What Flowers Grow on Faces?

Tulips

The Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon has 40 acres of tulips

Not all of them were in bloom at once.  The colors were unbelievable.

Mmmm

I bought this book over a month ago.  It was supposed to inspire Brent because he had previously expressed interest in this area.  Well, after it sat around for a couple of weeks, I decided to take a crack at it.

My first loaf was cooked in the Dutch oven inside the regular oven.  It was a garlic rosemary round loaf (also called boule), and I severely overcooked it.  The inside, however, did have that yummy, unique taste and texture that you pay $6.00 for at the farmer's market.

The tricks to these breads include the following:
1.  These are no-knead doughs, meaning you just mix the ingredients by hand and let the dough sit overnight.  The glutens form and the yeast works during this prolonged waiting period, thus eliminating the need to proof the yeast and knead the dough.
2. Some of the breads are cooked in a Dutch oven inside the regular oven.
3. Some of the breads are cooked on a baking stone and utilize steam in the oven by pouring water in a hot pan on the bottom rack.

We've tried lots and lots of various breads since that 1st attempt.  Almost all have been delicious.  Only a few have been photographed.

Rosemary Focaccia - everyone's favorite
Also, the fattiest with tons of olive oil

Garlic Boule in the Dutch oven 

Rosemary Garlic Boule

Kalamata Olive Loaf                      

Three Cheese

Evil Goatheads

Today, I had to deliver some cards in a nearby neighborhood.  It was lovely outside.  There is construction happening in the nearby neighborhood, so delivery by bicycle seemed the perfect idea.  I couldn't find one of the addresses.  Each time I thought I was close, I had to wrap around a block to get to the other side.  I ended up traversing across an old field that used to be a drive-in movie theater.  As soon as I reached the sidewalk, I saw trouble.  Goatheads.  Covering both tires.

Goatheads are evil.  At least rose thorns are accompanied by a flower that is not only beautiful, but also smells wonderful.  Even a cactus is a pretty plant.  What do goathead weeds have to offer?

The bad news:

1) I never did find the house.

2) I have to buy two new tubes.

3) I ended up walking home with this.

The good news:

1) It was a short walk.

2) It was perfect weather.

3) I know a guy who can fix this.  I'm pretty sure he'll give me a discount.

Goldilocks

The other day, Oli and I were walking through the grocery store parking lot.  A little girl, maybe about 4 years old, was lounging in the very bottom of her shopping cart.  She yelled out in a sing-song voice, "Look Mom.  Those two have matching hair."  I laughed.  I said to Oli, "One of us really should get our hair cut."  Guess who has the hair appointment tomorrow?

Me.

Two boys and I

I Wish I Were a Swimmer

I could always swim, but I was not a swimmer.  I love that my boys have caught on to this sport.  They've tried football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, but none of those sports really clicked quite as well as competitive swimming has.  Makes me proud.  I wish I had tried this sport in my youth.

This is Oli in lane 4.  He's the last one off the block, but he took 2nd in his heat.  Butterfly is beautiful.

Dear John Letter

Dear Chocolate,

As you may have suspected, I've decided to break up with you. Since we've hardly seen each other for 4 days now, I'll assume you got the hint. It's not that I don't love you. I do. I always will. But we were just together way too much, and it wasn't a healthy relationship. When I was with you, I didn't care about anything else, I just wanted more of you. It was becoming obsessive. I was completely dependent on you.

Even though I really miss you, I've been okay filling in that void with Fruits and Vegetables. They are very mature, fresh, colorful, and good for me right now. It is the proper match.

I hope we can still be friends. I mean, like get together once in a while in small doses. Maybe if I'm really good, we can even have a big "hurrah" in a couple of weeks on my birthday. But then we have to back off again.  Promise me that you'll understand and stay away the best that you can. Chocolate, you will always be my dear, special friend with whom I have so many happy memories.

Love,

VaLene

Unbroken

Once in a great while a book grabs my whole self, and I can hardly detach myself from the pages.  The author of Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand, tells a gripping true story about Louis Zamperini in her latest book, Unbroken.  Louis was a troublemaker as a kid, then an olympic runner, then a bombardier in World War II, then a plane crash survivor, then a life raft survivor in the Pacific ocean, then a Japanese prisoner of war survivor, and finally a survivor of post traumatic stress disorder.  This man's life is astounding, and Laura's research and telling of it is masterful.  It's been years since I was so consumed by one book.