I will say that this month ended up being a good one. I had my personal ups and downs with work and a bit of the winter blues, but by the end things seemed to get back to normal. Visiting the Farm Sanctuary was a huge part of that. Plus, we had some mild weather and took a bike ride. Riding my bike is like an anti-depressant for me. I also plan to get a NEW bike if we get a good tax return. Even though my bike is new, I'm already ready to upgrade. It's the story of being a cyclist. (That's a post for another day.) Let's take a look at what happened in January on the blog....
The numbers are linked to the posts
1 It had been a few months since I did an outfit post. Also did one HERE. 2 Shared my map heart cutout DIY project. 3 We painted our bedroom pink! YAY! 4 Posted about our 1 year anniversary of Veganism! 5 Shared a recipe for Pirate Stew. 6 Introduced all my pets in a guest post on B is for Becky! 7 Loved this post, shared ways I have GONE GREEN 8 My Sea Shepherd cycling jersey arrived! I already wore it over the weekend. It actually kept me pretty warm.
These were all my favorite posts, minus our trip to the farm sanctuary. Of course that was the best thing I did this month! If you missed it, you can read about it HERE.
I also shared one of my favorite recipes over on Kitty & Buck! A recipe for Chickpea Tacos. YUM!
My blog got yet another makeover. I wasn't happy with the color scheme and I craved more simplicity. The writing in the header is my own handwriting and I love the way it turned out. I started a new series on the blog called COLOR OF THE MONTH. You guys seemed to like it.:)
So what do I have planned for February? I have a DIY painting project to share, hopefully more outfit posts, probably cute pet photos, recipes, hopefully paint my home office and I have a great idea for a "vegan project" that I hope to do. We'll see....
Thanks for hanging around!
I am so excited to share this trip to the farm sanctuary with you! Last year when we went to Vegfest we picked up some literature for an farm sanctuary that rescued farms animals. The farm is called Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary and it's located in Deer Trail Colorado. It took us almost two and half hours to get there, but the drive was well worth the experience. Get ready to see a ton of cute pictures...
The drive was gorgeous. It also helped that the temperature was in the 50's and no snow or wind. Perfect. We really lucked out for January. One of the first things I noticed when we arrived was this Llama that was hanging out by the cars. I thought it was funny to see him next to a mini van. The animals that live on this farm really do get to roam free.
Above you can see Michelle. She and her husband own and run the farm with the help of volunteers. I loved this photo of her because she is "glowing" with happiness. You can tell she loves giving tours of her farm and teaching people about the animals. One of the main reasons why I picked to tour this farm is because they educate people about the truths of ALL farming. Pretty much what it comes down to is slaughtering is slaughtering, free range or not. Most people think free range makes it okay or better. It's Michelle's mission in life to break the myths and educate every day people. Sometimes we don't want to hear it but it doesn't keep it from being reality. I learned during this tour that "free range" farming isn't any better and in some cases worse then factory farming. (more information on that HERE.)
As soon as the whole tour group reached the top of the hill to start the tour, these two guys knew it was time to greet us. I found it amazing how they knew when they saw people it meant it was time to get petted and be scratched. Frank is the large black cow and the smaller one behind him is Piere. Piere is blind and Frank acts as his "seeing eye cow". Frank guides him around the farm. They have created a strong bond between each other. It was really sweet. Piere was more laid back, but Frank however was much more demanding of your attention. It's very cool to have a huge cow want to be petted like a dog...
I probably should mention that I hadn't ever done anything like this. I had never been this close to a farm animal in my life. The cows did make me a bit nervous since I am so short. Frank headed butted me because I stopped petting him. I just stayed clear of his path after that. I let the taller people pet him instead. Cody kept trying to get close up shots of him, but Frank would head butt the camera...
Once we visited with Frank and Piere it was time to move on to the goats. They were off in the distance waiting for their turn for affection. I love how they just watched us patiently. It's like you can read their minds,"Oh here comes another group of people to pet us!" The goats were my favorite animals on the farm...
