I hope you're all having a good week.  I'm having a great week myself, but I have a nagging feeling that I can't seem to shake, and it's about the 27,000 exotic animals that the SPCA is taking care of.  Last week, I told you about the largest animal rescue in US history that took place in Arlington about six weeks ago.  Since then, the SPCA of Texas has been caring for 27,000 exotic animals who were neglected and abused.

I got an urgent email from the SPCA this week, which said that the “people” (I use that word loosely) who owned the company have appealed the judge's decision to confiscate the animals from them and award custody to the City of Arlington.  Until that appeal is settled, the SPCA will continue to care for the animals, at a cost of $8,000-$10,000 per day.  They are in desperate need of $150,000 ASAP!

If this situation touches your heart as it does mine, will you please consider making a donation to the SPCA?  If I could do another bake sale tomorrow that would put a dent in this need, I would do it.  But their need is much bigger than that.  They need us all to come together for them, and contribute what we can.  Thanks for considering helping these poor little critters!

BigSis added this note January 28 at 1:30 pm: I just found this great video on DallasNews.com, which shows some of the animals and gives you an idea of the lengths the SPCA is going to for these guys.  Here's the link: http://www.dallasnews.com/video/dallasnews/hp/index.html?nvid=412930

It's short, so please check it out.  I'm in love with the Ring-Tailed Lemurs and the teensy turtles.

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

This is such a great story! I wanted to share it with you today in case you didn't hear about it last week.

Press Release Source: The Keep A Breast Foundation On Monday March 29, 2010, 5:12 pm EDT

DANA POINT, CA–(Marketwire – 03/29/10) – Professional surfer and Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) ambassador Jodie Nelson became the first woman to paddle 39.8 grueling miles from the island of Catalina to Dana Point yesterday. She finished in 9 hours, one minute and 21 seconds, all in an effort to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research and prevention.

I hope you can take a few minutes to watch this video. It's incredible!

Jodie started her journey at 6:15 a.m. on Sunday, March 28, the only person doing a solo paddle as part of the Ohana Ocean Catalina Challenge. On the top of her paddleboard, she had printed names of loved ones close to her who were affected by breast cancer. Her mother is a breast cancer survivor, her aunt is a cancer survivor and one of her dearest friends is currently battling the disease.

“I wanted to go out there and do something big and overwhelming, something I had a good chance of failing at… I see so many people who have battled and who are beating breast cancer, they are tackling something bigger than them. They keep fighting and don't give up. I want to motivate people to keep fighting!”

18 miles into the paddle, Jodie had a close encounter with a 30-foot minke whale, which are fairly rare for the waters but are known to be friendly and docile. She dubbed him Larry and watched as he blew bubbles beneath her, fluked, and showed her his belly. The whale stayed with Jodie for about an hour and a half. “It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life,” she said.

According to Ray Hsieh from the Crow's Nest Boat Center, who was driving Jodie's support boat, “I've been boating and fishing all my life and have never seen anything like what I saw today. It was so strange, I actually called my friends at Sea World to ask them if it was normal, and they said, ‘It's your lucky day! That whale is just playing. Sit back and enjoy the show.' So I did.”

Jodie's campaign to “Paddle With Purpose” is supported by Emergen-C Pink®, which Jodie used during training to help prepare her for the endurance mission.

Jodie's goal is to raise $100,000, and so far she has reached about $8,000. All funds go toward The Keep A Breast Foundation and Boarding for Breast Cancer. To donate, go to http://www.paddlewithpurpose.com

Note: Video and still footage of Jodie's journey, the gray whale and heartfelt welcome by her family and friends is available upon request or by visiting or http://tinyurl.com/yeg48tv.

~LilSis

Posted under Fitness

Today is a big day for us!  This morning, I'm hopping on a plane to meet BigSis in Vegas, where we'll be attending the BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2009. We've been planning this trip for months so we're really excited that the much-anticipated day is finally here!

We've been studying like crazy to prepare ourselves for all that we hope to learn this weekend at the Expo. And, we're secretly (ok, not so secretly now) hoping to meet Darren Rowse, the infamous ProBlogger. I'd also like to meet the zany, Jenny of The Bloggess. And, we're both curious about Anthony Edwards being a Keynote Speaker.

