It's been a long time since I have blogged. This year has gone very fast. I haven't had much free time with my business and homeschooling the kids. Now that the economy is going south, I've got a little more free time because I have fewer customers.
We're still in Asheville, and are doing well. This past summer, we discovered that I had mercury, arsenic, aluminum and lead poisoning and we're now taking strides to treat that. I'm finally making strides in returning to good health.
We have a wonderful church and I've made some good friends. I've not been able to get out much to go to services, but since we've started working on the poisoning, that has changed and I'm now doing much better.
We've gotten a new cat and 25 chickens. We're hoping for rabbits and honeybees in the spring. We've got the garden plot started and we're planning another garden for Spring. We're working towards having an urban homestead.
We got my parents moved up here and they finally settled in last week. The house in Mount Olive still hasn't sold. We're praying it sells soon.
It's cold here and there's snow on the ground. We are keeping a fire going constantly now. Last winter, we didn't get the first snow until January.
The kids are growing like weeds. I'll have to get some pictures and post them soon.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The times, they are a changing
I'm sure by now that some of you think I've dropped off the planet. I haven't updated any of my blogs in a long time.
The business has taken off, and I've had little time on my hands to post. www.cookingtf.com for those of you who haven't looked yet. ;) Then, in early October, we got word that Jeff was losing his contractor position in Raleigh. That started him on a job search, and that job search led us to Asheville. We found out towards the end of November that we'd be moving, and we needed to move so he could start his new job Dec 3. We had less than two weeks to find a place, pack, and get moved. We panicked. LOL So we made an over-night trip to Asheville to look at a house, that turned into a 6-day trip. We finally found a house, we made an offer, and as part of that offer we asked to move in before closing. They accepted it. So we moved in December 1. We close on the house at the end of this week, Lord willing.
So we're spending Christmas in Mount Olive, doing the mad pack and move. Because we didn't know for sure we'd be able to close on the house (due to some septic issues), we only brought what we needed to live for a month. Literally, we brought food and clothes, a limited amount of kitchen stuff, 2 mattresses, and 4 chairs. I'm still using dial-up off of Jeff's cell phone, since we haven't been able to install high speed. Charter has been out to the house 3 times, and still no phone, cable or internet. :( We hope after Christmas then can install new lines to the house, which will fix the problem. It's been extremely frustrating trying to run a web-based business off of dial-up.
We're actually going to ignore Christmas, and celebrate it once we get fully moved in and settled. So those of you who see us, please don't mention it to the kids. ;) We've got Belle a doll house and Trey a train table, but we'd like to wait until we can actually celebrate the holiday as a family, instead of doing a rush job and shorting everyone. We have been telling them that we're going to throw Jesus a birthday party, so they know that we're going to have that soon. We just haven't been specific with the date.
So that's the very short version of the last 3 months. It's been a whirlwind. God has blessed us with a good church. We feel like the Lord has really blessed us and repeatedly opened doors to make this move happen. Right after we left, our next door neighbor was busted for having a meth lab in his house, and we were in a nice neighborhood. We're glad God moved us for many reasons.
We now have to sell the house in Mount Olive, along with my parent's place. Once we sell that, we will move them up here with us. We've still got to get the details of all of that worked out, but it's going to involve some renovations of our basement.
Physically, I'm doing much better. While Jeff was home he force-fed me 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, and that was a huge help. I'm now back to being able to fix meals, take care of the house and kids, and eat at each meal. Before this, I couldn't eat at every meal even if I was able to fix it. I can now take care of the kids, run the house, handle my business, and homeschool most days without any problems. It's quite an answer to prayer.
The kids are doing well. Trey's language is exploding. He's gone to full, complex sentences in a short period of time, even though he's not fully understandable. Belle's smart as a whip, and it picking up on things quickly. They're both thriving now that I'm back to being human and they're on a full daily routine again. Thank you, Flylady and Managers of Their Homes. Kids thrive on routine.
I'll post pictures of the house and kids as soon as we get high speed.
The business has taken off, and I've had little time on my hands to post. www.cookingtf.com for those of you who haven't looked yet. ;) Then, in early October, we got word that Jeff was losing his contractor position in Raleigh. That started him on a job search, and that job search led us to Asheville. We found out towards the end of November that we'd be moving, and we needed to move so he could start his new job Dec 3. We had less than two weeks to find a place, pack, and get moved. We panicked. LOL So we made an over-night trip to Asheville to look at a house, that turned into a 6-day trip. We finally found a house, we made an offer, and as part of that offer we asked to move in before closing. They accepted it. So we moved in December 1. We close on the house at the end of this week, Lord willing.
So we're spending Christmas in Mount Olive, doing the mad pack and move. Because we didn't know for sure we'd be able to close on the house (due to some septic issues), we only brought what we needed to live for a month. Literally, we brought food and clothes, a limited amount of kitchen stuff, 2 mattresses, and 4 chairs. I'm still using dial-up off of Jeff's cell phone, since we haven't been able to install high speed. Charter has been out to the house 3 times, and still no phone, cable or internet. :( We hope after Christmas then can install new lines to the house, which will fix the problem. It's been extremely frustrating trying to run a web-based business off of dial-up.
We're actually going to ignore Christmas, and celebrate it once we get fully moved in and settled. So those of you who see us, please don't mention it to the kids. ;) We've got Belle a doll house and Trey a train table, but we'd like to wait until we can actually celebrate the holiday as a family, instead of doing a rush job and shorting everyone. We have been telling them that we're going to throw Jesus a birthday party, so they know that we're going to have that soon. We just haven't been specific with the date.
So that's the very short version of the last 3 months. It's been a whirlwind. God has blessed us with a good church. We feel like the Lord has really blessed us and repeatedly opened doors to make this move happen. Right after we left, our next door neighbor was busted for having a meth lab in his house, and we were in a nice neighborhood. We're glad God moved us for many reasons.
We now have to sell the house in Mount Olive, along with my parent's place. Once we sell that, we will move them up here with us. We've still got to get the details of all of that worked out, but it's going to involve some renovations of our basement.
Physically, I'm doing much better. While Jeff was home he force-fed me 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, and that was a huge help. I'm now back to being able to fix meals, take care of the house and kids, and eat at each meal. Before this, I couldn't eat at every meal even if I was able to fix it. I can now take care of the kids, run the house, handle my business, and homeschool most days without any problems. It's quite an answer to prayer.
The kids are doing well. Trey's language is exploding. He's gone to full, complex sentences in a short period of time, even though he's not fully understandable. Belle's smart as a whip, and it picking up on things quickly. They're both thriving now that I'm back to being human and they're on a full daily routine again. Thank you, Flylady and Managers of Their Homes. Kids thrive on routine.
I'll post pictures of the house and kids as soon as we get high speed.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
The sharpie incident
This is what happens when you think your child is in the bathroom with an upset stomach. So you leave to handle something else, not worried about that they might be doing.
For the record, rubbing alcohol takes sharpie off of skin. The wall is not as lucky...
Meet Oreo
Meet Oreo, the newest addition to the family. Someone dropped some strays off near-by, and he took up residence in our garage. He's an incredibly affectionate cat and the kids adore him.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Our Beach Trip
We finally took a very short vacation. We had planned on staying two days, but since I got sick we had to come home one day early. We discovered I'm intolerant to chocolate. :( I was extremely sick and dehydrated, so it was best to head home where I could rest.
Here's some pictures from our trip.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Ron Paul
At this point in the race, I'm supporting Ron Paul for the Republican Nomination for President. He's a Constitutionalist, which means that he's for returning power to the states in areas where the Constitution doesn't give it to the federal government to control. Constitutionalists support making the federal government smaller.
