Life, Loss, and Lengthy Posts

April.  Has it really been since April when I last post?  A lot has been happening.  I needed a blogging break.  Among other breaks.  Blogging was one thing I could actually break from - whereas - the rest I wasn't able to.

It's been a hard several months.  In April, I lost my mother-in-law to Small Cell Lung Cancer.  It was an awful 3 year battle or so.  After the first year, they did preventative so it wouldn't spread to her brain.  Because of that preventative treatment it fast-forwarded Alzheimer-like symptoms.  Cancer Sucks.  I've said it before and I will say it again.

In May, we also lost Charlie.  He was about 19 years old and for those of you who I've known for a while - knew he was feral since the time he was a baby and was a rescue.  He battled strange issues throughout the years and we had always dealt with them.  The last couple of years he was deaf, too.  In the past year, we had watched him get smaller and smaller and he got to the point where many things he once loved were difficult for him.  Things just started shutting down and the vet assumed there was cancer somewhere but didn't want to put him thru all the tests and anxiety.  For the first time since I was 3 years old I'm without a cat in the house.  It's strange.  Our fur family is the smallest it's been in a long time.  Riley and Cricket are still around but we have been having problems with Riley and his natural aging process, too.  He's about 18 or 19 years old now, too!

In June, we found out the company we work for had been sold.  We've been dealing with the change ever since.  It's mostly been good with more changes on the way but it's been a non-stop world-wind of things happening one after another.

Also in June, my mother found out that the sore on her face near her eye was skin cancer.  From what we can gather, everything should be ok, but we had to wait over 3 months for her to be seen again.

With everything going on, I have been unsuccessfully trying to deal with my own stress.  My chronic pain issues seem to come and go like they have in the past BUT now I am dealing with a few other issues I haven't dealt with before.  One being a scalp issue.  I have been trying to treat it with coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, tea tree oil, etc.  Just when I think I am making some progress it comes back with a vengeance.  I'm pretty sure it's some kind of psoriasis or eczema of some sort.

I try and keep this blog positive and happy and try and learn things and archive them but it's been so hard with this post not seeming to do any of those things.  I have been doing a TON of volunteer work and between that and seeing my niece when I can those seem to be the only two things keeping me somewhat sane.

I chopped off all my hair.  It's time for me to do it again.  I've gained weight again and need to shed about 20 pounds.  I think I would feel better if I did.  Winter is coming and that is when I struggle even more with not being as active and on-the-go.

I have a lot of things to blog about but am afraid I just don't have the time.  Because of Riley aging and reverting back to his separation anxiety years I'm not able to sleep in bed anymore.  I have to sleep down in the recliner so he won't bark.  Sleep has been few and far between because of it.  I know it's taking a toll.

I'm trying to start my days earlier so I will have some time for myself but then I just start jumping into work and not doing the non-work things I need to be doing.

I need to re-work my time.  I need to start listening to podcasts.  I need to shake the negative and focus on the positive.  I need to spend less time with the people and things that make me feel bad and start realizing I'm not that bad of a person.  That's been hard for me my entire life.  Certainly something I need to work on.

I have a lot of photos over the last several months I need to post and blog about here.  Many of them have to do with volunteering and new vegan finds but I'm also trying to take more photos of my surroundings and BREATHE.  I won't share those in this post but I hope to in near-future posts.  I just wanted to update you on where I have been and why I haven't been posting.  I need to start posting again...I think it will help me in the long run.  Thanks for NOT giving up on me.

National Comedy Center Pre-View, Vegan Finds, Fur Kids, Niece, Selfies, Thanksgiving Wrap-Up

More and More and MORE stuff to share!  Still posting pics in 6's!  

A while back on IG I posted something about a Vegan HAPPY MAIL Exchange.  I haven't done anything with it as of yet.  There was a bit of interest.  I'm still considering it but haven't figured out how to organize it yet.  Maybe in the New Year I will take that step.  If you are interested in MAYBE participating let me know in comments.

I found some BITCHIN' SAUCE at the Erie Whole Foods Co-Op.  I have to say it was pretty darn tasty!  I used it on basically everything until I ran out of it.  

When they are on sale I have been buying Veggie Rings and Veggie Tots!  I have been able to find at least one of them at Tops but they have a better selection on Wegmans.

