I'd like to thank....

I'd like to thank all the little people who helped me to get this award.. Ok maybe not the little people but one of my favorite people, Trace for nominating me for this, my first, bloggy award. Trace is a sweetie and I would go ahead and send her one back but she's got her one (you should check out her blog if you haven't already). She's one of my first internet friends, you know the type, you've never met them in person but you still feel like you know them. We'll we've talking about getting together cause she's lives kind of closeish and near where my Schmoop works; and also she likes wine and Melting Pot (what more do you need in a friend!). Anyway, thanks Trace!!

So I'd like to nominate Mama K for the award as well! She's a fun mom to a little peanut, she's in the midst of starting something big so keep an eye on her!

Photo Hunters Original

I love looking at baby's and seeing all their little pieces (ears, fingers, toes, etc), it amazes me how unique (or ORIGNAL) they all are.
This little guy is kitten mom's new little sweetie Drew, taken when he was a couple of days old.

Wordless Wednesday-Break it Down

Oh I feel like crap

I've been sick all weekend and I don't feel good. Please send vegan chicken soup vibes my way that I might feel better soon. I found a book at the thrift store "The Natural Doctor", I learned that cutting an onion and putting it next to my bed at night might help. We'll see, I'll let you know if it works or not. At least Schmoop won't have to worry about any guys hitting on me tomorrow either way.

I've been interviewed by type (little) a

Of course I asked her to. LOL Check her out here.

The rules: Leave me a comment saying “Interview me.” I will respond by emailing you or leaving a comment with five questions. I get to pick the questions. If you don’t have a valid email address on your blog, please provide one. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.



1) What did you want to be when you grew up? How close/far is it from what you do now?

When I was little I wanted to be a pediatrician but then I realized that I would have to see sick kids and changed my mind. Then I wanted to be a marine biologist, I don't remember why I changed my mind on that. I am a box office manager for Come Alive International, I love my job so I'm so happy I'm not a pediatrician or a marine biologist.

2) Crocs. Spectacular or stupid?

I don't understand why they are so popular. they are rubber.. shoes... people aren't this excited about rubber sheets why would shoes be different. Also I think they would make your feet sweaty. And the stories you hear about escalaters, gross.. no thanks. I'm a hater.

3) What keeps you up at night?

Schmoop, wink wink, nod nod.. you know what I'm talking about..
besides that not much I'm a championship sleeper.

4) Are you passionate about anything?

I'm passionate about most things in my life. I analize everything and generally have an opinion on most things anything I have an opinion on I am passionate about. I have to stop myself from telling people how to live thier lives, sometimes I'm not so good at this.

5) What do you like on your hamburger?

ha ha not much since i'm a vegan now. (sunday completely didn't count!)
I made portobella burgers before and they were soo good. I grilled up the portabella's and topped them with carmalized onions with capers and reconstituted sundried tomatoes. Soooo yummie!!

I've been a very bad Vegan

So we took Gracie to her first Mets game, we went up since it was Phillies vs Mets at Shea Stadium. Gracie LOVES the mets and will sing you every Mets song known to man. It was awesome watching the game, Gracie had an amazing time. I think the happiest I've ever seen her was when David Wright (her favorite player) scored a home run. After the game they let all the kids run the bases and she started dancing with Mr. Met. The Phillies ended up winning which made Schmoop very happy but at least Gracie was oblivious to her favorite team losing. Schmoop was talking to her after the game and this is thier conversation:
Me: What was your favorite part of the game?

Gracie: Dancing with David Wright.

Schmoop: Did you dance with David or Mr Met?

G: Mr. Met.

S: Did you enjoy David Wright’s home run?

G: Yeah

S: Did the Phillies get any home runs?

G: Nah.

I think she missed the Phillies Grand Slam :)

So about the bad Vegan part, so we were at a baseball game so you know while your there you have to have a hot dog. Its kind of like a crime against the United States if you don't partake in at least one hot dog when visiting one of the nations finest baseball stadiums. So halfway through the $5 hot dog I realized that it probably wasn't the best idea. So what will make me feel better, why an Italian hoagie of course! We were driving through Hoboken on the way home so we stopped for a real hoagie. Needless to say my stomach wasn't too happy with the drastic one day change in diet and Schmoop and I are determined to be much better with our Veganocity. I feel like a cold is coming on now, and I've been coughing alot so of course I'm blaming it on our one day foray into the world of meats and cheeses.