We're going to be extremely busy with morning til night sessions and plan to crash a few ‘After Parties', so if something exciting happens, you can bet we'll be Tweeting about it! If you aren't already following us, just go to the right sidebar and Follow BigSis and LilSis. We promise not to bore you with what time we get up, what we eat for breakfast or what time we get in from the casinos; just maybe a couple of quick Tweets about our adventures and misadventures!  We'll also be putting up our photos on flickr.  You can find our photostream at www.flickr.com/photos/bigsislilsis.

And, if time permits, we'll throw up a post or two from Vegas so stay tuned for more on our BigSisLilSis adventure @ Blog World in Vegas!  Look out Vegas; here come the sisters!

~LilSis

Posted under Travel

I always make at least one New Year's Resolution, but most of the time, it usually ends up being two or three, or more. Last year, I had 12 things on my list.

Instead of calling them resolutions, I like to think of them as a ‘life list' of things I really want to accomplish in the upcoming year. Some may be harder than others, but some are small, simple things that help me function better on a daily basis.

For me, being a ‘list maker' and a ‘visual learner', the process of setting these goals and making my list helps me kick off the new year with focus and motivation.

Princess of the North

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

For 2011, I have a few things on my list that were also on my 2010 list and I managed to maintain them for several months, but gradually got away from my routine.

Here are a few things I want to work harder at sticking to in 2011:

• GO TO BED EARLIER. (This is a real challenge for me!)

• Plan healthy meals for the week and do all grocery shopping in one trip.

• Get back to yoga class twice a week.

• Restrict weekday “cocktails” and afternoon snacking.

• Weigh in once a week on Friday morning.

Last year I joined the Ten in 2010 Challenge that was led by The Recipe Girl and I did find that by joining the challenge and sharing my weekly progress with others, it kept me motivated to achieve the weekly goals that I set for myself.

Dr. Oz has a comprehensive, eleven-week challenge, called  “Move It and Lose It” that he just started and has made available to anyone who wants to join in. He has a team of nutrition and fitness experts who are going to be answering questions and sharing tips on how to stay motivated to help you meet your goals.

photo credit: angietorres

Whatever your goals may be for the upcoming year, here are a few tips that have helped me in the past that might help you stick to your plan.

• First and foremost, WRITE IT DOWN! (Until you write it down, it's just a passing thought and you haven't really committed.)

• Break it down into baby steps. (If you want to obtain something by year end, break it down monthly, weekly and even daily, so it's more manageable and the end result seems easier to obtain.)

• Visualize. Make a visualization board. Experts will tell you that if you can visualize it, it's more likely to become a reality. (I'm starting a new one for 2011.)

• Journal. If you've got some weight-loss goals, and a new exercise routine you want to stick to, start logging your workouts and what you eat each day. Last year I bought the fitbook: fitness + nutrition journal.  (I loved this little journal and have already started using it again. I kept it up daily and I know it helped me reach my goal in 2010.)

Whatever you happen to have on your ‘life list' for 2011, I hope some of these tips help you stick to your plan!

We wish you all a very happy, healthy, prosperous 2011!

~LilSis

Posted under Holidays

Yesterday, LilSis talked about healthy breakfast choices.  I think we all agree that breakfast is SO important!   The next most important meal of the day in my opinion is lunch, since it sets the tone and gives us energy (or not) for the second half of our day.

What would you pack into your briefcase or your child's lunch box if you wanted a meat-free, dairy-free (vegan) lunch that was healthful and tasty, but you didn't have access to a microwave?  Here are some great easy ideas that fit the bill and don't taste like cardboard or styrofoam!  They also have a good amount of fiber and should keep you full and energy-filled til dinnertime.

• Almond Butter and Banana Sandwich with a sprinkle of Cinnamon

• Almond Butter and Jelly Sandwich

• Apple slices with Almond Butter

• Chickpea Salad (with lemon, olive oil, and herbs)

• Hummus with Veggies (asparagus and grape tomatoes are especially good)

• Pasta Salad (any leftover variety you have)

• Refried Beans (lard-free) in a Whole Grain Tortilla with Salsa

• Tofu Pup Hot Dogs on a Wheat Bun with Mustard

• Tomato, Avocado and Lettuce Sandwich on Wheat Bread

• Veggie Wraps (whole-grain tortilla with your favorite veggies; add your dressing at the last minute)

~BigSis

Posted under Food

It may be beautiful and sunny in LilSis' neck o' the woods, but it's colder than a well-digger's butt here in Texas.  I guess that's pretty darn cold, right?  Our last few nights have been close to 10 degrees, and our daytime highs have been well below freezing.  It's definitely soup season here!

