Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Pooped Pups...

Over the weekend we camped. 

The pups went along. 

And boy did they find it exhausting. 

For starters there were Gertrude and Gladys's nieces Lilly and Lola who were able to be off leash the whole time. And they flaunted that freedom. Next came the many children. Children hanging off trees, children screaming and running through deep weeds. Children playing hide and seek in the dark with lanterns. Even two babies who cried and squealed.

 Then there was food. All those children guaranteed spilled food. And some children were short enough that a hot dog bun was an easy thing to grab. And the grabbing of food guaranteed child antics. 

Fire crackled throughout the day and night and into the next morning. A stream with a miniature waterfall burbled just beyond the camp area. And coyotes howled, not too far on the horizon, starting when the huge harvest moon began to climb into the sky. Tents full of sleeping humans that occasionally needed to be unzipped for one reason or another,  a child who startled and cried. The coyotes even yipped frantically in the distance, very late in the night, when they found something they liked. Gertrude and Gladys needed to be on their game, able to growl menacingly with each new noise. And if one of their humans didn't get on top of it, bark outright.  And best of all. During the light hours Gertrude and Gladys were able to run free. The grasses and weeds were so tall each step required leaping and bounding. And there were so many smells to investigate. Plus their humans kept testing their listening and obeying skills.  

When Rob and I hauled our stuff inside to begin the washing and repacking of our camping gear, two very sleepy pups took advantage of the creature comforts of home. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Really?

Oh, Target. Is it not enough that you suck money out if my hand every time I even drive near? Now you mail me crisp mini catalogs full of items I never knew I needed. Because until just now I had not realized that my kitchen would look great with a few plaid items. And even more rotten...beginning at $3.99 each I could so easily justify this....

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Ooops......Guess What

Yep. 

Dog story. 

So Tuesday morning dawned with just snippets of dog food. Just enough for half a serving for each of the poor, poor Beagles. I added a dollop of peanut butter, but alas, they went without. 

I purchased a new bag of kibble and some bits (treats) on my way home from seeing my daughters and grand baby. Gert and Gladys were glad to see me. I cut the corner off the dog food bag and loaded their bowls with the normal amount. 

Apparently they still felt a bit hollow. Gertie decided to try to sneak a few more nibbles. Then Gladys noticed and tried to jump on the gravy train. Gert defended the bag. 

No worries. I gave them a little more and then put the bag behind a closed door. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Mysteries and Other Interesting Stuff

I have so little to report. You don't really want to hear about how awesome it is to hold a tiny baby who's little butt fits in your hand and little head fits sweetly into that perfect spot on your neck. And how great it is that he's unaware that he is going to scream in fear when he sees me going in for a snuggle when he hits that awkward mommy separation phase. Or how amusing the four year old can be when she's being naughty and adorable at the same time. Or how amazing it is to be able to have serious God conversations with three little ones who are so curious about the whole wide world. You also don't want to hear about the horrible, awful, really bad nail cutting experience at our house on Thursday night...oh, you DON'T want to know.

So instead. I'll share some links of things that caught my attention this week.

http://www.boredpanda.com/beach-cusps-sand-patterns-waves/  Cusps are the new Crop Circles.

I so need this one!!! http://www.purewow.com/tech/A-Simple-Trick-for-Remembering-All-of-Your-Passwords-Forever

Lil Video on breaking bad habits



Maymo the beagle 100 fruits and veggies



And Maymo goes trick or treating. Ha Ha

Serials and Scenarios ~ So Delicious CocoWhip ~ Reviewed

 I am a converted coconut lover. Going vegan gave me a new reason to get over my coconut squeamishness because coconut is such a great vegan friendly product. It can replace butter or oil in many recipes and is great for your skin, too.  What's not to love. Toasted coconut. Uh yum. 

The earthy yet sweet undertones that pop in food when coconut oil, or cream or milk is added has become one of my favorite flavors. Old fashioned style popcorn popped in coconut oil on the stove is amazing. 

However, coconut can get overpowering. I don't care for coconut milk based ice creams generally. The mouth feel is too ice milk-like sometimes and the coconut is a main player in the flavors. Not that I won't happily eat it, just that it doesn't quite meet premium ice cream mouth feel. I have made coconut whip  dozens of times. Trader Joe's has the best coconut cream that whips up beautifully. But that takes a little prep and planning and sometimes the coconut flavor overpowers the end result. 

