Thankful

I would like to start this post out by giving thanks to everyone who expressed concern for my sweet Adelaide. She has showed much improvement over the last two days. She is eating her food and holding it down and she is even playful with Ellie. We are still unsure as to why she has been sick and are keeping a watchful eye on her, but for now she is happy and seems moderately healthy. She did have a few episodes that the vet has labeled as mini seizures that have given her the look of disorientation and caused her to be more clumsy than usual. I will keep everyone posted on her freak sickness but as for now things appear to be calming down. Thank you so very much for all of your heartfelt words and positive thoughts. She is nothing short of a miracle.

I Am Not That Strong

These last few days have been very rough for me, my sweet baby girl Adelaide Ladybird has been very sick. Today is her second day at the vet's office getting fluids and there is the possibility she may be force fed if she is still refusing to eat. She has not eaten a meal since Saturday morning and that did not last very long in her tummy. Since she has been so sick she has not been able to keep her medication down and her seizures have become rampant. She had three violent ones last night that just swallowed my heart whole. It is so hard to see her like this, dehydrated, tired, scared and the look of emaciation is becoming apparent. I have gone through every range of emotions and today I am worn out, physically, mentally and my heart cannot take anymore of this. This is not the first time she had been gravely ill, she has had surgery for bladder stones and just last year her liver began to fail her because of her long time usage of seizure medication. My wonderful vet has run x-rays, tested her blood and so far the results are normal, which is where this starts to get scary. If she had more bladder stones or if her blood work returned from the lab with problems all of this would be easy to diagnose but so far no such luck.


If she doesn't show signs of improvement soon then that scary word my vet threw out yesterday that drop kicked me to the floor (tumor) might really be true. I can't fathom this, I am just not that strong. Thinking of my life without her makes my stomach hurt and makes my limbs heavy. When I look at her I feel so much love. The most pure love that I can imagine. She has been by my side for about six years now and I can't give her up, I am not ready. I know it sounds so selfish, that is fine, I am selfish I will continue to be selfish because she is my baby and she cannot leave me until I say when. I am sharing all of this because I want everyone who reads this to think about her. I want all of you to put every bit of positive thinking and energy out into the universe and help her to get better. I am more than willing to accept a miracle right now.




I cannot even begin to tell you how happy she has made me through the years. When she licks my face or when she chases her tail I am filled with so much joy. I have songs I sing to her, I have given her about a million nicknames, Brattalaide, Battle Axe, Baby face killah, Adders, Cow Dog, Babycakes, Dog Butt...so many different names. When I adopted her from the pound she was sick, so sick she was about to be put down but I took her home anyway. The pound gave me a discount because they didn't think she would make it. It turned out she only had kennel cough, a severe case but after about a month of medication, feeding her chicken and rice (hard thing for a vegan to cook meat) spraying all of her favorite spots with eucalyptus to help her breathe, she got better. Then when she was about a year old she had her first seizure and it scared me half to death. With the help of the ASPCA I found my favorite vet and she helped me to understand Adelaide's epilepsy and how to control it. Addie has never been completely under control at her best she went three month without a seizure, but she was happy.



Then there were the bladder stones. She had to have surgery and my vet was out of town. I freaked out, called every vet in the phone book begging them to help me, but I did not have the money and they would not even see her. That was the first time I thought I would lose her. I had called my vet's office and inquired (in a most shaky voice) the price of euthanasia and the receptionist Jaqueline said, "We will not let Addie be put down," and she said she would call me back. This was miracle one. She called back and said she had contacted Dr. Lepardo (my vet) and she was cancelling the remainder of her vacation to perform surgery on Addie the very next day. She saved my baby girl's life and I am forever indebted to her. Then there was last year when her medication started to make her sick, it started to poison her liver. She has been on a new medication and has been happy and healthy until this Saturday.

It has been a whirlwind with her, and so many people said they would have put her down years ago, but when I look into her sweet brown eyes, there is no chance in hell I could ever do that. My baby has a heart of gold, I always say this, and I mean it. She is so sweet and gentle. She is my mini cow and I love her with every cell in my body. So please stop for a moment today and put your good thoughts with her. If it worked for the Care Bears, it can most certainly work for us.

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Fudge Yeah!!