I've been trying my new vegan diet on for size this week, and so far, it's been pretty easy.  I've been disappointed to see how many of my favorite products have unexpected animal products in them, but I'll adjust and it really motivates me more. It'll just take a little getting used to, and my palate will need to happily adapt to a dairy and egg-free world.  I did lose 3 pounds this week, but I think it's because it was kind of a detox from the semi-bad eating I've been doing for the last month or so, and some of that weight was bloaty water weight from too much salt, sugar, etc. It's the “etc” that gets you every time!

So dinner the other night needed to be 1) soup, 2) vegan, and 3) quick and easy.  Voila!  Here's what I came up with: Creamy Tomato Soup with no added salt, no butter, no cream, no guilt AND lots of flavor!  It's vegan, but I wanted to share it with you because it's so delicious, but isn't loaded with bad fats like the tomato basil soups you usually find.

You can use any seasonings you like.  I used the salt-free Italian seasoning and Mural of Flavor, and surprisingly didn't have to add any salt at all.  I think it may have something to do with the citrus peel in the Mural of Flavor, since lemon reduces our perceived need for salt.  I'm super-sensitive to salt and get big “salt bags” under my eyes from a small amount of it, so being able to skip the salt is huge for me.

Creamy Tomato Soup
(recipe by me)

28 oz can Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
Water (I filled the tomato can about halfway full, but make your soup as thick or thin as you like)
2 tblsp Italian seasoning (I used Pampered Chef salt-free)
Penzeys Mural of Flavor, optional but really tasty
3/4 cup cashew cream (see note below)

Simmer the tomatoes and water in a medium saucepan with the Italian seasoning and Mural of Flavor for about 20 minutes to let flavors develop a bit.  With an immersion blender, puree the soup until it is smooth, or leave it chunky if you prefer.  Stir in cashew cream and heat through.

Note: Cashew cream is my new favorite discovery.  It's from Tal Ronnen's book “The Conscious Cook“.  You might have seen Tal on Oprah recently.  Cashew cream can be used in place of milk or cream in lots of recipes.  All you do is soak some raw cashews for 12 to 24 hours, and when whiz them around in a blender with just enough water to cover them.  That's it!  Just cashews and water.  Sure, nuts do have fat, but it's good fat and you aren't guzzling a gallon of this stuff.  You're just using 3/4 cup in this whole recipe.

~BigSis

Posted under Food

The world lost a sweet young woman on Friday.  I don't really know what to say, other than the fact that I'm so shell-shocked and stunned that I can't think about anything else.

Since I haven't asked her family's permission to talk about this, I'll call this precious young woman “Joy” because that's what she was.  Joy wasn't just a kind, caring, Christian woman.  She was truly leveraging her life for God.  She had an impactful ministry with a few other incredible women, and she had just released her first book.  Joy was speaking to and reaching and touching tens of thousands of people at a time with her story.  In the face of devastating personal loss, she had not crumbled and allowed it to destroy her life, but had clung to her faith and allowed God to use that loss for good.  Joy was making a difference.  In so many ways.  Even though she was so young.

I met Joy through my church at a women's bible study.  She was one of those people who win you over immediately.  She had a huge smile that seemed to come from her heart, and not just from her teeth; you know what I mean?  She had a warmth about her that drew people to her.  She drew other women to her, and you know how big of a deal that is.

After that bible study ended, I didn't see Joy again until a few months ago when I saw her in a short segment on the weekend news.  I recognized her right away, since there aren't too many people around with that smile and that kind of enthusiasm.

I didn't see Joy or hear of her again until I was flipping through the Sunday paper last weekend, and saw her obituary.  I must have read it a dozen times.  What happened?  How could this be?

I'm just so confused about this.  Like I was last year when one of the worship leaders at my church died suddenly; also a very young woman.  I know that I do not have the capacity to understand God's ways.  I know that.  But still I try to make sense of things in my own head when heartbreaking losses occur.

What I don't comprehend is why God would allow someone to get a horrible painful illness when they are living their lives for Him, and are reaching so many other people for Him.  But yet, He lets evil people go on their merry way, la dee dah.   He lets me go on my merry way, for cryin out loud, with all of my sins and shortcomings.  I'm still dealing with some of the same old crap and sin that I've been dealing with my whole life.  Why not take me and leave Joy to do His work?  She was doing it, and doing it marvelously.  With passion and spirit.  But she was sidetracked with this illness out of the blue in March, and now she's gone.  And it's only June.