Photo Hunters-Plastic

This was taken last July on our trip to Memphis. We took a romantic carriage ride through town and there was a whole lot of plastic going on behind us.

Best Google Search that takes you to this site

The biggest douche

On Kathy Griffin's Emmy Speach

So I couldn't really understand the whole hubbub with what Kathy Griffin said at the Emmies, from what I understand this is what she said:
"A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus."
I can understand what she's saying she's a shock commedian, if you base it on the W.W.J.D. (what would Jesus do) she won the award by doing the opposite. Mocking people, insulting, whatever, thats her game thats how she butters her bread. She never claimed to be a Christian so why would you expect anything else out of her. Honestly I found it kind of refreshing to hear, it bothers me that people will go up and receive awards and the first thing out of their mouth, "I'd like to thank God for this" then the next day you hear they get arrested for DUI later that night. Not saying that I don't screw up or that I always act like the perfect Christian, I'm screwed up like the rest of us but I seek after God, he knew I wasn't perfect to begin with.

The rest of Kathy's statement goes like this:

"Suck it, Jesus. This award is my God now."
I found this pretty extreme but you know it just made me feel bad for her. Makes me think of all the unimportant things that we give such a high place in our life. Awards, jobs, money, cars, clothes, etc; what does it all mean. Nothing really its just stuff to fill us up, but you know it never does so what do you do then; when you have everything that you've ever wanted and your not complete. Must stink. So I feel bad for her cause even if she goes home to an Emmy every night she also lives with an emptiness that I'll never know.

Wordless Wednesday-First Day Of School

My Gracie's first day of school, taken by her mommy and sent to me, her auntie.

Mmmm Vegan Brownies

So last night I cooked one of my favorites, Broccoli and Mushroom Quiche made with tofu and tahini instead of eggs and cheese. Its soo good, and even better as a leftover. Its from Cooking the Whole Foods Way by Christina Pirello.

After I finished making dinner I figured I needed to give a little sweet cooking to my man for all his hard work this weekend. While I was upstairs cleaning he was painting the family room, mowing the lawn and vacuuming the pool. Is he not just wonderful.
So I found a recipe for Brownies that called for
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup oil
1/4 cup water.
You mix all those bad boys together and bake. You don't even need to worry about licking the spoon because there are no eggs to get saminella from! The one modification I will make next time is to sub 1/2 c applesauce 1/2 cup oil instead of the whole shebang in oil. Also I have to play around with my natural sweetners to see if I can lessen the amount of sugar (or remove it all together!).

Cheapest and Best Bathroom Cleaner in the World!

So since moving in here I had yet to do the big clean on the bathroom (after the initial sanitization). Oh sure I had done a little here and a little there but didn't really get into the nitty gritty. Needless to say after 6 months it needed to be SCRUBBED! I have always subscribed to the school of thought that you need a special cleaner for every room in your house. Not really for any reason other than that they sell a different cleaner for every room in the house. Well since starting this Vegan/Organic thing I've also started thinking about all the chemicals I'm using around my house that are probably not so good to me. So I did a little google search and found this site, Clean and Green.
Holy cow if it didn't blow my house cleaning brain. I went to town yesterday with just some vinegar, baking soda, oil (for my wooden furniture). I cleaned my whole upstairs top to bottom (I'm talking scrubbing freaking baseboards) with only these things. Which didn't really suprise me till I got to the bathroom.
Our bathtub was in a sorry state. There was soap scum, the tub had stains in it that I couldn't get out with all the chemicals in my formal arsenal. So I took my vinegar and sprayed the whole thing down and let it sit. Then after awhile I put some baking soda on my scrub brush and gave it a fresh spray of vinegar and went to town. It sparkles like crazy now. Everything came off soo easy!!!!
Dude our Grandmothers had something going, no wonder why thier houses were so clean they didn't have all these crappy cleaners like we do.

Photo Hunters-Music

So if you don't know already I work for an International music promoter, so this is something I'm really familiar with. So here is a picture of music that I've taken this summer at one of the events Schmoop and I went to. Not so much music but the crowd reacting to it.

