the giraffe life

I had to laugh when I saw this! I've been asked almost every one of those questions, with why? and how do you get enough protein?  being the most common. Maybe it's because I haven't been a vegetarian very long (only about 8 months), but I'm not annoyed by the questions (yet?). I see it as my chance to clear up some rumors and usually, people ask because they're curious, not to be mean :) So, wanna know why I went vegetarian? Read more here .

April has been a tough reading month for me. I've read several books, but haven't been LOVING books right and left like I was in February and March. So just as an overall reading update, here's what I've recently read. Cancer Vixen:  This is a true story of the author's life around the time that she found out she had cancer. It does address her cancer diagnosis and everything that goes with it, but it also recalls how she and her husband fell in love, how nice family can be even though they're terribly annoying, and her first year of marriage. It's a graphic novel, which is a little different for me, but it made for a super fast read. Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats: I'll admit I checked this out because it was old enough to qualify for my read an old book goal . . and I like cats . . a little ;) Then after I started researching, I found out the musical Cats is based on this book, which makes me want to go see the musical that much more...

Happy last Thursday in April! I hope you've enjoyed the mini green changes this month :) My final suggestion is to think about the packaging. This is especially true in the grocery store, when it's easy buy a ton of stuff wrapped in plastic. For example, my local store sells two brands of organic ketchup. One in a glass bottle and one in a plastic bottle. I choose the ketchup in the glass bottle because plastic is a finite resource (it comes from oil  so we'll run out eventually) and it doesn't recycle well . Same thing with potatoes - my market sells them loose for 69 cents a pound or $3.45 for 5 pounds in a plastic bag. (Same price!) I prefer to buy them loose because I can pick out exactly the size and amount I want, but also because I can avoid the plastic bag.  So my challenge to you is on your next shopping trip - consider the packaging. Try the pasta in a cardboard box, the loose oranges, the milk in a glass bottle. It might be another painless change that ...

I got vegetable fajitas; hubby got the sampler, yum yum! Have you gone out to eat lately? linking up here and here

Soup is one of my favorite foods (probably second only to rice). And not only do I love eating soup, I love making soup. I rarely follow recipes exactly, so soup has a special place in my heart because it's so forgiving. A soup recipe calls for carrots, and you don't have carrots? Add corn, celery, bell pepper, potatoes . . . and it will still be delicious. This soup is no different, so feel free to substitute away! Using rice rather than pasta earned it bonus points and the unique combination of spices made every bite really flavorful. Hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did :) Let me preface this photograph by assuring you that although it looks like alien stew, it tastes really, really good. Pinky swear. This recipe is inspired by this one from Janssen and this one from Joy.  Wild Rice and Vegetable Soup • 1/2 cup wild rice • 1 cup water • 2  tablespoons butter or olive oil • 1/2 cup celery, chopped • 1/4 cup flour • 5 cups vegetable broth • 1 cup corn ...

Happy Friday! Meet my newest additions (and first attempt at indoor gardening): The first one is an air plant. Both it and the adorable pod hail from Bird and Feather , which I chose because it's supposed to be easy to keep alive. (We'll see!) The pansy was a gift from my hair dresser (so random and sweet!), hence the aluminum foil "pot," haha. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to rustle up a tiny pot for it or transplant it to the garden.  Do you keep indoor plants? I was so excited to find both of these aren't toxic for cats .

Hopefully I'm correct in assuming that the people reading this blog are female . . and if not, you may want to skip this post ;) Today's mini green change is: I think periods suck. The hassle, the cramps, the mood swings, the incessant food cravings ( always for weird stuff that I don't have at home!). BUT life goes on. Let's fast forward past the complain-fest. Enter something new - this cup - which I heard about from Crunchy Chicken . I read all her posts about it, and then I turned to the ladies on this forum , who gave even more information (down the nitty-gritty). It probably took me 3-4 months to work up the courage, but I finally ordered a Ladycup (the forum will help you figure out which brand you want) in 2009. And after I made it through my first period wearing it, I haven't looked back.  (Are you wondering why I said after my first period? Well because there was a lot of crying, panicking, and general hysteria the first time I tried to take i...