I know that Joy is with God now and she isn't asking questions.  I'm the one with questions.  I'm the one who is so sad for all of Joy's family and friends, and all of the people who won't get to hear her speak again.  All of the young women who won't benefit from her encouragement and her example.

I'm not mad at God, and I honestly don't question God.  I trust Him and I know that His ways are perfect.  And He knows I don't mean to be disrespectful; sometimes I'd just like to understand a tiny little bit.  Maybe I'll ask Him about this when I see Him, or maybe I won't even think about it because I'll be too busy worshipping.  Like Joy is right now.

~BigSis

Posted under This & That

I need to snap out of it. I haven't been able to focus much on anything since Sunday because I've been so preoccupied thinking about how Bry is doing at Basic Training. I know he's in good hands so I've got to make myself stop worrying.

Sometimes we get so caught up with what's going on with ourselves and our own little world, that we forget about others who have far worse problems than our own. I don't know why today was the first day that I actually took the time to watch the We are the World 25 for Haiti video, but I'm glad that I did. There's some awesome talent on this video and some unbelievable shots of the tragedy in Haiti.

Even after watching the video, it's not possible to understand the magnitude of the loss and devastation in Haiti. I don't know how much money has been raised so far, but you can still go to World25.org to download the video, donate, and download the song from iTunes.

It's amazing how this group of talented artists of all ages and genres came together to help the people of Haiti.

~LilSis

Posted under This & That

Apple flickr photo from Ahmed

The other day I found a stack of little bitty note-size flyers at the checkout of my hippie health food store (actually it's Natural Grocers/Vitamin Cottage).  It was a summary of  the Dirty Dozen, which are fruits and veggies that you should always buy organic, and the Clean 15, which test lowest for pesticide residues. I was a bit surprised at some of these items.  See what you think:

Dirty Dozen
(worst first)

Peaches
Apples
Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Carrots
Pears

Clean 15
(best first)

Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potatoes

What surprised me? That broccoli, peas, cabbage, tomatoes, corn and asparagus were relatively clean. I always thought that the safest things to buy conventional had thick skins, like bananas, pineapple or avocados.  I'm a bit surprised too that apples are so contaminated.  It's good to know, so thanks to the hippie health food store for the itty bitty flyers!

These lists were put together by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, and are part of their Shoppers Guide to Pesticides.  You can download the entire guide in PDF and print it out, or you can download the i-phone app to refer to when you're out shopping.  I think the app would be super-handy since I'd never have the guide with me at the store.  I don't even remember my coupons most of the time.  If they could only come up with an app for coupons!

~BigSis

Posted under Food

I hate to break it to you, but it's December.  Yep.  And if that isn't enough to put a little panic into your bones, consider the fact that 3 weeks from this weekend is Christmas!  3 weeks!

Fear not though!  Even if you haven't yet given one single thought to Christmas, it isn't time to freak out.  It's time to get organized and we have some tips to help!

Make lists! These are a few to get you started:

• Gifts to buy

• Christmas cards to send

• Other things you know you'll need, like Christmas lights or new Christmas dresses for the girls

• Charitable donations to make before year-end

Start a calendar. Pick one up at the office supply store, download one online, or just draw one out on a piece of paper…just do it!

• First add every function to it that you know about this minute

• As invitations for parties and other events come in, add them to the calendar so it's always current

• Add travel arrangements

• Add other important dates, such as shipping deadlines

Do as much as you can now. Seriously, don't put anything off til next week if you can avoid it.  You'll thank yourself later!

• Start your shopping NOW!

• Think about what you want to bake or cook this year, and if there are any new recipes on the list test them now.

• Don't wait until Christmas Eve wrapping time to find out that you need boxes and tape.  Get it now when you see it on sale.

Order online as much as possible. You avoid the crowds and the parking lot dramas that always occur, plus you get it all done at the speed of light.  And you can usually get great deals!

• Gifts, of course

• Christmas cards, gift bags and wrapping supplies, mailing materials

• Stamps (avoid that deadly post office line that steals your Christmas joy)

There you have it: our top 4 tips to get your Christmas planning off to a great stress-free start.  Now get out there and deck those halls!

photo credit: jannalauren

~BigSis

Posted under Holidays