Cereal Killer

Johns 31st Birthday is coming up and I was so excited to give him this gift that I had to do it almost as soon as I got it in the mail :)

Bought this from an Etsy Store called JackBradyStudios... Very nice people. They answered my email very quickly and even put Johns name and the Date at no extra charge. And I got it in the mail very quickly at about 7 days after my order...  Couldn't be happier... Very cute and John loved it !!! :)

It came gift wrapped.. This picture was taken after I was nosy and opened it cause I was so excited to see it... So the Tissue paper that it was wrapped in looked nicer before I touched it :)

Just after opening it and figuring out why I got him a spoon... lol... He loved it <3 br="br" nbsp="nbsp">

The 1st use :)

~All done~

Kiss my car goodbye! Thanks to it Catching Fire on my way to Ohio!

We were on our way to Columbus, Ohio's, to go to Ohio State Veterinary Hospital to pick up Roxie's leg brace  (I have yet to blog anything about Roxies leg injury) when 19 miles outside of Columbus we stopped to use the rest room at a DQ my car started smoking. I just thought it was the stirring fluid leaking... But it turned out to be my car was on fire... My passenger side door handle didn't work and John was in the DQ using the restroom...So I went across the seat and jumped out the drivers side door..grabbed Roxie and got away... Not once did I think CALL 911...! I know right... luckily the workers at the DQ did.... It took them a good 20 or 30 minutes for the fire department to get there.... and by then the entire motor was burning.... It was a mess..  Originally the DQ works and my husband tried to get the hood open so they could spray it with the fire extinguisher.... but the hood was stuck closed.. So when the fire department got there they had to pry my hood open with what looked like a mini jaws of life... and then they sprayed with the extinguisher and then the water hose... They totally flooded the car... They ripped the dash open and sprayed through it.... It was a mess...

Did I mention I only had liability??? Stupid me!!!!

This is the parking lot after the fire. I hope I don't get charged for damage. all I seen was some stains... No real damage.
But the guy took my insurance just in case.. Sad thing is I only had liability... and when I called I found up that it
Won't cover the parking lot if they decide that there is damage... 

 I was upset... But not as much as I expected really... It sucks that I lost my car... but atleast we have a truck to get around in... and I hope John gets his car fixed soon so we can have 2 vehicles again... I can't wait till some of our bills get paid off though... so I can get a newer fuel efficient car... We originally planned on trading his talon and my stratus in on a newer car.. But I guess that won't happen now... :(   After they put out the fire.. we looked decided it was totaled... and decided to leave it with a place called Just Junk It...They offered use $300 for it and I couldn't afford to tow it home and fix it since the motor was gone! So I took the offer... I couldn't get the money without the title though... So right now my car us still there and I have no money and they are waiting on me to send them my title so that I can get my money...

After that the Fire Chief was nice enough to give us a ride to the airport to pick up a very expensive $313 one way rental car to get us home! It was a 2010 Hyundai Elantra with XM radio which was nice... But it sucks how much it cost... I really didn't have the money to put forth.... but what are you going to do.?? Totaling a car has always been my worst travel nightmare...So I guess travel only looks up from here...

Roxie Making herself at home in the backseat of the Fire Chiefs SUV. 

Waiting at baggage claim for John and the rental car.

Roxie was such a good girl at the airport for over an hour. She was nice to every one who came up to us!

XM Radio in the Rental car

The nice rental car

Had a nifty gear shift

We did end up going to the vet and picking up her little hot pink leg brace... Which she wears everytime she goes outside to make sure she doesn't over use her tendon while it continues to heal... She is happier now that she can go outside again.. And I am too because the puppy pads are messy and expensive...Plus after the costs of Roxie Exams, traveling three times to ohio, and the $400 brace... I am broke! and can't afford the puppy pads anymore....

Roxies New leg Brace

She is doing pretty good with it. although she will run around the yard kicking her leg up and to the side...lol

We also stopped by Wholefoods on the way home and picked up a case of Earth Balance stick.. They are 5.99 a four pack here... and it cost 2.89 a four pack at wholefoods... Plus I bought a case that was a little over $5 off plus... I had a $1 coupon for ever pack I bought... So I really got it at a good price! I also got a case of WholeSoy yogurt and 8 packs of lightlife sausage... Wish I would have got a case of the sausage... I didn't know the case would actually give you a better price... But I also had a dollar off ever Lightlife item... It was 2.69 each so I paid 1.69 each... So I was a money saving queen... :) O yeah lightlife sausage here is 3.99 a pack...  and I can't get plain containers of Soy yogurt here... So I stalked up for baking... I also got 6 packs of Tofurky since its cheaper there....

