I've Made a Decision

I like pretty things.

I always have.

It's a disease really.

A disease with no cure.

Because there are many, many, MANY pretty things in the world, and most of them would cost me an arm, and a leg.  (Sometimes it would be worth it.)

This is one reason I love Bonnie Concho so much because we sell many, many, MANY pretty things.

Ahem...For example:

Aren't they...uh, whats the word I'm looking for?

Oh Yea!  PRETTY!

I look at all these fine pieces of jewelry and could cry.  (Sad but true.)

After many months of longing for them (I'm pretty sure I was coveting them, and that's a sin. Forgive me!) I came to a conclusion: I must learn to make them!

That's right, that's the latest decision I've made, I will learn to weld, engrave, and all the other traits I need to know in order to make pretty jewelry.  (And pray I don't catch on fire doing so...because it's happened before.)

Then I will sin no longer, and only suffer a little bit from my disease. Amen.


Peace, Love, & I blame Bonnie Concho.

Sweet T

Western Way of Life

We're a Western Family.

We always have been, and Lord Willingly always will be.

Our summers consist of us going to lots and lots (and lots and lots) of rodeos.  Oh, and that's the way we like it.


We have our Daddy to think for this love of the Western way of life.

Because he loves it himself.

He loves that it gets the whole family outside, together, working side by side.

He loves that he can raise his kids in a small town, away from all the filth of a big city.

He loves that he can give them the opportunity to see how fulfilling it is to work hard all day long, and come home to a house full of love, and family.

He loves that he can have land that is his own. (Though his "love of the land!" is not as extreme as Scarlett O'Haras...Did I mention I've been watching Gone with the Wind ALOT? I thought so...)

He loves that he can have fun with it, and go to rodeos, and Ranch Horse Competitions year round.



And we all love that in this Western way of life our Daddy is a light.

He is humble, quick to be complementary, and works with all his might at whatever he is doing.  This all shows when my Daddy leaves whatever competition he has competed in with another 1st place under his name.  Don't get me wrong he doesn't win them all, but whether he comes home with a 1st place, or a last he is always pleased because he knows, as well as everyone else, that he did his best, and he did it for the right reasons.


Peace, Love, & I'll just leave it at that...

Sweet T

Vitamin C & Sutton

This is Sutton.

He is a sweet boy.

He's also a really funny boy.

And he has big muscles, that are ready to break anything in his path! Yes, even me...

I think he has lots of muscles because he likes to eat "bitamins" alot.

He could even smell them the moment he walked in our house. (By the way, he should be set on vitamin C for...um, the rest of his life.)

Sutton is my cousin, and he and his family came to spend Thanksgiving with us this year, and that made us all very thankful because there was never a dull moment.  No one was ever short on laughter...but we were short on vitamin C.  I guess that's OK though...because we kind of love them.  Just kind of...


Peace, Love, & Is there such a thing as too much Vitamin C intake? I hope not...

Sweet T

Turkey Legs

Let me just start by saying....

YUM.

That is pretty much the only word in my vocabulary on Thanksgiving day.  Well that and, "Please Pass the Gravy."

This Thanksgiving was much like all the others, full of family and lots of food.

It was a very happy day, and at the end of it I was stuffed, content, and completely, utterly, Thankful. Also much like all the others...


My sister, my Mama, and I had a blast putting the feast together.

We all put a little effort into every dish, and they all came out delicious.  Not to toot my own horn or anything...

My Mama did the turkey all by herself (isn't she a big girl?) and it came out Marvelous! Just Marvelous Darling! (Did I mention I watched Gone with the Wind all weekend too?)

We had help from Mom, and Gran on all our side dishes and they were Marvelous! too.

Look at that assembly line of food! Is your mouth watering yet? Because mine is...How much longer till Thanksgiving? Oh yea, that's right. I have to wait 12 more months before I can consume my weight in sweet potatoes again...maybe that's a good thing?

When I saw our assembly line I got so excited that I did my "country girl" version of the "stanky leg."

NOTE: I really don't know what the stanky leg is.  All I know is that I asked my roommate, Brittney, how to do it, and she told me just to act like I was squishing a cockroach.  When I put a little arm action into the "dance." She laughed and called me a redneck, and I ran away crying into my overalls...Just kidding.

I also got excited when my Mama gave me, and my Lovely Sister the turkey leg...

Forgive me.  I know not what I do.

And apparently my Lovely Sister thinks I'm disgusting.

But! I'll forgive her because it is still the Thanksgiving Season, as it always should be, and I am thankful I have her to rebuke me in public before I dive head first into a Turkey leg. Amen.


Peace, Love, & I am thankful year round for my Family...and Rhett Butler.

Sweet T



A 'Nother Rodeo Post

Ok, Ok...after this post I promise I will stop blogging about The Rodeo, get on with my life and start thinking about other things.

Cross my heart.

Ok maybe that's a lie...

Ok that is most definitely a lie.  Forgive me!

I can't help it though, The Rodeo is what I look forward to every year, what I dream about at night, etc., etc.  So one or two more post and we shall call it quits...until next week.


