Where do I start?

Food Update
Ok so some people have been asking me how my first week went with my new vegan lifestyle and it actually caught me by surprise cause I didn’t expect people to really care. I mean, in the past, I would have kind of rolled my eyes if someone told me they were going to start eating only vegan food. It has now been 7 complete days since I gave up dairy and meat products. Ironically, I *gained* 6.5 pounds in the first 3 days (I can only guess that my body was in shock as it got rid of bad toxins) and my fat percentage went up by two percent. Since then, I’ve managed to drop 1-2 pounds, but in essence - so far… this new vegan way of eating has contributed to an unexpected weight gain. Not cool. I still haven’t told my personal consultant at Jenny Craig about my new lifestyle, which I should cause she’s left a million messages on my machine asking where I am and if I am ok. I suppose it’s time I talk to the folks at JC and see if they can help me transition and still maintain a diet WHILE going completely vegan. I am not giving up. I’m doing this for a serious cause and it means a great deal to me to maintain this. And I’ve spent, now, over $700 (in just a freaking week) on healthy food, condiments, snacks, drinks, etc. mostly cause I had no idea what I would like, so I bought a little of everything.

As far as the food itself, I’ve developed a taste for tofu (who knew?) and enjoy many meatless products, (still eating fruits and veggies, that part hasn’t changed), and dairy-less cheese. At first the fake cheese was really gross and I practically spit it out, but then I found another brand and it is sooo yummy. Sometimes it’s all about the brand. Soy milk has become my best friend (I like the original) and original rice milk is also very good. Soy Dream brand ice cream is fucking delicious. And vegan cookies, brownies, etc. Wow! Now I just have to learn how to turn it into a diet instead of just scarfing my face with food and stop telling myself that just cause it’s healthy doesn’t mean it’s fat-free. Apparently, I’m not eating in moderation (hell, it’s so good I just want to eat all day) so I have to cut back or at least alter a few things on my daily menu. The folks at JC can surely help with that. That’s what I pay them for.

So there’s only one mistake I made and it was last night. I bought a pack of veggies for steaming (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) and it was one of those steamable microwavable things in the bag and I assumed they were just vegetables but there was a little butter in it and I didn’t realize it until after I ate it. And I had been reading ingredients SO CAREFULLY up until then. So I messed up a little by having the butter mixed in the bag. Next time I won’t get that and will steam regular vegetables without a bag and add my own dairyless margarine. I bought my first steamer and have yet to use it.

Lost in a Jigsaw
At Barnes n Noble (don’t tell my dad cause he works at Borders and he’ll freak if he knew I bought a product from his rival bookstore), I bought a jigsaw puzzle that is this cool maze. It won Puzzle of the Year last year and truly is challenging. All the pieces are shaped the same way, so they all fit each other. And the puzzle itself IS a maze and you can’t actually put the pieces together unless you know what direction you need to move. And although it comes with a photo of the maze, it’s still closed and intact. I’m the kind of person that won’t open the photo key unless I absolutely *have* to and I figure that since I’ve come this far, I may as well leave the photo key closed. Haven’t peaked at it once. It’s actually way more fun to do knowing I’m doing it without a photo or knowing how it’s supposed to come together.

Here is a photo of the unfinished puzzle:

Friendly kitty
John Holmes the Porn Cat loves me a little bit too much. He leaves his love marks all over my arms and hands. I clipped his nails shorter, but they still draw blood when he gets happy. I love how feisty he gets.

Here is a photo of his friendliness:

Thanks for the crystal lamp
I love the salt crystal lamp that Floralessence bought me. He also bought me another gift, which I love - and this lamp lights up the room so peacefully. One thing I love about Floralessence is that every Sunday, he gives me his weekly tithe, like people do at church. He’s been doing it every week for months and months and months and months. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s given over a thousand dollars in tithes and offerings. I truly am a blessed Goddess. Thank you for your kindness
Here is a photo of me with the lamp:

Love
Isabella
xxooxox