Brief Overview of Congressman Paul's Record http://www.ronpaul2008.com/html/AboutRon_fx.html
He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.
He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
Ron Paul in the recent GOP Debates
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peBGJwE9NXo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WobzdQ4a_4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy4Eugc0Xls
Ron Paul Links:
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=RonPaul2008dotcom
http://www.myspace.com/ronpaul2008
http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul-arch.html
http://www.house.gov/paul/bio.shtml
http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2005/cr111005.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aewpvcxAwTk
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Saying Goodbye
Today we said goodbye to our beloved cat, Blue. He was 16. He was my baby, a sweet and gentle companion. He helped me through life's hurts, and provided unconditional love. I am grieving to loose such a wonderful friend and companion, but I know he is no longer suffering. He had such a long, happy life that I can't complain.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
This picture was taken at Easter. You can see, I made it to church. I'm doing much better. I'm down 60 lbs from when I started, I've gone from a size 16/18 to a size 6,and a trim 125 lbs. Last week I finally got to go shopping to Wal-mart and Target after ten months of illness. I've made a few Sunday mornings recently. I'm to the point where I have now resumed doing housework, homeschooling, and all my usual responsibilities, except some shopping/errands and church in the evenings- I just don't have the stamina to get through an entire day without being parked in my chair by dinner time. Luckily, the kids go to bed at 8pm, so I can get to bed early and get plenty of rest. I still need more sleep than normal, but that's slowly decreasing as we get farther and farther away from an exposure. It's been a long time since I had a major exposure that resulted in weeks of illness.
I'm now able to consume products with dairy cross-contamination, and I can now consume varying amounts of egg, corn, cashew, apple and soy without reaction. These are major, encouraging signs of improvement. So being able to consume food that is manufactured on the same equipment as dairy but doesn't have dairy in the ingredients has opened up a whole new world to me. The same with soy and egg and corn. If I eat too much corn, I still get sick. And I haven't tried consuming a scrambled or hard-cooked egg yet to see what happens, but I'm happy to hold off on that and dairy for another few months before trying it, since I now have so much more in the way of food choices, as many gluten-free companies still use dairy and egg and corn. I'm no longer reacting to cashew or apple in any amount or form. I'm still on a rotation diet to assist in the continued healing process, and I expect to continue that for at least another three months.
So slow and steady improvement is wonderful, and we hope that soon I'll have enough stamina to be able to do things in the evenings. Eating at a resturant is still a long ways away.
I hope to be able to resume driving in another month or two. My driver's liscence has actually expired, and I've got to get it renewed before I can drive, anyway.
I feel like my battle with food is finally starting to end. It's no longer a battle or struggle, comfort eating is gone, and I now eat to live instead of live to eat. My days are now focused on homeschooling, caring for the kids, and housework instead of figuring out what to eat and where to get it from. I've finally settled into a food routine, and I really enjoy how I feel being thin. I'm eating more vegetables than I ever have, little sweetener, and have a very healthy diet aside from the occasional Enjoy Life Snickerdoodle cookie. I still get nauseated (but I don't throw up) if I consume too much sugar or too many carbs without eating high fat or protein with it, and that greatly limits the ability to pig out on former comfort foods or many unhealthy things.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
It's been a while since I posted. We just passed the seven-month mark on February fourth. It's very hard to believe that it's been 7 months since I first got sick.
This week I've had some friends coming over to help me cook and clean. I hit the point last week where I was so tired that I could barely walk to the bathroom and back and feed myself in a day's time, much less care for the kids. My mom was running ragged trying to take care of and feed everyone. I was loosing weight again because I couldn't prepare enough food to eat enough to sustain myself- I was so exhausted I'd get sick and wouldn't be able to eat before I'd get the food finished. So friends have been merciful and come over to help do some cooking and cleaning. Because of their help, I'm finally getting better. Since last Thursday, I've been getting three meals a day, so it looks like the weight loss has stopped. I've dropped a total of 55 lbs since I got sick.
I'm better getting the hang of the rotation diet now. Basically, I can eat something for one day every 4 days. This is to assist in helping me prevent developing more allergies. The majority of gluten-free foods are rice based, so I needed a way to avoid developing a rice allergy due to repeated exposure. I have developed sensitivies to eggs and corn due to over-exposure before I realized this was important while my gut is healing. So right now I can only tolerate small amounts of egg and corn. So we rotate through all grains, meats, nuts and seeds. I don't rotate veggies and fruits per se, but I do make sure I don't eat them too often.
Last night was the first night since before Belle was born that I had a full, uninterrupted night's sleep. I actually had a much better morning this morning than I have since before I got sick. I had gotten to where Trey would wake me up and I'd lay awake for a while before I could go back to sleep, so my sleep was very fragmented from 3am until I got up every morning.
This week I've had some friends coming over to help me cook and clean. I hit the point last week where I was so tired that I could barely walk to the bathroom and back and feed myself in a day's time, much less care for the kids. My mom was running ragged trying to take care of and feed everyone. I was loosing weight again because I couldn't prepare enough food to eat enough to sustain myself- I was so exhausted I'd get sick and wouldn't be able to eat before I'd get the food finished. So friends have been merciful and come over to help do some cooking and cleaning. Because of their help, I'm finally getting better. Since last Thursday, I've been getting three meals a day, so it looks like the weight loss has stopped. I've dropped a total of 55 lbs since I got sick.
I'm better getting the hang of the rotation diet now. Basically, I can eat something for one day every 4 days. This is to assist in helping me prevent developing more allergies. The majority of gluten-free foods are rice based, so I needed a way to avoid developing a rice allergy due to repeated exposure. I have developed sensitivies to eggs and corn due to over-exposure before I realized this was important while my gut is healing. So right now I can only tolerate small amounts of egg and corn. So we rotate through all grains, meats, nuts and seeds. I don't rotate veggies and fruits per se, but I do make sure I don't eat them too often.
Last night was the first night since before Belle was born that I had a full, uninterrupted night's sleep. I actually had a much better morning this morning than I have since before I got sick. I had gotten to where Trey would wake me up and I'd lay awake for a while before I could go back to sleep, so my sleep was very fragmented from 3am until I got up every morning.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Merry Christmas, two days late
I didn't get a chance to get on Monday to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I ended up having a reaction to food on Christmas morning and a worse one Christmas night, and have spent the last two days pretty miserable. I am getting better, and we're seeing that I am having relatively short (as in under a week) recovery times to non-gluten reactions. That's quite a blessing, and is a good sign that I'm starting to recover. This round has left me with no bone pain, so we assume that it wasn't dairy or gluten. Problem is, we can't figure out what it could be. We're suspecting corn, but that only explains one of the two reactions that day, at breakfast. The other one was purely out of the blue, 7 hours after a meal that only consisted of a roast, potatoes and carrots, salt, pepper, and some garlic. It makes no sense, and is very frustrating. I haven't reacted to other cuts of beef from that same cow, and I don't see how the potatoes or carrots could have been an issue unless I'm developing an allergy to veggies now, too.
I'm very much looking forward to the new year and getting past the first anniversary of loosing the twins in January. 2006 has been a very difficult year and I'm more than ready to see it over with and try to move on to better days ahead. The isolation and depression from what I've been through has been crushing at times, plus dealing with all of the anniversaries we're trying to get past right now. It's been almost six months since I've been able to get out of the house and do much of anything. I feel like I'm in a holding pattern, and I'm sick of it. I've only made one church service since July 4, and seen few people in the last two months outside of my parents and the two men who work with Jeff on the biofuel (they're outside all day in the backyard with dad) and last Sunday when we had to ask the church to send help for a few hours after an exposure when I was going to be alone with the kids. However, I do realize that with the the holidays, most people are busy and it's easy to forget someone when you don't see them.