Speaking of things I dream about at night...

I love cupcakes, and I cannot lie.

Which is exactly why at the rodeo, I had 3.5 of them.

You would've eaten 3.5 of them too if you were a self-proclaimed Cowgirl Cupcake Queen.

They even had little boots in them!  It was a sign that I needed to buy one, eat it slowy, and enjoy every single crumb! (Which is exactly what I did.)

 By the way...the boots weren't edible.  Just ask my Grandpa....and the Brahman Breeder.

It's was a marvelous thing to finally see a cupcake at a rodeo.  They're a match made in heaven...kind of like John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara.


Speaking of marvelous things....

This weekend I saw my Blogging idol.

The lady who's blog I idolize.

The blog that this lady writes that is my idol.

That's right.  I saw The Pioneer Woman.

I had heard tale that she was going to be at the Ranch Rodeo last weekend, but I didn't believe it because you know how rumors get started...I just silently hoped the rumors would be true. 

And guess what they weren't jackin' with me! (Word to your mother.)

She was really there!

When I saw her I laughed, I cried, I ran around in circles until my Mama slapped me and told me to get ahold of myself...and then I cried some more.

I so wanted to run over there hug her, and tell her that she is the reason I started blogging in the first place. She's also the reason I cook day and night when I am at home, and why I have an unnatural love for yelling "Pray for me!" in strange places.

But sadly, My Mama told me that that sort of behavior could be considered "stalking" and "obsessive."  Dreamkiller.

So I just watched from a distance (Without binoculars...because I didn't have any.) and waited for the day that I might be a famous, wonderful blogger, married to a wrangler wearin' cowboy just like The Pioneer Woman. Amen.


Peace, Love, & If you haven't read her blog, you haven't been living my friend.

Sweet T

Ranch Horse Shows

One of my favorite parts of the rodeos this weekend besides uh, all of it, was the Ranch Horse Show.

It's always great to watch everyone who comes out to compete, and believe me there are lots of 'em!

NOTE: Here's a quick definition of a Ranch Horse Show: They do their reining pattern. They work a cow. They rope. They ride out of the arena in glory. The End.

I also could be considered a little biast since my Lovely Sister, my Brahman Breedin' Brother, and my Top Hand Daddy all compete in it.

My Lovely sister competed against about forty men, and came out on top in 2nd place.  I don't think I need to say anything else about that right there.  Well, except for: YOU GO GIRL!

My Brahman Breedin' Brother showed for his very first time, and he acted as if he was an 'ole pro.  He trotted in the arena on his trusty companion, Pink Panther, gave the crowd a confident nod, and then blew us all away with how well he handled everything!  He was the youngest boy in his class and he got a notable 3rd place.  And then the girls went wild...

My Top Hand Daddy received a 1st place, a 2nd place, and then won the final show.  And I really hope he doesn't read this because he is so humble he wouldn't want anyone to think he was bragging, and I'm not bragging...I'm just telling you all how talented my Daddy is.

It's a daughters right! Right?

I also hope he doesn't read this because I am about to tell you what Daddy did.

My parents are pretty reserved people, especially in public.  They have this ongoing joke that someday when Daddy wins something he is going to look up into the crowd at my Mama, and she is going to yell "THAT'S MY BABY!"  (and the day they do that I will disappear from the face of the earth.) 

Well Mama didn't yell...but my Dad did, after receiving 1st place, look up into the crowd and make the famous Taylor Swift Heart Symbol.

You know this symbol?

My Mama laughed like a school girl, old folks sighed, and I excused myself while I threw up into a paper bag.


I know now that there is no hope for me...I will grow up to be a nerd just like my parents.  (Thank goodness!)



Peace, Love, & Nobody tell them about this...at least 'till college is paid for.

Sweet T

Sandhill Fans

The weekend was filled with family, cowboys, cattle, horses, and one entertaining monkey (seriously.)

Our team, Sandhill Cattle Company, didn't have the greatest rodeo, which can happen to anyone at some time or another for no particular reason.  We consider ourselves blessed to even get to participate in these rodeos so you'll  hear nothing but thankfulness from us! The boys (and the girl) did their absolute best competing, and had a good time doing it.

Sandhills fans had a good time cheering them on too...

We had Sandhill shirts made, and the WHOLE family wore them...and Sandhill has a lot of family folks...even more then the Brady Bunch.

The "Hot Mamas!" wore them.  Aren't they cute?
(NOTE: "Hot Mamas!" is what these two mothers refer to themselves as...Just kidding, I totally made that up because I like to heckle these two ladies.  Forgive me.)

All the chilren' wore them...and they were even cuter than the Hot Mamas, but don't tell them I said that.

And here's an example of one fellow that didn't wear a Sandhill t-shirt...he was ostracized from our group and was not allowed to cheer with us.  Just kidding, but we definitely considered kicking him out of town.


As you can see, we are very festive when it comes to cheering our "team" on.  Even to the point of embarrassment, but hey, what are families for?


Peace, Love, & Wassup? Sandhill Cattle Company...that's wassup.  (Excuse my slang, I'm feeling rebellious today.)

Sweet T