Oh God help me...

The number 1, chart topping song on your 18th birthday is said to be your life's theme song according to this website
http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/member/birthdayno1.php

So Mine turns out to be


Macarena - Los Del Rio


Seriously the Macarena is my theme song, someone shoot me.

Cool Contest

Adventures in baby wearing is running a contest to win one of these awesome Rocking Baby Slings

While I'm not preggers and do not have any kids, I have a niece who is having two little ones so I'm thinking she's going to need to be wearing one of them most of the time. It would be cool to be able to give her this!

Is it just me or is the just a little bit excessive

In New Jersey more than 100 public officials in the state have been convicted on federal corruption charges in the last five years.

Good grief.

Introducing Drew

Congratulations Kitten Mama, he's quite a cutie!!

Vegan Month 1

Hi All,
So I haven't mentioned much about the whole Vegan thing for awhile but we have been keeping up with it. It has been about a month that we've been doing it. I've been pretty good with it, I only messed up 3 times. 2 times were for chocolate ( I just ordered some free trade cocoa powder so I should be able to curb this desire in the future; the other time I thought I bought soy milk but it was regular and I didn't notice till halfway done my serving. In this first month I have not had any soda, at all. This is itself is a small miracle as I used to have at least 3 soda's a day some times as close to 8-9. Also I have not had any ice cream either, I used to have ice cream at least once every single day. If you would have told me the beginning of this summer that I would give up ice cream and soda voluntarily I would have laughed at you. But here I am a month later and HAPPY about it. Go figure.
Mama K and I just got into ordering from Frontier and I have ordered a bunch of wholesale organic spices and also some bulk food items and natural cleaning supplies. Schmoop and I got some big old bags from Ikea that I bring to the grocery store to help alleviate unnecessary waste. I'm excited, I feel like we're doing whats best for us and as a bonus its also whats best for those around us. Nice.
I didn't weigh myself at my heaviest but I know I lost 5lbs since starting this but I believe it might be as much as 15lbs. I'm looking forward to losing more weight and becoming healthier to boot. The weight isn't the reason I started this little quest but its a nice tagalong.
Maybe the tv is the next to go.. we shall see.
Dirkey

Wordless Wednesday-Toothy Firegirl

Picture of Meggie taken by Dirkey on 9/3/04

Labor Day Goodness

So yesterday was Labor Day. Every Labor Day of my life I've spent at the Labor Day races in Island Heights. My mom grew up in Island Heights and my family has been going to these races for years. We have trophies that my grandmother won in their diving contests when she was young. It has always been one of the highlights of my summer, first with competing and now with watching the kids enjoy competing. They start off with a tricycle race of which Gracie and Mason both placed in the top three!

Mason is on the red bike wearing blue

Gracie is on the same red bike wearing purple
From there there was a potato race (kind of like suicide sprints with potatoes). Gracie and Mason both did this, then Schmoop and my big brother Walter joined in to race each other.

Schmoop is the red head in shorts while my brother is in the khaki's with a white shirt behind him. Yeah, thats right, behind him. :)
There was a 50 yard dash that my sister Karen rocked

She is the one in the blue and white floral shirt.
After this there was a three legged race that my sister and I went in (and got 3rd!).
Its a really neat thing that the town puts on, my uncle contributes pies (for a pie eating contest) and fireman hats (as its put on by the fire department).
The fireman hats are given to all the kids, which is good because some little ones were pretty upset that they couldn't play in all the games. As you can tell the hat really helped!


and they even gave them to the big kids

Kitten mom is a real mom!

Hey all my good friend Kitten mom just gave birth last night(you can see her website on my sidebar), Congrats Kitten Mom!!! She ended up having a little baby boy tipping the scales at 8 lbs. Mama K and I are planning a trip over to see the little bundle of joy that she had and also to see our friend. Send some prayers or happy thoughts her way as she had to have a c-section so she's got some recovering to do as well as a new baby to take care of!
I'm so happy for you! Congrats!

Photo Hunters-Dirty

Taken by Dirkey 7/29/07 in Seattle.
The name made me laugh, the lusty lady. I was saying it all day long in some manly raspy voice that I made up. Seems appropriate for todays Photo Hunt.
On a side note do you think that ATM inside is the only one in the country to dispense ones?