Other titles for this blog include :Sweet Success, Vegans Unite!, Best Day Ever and Holy Friggen' Crap everyone is awesome!!

I am beat! Today was a wonderful sugar filled day. So forgive the brevity but I will leave this as a picture blog with a few notes here and there.












Lovin' the herb bread


the bakers


my sister, grandma and I


Willow


Katie from Unkamama and me!



Goodies from Tracy



Brian and John cuddle with Lil' Beans

Brian's super sweet tattoo

My kitchen is a mess!

WE raised a total of 649 dollars for the Arizona Boston Terrier Rescue! Thanks so very much to Kim, I could not have done this without you. You are amazing in every way and Fred is pretty okay too. (: Thank you to Kenike, your food is like whoah girl! Thanks Julia my goddess of all things raw, you are a little happy bee who I adore. Tracy, geez you are awesome and you saved us from running out of goodies early. I am still lovin' those lavender cookies. Zoey and Emily although not vegans, you are honorary vegans for the day. (: *wink* Thanks to my wonderful friends Jinia and Althea at Loveland, you made this possible for all of us. And finally thanks to everyone who donated, hung out, and supported the cause.

Kale Chips

I am a snacker, a big snacker; impulsive and often out of control. Usually when I get home from work (mid-afternoon) I have a little snack, which turns into a meal. I try to curb my eating but after working 8 1/2 hours and biking home I am ravenous. My tummy takes over my brain and I become a food zombie roaming the kitchen looking for food and fast! I try to eat things like popcorn, trail mix or granola. I love fruit and veggies but when I am in a snacking craze those are the furthest things from my mind. I have found a way to trick my noggin' into thinking it is getting a salty, greasy snack when indeed I will be eating a healthful snack of kale chips. Kale is full of calcium and considered an anti-inflammatory. While very similar to collard greens it is in fact related to cabbage, another one of my faves.


dinosaur kale

The first time I tried kale, it was raw in a salad and I thought it was a gross chewy mess that I shall avoid for the rest of my days. Then one day for my birthday my friends Ty and Julia brought over bag after bag of kale chips. I was appalled they would bring such a tasteless food to my party, but then was completely surprised when I tried one. These things were better than potato chips! I ignored my guests and wolfed down kale chips all night. Since that day (almost 2 years ago) I have been perfecting my own kale chips. Trying different flavor combinations, the appropriate cook time and what have yous have all lead me to this my, famous "Pizza" kale chips.


tiny chihuahua VS. dino kale

You will need:
I head of kale (any kind, green, red or dinosaur)
2 T. olive oil
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper


oven ready

To Prepare pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and dry your kale then cut the leaves away from the thick rib center. Place kale chips on a well greased cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle on seasonings and bake for 10-15 minutes. Let cool then enjoy!


yum!

World Wide Vegan Bake Sale

As the World Wide Vegan Bake Sale weeks are coming to an end, my new friend Kim at the Vegan Conversion Challenge has partnered up with me to make the most spectacular Vegan Bake Sale event to ever hit the desert. She is a master in the kitchen and with her incredible knife/spatula/whisk wielding abilities she will be making some of the most mouth watering, soul pleasing cookies around. Additional bakers will be my friend Zoey of Phoenix, the raw goddess Julia of Mesa, the master baker Emily of Tempe and my newest Vegan pal Tracy from way out in the boonies somewhere (Maricopa). Together we will be come together to be a fearsome group of females baking to save the universe and Boston Terriers. We are one step away from super heroes, all we need are capes and some super cool knee length boots.

The event is being held at Loveland Boutique in Tempe and the proceeds will be going to the Arizona Boston Terrier Rescue.

The yummies will include cup-pies (mini pies), fudge, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, focaccia bread, bars and even treats for doggies. I have the next four days off and I will be in the kitchen whipping up some of my finest creations yet. As you can tell I am super excited and cannot wait for Saturday! I hope to see some of you there!

All my love,
Rikki Cupcake!

Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale at Loveland Boutique in Tempe, May 1!!!!



Check out our mascot - Lil' Beans.



