Giveaway: God Made a Farmer's Wife

A little bit ago I found this wonderful poem on Pinterest called So God Made a Farmer's Wife. That poem let me to South Dakota blogger, writer and modern day quilter Sierra Shea.  Sierra also recently wrote a second poem called So God Made a Ranch Wife.

To celebrate all women in agriculture and Sierra's new poem she is giving away one of the poems.

"God said, "I need somebody strong enough to tamp posts and heave bales, to co-sgin a loan for half a million with steady hands, yet gentle enough to tame show steers and raise kids and calm the rancher when he's upset over high corn and lower fat cattle..." 

I can definitely relate to so many lines in this poem. Farm and ranch wives are not only an important part of the the farm or ranch, but they also have a household and often a family to tend to. 

My 8-5 is spent inside and usually behind a computer, but I love the time I spent outside working beside the boy on our farm. 

Be sure to check our Sierra's store as she is selling both of these prints. 

Below is how to enter, and if you don't have a blog just leave a comment with which of the posts would you choose.  

An InLinkz Link-up

Corral Boots and Country Outfitter Boot Giveaway

Recently in my post that told the stories of my favorite boots that I mentioned a new pair of black Corral cowboys boots that came from Country Outiffters. Country Outfitters approached me about doing a review on a pair of boots from their amazing selection. Trust me that is my own opinion. They are constantly posting pictures on Facebook all tempting us with their beautiful boots.

Originally, I picked the Luccheese Chelsea Boots. They were amazing and, too slender my foot, so they went back. My second pick was the Corral Vintage Black Python Boots. I am SO happy that these were the boots I ended up with.

Quite a few of my girlfriends own Corral boots, but this was my first pair. I am pretty sure the heifers approve of them too. 

I love the textured inlay on the boots, and although I got the more of a slender square toe, they also have a very similar pair in a pointed toe, the Corral Distressed Lizard Inlay Boot. 

But, beyond the boots being pretty, they are really comfortable. This picture was before we headed off to the National Western Stock Show. For six days I was on cement, and I still thought they were comfortable. It was also nice to wear a cute, but practical pair of boots in the barn, and then be able to wear that the same stylish pair of boots out to supper. 

Now here is the really good news. Country Outfitter is giving me a $150 gift certificate to give away! I am going to use Rafflecopter again for the contest. You've got a couple different ways to enter. Can't wait to see who wins, and what they pick. 

p.s. For those of you that are stopping by that are wondering why in the world there are cows in my pictures, my husband and I are farmers and we raise purebred cattle. Although, I love fashion and turquoise, cows are truly my number one passion.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And the winner is... Annie Culbertson! I'll be in touch soon with your gift card information.

CountryOutfitter, a retailer of Corral boots sent me these Corral Python Inlay boots to review.

Giveaway: Boot Barn Holiday Shopping Spree

Who wants to play Santa

I hope all your Christmas shopping is going great. I am getting really close to getting mine all done. Don't give me that evil eye!

Now the big question is who has boots on their Christmas list? Thanks to the Boot Barn they are going to make it a little easier for you to make either your or someone else's Christmas dreams come true with a Holiday Shopping Spree. Sounds like a pretty good way to spread some Christmas cheer.

Shyanne Daisy MayBoots

I am still loving my Shyanne boots that I got this summer however this would be another pair I would love to have in my closet. You really can't beat the price on these boots and they are really comfortable. 

I have always been a fan of Justin boots. I have two pairs that I have had for 5 plus years that I still wear multiple times a week. Plus, I love the turquoise tops on these boots. 

And you can't go wrong with Old Gringo Boots. I think this pair called Sora are beautiful. It also comes in a black version. I got a pair of Old Gringos last year for Christmas and then wore them with my wedding dress. 

Boot Barn Holiday Shopping Spree

Up for Grabs: $150 gift card to BootBarn.com

This contest is now closed. The winner is announced here.

How to enter: You must visit BootBarn.com and comment with what you would spend your gift certificate on. It doesn't have to be boots. 

