4-H Achievement Night to wrap up their 4-H year. Then this weekend we have some fence that needs put up around cornstalks so we better take advantage of the decent weather while it is holding out. There are never enough hours of daylight and honestly, we know that we will just end up working in the dark this time of year.

When you are a rancher, you are married to this life, in sickness and in health. There are no “sick days” to call in. Just days where I may not move as swiftly as others.