Kaden and Mommy!

Here's a couple of images from our little session with Kaden and his Momma. I'm not sure that he could get any cuter! Miss you guys a ton~

girls I'm going to miss!!!

we had some fun photo sessions this weekend. check out these hot mamas I'm lucky enough to be friends with!!! seriously, wow...;)

thank goodness!!!!

Mom and I celebrated election night in Sedona, AZ. I was so happy and excited that I cried all through Barack's acceptance speech:)

one more day :)

less than a week...so exciting!!!

Kaden @ 4 months!

Here's some updated photos of this little guy that just gets cuter every day :)

19 days left...there's still time if you need to apply for an absentee ballot if you're away from home like we are. We voted yesterday! Voting is so exciting, it's your right, and we all need to make our voices heard this election, even if we don't agree, it's still our right and part of what makes democracy a wonderful thing and everyone matters!

If you need an absentee application-
go to your state's website
choose Secretary of State (or similar agency)
print your application
mail to your city/township clerk's office
wait for your ballot
VOTE
feel good!

new winter gear on Etsy-

new scarf and hat that can be bought separate, but do match if you need a set. They're both listed on my Etsy shop. Both items are crocheted with 100% organic cotton yarns.

Isabelle, one year.

I'm a little behind, but I wanted to show off some of my favorites from our session with one of our sweetheart nieces from back in August. I got to hang out with her all day while she crawled around, played with her new birthday kitchen, and her favorite flowers!, so we could make some pictures that I just really love. We miss this baby girl all the time!

Hats and blankets...

This makes me happy to see my crochet work being enjoyed! Thanks to Chase's Momma and Isabelle's Oma for sharing photos with me. If anyone else has photos with their

items please send them my way, I'd love to see them!

new store items.

new organic cotton baby washcloths for sale in my Etsy shop!

vegas babies ;)

Here's a couple of the handsome little guys I've had the pleasure to hang out with and make some photos for Mom and Dad lately.

Jon Stewart

One of the things that can always make me laugh is Jon Stewart...

Jon Stewart on youth influence

red velvet cafe!

When looking for a new place to try for dinner last night, David found the Red Velvet Cafe here in Las Vegas. We located it last night, but they're not open on Sundays during the summer, so after our errands this morning we stopped in for lunch...the reason we're so excited is that they have lots of vegan food! And I was hoping that they had my favorite cake (their namesake) too...they do, it's vegan, served warm and delicious. We shared vegan chicken fingers, which I chose because I haven't had anything like that in a long time;) They were very yummy and not deep fried. I had the vegan tuna salad melt with soy cheese, and David had the turkey club panini. We both loved our food and are so excited that there is a place to stop in and get something to eat. Don't get me wrong I love the vegan prepared foods at Whole Foods, but I've eaten them so much that I need a break;) It's just nice sometimes to not have to cook. I didn't have a camera on me, so no photos, but here's their site http://redvelvetcafelv.com/ We may have to go get some curry for dinner! Hope everyone is having a nice long weekend, we've spent ours enjoying our time alone and doing lots of eating out;) We also saw Traitor which was very good.

ran across this quote and thought it great for a wonderful Friday!

Use what talent you possess:

The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.
~ Henry Van Dyke

The Vegan 100...

just for fun, I'm following the posts from It's Animal Friendly. I'm posting the adaptationof the Omnivore's 100 and marking what I've eaten vegan. Obviously I was not always vegan (I'm almost to a year!), so I've eaten quite a few of the items, and some of them I had to google ;) so here it is just for fun!

1) Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.

2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten. (I added a V after the items I’ve eaten/eat now vegan)

3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (I put mine in italics)

4) Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.

5) Pass it on!