For additional entries: (Please leave a comment here for each thing you have done)

Follow Crystal Cattle on Facebook 

Follow Boot Barn on Facebook 

Tweet about this giveaway (my Twitter name is @CrystalCattle)

Follow @BootBarn on twitter

Contest closes Dec. 19, and I will draw for the winner on Dec. 20. 

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting Muffins and winners announced!

Pinterest wins again.

Last night I went on a bit of a cooking binge. Made supper, pumpkin muffins and raspberry cookies. I took most of it over to the grain elevator so the guys doing harvest could have a treat. One of them asked the Boy how do you get your wife to get start cooking as soon as she gets home from these trips. The Boys response was it just happens! She likes cooking and since she can't when she is on the road she makes up for it when she gets home.

Pumpkin cupcakes are delicious. That is a fact.

The recipe I want to first share with you is a pumpkin muffin/cupcake. I have really been craving pumpkin and since this recipe only had two, I repeat two ingredients I thought they would perfect.

Ingredients needed:
1 Box of yellow cake or spice cake mix
1 Can of Pumpkin (15 oz).

Instructions:
Blend two ingredients. Put into muffin wraps and back for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. I felt like my muffins definitely needed the full 25 minutes.

As an added touch I topped my muffins with some cream cheese icing. I'll admit it, I bought store ready made icing. And it was delicious I might add. I guess this is a pretty popular Weight Watchers recipe. That means healthy right? And it was no big deal that I had two?

Now onto announcing the winners of the Boot Barn Cody James contest and the Cowgirl Crush Earrings.

Emily Writer you won yourself a pair of Cody James or Shyanne Cowboy Boots from the Boot Barn and Sara Wall you are the winner of the Cowgirl Crush earrings! Please find my email under the About tab and email me with your contact information.

Another Boot Barn Cowboy Boot Giveaway

Love these boots. 

Remember this summer when the Boot Barn graciously gave me a pair of Shyanne Boots to try out, and then we gave a pair away to the Crystal Cattle readers. Well the Boy also got a pair of cowboy boots in the deal. Meet Shyanne's brother Cody James. 

These were the Cody James Boots the Boy picked. 

As you can see the Boy went with something a little more conservative compared to my black and red flowered boots, however they have been a great pair of boots for him. The benefits the Boy tells me: 1. he likes that the square toe isn't too wide. You know how some men's boots it looks like there is a big old box on the end of their foot. This boot has slimmer square-toe. 2. Comfort - these boots were made for walking. The Boy has worn his mostly around the farm, and I have wore my Shyanne Boots on the farm, in the city and everywhere in-between. The Booy Barn has comfort figured out!

Always got to get a little dirt on your boots before they are truly broken in. 

My own Shyanne cowboy boots, the sister boot to Cody James. Got the family tree down? 

Now here is your very own chance to win a pair of Cody James or Shyanne Boots. I am trying something a little new with this Rafflecopter gadget. I did it on a friends blog and it worked pretty slick. If it crashes (it really shouldn't) I'll figure out plan B. 

OK first glitch - when it asks for your favorite boots leave that comment in my comment section. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crystal Cattle: Shyanne Cowboy Boot Giveaway

These boots are made for walking. 

I was so excited when the Boot Barn contacted me earlier this summer about their Shyanne Cowboy Boots. Not only were the styles beautiful, but they arrived just in time for them to travel across the country on my five week summer work trip.

My new boots on day one. 

I decided that I would pick something a little out of the box, and went with this black pair with the red embroidery. The Boy I think I was shocked that I didn't choose the turquoise pair. They are definitely attention getters, but would they hold up to all the time I would be spending in the barn and on concrete in our trade show booth? 

Absolutely! As you can see from the wear on my heel caps I put some miles on these boots. Hanging out in the barn and standing the majority of the day can do a number on your feet and legs. However, my Shyanne Boots held up just as well to my Justin AQHA boots, and they are considerably less money. Yes, pretty boots are important to me, but so is comfort. 

