Rain, Rain, Rain!

Yesterday we went to Redding for a Karate tournament. The boy won TWO 1st place trophies! :D YAY!!







In forms and sparring. He's getting good at his level and is almost ready to go up one. Tests are today and photo shoot with all the trophies that he and his, er dojo mates? fellow fighters? The other kids from his karate school? Yeah, them. They all got first place trophies! Lots of them. It was a great day all around.


I went out and dug around in the yard today. It wasn't pouring but it was damp. I just got rid of some weeds around Minnie's grave and piled some more rocks and I figured out where I want the compost pile, I put some big rocks around and put the first bucket of kitchen scraps and some of the weeds I dug up. I am hoping it will inspire the man to build me a frame. It's off our property in the vacant lot next door, close to the hiway and sort of behind a tree, out of sight.
:) secret compost. I has it. It was fun, I got all muddy and had to hose myself off in the yard. I'm glad I got those rain boots, cuz i wasn't afraid to walk through it all and I got a lot of those burr bushes dug out and turned over the soil. I'd like to get more flowers to plant out there, maybe split up some of the ones that are over grown in the bed on the east side of the house.

I have started to collect up some recipes and put them in a cohesive type of order. I want to publish an e-book. I think that might be a good goal for me. No preachy, preachy or nutritional garbage, just easy, filling, vegan and raw recipes to help people transition to a vegan diet.



My back is in a knot from the long drive yesterday, I'm going to go stretch out on the mat for a while.

Later I will tell you all about the smoothie I made this morning. Isn't that exciting? Go have a smoothie. You will thank yourself.

Here is a photo of a kiwi I cut open the other day.




Vegan = Love!

Eco-Veg Footprint Raw-volution

http://ecovegfootprint.blogspot.com/2009/03/raw-volution.html linked to me! Yay! I'm famous! Sort of. And sort of raw. I guess I should start posting more raw stuff and less casseroles.

Speaking of casseroles...















That is a baby greens salad with tomato salad, raw relish, sauerkraut, carrot and cuke garlic pickles and vegan parm sprinkle. In the middle is a hunk of potato and tomato casserole that I made. Yuummmy!

I just love making casseroles. I like the layering the veges and other ingredients, making the sauce, the pouring of the sauce, garnishing the top in a pretty flower shaped thing, baking them in my beautiful glass casserole dishes, cutting them out and putting them on a plate, and eating them... I also make RAW Casseroles...

Thanks again to Nicole for the shout out!

I'll be back with more camping photos this afternoon.

Looking at my Analytics

I don't especially know what the percentages mean but here are a few of the search terms used to find my blog in the past week

713.46% raw vegan blogs
59.62% raw vegan blog
23.85% vegan green leafy vegetables
23.85% "rainbow creatures" mermaid seattle
23.85% raw vegan recipe blogs
11.92% vegan flour tortillas
11.92% tulsi tea and high blood pressure
11.92% hot big boobs
11.92% raw living food pickles recipe
11.92% vegetables used for noodles in raw cooking
11.92% vegan11.92%raw blog vegan
11.92% raw vegan before and after
11.92% recipe vegan blog
11.92% pulp recipes raw
11.92% vegan fermented ketchup
11.92% groovy gravy recipe
11.92% raw onion,raw tomato,raw green cucumber is good for 1yr kids
11.92% sliceable nutritional yeast cheese
11.92% raw green leafy vegetables
11.92% vegan stuffed squash
11.92% raw foods
11.92% raw vegan sandwich recipe sauerkraut
11.92% raw vegan pickle recipe
11.92% recipes with pictures
11.92% Picture Of Green Leafy Vegetables
11.92% green quick bread recipe
11.92% flax seed dressing raw vegan
11.92% sunflower sprouts smell strange after soaking
11.92% "vegan" and "blogs" and "raw"
11.92% raw vegan before and after shots
11.92% eating dinner for breakfast "raw food"
11.92% raw flaxseed crackers carrot
11.92% raw leafy green vegetables
11.92% raw walnut parmesan
11.92% raw vegan corn dogs
11.92% raw irish soda bread
11.92% blog raw vegan

I use http://www.statcounter.com/

I always wonder if people were terribly disappointed when they got here...

Cat Photos For Your Amusement and Vegan French Toast Teaser

Try not to notice the dog (Wicket W. Warrick) in the back, there












It snowed all day yesterday and some today.

blah.

Mickey looking regal. Or at least superior to the dog.















Far away Minnie Cat















Up close Minnie cat














Today I am cleaning floors and washing area rugs with my home made laundry soap.

Tonight for dinner we will be having Vegan French Toast, McDougall Style-ee

Peace, Yo.

