recuerdos de infancia: Oliver y Benji

When we were little there was some tv that we had to watch, this series "Campeones" starring Oliver and Benji (in Japanese: Captain Tsubasa) was a huge hit in Spain, we loved it. I wish I could get it for the boys....

Heart Z Ranch, Crawfordsville Oregon.

Last weekend we went to Crawfordsville, there is so much to see on the way! I was happy to not be driving so I could hang my camera out the window for some shots off of Peoria Road. It is so pretty.



Lazy M Ranch is Brad's Grandparents ranch. His uncle John does most of the ranch stuff now though. It is really fun to go out there with the boys.




Why does food always taste better in the country? Well I think it is because you work for it!

After a good lunch we went to 'help' Uncle John load some cattle at Heart Z Ranch. He bought some little Holsteins for a friend. They are about 6 months old here.











I learned some things when we went to the ranch. Holsteins are not the kind of cows a rancher wants to buy, they are cheap and dairy cows...but are only good for hamburger meat. I didn't know that, maybe you did. Brad's uncle bought them for the lady who is on the fence in the pictures. She wants them to train stock dogs, which are dogs who herd cattle.

Info bit number two is that not all bulls have horns, and some cows have horns!Yea, Mr. Heart Z Rancher thought I was joking when I was astounded that that "black cow" in with the babes was a bull."Well, hey! I grew up in Spain, man where no bull would be caught dead without horns!" I told him, he laughed and said that many Mexican cattle have horns too, but that most American ranchers opt to breed it out, or dehorn babies- since horns can be pretty dangerous to people and to the other cattle. Every time I go I learn more, I love the whole thing.

Thanks Uncle John, it is always fun to 'hang out' and learn from you! Oh, and he gave us some Tenderloin Steaks- yes, we are vegetarians but, only fair weather veggies as we are always willing to make exceptions. Especially for tenderloin from Knee Deep Cattle Company it is Free Range Beef, Born and raised on Oregon's lush green pastures. No added Antibiotics or Hormones. (a company based out of Eugene, Oregon!) He also gave us jerky from Knee Deep Cattle Company- the owner of the company is in the pictures above in the blue hat on the fence. She warned us, " make sure you refrigerate the jerky after opening it, as we don't use any preservatives!" I just had to laugh. " You know this will be gone before we get home, right?" I asked. "Well good!" she answered smiling.

We all worked hard, and the boys were certainly ready for some good rest at the end of the busy day.

I would love to live in the country. And I love jerky. I love Oregon.

No-knead Sourdough Bread Recipe

I am in love with a website I have found recently, Breadtopia: For the love of bread.
I have made several of Eric Rusch's recipes, and since I am a sourdough fanatic (not really the sourdough taste but I love the idea of having it live and not buy active yeast!!)

I don't want to snag the whole recipe, so for this delicious bread you need to go to
Breadtopia: Sourdough No Knead Method
I add in 2-3 teaspoons of Baking soda to get rid of some of the acidity and sourdough taste. I know some people love the strong taste, but for me it is a little too sour.

Tonight I am making Breadtopia's Sourdough Pizza recipe. I'll let you know how it goes!

In the middle of the read-a-thon!!

Would you like to see the torture and fun of the read-a-thon??
I am in the middle in it right now! It started at 5am PST.
Updates will not come on this blog though, go to B&b ex libris to keep track (if you are interested). I will be doing updates every 3 hours or so!! Comment if you'd like...I'd love to hear how crazy you think this is. It really is nuts I have no doubts about that. HA!

Susan Boyle: I dreamed a dream.

Susan Boyle- the little gem of Blackburn, Scotland has made me cry every time I watch her. It is her voice, her song, the critics skepticism and her heart. I don't jump on bandwagons that easily but this is a bandwagon I ran too, not able to stop myself. You have to check it out, check out her performance, they mock her, and Simon rolls his eyes at her, asks her her age and they scoff - then they watch her sing and their mouths drop, not even Simon in all his grouchiness can stop grinning- she is outstanding!!