Lil' Beans was found abandoned in the parking lot of an apartment complex emaciated and terrified. He was lucky enough to find a wonderful foster family, and even luckier when they fell in love with him and decided he would be a permanent part of their family. Not all furry babies are this lucky. We want to change that by supporting Arizona Boston Terrier Rescue so that more of these beautiful babies can be as lucky as Lil' Beans. This picture below was taken shortly after he was saved.

Hey Bakers and Lovers of baked goods!!!

I'm so excited that we have finally made it official. The Tempe edition of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale is coming:

Where? Loveland Boutique, 107 E Baseline Rd. A-3, Tempe, AZ 480-456-8610

When? Saturday, May 1, from 11am - 4pm or when we run out of the goodies.

All proceeds to benefit Arizona Boston Terrier Rescue. Help us save these adorable, sweet, babies from abuse, neglect, and worse.

There will be an incredible selection of vegan baked goods: cookies, cupcakes, bars, pies, cakes and other treats. Bring your veg and non-veg friends alike! They will thank you for turning them on to such awesome sweet sensations.

Check out Lil' Beans Now! He is happy, healthy and oh so loved.

A Job Well Done

I am sure you all know the joys of a job well done, the feeling of a pat on the back, the warmth of a congratulatory hand shake and the sweet sound of praise. Last night as I prepared for the Coffee, Cookies and Crafts Fair I was overcome with the anxious self doubts. The little girl inside of me that worries endlessly about the little things. That little girl kept me awake all night with all kinds of what ifs. What if my gluten free cupcakes don't taste well to others, I like them, but hey, not everyone is me. What if I run out of samples before the day is done (which I did, but it was okay) or what if I become a rambling idiot when someone asks me a question. "Hey lady, I just wanted to know the flavors, not every ingredient and the prep work involved." All those silly little things that can drive a little ol' lady cupcake insane. Thankfully, everything turned out perfect. I arrived on time (a miracle really since the freeway was closed) my set-up looked great, the people were friendly and gave out compliments like free kittens, and the Vegan Bake Sale attracted everyone there. A great day, and a job well done. Here are some photos of the fun things I saw and the yummy things I shoved into my face.


adorable sign at the entrance


the set up


very vanilla cupcakes


Urban Cookies of Phoenix


Check out that flavor combo! Sign made by chef's 5 year old daughter, super cute!





As I mentioned the Craft fair was held at Bragg's Pie Factory and the Mutant Pinata installation was still there and I got to get a few more photos this time. These pinatas are nuts! I would not want to bust into them...well unless they were filled with yummy vegan goodies. (:




by the highly talented Mike Maas



There were some very talented vendors there as well. It is always great to see people getting recognition for their hand made goods. I love to purchase hand made items as I love one of a kind, unique items to adorn my house or person and also to give as gifts to my loved one.


soaps by Strawberry Hedgehog


"stuffies" by Jennifer Syfu she even sells little plush teeth!


the cutest stuff ever! Stanley Moon

And as mentioned in yesterday's blog there was a World Wide Vegan Bake Sale event at Bragg's as well. There were quite a few nummies for one to choose from. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes galore, and all kinds of delicious confections. I bought a little of everything and I am going to enjoy them all when I finish this little blog entry...ooooo I cannot wait!




my gluten free oooey gooey brownies






I would also like to mention I met a fellow blogger Chelsea from Tea Talk. Both she and her boyfriend Scott are very friendly and as cute as can be. I also was surprised when my sweet Shana came to check out my sweets. he is a lovely, amazing girl who I could give endless hugs to! She also has a blog and she is gorgeous, so check her out shiner.


Shana and me

Sneak Peek

Tomorrow is the Coffee, Cookies and Crafts affair in Phoenix and I have been hiding away in the kitchen for most of the day preparing to delight tons of people with my goods. I am glad to say that I have finished my baking and my cupcake decorating and now it is time to r-e-l-a-x. I will hopefully take photos of some super cool crafty things made by the genius inhabitants of Phoenix, so keep an eye out, who knows you may find your new favorite "what have yous" on this blog. There will also be a World Wide Vegan Bake Sale event at this same location and I have provided the sweets for that along with Tracy from Strawberry Hedgehog. Sweeeeeet! Here are some drool worthy photos for you to enjoy, and now I am off to slumberland...


my baby


monkey bars from 500 Vegan Recipes


gluten free chocolate cuppies


yum!


raspberry blondies from VWAV