Texas Wildflowers: a recipe for happiness

I was lucky enough to spend Easter weekend in the country at my parent's farm.

It's where I grew up, and as a teenager I couldn't wait to get away and go to college. Typical kid. But now I am able to see the beauty of this quiet place.

It's my favorite time of year: springtime in Texas. It's the only time of year when you can enjoy the green abundance of nature without becoming a total sweat bomb. Mornings are crisp, afternoons are made for sipping iced tea, baby calves run with their tails in the air, wildflowers raise their eager heads, children run barefoot across the grass, and renewall is all around.

 

But it's not fun and games for every one. The bees know there is work to be done.

 

You don't have to look far to see the promise of sweet things to come. A bumper crop of berry blossoms line the hill sides. There will be lots of purple fingers and smiling faces in a few weeks.

As you drive along the country roads of Central Texas, yellow tops are the first wildflowers of the season. They are beautiful, but they're not so tasty to the cows.

And they make lots of us sneeze. But I think they're pretty.

Did you know that the human eye is most sensitive to yellow? Maybe that's why the yellow flowers catch my eye so much.

Even the tiniest flowers nestled amongst the clover seem to dance with their yellow vibrance.

The moss rose in mamma's planter was at it's peak. The colors just jumps out! This reminds me why I love pink so much.

And purple. I've loved purple since I was a really little girl. It was all about purple and unicorns. The unicorns went away, but not the purple!

I used to pick lots of these

for her.

She always took them with a big smile. Now she's got a new generation to bring her onion flowers from the pasture.

I am grateful that God paints the country side with beautiful flowers, grasses, and trees. Did He use this paintbrush? Maybe so!

I hope that my flowers have brought you as much happiness as they brought to me. And when they are gone, don't be sad. Just spread their seed.

What could be more beautiful?

Keep lovin' and keep cookin'!

My Obsession With Cookbooks

I am teetering on a slight problem. An obsession really. It started with yarn… I am a knitter. But since having a new baby, my hands are never free long enough to knit, so my knitting time and hence my yarn obsession has been put on the back burner. I’ve always loved to cook. I do my best work when I’m happy. My guitar man loves that I am a happy lady. This means that I cook a lot. My obsession, other than yarn, lies with cookbooks. I really enjoy seeing lots of different techniques and approaches to cooking.

But what I really enjoy is a cookbook that not only has good recipes but has good stories or pictures to go with it. That is an uncommon thing. I guess that is why I’ve become such a fan of cooking blogs and why I decided to start my own. My very favorite cooking blog is The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I found it because it was listed in a NY Times article about the 50 best cooking blogs, and the name sounded intriguing so I checked it out. I was immediately sucked in like a little star circling an immense black hole. The photography, the casual and familiar demeanor that comes across in her writing, and the basic wholesome country cooking that she features is the perfect combination to me. I just love it. I look forward every day to a new post showing up in my news reader. Growing up party city girl and part country girl, I feel a kinship with Ree and I think we would be great friends. Like me, she has found that what she was searching for in her life wasn’t a fast paced professional career but a more important job of being a wife to a wonderful, loving man and a devoted mother who takes the time to do what is best for her children even if it’s not easy or popular.

The point of this discourse was to tell you about Ree’s cookbook,The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl Of all the cookbooks in my collection, I can easily say that this one is my favorite. Guitar Man had a toothache and drove to College Station to get it seen to while we were in the country. While there, he popped in on his sister and they went out to run errands. He sees a big book store and says to her, “There’s something in there that I want to get Lara.” So he comes back with gifts in hand… First a beautiful picture that he drew back in 1994 of a country barn. Then Easter bunnies from my mother-in-law, and finally a gift wrapped package for me. I opened it and was happily surprised to see the Pioneer Woman smiling back at me. Guitar Man says, “I pay attention.” He does. If everyone in the world could be as happy as we are, the world would be a much better place. I cannot put into words how lucky I feel to have had this wonderful man in my life not only once but twice. This time I get to keep him. What a sweet heart!

So thanks to my thoughtful husband for bringing me my favorite cookbook, and thanks to my favorite blogger for writing it. You both inspire me. And without the Guitar Man’s constant love, support, and technical skills I would have never gotten the whole thing up and running. Thank you, sweet heart! So run out and get your own copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I know you’ll love it as much as I do.

Keep lovin’ and keep cookin’.