Attempt at making homemade dogfood and saving a little $!

Here's a helpful link to make your own dogfood and save $.

Please make sure you look at what to AVOID as well.

Today, while Shad was making a carrot juice drink I had a thought - all the carrot that fell to the bottom that he was going to throw away shouldn't be wasted! So I sat it aside. I'm making some brown rice now, and going to buy some lean ground meat, or salmon later to mix in. I wish I could get around buying the 'meat' part, but I feel a responsibility to my canines to ensure their proper health. After all, what would they eat if we didn't domesticate them? hmmmm. It's hard for me to imagine green peas... but there are A LOT of veggies that can be added in - yay! However, I choose to include meat. I've read that soy isn't good for dogs, unlike humans, where soy can be very healthy. So, until I'm convinced otherwise, I gotta buy it. BUT, the good part is, I can make sure I buy ALL NATURAL organic meat and know where it comes from. That's always a plus, if you must.

Anyhoo, I'm adding the organic carrots, brown rice, natural meat and perhaps broccoli or peas. Then I'll mix their normal dogfood with it in halves. That way, they can get 'used to it' slowly. If they like it, and it makes sense for me financially, perhaps they'll have homemade dog food a few times a week - like a healthy treat on the weekends! If I don't have time, then they won't have to 'adjust' their bodies to a whole new type of food again.

The other half of my brain says, "Jentri, who are we kidding really? I see my dog eat poop and acorns, and lick pee off each other all the time!" Oh well, doesn't mean we can't try!! lol

Wish me luck! The nice thing is, they're not as picky as Shad. :)

It's easy being green-ish. :)

While I'm not the "greenest" person in the world, I do try. Really hard. I think there are EASY ways to contribute (or not take away, at least) to this earth. I'm an admittedly a recycle nut. If it can be recycled at this house, it will be! It's just LAZY to not. Same with using real shopping bags. I'm a bit of a real shopping bag whore. And when I can avoid buying products with extra chemicals, or any chemicals at all, I do. Whatever goes down the drain or sinks into your skin affects YOU. Don't be fooled. In the summer, yes, I hang my clothes outside. It's harder work, but probably saves $30 on your electric bill. And when money is slow comin' in - why not!? Consider it a mini-workout for your day. In addition, I started using the "light/short cycle" for washing clothes when it's not a heavy duty load. Saves water, too!

While I'm on a health kick, you may be wondering how to keep your sweet animals healthy, too. While this can vary with each animal's needs, I've found INNOVA to be the best brand I can afford to buy in Austin. In HEB, they even carry an all organic brand, Organix, which I use on occasion. Main thing to look for is that they don't use by-products, corn, or anything artificial. Also, dogs don't need salt & sugar - think about it. Plus, brown rice is always better than white. These quality brands can be found in most 'local' pet stores. For a while, my dad's girlfriend, Donna, was making her own. I'll get that recipe and post it later, too. When they had LOTS of animals to feed, she found this more affordable, and nutritious. I think most people want to take the BEST care of their animals, but there's so much misinformation to sift through, that it can be intimidating, to say the least. I happen to find it fun to learn, so I'll share. :)

I recently had a friend ask me what organic meant - I'm serious. I assumed that most people know, but that's not the case. Busy people, or skeptical people might think it's a money making scam, and rightfully so. There are plenty of those out there. So I'd like to refer you to a book - Eat This, Not That. Here, you'll be able to see which products/food to buy organic, and why it matters.

Part of me being vegetarian, I think, also contributes to this earth as a whole. I think a real misconstrued thing about vegetarians is that they must not eat, or eat good. I have smart friends that inquire all the time - "what do you eat?" and it's a fair question for meat eaters to ponder. Meat becomes such an easy, accessible food for us, that when it's taken away, people can't fathom what else to consume! I'm sure I thought the same thing once.