I was in love with this black and white cat that lived on the farm. One thing that really warmed my heart during our tour was seeing all the different species coexisting together. Humans need to take a lesson from these animals. Michelle pointed out two goats that were sunning themselves together. They were a mother and son. She said that a lot of people don't believe that farm animals can create family bonds, this is proof that they do...
I LOVED how we walked with the animals. The animals became part of our group. I think Cody made more friends on the farm then I did. They seemed to keep seeking him out. This little goat was so sweet. Cody would take a step back from her and she would then step close to him putting her head up against his leg. It was so cute...
Off in the distance the Llamas on the farm just watched us. The Llamas aren't that fond of people, but will leave you alone. I can't get over how tall they are...
After walking by some of the Llamas, we got a look at some more animals that were just wandering around and being curious. I am pretty sure this cute guy was a goose. He was so adorable...
Then it was time to meet the chickens...
This was sad. Michelle wanted to really educate us about how chickens are used in the farming industry. Male baby chicks are useless, so are usually killed. (Usually ground up alive.) Female chicks are only good till the age of 18 months because they are so exhausted from all the egg laying. They are then also killed. Something about the chickens get me teary eyed every time. Once I watched Vegucated and saw the reality of what happens to these animals, it instantly gave me an attachment to them.
This hen had only been at the farm for 2 weeks. She had been rescued from an "egg laying" operation. You can see how she is missing feathers on her wing. So sad. I want to cry just looking at the photo. She will get better and stronger. She will get to live out her life peacefully and never have to be in a cage again.
The last part of the tour was the best part I thought. Every Sunday the grocery store Whole Foods donates produce to the farm. It was produce that they would other wise just throw away. A few volunteers from the farm will go pick up boxes full of goodies for the animals. It is so funny to watch the feast that unfolds. The animals are so smart and have learned the routine and know that Sunday is when people visit the farm and Sunday is when they get produce...
I hope the photos of the goat eating the orange didn't completely gross you out. Cody and I were laughing so hard watching this goat eat a full orange. He was in heaven. After watching him struggle to eat the orange, I started peeling oranges for some of the goats. Well, it ended up being one goat once he figured out what I was doing. I fed him about 8 oranges...
Another really cool animal that we met was named JC...
Michelle told us that during every tour of the farm JC picks one male in the group to follow around. He picked Cody. He wanted Cody to join his group and stay on the farm with him. How cool? It was so funny. He would not leave Cody's side. The animals on the farm were all so smart and unique.
I was so happy when I was at the farm with the animals. I felt so at peace. I didn't cry till I started editing these photos and doing this blog post. It hit me like a tons of bricks. These animals look you in the eye and you see love. You see a personality, just like a pet in your home. This was a very moving experience for me and I'm already vegan. If you have any type of animal sanctuary near you I urge you to visit it. It's really fun being with the animals and getting to know their stories. I think I have found my purpose in life. To try to save as many as these guys as possible. :)
The Goose you hear in the video next to Cody is JC talking to him. LOL
You can learn more about the farm by visiting their website, Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary
The animals living on this farm will never be killed or eaten. This is their forever home.
One of my friends sent me the link to this video the other day. I laughed so hard I cried. She knew I was having a bad day and she said, "You can't be sad when you listen to the thrift store song." She was so right. I don't watch TV or listen to the radio, so I have no idea how popular this is or how long it's been around. It's new too me and I felt it was worth sharing....
(If you are offended by bad LANGUAGE, please don't watch it.)
I love Violet's DIY Valentine Day post. She shows you how to make a pretty garland and glittered jars! Yes please. I want to make these jars to hold my pens and pencils in my office.
This place is on my vacation list. It's an image taken at the Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National park, UTAH. Isn't it just beautiful? I just want to runaway to this place in live at that exact spot! This is a perfect example of why I love our planet. :)
Meet Evan. He donates all of his allowance to help homeless cats! Such a sweet story. Another blogger mentioned this on their blog a few weeks back, and now I can't remember who it was. If it was you please leave me a comment below so I can link to you as well.
Read the story HERE.
