yummy.

Some things are simply irresistible. Some things are too delicious. Some things need to be shoveled in by the mouthful. And apparently snow is one of these irresistible delicious treats. Who knew?

Snowmass

We’re all cuddled up in Snowmass, Colorado, enjoying the snow and the family. I have come to the conclusion that everything is beautiful with snow on it. The dumpster by the road is simply breathtaking. I think I’m going to design a new beauty product, packaged snow. you just throw it all over yourself in the morning and instantly look angelic and beautiful. I’ll be so rich. Lots of pictures to come once the Internet starts kicking but until then enjoy this cuteness from my phone.

fest o’ sausage

Some of you out there may have curiosity about the little event called Sausagefest. I’m not surprised. Two years ago, before my first sausage making extravaganza, I had no idea what to expect. So here is a story for you.

This is a story of how thirty people turn 200 lbs of various types of animal flesh into delicious sausage. First, you bring the meat. As far as I know, our pork came from the butcher and our venison came from San Antonio, compliments of Big Stan. The sausage making starts early, directly following a delicious breakfast of coffee cakes and casseroles. The first step is to cut all the meat into grindable chunks. Last year, I cut frozen meat on a table outside and my hands were burning, they were so cold. This year, the boys took over this job entirely. Next you feed the meet chunks through the awesome, industrial-strength grinder–a vast improvement over last year’s kitchenaid with grinder attachment. Then we regrind the meat to combine the different types of meat in the correct proportions. Then we season the meat with spices, garlic, and jalapenos. Then we regrind it to make sure the seasoning really gets locked in well. This part is especially fun because you have to make the ground meat into “meat bullets” so that they feed correctly through the grinder. Sounds effects are also helpful. Next is the nasty part. You take these slimy shoestrings, which are in fact animal intestines, and you run water through them to get them to start opening up. I guess it’s kind of like stinking your hand in some pantyhose to prepare them for being filled with your legs. Now pantyhose are going to really gross me out. To be honest, I steer clear from this station because I feel the danger of no longer liking sausage creeping up on me when I approach the casings. ick. Then you load the casings onto the stuffer, again this brings to mind prepping pantyhose at the base of your foot before putting them on your legs. (This was not an intended part of the story, I just can’t stop thinking about it like this.) Then you start cranking, molding and spinning the sausage into a nice round spiral. Then the spiral is separated into looks and tier together with strings. Finally, the sausage is hung by the strings in a smoker in the backyard until it is perfect and delicious. The end.

Here are some pictures of the process (more pics of people and the Marina v. Lonestar football game to come):

quick update

I bet you didn’t think this update would be about my dog’s flatulence BUT it is.

So a sweet friend of mine just informed me that dogs are allergic to grapes and raisins, to the extent that they can die from ingesting to much.

Molly is happy and fine and far less gassy but I just wanted to share this information in case, like me, you think grapes pose a good opportunity-with their mass and spherical, aerodynamic bodies- to try to teach your dog to catch food in the air.

OWNER FAIL.

There is an article about this issue here.

And since blogs are better with pictures here’s one from this weekend:

The caption should read: “Anyone who was accidentally poisoned by their pet parents please raise your hand”

a few things…

1. The randomly selected winner of the book giveaway, thanks to this little tool, was Gina. However she has willed her winnings to Laura. So congrats Laura (or Gina?). Not really sure there. Your book and cookies will be along shortly.

2. My dog has the worst gas. It’s unbearable. I have several witnesses. I think it may be caused by some grapes she ate this weekend. Just thought I should share that.

3. Wow. We leave for Colorado in five days. [Mind being blown] I have yet to buy a single Christmas present.

4. Also, my phone decided that it wanted to ride home with Mama and Papa Pro, so it is in Tyler without me. We will reunite at the airport in Colorado, hopefully by running through the terminal and sharing a long embrace. This will be difficult as my phone has no legs. I do not believe there is an app for that. So if you need me, e-mail me.

5. This weekend was an epic event, the 2nd annual Sausagefest in Cedar Hill. Pictures will be along later this week, but I’ll leave you with a quick preview.

baby blake

So this past week I got to meet a really precious, perfect baby. I know all babies are perfect, but Mr. Blake Taylor is just extra perfect. Holding him and hearing his little baby breath next to my ear was just ab-so-lute-ly perfect. This is not a surprising fact, as his parents are pretty wonderful too.

I stopped by the hospital for a quick visit the day after he was born. If you don’t believe me about him being perfect, just look.

brother and company.

I’m just going to say it.

Growing up, I never liked my brother much.

He was gross, he had cooties, and we fought a lot. I would assume I instigated the majority of the fights. Recent video evidence seems to prove that I was, in fact, quite an obnoxious little sister growing up. I would taunt, tease and pester him until he got mad enough to do something about it. Then as he walked away, I would pull out the only fightin technique I knew:

Fingernails. embedded.deep.into.skin. Running. as.fast.as.I.could.manage. Locking the door. just.before.he.could.reach.me. Sitting in my room. until.I.knew.it.was.safe.

That was my only trick, and I pulled it out regularly in all the years before my brother left for college.

Then something strange happened. I started to not dislike my brother. We won’t go into just how shocking that was for my adolescent mind to handle, but it was odd. And then something even more odd happened. Something unprecedented.

When I left for college, I started to like my brother.

I enjoyed going home to see him, I enjoyed talking to him, I considered him a friend. Weird.

Then my brother did a really great thing, he married a wonderful girl, named Meg, and they had an adorable baby named Colin. And then there were two more people in my life, and my family who I loved.

Two more people to look forward to visiting. Two more people to consider friends. Two more people to convince to move to Austin. *wink*

In conclusion:

Dear Brother,

Sorry I was a bratty little sister who took chunks of your neck meat out with my fingernails. I hope these pictures of your beautiful family make it all better.

P.S. I adore you all.

Love,

Your Baby Sister

Book Giveaway (special edition)

So, you probably know by now that I love books. And I love sharing books. From time to time I have given away books through this blog.

Here’s the thing though: I miss the challenge of specifically matching a book with a person. For every person who has ever entered one of the contests, I think I could make a good book match.

So that’s what we’re going to do. You enter the contest and if you win, I match a book with your personality. If I don’t know you well, I get to ask three questions prior to my match. Fun! (I can already tell you that I am more excited than any of you. So play along, for me.)

The book comes with homemade cookies too!

Anyone can enter. To enter, answer this question by Monday at midnight.

What is your favorite Christmas song??

Good luck.