My boots almost a month and a half later. 

Now where do you fit in? Well the Boot Barn is giving me a pair of boots to giveaway! And guys feel free to enter as well because the Cody James is Shyanne's brother boot and they have those available for any of the men that win. (Did you follow that family tree of boots?)

The contest is now closed. 

To enter please leave a comment for each entry.

1. Follow Crystal Cattle and leave a comment on which boots you would select! You can see the full line of Shyanne Boots here

Extra entries

2. Follow the Boot Barn on Facebook, and then come back here and leave a comment

3. Follow Crystal Cattle on Facebook, and then come back here and leave a comment

4. Tweet about the giveaway and make sure you tag @crystalcattle, and then come back here and leave a comment

I will announce the winner on Monday, August 6, 2012

Finally just one word of caution from the Boot Barn - If for any reason the winner’s first style choice and/or size is not available at the time of this giveaway, there may be a delay in prize shipment until new stock arrives or we may ask the winner to select another style.

And the winner is!

We must really love jewelry. 

Holy cow, there were more than 100 entries in the Valentine's giveaway! I am sure you are all very anxious to find out who's Friday just got a lot better.

After quickly figuring out all the entries, and using Random.org to pick a winner, lucky #22 it was.

Hallie you are our big winner!

If you love music, fashion and Texas Hallie's blog is a great one to check out.

Can't wait to hear which of the necklaces you will be selecting. 

And this really doesn't have anything to do with the giveaway, but I was able to do a little shopping in Kansas City this week. I ran out of powder awhile ago, and have definitely noticed that my foundation isn't lasting as long throughout the day. So glad to have this MAC powder bag in my bag. It gives nice coverage, and makes you face look so smooth. Happy Friday!

Giveaway: Turquoise Statement Necklaces

That is a lot of turquoise, and I like it. 

Don't you just love finding absolutely wonderful turquoise jewelry to ooh and ahh over, or am I the only one? Etsy once again proves to be a perfect place to find amazing turquoise statement pieces. I mean just look at these necklaces from Noble House Designs.

I first saw this necklace on The Atlantic Pacific blog. This is a double layer necklace of pink spikes and blue green tear drops. Remember this Turquoise Thursday post from a couple of weeks ago - spikes are in.

Let's all say woah at the same time. This is the Turquoise Vintage II necklace. 

Now for the really good news. Noble House Designs wants to do a Valentine's Giveaway. Below are the three necklaces you will have to choose from. Which one would you pick?

They call this the TC necklace. I call this fabulous. 

And these are Noble House Design's two Valentine's Day inspired necklaces. 

Red and Pink Vintage

Magenta Necklace. The perfect way to add a pop of color. 

How to enter. 

1. You must follow the Crystal Cattle Blog and Noble House Design Blog to enter, and leave a comment on this blog saying you have. Along with who is your Valentine?

Added entries.

2. Blog about this giveaway, and leave me a comment on this post saying you have. 

3. Follow Noble House Designs on Facebook, and leave me a comment on this post saying you have. 

4. Follow Crystal Cattle on Facebook, leave me a comment on this post saying you have. 

The contest will close Friday, February 10, at 10 a.m CST. Good luck!

An Award and a Winner

Drumroll please. 

I hope you have all had a great weekend. The Boy and I have spent a ton of time at the barn working on the two Hereford heifers and bull that we will be selling at the Iowa Beef Expo next week. You can view the videos that I took of them on the JJB Cattle Co. blog.

Anyhoo, it is time to announce the winner from my Turquoise Thursday Notecard giveaway and I was nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award by Farm Chic Logic because of this post, so I have to complete a few questions.

First the winner is...

Sarah from The House that Ag Built! Be sure to check out Sarah's blog. She recently posted these delicious Mason Jar Pies! Sarah, under my About Me is my email. Shoot me your address and I'll get these in the mail for you. 

Now onto the Versatile Blogger Award Questions. Thanks you Farm Chic Logic for thinking of me!