I really have been enjoying blogging lately. It's mostly because of all your lovely comments. I am so thankful for your support and readership. I used to blog just to blog. No one was really commenting. I used to only share mostly images that were not my own. Now they are mostly mine with the exception of my collage posts. Blogging is much more fulfilling now. I feel I have a reason to blog. Things worth saying and things worth sharing.
These photos of my cats have nothing to do with this post. We recently have attempted to put them on a diet. They really freak out when they don't have food 24 hours, 7 days a week...
I don't usually blog on the weekends anymore. It's nice to not worry about posting for two days of the week. Plus, I am usually out doing stuff that will end up on the blog in the form of a post! We have so much planned for this weekend it's ridiculous!!! We are actually going to try to bike today. The weather is mild and the wind is not insane. Sunday we are visiting a Farm Animal Sanctuary that promotes a vegan lifestyle. Can you say PERFECT weekend for me?? It's good because the winter blues have been ruff that last few weeks. Having to live somewhere in the country you don't want to live is a side effect of being a Military wife. We always try to focus on the positives. At least I still have these guys around....
I haven't been to fond of my job lately either. What do I do you may ask? I just work in a small retail store on base. The job is somewhat easy and mindless. Other days it's stressful. I only work part-time but do a job that should be full-time. So you can imagine a lot gets crammed into my short shifts. I work there because it's convenient. It's close to my home, Cody and I car pull a lot, and I get weekends off. It's a job. I am at a point in my life that "nothing" feels right job/career wise. I just get up and do it because it's a paycheck.
Next week at work sadly they are doing their yearly inventory and I got roped into it. I will be working a lot of hours with very little sleep. Back to back shifts that are going to make me like a zombie. I plan to attempt to keep up on my blog,.....we'll see. I know I will be dying to post about my farm trip! BUT it will take me hours to photo edit the pictures and post about it I am sure. Anyways, I am just rambling. I hope you all have a lovely weekend!
Congratulations to KIM for winning my Happy Herbivore Cookbook giveaway!! I hope to keep having my own giveaways throughout the year. If you have something that you would like to giveaway on my blog, please contact me! I know a lot of you have lovely talents and I would love to help promote you. :)
I am super excited! My Sea Shepherd cycling jersey finally arrived from Australia. My mother-in-law ordered it back in November. For Christmas they just sent me a photo of the jersey in an envelope telling me my gift was on it's way! It took awhile to get here but it was well worth the wait.
I apologize for the crappy photos. The lighting in our house is horrible. I just really wanted to share it on my blog. Plus, there will be a day where I actually get to cycle in it and I am sure that will be a blog post as well. :) I guess now in some peoples eyes I will be viewed as an ECO-terrorist. Yes, that is what Sea Shepherds get called. Very sad.
I will wear my jersey very proudly!
When I met Peter Hammarstedt of the Sea Shepherds he told me how sad it made him that he was called an Eco-terrorist daily. He is one of my hero's. He puts his life on the line everyday to save our ocean creatures. I admire people with so much passion!
Today you can find one of my FAVORITE recipes over on Kitty & Buck. I love these tacos so very much!! Everyone needs to eat them. Really, they are that amazing. :) Head over to Kitty's blog and read my post. Also, this recipe was adapted from a recipe by Lindsay Nixon! If you haven't entered my giveaway yet to win The Happy Herbivore Cookbook there is still 2 days left. Go HERE to enter.
1 What a cute sofa? The color and shape is perfect! 2 Very cool picture. 3 Pretty vases. 4 OH! Love it. Great statement piece. 5 Love this pendant! 6 Such a cute bird cage. 7 Beautiful. Love the wood and white mixed together. 8 Love the bright orange bird. 9 Awesome wall clock. 10 Love the way the books lay. 11 FUNNY!
I am so inspired by the new CB2 catalog! Such bold colors and ultra modern goodness! You can check it out HERE.
I wanted to do a post that included all the things I have changed in my life to better the environment. I thought it would be a good way to give others ideas and hopefully you can leave me some MORE ideas in your comments below. I know there is room for improvement in my life. Let's see my list...