My goal in life right now is to reach the point where I can take care of my husband, my kids, myself and my house all the time. Right now, I recover to the point where I can play catch-up from being sick, get caught up, might go as long as a week fairy caught up with the house but exhausted and struggling and unable to drive or go anywhere, then I get sick again. My parents have been the fall-back plan for so long with this, but they're out of town right now, leaving me alone with the kids all day. I need to hit the point to where I can get the house caught up and get some meals in the freezer so I can have that to fall back on on bad days. As it stands now, I don't have pre-cooked meals in the freezer I can fall back on, and that would be a huge blessing to have right now, on days where I have the kids alone all day and mom and dad are gone or sick themselves.
I always need more sleep than normal after an exposure to help my body heal the damage that was done, plus I spend a fair amount of time on the couch during the day resting between chores. Food, especially protein, is critical to helping my body heal from the exposures. At times like this, adequate and nutritious food and clean clothes becomes the priority and housework takes a back seat for a few days. The dust and strewn toys will still be there when I'm back on my feet. :-)
As of Dec 31, Jeff becomes a contractor with CE group and his hours there drop to 25 a week, plus he'll work for other companies as he can find engineering work to do or classes to teach. We now begin our big push on the biofuel business. So he'll be going to Raleigh on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and will be between here and Warsaw and all over the place for meetings the rest of the week. So the good news is that he might be more available if I get exposed but he's still going to be horribly busy. Starting your own business is never easy or loaded with free-time, and is full of stress. We long ago hit the point where all he eats, sleeps, and breathes is biofuel.
I'm very much looking forward to the new year and getting past the first anniversary of loosing the twins in January. 2006 has been a very difficult year and I'm more than ready to see it over with and try to move on to better days ahead. The isolation and depression from what I've been through has been crushing at times, plus dealing with all of the anniversaries we're trying to get past right now. It's been almost six months since I've been able to get out of the house and do much of anything. I feel like I'm in a holding pattern, and I'm sick of it. I've only made one church service since July 4, and seen few people in the last two months outside of my parents and the two men who work with Jeff on the biofuel (they're outside all day in the backyard with dad) and last Sunday when we had to ask the church to send help for a few hours after an exposure when I was going to be alone with the kids. However, I do realize that with the the holidays, most people are busy and it's easy to forget someone when you don't see them.
My goal in life right now is to reach the point where I can take care of my husband, my kids, myself and my house all the time. Right now, I recover to the point where I can play catch-up from being sick, get caught up, might go as long as a week fairy caught up with the house but exhausted and struggling and unable to drive or go anywhere, then I get sick again. My parents have been the fall-back plan for so long with this, but they're out of town right now, leaving me alone with the kids all day. I need to hit the point to where I can get the house caught up and get some meals in the freezer so I can have that to fall back on on bad days. As it stands now, I don't have pre-cooked meals in the freezer I can fall back on, and that would be a huge blessing to have right now, on days where I have the kids alone all day and mom and dad are gone or sick themselves.
I always need more sleep than normal after an exposure to help my body heal the damage that was done, plus I spend a fair amount of time on the couch during the day resting between chores. Food, especially protein, is critical to helping my body heal from the exposures. At times like this, adequate and nutritious food and clean clothes becomes the priority and housework takes a back seat for a few days. The dust and strewn toys will still be there when I'm back on my feet. :-)
As of Dec 31, Jeff becomes a contractor with CE group and his hours there drop to 25 a week, plus he'll work for other companies as he can find engineering work to do or classes to teach. We now begin our big push on the biofuel business. So he'll be going to Raleigh on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and will be between here and Warsaw and all over the place for meetings the rest of the week. So the good news is that he might be more available if I get exposed but he's still going to be horribly busy. Starting your own business is never easy or loaded with free-time, and is full of stress. We long ago hit the point where all he eats, sleeps, and breathes is biofuel.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Coping through an extended illness with small children
I've been asked a few times recently how I'm getting through an extended illness with two small children to care for. Most folks know that Jeff is home relatively little right now, and I pretty much have everything on my own. So I figured I'd write out what I've been trying to do in an effort to cope, and how.
- Drop every responsibility you can outside of your home. When you know you're facing several months of severe illness, give up your out-of-the home commitments first. As much as you might enjoy them, right now your health and your family needs all of your limited energy. You can pick them back up as you're able and you have the energy, as you really can't predict how your energy levels are going to be through an extended illness, and making set engagements won't always go as planned.
- At home, do what you can to minimize responsibility. Find good homes for your pets if at all possible. We've given away our rabbits, cats, and bird so I don't have to use the energy to feed them and clean up their messes and provide them with the necessary time and affection they need. Close off rooms that don't get used often so you don't have to deal with the kids getting in there and potentially making a mess. Don't be afraid to use baby gates and cabinet locks. Have someone come and help you declutter the rooms you use the most and child-proof them as much as possible to keep the kids from making a mess. Box up or put away anything that you have to dust or requires regular care. Put away toys with a thousand little pieces that seems to always get lost. Simplify meals as much as you can.
- Get a system in place such as Flylady where you make the maximum use of your time when you're able to work. Prioritize organizational chores (washing dishes, doing laundry and decluttering) and providing meals above cleaning tasks (like dusting and removing crayon off of the walls). Learn to set a timer for 15 minutes when you feel like you could do something and get up and get busy. Your first priorities are food and clean clothing. If this seems completely obvious to you, then you don't need flylady. But if you get so overwhelmed that you don't know where to start once you feel like you can work, which can easily happen if your illness came on suddenly and was a surprise, then flylady is for you. So once I'm on my feet in the mornings (sometimes that's 8am, other days it isn't until noon), I've got a list of what's most important to accomplish. I get my hair up, dress if I can, get on some shoes, pick up the bathroom and do any quick cleaning needed (swish and swipe), go unload and reload the dishwasher, put away anything that's out of place in the kitchen, pull out/soak/thaw what I need for meals that day (according to the meal schedule), and check the laundry and do what is necessary there. Then I go to the room we stay in almost all of the time (the living room) and do any necessary straightening and then vacuum.
- Know your limits and ask for help when you need it. It's better to ask for help for a few hours on one day than it is to have to find someone to keep your kids for three days while you're in the hospital because you made yourself sick when you wouldn't ask for help.
- Make a menu so you don't have to think once you're able to get in the kitchen. Have a column for each meal, a column for snacks, and a column for prep work for between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner, then after dinner. My menu spreadsheet keeps me from having to think once its done, so on those foggy days I can't think or concentrate, this lets me know what I need to do. It also reminds me to thaw the meat, soak the beans or anything else I need to do so I don't get caught without something I need. It eliminates standing in front of the freezer with no clue about what to fix, and it's 5pm and everyone is hungry. This also helps you create a shopping list so you have what you need on hand.
- Create a safe room in your house. Have one room that is completely child-proofed that has a mattress on the floor or a couch. That way, when you're very sick, you can lay down and rest without worrying about the kids hurting themselves. Keep the room stocked with videos or DVDs, toys, and plenty of drinks and snacks for the kids, and any needed food for you. Put a supply of diapers and wipes, tissue, your medications, extra clothing, blankets, extra food and drink, a garbage can, and anything else you might need outside of the baby-gated door, out of their reach.
- Don't guilt over letting the kids watch TV or videos when you're unable to take care of them. They're little enough they won't remember it, and they'll adapt to another change in routine once you're able to care for them again.
