Our Big Secret

So I have an excuse for my lack of frequent blog posts these past few months. Can you guess what it is? I'm pregnant! Eric and I are so excited! The baby is due August 24th. These past couple months, I've had hardly any energy. I come home from work, lay on the couch and eat take-out most nights these days. Now that I'm in my second trimester, I'm hoping the energy comes back!

A Bucket List

I stole this list from Jenn's blog because it looked like a good time-waster for a Sunday afternoon.


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (Does Rock Band count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (and Disneyworld too!)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept in an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (I rode in a gondola in Vegas though!)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (I have seen it from the outside, just never been inside)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (no way!)
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Puppy Bowl V

Well, Eric is in his glory right now watching the big game. But I was happy to watch another big game earlier in the day.

Puppy Bowl V. Last year was the first time I had even heard of the Puppy Bowl and I made sure we watched it on the commercials. But this year we found out that the show would be on from 3--5 and then repeating itself for the rest of the day. So we watched it as a sort of pre-game I guess you could say.

It was so cute. If you have never seen it, Animal Planet puts on it's on Super Bowl knock-off with lots of cute little shelter puppies. They get to chase each other around a faux field, play with toys and score touchdowns. The half-time show was kitties!

This years MVP was Matilda, a beagle. She scored a lot of touchdowns. I saw a few puppies I'd like to bring home but Eric said no.


Here's Elvira. She was one of my favorites!

Early Valentines Day Gift

Yesterday I received an early Valentine's Day gift in the mail. The tag on the gift was not filled out but I correctly guessed that the gift was from my hubby! Eric sent me a box of vegan chocolates from Farm Sanctuary! They are amazing. The chocolates are actually from Rose City Chocolates in Boonton, NJ, not too far from where we live. I think the chocolate will be gone way before Valentine's Day though...

Susan and Timmy's Wedding

Yesterday was the wedding of very good friends of ours. Susan made a beautiful bride and they were both so happy. We are so happy for them and wish them all the best! Here are some pictures of their big day!

Cake Cutting!

McKenzie, Susan and I

Greg, McKenzie, Timmy, Susan, Me and Eric

Baby Pics!

I have not blogged in such a long time. I've been thinking about it but things have just been hectic and I've just not had anything to blog about! But I thought I would post some pics from the holidays. The first one is of my niece, Kayla, and my cousin's son, Vincent. They are almost a year old already! Time flies!


And here's Kayla with the Curious George jack-in-the-box we gave her!

Pizza Night and Brunch!

We had some friends over this weekend for an overnight so that gave me the opportunity to create pizzas--and brunch in the morning! What fun!

So last night we made a couple pizzas with our vegan cheeses we got from Pangea the other day. First, I made the dough with my Kitchen Aid stand mixer using the recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. The pizza sauce came out of a can! The first pizza was to be a buffalo tempeh pizza! So we used Katie's recipe for the tempeh. However, the sauce was altered a bit. We like it spicy so used 4 T of margarine, 4 T of hot sauce and 1 T of agave. While the tempeh was bakin', we sauteed up some red onions and crimini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms for the 2nd pizza. So our first pizza was mozzarella teese and blue sheese with pizza sauce and buffalo tempeh and the second one was just the sauce, mozz and mushroom combination. Both pizzas had an awesome thin crust. Definitely the best pizzas I've made yet. We ate every last crumb of both pizzas!

Here's Eric enjoying a slice of the 'shroom pizza!


This morning, while Eric and our friends were still sound asleep, I woke up bright and early to make Tofu Florentine from Veganomicon! It involved home fries, broiled tofu and cheezy sauce, toast and steamed spinach. It was some breakfast! Sorry for the crappy picture but here it is.

Wintry Weather Yumminess

(Dr. Cow cheeses courtesy of Vegnews)

I'm not really delighted about this rain/snow/sleet/ice we're getting today into tonight into tomorrow. But in case, I am stuck at home tomorrow, at least, I've got plenty to munch on!

I love Silk Nog! Have you tried it? It's 90 calories per half cup, so instead of drinking it by the glassful, I use it as coffee creamer with my winter coffee beans. Yum! It's the perfect thing to wake me up in the mornings! (Even though, I'm not really up in the mornings until I arrive at work after an hour drive! I HATE leaving my house in the dark of morning!)

I ordered a few different things I've been eager to try from Pangea a couple days ago! Wow, and fast delivery! I placed the order on Tuesday and it arrived on Wednesday! How cool is that? I'd been eager to try some different vegan cheeses that aren't even available at Whole Foods! So a log of Teese mozzerella, a wheel of Sheese blue cheese and a tiny little hunk of Dr. Cow raw cashew cheese. The only one I've tried as of yet is the Dr. Cow cheese.

