The Difference between Autumn & Summer

Autumn is brunette...I am blonde.

She is fast...I am slow.

She is a night owl...I get up with the roosters.

She is tall & skinny...I am...well, I'm not tall & skinny.

She likes to dress like a "cool cat"...I dress like a hippie.

She talks to herself in the mirror...I make fun of her.

She makes fun of me...I cry.

She is quiet & smart...I babble.

She eats oreos...I eat fruit...(yet she's still so tall, and skinny? Someone explain this to me!)

Her love is named "Hoorey"...mine was "Alotofbull" (Yes, they are horses.)

She "could eat five tapioca's for breakfast" (a direct quote)...I have toast & peanut butter.

She wears high-top converse...I have moccasins.

This is her shortcake dessert:

this is mine:

So obviously we are different, but we love each other nonetheless, as all good sister do.


Peace, Love, & OK, OK...I eat oreos too.

Sweet T


P.S.

Those blackberries you see on the dessert above are actually from the supermarket, but tonight we are going to pick fresh ones!

Fresh blackberries...I die.

And then I make blackberry butter, blackberry cobbler, blackberry ice cream, and so on and so forth.

A Super Supper

Today...

I came home from church.

I took a nap.

I woke up.

I ate a Granola Bar.

Then I was still hungry so naturally, I cooked...well I guess if we're being politically correct I should say: "My Mom, my sister, & I cooked."

But I really don't care all that much about being politically correct...I don't think?

What does politically correct even mean?

Oh well...I don't care all that much about knowing what "politically correct" means...I don't think?

Anyways, now that we've established yet again that I'm a hopeless moron...tonight when we were all hungry, and all tired, and all looking forward to a new episode of, The Next Food Network Star, we cooked Green Chili Pork Stew & Shortcakes for a quick and sure to be D-lish meal.

Observe.

Green Chili Pork Stew is a very difficult and precise dish...and if you believe that you will also believe that my name is Thelma and I am an Olympic swimmer. (OK, I lied I'm not an Olympic swimmer, I practically drown looking at water.  Oh, and my name is not Thelma.)

In other words this is the easiest stew to make in the history of mankind. Forever and ever, Amen.

All you do is chop up a pork chop and spice it up with a little cayenne, garlic, salt, pepper, and anything else you could imagine or think of.

After the meat is done take it out, and set it aside while you saute the onions and green chili's.

You then proceed to thicken the soup with Chicken goup which frankly, grossed me out and I really don't want to talk about it ever again...

But after I got back from gagging we added kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, and hominy & tomatoes.  I wonder if the hominy and tomatoes have a "Not bean" club...I would if I were them, but then again I'm not normal...

After all this has been added you cook it until your ready to eat it, and you enjoy it because it is delicious, and will make you cry sweet tears of food lovers joy.  Or at least that's what I do...but then again I'm not normal...

Tortillas & sour cream help things out alot too...

But now to my favorite part: Dessert!

If dessert were a man I would profess my undying love to him, and then ask him to marry me.

I can't believe I just said that...moving on...

Me & Autumn made these shortcakes for dessert, and they were what I like to call, D-lish!

The "D" stands for "dessert."  OK no it doesn't, I just made that up, but it makes sense to me...

We topped them with ice cream, and berries that we cooked on the stove with almond, sugar, and cinnamon.  Then we ate them so fast we couldn't remember what happened to our dessert, so we made another plate and ate it just as fast.

FYI, I'm eating another one as we speak, and I don't even feel guilty.

OK I feel a little guilty, but I'm going to run 2 miles in the morning so I think I just justified my actions...at least in my head I did.

I love super suppers, and I love all of you, Amen.


Peace, Love, & I think I'll have another shortcake...just for kicks.

Sweet T

Blinded by the Light

 "Blinded by the Light...

Mama always told me not to look in to the eyes of the sun,

But mama, that’s where the fun is.

But Mama that's where the fun is."

 
This morning me, and Autumn went on our morning run...well, we don't do it every morning, but most mornings...or most mornings when we feel like it...OK OK, we go every now & then, but we went today nonetheless.
 
After we sweated, and huffed, and puffed through 1 mile (My personal best! Not that I'm bragging or anything...) we decided just to stroll on home, and listen to my "Rockin' BBQ Radio" on Pandora, and enjoy the early morning sunrise...which mocked us by blaring into our eyes.
 
On the way home, instead of focusing on the pain in my lungs from the 1 mile run (Did I mention it was my personal best?), or the that everything was starting to go black out because the sun was so bright, I instead enjoyed a deep and meaningful conversation with my Sister.
 
We talked about boys, and food, and the beach, and the upcoming school year (Hey, to an 18 year old, and a 15 year old that is meaningful.) and I started noticing how blessed we are.
 