I have to get more photos of my darling niece Trinity, too!  And I've been obsessed with David S. Pumpkins since the first year the sketch was featured on SNL a few years ago!  Each Halloween I repost the video!  You gotta LOVE Tom Hanks!

A while back Erie Whole Foods Co-Op had Blue Sky Soda on sale so I thought I would try it and I enjoyed it!

One of my stops at Wegman's I grabbed some vegan sushi.  It had been too long!  I think it was the same day my parents and I stopped at a local brewery and they had their Halloween decor out!  The pumpkin was drinking a beer!  

In our travels I have been seeing more and more Dandies Vegan Marshmallows!  This year I think I bought the regular ones once and the peppermint ones twice.  I wish I could find the peppermint ones all year 'round!  I also found the seasonal flavors of Clif Bar at Wegman's!  Yum!  

I have to squeeze in photos of the furkids whenever possible!  Hope you don't mind!

Our closest Walmart has been getting more vegan options, too!  I found this Garde'in dish and it was surprisingly good!  I'm not much for fake meat but this didn't seem to have the effect on me that most fake meats do!

Here are more photos of the furkids!

I had made a Tofu and Tomato Dish a while back that ended up being so simple and so tasty!

I found Miyoko's on sale at Wegman's and couldn't pass it up!  YUM!  LOVE these pub cheeses!  Also found a Halloween Mug for super cheap so I grabbed that, too!

And speaking of Halloween and Fall...here are some more photos from around that time!  

Our Japanese Maple was a vibrant red this year while almost everything else wasn't as colorful due to the crazy summer we had.  

I was able to go Trick or Treating with Trinity and my sister and her husband.  It was fun!  The weather was mild but rainy.  She was Bell from Beauty & The Beast!

Filter FUN on IG...me as a zombie!

And some Cauliflower Pretzels I found somewhere while we were on a day trip.

These photos are 3 selfies - 2 of which were while voting - and the other one is another IG Filter.  What do you think?  Should I go GOTH more often?

Since we had a local Ollie's open I always look for Vegan Cookbooks.  I can usually find at least one per trip!  I recently found this Plant Protein Recipe Book and bought it for $2.99.

I have also been getting into these Kitchen LOVE cups.  They are great for meals on the go and most of the ones I have seen are vegan.  I think there were a few that weren't, tho.

And then another random Fall Photo!

My Aunt Kathy visited my parents in November and I was able to spend some time with them.  It was fun!  We went to the NEW National Comedy Center in Jamestown.  It's quite the experience.  So much so that I think I will dedicate a full post to it soon!  In the meantime above are a few photos from when we went.  The first one on the top was from the cartoonist nook of the museum.  The one to the right of that is when you first go in.  You create your own comedy profile and they give you a wristband and customize your entire trip!  The one with the motorcycle and green background was also in the entrance area.  That is Dan Aykroyd's SNL Motorcycle and you can read more about when he donated it to the center and the center HERE.  It's so weird that this center is getting so much attention.  Don't get me wrong...it REALLY deserves it!  But for lil old Jamestown, it's not a normal occurrence!  I recognize a few people in the photo at the link - which was featured in Newsweek!  On the outside of the building they have Jumbo-Trons!  Pretty cool!

Here are more photos from voting, Dandies Vegan 'Mellows, Kitchen LOVE, and Clif Bar.  As for the bras you see above that was the pre-tally for the bras our local Zonta Club Members shipped to FTG (Free The Girls).  We ended up shipping 408 bras with our first shipment!!!!  We have over 200 in our current stash now so I am sure we will be shipping again after the new year!  

Another thing I do each November - for work - is 8th Grade Career Day!  I go from 9 to almost 2 and spend it with a bunch of the 8th Grades in our county.  I set up a table for the radio stations and other businesses do displays as well.  The past several years I have done a 'Radio thru the Decades' sort of set up and they really seem to like it.  They love seeing the different microphones from the 1940's up to current...as well as the Records, Reel to Reels, Carts, CDs, etc.

Here is Cricket and Riley again!

Also more EATS...at Wegman's I found some Chana Masala on sale and Refried Black Beans from Goya that are VEGAN!  They were great.  Around that time I was doing a lot of LAZY meals so I took one of the cans of beans and made a Black Bean Soup out of it.  It turned out TASTY!  That's all that matters, right?