And. Wow. Everything I've read about this cheese was correct! Yes, it's expensive and I only got 3 ounces. But it was awesome. Aged goodness. I could have eaten the whole three ounces. But I restrained myself.

We're planning on doing good things with the blue cheese. A buffalo pizza with tempeh and blue cheese. Yummy! And we'll use the Teese for pizza as well.

Don't get me wrong. I'm happy with Follow Your Heart soy cheeses. I think they are tasty eaten raw or melted. But it's nice to have other options!

Look Who's Vegan

Eric brought me home a Rachael Ray magazine last week and the last page featured rocker Bryan Adams. I was surprised to find out that Adams has been a vegan for the past 20 years. He ate completely raw for one year and now tries to eat 50% raw. Wow, look at him! Now, thats a picture of good health. Adams most certainly does not look like he's 49 to me!

Here's a link to his pineapple-ginger juice recipe.

Ah Craziness

I can't believe I haven't blogged in a month. Things have just been crazy. I haven't uploaded pics from my camera in a gazillion years! I need to write a blog posting, a real blog posting! I just wanted to post this message to let my readers know that I am still alive! I promise you a better posting--and soon!

Yes, We Can!!!

We did it! Go Obama--our next president!

Anxiously Waiting

Hope everybody voted today! Now I'm glued to CNN waiting for results.

Starbucks was giving out free coffee today if you told them you voted. I took advantage of that offer at two different locations.

Election

With the election in two weeks and a day, it's hard to focus on anything else--even if you're a first grader. Our students will also "vote" for a new president as part of a schools-wide election. When I asked one of my first graders who he would vote for, he choose Obama, of course. I asked him why he would like to vote for Obama and here is the short of it.

"He's brown and has a man helper."

I just thought it was pretty funny.

Electric Orange

Did I mention how much I love my new juicer? Since I've started juicing this weekend, I've made several different kinds of juices and smoothies. Here's what I made for my after-dinner snack and it'll be my breakfast tomorrow too. The juice came out bright orange and it's vibrantly sweet.

Electric Orange juice
2 servings

6 carrots
1 orange
1 apple

Juice the carrots with the orange and apple! That's it!

My apologies

My apologies for my recent lack of blogging! The last month has been very hectic! I meant to blog about the corn maze we took Norton to but that hasn't happened yet. I would have had a great blog post because we almost went to a rally in Scranton, Pa today with the Bidens and the Clintons! But Eric and I were both feeling a bit under the weather so we opted to stay home and relax today.

Last weekend, we celebrated my thirtieth birthday! Woo hoo! We partied with friends on my actual birthday and the following day, Eric took me to New York to see Mamma Mia and have dinner at Candle 79. The show was great and dinner was amazing.

Yesterday, we used up some of our wedding gift cards to buy a Breville juicer. So we spent our lazy Sunday making juice, napping, and making matzah ball soup.

I owe you guys a real blog post one of these days with actual photos and all. Excuse my laziness as of late.

Watch out for 'em hot peppers!

I should be blogging about what could have been an awesome salad, all put together without the help of a recipe. It was black beans and fresh corn, tomatoes and green bell pepper, avocados too. Some garlic and onion and why not a small red hot pepper for a little spice? As my salad was just about ready to be dressed, my face started feeling hot. And it was red. My nose was burning and my lips too. Then my face got swollen a bit and the splotchy red started to appear on other parts of my body, my shoulder and my hand. I had to send Eric out to get me some Benadryl so I could get some relief. I washed my face and used my Neti pot to get rid of some of those spicy irritants! I drank some ricemilk too.

Unfortunately, I had to throw the entire salad away. With all of that spice of one small pepper, not only did it taste like fire, but it wasn't worth dying.

I don't even know what kind of pepper it is. It came in a box of assorted hot peppers from the farmer market. I think the whole container has to go in the trash now.

My hands still feel hot but I'm definitely feeling better than I was--

Thanks to my darling hubby who, while on a quest for Benadryl, brought me home some Purely Decadent ice cream.

How we spent our Labor Day weekend

Around the middle of last week, upon realizing that Eric and I had no plans at all during our upcoming three day weekend, I suggested we spend that time painting our bedroom. Though not a fun chore, we decided it was the only time in the near future that we had to undertake this job. No sooner than we had started collecting paint samples did the bbq and other party invitations start rolling in. We were invited to three barbeques and (I to) one shopping excursion. Unfortunately, we missed all but one of those events (and that was only because the party was walking distance away)!

