Girl Behind the Curtain

It was merely a week ago when I made the crazy declaration that I was going to go vegan for a week. When I awoke the next morning I had that kind of reaction you expect when waking up after a crazy night of drinking. Did I really say vegan????

I quickly realized that going vegan was something I was not prepared for but I could start my journey by becoming a vegetarian. After all going veggie is quite a trek within itself.

This past week I have spent many hours learning about vegetarianism and looking at recipes. A large problem I have is Grahammy refuses to eat a meal if it doesn't have meat. Remember that this is a west Texas man who hadn't even heard of a bagel until college. He's doing his best to be open to his crazy wife's ideas (like eating vegetables).

I'm really excited about the upcoming week now that I have some recipes to try out. If you have a suggestion for a cookbook or website let me know. I'm always looking for new ideas.

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What on earth was I thinking when I said I was going to experiment with veganism? I read up on it all night and it is way too much for me to start with. So new challenge is to go lacto-ovo vegetarian for a week.

Now what's for brekkie?

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I've decided to do a little experiment and go vegan for one week. The fun starts tomorrow and lasts until next Sunday. I'll keep you all posted via the blog so wish me luck as I'm going to need it!!!

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I feel like the title of this post is quite deceiving. Most people do a "best of" list in December but this won't be my first time to be late. It's also a misleading title because these are not books that were published in 2010 necessarily. Just books I read last year and thoroughly enjoyed. So here goes in alphabetical order.

Atonement: A Novel by Ian McEwan.

The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo who Kicked a Hornet's Nest while Playing with Fire. Really three books called the Millennium Trilogy but you get the picture. By Steig Larson.

Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker.

No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women by Dawn Dais.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson.

The Sookie Stackhouse Series also known as True Blood by Charlaine Harris.


***Please note that I haven't hyperlinked any of these books to Amazon because I love Dave England. Go to your local Half Price Books instead.

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This past Saturday we had one of the worst event in politics in a long time. From the earliest information it seems the gunman was mentally ill. I supposed any murderer is mentally ill though.

Everyone seems to be talking about the vitriol of our hyper-partisan environment to date. This discussion is much needed nationally and locally. Unfortunately it has come at the cost of many lives.

My hope is we all (on both sides) take it down a notch. I want, and expect, to be able to work with the Republicans who are my new representatives in the next two to four years. Yes, I will most likely not be voting for them if they seek reelection but that doesn't mean we can't work together.

A tragedy like this will never be fully comprehended but let's use this opportunity to evaluate the state of politics nationally and locally. I know I will.

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Today marks the fifth and second anniversary of my children's lives. Lately I find myself saying lots of thing I never thought I would say or hear on a regular basis. Here's my top ten list.

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We took a walk along the greenbelt with our Hawaiian family this morning. We love Auntie Mariah, Ryenne, Kai, and Cruz!

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