Vegan Yawn

I want to make Indian style food for dinner.

Veges and Potato in spicy tomato sauce with naan and quinoa instead of rice. I could infuse the quinoa with herbs so it would be like jasmine rice. I could put flax seeds in quinoa. That would probably seem exotic.

I will let you know.

My sauerkraut came out good this time. I shredded one med carrot with the cabbage and it gave it a nice flavor.

Ok, off to search for naan recipes. Ooh, maybe I could make a nice kulcha...

Bag Tag :: A Meme

Meme as defined by Wikipedia:
The term Internet meme (pronounced /miːm/) is a neologism used to describe a catchphrase or concept that spreads quickly from person to person via the Internet, much like an inside joke.
The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although this concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.

That being said, I don't think this is really a meme by definition but here we go.
Copy and paste 1 thru 4, remove my answers, replace with your own and post it on your blog. Any of my facebook friends that might see this, feel free to post a note up there :)

1) Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house. No cheating!

The canvas shopping bag. The only time I go out with a bag is to the store so I bring the shopping bags.

If I were cool it would have a patch sewn or pinned over the logo, but I am not cool so it does not. Yet.

2) I want to know how much it cost :) And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I'd love to hear it.

I don't know how much it cost. Probably a free promo bag. dmnews.com is the name on the bag. It was here when I moved in.

3) Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you're showing everyone your bag.

Um.. I wasn't tagged. I sort of crashed this from La Belle Vegan . Check it.
Chicks? How about Brin, Alison, Isle Dance, CocoaBean, JuliePoo, AJ Chanter, and any other breathing female, or male, that happens to be reading this blog. Hell I don't care. Dudes carry bags, just like chicks do. Post it up! Don't wait for an invitation or you will never make it to the party, baby!

I am adding:

4) Dump that bag, take a photo and give us an inventory!















YAY! more bags! and a little plastic tub in case I need something that goes in a tub. I take them to the store and fill them with food that doesn't come in packages. Ooh, look how good I am, reusing bags! I am getting better at remembering it when we go shopping, too!
There is also a wash cloth in case of runny nose or other messy incidents, and two pencils. Writing is important :)
If I were actually going out this bag would also contain a digital camera, a phone that is really just a time piece that doesn't even have any GAMES in it, how am i supposed to entertain a kid who forgot his Nintendo DS? Sheesh, and a shopping list.

You know, every time I got to the store I wish I had a clothes pin to attach the list to the cart. I think I will put one in the bag right now.

Thanks, Meme!

Year-Round Halloween Kitteh Does NOT Approve

BRRRRR!!!

25 degrees Fahrenheit. I will make a real update when my fingers thaw out

Found Camera

But not having update yet.

Need juice, bad.

It was a long weekend and I feel as though I missed posting a day or two but I did not.

Thanks to Art and the Man, without both of who's help I would have been searching for the missing camera still...

Must. Juice. Soon.

Sick Day

The boy stayed home again today. I am keeping him as immobile as possible and trying to explain why it's better not to eat cheese and milk today since he's so congested. Breakfast has been 2 cups of applesauce and a glass of water with lemon juice in it.

He's definitely going to school tomorrow. Today we are going to watch the inauguration. I would have skipped it, but the boy is into it, so we watch it.

I feel like I have been neglecting this and I will update with something later today, maybe.

I made cookies again yesterday. But didn't eat any. I put them all in the man's lunch, he will pass them out at work.

I've been juicing every day. Today so far:

1 cuke, half a red bell pepper, 6 leaves of mustard greens, half a parsnip (spicy!)

...judge not a man by the color of his pulp, but by the content of his juice... (apologies to Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr)

A Fun Riddle

This was sent to me yesterday by a dear friend. It took me all night and a couple of hours this morning to figure it out.

A popular present sent to the west
Where my skin tans golden and brown.
Late to a table some like me the best
For an answer from me to be found.
With cards and stars I’m fain to compete,
Though my imported message ne’er wins.
Crack the riddle, read it, don’t weep;
The answer brings only wry grins.


If you know the answer, put it in the comments. I don't have a prize or anything.

I took me a fair amount of time to figure it out! Have fun!

New Year 2009

Hi, all. Just a short blurb for now. E is off today and the boy is on a sleep over at a friend's. We have no plans and aren't doing anything.
I got a small tripod for my camera, and I will try to make some nice raw food prep videos for you all to enjoy in the future.

Have a happy holiday.

White Xmas

The icicle reached the ground!














An Xmas Miracle!

We have ice curtains on every window

SNOW DAY!!!

No school for the boy today, the snow is too deep even with the hardened bus drivers of the Klam County School District.


This is the view out the front window yesterday morning.