7 Tidbits about Me

1. I love pickles, and you can find the best fried pickles at So Long's Saloon in Manhattan, KS.

2. I am a Nikon camera girl, but am now learning how to use a Canon because that is what I have for work. My goal is to be proficient with both brands.  

3. I am getting married to my best friend in 62 days and I can't wait. 

4. I get addicted to saving money. I'll still go out shopping, but I get a high from getting a deal or watching my savings account rise. 

5. I'm horrible at finishing books. I don't know how many I have started and have yet to finish. 

6. I am crazy about make-up like other girls are crazy about shoes. MAC is my favorite brand.

7. I can't stand the noise of other people clipping their nails. I can do my own just fine. 

Enjoy the last part of your weekend. And get excited about the next because I have another giveaway in store for you! 

Turquoise Thursday Note Card Giveaway

Sometimes all you need is a little turquoise. 

The Boy and I are getting a lot closer to the big day, so it is time to get a few things scratched off our list.

My dress came last week! So excited to show you all what it looks like, but you'll have to wait until April. The Boy has no idea what it looks like, and we have planned not to see each other until the ceremony.

The dress is tucked away safely at the Boy's parent's house.

I also used Shutterfly.com to finish our guest book. People will be able to sign their names around our engagement photos. Which I have to give a shootout to La Brisa Photography. Chris was amazing to work with.

I love Shutterfly because of all their coupons you are able to use. On this order alone I got 50% of photo books, $10 off for spending more than $10 and free shipping. However, to get to that free shipping I needed to add one more thing to my cart.

Anyone remember this picture from when it was my blog header?

Enter in cute turquoise notecards with one of my photos. I've got 6 of these Thank You notecards for one lucky blog reader. 

To Enter:
1. Leave a comment below and tell me who you would say thank you to with one of these notecards.
2. Follow the Crystal Cattle blog, leave a comment saying you do on this blog and I will give you an extra entry.
3. Follow Crystal Cattle on Facebook, leave a comment saying you do on this blog and I will give you an extra entry.
4. Follow Crystal Cattle on Twitter, leave a comment saying you do on this blog and I will give you an extra entry.

The giveaway will close Saturday, February 4, 2012.  

And the winner is...

Drumroll please. 

First of all thank you to everyone who voted in the Best of the Barns Awards. Purple Banner Designs and I greatly appreciate your votes. The voting wouldn't close until the end of the month, so if you missed out there is still time.

Now for the important part the winner of the $35 gift certificate from Purple Banner Designs is...

Congrats Hayley, we'll be in touch soon. 

And don't forget Purple Banner Designs is a great place to do your Christmas shopping. Just make sure to have your orders in by November 26 to receive in time for Christmas. 

Best of the Barns Giveaway

Vote and Win! 

Hello lovely, super, amazing followers. Why the extra sugar, well I have a favor to ask, but don't worry you'll there is a goody in return!

This week the second Best of the Barns nominations are up and I am up for three awards! Best Cattle Blog, Best Show Cattle Social Media Poster, and Ag Advocate of the Year. It is always exciting to see your name list amongst people that you respect. You have until the end of the month to cast your vote, and you are not required to vote in every category, but you do have to leave your email at the end of the survey.

Now here is the fun part. Some of my friends like Star Lake Cattle Ranch, Purple Banner Designs, Butler Livestock Judging Team, DRIVE and Southern Jewlz are also nominated!

She does horses too! 

Today we are going to feature Bethany of Purple Banner Designs. I LOVE Bethany's designs and have featured her on the blog many times. She custom makes tons of different baby items, kids clothes and these stuff cows called Stockyard Friends (totally want one of these for Christmas)!

Bethany is donating a $35 gift certificate to the Purple Banner Designs store.

Bethany has done bibs for me to give as baby gifts. 

You can also read about the custom nursery bedding she did for my good friend Robyn. You can not believe how soft that brown fabric is that is in the picture. 

I wonder if I can convince Bethany to make me one of these cow stocking hats in big kid sizes! 

Now for the important part how to enter. 

