Doggles in the Sun

I've been devoting a good portion of my would-be blogging time to revving up for Vegan MoFo lately. I'm super excited about my project- Veganizing Family Recipes. It may not be an apparently interesting theme, but there are some AWESOME recipes in store next month!

Portland has been glorious lately. Just absolutely gorgeous weather. While we're saving up for a backyard fence, Andy and Emerson have been rigged up to the deck, soaking up the sun. I snapped some photos today. Can you tell they love having a place to spend time outside?

Money to a great cause! 2011 Cares4Pets Calendars!!

The weather is getting cooler and you know what that means; time to start planning your holiday shopping!

As many of you know, until our recent move, Doc and I volunteered on a regular basis with Cares4Pets, a WONDERFUL pet rescue group in Philadelphia- the same group we adopted Andy from two years ago. One of the projects I became involved with was the 2011 Cares4Pets calendar. This calendar serves as a fundraiser for the small group while showcasing twelve success stories- happy pets with their new families. Along with helping plan the calendar, I did four of the photo shoots for the project, including these two and these two!

I'm asking today that you consider pre-ordering a 2011 Cares4Pets calendar in place of your usual calendar. And if you're so inclined, we would love love love you to purchase a few calendars as gifts. If, for some amazing reason, you would be interested in purchasing a larger amount, there are freebies to be had.

Montana poses for her close-up.

The calendars are $20 each (plus shipping) and absolutely all proceeds go directly toward the rescue, rehabilitation, and placement of homeless animals. Please visit the Cares4Pets website at http://cares4pets.org/ for more information about the group. While there, feel free to take a look at the cats and dogs up for adoption. (Sponsorship of an animal in need also makes a great gift! C4P will even send your loved one a certificate!)

Calendars can be purchased through PayPal by clicking on the button found below. Alternatively (and preferably!) payments can be sent via snail mail. Just make sure to print out this form , which includes all the pertinent information to mail along with your check. If you are unable to pick up the calendar in person, please include an additional $3 for shipping.

Questions? Email me at inmyveganlife AT gmail DOT com.

2011 Cares4Pets Calendar!

A blue house!

I promised (or threatened) that I'd be posting house updates. Well, here's one.

We just had the house painted by an awesome company (Portland folks, if you're in the market, I can talk your ear off about Crew Painting.) It's impossible to tell from this particular "before" photo, but the paint was in major disrepair, peeling in large chunks off the house. The color was fine, but Doc and I had our hearts set on a blue house.

BEFORE

AFTER

Aided by the color expertise provided by Crew Painting, we found a perfect medium, slate-y blue ("Schooner") for the body, off white with a slight green tint ("Paper Mache") for the trim, and a darker slate color for the foundation. We love it! It's a bit hard to tell from this photo (and the overcast skies when it was taken), but it so beautifully brings out the honey in the front door. The front also looks so much better without the plastic shutters next to the windows (although I needed to be convinced to leave them off) and I love the accent of the neutral yellow curtains in the front.
Please ignore the majorly over grown shrub lining the driveway and the evidence of my "pruning" alongside it. Soon (let's hope!) this will be beautifully landscaped to match the beautiful paint job, as we say "goodbye" to the grass.