Then I found these Swapples!  I'm TOTALLY LOVING these things!  They are made from whole Yuca Root!  No Flour!  No Grain!  No Dairy!  No Eggs!  No Soy!  No Gluten!  YUP!  They are vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo, etc!  I have tried the Spinach Garlic one and the Tomato one and LOVED both of them!!!

I made Bianca's Recipe for Thanksgiving with the corn, peppers, etc in a nice vinegar!  It was YUMMY!  

Some other soup I made, another Kitchen LOVE cup, more furkid pics, and then there was a stop to The Dollar Tree!  I found these breaded veggies that were accidently vegan and they were pretty good.  I also found a 'tot' by the same company and those were NOT very good.

And I think I will make my last photo blast of the day be from this past Thanksgiving!  YES!  I'm still THAT backlogged!  SORRY!  Anyhow...the one photo is a Zonta Club informational sheet that we had on display while selling raffle tickets for a fundraiser we were doing the day after Thanksgiving.

The other photos are all from Thanksgiving!  Trinity got all dressed up with a new coat and matching dress underneath.  With the help of my mother, Trinity made us all hand turkeys.  She calls me AUNT JAJA!

Then you will see some of the Vegan Thanksgiving Foods I did this year!  From left - that is my whole plate!  I did Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing (from Vegan Zombie), Green Bean Casserole, Corn Casserole (from Bianca).  We also had yams and rolls.  Everything on my plate is vegan, of course!

My Vegan Thanksgiving Plate 2017

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate and for those who don't I hope you are having a nice Thursday!

As I have done in previous years I am sharing my Thanksgiving plate with you.  Mine being vegan, of course!

Starting with the Mashed Potatoes and moving clockwise to the Green Bean Casserole, then Carrots, then Yams, and finally Vegan Stuffing!  Everything was YUMMY!

Here's another look at the plate!  DH and I went over to my parents for dinner.  I helped my mother with some things.  I have to say I'm pretty proud of the vegan options I made this year.  This year my sister, her husband, and Trinity (my niece) didn't spend Thanksgiving with us.  But they stopped in the evening when we were getting ready to leave.  At least I got to see my niece for about a half hour.  Then again I took one of my remaining vacation days yesterday and spent a good portion of the day with her.  

Vegan Green Bean Casserole Ingredients:

Green Beans (of course)

1/2 C Cashews

2 T Vegan Margarine

1 Small Onion

10 Ounces Mushrooms

2 t Thyme

1/2 C Dry White Wine

1 1/2 T Nutritional Yeast

2 C Almond Milk

2 t Lemon Juice

1 t Bragg's Liquid Aminos

1/4 C Flour

Nutmeg, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Old Bay Seasoning all to taste

I put everything (except green beans and flour) into a high speed blender until smooth.  I heated the mixture on stove top and whisked in flour.  Just for good measure I did throw it back into the blender one last time. I then coated the cooked green beans with the mixture and baked for about 15 minutes at 350.  I also topped with store bought fried onions that just so happened to be vegan!

This was VERY rich!  I didn't use all of the mushroom cream but I have a plan for the leftovers already!

Vegan Stuffing Ingredients:

2 C Bread, chopped

2 T Grapeseed Oil (I used Garlic flavored Grapeseed Oil)

1/2 t each of Dried Minced Garlic, Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Old Bay Seasoning

I took these ingredients and worked them together and put the seasoned bread on to a baking sheet at 350 for 10 minutes until slightly crispy.

I then took 2 chopped celery stalks, 2 chopped carrots, 1 small onion and cooked them down on the stove top.  I then add it to 1 C Vegetable Broth, 1 T Vegan Margarine for another 5 minutes on stove top.  I then combined everything and mixed well.  I put in the oven for another 20 minutes at 350.

This may have been my favorite stuffing EVER if I do say so myself.

It was not too moist but not dry either.  Plus there were a few little crispy ones on the top!  YUM!  So YUM I thought I would do a close up!

With the carrots we just added some Earth Balance (Vegan Margarine) and BAM there's a side!  For the Yams we added a little Earth Balance and a handful of brown sugar.  For the mashed potatoes I used - you guessed it - Earth Balance, Almond Milk, and a few tablespoons of Vegan Sour Cream!

If you blogged about Vegan Thanksgiving dishes and recipes feel free to slap the direct URL in comments!!!  CHEERS!

Boring You With The Details...