OK duh, I know we've always been blessed, but in an America where everyone is complaining about how hot it is, and how much everyone needs rain, it's nice to just slow down, look around, and be thankful for the things we do have instead of being depressed about the things we don't.
 
I know I'm naive, and young, and dumb, and I'm still like a baby bird, or a sea turtle that hasn't ventured out into the world on my own yet (blame my analogies on the Brahman Breeder) but I'm choosing to be positive, and choosing to be thankful that at least we have corn that is taller than my very tall sister...
 

And that at least we have families that love us, and want to take care of us...

And that at we least we live in a country where we are free...

And that at we least we live in a small community where someone will always be there to help you...

And many, many, many more reasons, Amen.

So here's my advice to you the next time you get down, or discouraged: take a walk with one of your favorite people, talk about meaningless things, take pictures of your beautiful surroundings, and come home and eat something incredibly fattening...it does wonders for you soul.

Peace, Love, & I can't believe I compared myself to a baby bird, or a sea turtle....

Sweet T

Song courtesy of Manfred Mann...not one of my usuals but it seemed fitting when I heard it on my "Rockin' BBQ Radio"...again not one of my usuals, but it seemed fitting....Sorry I'm a nerd.

Me & Bonnie Concho

Bonnie Concho.



She's my friend, and I like her.

She's nice, and sweet, and brings me the cutest clothes to wear (I always say "Thank you",) and she's made me lots of friends.

What I didn't know though, and have recently found out, is that Bonnie has a dark side.  It's ok let it all out, I was shocked too.

You see I do lots of things for Bonnie...

I cook for her, I clean her house for her, and I even do self portraits for her, and you know what she does' in return??

She MOCKS me.

Don't believe me?

Oh, just wait...you will...

This was the beginning of my latest self-portrait for Bonnie.

It actually wasn't too shabby.  The colors, and texture were decent, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself...until Bonnie had to show her face up all in my business.

That's when things got a little particular, and I got frustrated, and had to say "all up in my business" about 4.5 times before I could calm down...

As I was drawing her face, Bonnie kept staring at me with those beady little eyes...so I had to shut them on her portrait because, I'll admit...I was a little intimidated of her. 

And her hair?  Let's just not even talk about that.  And no, Bonnie doesn't chew tobacco...she's just has a prominent jaw line.

This, despite all the trouble I had, was not even the hardest part...

The hardest part was her neck, her shoulders, her arms, her torso, her hands...pretty much every part of her...she's a difficult lady.

And I'm afraid it shows, seeing as that her body isn't quite proportional to her head...

You know we, Me & Bonnie, argued about this for a long time.  She thought that the painting didn't do her justice, and I thought it made her look fun.

She thought it made her head look fat, and I thought it made her look smart.

In the end though, we came to an agreement, and decided that being pretty on the inside is much more important than on the outside.

Did I mention that Bonnie loves Roses?


Peace, Love, & I need a life

Sweet T

A Tale of Two Moccasin's & Their Pathetic Owner

These are my babies, and I love them.

They keep my feet warm, stylish, and sure-footed.  I'm as agile as an Indian in them...or I wish I was as agile as an Indian in them...

But you'll notice in the picture above that these particular moccasins are nothing short of a disaster.

Don't blame them though, they have been through alot.

They are the moccasin's I wore to the First Day of School my Senior year.

I wore them when I was on homecoming court and had to walk across the football field in my beautiful black dress...they were a much better alternative than heels.

And I wore them basically everywhere I went last year so, naturally they would be in rough shape.

The day my Mom told me that I shouldn't/couldn't wear them anymore because they "were the ugliest things she'd ever seen" was the saddest day of my life...

But Hark! A new dawn arose when I found new, lovely moccasins to comfort my grieving feet!

They are so lovely, so comfortable, and they make me as agile as an Indian, except when I walk...then I'm not so agile.



Peace, Love, & Moccasins are God's gift to the shoe lover

Sweet T


P.S. I never got rid of my ugly/pathertic/worn out moccasins...I stowed them away somewhere deep in my closet so that someday I can show them to my kids, and tell them that their Mom was as agile as an Indian. Amen.

Decisions & Vitamin C Deprivation

I don't know if it's because I'm feeling low on nutrients, and deprived of Vitamin C (we're between food homes, aka: fridges, right now), or if it's because "The Day" is about exactly a month away...("The Day" is the big day, the day I head off to college, Eek!) but for some reason my future occupation has been on my mind ALOT lately, which I guess is only natural seeing as that it is a pending, and huge decision that I will have to make very soon.

It is also a decision that causes me to ramble, and be on the verge of hyperventilation everytime I talk about it.  Not because I'm scared, well partly because I'm scared, but mostly because I'm excited! And who wouldn't be right?

