11 Years...

is how long Josh and I have been married! Today was our Anniversary. 11 years ago me, a 7 month pregnant 19 year old and Josh a 20 year old geek decided on a whim to get married. We drove down to Ohio with the little money we had on a cold and rainy day to elope. Told nobody. We panicked a little thinking we weren't going to make it before it closed...turns out we just didn't turn back the clock in the car ! When we got there we realized that it cost more than we had on us. So the nice man waited around while Josh ran to the ATM. When he returned...he informed us that the machine ate his card! Yikes! The man was so nice. He wrote down his home address and told us to send him the $20.00 whenever we could and he went ahead and married us anyway! Seemed like all odds were against us but it kept working out...and look at us now! We took one picture of ourselves with a disposable camera held out in front of us. We no longer have the picture, but the memory holds strong. That was the beginning of our loving, complicated, crazy, fun, stressful,wonderful marriage that I wouldn't trade for anything.

Happy Anniversary Josh! I love you.

I Can Double Crochet Now

Yay! It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Now on to learning more.

Oh. I finished a scarf and now have two wash cloths or dish rags. Not sure of their purpose yet.

As soon as I get my camera working I'll post pics.

Sick Again

Can you believe I'm sick again??? This never happens to me...back to back. I thought that I would be lucky and not get sick again for a while and that I already did my time..haha. It seems to be the same exact thing as before too. Not cool.

Baths Were Never So Much Fun

On Sweetest Day we went to the mall. We decided to go our separate ways for a short while and when we met back up, Josh surprised me with a gift! There is a store there called LUSH. I 1st heard of the place from my sister in-law who lived in Oregon for a while. She raved about it! I had always meant to order online, but just never got around to it. Then I found out that our mall just opened a Lush store! Yippee! That place is awesome. Most of the things they carry are vegan and have it listed. So this is what he got me...

Floating Island Bath Melt


Bathos Bubble Bar


Sex Bomb Bath Bomb


I just used the Sex Bomb and let me tell you...it is heavenly!

So of course I had to go and check the place out for myself. I needed shampoo anyway. ;)
So I got some shampoo bars. I was worried they wouldn't work well, but they work fantastically!


I also got some conditioner

They even gave me a couple free goodies. :)
I know what I want I want in my stocking for Christmas!

Vegan Hamburger Helper

I had a craving for Hamburger Helper last night. For what reason, I don't know. I haven't had it in so long that I don't think I even remember what it tastes like!
It's loaded with soy product, so it's not something to eat ALL the time, but it's a great comfort food. :) Here is the recipe I found.
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 package burger-style crumbles (Smart Ground brand recommended)
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup vegan cheddar shreds
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
dash of hot sauce
green onions for garnish

Directions:

Cook the macaroni, drain and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, mix together veggie burger crumbles, tomato sauce, hot sauce and spices. Add soy milk and veggie shreds, stirring until smooth.

Mix in macaroni, add a little salt and pepper, top with a handful of chopped green onions, cook until just thickened.

Makes a yummy, healthier version of the old school cheeseburger macaroni!

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 min


I changed a few things. I added more "cheese" than it called for, added some liquid Braggs and a can of diced tomatoes. I chose not to use hot sauce. It was pretty tasty and I had the left overs for lunch today. The whole family gobbled it up!

Vegan Boys Shoes

So I've always found it difficult to find non-leather shoes for Kieran. There seems to be an abundance for girls, woman and men, but for boys it's so hard! If I am lucky enough to find a pair they are so stiff that K can't walk good. We have a couple pair of canvas shoes, but in the winter I think it would be best to have something warmer. Here in Michigan we have some harsh winters and we are in for a good one! Last winter we stuck with the canvas ones and just doubled his socks. But he's 2 now and all over the place. I can order some vinyl squeaky shoes(he had some last year), but I'd love to get him some flexible tennis shoes. If anyone knows of any...please share with me!
This brings me to something I've had on my mind. A while back I read an article in VegNews. It was asking veg*n's if they would buy leather shoes if bought at a second hand store. A lot said yes and some said no. I can see the reasoning on both sides. I mean...if someone gave me a pair of used shoes and they were made of leather. Wouldn't it be a waste to just throw the out instead of putting them to good use? I wouldn't purposely go out to a regular store and buy them, but I think this is different. Then again, I think the thought of knowing I'm wearing "leather" might freak me out. I don't know. I was just considering finding some hand be downs or used shoes at the Salvation Army or something. Then it wouldn't be so bad?
A lot of people probably think it's silly that I'm struggling so much with this, but I'm sure some of you veg*ns out there understand! LOL.