Before I start rambling about random crap that has been happening the last couple months I thought I would share with you something that I FINALLY found LOCALLY!  YAY!  I have tried a few of the other flavors but this is a first for me with THIS Sparkling Live Drinking Vinegars.  THIS flavor I am speaking/writing of is the TART CHERRY Apple Cider Vinegar with Coconut Vinegar.  I had a thought that I would enjoy it but I have to say I really LOVE it (way more than even I thought I would). 

It had to be a treat because it was still priced at a bit over $3 for the ONE bottle.  I figure some people throw money at cigarettes and other awful things so what if I splurge on this little gem, eh!?

Anyhow...on to a few other things.  I have mentioned (but haven't expanded on) how the last several months I have had a LOT going on.  And even now...I don't know where to begin.  I don't want to lay out all my dirty laundry or anything but I figured I would list a few things that have been on my mind as of late.

My MIL was diagnosed with cancer almost a year ago.  She went thru the treatments wonderfully and is now cancer-free but she's been having other issues since about June that no one can fully explain.  As you can imagine this is something that we worry about day-in and day-out.  It's on-going. 

Several months ago the company I work for was supposed to be sold.  We were looking forward to several changes.  In the final moments of the sale, it fell thru which was a bummer.  It's been doubly difficult because my MIL has worked at the same place for over 40 years and because of the health-related concerns she has retired and we haven't hired anyone new.

Of course, I am giving you the shortened versions of these stories but I have had some people ask me about different things and wanted to update my buddies without sharing TOO MUCH information - if you know what I mean.

DH is on the fair board and exec board of our county fair and that has come in to play more this year than in past years.  I have gotten more involved as well.  In addition, I have been very involved with our League of Women Voters and other community events and committees. 

The beginning of December will be our last time selling for Wildtree.  We've been reps for 9 years and LOVED it but several things have told us it's time to move on.

One of those things is the birth of my niece Trinity.  With everything else going on I want to make sure I spend as much time with her as possible.  My sister lives about 45 minutes from where I do and with both of us working full time it's already hard enough to see her each week (or two or three) even if it's only for a few moments.  This will be her first Christmas and I'm already trying to figure out what we are going to do for her.  I want to start traditions with her...that only her and I will have.  One of the things is UNICORNS.  As many of you know I have collected unicorns my whole life and someday Trinity will be getting all of them whether her mother likes it or not!  hahaha!  I was thinking about giving her a Unicorn from my collection each year but even if I did that for all of her first 18 years that would only be 18 unicorns and I have over 700!  So I don't know if I will give her one this year, 2 next year, 3 the following year, and so on or what but she will start getting them THIS CHRISTMAS!

I'm really trying to get back into cooking more and blogging about it more but I have had some pretty frumpy attempts as of late.  I hope to turn that around soon.

My parents seemed to be excited about their new camper.  We hope to transport it back sometimes this week so it's closer to them for when spring comes around.  I feel bad that they will have to wait months before using it.  But it's something to look forward to and possibly something we can think about for holiday gift giving, too!

This winter I really have to work on many areas of our house.  I just have no idea where to start.  It's quite overwhelming. 

Speaking of overwhelming, these last 6 to 8 months have been just that.  With all of the stuff I mentioned in this post - among other things - not to mention the ongoing vet issues with all 4 furkids - it's been rough to say the least.

Thank you for those who sent me messages and thoughts/prayers.  I let the stress get to me more than a few times but I'm hoping on moving forward and improving the ways I deal with stress from here on out.  It's an ongoing journey so any and all encouragement is appreciated.

Comfort Zone Cafe & Fun With Parents!

I have almost all of my vacation time still left for the year so I decided to FINALLY take a day off this past Monday.

I didn't spend it alone.  I was with DH and my parents all day.  My parents have been looking at campers and still had yet to visit Camping World which is where we go ours a few years ago.  We spent a few hours going thru MANY of them but before we get to the final decision I thought I would share with you where we went for lunch while mulling it over...

The place you are seeing in the first photo is called Comfort Zone Cafe and it's in a really neat looking section of Hamburg, NY.  The owner and workers were all super nice and loaded with personality.  They had a nice selection of panini's, soups, beverages, etc.

They said on their website that they always have (at least) 1 Gluten Free and Vegan "Boat" available and it changes with the season.  Of course, that is what I was interested in and this next photo is what I opted for.  It's an Acorn Squash Boat.  It was very yummy!  PLUS it was something 'outside of the box' when it comes to vegan options which I ALWAYS appreciate!  It was stuffed with mashed squash, celery, cranberries, apples, onions, and Cannellini Beans, etc.