- When you're not at your sickest, have someone go to the library for you and check out several books for you to read to the kids.
- Line up someone to pick up groceries if you can. This keeps you from having to leave the house and expend energy that you could use on your children or some much needed housework. It also avoids you exposing yourself to illness, which would make your recovery longer and more miserable.
- Write the important things down and post it on your fridge. That way, if you're sick and someone is helping out, they just have to glance at a list of what medications you need at which meal instead of you trying to remember it all when you're foggy. This goes doubly for children's medications, so you can just double check your list instead of forgetting something or giving the wrong dosage when you're too sick to think straight. Pill organizers can be a huge help with this. I use a small arts and crafts case (like what is used to hold punches for scrapbooking) to hold what I need when I'm taking a lot of medications. This costs about $1-2 at a craft store, and will hold 5 days worth of meds if you take them three times a day. I bought two and now I do my medications ten days at a time.
- Cook when you're able and stock up the freezer meals. When I'm going through a bad streak, this means planning baked goods for breakfast and making them a day or two ahead when I'm having a good spot during the day. When I'm up to cooking dinner, I double or triple it and freeze the leftovers to pull out on days I'm not feeling well or provide us with lunches in the following days. If I'm having a bad day, I can bump down what I have on the menu, put the thawed meat in the fridge for tomorrow, and pull out a quick meal from the freezer and heat it.
- If your kids are old enough to have access to the fridge, stock the bottom shelf with food and drinks they can have that's healthy and they can get when they need it, with your permission. Keep the fruit bowl full for quick snacks.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Happy Birthday Trey!
Trey turned 2 on Wednesday. I can't believe how fast he's growing! He's such an affectionate, delightful little man. I give him an extra hug and a kiss every night because I know there's going to come a day where he's going to be 20 and he won't let me do it anymore. :) We'll get some pictures of him this week and I'll post them.
On Wednesday, Jeff and I had to leave for Charlotte to go pick up our quarterly supply of food that I can eat from the co-op. It was our first night alone in 4 years, 1 month and 10 days. Since Belle was born. LOL The kids stayed with mom and dad overnight for the first time. Belle slept through like she normally does at home, but Trey only slept about 4 hours and dad ended up sitting up with him.
Physically, it was a very hard trip on me, because I had only been out of the house a handfull of times in the last 5 months. I was sick from the drive by the time we got to Charlotte, and the next morning we had to get up at 6:30 to meet the delivery truck. By the time we left Charlotte at 2:30 I was sick, starting to have signs of dehydration and I was definitely disoriented. I was supposed to drive the last hour of the trip home, so I wouldn't have to leave my car in Raleigh, and I was so exhausted I couldn't. I also pinched a nerve in my right arm at some point during the day and it's still giving me trouble. I was exhausted to the point of tears and nausea by the time we got home.
Tuesday will be 5 months since I got sick. The amount of muscle atrophy and the huge lack of energy I have didn't fully register with me until Thursday. I've got a lot of work to do to reverse the problems. I need to get onto an exercise program to start helping me recover some muscle strength and endurance. I was doing T-tapp before I got sick, and I think I'll return to doing their rehabilitative version of the work-out for a while.
The other thing that I've really been struggling with recently is my sense of my own size, since I have lost weight so rapidly and I've been having to wear clothing that is multiple sizes too big. While we were out, we had a delay, and there was a Hamricks in the parking lot we were waiting in, so Jeff took me in and I tried on some clothing. It was the first time since I got sick that I had been to try on clothing. I was really floored to see that a size 8 fits. I was a 16/18 when this started. So I was able to get two casual outfits. Maybe I'll get to wear them somewhere soon.
The name of the game at this point is avoiding exposure so I don't get knocked back down. I've finally hit the point where I feel like once I recover from the trip I can take care of the kids, the house, pick back up on homeschooling, and soon be able to go back out in public again. It's all up from here unless I get exposed again. I've finally hit the point where I've sufficiently recovered that I don't need as much sleep as I was getting at the worst, and I can keep more of a daily schedule since I'm no longer throwing up every morning. However, one exposure will wipe all of that out and I'll be back to being sick all the time for a while. The constant feeling of russian roulette every time I eat is very tiring.
On Wednesday, Jeff and I had to leave for Charlotte to go pick up our quarterly supply of food that I can eat from the co-op. It was our first night alone in 4 years, 1 month and 10 days. Since Belle was born. LOL The kids stayed with mom and dad overnight for the first time. Belle slept through like she normally does at home, but Trey only slept about 4 hours and dad ended up sitting up with him.
Physically, it was a very hard trip on me, because I had only been out of the house a handfull of times in the last 5 months. I was sick from the drive by the time we got to Charlotte, and the next morning we had to get up at 6:30 to meet the delivery truck. By the time we left Charlotte at 2:30 I was sick, starting to have signs of dehydration and I was definitely disoriented. I was supposed to drive the last hour of the trip home, so I wouldn't have to leave my car in Raleigh, and I was so exhausted I couldn't. I also pinched a nerve in my right arm at some point during the day and it's still giving me trouble. I was exhausted to the point of tears and nausea by the time we got home.
Tuesday will be 5 months since I got sick. The amount of muscle atrophy and the huge lack of energy I have didn't fully register with me until Thursday. I've got a lot of work to do to reverse the problems. I need to get onto an exercise program to start helping me recover some muscle strength and endurance. I was doing T-tapp before I got sick, and I think I'll return to doing their rehabilitative version of the work-out for a while.
The other thing that I've really been struggling with recently is my sense of my own size, since I have lost weight so rapidly and I've been having to wear clothing that is multiple sizes too big. While we were out, we had a delay, and there was a Hamricks in the parking lot we were waiting in, so Jeff took me in and I tried on some clothing. It was the first time since I got sick that I had been to try on clothing. I was really floored to see that a size 8 fits. I was a 16/18 when this started. So I was able to get two casual outfits. Maybe I'll get to wear them somewhere soon.
The name of the game at this point is avoiding exposure so I don't get knocked back down. I've finally hit the point where I feel like once I recover from the trip I can take care of the kids, the house, pick back up on homeschooling, and soon be able to go back out in public again. It's all up from here unless I get exposed again. I've finally hit the point where I've sufficiently recovered that I don't need as much sleep as I was getting at the worst, and I can keep more of a daily schedule since I'm no longer throwing up every morning. However, one exposure will wipe all of that out and I'll be back to being sick all the time for a while. The constant feeling of russian roulette every time I eat is very tiring.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Goodbye, Missi
Today we had someone off of Freecycle come and pick up Missi. So now she has a new home. I'm double minded about it. We're clearly not able to care for pets right now, but I hate to give up an animal I've come to love and who is clearly affectionate towards me.
So we've gone from 3 cats, 2 rabbits and a cockatiel to just one cat. Poor little lonely Blue. He's 15 now and quite attached to me, and we're sure he'd grieve himself to death if we gave him away. He's in poor health and probably won't live much longer anyway, so I couldn't stand to give him away.
We're gearing up for our quarterly run to Charlotte. This time the kids will stay with mom and dad while Jeff and I go. This will be the first night they've been away from both Jeff and I- they had a couple of nights while I was at my sickest that Jeff cared for them both, and I was in the other room.
Trey's birthday is on Wednesday. I can't believe he's going to be two! So much can change in two short years. He's an amazing little guy. He's just on the cusp of language, where you catch a word or two here and there in a sentence, but he's normally pretty easy to figure out. He's a mellow little man.
So we've gone from 3 cats, 2 rabbits and a cockatiel to just one cat. Poor little lonely Blue. He's 15 now and quite attached to me, and we're sure he'd grieve himself to death if we gave him away. He's in poor health and probably won't live much longer anyway, so I couldn't stand to give him away.