We painted our bedroom a Martha Stewart color called "Mixing Pot." It reminds me of a buttercream. It really is a pretty color and it's a nice change from the aqua that was on our walls and ceiling before that! After putting our bedroom back together today, we set up our new duvet and other bedding accessories which we received as shower gifts back in May. As Eric stated earlier this evening, now our bed looks like a hotel room bed!

Now summer really has come to an end...back to school tomorrow for me!

McCain's Dangerous Choice

Anybody see Obama's acceptance speech the other night? I thought it was amazing. I was riveted to that tv taking in every word he spoke.

Friday morning, I was shaking my head in disgust when McCain introduced his running mate.

Today I got this email from Move On which I found to be very informative. I'm cutting and pasting the info below.

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.

Huh?

Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:

• She was elected Alaska's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.¹
  
• Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.²
  
• She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. ³
  
• Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.⁴
  
• She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.⁵
  
• She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.⁶
• How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.⁷

This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.

We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK

She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.

In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.

In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin

2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-10389487-obf5gyx&t=1

3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-10389487-obf5gyx&t=2

4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-10389487-obf5gyx&t=3

5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-10389487-obf5gyx&t=4

6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-10389487-obf5gyx&t=5

"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-10389487-obf5gyx&t=6

"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-10389487-obf5gyx&t=7

7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-10389487-obf5gyx&t=8

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 3.2 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

Casserole

Today, I spent the morning getting my classroom organized for next week and the afternoon trying to organize my house. Norton's girlfriend Zoe also spent the afternoon at our house. See?


They spent the afternoon wrestling, drinking water and playing tug of war with Norton's stuffed squirrel (which they later destroyed).

Dinner had to be something easy so I could keep an eye on the pups. So I decided to be creative and throw together a casserole. I tossed some fresh green beans with a can of whole tomatoes and some spices--garlic, oregano, basil and parsley. I added an onion cut into wedges. Unfortunately I had no fresh herbs--and am all out of fresh garlic! Boo! Everything went in the toaster oven on 400 degrees. I added the lentils when they were done and some leftover brown rice from the other day. I realized my casserole had too much liquid so I scooped some of the tomato juice out. A little sugar in the raw to sweeten the sauce came next, then a generous splash of ricemilk to lighten the sauce. Lastly, I added some shredded Follow Your Heart mozzerella and upped the temp to 450. I guess everything cooked all in all for about an hour. It was tasty! I think my casserole would have been awesome with some roasted garlic, maybe some mushrooms too. Trust me, it tasted a lot better than it looks in the photo!

The Vegan's Hundred

Hannah came up with this list of 100 things that a vegan (or nonvegan!) should eat in his or her lifetime. It's a pretty cool concept and it is based on The Omnivore's Hundred. So here are the instructions if you'd like to participate. However, each of these food items needs to be the vegan version.

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
5) Pass it on!

1. Natto
2. Green Smoothie
3. Tofu Scramble
4. Haggis
5. Mangosteen
6. Creme brulee
7. Fondue
8. Marmite/Vegemite
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Nachos
12. Authentic soba noodles
13. PB&J sandwich (can't figure out how to cross out on blogger, but NEVER, not a fan of PB)
14. Aloo gobi
15. Taco from a street cart
16. Boba Tea
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza
20. Vanilla ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Ceviche
24. Rice and beans
25. Knish
26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Caviar
29. Baklava
30. Pate
31. Wasabi peas
32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Mango lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Mulled cider
37. Scones with buttery spread and jam
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. Fast food french fries
41. Raw Brownies
42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans
43. Dahl
44. Homemade Soymilk
45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Stroopwafle
47. Samosas
48. Vegetable Sushi
49. Glazed doughnut
50. Seaweed
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Tofurkey
54. Sheese
55. Cotton candy
56. Gnocchi
57. Piña colada
58. Birch beer
59. Scrapple
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Soy curls
63. Chickpea cutlets
64. Curry
65. Durian
66. Homemade Sausages
67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake
68. Smoked tofu
69. Fried plantain
70. Mochi
71. Gazpacho
72. Warm chocolate chip cookies
73. Absinthe
74. Corn on the cob
75. Whipped cream, straight from the can
76. Pomegranate
77. Fauxstess Cupcake
78. Mashed potatoes with gravy
79. Jerky
80. Croissants
81. French onion soup
82. Savory crepes
83. Tings
84. A meal at Candle 79
85. Moussaka
86. Sprouted grains or seeds
87. Macaroni and “cheese”
88. Flowers
89. Matzoh ball soup
90. White chocolate
91. Seitan
92. Kimchi
93. Butterscotch chips
94. Yellow watermelon
95. Chili with chocolate
96. Bagel and Tofutti
97. Potato milk
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Raw cookie dough