I was going to stop at a couple other places life Trader Joes and a Vegan Bakery but I didn't have the money or the time... So we came the Five hours home...

But at that it looks like, even if John gets his over time back, that we are not going on any kind of vacation this year.. That really sucks... John is from Charleston, SC and we were really looking forward to going there this fall... we havn't been there since his dad past over 3 years ago and I know he wanted to visit his sister....


Other pictures from our trip....

Stopped to let Roxie have a brake and for me to make a phone call and John showed me these... They were so awesome I had to get some pictures...

These high tension power lines make the weirdest sound....

Going through an old town. Thought these buildings looked pretty cool..

a new school they are building in Camron, WV. It looks like it will be very nice.

The old Prison in Moudsville,WV. They do tours but we didn;'t have time to take one. But it looks awesome from outside..

Easter Dinner 2011

We had a good Easter. John and I had dinner with my parents the evening before Easter because John worked Easter. We didn't have our normal Tofurky... sadly no one in our area carried them last Thanksgiving/Christmas season when I normally stock up... So this year I have one left for this coming Thanksgiving unless I find somewhere to purchase them again... I hope I do... 

So we had breaded eggplant as the main course. Sides included Maple glazed sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans & salad... And I also made 2 desserts. Lemon cupcakes and Rhubarb Apple Crisp. All the food turned out really well and we all had a nice evening. The next day My Mother, Sister, and I went to my Aunts for dinner and I took left overs with me. I did get to try wild mushrooms for the first time that day and I have been wanting some ever since and I am not a huge mushroom fan.. But those were really good... O yeah... After I try them my Aunt is like.... "Well if you ever get any make sure you soak them so all the critters will come out".... and I am like "What!?" lol... that was a little freaky... but they were good...

Vegan Lemon Cupcakes. I used the white cupcake recipe from The joy of vegan baking... I added 3 tsp or lemon extract.. I would say only add 2 and try that because these came out with a little to much lemon in them. The icing was good though and it was 1/2 Earth Balance, 2 Cups powder sugar, couple tbsp almond milk, and I think I used 2 tsp lemon extract... I would love to try lemon oil because I am thinking it would have better flavor. I would also like to find a recipe with a better crumb. But I love lemon cupcakes and I have become obsessed with them since I went to Columbus, OH to Patty Cakes Bakery.. They have the best vegan baked good ever!!!!!! :)

I cut fresh rhubarb from the garden and wanted to use up last years frozen... Plus my rhubarb plants were from my Grandfathers (My mothers father)  garden. He passed a couple years ago and my husband and I dug up most of his rhubarb and brought it home and planted it. So I really wanted to share that rhubarb with the family. But this crisp was so yummy. A little sweet but had that touch of tart in the background.. So it was really good. I used this recipe on about.com and just used vegan supplies... Look for more vegan Rhubarb recipes in the future I have a ton of rhubarb this year and will be sharing alot of recipes I try.

mom made a salad always better when someone else makes it for you??? I don't  know but it has started a salad craving I have been fighting off with huge yummy salads ever since :)

One of my fave Sweet potato recipes that I make for every holiday now!!! Maple glazed sweet Potatoes... 

This is the Breaded eggplant. I just long cut the eggplant, sprinkled with salt and let drain for an hour or so,  dipped them in flour,  then almond milk, then I mixed whole wheat bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, black pepper, & salt, dipped the eggplant in that then placed it on a baking dish and cooked it in the oven at 375F to 400F for about 20 minutes or until slightly brown and cooked through. I also like these fried.. They turn out good both ways.

Most of the food in my nice Friendship Pyrex that I love!!!!! I forgot to use my new small ones though :(

This is the 2nd apple rhubarb crisp I made to take with me to my Aunts house to share with everyone. That is my Flamingo Pink Pyrex baking dish... Such a pretty pink... Which reminds me I haven't been antiquing lately and I am feeling the pull!!!

How many people does it take to find the last 4 eggs.... Alot and there was still two missing at the end.. Atleast they were the plastic kind.... but we all had a good day and visiting with the finally was really nice!

Abu

This evening I found Abu really out of it in the bottom on her cage and rushed her to the vet. We could not find any ferret specialists but the vet on call did all she could. When they brought her back to me she was almost gone. She displayed with all the signs of being hypoglycemic but we just caught it to late... So we made the decision to have her euthanised. We love her so much. She crossed the Rainbow Bridge around 7:55pm tonight. She will be terribly missed not only by us but by her cage mate Spanx.

This is Abu last fall. 

New Truck

Purchased a New truck! Well New to us. It is actually a 2002 Dodge Dakota. John has been wanting a truck for a while. We had paid off some of our debt and his job has been going well so we decided it was time. We both really love the truck.  We can haul things in the truck instead of the back of the car...lol... so I am looking forward to be able to get some things done this year without cutting wood into a million pieces and then putting it back together.

