Freebie on Friday

Here is a little calendar I have been working on...

I have put myself to the task of creating a calendar that is not the conventional one. It is a challenge to push my creativity to think out of the box literally — get it? (Calendars are all boxy... moving on!)

So for the month of February I went with a legal sized sheet of paper and rather than the lovey-dovey junk of Valentine's, I put in some interesting animal facts and poignant quotes about the beings that we share this  planet with. The layout is slightly different to a traditional calendar, with room to write a few things... I will keep playing with the layouts...

Click here for the calendar link

Christmas Cookies

So I went on a bit of a baking spree this week. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, and brought it to a few Christmas events, I don't know how well they went over. For the most part I never was there long enough to see if they got eaten, and I heard one snide comment made to someone who was willing to try my delish vegan goodies!
Argghhh! I wonder if I was such a narrow-minded twit when I was a full on carnivore... Oh well, back to the issue at hand - COOKIES!

The first cookie was from my new fave cookie cookbook. I tweaked it a bit. It was supposed to be a sandwich cookie, but it looked a little flat and sad, so I dunked it in chocolate as directed, but then added peppermint sprinkles to the top and then packaged them up individually. The presentation made them all the more adorable!

Who wouldn't love these?

Then I did a little twist on the Egg Nog cookies that were such a hit at Thanksgiving. I added festive red and green to the rum-laced icing and attacked the cookies in a manner that would have made Jackson Pollack proud!

I felt like an addict always going back and sneaking 'just one more' ...

Then, I made yet another of Kelly's chocolate chip cookie recipes, this time it was Candy Cane Chocolate Chip, soft and melty and ooey and gooey and...mmmmm. 

I probably gained a few pounds, because I couldn't stay away from my own cookies! I gave away so many tins but I had an extra here for a friend that has been away. Needless to say, those cookies are GONE. I will have to make another batch for her in a day or two.

As I am trying to get healthier this new year, I don't know how I will be able to stay away from Kelly and her yummy creations! Each time I make a new recipe, I expect it to suck even a little, but she hasn't let me down yet. Oh, well. Everything in moderation right?

Through New Eyes

Photography is one of my "things"... and I personally have too many things - far as interests are concerned!  But getting a camera in your hand and trying to get a shot that you can marvel at for days, weeks, months, even years to come is now my obsession! 

I am learning that the shot is more interesting if it is somehow 'off' in the sense of it being an angle you wouldn't have thought of without the camera. 

This amaz-balls shot in St. Croix of my niece is not mine, it is her mom's, but the color and quirkiness of it was too much to pass up. I love it.

Cake Pops...Mmmm

So I have visited this site called Bakerella quite a few times and wondered how I could veganize the treat. I did it once, but the crazy hard chocolate shell gave my jaw a workout! I haven't given up on my vegan cake pop quest just yet, but with Thanksgiving coming up, I wanted to do something fun for my most amazing godchild, Syrai. So I went about the massive task of making these bad boys, and must say, they turned out pretty well. Although I did not get to eat my masterpieces, I was told they were great, and Syrai's smile was more than reward.

It is funny that the Chocolate Covered Mint cake from my Sinfully Vegan recipe book (I removed the mint and added almond...yum) and used vegan frosting, but the darn candy coating isn't vegan and I just gave in. 


I don't know if my vegan card will be revoked ;) but since it wasn't something for me, I decided not to fight it. The vegan life, is there ever a day without ethical and/or moral dilemma?

Vegan Thanksgiving Part 1: Cookies

Thanksgiving Rocks. Period. Best Holiday Ever. No "gimme - gimme" commercialism pressure, no stress about finding the right gift to show how much people really mean to you. (When the love is real, you do show it EVERYDAY, yet this holiday makes us all feel insecure, stressed, and crappy, YUCK.)

So anyway, Thanksgiving will always be tops for me. Even though this is my second Thanksgiving as a vegan, I don't miss anything really. My plate might be missing some of the old traditional, but I still walk away full, satiated, and slightly tipsy, with a burgeoning sugar induced food coma waiting in the lurks!

Free Printable Mailing Labels

Wow. I amaze myself sometimes. 

Official Free Wedding Template - Really

In my quest to figure out how to create printable PDFs, I have aged, cursed, and may have teared up a bit in frustration.  For me, nothing - nothing - is every as easy as they say it will be in a tutorial when computers are in the mix. Never. Ever.