Get your cow ribbon everyone

So mother's day is coming up, and in support of all the dairy cows who never get to be mothers you should get a cow ribbon.

I got mine the other day and I'm going to keep it on my purse. Now, every time somebody sees it I can create awareness about the horrible dairy industry. Plus, who doesn't want a super cute cow ribbon?



If you visit cowribbon.com you can donate to get yours, as well as get some info on the dairy industry and get pictures for your facebook/twitter or posters to hang up in your neighbourhood. I am going to hang a poster in each of my buildings foyers once I buy some printer ink!

Dandies Marshmallows

Who doesn't love a marshmallow in a bow tie? I personally can't resist something so awesome.

So, I never really liked marshmallows except in rice krispies squares . I decided I should at least try some vegan ones and they were AMAZING! I ate an ENTIRE HANDFUL of these. I could NEVER eat plain marshmallows before without gagging, the texture and the taste were just horrifying. If you are vegan and like me, were disgusted with traditional marshies and thought vegan ones would suck just as much, treat yourself and try some gelatin-free ones. They rock. And if you still eat gelatin, buy these instead, and you will never return to the dark side haha.

I love how they are all different shapes and actually change shape when you squish them (unlike traditional marshies). Look how CUTE they are!!! Like little pillows of heaven.




I don't know why I had doubts about them melting but as you can see, they melt perfectly.




They haven't turned hard either! Normally after a day the rice krispies get all hard, even if they are covered super tightly but these are still perfect AND I just have a loose piece of tin foil over them.

By the way, if you have 12 minutes watch this video and send it to all your meaty friends. It's a nice uplifting video that gives a good introduction to veganism without showing any images of slaughterhouses and the such.

That's all for now! I'm gonna go eat more rice krispie squares now haha (it's already over half gone. I'm so fat sometimes)

Bow chikka wow wow

I finished my last exam today! *sigh* I'm so relieved.

The plan for the next 2 weeks? COOK AND BAKE LIKE A MAD WOMAN!!!!!!! I am going to try out dandies marshmallows tonight to make rice krispy squares (yes, at 1am haha), attempt a cheesecake on Monday, make 3424 batches of COOKIES and make fancy shmancy dinners. I can't wait. Nothing but yummy food, books and video games. Oh, and I plan on donating blood and taking my driver's test somewhere in there.

Here is a great blog post. Send the link to any meat eaters you may know. I love the end haha.

Now I must wean myself off of caffeine. It's been my savior for the past two weeks. I had a red bull this morning but that was it and I've had the worst head ache all day!! Blah.

Peace out y'all

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming....

swimming, swimming, swimming. I am totally watching that movie once these horrible exams are done with!

I've had 3 rockstars, 1 large coffee and 3 espresso shots today. I slept 2 hours last night and plan on not sleeping tonight (today?) and tomorrow night. Since Sunday I've probably had like 8 hours total sleep. And, in case you don't know I am highly disfuntional and incredibly bitchy unless I get at LEAST 10 hours of sleep a night. Sleep is my drug. I love it. I can sleep for 48 hours straight. Even if I wake up after 15 hours of sleep I can just crawl back under the covers and sleep for another 15, it's kind of ridiculous.

But alas, I can't sleep!!!

I have no time!!!!!!!

3 exams within 10 hours of eachother is not enough time. Not to mention the other 3 I've finished already.

Blah. Blah. Blah. I can't stop now or I will fall asleep.

Anyways. I should end this nonsensical blabbling. Is that even a word, nonsensical? I know there is a word similar to it.

I had a vegan starbucks frappucino today. It was so good! I am gonna get another one on the weekend after I sleep for 48 hours straight haha.

BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so braindead right now. Hahahahaha.

PS
Having to memorize the details of 75 criminal law cases is the fucking worst.

Becel Vegan Margarine! Hooray!

Check it out!! Becel now has vegan margarine. I'm so happy! I always preferred margarine over butter, mostly because it spreads easier. Since going vegan I have been buying Earth Balance and while it is delicious, it's very pricy.

From now on I'm going to buy Becel Vegan. It's way cheaper than Earth Balance and spreads easier and has a prettier package haha. I will continue to buy the EB sticks for baking though. It's much more convenient then smushing margarine into a measuring cup and then scooping it out and making a giant mess.

So, why buy the regular margarine when you can buy the Becel Vegan?

I love when big companies come out with vegan products. I also noticed that save on foods now carries the entire frozen line of Gardein. It's right beside the other frozen meals so hopefully non-veggies will see it and buy it and convert. HAH. Yeah right, but it's nice to see more visibility and accessibility of veggie products.

I'm back to studying! I have 2 exams tomorrow and I'm finished this semester on Saturday. I CAN NOT WAIT!!! I'm sooooo exhausted.

Grilled Avocado Sandwich

These are seriously amazing. They are fast to make, filling, healthy and great when cramming for finals! I just noticed that picture has a cat hair attached to the bottom of the sandwich. Gross. I probably ingest so much cat hair it's ridiculous.