Britain's Got Talent Susan Boyle performance (you MUST see it!):

EMBED-Susan Boyle Stuns Crowd with Epic Singing - Watch more free videos

These are two interviews with CBS after:


Watch CBS Videos Online

For me her song has really struck a chord, I don't really know how or why other than she definitely has emotion behind her words. Personally I don't care about the show, I don't care about the winner- I stopped watching American Idol a while ago, they only want teen idols who fit the mold. This gal, Susan Boyle breaks the mold in every which way. I am rooting for you Susan! :)

Linen, Wool, Cotton (& handmade giveaway!)

Linen, Wool, Cotton
25 simple projects to sew with natural fabrics
by Akiko Mano
112 pages
Craft, Sewing, Simple style
Trumpeter Books
14, April 2009

Akiko Mano's soft and subdued style is simple yet outstanding in quality, approach and design. Linen, Wool, Cotton is a dream for the practical person who enjoys crafts that people will actually use. The simplicity of her patterns is so pretty and speaks though its calmness. Akiko Mano's designs will allow even the insure crafter to create things that many will enjoy. The projects range from wool slippers, aprons, a muffler, lightweight fruit bags, a lingerie case, hot water bottle cover, duvet cover and beyond. Linen, Wool, Cotton is sectioned off into chapters by material choice, beginning with Linen, followed by Wool and finally Cotton. Akiko's patterns are easy to follow and minimalist in their approach, and that is a bonus, since that makes them quick to complete as well, having only an average of 4 steps per pattern.

Linen, Wool, Cotton by Akiko Mano is part of the Japanese Crafts Style books also known as Make Good: Crafts + Life, a group of books believing in the goal to simplify life. This approach makes it its goal to take pleasure in the beautiful things that are so perfect in their minimalistic appeal.

So how did I like this book? I loved it. I enjoy being crafty, but I want the things I make to be used and not just dusted. This is a book for a person like me, and I am thrilled that there are so many patterns in Linen, Wool, Cotton that are calling my name (quite loudly I might add). I have already dived in, and created the lunch bags, they were just too cool to not make. I was worried at first because usually patterns seem to have way too many impractical steps and I have a hard time wanting to follow along. I had no problem with listening to Akiko at all. The lunch bag pattern (p. 96) was just perfect and simple and had fluff, just the real stuff. I know for sure that I am going to make several other patterns, the Sweets Mat (p. 90) looks like the next one I'll try. And the Fruit Bags (p. 37) made out of cheesecloth would be perfect for veggies at the Saturday Farmer's Market as they don't way anything and are completely reusable! Yeah, so anyway I am hooked. I recommend Linen, Wool, Cotton by Akiko Mano with no reservations at all.


The Handmade Giveaway:
I spent part of the day making two Lunch Bags (p. 96) from this book for you! I really hope that my work pays off, and that you are as excited as I am about this! I can't wait!

Description:
Tired of bringing your lunch with you in a paper sack or plastic bag? Oh, well when you see these you will be! And remember really cool lunch bags are not just for kids. "The handles are an extension of the main part of this bag, which you can use to easily tie the bag closed. The bag is also reversible" (Linen, Wool, Cotton, p.96) The solid coloured material is a canvas type thick cotton, and the stripped and polka-dotted fabrics are a thin softer cotton. And yes, both bags are completely reversible!

Here are the two lunch bags I made, you can click on each photo to see the bigger picture.



Details:
This giveaway is being hosted on my on my book review blog as well!! I am giving two bags away between the two blogs. To come visit my review blog click here: B&b ex libris

Details:
I will select 2 winners at midnight (PST) on 30th of April!!
I will most certainly ship internationally!!

To enter each of the following will give you an entry:
*Post a comment on this post
*Tweet about my giveaway with a link to this post
*Post about this on your blog with a link to this post

Each time you do one of the above make sure to let me know in the comments in this post so that I can add you again. If you don't let me know in the comments I won't know or be able to count your entry, so make sure and come back and let me know.

PS. I do not notify winners, so make sure you check back on May 1st to see if you won. Each winner has 4 days to get their shipping info to me after that if I don't hear from you I will select a new winner.

our cats

yoko


spider

max

truth spoken

Poetry by Amena Brown - In the Beginning

ain't it so true.

feel the love

ps. thank you grandma and grandpa jackson for the new supa-cool shirts! The boys love them, and so do I!