We're gearing up for our quarterly run to Charlotte. This time the kids will stay with mom and dad while Jeff and I go. This will be the first night they've been away from both Jeff and I- they had a couple of nights while I was at my sickest that Jeff cared for them both, and I was in the other room.
Trey's birthday is on Wednesday. I can't believe he's going to be two! So much can change in two short years. He's an amazing little guy. He's just on the cusp of language, where you catch a word or two here and there in a sentence, but he's normally pretty easy to figure out. He's a mellow little man.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Thanksgiving Dinner
Here's my grandmother's traditional Thanksgiving Dressing, adapted to our way of eating. I have to adjust the cornbread to be GFCF, but otherwise it's a meal I can eat.
Grandma Ward's Cornbread Dressing
Dice one onion, one bell pepper, and two stalks of celery. Saute in coconut oil until tender. Crumble entire pan of cold cornbread into a large bowel. Add the vegetables, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, sage, 2 chopped boiled eggs and then add chicken broth until soupy. Pour into pan and push cut up hen or chicken meat down into dressing in chunks. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until the center is done.
Cornbread
4 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup oil
2-1/2 cups regular milk (or 3 cups of butter milk)
3 eggs, beaten
(1/2 tsp baking soda if using buttermilk)
Mix together and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until very brown. Take out of pan and cool completely.
Gibblet Gravy
1 boiled egg, chopped
leftover stock from cooking hen
cut up hcicken meat
salt, pepper, poultry seasoning
thicken with corn starch
Grandma Ward's Cornbread Dressing
Dice one onion, one bell pepper, and two stalks of celery. Saute in coconut oil until tender. Crumble entire pan of cold cornbread into a large bowel. Add the vegetables, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, sage, 2 chopped boiled eggs and then add chicken broth until soupy. Pour into pan and push cut up hen or chicken meat down into dressing in chunks. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until the center is done.
Cornbread
4 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup oil
2-1/2 cups regular milk (or 3 cups of butter milk)
3 eggs, beaten
(1/2 tsp baking soda if using buttermilk)
Mix together and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until very brown. Take out of pan and cool completely.
Gibblet Gravy
1 boiled egg, chopped
leftover stock from cooking hen
cut up hcicken meat
salt, pepper, poultry seasoning
thicken with corn starch
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
By Way of Comparison
This photograph was taken summer of 2002. I was four or five months pregnant with Belle at the time. This same outfit is hanging in my closet now, and I've been wearing it recently. I'm definitely smaller now than I was even then.
Week 20 and counting
I got exposed Sunday night and got sick, and we have no idea what made me sick. We know the meal was free of gluten and casein. It's possible I'm allergic to something else that was in the meal, namely tuna, and we don't know it, since it's the first time I've ever voluntarily eaten it. And, for those of you who know me IRL, me even trying anything seafood is a real shock. But I actually ate the meal and tolerated the taste. I wouldn't eat it weekly, but I'd definitely have tuna on a monthly basis and be ok with it. I still like salmon better. I could have the salmon weekly.
But because of that incident, I've once again hit the point where I'm afraid to eat anything for fear of reacting. I'm probably dropping weight again. The last few days since the exposure, I've been battling dehydration and ketosis like I did when I wound up in the ER twice in a row. I think we've turned the corner on it and I'm getting better. I think I'll improve as long as I make an effort to get enough fluid in me every day along with frequent, small meals. I can't hold much food.
We're having our Thanksgiving on Friday this year instead of Thursday, so we have time to get prepared and get everything cooked and done. Belle and Mom baked the cornbread this afternoon, so at least I know I can eat the dressing, turkey and sweet potatoes without getting sick. Jeff will help out tomorrow, along with mom to get caught up around here, so we can devote Friday to cooking.
We did the GFCF cornbread from a friend's recipe. It turned out well, and Belle thoroughly enjoyed eating a square of it. It was a bit sweet for my tastes, but it was because the recipe called for sugar and we used rice milk instead of cow's milk. So it was double sugared. Next time I'll use water or try chicken stock instead.
But because of that incident, I've once again hit the point where I'm afraid to eat anything for fear of reacting. I'm probably dropping weight again. The last few days since the exposure, I've been battling dehydration and ketosis like I did when I wound up in the ER twice in a row. I think we've turned the corner on it and I'm getting better. I think I'll improve as long as I make an effort to get enough fluid in me every day along with frequent, small meals. I can't hold much food.
We're having our Thanksgiving on Friday this year instead of Thursday, so we have time to get prepared and get everything cooked and done. Belle and Mom baked the cornbread this afternoon, so at least I know I can eat the dressing, turkey and sweet potatoes without getting sick. Jeff will help out tomorrow, along with mom to get caught up around here, so we can devote Friday to cooking.
We did the GFCF cornbread from a friend's recipe. It turned out well, and Belle thoroughly enjoyed eating a square of it. It was a bit sweet for my tastes, but it was because the recipe called for sugar and we used rice milk instead of cow's milk. So it was double sugared. Next time I'll use water or try chicken stock instead.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Week 19 Check-In
I've been asked recently if I miss being able to eat wheat. No. Not in the least.
I don't even remember what it tastes like, really. There's a gluten-free substitute for just about everything that you can make with wheat, rye, oats or barley. From pasta to bread to gravy to crackers to you name it, there's something gluten-free out there. With exception of the bread, I haven't been disappointed in them, but I haven't tried many breads because I do try to keep the carb count down when I can. The main problem I have is coming up with items and ingredients that are completely gluten and casein free, including cross-contamination. The cross contamination issue is what gets you, because even if something doesn't contain gluten, if it's manufactured on equipment that makes other gluten-containing products, it can make you sick. I often feel like I'm playing Russian roulette at meal times, and I no longer enjoy food or eating, and I dread every meal. I now do most all of my non-meat shopping at the health food store or online, from just a few companies that are trustworthy and understand the cross-contamination issue. But I still call to verify everything when I bring home a product, and every label must be carefully read and checked every time. For my meat, I use an Amish farmer who doesn't do any injecting or processing or manipulating with his meat. His prices are good, he knows his business, he's organic and humane and all of his animals are pastured. I can call him at any time, his quality is top-notch, and his love for his animals shows.
Will I ever be able to consume gluten again? No. And I'm perfectly ok with that, because it's the difference between whether or not I will have good health to enjoy life. I want to see and enjoy my grandkids, and that will not be possible if I continue to consume gluten, even in trace amounts. So I'll gladly swap gluten consumption for good health.
Dairy, on the other hand, is a struggle. I miss it horribly.
Many of my recipes and the basis of our diet was diary. From smoothies, french toast or oatmeal with cream for breakfast to lasagna and enchiladas for dinner, dairy products were daily and in every meal. And I LOVED milk. I could easily drink a quart a day while nursing, on top of the cheese, whey, cream and whatever else I could squeeze in. I was happy to be nursing and pregnant, because that meant I could drink more milk. I took having to get rid of the dairy harder than I did the gluten, even though I knew the gluten was the more pressing health issue by far.
Will I ever be able to consume dairy again? Possibly. Once my gut is healed from the celiac damage, it is possible the casein allergy will disappear. And I will be a happy woman if that day ever arrives.
The children are also off of dairy and gluten. Their health has improved, Belle's eczema and other issues have disappeared, and only show back up when she gets accidentally exposed. Since going off of gluten, they haven't gotten sick. Neither have I. This winter will be the real test for all of us. It will take about 6 months for my immune system to begin to calm down from being on 'high alert' due to the gluten. Once that happens, we'll have a more accurate picture of what life will be like for me this winter. We already have signs that the 'stand down' is in progress for me, and that makes me very happy.
