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The Utensil Drawer

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08/28/2026

Spent a beautiful evening out at Mustard Seed Community Farm learning about corn, processing and nixtamalization (the process of cooking and soaking corn in an alkaline solution which makes niacin available for absorption).

We made our own tortillas, had tacos de sal, and toasted to the delicious food we made and the incredible crop that corn is.

Forever learning is the only way I want to be ❤️

08/25/2026

Ten years of back to school pictures for myself and this year’s are my favorites. This year’s are extra special because I start this year with a portion of my role solely dedicated to being our district’s Farm to School Coordinator. A dream we’ve been working and building towards for years is in motion, making authentic learning about food, nutrition, and agriculture come alive for our students.

Noah gave us some pretty awesome winks yesterday too, starting the day with a rainbow and hatching one of our butterflies that’s been on our counter by the end of the day. ❤️

08/17/2026

Just a few of the latest ferments, pickles, and preserves ❤️

Lacto-fermented salsa
Aronia berry kombucha
Lacto-fermented carrots, beets, and cauliflower
Peach basil and peach ginger kombucha + canned Missouri peaches for winter
Pickled beets and dilly beans
Not pictured: my peach shrub that is nearly done fermenting :)

08/12/2026

Harvested my second round of carrots last night. This variety (Little Finger) is special, though. When I first decided that we would plant something each year to celebrate Noah’s angelversary, this was what we planted.

That first year the carrots were planted in a pot with no drainage, so they flooded and then froze, yielding nothing. But then the next year came, and we got a different pot and we actually grew carrots. And the next years came, and bit by bit, we got better. Much in the same way that the floods of sadness have subsided as we learned to celebrate Noah and be grateful for all that the path of growing food to honor him has brought us: purpose, joy, connection, and a chance to say his name with each delivery of vegetables to the food pantry.

So if I am forever the carrot lady, I’m really okay with that. ❤️

07/14/2026

15 years ago I had my last fair judging as a 4-H’er, and today, our daughter had her third Clover Kids showcase day. She was so proud of her poster about her stuffed animals and her crocheted mini baby blanket.

Iowa 4-H has been such a fundamental part of my own life, bringing me friends, experiences, and even my career. I grew as a person, cultivated skills that set me apart, and found my passion for food. I can only hope that as our girls experience this program they can find the joy that I did. ❤️

4-H

06/22/2026

So incredibly proud of this girl for participating in the Rineharts Family Farm Kids Market! She decided on her product line, found ideas, and executed each of them in her own way. I may have helped with the sign and supplying a few plants, but she took ownership and made this something she was proud of.

And of course, Noah gave us a little angel wink with a sunbeam right through the picture of his sisters ❤️

06/15/2026

Got to spend Thursday and Friday in Waterloo learning all things school gardens and food systems at the Iowa Farm and Food Conference! I am always so excited to share time together with so many incredible people from across the food system in Iowa and this year, I was able to share this experience with a couple of my colleagues from work.

Tommy, the executive director of the Iowa Food System Coalition said it best: We have the collective power to move from what is, to what if, to why not. It is our time to make change and make delicious, locally grown, and accessible food a part of everyone’s plates in Iowa. I’ll be doing my part to make sure that kids see it in school and that my daughters will grow up loving the food they eat and the people who produce it. ❤️

05/28/2026

Let me be like the sunflower.
Let my face glow in the evening sun,
Feeling its warmth.
Let me stand tall,
With feet rooted firmly in what I believe.
Let me sway with the wind,
So I may bend with life’s challenges.
Let me spread seeds of joy
To nourish those I encounter.
Let me pose with arms outstretched,
Waiting to embrace what’s next.

05/26/2026

Sometimes kids say the best things.

Tonight, as I told our older daughter the story of the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) and how I am going to plant our corn that way, she stopped me and said, “Oh, three sisters. Just like you have 3 kids: me, Noah, and Emma.”

That one small thing is everything. ❤️

05/04/2026

Today on International Bereaved Mother’s Day, I thought I might share a few thoughts wrote after a mom’s group last week:

At the group, we talked about seeing loss as a gift. We talk about what we have gained in the face of losing a child: empathy, compassion, and more.

I would not be the person I am today without the loss of Noah. While I would do anything to have him here with us as part of our family, I know so many things may have never happened:

I may have never planted a plot at the community garden started in 2020,

Never would have joined with others to create a non-profit to continue the cause in our town,

Never would have purchased the lot we own that houses Noah’s garden,

Never would have dived head first into building a Farm to School program that is loved by so many,

Never would have had the courage to put myself out there and start helping others grow their outdoor spaces.

So much has grown out of this incredibly hard experience, but I can see now that this has been a gift. That good can truly come from this grief.

I do all of this work with my whole self. It’s not just a goal or the next thing on a checklist. It is deeply intertwined with who I am and why I want to exist on this planet. It is what propels me forward each day. After 7 years, I can see the beauty in being broken and put back together again, slightly different and missing a piece, much like the flower pot that sits on Noah’s shelf. I can confidently say, I am a better person because of Noah. ❤️

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