And finally...here is a photo of my parents with their recent purchase!  It's a Jay Flight Camper and it's about 28-feet long.  I LOVE the expressions on their faces!  The only downside is that they have to wait until spring to get it out of storage and enjoy it!  WHY?  Because winter is upon us.  Yup!  In case you don't already know - I live in the snow belt and it will arrive any day now - I'm sure...sigh...Regardless it was a fun day and we had a delightful lunch at Comfort Zone Cafe in Hamburg!

Budget Blabbing & Babies!

Before I get to my semi-daily updates on what I ate and how much it cost I thought I would share 2 more photos of Trinity.  My sister was gifted a Baby Photo Shoot from her Co-Workers and these are the first ones I have seen from that session.

OMG I can't get over her!

In other family-related news that I haven't mentioned YET while I share these photos...my cousin and her husband traveled up from Tennessee last week.  They stayed for a week over at my parents house.  It was WONDERFUL to see them.  I was able to spend a little time with them while they were in town.

While they were here we were able to take a tour of Southern Tier Brewery.  That was really neat!  We got to see all the machinery and ins and outs of everything!

This past weekend my parents and I were part of a committee that helped put on a craft show at the fairgrounds.  Also on the grounds this past weekend was a car show, BBQ, and Horse Show.  Of course I didn't grab anything at the BBQ but I did stock up on some convenience items last week to put in the camper freezer to have on hand...and good thing, too!

The event went really well!  I'm super excited that my parents were in the committee, too!  Next major event is Fair Week which is always in the beginning of August.  If you have been around my blog for a while you know that I always share photos after that week is complete.

Oh!  Another UPDATE...I was voted in as a board member with the Secretary position of our local League of Women Voters - so that's exciting!

And FINALLY...my semi-daily food update!  So after blogging yesterday I noticed I had 2 gift cards in my purse that had about $5 each left on them.  I wanted to get my dinner stuff for the next few days and hubby needed bread and a few things for the house.  With everything I only spent $1.24 out of pocket.


What I ended up buying for food was Black Beans for $1, Chickpeas for $1, Corn with Onions and Spicy Peppers for $1 (all of these items were canned), then I found a frozen bag of Cauliflower Rice with Carrots, Green Onions, and Peas for $1.79, and a package of Tortilla Wrap/Burritos for $2.29.  So that was really only $7.08 for the day but I got it at no cost to me because of the gift cards I used.  But for sake of argument we will look at it as a 'charge' for the day and week.  So far I have spent $14.58 on food this week.  BUT...with what I bought yesterday that should take care of me for 2 to 3 days I'm thinking.

I have been doing a lot of research on other people and their vegan food challenges.  Yesterday I found a girl online who posted about her food journey for the week.  When she added everything up she spent $21.88 for 10 days of meals!  I thought - HOW WONDERFUL - so for the heck of it - I went thru her list and put what my local prices were and came up with the total of $52.77 and that included me already having 5 items in my pantry and deleting 3 other items!  So with NOT having to purchase 8 items from her list my total was between 2 and 3 times higher than hers!  Oye!

I have been out of cashews for a month, I'm totally out of Nutritional Yeast at the moment, I have NO fresh produce either.  I currently only have French Fries and Frozen Artichokes in my Freezer, and with what I got yesterday I have some leftovers but only have 1 unopened can of chickpeas and the Mexi-Corn for canned items.  This will certainly be interesting!  If I buy a 1 pound bag of Nutritional Yeast it's $19 here.  If I buy 14 to 16 ounces of Cashews the cheapest price in my town is $12.99.  If I buy only those two items the total would be $31.99.  I guess THIS is what happens when you eat out of your pantry and take it down to nothing, eh!?  

Introducing My Niece...TRINITY...

I know I have been MISSING for a few weeks but that is with good reason!  I'm officially an AUNT!

I will have more photos but this was one of the first ones!  Here is Trinity with my sister Megan!  It was a scary day but long story short all is well now!

The last several months have been OVERLY trying and various things have been messing with my emotions.  When Trinity was born and well - I was OVERJOYED!  I'm so happy for my sister!  I know she will be a great MOM!  As for myself I will continuously work to be the BEST Aunt I can be!

One Step Closer To Being An Aunt!