The thing that bothers me most about all this is the social aspect of food. Eating out, going to someone's house, a church event and the like are all out. Holidays will be difficult this year. I will likely never be able to eat at people's houses unless they're in a similar food allergy situation. Eating out is doable IF you go to the right restaurants. Expensive restaurants. In Raleigh, which is one hour each way. Church potlucks, ladies' meetings and trips and day-long events, breakfasts, after-service fellowships and pretty much anything involving food, is out. And like good Baptists, we have food at everything. And, if the food involves children, sugar is the main ingredient, so it's just as well, I guess. The problem is teaching my children that certain foods will hurt their tummies and make them sick when they think 'a cracker is a cracker is a cracker.' They don't realize the difference, and I hurt for them when people eat food in front of them, knowing that they can't have any when they share with every other child there. They don't understand why they're excluded. I don't look forward to future birthday parties and other social events for that very reason.
In the future, taking vacations or going somewhere on the spur of the moment will be difficult. Every meal I consume must be prepared in my own kitchen. I can't get a break from cooking even if I wanted to, unless Jeff or mom is able to do a meal for us. That's rare and with me still being quite sick, that makes it difficult. Most of my time right now is consumed with finding food sources, menu planning, and then fixing the meal and cleaning up. It's going to be that way for a long time to come.
I don't even remember what it tastes like, really. There's a gluten-free substitute for just about everything that you can make with wheat, rye, oats or barley. From pasta to bread to gravy to crackers to you name it, there's something gluten-free out there. With exception of the bread, I haven't been disappointed in them, but I haven't tried many breads because I do try to keep the carb count down when I can. The main problem I have is coming up with items and ingredients that are completely gluten and casein free, including cross-contamination. The cross contamination issue is what gets you, because even if something doesn't contain gluten, if it's manufactured on equipment that makes other gluten-containing products, it can make you sick. I often feel like I'm playing Russian roulette at meal times, and I no longer enjoy food or eating, and I dread every meal. I now do most all of my non-meat shopping at the health food store or online, from just a few companies that are trustworthy and understand the cross-contamination issue. But I still call to verify everything when I bring home a product, and every label must be carefully read and checked every time. For my meat, I use an Amish farmer who doesn't do any injecting or processing or manipulating with his meat. His prices are good, he knows his business, he's organic and humane and all of his animals are pastured. I can call him at any time, his quality is top-notch, and his love for his animals shows.
Will I ever be able to consume gluten again? No. And I'm perfectly ok with that, because it's the difference between whether or not I will have good health to enjoy life. I want to see and enjoy my grandkids, and that will not be possible if I continue to consume gluten, even in trace amounts. So I'll gladly swap gluten consumption for good health.
Dairy, on the other hand, is a struggle. I miss it horribly.
Many of my recipes and the basis of our diet was diary. From smoothies, french toast or oatmeal with cream for breakfast to lasagna and enchiladas for dinner, dairy products were daily and in every meal. And I LOVED milk. I could easily drink a quart a day while nursing, on top of the cheese, whey, cream and whatever else I could squeeze in. I was happy to be nursing and pregnant, because that meant I could drink more milk. I took having to get rid of the dairy harder than I did the gluten, even though I knew the gluten was the more pressing health issue by far.
Will I ever be able to consume dairy again? Possibly. Once my gut is healed from the celiac damage, it is possible the casein allergy will disappear. And I will be a happy woman if that day ever arrives.
The children are also off of dairy and gluten. Their health has improved, Belle's eczema and other issues have disappeared, and only show back up when she gets accidentally exposed. Since going off of gluten, they haven't gotten sick. Neither have I. This winter will be the real test for all of us. It will take about 6 months for my immune system to begin to calm down from being on 'high alert' due to the gluten. Once that happens, we'll have a more accurate picture of what life will be like for me this winter. We already have signs that the 'stand down' is in progress for me, and that makes me very happy.
The thing that bothers me most about all this is the social aspect of food. Eating out, going to someone's house, a church event and the like are all out. Holidays will be difficult this year. I will likely never be able to eat at people's houses unless they're in a similar food allergy situation. Eating out is doable IF you go to the right restaurants. Expensive restaurants. In Raleigh, which is one hour each way. Church potlucks, ladies' meetings and trips and day-long events, breakfasts, after-service fellowships and pretty much anything involving food, is out. And like good Baptists, we have food at everything. And, if the food involves children, sugar is the main ingredient, so it's just as well, I guess. The problem is teaching my children that certain foods will hurt their tummies and make them sick when they think 'a cracker is a cracker is a cracker.' They don't realize the difference, and I hurt for them when people eat food in front of them, knowing that they can't have any when they share with every other child there. They don't understand why they're excluded. I don't look forward to future birthday parties and other social events for that very reason.
In the future, taking vacations or going somewhere on the spur of the moment will be difficult. Every meal I consume must be prepared in my own kitchen. I can't get a break from cooking even if I wanted to, unless Jeff or mom is able to do a meal for us. That's rare and with me still being quite sick, that makes it difficult. Most of my time right now is consumed with finding food sources, menu planning, and then fixing the meal and cleaning up. It's going to be that way for a long time to come.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Lace or Ribbon? Ribbon
Mountain or Beach? Mountain
Reading or Writing? Reading
Cookie or Cake? Cookie
Baked or Mashed Potato? Mashed
Side or Back? Side
Shrimp or Steak? Steak
Scrambled or Fried? Scrambled
Orange or Apple? Apple
Spring or Fall? Both
Roller Skating or Bowling? Bowling
DVD or Theater movies? DVD
Wood or Glass? Glass
Blue or Green? Blue
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
Early Morning or Late Night? My kids are up early, but I'd MUCH prefer late night
Coffee or Tea? Neither
Watermelon or Strawberry? Strawberry
Lunch or Dinner? Dinner
Cold Cereal or Oatmeal? Neither, since they both usually contain gluten!
Song or Dance? Song
Carpet or Hardwood Floor? Hardwood Floor
Red or Pink? Both
Cat or Dog? Cat
Pretzels or Chips? Neither, due to gluten. LOL
Iced Tea or Lemonade? Lemonade
Non-Fiction or Fiction? Non-Fiction
Rose or Daisy? Roses
Sunrise or Sunset? Sunset
Comb or Brush? Comb
Pottery or Basket? Basket
Bracelet or Necklace? Necklace
Pen or Pencil? Pen, if I can manage to keep it away from the kids. LOL
Couch or Chair? Right now, both.
Country or Victorian? Victorian
Farm or Ranch? Farm
Braid or Ponytail? Braid or Bun
Cash or Check? Check
Chocolate Bar or Jelly Bean? Chocolate Bar
Coke or Pepsi? Coke
Hot Dog or Cheeseburger? I LOVE cheeseburgers, but because I can't have the bun or the cheese, I'll take the hot dog. It's much less complicated that way.
Blinds or Curtains? Blinds
Dress or Skirt? Jumpers
Sun or Moon? Moon
Adventure or Comedy? Comedy
Cloud or Star? Stars
Lake or River? Lake
Half Full or Half Empty? Trying hard not to be half-empty
Truck or Car? Car
Bath or Shower? Shower
Clothesline or Clothes Dryer? both
New or Second Hand? Second Hand
Gum or Lifesaver? Gum
Email or Handwritten? E-mail
July or October? October
Barefoot or Shoes? Shoes
Mountain or Beach? Mountain
Reading or Writing? Reading
Cookie or Cake? Cookie
Baked or Mashed Potato? Mashed
Side or Back? Side
Shrimp or Steak? Steak
Scrambled or Fried? Scrambled
Orange or Apple? Apple
Spring or Fall? Both
Roller Skating or Bowling? Bowling
DVD or Theater movies? DVD
Wood or Glass? Glass
Blue or Green? Blue
Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
Early Morning or Late Night? My kids are up early, but I'd MUCH prefer late night
Coffee or Tea? Neither
Watermelon or Strawberry? Strawberry
Lunch or Dinner? Dinner
Cold Cereal or Oatmeal? Neither, since they both usually contain gluten!