The bus doesn't mind driving through that, but THIS:














Is apparently too much.

Here are the icicles in the front porch on the 15th














Here they are today.















I don't feel hungry today and I haven't eaten anything. I am glad I made meatloaf cups for dinner tonight so I don't have to prepare anything. I am hoping I will be hungry by dinner time but for now I will just fast today and hope I feel hungry again someday...
Just kidding.

This is my third day not eating sweet fruit and I don't feel any different, other than not being hungry. I had craving for sweets last night but it passed. The organic (1) chocolate bar sitting on the counter doesn't help much. (2)














Did you know that most cravings only last for three minutes? I learned that when I quit smoking. I just distract myself, and believe me this place has plenty of distractions. I think I will stash the chocolate.


Speaking of distractions, someone is demanding my attention.

Footnotes:
1. but not raw so it's easier to resist
2. I have decided to experiment with footnotes instead of parenthesis. Let me know how you like it.

It's still snowing

This was found in the driveway this morning, after shoveling.















It's a deer hoof print if ya don't know.

Here is that frozen lake that is right out the front door, there.















All is well and good here. The boy went on a play date at his friends house. Last I saw him he was headed off to sled down some hill somewhere. His daddy is off to pick him back up and they will be back soon. I thought I would throw in an update just to keep my streak going.

Hugs to you all. Send me some sunshine if you have any

Simply Raw - Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes can be reversed with raw food diet.

Watch the full length documentary movie. (Simply Raw, 1:31)

A Rant.

My horoscope today tells me to get out into nature. It has advice for city bound nature lovers, like me, read on...

"...if you live in a city or find it difficult to travel to a forest or the countryside, there are a myriad ways to reconnect with nature. When you step out of your door each morning, pause for a minute and close your eyes long enough to let your senses absorb your surroundings. Listen and breathe deeply, until you hear the wind rustling through branches, smell rain on damp grass, and see the reflection of leaves brushing up against windowpanes. If you have time, crouch down and closely examine any nearby grass and soil. The sights, sounds, smells, and sensations we experience that are part of nature can remind us of all the gifts Mother Earth grants us each day."

It's a lovely thought until I get to this line:

"crouch down and closely examine any nearby grass and soil."

...um.

Sister, if I crouch down and examine any grass and soil when I step outside my front door I will get (at best) a close up look at one of Mother Nature's greatest wonders, dog poop. Yeah, at best. On a Saturday morning it will probably be dog poop marinated in human vomit and I won't be able to "crouch down and examine" it because of the crowd of pigeons eating it.

I saw a beautifully preserved dead rat on the sidewalk the other day. I commune with nature all the time.

Someone else told me a good way for city dwellers to get fresh water was to lay out cloths and then wring the dew out in the morning.

Brother, if I lay some towels out in this neighborhood overnight, I will be wringing out a lot more than dew the next morning.

I can't WAIT to get out of here.

Unemployed

Yup. After 6 years (almost to the day) I no longer work for the giant evil corporation and am unemployed.

A free agent.

I have one week (7 days) of lounging about and then E will be here and whisk me away to Algae Town...

Ooh, so romantic.

The good news for you is that I will have time to make more recipes and post more entries.
Lucky you!

i have been quit smoking for 3 months today.

"Pizza is a trap. It tastes good and you eat it but then you are doomed forever." Toothpastefordinner.com If you want to feel better about your eating habits, read a few months of the archives of this guys webcomic.

The early years are better before he goes atkins and eats nothing but steak. Then he invents bacon flavored pork rinds and declares them the pinnacle of all food substances.

I go here and listen to the Grateful Dead all day:

http://www.archive.org/details/gd74-08-06.merin.weiner.gdADT.5914.sbefail.shnf

And those are my links for the day, you have been blogged on.

Healthy body, healthy mind? You betcha!

shamelessly copied from Wikipedia, on this day in history...

August 7: Qi Xi in the Chinese lunar calendar (2008); Assyrian Martyrs Day; Independence Day in Côte d'Ivoire

• 1679 – Le Griffon, a brigantine by René-Robert de LaSalle, became the first sailing ship to navigate the Great Lakes.
• 1782 – The Badge of Military Merit (pictured), the original Purple Heart, was established as a military decoration in the Continental Army.
• 1933 – Many of an estimated 3,000 Assyrians were slaughtered by Iraqi troops during the Simele massacre in the Dahuk and Mosul districts.
• 1947 – An expedition led by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl on his raft the Kon-Tiki completed a 101–day journey across the Pacific Ocean.
• 1998 – Car bombs simultaneously exploded at the United States embassies in the East African capital cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya, killing over 200 people and injuring over 4,500 others.