Saturday was the BIG DAY!  It was my sisters baby shower!  We had it at the local Hampton and the space was lovely!  I have to admit that I hate the color pink but the set-up was nice!  She opted for pink and grey!  Chevron, even!

Here is a photo of the party prior to the start time!  We decorated the night before and a few hours prior we brought everything in, too!

I bought and brought a 5 pound bowl of marinated veggies from a semi-local store and catering place!  It was WAY CHEAPER to do it this way than to buy everything individually and marinate it myself!  It was an Italian Dressing type marinade of sorts.  No dairy!  The veggies were all raw and included cauliflower, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, green peppers, etc.  It seemed to be a hit because it was the first thing we ran out of on the food table!  And to think - I thought 5 pounds would be too much!  There were about 50 to 55 people there.  The turn out was much better than I thought it would be - however - I didn't know a lot of people there.  My sisters MIL's friends made up the majority.  I was happy that my Aunt Kathy (my Dad's sister) and my cousin Ricky's wife Michelle drove over 3 hours to attend.  My Aunt Carol (my mom's sister in law) also drove about 2 hours, too!

For MONTHS my sister requested I make a Hummus Quinoa Casserole.  Of course I wanted to fulfill that request.  I ended up making 2 of them as you can see in these photos!  Since it's a recipe found in Dreena Burton's Vive Le Vegan Cookbook I won't post it here but I will tell you a few variations.

This one I used Tri-Colored Quinoa for the base.  I used Yam Hummus for the middle layer.  And for the roasted veggies I used Zucchini, Summer Squash, Eggplant, Red Bell Peppers, Brussels Sprouts, and Yellow Bell Peppers.

I have to say this is the first time I attempted to make Yam Hummus and it turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself!  I will certainly have to do it again!

For this one I did Red Quinoa on the bottom.  For the middle I used Plain Hummus but there wasn't quite enough and there was too much of the yam hummus so I combined the two hummus' here for this one.  For the roasted veggies on top of this one I used Sweet Onion, Mushrooms, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Red, Orange, and Yellow Bell Peppers, and just a few leftover Brussels Sprouts from the other one.

BOTH  of these casseroles were gone by the end of the day!  SO I guess they were a hit, too!  Funniest part is...I bet no one noticed they were eating vegan!

These are pretty intense to make - especially if you are making more than one at the same time!  You should have SEEN the kitchen OMG! lol!!!!

So on to more food but not all of it was vegan so I just skipped over that stuff for my own plate.  My mother made the BIGGEST Fruit Salad I have ever seen in my life!  The first batch sat in a large corn pot.  There were two other LARGE containers full of the fruit salad used as back-up, too!  WOWZA!

There were raw veggies and tomato and basil with Balsamic, too!  One without dairy and one with dairy.

To show you more of the festivities here is a shot of the food tables.  There are non-veg things mixed in but still there were a lot of things that I was able to eat which you will see in a bit.

It was rainy on Saturday so I'm glad we were inside.

It was a nice space for a shower, too!  My favorite part of this hotel is the lobby and I totally forgot to take a photo of it.  I'm pretty sure at some point I will be there again for a meeting or something so I will try and remember to take a pic then!

My mother also made like 3 HUGE batches of candies (not vegan) but a hit with the masses!  Of course she always over does it so I had to bring some in to work to get rid of it!

And of course NONE of this is vegan but I had to share it with you!  There is a regional pie maker that is adored here and a lady brought 7 of their pies!  My husband said they are the best pies he's ever had in his life and was upset when I didn't bring any home for him!

Then there was the cake!  YES!!!  My niece's name is going to be Trinity!  Not sure if you noticed that!

Once the room filled up it was a bit snug but still nice!  Here is everyone socializing!  My sister's sister-in-law brought her new mini-Polaroid camera and took all of the guests pics and put them in a book for them to write bits of MOM ADVICE for my sister.  Neat idea!  And pretty cool mini-camera to boot!

Here's a quick pic of my sister Megan.  It's hard to tell from this angle but she's definitely showing!  I took one from the side but she had a really funny expression on her face and I'm sure she would kill me if I posted it here! haha!

She has about 6 weeks to go!  Her due date is June 14th.  It's finally starting to feel real that I will soon be an aunt!  I will be known as the CRAZY AUNT and I'm totally ok with that!