This really doesn't require instructions but I'll provide some anyways. This is how I make mine:

- bread
- Earth Balance
- 1/3 of an avocado
- tomato slices (optional)
- salt and pepper

To make it just cover your bread with Earth Balance, smear on the avocado and put on the tomato and salt/pepper. Cook it until it's brown and then eat it with a huge smile.

My new frying pan is sexy:



And just because it looks sexy (word of the day) this is what I've been eating for the entire week because I have no time to cook. I chopped up a giant container or veggies and made a double batch of hummus haha.



So they put up a poster of Keith Urban at one of the bus stops near my house and every time I drive by it I get slapped in the face with hotness. It is seriously the hottest picture of him ever. I need to take a picture of it so when it's gone I have that picture haha. I'm such a nerd.

Did you know they are coming out with the movie Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging???????? I used to read that book series and was considering seeing it when it comes out to indulge my inner 15 year old girl. I might even reread the books haha.

Well. I have to go back to studying. I've been pulling 12-16 hour days the last week with little to no sleep. It's horrible. It's all over in nine days though!! I can't wait for my break, I'm just going to play Harvest Moon and read some books.

And finally, for a touch of cuteness, here's Charlie:

Guess who's going to Vegas, baby??

Our original summer vacay plan was to go on a staycation in Vancouver but we found an awesome deal to go to Vegas which is cheaper than Vancouver. So why not? I've never been to Vegas. I don't drink or gamble, but maybe I'll live it up for one night HAH. That's a lie actually, I've been to Vegas as a 12 and 16 year old...so, I walked around and shopped. I didn't really do Vegasy things for obvious age reasons haha. I do remember my mom telling us not to pick up the flyers the men hand out on the street though, and I picked out up and I just remember huge tittys and I was like AH and my mom got mad. Haha. Good times in Vegas.

I'm just excited to GO AWAY!!! My last real vacation was Hawaii three years ago. I've only had disastrous camping trips since then haha.

This will be my first trip as a vegan. I'm quite nervous about it actually. Supposedly Vegas isn't that vegan friendly but I've been doing a little research. Did you know there is this amazing donut shop there (Ronald's) that is like 90% vegan!!!!!! The donuts look SO good there, and I haven't had a donut in agggges.

So, if anybody out in this internet abyss knows a good vegan-friendly place to eat near the Strip let me know.

Now I must go try to calm down the kitties. They had a huge fight last night and now they are all skittish and on edge with each other. Ugh.

my quacking kitty

Bella has a hilarious meow that she does whenever you come near her or walk into a room. She sounds like a duck.

Make sure to turn your speakers up!



Sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night to her making those noises and rolling around on her back. It's quite entertaining.

Shoes galore

I love shoes. I have a few leather shoes still kicking around from before I went vegan, but the vast majority of my shoes are vegan. I happen to love canvas shoes, which is kind of bad because it rains here all of the time! It can be difficult to find vegan-friendly shoes, so hopefully these links will help.

Here are some general shoe websites. You can find everything from high heels to flats to sneakers and mens shoes on these sites. Most of them are reasonable prices too, even with shipping.

Mooshoes
Vegan Chic
Alternative Outfitters
Ragazzi Vegan
Zappos Vegan Shoes

The main thing I look for in shoes is animal friendly materials (fake leather, canvas, hemp, rubber, etc). Oftentimes, even when the shoe itself is fake leather etc, the sole will be made of real leather so that is something to watch out for. Another issue is animal-based glues. I try to buy shoes specifically labeled vegan-friendly but sometimes that isn't possible and I accept the fact that maybe the glue used is animal based.

The shoes in the picture above are the ones I wear the most. I used to have quite the large stash of high heels, but they all got ruined last year in a pee-flood from the above apartment *sigh*. I hardly wear heels anyways, I just like the look of them.

Note: I try to buy shoes that do not use animal based glue but am not 100% certain all of these use vegan-friendly glue.

#1 - Simple Shoes flip flops. I wore these every day last summer (hence the dirtiness on the soles) and they are the greatest flip flops EVER. They are made of recycled car tire, carpet underlay and organic hemp and stuff. They are vegan and environmentally friendly. They are pricey, but considering I have another year (at least) of wear in them, it's worth it.

#2 - Asics Gel Nimbus (10?) running shoes. These are made of synthetic leather and rubber and are the best running shoes I have ever bought. I ordered them off zappos and got them for half price! Asics makes a lot of vegan friendly shoes so I like them. Another good brand for vegan running shoes is New Balance.

#3 - Dollhouse boots. I love these boots! I bought them at Winners a few years ago for super cheap. Stores like Winners and Payless Shoes are a great place to find vegan shoes. Because the stores carry "budget brands" most of the time the shoes are synthetic leather. It's a win win - cheap and vegan!

#4 - Tretorn Faux-Fur lined gumboots. One day I was walking home from school and my converse got soaking wet and my feet and socks got wet and I was just pissy and miserable. That day I decided to buy gumboots. I love the bright blue of these boots and the fuzzy lining keeps my feet warm(ish) when it's slushy or snowy out. They are pretty comfy although I have gotten blisters on my heels from them. Now when it rains I don't cringe in fear of wet feet!