So, I'd like to post at least ONE EASY VEGETARIAN recipe a week. Or do my best. :) Growing up, it was all about the pot. Whatever mom could cook inside one big one is what we ate. Always enough for friends coming over. And because she was busy, working inside the home cutting hair, and raising three kids solo for a while, it was the only way. We never had sit-down dinners, and that was OK. Plus, my mom's from Louisiana, so all our meals were super spicy with a Cajun flare. Yippee on the taste buds!

Think Rachel Ray's 30-min (or less!) meals meets Semi-homemade, with vegetarian, family-friendly size portions - and that's what I'll give you - straight up LA/TX style. :)

I'll also take my dad's delicious (that's an understatement) SOUP recipes, alter then to make sure they're vegetarian, and post them here.

FIRST RECIPE - 4-Bean Spicy Soup with Brown Rice (got your fiber & protein right here!)

Double for larger families.

4 cans of your favorite beans

I use navy, black eyed, pinto, and black bean

1 can of spicy rotel

Steam once cup of brown rice (or preferred type). Remember, if you boil your veggies & rice

you lose the nutritional value. Isn't that the point to even eating them? So steam! :)

Cook a couple links of veggie sausage (or preferred type) on the side.

Dump all your beans in a big pot with some veggie broth (or preferred broth) and

rotel. Add sea salt & spice to taste.

Once sausage is cooked, cut it up, and add to beans. Serve hot, over rice.

If you have a little more time, cut up some onions and saute in EVOO prior for more flavor.

If you're really thrifty and a good cook, try making your beans yourself. That eliminates

extra sodium & saves $ (fyi- I've only burnt the beans when trying to make mine, ha!). In fact, if you just rinse your canned beans, you can eliminate about 40-50% of the sodium, too. :)

Serves around 4 (can you say left-overs?!) or just double the recipe for larger families.

Also, most every soup or soupy dinner can be frozen, if you can't consume it all in a few days. So, try freezing some up, and enjoying it next week for lunch. I do that with the organic pancakes I make now, too, instead of throwing them away. Had an aha-moment. No preservatives, and you can warm it up for about 45 sec. in the microwave for your breakfast!

Enjoy!

Family

Perhaps it's the time of year. Perhaps it's my age. Perhaps it's my career. Perhaps it's an awakening. Perhaps it's just hormones. Perhaps it's just too damn much love in my heart. Or perhaps I was inspired by watching The Natives series (so great, btw).

But I've been thinking a lot about family lately, and what that means to me.

I've never wanted children. In fact, it was one of the first things I told my husband when we first met. The thought of being responsible for another human all my life was/is scary. I put everything I have into my relationship with my husband, (well, pugs, too!) and my career. My cup is pretty full now. But the question is: Will it still be full later, if I don't have a child/children?

Someone once told me that they thought that was our only purpose of our existence  - to have kids. I thought that was insane, and that was a shallow perspective. I suppose it's because I think happiness, love, and fulfillment can be found all around us, all the time, if we look. But I do respect that perspective.

One of my main concerns has always been the business I've chosen. Without the risk of sounding whiny, because that's not my intention, I'll still say it - it's a tough business for a woman. Mostly 'cause it's mainly MEN. But that aside, it's just flat out time consuming. Way more time consuming than any other job I can think of (and I've had a few!). You have to saturate yourself in it if you want to succeed. 

So, I tried to think of examples of people who've done it successfully - had it all, and I came up with a few... for one, my wonderful producer, Lorie, has a beautiful 2 (going on 3?) year old and does a great job of shifting back and forth. And two and three are some of my other role models - Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers (writer-directors). They're brilliant at what they do, and they each have 2 children!! So, it must be possible... right?

I remember a good filmmaker friend of mine asking me a couple of years back - "how do film people do it.. have careers and families... they do it, don't they?" And honestly, I couldn't say YES. I thought that if we had kids in our 30's we were doomed in the biz. But then I found my producer... and now...?

Well, now I'm beginning to see how it can maybe be done. But I'm not there yet. We're all different, regardless of my 'examples', and all handle stress, work, and family differently. When I think of 40, I still picture myself being "busy." Maybe busy just changes with regard to how I'm 'being busied.' But at least I know that there's hope... if that's a direction I choose to take - I will look at these wonderful ladies and know that I don't have an excuse.

