The Utensil Drawer

10/14/2026

Real learning happens when you get in the dirt 🌱❤️

10/09/2026

10/06/2026

Pride. Responsibility. Patience.

This is learning that goes deeper, beyond core science standards, reading, and writing. This is learning that builds humans who can be the best humans they can be. ❤️

10/05/2026

Getting to witness the elation from the students as they watched the butterflies fly away was pretty special. I will forever advocate that farm to school and outdoor learning is the best kind of learning. ❤️

10/05/2026

The pure joy they have is absolutely infectious! ❤️

10/01/2026

This is such a special day each year. I'm so grateful to work for a district that has embraced Farm to School as an important part of our student's experience from the classroom to the cafeteria.

Thank you to our producers for putting in the long hours and hard work to grow, raise, and produce this food:
GLC Beef
Sno Pac Foods
Sustainable Sanctuary
A&T Farms, Inc.
TrueFood
Farmers Bootleg Products

And a special thanks to our food hubs Iowa Food Hub, Farmtable Procurement & Delivery, and Bob with Kitchen Sync Strategies for all the behind the scenes work and for pulling off an incredible 18 site delivery - a huge leap forward for the Iowa local food system. These partnerships are what make this work so special. ❤

Iowa Food System Coalition

09/22/2026

Loving seeing our little scientists grow their curiosity and joy around these little creatures we hold so near to our hearts. Taking observations of the literal butterfly sanctuary of 12 (yes, 12) swallowtail butterflies on our kitchen counter right now, tagging monarchs, hearing the yelps of happiness when one of last two monarchs we have hatches within minutes of when we last looked at it. It really solidifies why I work so every kid gets to experience this kind of tangible learning. ❤️

09/15/2026

Forever catching and releasing butterflies to feel a little closer to our angel. This one hatched a little battered, but I like to think of it as a metaphor for the new people we have become as a result of loss. We might be a little beat up, but there is something beautiful that has emerged in each of us that holds its own beauty. ❤️

09/11/2026

We said good bye to a very special lady today. G was the rock to my husband and his siblings growing up. I’ve heard so many stories about how she was there in ways big and small, visible and invisible.

I only had the privilege of knowing G for the last 15 years, but she came at a time that was special. She was the grandma to the grown-up version of myself after all of my own grandparents were gone. She showed me what it means to care for your family and the people around you.

I’ll forever remember sitting across from her at her house, her in her recliner, me on the cushioned bench. First it was next to my husband and then next to our children as they came along. She watched us date, get engaged and married, and watched our family grow.

At Easter last year, she showed me a ring she wore each day with wings and two little footprints for Noah. She held him in her heart, and now she gets to hold him in her arms. Thank you for all the love, G. Hold him tight until we get there ❤️

09/03/2026

I took some time today to visit the Farm Progress show on the chance that I might find something interesting. While I made a few connections, one person stood out. A mom named Deborah Whitaker. Her son, Dustin, served in the National Guard, but was tragically killed in an accident. She found healing in gardening and now wants others to share in that joy. Her organization, Seeds of Honor, has been working to establish Veterans Gardens across the country and she is connecting veterans in communities with food and gardening to support their healing in their civilian life.

Our stories of loss are very different, but for those moments that we spoke that didn’t matter. We connected over a shared love of gardening, our sons, and the hope that we can bring good into this world through our own grief journeys. ❤️

You can read more about Deborah and Dustin here: https://agupdate.com/illinoisfarmertoday/news/state-and-regional/article_3294b832-7e53-11ee-9fb3-f7973e9bdb8c.html