Bring Sean Home

A father and son deserves to be together. Imagine being kept away from your own child for four years. Imagine someone trying to erase your name from your son's birth certificate.

Tonight Dateline aired a show that pulled at my heart. What seemed like a fairytale family was indeed just a fairytale. Sean Goldman has been kept away from his father for four years. In 2004, Sean's mother took him to Brazil without his father's permission. David has been fighting to see his son since.

Despite the fact, that Bruna, Sean's mother, had repeatedly told David that he was a good father, David still has not seen his son. Sadly, Brazil awarded custody to the mother after the abduction because by the time they got to the case, Sean has already been in Brazil for a year. Sadly, Bruna died last August during childbirth.

Assumingly, custody should go to David, the biological father. But complications arose when the step father claimed socio-affctive paternity. He claims that because he has been in Sean's life for the last four years, he should have the custody of the boy. Ignoring David's rights to his own son and even wanting to replace his name as the father. David never even had a chance to be in his son's life because he followed the laws and procedure. He did not want to do anything to jeopardize his son's life or his chances in seeing his son again. And this is how he is repaid?

I am enraged at the country's court system for allowing this.

Please go and sign the petition to bring Sean home to his father.

Chuc mung nam moi

Happy new year! I wish you great happiness, health, wealth and a happy family.

We make banh chung for the New Year and give it out to friends and family. This was my first year of attempting them. They turned out very well. I just need practice wrapping them.

Vegan tagalongs

recipe by:ME!!!!!!
my first baking recipe! Woot!


1 cup margarine
1 TB molasses
2 TB maple syrup
1.5 c sugar
1.5 to 2 c flour
2 t vanilla
1 t salt
1 t baking powder

Cream margarine, and sugar until creamy. Add molasses, syrup and vanilla. Then add baking powder, salt and flour. Add flour slowly so you don't add too much. Consistency should be a bit wet and crumbley.

Make round disks. And place in oven on 350. Cook for about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool.

Now it's time for the peanut butter filling.

1 cup peanut butter
1.5 cup powdered sugar
.5 cup margarine
cream together and spoon on top of cookies


Now time for the topping!
one bag chocolate chips
.5 cups maragine
.5 cups soy creamer or milk substitute. I used hemp milk since it's creamy.
Melt maragarine and soy creamer in double boiler. Or just use a glass bowl over a pot over water like I did. When that is all melted and nice and simmering add the chocolate chips. Stir until creamy.
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Now coat the cookies with the chocolate. Where was Amie when I needed her? She came up with a mess free way to do so. Use cupcake liners. Put a bit of chocolate in. Dip the cookies in. Pour more chocolate on top.

Let cool until it hardens and you get this:


Would you like a cookie?


Desmina has been singing, "I stole the cookie from the cookie jar." No mystery there for us.

Dragon's offering


Dragon at rest





Coming out to play

First cache of the year

We have been out of commission for seven long months after my sister's dog ate our GPS unit. For Christmas, Fred bought me a GPS unit! I finally got to pop it's cherry this weekend with an easy to find cache

Catching a ride. Poor Bodhi fell off a few times. I don't this so much as it was a bumpy ride as it was a human catalyst.

You want me to climb, where?

Just kidding...but I almost did. I took a good look around to find something to help me spring over the fence, when something caught my eye.

What's in the box?

Some treasures in there was a tiny dinosaur, a necklace, a one dollar coin, a bolt, a paddle ball, and some other various objects. The kids had fun sorting through what they wanted.
And we sent Senor Frog along his way. He took a long respite with the kids, but he is happy to be hop to his next destination. Follow his travels.

Happy Birthday Noella

Today Noella would have been 29. Noella had a beautiful spirit. She was a wonderful friend. And I miss her.

Just sharing

what I'm listening to right now. I love Cat Power!

Desmina's first dance class

Puppy naps

Good for the soul soup

I made this up tonight and we had it with homemade whole wheat bread.
Good for the soul broccoli soup
2 broccoli crowns
2 carrots
one leek
1 T ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 c barley
1 c cooked white beans
water
3 c soymilk
2 T margarine
6 T flour
fave spices

Dice the vegetables in small pieces and sautee. Add beans and barley. Add enough water to cover the mix with a bit left over because barley will expand. Bring to a boil and then simmer.

In a bowl add flour and 2 cups soymilk and mix until well blended. Melt margarine in a sauce pan then add the soymilk/flour mix. It will thicken into a roux. Add one c of soymilk. Then add this to the soup that is still simmering.

Spice it up baby!

A breakfast fail=a great lunch

I attempted to make waffles this morning. I made up my own recipe using whole wheat flour, regular flour, flax seed, soy milk, baking powder, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. The batter tasted awesome! Unfortunately, the waffle maker came unplugged somewhere in the process, unbeknownst to me. I mistakenly thought that when the light comes on that means the waffle is ready. So here I am waiting...waiting...WAITING for that damn light to turn on. After changing a poopy diaper, rinsing it off, washing my hands and some more waiting I realize that light probably isn't going to turn on. This is when I make the discovery that the damn thing came unplugged. So now I just have a sticky mess to clean. Grrrr. I just turn it on to cook the rest of the waffle so that it will be easier to clean. I forget about it in a few minutes and come back to a slightly burnt waffle but it's easy to clean. By this point breakfast should be well done and over so I just put the rest of the batter away for tomorrow. Score one for breakfast tomorrow!

Kids LOVE the burnt waffle. They are fighting over it. Well at least I know that it will be a success for tomorrow.

Today on the menu for lunch is wraps, which is made with tortillas. We don't own a microwave by choice and I'm too lazy to steam them. The waffle machine is still out and so I just plug it in and warm a tortilla. Wait a second...this will make an awesome quesadilla. So I experiment with what I have on hand (mushrooms, broccoli, and beans). Yet another score for an awesome lunch!

My wordle

Composed from the first page of my blog

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2009!!!!

May your year be filled with wonder

and curiosity.

Have somebody to hold your hand through the worst and best of times.




I hope your year is filled with love

family (That's Aunt Jenny!),



and life!




Enjoy yourselves! Don't forget to cry, to laugh (at yourselves), to love.


I hope 2009 is filled with surprises.
Keep your eyes open.



Who did you kiss for the New Year?


Happy New Year!!!!