Song or Dance? Song
Carpet or Hardwood Floor? Hardwood Floor
Red or Pink? Both
Cat or Dog? Cat
Pretzels or Chips? Neither, due to gluten. LOL
Iced Tea or Lemonade? Lemonade
Non-Fiction or Fiction? Non-Fiction
Rose or Daisy? Roses
Sunrise or Sunset? Sunset
Comb or Brush? Comb
Pottery or Basket? Basket
Bracelet or Necklace? Necklace
Pen or Pencil? Pen, if I can manage to keep it away from the kids. LOL
Couch or Chair? Right now, both.
Country or Victorian? Victorian
Farm or Ranch? Farm
Braid or Ponytail? Braid or Bun
Cash or Check? Check
Chocolate Bar or Jelly Bean? Chocolate Bar
Coke or Pepsi? Coke
Hot Dog or Cheeseburger? I LOVE cheeseburgers, but because I can't have the bun or the cheese, I'll take the hot dog. It's much less complicated that way.
Blinds or Curtains? Blinds
Dress or Skirt? Jumpers
Sun or Moon? Moon
Adventure or Comedy? Comedy
Cloud or Star? Stars
Lake or River? Lake
Half Full or Half Empty? Trying hard not to be half-empty
Truck or Car? Car
Bath or Shower? Shower
Clothesline or Clothes Dryer? both
New or Second Hand? Second Hand
Gum or Lifesaver? Gum
Email or Handwritten? E-mail
July or October? October
Barefoot or Shoes? Shoes
Saturday, November 04, 2006
It's turning off cold here. The last two days I've had several people when they've called the house tell me to not go outside if I can help it. The kids are still bored with being in the house all the time, though, so we might end up outside anyway. It's been almost 18 weeks now, and I'm tired of the house myself, so I can't blame them. At least they're able to go to church when Jeff can take them, and mom takes Belle to the weekly library story time.
I have started going through my clothes, and I've been pretty surprised at the amount of clothing that I own that no longer fits. I now have one summery denim dress, one denim and plaid jumper, one dressy twinset that's a little big, a black dress jacket and one church dress that I can wear. I've got to go clothes shopping in order to fill in everything else. Even my shoe size has changed with the weight loss, but I didn't have any winter shoes anyway. I'm tired of wearing clothes that hang on me, even if it is just around the house. Once I'm able to get out, clothes shopping will be the first thing I do, and it's cold enough that I'll have to wear dress clothes to go do it. LOL
The funny thing about the weight loss is that when I was this size previously, I thought I was fat. Now that I'm loosing weight instead of trying to keep form gaining, I think I'm pretty skinny. I still can't believe that some of this clothing fits me or is even big on me. It all just looks too tiny. LOL
Jeff brought home a beautiful bouquet of tulips last night. I put them in a vase on the mantle, and Missy has spent all last night and this morning plotting to get to them and eat them. Last time Jeff brought home roses, we went to church the next morning and she got up on the dining room table and literally ate them. Chewed them to pieces, and I was really upset when I got home and saw the chewed up rose petals all over the dining room. So this time I was prepared to keep her away from them.
So today I'm attempting to get caught up on the house and Jeff is working on the biodiesel. Jeff brought home a small bag of gluten-free pretzels from Whole Foods and I've got a few minutes of quiet while the kids happily munch away. We're about to go full-swing into the cookbook writing and try to hammer the first one out in a month or so. I've got a lot on my plate considering how sick I've been. Tracking down safe food, cooking and dealing with the clean-up while keeping the kids occupied still takes up a vast majority of my time. The holidays are coming, and I've got to try to figure out what we're going to do for Thanksgiving, as the majority of the family recipes we use are going to have to be modified or replaced so I can eat.
So I'm hoping on Monday that we'll be ready to go back to homeschooling and trying to get life back to some sembelance of normal, assuming I don't get exposed yet again. Maybe in another week I'll be able to get out in public. Right now I'm still too physically weak to be able to venture out. I'm really worn down and lonely from being so isolated and I'm ready to see this over with.
I have started going through my clothes, and I've been pretty surprised at the amount of clothing that I own that no longer fits. I now have one summery denim dress, one denim and plaid jumper, one dressy twinset that's a little big, a black dress jacket and one church dress that I can wear. I've got to go clothes shopping in order to fill in everything else. Even my shoe size has changed with the weight loss, but I didn't have any winter shoes anyway. I'm tired of wearing clothes that hang on me, even if it is just around the house. Once I'm able to get out, clothes shopping will be the first thing I do, and it's cold enough that I'll have to wear dress clothes to go do it. LOL
The funny thing about the weight loss is that when I was this size previously, I thought I was fat. Now that I'm loosing weight instead of trying to keep form gaining, I think I'm pretty skinny. I still can't believe that some of this clothing fits me or is even big on me. It all just looks too tiny. LOL
Jeff brought home a beautiful bouquet of tulips last night. I put them in a vase on the mantle, and Missy has spent all last night and this morning plotting to get to them and eat them. Last time Jeff brought home roses, we went to church the next morning and she got up on the dining room table and literally ate them. Chewed them to pieces, and I was really upset when I got home and saw the chewed up rose petals all over the dining room. So this time I was prepared to keep her away from them.
So today I'm attempting to get caught up on the house and Jeff is working on the biodiesel. Jeff brought home a small bag of gluten-free pretzels from Whole Foods and I've got a few minutes of quiet while the kids happily munch away. We're about to go full-swing into the cookbook writing and try to hammer the first one out in a month or so. I've got a lot on my plate considering how sick I've been. Tracking down safe food, cooking and dealing with the clean-up while keeping the kids occupied still takes up a vast majority of my time. The holidays are coming, and I've got to try to figure out what we're going to do for Thanksgiving, as the majority of the family recipes we use are going to have to be modified or replaced so I can eat.
So I'm hoping on Monday that we'll be ready to go back to homeschooling and trying to get life back to some sembelance of normal, assuming I don't get exposed yet again. Maybe in another week I'll be able to get out in public. Right now I'm still too physically weak to be able to venture out. I'm really worn down and lonely from being so isolated and I'm ready to see this over with.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Long Time, No Post
It's been over two months since I have posted. I'm still homebound, although I am doing better overall. I recently had two expsoures in four days, so I'm trying to recover from it all and get back on my feet. I'm thankful that the house was in really good shape before that exposure and I was caught up on everything, but my folks were out of town while I went through that and Jeff was working more long, crazy hours. We even had some company for part of it, as my FIL was here visiting from FL. We still don't know what caused those two reactions.
We now know that I react to gluten, dairy and soy in even trace amounts, so finding even basic foods that are safe has become a game of russian roulette. Even after calling the ompanies, you often don't feel safe eating things. Finding staples like peanut butter, coconut milk and canned tomatoes can be aggravating enough to leave me in tears. I'll be glad when the new food labels are out for all products, because that will cut down on how much I have to call the companies. I'm afraid to eat anything. I dread every meal and absolutely do not enjoy anything that I eat, even safe foods that I used to love. The only things I feel safe eating are meat and vegetables, since we have a known, reliable source for those.