1. You must visit www.bestofthebarns.com and cast your vote, and then come back here and leave a comment saying you did 

www.bestofthebarns.com

For extra entries

2. Follow Crystal Cattle's blog and leave a comment saying you do

3. Follow Purple Banner Designs and leave a comment saying you do

4. Tweet about this contest, include the hashtag #bestofthebarns and leave a comment saying you did

5. Blog about this contest and leave a comment saying you did

6. Post about this contest on your Facebook page and leave a comment saying you did

Good luck to everyone. We'll draw for a winner at noon, on Monday, November 7. 

Canvas Print Giveaway from Canvas Stock

In the giving spirit.

It's time to reveal the secret. The Farmer's Trophy Wife and I are teaming up with  Canvas Stock for an awesome giveaway. Up for grabs is a 20x30 canvas print of one of my photography images.

As The Farmer's Trophy Wife says "That way all you darlings that are in the city, but have true country hearts, can bring a little farm/western into your home! And those of us who are lucky enough to live in the country have a little piece to bring inside and enjoy!"

The winner will be able to select from these five images.

We have a ton of ways to enter, but you have to follow the instructions carefully as all the entering needs to be done on The Farmer's Trophy Wife's blog.

1. Head on over to Canvas Stock and check out their new website. Then head over to Farmer's Trophy Wife's blog and leave a comment what feature of their website you like best. 

2. Follow my blog and leave a on the Farmer's Trophy Wife's blog saying you do 

3. Follow the Farmer's Trophy Wife's blog and leave a comment on her blog saying you do

4. Follow Crystal Cattle or the Farmer's Trophy Wife's on Facebook and leave a comment on her blog saying you do

5. Tweet, facebook or blog about this giveaway and eave a on the Farmer's Trophy Wife's blog saying you did

The contest will end Friday, September 2, 2011 at midnight, and we'll announce the winner on Monday. And don't worry there is something for those that don't take home the big prize. On Monday we'll have a 30% off coupon code to purchase your own print for Canvas Stock.

Happy Tuesday! 

The giveaways keep rolling in

And the winner is...

Congrats Robyn! Be sure to look under the About tab for my email address and send me a message. Also, check out Robyn's blog at The Ranch Wife Chronicles. I can see why Robyn wants to select the "sheep" shirt. Robyn's family has started a new sheep adventure and will be showing some Southdown Sheep at the Nebraska State Fair. 

Now for those none winners, The Farmer's Trophy Wife and I have something up our sleeve. We'll make the announcement tomorrow, but visit her blog today for a clue of what we are giving away.

I have a ton to tell you about my fabulous weekend with the Boy in Iowa. Stay tuned this week for lots of photos and posts. 

New Company - New Giveaway

Middle of the Week 

Well, it's Wednesday and that means we need something to get us through the last few days before the weekend hits. I am headed to Iowa this weekend. Picking up a bridesmaid dress, checking out a Hereford bull and looking at a new (new to us) stock trailer, and spending some time with the Boy's family are in the weekend plans. 

But first, let's do another giveaway. This time from Hot Iron Branded, a new western clothing company that specializes in shirts for "haulers" - barrel racers, cutters and livestock competitors. 

Up for grabs is their "Queen of the Ring" shirt that comes in a show hog, steer or lamb version. 

To enter:

1. Be a followers of the Crystal Cattle blog - and leave a comment on this blog saying you are

2. Follow Hot Iron on Facebook - and leave a comment on this blog saying you are

Be sure to also tell me what shirt you would pick! 

The contest will close Saturday, August 27 at noon central. Good luck!

And the winner is!

Thank you so much to everyone that entered our giveaway, and keep coming back because I have something else up my sleeve. Now to the good part...

The winner is City Life to Ranching Wife! Congrats. Please send me an email. My contact information is under my About tab, and we'll get your bag in the mail.

Also, to my readers City Life to Ranching Wife is a great blog that I happen to already follow. She talks about being raised in the city and now living in the country and raising sheep.

Hope you all have a fantastic day!