After all, whoever your family is, family is everything. And families are inspiring (I know mine are!). That's good for any business. :)

A few lil movie reviews: Funny People, The Ugly Truth, & Australia

OK, during TG you stay indoors a lot! :) So I have a few movie reviews for ya - what I did when I wasn't playing a board or card came during family time. These will be short and sweet, but hopefully serve as some insight if you're contemplating spending a couple hours (or 3!) of your life in front of the tube on one of them.

I always think it helps when you go into a movie without expectations. That is when you experience your untainted, unmotivated, true feelings about it. And this is how I went into this particular movie, Funny People, not really having heard much about it (which is usually a red flag).

Funny People: The tone of this film pleasantly surprised me. It was consistent and really well executed. It was funny, but not overt. The dialog was natural, and I enjoyed the story, also written by Apatow (Knocked Up). The reactions from the characters seemed really honest, and I was impressed at the fact that, although it wasn't just keeping me on the edge of my seat with curiosity, it never let me drift off. The chemistry was definitely there. I was invested in this little story of wanting to know what would happen to this man (Sandler) and seeing him change. It wasn't a really deep or completely unpredictable flick, but the performances were. And they didn't try too hard to be funny, which in my opinion, was what allowed it to be funny.

The Ugly Truth: I have to admit, I went into this one with a little bit of expectation, and it wasn't all good. It's one of those mass-appeal cute movies with not a lot of substance, right? My mom liked it, and Shad's dad thought it was a hoot, so I just dove in. Would it live up to its name? It was completely predictable, but it did have cute/funny moments, and overall, I give them credit for at least finding a new way to deliver the material - from mostly the perspective of the man. The actors are pretty good, and one can't help but love Gerard. Seriously, I didn't want to like him in this. But he won me over in 300, then P.S. I Love You, and it's been hard to deny him ever since. :) It's mindless entertainment, but worth a watch - once.

Australia: Ah, the epic 3 hour movie that finally came on cable so I could watch it. What can I say, it's hard to go rent anything that's 3 hours these days. Unless you get suckered into doing it in a theater (which is plenty!!) it just doesn't happen. I sometimes wonder how I watched The Sound of Music so many times when I was little, and what happened to my attention span!? Back to the movie. The first time I put it on, I only watched 15 min. and turned it off. I thought it was a serious picture, but it struck me as odd and corny - like a bad old western. There was too much smoke/fog, and far fetched scenes with wagons and kangaroos. I think the continuity problems with the introduction of Hugh Jackman's hair is when I stopped it. But I kept hearing that it was soooo good. Where was it? Where was the good? So I gave it another shot with my hubbie, and assured him it was supposed to get better, when he made ugly faces at the same things I had. Guess what, it does grow on you. And the actors are pretty great. They eventually make you forget about the distracting CGI, and cheesy narration. And the chemistry is quite wonderful between Kidman and Jackman. And the kid's performance, I must say, very impressive. There's also spectacular shots to appreciate - in an enormously beautiful kind of way. So, my advice is that if you can get through the first half (I know that's asking a lot these days) you will appreciate the last half so much more. After all, it's a Baz Luhrmann film. C'mon, who doesn't love him (Moulin Rouge)? :)

Happy movie watching!

New friends, old friends - it's complicated.

Today I met with an old friend. We used to be best friends, but I haven't seen her since she moved about 5 years ago. We sort of became disconnected a while before that though, and therefore distanced - both emotionally & physically. But reconnecting with her today proved to me a couple things. One - you can't force chemistry, and two - friends should be appreciated for who they are, period.

Like any relationship, people are people and people make mistakes. I think I'm a bit scarred from previous relationships & have been able to let go of people quite easily because of that. In the past, I've put up blocks to keep a safe distance from 'new friends' so that I won't be disappointed when they let me down. Or I let them down (?). It's a defense mechanism, and I'm working on it. It's not something I'm proud of, and consequently, I probably spend a lot of time alone because of it! Thank God I like to work. :) And write!