1. Natto

2. Green Smoothie V

3. Tofu Scramble V

4. Haggis

5. Mangosteen

6. Creme brulee

7. Fondue

8. Marmite/Vegemite

9. Borscht

10. Baba Ganoush V

11. Nachos V

12. Authentic soba noodles V

13. PB&J sandwich V

14. Aloo Gobi

15. Taco from a street cart

16. Boba Tea

17. Black truffle

18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Gyoza

20. Vanilla ice cream V

21. Heirloom tomatoes V

22. Fresh wild berries V

23. Ceviche

24. Rice and beans V

25. Kniche

26. Raw scotch bonnet pepper

27. Dulce de Leche

28. Caviar

29. Baklava

30. Pate

31. Wasabi peas

32. Chowder in a sourdough bowl

33. Mango lassi

34. Sauerkraut V

35. Root beer float V

36. Mulled cider V

37. Scones with buttery spread and jam

38. Vodka Jelly

39. Gumbo

40. Fast food french fries

41. Raw brownies

42. Fresh Garbanzo Beans

43. Dahl

44. Homemade Soymilk

45. Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more

46. Stroopwaffle

47. Samosas

48. Vegetable Sushi V

49. Glazed doughnut V

50. Seaweed

51. Prickly pear

52. Umeboshi

53. Tofurky V

54. Sheese

55. Cotton candy

56. Gnocchi

57. Piña colada

58. Birch Beer

59. Scrapple

60. Carob chips V

61. S’mores

62. Soy Curls

63. Chickpea Cutlets

64. Curry V

65. Durian

66. Homemade Sausages ( maybe only vegan ones)

67. Churros, elephant ears, or funnel cake

68. Smoked tofu V

69. Fried plantain

70. Mochi

71. Gazpacho V

72. Warm chocolate chip cookies V

73. Absinthe

74. Corn on the cob V

75. Whipped Cream, straight from the can

76. Pomegranate V

77. Fauxstess Cupcake

78. Mashed potatoes with gravy V

79. Jerky

80. Croissants

81. French onion soup

82. Savory crepes

83. Tings

84. A meal at Candle 79

85. Moussaka

86. Sprouted grains or seeds V

87. Macaroni and “cheese” V

88. Flowers

89. Matzoh Ball Soup

90. White Chocolate

91. Seitan V

92. Kimchi

93. Butterscotch Chips

94. Yellow watermelon

95. Chili with Chocolate V

96. Bagel and Tofutti V

97. Potato Milk

98. Polenta V

99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee V

100. Raw cookie dough

The photo is from dinner earlier this month (we've been out of town for three weeks), it's Pasta Della California (with cayenne chipotle Parma! on top) and Tangerine baked tofu both from Vcon. The pasta was very light and refreshing although I thought it could've used some more flavor, Dave liked it how it was, and the tofu was citrusy and yummy.

new hat on Etsy!

here's a photo of my newest hat, the tater tot hat. It's listed in my Etsy store, you can view it **here**.

We Are The Ones by will.i.am

people say Obama’s words are just words...
but...
when was the last time "words" weren’t important...???...

when was the last time a great leader didn’t use words to lead...??...
when was the last time a person didn’t use words to describe how they felt...?...
when was the last time "words" weren’t empowering...?...

and we can all recall the last time "words" were used to divide us and install fear...

Bush used words to fear us into voting for him the second time around...
terror this...
terror that...
nuclear here...
weapons of mass destruction there...

and those words effected a lot of people’s choices...

"enough is enough"...
let’s rebuild...

let’s change ourselves...
let’s allow positivity to guide us...

let's take action....
let’s activate our passion...
we are Americans....

and this is the first time in forever that someone running for president represents "US"...

some say this is all excitement...
I call it “proud to be an American”...

some say this whole Obama movement is "cult like"...
well...
if it comes across cult like...
then...
the cult is called America...

the Obama movement is connecting America.
and it has made "US" realize our importance...
the youth is excited and activated...
adults are passionate and motivated...
the elderly are proud to know the country they built is in safe hands...

we are one...

for too long politics has been corrupt...
separate from the American people...
with agendas that go against what the American people "need"...
education...
health...
safety...
jobs
etc...

politicians have spoken a different language...
making it so the youth and poor people feel as if voting was only for the wealthy and old people...
making "US" feel as if "we" had no voice...
making "US" feel powerless...
making it feel like if "we" did vote it wouldn’t change anything...

but wait...
that did happen...
some of us voted, and it didn’t change anything...

we were in the dark...
we had no voice...
we were powerless...

because America was not a united America...
and "they" spoke a different language...
and they had an agenda different from our well being...

correct me if I’m wrong... or speak up if I’m missing something...

we want education, health, safety, and good jobs...right???...
oh yeah...
and "a healthy planet to live on"...

but here we are...

in a war... poor education... poor health programs... the dollar is down... the planet, polluted...
the rich, richer... and the poor, struggling...
with sky high gas prices to top it all off...

and now even the rich aren't really rich internationally because our dollar is has fallen so far down...

in our slumber... a very small few got really rich...

because when you’re sleeping...

"it’s hard to change agendas"...

we know what happened in 2000 and 2004...
but in 2008...
it’s different...

we are awake...
and there is a movement...

and "it’s hard to change a movement"...

last time "we" didn’t have a movement...
America wasn’t united...

and now "United and "Standing"...for something...
we know the power of "US"...
and we have a person who represents the "U.S."...