So far we have hauled: 3 Half ton loads of gravel, OSB , A Door, Kerosene, my new credenza (to post soon), and many more things,.....

Getting ready to bring home: our new sofa!!! yay :) Some mulch, bulk pea gravel, some more sub flooring, siding for the chicken coop, flooring for the two bedrooms, and we need a new bath tub because ours cracked... But we will have to wait till Johns job picks back up some so we have the money for the tub and surround. Hope thats before the end of summer... We have some other things to haul but I will  not bore you. I am excited and can't wait. Just hope my back will let me help get this work done!

New Years Resolutions 2011

Well its a time for change. Its a time for opening ones mind to new horizons and learning from life what life has to offer. Its a time to let go of the past and move to the present and plan for the future.

So I have set some new resolutions and I really hope to meet them this year better then I have in the past. I hope to set goals that are more within my reach and those that I may be more able to commit better to. But at the same time I am going to set some goals that I want to strive to reach and this might not be as easy but its time for change.

1. Anger- I have a quick temper.  Unexpected things that happen at the most in-opportunistic times piss me off. And I know some of that is normal. But sometimes I believe my anger is a little more. I want to open my mind to knowing that change is normal and everything can't go to my expectation everyday. When I see other people who do this I think they are jackasses but then I go and do it. So I am going to work on being so snappy.
2. Read 15 books this year!!!!  yes it is back and I will do it this year!
3. Loss 15lbs by October 2011
4. 1 New recipe a week, or more, sugury baked goods can not count as the only new recipe for the week unless they are leaving my house :)
5. Take out no more then 4 times a month.
6. Return my library books on time! not a week late...
7. Make our savings account grow while paying off $6,000 worth of debt....
8. Blogging, To have more entries than 2010. Plus to blog about some important topics instead of putting it off and forgetting to do it. :) 
9. To use more of the produce we purchase and grow.
10. To organize and remove alot of junk from my life.

I was also originally going to give up take out for the year but John told came up with us giving up something else every month. Don't know what all it will be but...

January- Take out

February- Soda.. .thats going to be a hard one....

I will post the rest later.

Christmas Day

Normally every Christmas we get up early and got to my families house a few counties away. But this year it snowed so John and I decided to stay home for the day. Although I missed seeing everyone on Christmas it was nice staying home with my Husband for the entire day, watching movies, reading while he played on his PS3 and eating left overs from our Christmas eve dinner. It was a nice quite Christmas and I really enjoyed it.

Christmas Eve

Christmas every year for us is normally started on Christmas eve with at least a dinner at My parents house. But this year we also had breakfast and a morning full of family as well.

We started out the day at John's Families house for breakfast and for the children of the family to get their presents. We took Vegan pancakes and Lightlife vegan sausage with us to eat. It was really good even rewarmed. My little nephew even ate one of our pancakes because he didn't want the waffles that everyone else had. He didn't even notice a difference :) and gobbled it up.

Me on the couch, Jessica, one of the girls I grew up with is also married to John's brother, and John on the 2nd sofa.

The boys with their new toys from their Grandparents. They were so cute running around the house.

But the Big Boys had just as much fun as the little ones running around the house shotting each other.

We stayed there for a few hours that morning and then came home so I could make dinner so that we could go to my parents house for the evening.  I made Tofurky basted in soy sauce, olive oil, sage, and brown sugar, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, roasted sweet potatoes, and stuffing. Everything turned out so yummy we stuffed.  :) Served in my awesome pyrex casserole dishes.

I also made gingerbread cupcakes with Lemon icing from Vegan cupcakes take over the world. Those on the other hand I didn't like and neither did anyone else. John said they were ok. But.... Maybe without the lemon icing I made. The lemon icing on its own was good. I bet the cupcakes alone would have been good. But together they just didn't mix.

After dinner we always open our presents because we leave early Christmas morning.

John and his creepy new stocking stuffy... Face protection for the winter...  But still creepy... lol

He finally got the number 1 game he had been wanting. 

Chloe finally getting her stocking.

My parents had also given us money toward our new 40" TV we had picked up early while it was on sale.

 We have decided to make a new tradition that I have fallen in love with. It is simple and sweet and makes for a nice, warming, Christmas eve evening. Every Christmas we are going to open new Christmas PJs and watch Christmas movies all evening. This year we watching Home Alone & The Christmas story. We had a really nice day with all our family close to us.

She also opened her stocking from us on Christmas eve during our movie evening.

John and I had swapped gifts a few days in advance since he already had his PS3 he let me have my Kindle and order a couple books. 

So I gave him his other gifts.