We would like to use less plastic packing, everything seems to come in plastic. Rice bags, bread bags, pizza crust, etc.. Why do I HATE plastic so much you may ask??? Because I find it so very wasteful. It's made from crude oil and takes over 100 years to biodegrade. So much plastic ends up blowing around in our trees, gets in our rivers and lakes and ends up in the ocean. This is one of those "REDUCE" things. When recycling isn't good enough in my opinion.
We finally found organic pasta that comes in a cardboard box! I won't buy strawberries that come in the little plastic container anymore. We buy our mushrooms out of the bins at the grocery store. I also buy celery now that doesn't come in a plastic bag. If there is a "better" package option, I buy it. We will probably start going to Whole Foods to buy more things in bulk and make our own bread more often to help cut down on plastic.
This is one of those super easy things that we can all do. It makes me sad when I see people at the grocery store getting 10 plastic bags and thinking to myself, "Those are probably going to go straight into the trash can." We have three really nice grocery bags that seem to always be enough for us every trip to the store. I have the foldable one I use and keep in my purse for all our other shopping.
We still get looked at like we are crazy sometimes. Lots of cashiers are caught off guard when you pull out your own bag. I even do it for tiny items because I want everyone around me to see me with my bag. People NEED to see them and get used to the idea. We also are currently reusing our plastic produce bags week after week. I plan to buy the cloth bags eventually, but the plastic ones are working out fine. It's the same thing as getting a new one every time. They do just as good as a job the second time around. Less plastic, less waste, less need to recycle them and less wasted crude oil. YAY!
This one is more Cody then me. He only uses bar soap now. No more bodywash. I however tried the bar soap thing and hated it. I missed all my suds from my bodywash. I currently have been using the same huge gigantic bottle of bodywash for months. When it is close to running out I plan to start making my own bodywash from bar soap and reusing my big plastic bottle. What to do about all those plastic shampoo bottles though? I've seen shampoo that is actually a bar of soap but haven't tried it yet. My hair is bleached so I need stuff for damaged hair. Any suggestions?
Cody got a straight razor for Christmas. He hasn't actually started using it yet because it has to be sharpened. It's so funny when will tell people about it because they seemed scared for Cody. Like he is going to cut his throat open. This decision was all his. No more plastic razors!!!
We are now using our own homemade laundry detergent. We have been using it for almost 2 months now. Everything seems clean to me. :) It doesn't have a strong scent to it but I suppose we could add more scented oil. We also switched to biodegradable dryer sheets. You can view my blog post about us making our laundry detergent HERE.
Instead of recycling all our glass jars, we reuse them to store our rice, peanuts, spices and other food in. It's way cheaper then going out and buying a bunch of glass jars or canisters. We already paid for them so why not use them?
I am a firm believer that buying bottled water is a joke and a waste of money. We used to do it though. Week after week. We liked that "filtered" water taste just like everyone else. We purchased a PUR water filter for $25 and hooked it up to our faucet. Now we have filtered water when ever we want it and use reusable plastic bottles. Paying for water is silly and wasteful. There are countries that don't even have clean drinking water! :(
We used to go to Starbucks a lot, so it made sense to me to just buy a glass reusable mug from them. I use it everyday when I go to work also. They give you a discount on your coffee if you bring your own mug. All the plastic cups that us coffee addicts drinkers waste everyday is mind boggling! When all we have to do it take our own! You can read my blog post about the coffee mugs HERE.
We recycle tons. Almost everything we use is recyclable. We use so many less trash bags. One bag a week and it's never stuffed full. It's mostly all food waste so in the spring we plan to start composting what we can. We are also switching to biodegradable bags. We don't mind spending more on them because we don't even use that many anyways. :)
One of my things on my 32 Things Before 32 List was to recycle, reuse and reduce MORE. In a perfect world I would bike everywhere everyday. That may be in my future eventually. Also buy a Prius. My dream car, complete with bike rack...
Okay, now give me some more ideas please...
This post is part of my MAKE A DIFFERENCE series. View more posts like this one HERE.