Here is my delima though:

I can't make a final decision on the career I should choose.

This isn't because I have no interests, in fact it's quite the opposite: I have too many interests!

So sit and back and enjoy the ride as I contemplate the pro's & con's of every "interest."

Note: This post is purely for my peace of mind, and if it bores you to death...well, then...Goodbye forever.  Just kidding, I will try to make it well worth your while.  Who knows? It may cause you to evaluate your career choice, and then change the course of your life forever...probably not, but right now I have an overactive imagination, forgive me.

Interest #1:  Journalism! Basically writing...

Writing is something I do everyday without fail...even if it is just in my mind. 

And yes, I do "write" things in my mind, this is just proof of how big a nerd I am, and also proof of how much I love to write.

Writing is something I have always loved to do.  I think it sparked in first grade when I won 1st place in the creative writing contest, and again in 2nd grade, and 3rd grade, and then they crushed my dreams in 4th grade and I got 3rd place...I still believe that those judges didn't know what they were talking about.

No I'm not holding a grudge, why do you ask?

Writing is also easier for me than talking, because when I talk I sound like a bumbling bimbo, and when I write I "sound" like a slightly/possibly funny bumbling bimbo, so it's a much better alternative for me.

Writing + this moron = contentment

And they said I wasn't good at math...pssht!

Interest #2:  Cooking!

Cooking, cooking, cooking...I can't say it enough, and I can't do it enough!

I have not always loved to cook, but I most definitely have always loved to eat. 

This Christmas is really when my love for cooking started to show.  And it all began in one day when I stayed home for possibly/probably 12 hours straight, and cooked for every single minute.  I was cooking for all my teachers. (We were making them Christmas "goodies" so that we would all pass the semester...Just Kidding! Kinda...)  I made candies, breads, cookies, and somewhere in between all that, lunch.  It was a beautiful day full of fun, sugar, and lots of calories...just the way I like it.  And I haven't stopped cooking since. 

I have caught myself sitting in class thinking about how I could make different versions of lasagna, or what I could fill my cupcakes with that would be a welcomed & delicious surprise.  I still think about things like that almost hourly, but I have calmed my imagination down enough to where I can now hear people when they speak to me...it was beginning to become a problem.

Example:

Mama: Hey Summer, what'd you make on your math test today?

Me:  Eggplant Parmesan!

Just kidding...I didn't take math.

Interest #3: Uh...Clothes!

I can't help it. I'm a completely hopeless gal, and hopelessly complete gal when it comes to clothes.

I love them! 

I need them! (Duh)

Putting clothes together is just something that is so simple, and so fun to me.

I know it sound slightly shallow, and like my name should be changed to Elle Woods, but it is what it is, and it is this: I LOVE CLOTHES!

And I always have...

When we put Bonnie Concho in, I was thrilled, ecstatic, and started looking immediately into things we could put into our store, and I didn't want anything that was main stream or "in style" I wanted something that is different, maybe a bit unusual, and plain out fun...something that people could wear, and be themselves, and be confident doing so. Amen.

So these are my interest...  There are many more, but I had to narrow it down somewhere, and I really don't think "Being the boss" counts as an Interest so, I left it out.

I've been having a lot of conflicting thoughts about all my interest.  It's just that I love them all so much, and want to do them all all day, everyday.  But I know that is not possible...unless...I'm a blogger about food & fashion! And being the boss!

I know that right out of college though, that those chances are highly slim...for now.

As I was contemplating my "decision" though I realized something...That I need to do what makes me happy, and what is fitting in The Lord's eyes...and what makes me a billionaire...Just kidding on the last part...kinda.

So I'm not worried anymore...in fact, I think I'm even more excited now because, I know that whatever I choose, it'll be what I was meant to do, and I can't think of anything more fulfilling than that.


Peace, Love, & Thank you for listening to me while I'm very deprived on Vitamin C.

Sweet T

My Brother

The Brahman Breeder.

The "Tough" guy.

The animal of all kinds lover.

The most hard-headed person I have ever seen.

The eater of all things Junk.

The wearer of Hooey Caps.

The "Mad Dog 4" owner...it's a rope, and it's his favorite.

The most kind-hearted person I have ever seen.

The lover of blue gatorade.

The lover of pink lemondade & popcorn...everyday.

The wearer of extremely large sombreros.

The inventor of Round Pen Parties.

The BB gun shooter.

The sweet talker.

The Wii champion.

The Pink Panther owner.

The future "live in the wild" man.

The current Christian Roping Camp Dummy Roping Champion.

The brother that I love most...and not because he's the only one I have.

Peace, Love, & He won a buckle from the Dummy Roping, and his head increased 3 sizes.

Sweet T