mmm, spicy peanut sauce

OK, so I haven't actually made this particular version, but when I found it, I was glad. I used to love spicy peanut sauce, but usually it's made with soy sauce, which doesn't work for me. This recipe has you use either soy sauce or salt! Cool! I do have some wheat free tamari that I use sometimes, but it's the soy that's the issue for me. Guess I had too much of it for too long or something. I like it also that they have a sweet version, which would appeal to C, since he doesn't like anything spicy.

Captain Dave's Survival Store

Just in case you were wanting to know how to survive various types of disasters, Captain Dave's has lots of stuff..

Laughing Baby

This is funny -- the baby laughs like an old man! I have a feeling the baby was an old man in a previous life...

Lots of birthdays

Two of the kids in one of the playgroups we regularly hang out with had birthdays over the weekend -- both girls, both turning two. And both moms are pregnant, and due with their third babies in the spring (one of them was planned, one unplanned and unexpected because the mom had had to use IVF for her previous pregnancy). We went to a birthday party at Gymboree on Saturday, and the other party was just a playgroup this morning. What fun! And just last week we went to another one for another little boy turning two, and we have invites for one dad's birthday party and at least one other toddler turning two.

Whew! It's hard to keep up with all this. I'm thinking I have got to start learning a craft just so I don't have to got to Half Price Books and look for a nice-looking book so often (some of them we've just regifted some of of C's old books, but we are running out of toddler books of his that are in good condition). I get so jealous, too of all the moms I know who are pregnant (three at least).

However, I have met one other mom who has only one and will not be able to have another (not only does she have PCOS, but she also has *two* blood clotting disorders). Her son is almost a year older than C, but he's about the same size. He's in daycare all day, so we only see him in the evening and on weekends. Things go fine as long as either we are outside or at the other boy's home, but if we're here, C gets all possessive of his toys and mad about the other boy having fun with them. I hope he learns to share better soon. I don't like the way he gets all bent out of shape about it. He went and closed himself in his room about it last night. Bleh!

Costa Ricans are long-lived

Pretty cool story about how people in Costa Rica live a very long time. Always knew it was an awesome place. I really want to go back to visit. It's so beautiful!

Hidden Ingredients

If you didn't make it yourself, really you have no idea what is in it. It could have gluten, MSG, or many other ingredients not on the label, or not listed. Ugh!

Dear Kitty

No time to write much, just a link to ponder.

Dean and Delucca

If I wanted to pay almost eleven dollars for a pint of ice cream, it would have to be organic, pastured cream with just a tiny bit of organic sugar with some other natural sweeteners like honey. Exotic flavors might be nice, although I don't know about a goat cheese flavor. Oh, and it should be made by hand, as in stirred by hand in a bowl set in a bowl of ice. Seriously folks, who spends money like this? Talk about conspicuous consumption!
It's amazing what people will pay for if it's presented the right way!

Seattle Waterfront photos

Just got a link to photos of the Seattle Waterfront from 1907 and 2002, showing how much it has changed. One thing that struck me was how tiny the buildings from then looked compared to how huge they look now. What is with this gigantic building thing? Is it that we have to dwarf ourselves more? Or just an economic thing -- make more money from the same amount of land? The water is much less used in the 2002 photo, which kind of makes sense since we now have a lot more cars and trucks and such. But you'd think people would at least do recreational sailing? Then again, nobody has any free time these days, do they? Workaholism has practically become institutionalized.

Plastic Bags Are Killing Us?

According to this article in Salon's website, plastic grocery bags are the worst type of litter in the world. They are choking waterways and killing wildlife. They don't break down, pretty much ever, and they are generally not recycled (our local grocery stores do have bins for them, but you have to remember to bring them it regularly).
It's better to use the cloth totes, or at least the reusable bags made from recycled plastic. Although the latter aren't really washable. You can buy cloth totes at a craft store and decorate them yourself. Or even make your own totes if you have a sewing machine and a bit of talent for that sort of thing.

reusablebags.com has a wide selection of cloth bags, even ones for bagging produce (you can't store the produce in the fridge in them, though).

Why I stay away from restaurants

I had what should have been a fairly innocuous meal yesterday at a Mexican restaurant -- refried beans and grilled chicken with mole sauce. Wrong. I have got to remember that most restaurants use MSG liberally, and sauce = extra MSG. I should have just gone home to eat, we had food. I was just tired. But now, I am beyond tired because I woke up about 4 am and just could not get back to sleep, and I'm convinced it was the food. I am going to do what I can to purge it from my system -- lots of fruits and veggies to detox it, I think. Ugh.

Headscratching moment

I decided to try to read an article that was the transcription of a channeler. Part of it addressed how global warming may not be so bad after all. I was intrigued, given that they've been predicting all kinds of dire consequences for the past 25 years or so. That somehow the global warming phenomenon will trigger us to take better care of the earth.
Then I read about micro-magic, and about how you can possibly merge with a tree. Wow, how cool, I've always loved trees! Who doesn't -- they are so wise and so green! Anyway this is what the channeled spirit said:

For example, how do you know that a part of you may actually not be, or be, the tree that is near your home? Or is it possible that a portion of who and what you are is also experiencing tree, and how would that possibly add to the language of your Being, and thus, add to the definition of who and what you are. You also make a very clear distinction between who and what you are and your dream self. But what if the apparently distinct separateness is not as distinct or separate as you've assumed? Does this make sense?

It was about language more than magic, but I just had to share. I am so sleep-deprived it isn't funny, so maybe tomorrow, I will see it differently. But right now it seems really cool.

Ashwin's Blog contest

Over at Ashwin’s blog, you will find one crazy blog owner!! You can win $2500!! To enter just copy this text and paste it in your blog!! But hurry, this competition will not last long! So get posting!