I have so much more to post and blog about but I realize how photo heavy this post already is so I will only blog about the shower today and save the rest of the weekend happenings for tomorrow thru Friday!

Just a few more pics in the meantime for the shower...

Here is the beginning of the present pile!  I'm pretty sure it doubled in size shortly after I took this photo!

She got a bunch of cool stuff.  One thing I laughed about was the wipe warmer.  Yeah!  It's a warmer that WARMS...WIPES!  I am probably the only person on Earth that finds that funny!

And you see that Diaper Bear in the right hand corner?  I had to take a closer look...

I'm not really an "Awwwwww....CUTE...." person but if you don't get a kick out of this there may just be something wrong with you (juse kidding)!

I never thought I would be that person who would want to 'see if the baby was kicking' but I am.  Not that I would do that to anyone other than my sister but still!  I guess I am NOW that person!  I'm a bit obsessed with her stomach and Trinity flip-flopping around in there!

I can't wait to meet her!  I know my sister will be a great mom, too!

And Trinity will be SO Spoiled!  TOO Spoiled!  But too bad, so sad, right!?

Another thing that was clever was this gift!  It was a dozen eggs container but when you opened it - it was a dozen baby socks instead!  This is my mom holding it up!

Jody - who was a co-worker of my father's before he retired in October was the one behind the idea of this one!  Really nifty - if you ask me - but then again - you didn't ask me...I just told you!  (Like you had a choice, eh?)

And FINALLY...my personal plate of food at the shower!  I like to call this one...

What a Vegan Eats at a Baby Shower

And I think I will stop right there for now!  More tomorrow!

What did you spy with your lil eye that looked interesting at this party?

Where Did The Week Go?

Thursday, already?  Not sure where the rest of the week went but I knew I needed to get a blog post on before the craziness of the next few days takes place!  You see - my sisters baby shower is Saturday!  Both near-future grandma's are running around like maniacs and then there is the near-future 'Crazy Aunt' (that's ME) that has been overly busy at work and down and out not feeling well for a few days last week!  I haven't been as much help as I wanted the last couple of weeks!  Anyhow...today I will share with you some things I have been taking snapshots of over the past week and then I will blab about the shower next week!

First up is what I had for dinner last night.  It's the first photo you see in this post and it is LITERALLY something I threw together because I didn't want to fuss with anything special.  I found tortilla boats that happen to be vegan and I filled them with this chickpea mixture!

Smoked Russian Chickpeas:

1 Can of Chickpeas

4 T Vegan Mayo (I used Trader Joe's - see below)

2 to 3 T Ketchup

1/2 t Smoked Paprika

1/2 t Wildtree Memphis Dry Rub

3 Drops Organic Liquid Smoke

I cannot express how AWESOME this turned out!  I'm not going to lie - I kinda wanted to drink the 'dressing' which was a more smoked up version of my Vegan Russian Dressing I have done in the past.

This was the Vegan Spread and Dressing I used that I found at Trader Joe's the last time I went.  I'm partial to Just Mayo but this is pretty awesome on it's own.  It's not what I would call a straight-up vegan mayo but more like a dressing like it states - it seemed thicker and did have a different taste but the taste was pretty wonderful!

Another wrap I did within the last week was this one.  It doesn't look like much but it was a great comfort food!  I used a couple of potato patties, tomato slices, and vegan cheese sauce.  The vegan cheese sauce was the leftover vegan cheese powder I made not too long ago!  It worked well!

I had a huge salad this week, too, and I made this dressing.  It was supposed to resemble a vegan Ranch Dressing using Sunflower Seeds as the base but it totally missed the mark as a Vegan Ranch Dressing taste-alike.  The taste wasn't bad it just wasn't what I was going for.  

I'm grateful on a daily basis that Paco has been doing well the last several months!  A few months ago he wasn't able to do this!  He would barely move let alone look engaged in things!  

I still have to help him up on the sofa and recliner but the WANT and INTEREST is there!  I put him up on the recliner but he managed to get on the armrest all by himself and pose like this!  I couldn't tell you the last time he did that!  For about a year I freaked out when he did try to because his legs were so unstable!  How can these photos NOT put a smile on your face?