But. When I saw this little container of CocoWhip looking oh so much like cool whip style topping, I just had to try it. 

A+. And A+ for being exactly the same almost a week later. This whipped goodness is coconutty but less so than the hand whipped version and less than coconut milk ice creams. The mouth feel is top notch and the whipped creaminess is exactly that. Look at the fluffy cloud on the spoon. Yum. So Delicious...nailed it! 

Scraps and Snippets - Vegan Mac and Cheese

I've tried the cauliflower as a creamy Alfredo sauce replacement. I also found the recipe using potatoes and carrots to pull off a canned nacho cheese substitute. Buzzfeed had a vegan mac and cheese sauce made out of potatoes and carrots that I just had to try.

You know when those potatoes in the pantry start getting not so delicious looking and they need to be used pronto? I had some of those. I also had grandkids coming over for dinner. Who better to try out a mac and cheese on than kids? If they don't like it, they is going to let you know, if you are picking up what I'm laying down. 

Watch the video for the recipe. The recipe is basically boiled potatoes, carrot and onion until soft, blended with cooking water, cashews and seasoning.

Here's where I veered. I followed the recipe to a T but decided to add more cheesy flavor. Because the cheese sauce has no cheese. So I added an additional 1/2 cup cooking water, 1/2 cup nutritional yeast and 1/2 tsp salt. Next time I think I'll add 3/4 cup nutritional yeast. 

The two oldest kids gobbled it up. (I even used brown rice/quinoa pasta from Trader Joe's). The youngest didn't eat much more than two bites. However, the next day when I decided to eat the leftovers she was like a bird. "Feed me!" Mouth wide open. So I think it's a winner. 

Here's what I love. This was completely whole food based. It was easy.  They liked it. 

I think, in the scheme of things, I might like the cauliflower based sauces slightly better, sometimes you just have to use up potatoes before they go bad and so this one will stick around in my go to recipes. 

Inside Out ~ Movie Review

Movie Review: Inside Out

I kind of have a secret. I don't even want to watch most of the animated movies that come out. I mean I know that's kind of un-American, but they just leave me cold. 

That said. Inside Out's trailer grabbed my attention and made me want to watch more. My daughter invited me to go with her and her three foster kids ages 8 thru 4.

The movie started out moving right along. It is narrated by Joy who is one of Riley's emotions. Joy is pretty much the chief emotional go-to girl and the cheerleader for the whole team. The team members consist of Disgust, Anger, Fear and Sadness. Riley's life is just great, and Joy has pretty much tinged every single memory. Even the core memories are all golden hued with Joy. 

When Riley turns 11 the action really begins. Her parents uproot her from Minnesota (aka Home) to San Francisco. Dad has started a new business venture and he's preoccupied. Mom just wants not to stress him out. Riley has a new room, a new neighborhood, a new climate, a new school, and a new family if you consider Dad's different focus. Sadness, the little internal emotion of gloom, begins to touch the golden Joy memories which blue up and dim the light of optimism. In a huge accident during a power struggle between Joy and Sadness, Riley's core memories get spilled, one is touched by Sadness and all end up sucked out into the vortex of long-term memories. Joy goes after them and Sadness is pulled out with her. While Joy and Sadness navigate the pathways of Riley's imagination and memories attempting to get back to the control room and make things right, the emotions of Disgust, Anger and Fear are left to guide Riley's thoughts. 

In the eventual happily-ever-after-even-though-things-have-changed, the movie ended on a hopeful note and one that really celebrated the need for honest communication, family and the okayness of just needing to cry and ask for help. I cried a couple times throughout the film, as did my daughter. Of course, our thoughts kind of connected with the sorrow her kiddos face while they navigate their challenges. But the truth of Joy's optimism being tempered by the reality that Sadness has a place was kind of poignant, too. 

Inside Out is funny, probably more-so for the adults as most of it would go right over kid heads, but entertaining for sure. Anger is hilarious. And the emotional control rooms of several other people are visited and the conversations are pretty laugh out loud. This movie clips along and our 4-year-old was engrossed. The 6-year-old got caught up in the story-line. Our 8-year-old asked to see it again. We had quite a discussion on the way home and I'm guessing it will help the kids identify some of their own emotional challenges. I think this is a great one for so many different reasons. I also didn't feel any cringeworthy moments or feel we had to reframe any of the information in the film.