Gandhi

"There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for."-Gandhi
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."-Gandhi

We Choose Compassion

Three Generations of Circus Boycotters

The Shrine Circus came to town and myself as well as 50+ other animal rights activists went to create some awareness around the abuse these circus animals endure on a daily basis. For the most part, we received positive feedback and one couple even turned around and went home, claiming the thought never even occurred to them. We were thanked and supported by many, others just pretended to not see the gruesome signage and of course, there were some people who had opposing opinions. One man made a remark in passing about me having my children there.... I really wish he had taken the time to stop and discuss it, because I love this topic. 
On a daily basis, parents all over the world expose their children to various religions. It is socially acceptable to take children to church, or temple etc etc and have those children absorb the parents beliefs from very young ages. The children are expected to learn, obey and live their lives according to those beliefs. It is up to each individual family to decided what values they want to instill in their kids, and determine which way they will execute that.... be it Sunday School, Christian School or however else they choose.
Our way of living does not have a Bible, we do not sing hymns or gather on a weekly basis. Instead, we've chosen to teach our children values such as compassion through concrete measures in our home and by including them in demonstrations that they feel good about participating in. By raising them vegetarian and educating them on how to live a compassionate lifestyle, I'm hoping that as our future generation they will be informed enough to make a positive difference in this world.  Am I ignorant to assume that is what we all want for our children? To turn out to be good people! Children are a reflection of us and so as good parents we do what we can to raise them right. And I think it's ok that we all do that in different ways.
Unfortunately Buddy from last night didn't hang around long enough to hear me out but maybe, just maybe he has taken a minute since then to think about his remark and ponder the thought that maybe, just maybe because of a compassionate up-bringing, my kids actually wanted to be there.

When I Say I Love You...

"When I say, 'I love you,' it's not because I want you or because I can't
have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you
do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen
the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity
exactly what you are.” Spike to Buffy by Joss Whedon

Back Into My Groove

A few weeks ago I felt very off... off balance, out of sync, drained and just really not myself. The more I complained about being off, the more negative I became and I felt sick about it.  It seemed one bad karma kinda thing happened after another and at the time I felt completely overwhelmed. I try to live a positive life and I believe that whatever you put out into the Universe, will come back to you full circle. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination and so I can accept that once in awhile this sort of thing happens... but it just seemed like I got more than I could manage that week.
I'm usually pretty good about not getting too down when something negative comes my way so I did some thinking, organized some thoughts and did snap out of it. I shifted my focus to the people and things most important in my life. I planned some family activities with my husband and my kids, looked into some PETA events that I want to be a part of, got the tattoo I've been wanting to get, met up with a few friends for a few drinks, re-connected all round and got back into my groove. Now I feel great again. Now I feel like Me. The real Me.... And I'm likin' it!

Callum Talking About Piglet

Cheddar & Onion Muffins

My good old and dear friend Cheri served these at her place with dinner one night. Amazing.
1 cup(250ml)shredded old Cheddar Cheese 

3 cups (750ml) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp(25ml) granulated sugar
4 tsp(20ml) bakingpowder

1 tsp(10ml) pepper
2 tsp(10ml) salt
1cup(250ml) milk
112cup(125ml) vegetable oil
112cup(125ml) sliced green onions
112cup(125ml) sour cream 

Preparation:

ln a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, pepper and salt. Stir in cheese.

Whisk together milk, oil, onions sour cream and eggs; pour over dry ingredients. Stir.

Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin cups. Add cheddar on top.

Bake in centre of 375'F(190'C) oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch and muffins are golden. (Make-ahead. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 day or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 weeks.) Add in pureed broccoli, cauliflower & carrots and send them in the kids lunches as Meal Muffins!

I'm posting this waaaaaay out of season, but The North Pole is cool link if you have kids or are looking for new recipes.

Marilyn Monroe

"I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best."
- Marilyn Monroe

Cashew Cream

Cashew cream is an indulgently rich cream used as a base in many dairy-free vegan substitutes. It's much richer and more flavorful than soy milk. Here's how to make a homemade vegan cashew cream. As long as you use raw cashews, this is also a raw foods recipe.
Cashew cream recipe courtesy of Gardein.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole raw cashews
cold water

Preparation:

Put 2 cups whole, raw cashews (not pieces which are often dry) and rinse very well under cold water. Put in a bowl and add cold water to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water.

Place the cashews in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Blend on high for several minutes until very smooth. Strain the cashew cream through a fine-mesh sieve if it's not smooth.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups regular cashew cream.

Circus Cruelty

Join in the Shrine Circus Demonstration happening Tuesday July 20th, 2010 at Copps Coliseum 101 York Blvd, Hamilton. Hopefully people will think twice about choosing the circus as a "fun family event"!

Read more about what PETA has to say about circus cruelty at Ringling Bros Beats Animals