I'm not feeling sorry for myself, regardless of how this may sound, I'm just trying to make sense out of a complicated, complex song & dance. And to the contrary, I'm feeling really wonderful about my friends right now - both old and new. :)

When I met with my old friend today we laughed... and laughed... she just "gets me." And that may sound cheesy or whatever, but it's TRUE. How many people can look at one another and know what's up? Honestly. It's like an old shoe - it just fits.

And being around so many of my dear friends lately, I've also come to another conclusion - I'm damn lucky. Really lucky. Lucky to have them, lucky to spend time with them, and better for knowing them.

Looking for help with budgeting, scheduling or breakdowns for film?

I am seeking budgeting/scheduling or breakdown work for December/January. My fee is based on what the filmmaker can afford and I work with anything from student shorts & music videos to indie features. I understand low budgets and would love to help folks out.

So what does this entail?

-Fixing budgets or creating budgets

-(if you’re Austin based) - providing crew & resources

-Performing a script breakdown

-Making a production schedule, or fixing issues within the schedule

I realize this is all small work and most of you are low budget filmmakers, but anything helps during this time period and I love doing this work. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE IN TEXAS, as I realize a lot of you are not. This is all stuff I do with my computer in coffee shops.

So, uh, can you help a gal out? Email me - goingforpicture@gmail.com

Thanks!

Michelle

Seeing the bright side of things.

Today I felt overwhelmed with love in my heart. I'd like to say I feel that way every moment of everyday, but what can I say (not trying to rhyme here!) it doesn't always happen. I feel every other emotion that all other humans feel and try to embrace it. I don't think feelings should be bottled up. In fact, a period of my life I've struggled with passive aggressiveness, and just being in the moment is the best way to overcome that. Don't try to HIDE it. You can always say how you feel with tact and kindness. But that's another subject!

It could have been the Chinese meds I'm taking for this cold, (sure... NEW, organic alcohol...) but I don't think so. I think it's because I have so damn much to be grateful for. Sometime it's overshadowed by work, or being busied with laundry or taking care of my puggies. Sometimes it's busied with cleaning my floors or cooking for my hubby. But, when I had a chance to just breathe - there it was - staring me in the face - gratitude.

For the most part, all of our family members are in good shape, which I'm extremely appreciative of. However, Shad's Granny has been diagnosed with a disease, which will rob her of her eyesight within the next year. She's in her late 70's, and I assume this is most devastating to endure, having been a healthy, mostly independent, attractive woman all her life.

It got me to thinking the other day while I was driving - I hope she saw everything she wanted to see. As silly as it sounds, I then thought of Marley and Me, when he lets Marley run freely into the ocean waters, and asks if he's done everything he's wanted to do...

I feel like crying for her. But I know it won't help. I feel like crying for myself because I just feel bad for her, but that's stupid. She's the one that has to accept this state and move on with her life. But I know that's easier said than done. I know, because that's been a fear of mine since I was little. I used to ask my eye doctor if I'd go blind, and he reassured me that I had to have a disease... that didn't just 'happen.' Apparently this disease doesn't prey on poor sight victims, to be exact. It hits up the most healthy of human beings, mostly coming into old age.

Life isn't about just looking though, it's about seeing what's in front of you. It's not about just listening, it's about gaining knowledge by hearing. And it's not about just talking, it's about communicating. Life is complex. It's bittersweet. Lessons are often embedded in pain. But mostly it's just wonderful, precious, and beautiful. I don't want to waste a single second of it, and I hope you don't either. It may seem really long sometimes, especially with the decisions we make. But it's pretty damn short too.

When we were little, the world seemed so big that our homes were continuously exploratory. When we became teenagers, so much as a blemish or bad boyfriend experience made us want to dye our hair black, pierce something, & die. And now that we're in our 30's, we know that there's so much more to do.... we just hope we have time to do it all. If we're smart, we'll spend a little less time on looking for wrinkles, and a little more time earning them.