best biscuits ever

And who doesn't love biscuits? In honor of Earl Scruggs, who passed away yesterday, I've written up the way I make his famous biscuit recipe. And I make it just about every week, that's how good it is. See?

Get the instructions right here.

Little Cowgirl Bookclub: Hannah Mae O'Hannigan's Wild West Show

How can you not love a book subtitled, Featuring Her Trusty Cow Pony 'Sassafras'?? Even without that subtitle this book would be in our top ten picture book list. Hannah herself is a character many parents know -- that kid who fancies themselves in a lifestyle that's not a great fit for where they live. In this case, it's a wanna-be cowgirl who lives in the city, a situation I know well!

Hannah's first gift as a baby is a cowboy hat and from there her path in life is set. Instead of trying to rein in their little cowgirl, her parents try to find ways to let her practice cowgirl skills (ponies in central park! wrangling a herd of hamsters!) and when she's ready, they send her off to help out on her Uncle Coot's ranch (Coot is the source of the cowboy hat that started it all). Hannah works hard on the ranch and ends up saving the day with some quick thinking and skills she learned in all that cowgirl training. And yes, not only does she save the day, she goes on to start the wild west show of the title and becomes the "best cowgirl in the world".

The art is cartoony and sweet, with a soft, slightly sepia-tinted palette in the colors. (And, there is no sign of the dreaded over-used Giddy-Up font anywhere - bonus points!) And the story is fun and engaging -- a must-read for any aspiring cowhand and honestly, I think any kid would really enjoy it.

Check it out on Amazon; or find it at your local library!

this western town can be yours!

Seriously....this guy in Hoyt, Kansas built a little western town street in his back yard and he's ready to sell it (no more room and he wants to build new stuff!). Those buildings are fully functional and even an adult can go inside them -- the bank alone has an 11 foot tall facade and is 7' 6" x 6' 2"x 7' tall inside. The barn is wired for electricity and is being used as a chicken coop at the moment. And the saloon is actually a covered porch with balcony that will hold people (although how they get up there I cannot guess).

I love this! And it can be yours if you act fast (and you have $20,000 and can pick the whole thing up from them). What a cool idea for backyard structures. Listing here .

Happy Valentine's Day!

Things are looking up! 2011 is over and gone, and we're slowly getting back up to speed. Hope to be back in the saddle soon! Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Holidays!

Music On Monday: Monster's Holiday

Dang! It has been a rough month, coming off a super-rough summer. Glad (hope) that's all over. Here's a Halloween hit to ring out the month -- Buck Owens' "Monster's Holiday":

Happy Halloween!

Little Cowgirl Book Club: Cindy Ellen, A Wild Western Cinderella

Written by Susan Lowell and illustrating by Jane Manning, this is a really clever retelling of Cinderella -- I often find fairy tale interpretations too gimmicky, but this one read wonderfully. And the art is fantastic! The Little Cowgirl still enjoys picture books and she said she liked this one a lot. I did too. Cindy Ellen is the best cowgirl in the area, but her nasty stepmother and stepsisters don't let her do anything but the dirtiest chores around their ranch. It takes her fairy godmother to give her some gumption -- and then she doesn't just go to a square dance/ ball, she actually competes in a rodeo! (Pretty sure that was my kid's favorite part.) Good enough that I'd be interested in Lowell's other western fairy tale retellings -- although those books unfortunately are not illustrated by Jane Manning. I think the art is at least half the charm of this book, so I don't know if we'd like the others nearly so much.
 
Check it out on Amazon; or find it at your local library!