New Hair

So here is my new do. I'm still getting use to the bangs, but they are growing on me. It really does make me look so different! My G-ma told me I look 12 like this...lol. It's fun getting different styles and mixing things up a bit. I'm letting the bangs grow a little longer, but keeping them and then maybe dying it dark? We'll see. It's all fun.

Funny Things Kieran Says, Birthday Party and Visiting Grandma

A couple nights ago while sitting in bed, Kieran put his hands on his head...by the bottom of his neck and made a grunting sound while pushing up. He looked at me and did it again saying "I take my face off" and "I can't get it off"...tried a few more times and said "Mama Take Kieran's face off". It cracked Josh and I up!!
Then yesterday at the mall, Josh took him on the elevator. He's been on them before, but these are different. They are glass so you can see out and watch as you go up and down. Well when they started to go Kieran said "We're flying!" in much excitement and when they got off K said "We were in a airplane!". He told me all about it and later we went back on the "airplane". He was so cute! He really thinks it's an airplane...or as he calls it the "little airplane". He's been asking to go on the BIG airplane now. He must remember from our trip to Florida. He liked to watch out the window as we took off.
This morning when K woke up J said "Come on Bat Man" Kieran looked at him funny so J said you're wearing a Bat Man shirt. So K looked at him in all seriousness and said "I not Bat Man...I Kieran". Hahahaha. I just love this age!

Nevin went to a Birthday Party at the mall yesterday(reason we were there) and his friend had it at a place called Ridemakerz. It's really cool. Like a build a bear for cars! You get to design your own car and come back and add more too it...make it remote control..anything. Nev can't wait to go back! He had a great time. After the mall we went to Baby Bliss(the new store is awesome) and picked up our Training pants order. It's hard finding Cloth training pants in K's size. He's just 22-23lbs and so many start at 30lbs! these were in his size range so I'm hoping they will work.

We went to my Grandma's last night and she showed me so many old pictures. It's so neat seeing my Great Grandparents, Great Great Grandparents and aunts and uncles. And learning so much about them. Well, I guess I've heard the same story a million times...but I NEVER get sick of hearing them! It also makes my Grandma so happy. We ended up ordering Pizza(no cheese for us vegans) and stayed pretty late. The kids just adore her.

Spell It Out

I belong to a group over on Flickr called iSpy started by my friend Tabitha. Each week someone posts a challenge. This week the challenge was called Spell It Out. This is what I came up with...taking full advantage of our Halloween decorations.

Halloween

We are just about done putting up the Halloween decorations here. Well, Kieran will be re-decorating for the duration of them being up..hehe! I love Halloween!
We went to the costume store last night and N and I got our costumes. Hubby isn't sure what to be yet and I think I'll have to order K's online. We are so excited!

OMG...Bangs

So I posted an entry yesterday and there was an error when I tried to publish it and...I lost the whole thing! Nothing ticks me off more.

Okay. Well, Saturday I went to get my hair done. I casually mentioned to my hair stylist about getting bangs. Not the side swept bangs I had, but REAL bangs. He thought it was a fantastic idea. I told him I wasn't quite ready for them yet. Well, later on he says...so how about those bangs...are we going for it? I thought to myself "why the heck not? Don't be such a wuss" and said "Yes". So he cut them. They looked great. I mentioned maybe him cutting them just the teeniest bit shorter and he did. Boy did that make a difference. He cut them much shorter than I wanted and now they look uneven(though he may have done that on purpose...I really don't think so). I do not like them them. I don't know what I was thinking. Yes I do..I was bored. Haha! I haven't had bangs since grade school. It's so strange. Josh said he likes them. I just feel so, well, different. I'm so not use to this look. I'll get use to it, I'm know, but I won't be keeping these. Start the grow out process...now.
If I get brave enough, I might post a picture of my new do. No promises, though. :P

So Many Projects

Since learning how to crochet I've started so many things, but haven't finished any of them. LOL! So at the moment I'm making 2 blankets, one dish cloth, and 2 scarves. I guess now I'll have some variety to work with. ;) I still only know the single crochet and haven't learned how to add another color or finish things off properly...I'll have to do that soon! I'm excited to learn some different techniques, but I'm also afraid that I won't be able to figure it out. I wish I knew someone that could teach me hands on. I'm thankful to You Tube, though...they work much better than books for me! K likes to "make" things too. It's cute watching him struggle with the hook and yarn...twirling it all around. I told N that I'd teach him how too.

Speaking of N...he had his 1st guitar lesson at the music store up the street from our house last night. He loved it! He can't wait to go back. I'm happy because he was a bit hesitant on going because he was nervous. He made the deal that if he didn't like it..he wouldn't have to go back. Today he can't stop asking how soon he can go back! :)