Spring Flowers, Vegan Leftovers, Co-Op Cafe Eats

I'm going to start a little backwards here.  When I got home from work yesterday I noticed something colorful in the backyard.  I HAD to investigate!  This is what greeted me!  How lovely!  I moved into the house I am living in prior to DH and I getting married so I think I've lived there about 16 years since our 15th Anniversary is coming up soon.  I don't remember these flowers back then BUT the last 3 or so years they have been popping up!  Nature is mysterious and gorgeous...isn't it?  I can't wait for more signs of spring!  I will be sure to report!

For some reason I could edit all my photos except for this 2nd one and I don't know why but it wouldn't let me flip it.  This was my dinner (times 3) last night!  I worked off of leftovers once again!  Sweet Potato Chickpea Wraps.    In addition to mashed Sweet Potato and Chickpeas I added Corn, Diced Tomato, and Jack Daiya Cheese.  It was way better than I expected it to be!

After I used some of the Diced Tomato, Corn, and Chickpeas I then had more leftovers to use.  I ended up making that happen in the next few photos.  I have to warn you - this will be a LONG post today with MANY photos!  I almost forgot to show you the meal I had at the Co-Op with my parents and sister last weekend so that is below, too!

But before I get to those photos I have these next few pics to share.  It's a progressive dish using leftovers!

It all started as a Bowl.  I used Spinach, Corn, Sweet Potato, Chickpeas, and Diced Tomatoes.  I topped with a Tahini Sauce and sprinkled Nutritional Yeast.  I will have the recipe for the Tahini Sauce in a little bit but first I wanted to show you how the leftovers transformed into additional meals.

I sampled the bowl and it was ok.  It kind of felt like it was missing something.  Before moving on and tinkering with the dish I mixed up what I had and took a pic.

The only other thing I added to this was Turmeric.

Recipe for Tahini Sauce:

1/4 C Tahini
5 T Water
2 T Lemon Juice
1 T Maple Syrup

I also forgot to mention I seasoned the Chickpeas wish Cumin and Garlic.

Now...THIS is the TICKET, folks!  This is the 3rd and final attempt and the real winner of the bunch!

I added more of the Tahini Sauce, Smoked Paprika, Pistachio's, and Jack Daiya Cheese!  BAM!!!

Now the only thing I have left is 1 Sweet Potato, a little Cauliflower, and Spinach.  I'll have to see what I can come up with using those items!

Moving on...

This past Saturday my parents, sister, and I went to Erie to check out Baby's R US and Target for my sister's baby registries.  They had a bunch of questions about car seats and such.

After all of the shopping stuff I suggested we go to the Co-Op Cafe.  The Wholefoods Co-Op Cafe, that is.  We had a nice time!  First up - some snapshots of our drinks!  Mine - the green one - is called Alkaline Heaven.  It had Cucumber, Carrot, Celery, Spinach, and Apple.  My father got the orange one in the back.  It was called Sunrise.  It had Carrot, Apple, Orange, Pear, and Lemon.  He tries to stay away from Cucumbers.  I think it was the only one that didn't have Cucumbers in it.  Both were good.  I sampled everyone's!  My mom and sister got smoothies.  The Triple Berry Smoothies to be exact.  They had Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry, Orange Juice, and Almond Milk.  Yes...the BOTH opted for the Almond Milk over the standard.

Mom, Megan, and I chose the soups they had that day.  Mom grabbed the Tomato Garlic and it was VERY garlicky.  Megan decided to go with the Chickpea one.  They both ordered smalls.  I went with the LARGE and gobbled up the Apricot Red Lentil Soup which is one of my FAVORITES there!  My other favorite is a Spicy Peanut something or other but I haven't seen it there in YEARS.

There is just something about this Apricot Red Lentil that I cannot get enough of!  I could seriously drink it by the vat!  As you can see I was messy with it while putting it in the container.

My Dad went with the Cheese Pizza on Whole Wheat Dough.  It wasn't vegan because of the dairy cheese but at least it was meat-free!

And finally...we scored this VEGAN COOKIE!  It was about as big as my face!  All 4 of us shared it!  Everyone liked EVERYTHING they had!  I have to say this VEGAN COOKIE was probably the BEST I have had to date!  YUMMERS!

It's been another busy week and the next several days are going to follow suit.  I like being busy.  I actually get more accomplish when I am busy than when the days are less filled with various tasks and activity!

But then again...I have always been BACKWARDS.  When I was in school I did better when I had all the extras going on.  Then when I ONLY had studies happening.  The busier I was the better my grades.   Now...the busier I am - all around - the better work is!