"US"…

"we are the ones we’ve been waiting for"...

I’m proud to be an American...

will.i.am

yeah!

I made the Vegan Etsy team treasury! There are lots and lots of cool artists making awesome cruelty free items in the Vegan Etsy team-check it out!

**HERE's** the link

Hello--Happy July!

Mom and I enjoying the Michigan weather
Broccoli Cashew teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry over Soba noodles (from Eden Foods-a lovely Michigan company) from Eat, Drink & be Vegan
David's current jobsite ( the two gold buildings on the right are the Wynn and Encore)
Cumin-Cinnamon Vinaigrette from ED&BV

super easy to make and really delicious! Thanks Keely for the Salad Chef dressing

maker from our wedding, it works great ;)

Dave and I at Nan's wedding

some of the ever-fun Arnold cousins!
Maggie helping me crochet
some cousin love
Cashew-Ginger Tofu with a spinach and fennel with the above dressing all from ED&BV.

Well we're both back in town from our awesome trip home to Michigan and all the fun family festivities, more on those later;) Here's some random photos from the recent weeks and some yummy vegan vittles we've had for dinner. Have a great evening~

thanks for reading! Tyrah

oh, also I have a new hat up on Etsy! Check it out **here**

Happy Birthday!!!

Sending out a happy birthday to my lovely, cake-baking, sister in law extraordinaire! I won't divulge her age here, but I can say that we are the same age again!

celebrating at the District

Happy Birthday Margaret!

at my birthday party!

this weekend at the dance recital

~Happy Birthday girl~

lunch time

I'd like to share some photos of our lunches and dinners occasionally (when I remember to shoot them before digging in:) This was my lunch sometime last week or so. I had made the Taco Salad from Yellow Rose Recipes the night before for dinner, so I used the leftovers with fresh spinach, an avocado, kidney beans, red onion, Parma!, tofutti sour cream and some salsa. Made a delicious lunch. The TVP (textured vegetable protein) was super easy to prepare and tasted delicious from the homemade taco seasoning. Also, this was the first time I tried the chocolate almond milk from Pacific foods. A very yummy treat :) We gave in to my sweet tooth this weekend and got some vegan donuts from Ronald's Donuts {4600 Spring Mountain RdLas Vegas, NV 89102(702) 873-1032} here in Las Vegas, which I know are not healthy, but what fun is it if you never splurge? This shop reminds us of our hometown donut shop, Dom's Donuts, in Ypsi, but with lots and lots of vegan flavors! They even have a chocolate glazed soy cream ball, yummy! That's all the ramblings for now. Starting to pack for our visit home, yea!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy day to all the dads out there, but especially to mine! I am blessed with the best Father there is- Here's a photo of us on our recent trip to the big island! See you later this week Dad-

Love you

the burros.

Here's a few photos, please forgive the quality, they were taken with our point and shoot. This canvas in available now, it's gallery wrapped around a stretcher frame, the size is 16"x24" and ready to hang. If anyone is interested shoot an email or give a call, it can be shipped out same day! So hopefully everyone had a good Friday the 13th. Dave and I went to see 'The Happening' I thought it was exciting for a superstitious kind of day and I really can't handle movies that are much scarier than that. It was good, I only screamed out loud once, and it was profane;) whoops! Not one of M. Night Shyamalan's best, but I liked it and of course Mark Wahlberg always makes a movie worth watching;) Enjoy this great Saturday~Tyrah

Holy Cookbooks Batman!

Speaking of Batman, I'm so excited for The Dark Knight to come out in theatres soon! I love Batman movies, I used to have a huge crush on Michael Keaton when I was young, maybe I still do a little;) and now with Christian Bale as Batman...(want to see a good Christian Bale movie-watch Rescue Dawn)Anyways, here's photos of my vegan cookbooks that I'm very proud of. I know I have an issue with buying so many, but I do use them everyday, and some have been gifts! I just love to cook, it's fun plus right now I'm blessed to have the time. I've been asked lately about some info regarding them. I thought it would be nice in case anyone is thinking of trying some animal -free dishes to talk a little bit about them. The three pictured on their own are the ones that I've been using most lately.