#5 - Saucony Originals Jazz Lo-Pro Vegan Shoes (stupid name haha). These are my favourite shoes. I seriously love them. They are the only shoes I have ever bought that were instantly comfortable. I have not had a single blister or anything from them. They are made of hemp and are padded so they are relatively water-resistant although my toes did get wet last week in a ridiculous rainstorm, but that's to be expected with any shoe. These were only $50 from zappos too. If you need comfortable daily shoes, buy these. I can walk for hours and stand for ages in them and my feet still don't get sore

#6 - Sanuk "I'm Game" sidewalk surfers. These are also my favourite shoes (I can have two, right?). As I mentioned above I am obsessed with canvas no-fuss shoes. I can just slip these on (no socks required) and walk for ages. They feel like you are bare foot. The only problem with these is that they are a really thin fabric and thus have zero water protection. I avoid wearing these if it's remotely rainy outside.

#7 - Draven slip ons. I love the cute factor these shoes have, and that they are vegan. The only problem is that they give me serious blisters. I have overly sensitive heels, so they might not give everyone blisters, but I can't wear them for very long periods of time. They do get better after they are broken in however. Draven has lots of cute shoes, so check them out.

#8 - Simple Shoes sneakers. These have the squishiest soles ever! I love them. If you go to their website you can find tonnes of colours and styles of this shoe. They aren't the comfiest shoes out there, but they are eco-friendly.. Even if these shoes felt like death I would buy them just because they say "eco-sneaks" on the tongue. I love it!

#9 - Nine West leopard heels. I am most certain that these use animal-based glue as the company is full of leather shoes but I included these to show that sometimes you can find non-leather shoes in an otherwise leather filled store. These have a man-made sole and a fabric upper. I emailed Nine West about their glue situation but they never answered me, so oh well. I still check out big leather shoe companies once in a while because I like their shoe styles, and sometimes you can find a friendly shoe :)

#10 - Rocket Dog sneakers. I had a pair of black rocket dogs for like 7 years that I wore to death. By their retirement water would soak through the bottom of the sole because they were so thin haha. If Jason didn't make me throw them out I would still wear them! I will say that every pair of rocket dogs I have owned give me blisters for the first few months so you have a pretty long break in period. After that though, they are comfort heaven! You can buy a bazillion different patterns and styles too. I emailed Rocket Dog and they told me they use animal-free glue as well. Plus, who doesn't want bright orange soles? I know I do.

#11 - My totally cliche Converse. These shoes aren't even that comfortable, but I do like the look of them. Plus, like other shoes, you can get any colour you want. I read somewhere that they use animal-free glue as well, but all their shoes are made in some serious sweat-shops, so that's not the greatest. When these need to be retired I am going to look for a more ethical substitute. I know there are many knock offs of this style.

#12 - Steve Madden booties. Steve Madden/Madden girl have a lot of cute vegan friendly shoes. Any pair of Steve Madden's I have owned (these included) are not that comfortable though, so I usually only wear them out for dinner or something. Oh well, at least I can have cute shoes for a few hours every once in a while, right?

#13 - And last but not least my gladiator sandals I got for $8 at Target. Even though Target is an American store, I still love it. They have really cheap and vegan friendly shoes. Just be sure to read the materials before you order anything.

Now you know that vegans can buy cute and comfortable shoes too!

Happy shoe shopping everyone.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

So I made these cinnamon pumpkin rolls for Easter yesterday. They were absolutely fantastic!!! A day later they are still just as moist and tasty as they were straight from the oven. If you don't like pumpkin, don't worry, you hardly taste it :)

They didn't take long to make and the only change I made to the above recipe was that I added more cinnamon. If you have a few hours to let the dough rise, then I highly suggest making these. Spoil yourself, you deserve it!

Jason and me splurged and bought new bedding. It's so much softer and luxurious feeling than our previous craptastic IKEA cotton bedding that we bought for $25 haha. The kitties much prefer this one, just look how cute Bella looks:



I have serious reading to do over the next few days. I have my final paper due on Thursday which I haven't really started. This is the biggest paper I've had to write in over a year and I still have to do the background reading for it. I have a 4" stack of papers to read but I just can't motivate myself to read them. Once I'm finished reading that I get to choose my real topic and do more reading. Blah.

On the plus side, the paper I have to write tonight is short and relatively easy. It's almost too easy of a topic, which has made me leave it until the last minute. Oh well, what are you gonna do? I just want this semester to end. Less than three weeks, yahoo!

I have to go to the gym too! I only went twice at the beginning of March because of my tattoo removal and general business. I'm so bad. All the weight loss progress I made went out the door haha.

Enjoy the rest of your Monday everyone.

Exotic Animal Skins

I always thought snakes were super cute. The exotic animal industry is something I have not really looked into but this video shows a pretty good idea of what it's like. Basically the same horrors that occur in the fur and leather industries. It's just sad what people will do to wear an animal.

On a happier note, it's April! Can you believe it? This year is just flying by.