Eat, Drink, and be Vegan

Every entree that I've made from this book rocked and the icing on the cake is that it has a super chapter of hummus recipes that are all delicious.

some favs-

Peanut Sesame Hummus

Moroccan-Infused Vegetable Phyllo Rolls (awesome, also the first time I've worked with phyllo and it was easy, Dave helped)
Living Caesar Dressing-delicious, I haven't had Caesar dressing in a looong time

Cumin-Cinnamon Vinaigrette

Bean and Corn Tortilla Lasagna with Avocado

the smoothie above is from EDabV "But where do you get your protein?"Smoothie

I used peanut butter and hemp protein powder for the protein

Vegan with a Vengence

Tasty, tasty recipes that are a cinch to make. You'll probably have to hit up the spice aisle and make a grocery list, but once you've got your kitchen stocked, it's a breeze. This is my most wrinkly book ( spilled on and used the most;) Many recipes in here seem to satisfy that comfort food craving, but are still healthy.

some favs-

Potato-Asparagus Soup

Carrot Bisque

Chili sin Carne al Mole (holy frick is the delicious chili!!!)

Chickpea Broccoli Casserole

Tempeh Reubens (only the best sandwich on earth, in my opinion) You can get vegetarian ones that rock at Sidetrack Bar and Grill, my old place of employment

Fettuccine Alfreda

Setian-Portobello Stroganoff

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

ok, if you like to bake, get this cute little book! It's by the same author as VWAV and her friend Terry. The best part of vegan baking, other than it being way easier and faster than conventional is that you can lick the spoon, or if you like eat the whole bowl raw!

some FAVS:

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Sexy Low-Fat Vanilla Cupcakes

Lemon Macadamia Cupcakes

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

I should definitely mention LaDolceVegan my first vegan cookbook by Sarah Kramer (she has 3 great books and soon to be 4th for travelers) This book got me on track and helped me through the first week of craving foods that I no longer ate and finding new excellent sources of protein.

Also, I just recieved an awesome gift of Vegan Planet (not pictured), from Heather and Jeff, which I haven't cooked out of yet, but soon-Thanks guys!

If anyone is interested in more info, books on veganism, etc. let me know, I love to share. Also, if you just do a search online, there is tons of good information.

Thanks for reading-enjoy your Wednesday!

Tyrah

my first baby afghan

I'm really proud of my first baby afghan, I crocheted it for Chase who was born the end of April! Here's some photos of his blanket, Mom and Dad made his nursery is in primary colors, so I tried to match. I was very excited when I washed it and it didn't come apart ;) hee! Also, a photo of the day we got to meet the handsome fella!

I've begun scanning in slides and working on them. I don't think I have much hope of finding polaroid sheet film any longer to make transfers from them. These were from our trip in the fall around California when we stopped into Ceago Vinegarden. This winery is like an Eden, seriously, it's just amazing. **This** is their website.

A line from Nietzsche that I like~

'You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star.'

All the best for your day today - Tyrah

Hello Maggie and Marley

Videoed the cats playing a bit, I just love these two!

new Door Composition

Hello All-
Well, we've been busy around here having lots of fun celebrating my big 3-0! It was perfect, more on that later. I've just put together this door comp I wanted to share. I found these doors in Pittsburgh down by the fish markets, really cool area. Have a lovely day! (click on the image to see it larger)
Tyrah

Moment of Zen...;)

Here's Detroit's proud Mayor. This was the Moment of Zen from last night's rerun of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Maybe we can count of Govenor Granholm to get him out of office before he spends Detroit's last dime. We need a mayor who cares about the city, so we can come back home and work, maybe Jon Stewart...;)

Living Like Ed | By Ed Begley Jr. | Available Now

(this photo is from his website, he's posing with solar panels)
Living Like Ed By Ed Begley Jr. Available Now

Yesterday I got to meet Ed Begley JR. He was super nice. I went to his book signing
at the Springs Preserve. The book is great, I'm not quite done with it, but it has some ideas
and how-tos to help me take the next step in my personal campaign for the earth. Also on the
agenda is to watch Who Killed the Electric Car.
If you live in LasVegas and need a breath of fresh air (well that's kind of a joke if you live here;)
go to Springs Preserve, it's one of Vegas' saving graces! I like to walk the trails and through the
gardens. I haven't gotten through all the exhibits on sustainability in the buildings yet. The Las
Vegas Farmer's Market will start there this week on Thursdays 4-8pm too!
Have a great one~ thank goodness for clouds, the weather here is nice and cool today~

my new shop on Etsy :)

Here's a link to some of my projects I've been working on in my free time.

*Tyrah's shop*, I'll be putting more items up once they're completed, so please check back.

Also, I have a little interview on the Cruelty Free blog, you can read it *here*.

Have an enjoyable spring day wherever you are!

Thanks for stopping in-Tyrah.