My appointment with the specialist went ok. The news wasn't stellar, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been, either. We've got a lot of work to do to get me healed up.
I've dropped an amazing amount of weight. Nothing in my closet fits. I now weigh less than I did when I was in college and got married, and I'm a smaller clothing size. I've got to do some clothes shopping so I have something to wear out in public and to church, and the kids need some stuff for this winter, but I have no idea how I'm going to get anywhere to shop for at least another week, assuming I don't get exposed again. I'm too physically weak to go anywhere, much less alone. And I don't have the energy to pull at the kids and deal with taking them with me, either. I don't even know what sizes to buy, or I could send someone else to do the shopping. I've always been hard to fit, and we have no clue what size Trey is in now. He still doesn't own any shoes that fit. Earlier this year, Jeff made me a bet that if I could get down to the size that I am now, thorugh diet and exercise, he'd buy me a whole new wardrobe. Well, I made it, but I got here the hard way and I highly recommend no one else get here that way as well. I don't recognize myself in the mirror anymore, although it has been kinda interesting to watch my thighs implode. Even my face has changed radically. I still picture myself as a 200+ pound woman, and when I hold up clothing that is now too big on me, I still think I'll never squeeze into it. Still, I'm not even 30 yet, and I feel much older than I am. I hope I don't look as old as I feel many days.
Saturday will be four months since I got sick- it's been 17 weeks today. I still haven't gotten out of the house and fewer and fewer people from church are calling or e-mailing. I now basically only have one friend from church who keeps up with me on a regular basis. I don't have any friends or even acquaintences locally outside of church. I've basically turned to my online groups for support and encouragement. I think I would have gone crazy if it weren't for my computer, Elizabeth (my dear friend in Charlotte), my kids and my folks this round. I can talk to Jeff online while he's at the office, which is a huge plus, otherwise I'd never see or talk to him.
The business is taking off, and we hope soon that there will be a lot of changes around here that will allow Jeff to be home or at least near-by more. He's been in every local newspaper recently, and we've gotten some good publicity. God keeps on opening doors and pushing Jeff through them, and we're just along for the ride. I'm continually amazed at what God drops into Jeff's lap when he isn't even looking. Jeff's still going 90 miles per hour all day, and there's been many days recently where I was shocked he was even able to function he was so tired. But nothing worthwhile comes without a price.
We now know that I react to gluten, dairy and soy in even trace amounts, so finding even basic foods that are safe has become a game of russian roulette. Even after calling the ompanies, you often don't feel safe eating things. Finding staples like peanut butter, coconut milk and canned tomatoes can be aggravating enough to leave me in tears. I'll be glad when the new food labels are out for all products, because that will cut down on how much I have to call the companies. I'm afraid to eat anything. I dread every meal and absolutely do not enjoy anything that I eat, even safe foods that I used to love. The only things I feel safe eating are meat and vegetables, since we have a known, reliable source for those.
My appointment with the specialist went ok. The news wasn't stellar, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been, either. We've got a lot of work to do to get me healed up.
I've dropped an amazing amount of weight. Nothing in my closet fits. I now weigh less than I did when I was in college and got married, and I'm a smaller clothing size. I've got to do some clothes shopping so I have something to wear out in public and to church, and the kids need some stuff for this winter, but I have no idea how I'm going to get anywhere to shop for at least another week, assuming I don't get exposed again. I'm too physically weak to go anywhere, much less alone. And I don't have the energy to pull at the kids and deal with taking them with me, either. I don't even know what sizes to buy, or I could send someone else to do the shopping. I've always been hard to fit, and we have no clue what size Trey is in now. He still doesn't own any shoes that fit. Earlier this year, Jeff made me a bet that if I could get down to the size that I am now, thorugh diet and exercise, he'd buy me a whole new wardrobe. Well, I made it, but I got here the hard way and I highly recommend no one else get here that way as well. I don't recognize myself in the mirror anymore, although it has been kinda interesting to watch my thighs implode. Even my face has changed radically. I still picture myself as a 200+ pound woman, and when I hold up clothing that is now too big on me, I still think I'll never squeeze into it. Still, I'm not even 30 yet, and I feel much older than I am. I hope I don't look as old as I feel many days.
Saturday will be four months since I got sick- it's been 17 weeks today. I still haven't gotten out of the house and fewer and fewer people from church are calling or e-mailing. I now basically only have one friend from church who keeps up with me on a regular basis. I don't have any friends or even acquaintences locally outside of church. I've basically turned to my online groups for support and encouragement. I think I would have gone crazy if it weren't for my computer, Elizabeth (my dear friend in Charlotte), my kids and my folks this round. I can talk to Jeff online while he's at the office, which is a huge plus, otherwise I'd never see or talk to him.
The business is taking off, and we hope soon that there will be a lot of changes around here that will allow Jeff to be home or at least near-by more. He's been in every local newspaper recently, and we've gotten some good publicity. God keeps on opening doors and pushing Jeff through them, and we're just along for the ride. I'm continually amazed at what God drops into Jeff's lap when he isn't even looking. Jeff's still going 90 miles per hour all day, and there's been many days recently where I was shocked he was even able to function he was so tired. But nothing worthwhile comes without a price.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Sad Day
Today would have been my due date with the twins. It's definitely a sad day for us. We've been through a lot of change and upheaval since loosing them in January. In many ways, my whole world has been turned on its ear. Due to my health, we've also had to put adoption on hold for at least a few months, if not more. I realize this is a season, but certainly not one I welcome.
We have noticed it takes about 3 weeks to recover sufficiently to function in emergency mode and 7 weeks to recover fully from an exposure. Unfortunately, I got exposed last week, and I'm still trying to recover. I still am having difficulty with stomach issues, vomiting, severe fatigue and muscle pain and 'bone pain.' It will take about 6 months of strict non-exposure plus a lot of work to get the healing process well on the way. We still expect a minimum of 2 years to recover my health, possibly longer depending on what we encounter along the way. We still have to deal with the possibility of related diseases from malabsorption such as bone loss and vitamin deficiency, and I will be seeing a doctor in October for a full battery of tests to evaluate that.
So for now I still feel like a hermit and isolation is always difficult. I haven't left the house since this started (8 weeks now?) other than the ER and Dr. appts, and once to handle some personal business where I barely left the truck. I'm still afraid of going out and getting exposed, as I'm still hyper-sensitive to even touching gluten. Almost all lotions and personal care products and many soaps contain wheat, so I'm afraid to shake hands or touch things other people have touched. And I'm afraid to wash my hands in a public bathroom and then eat, for fear traces of gluten in the soap will get onto my food and get swallowed and cause a reaction. But I'm otherwise chained to the house anyway due to the fatigue and stomach issues that go with celiac. My sense of smell has become very keen, and just being around people with perfumed products on is enough to make me ill. Plus, I'm obviously not able to eat out, so going anywhere for any length of time requires a lot of preparation because I have to eat every 3 hours, to the point that it's not worth it. By the time I'm ready to go somewhere, I'm completely worn out and ready to lay down, and it's time to eat again anyway.
Belle's going stir crazy having to be home so much, plus we're having to keep them home from church a lot due to fear of bringing illness into the house plus avoiding food activities, and nowadays it seems like every church activity involves food. Since they're also celiac, we're having to go through a lot of the same stuff with them, but they're too little to understand why they can't eat what everyone else is having. So anything social dealing with food is out for now, and will be difficult for us on a permanent basis. Plus you also deal with the contact issues like Trey crawling on the carpet in the nursery where a million cheerios and goldfish crackers have been ground in to the carpet, and him getting exposed from mouthing toys another kid who has eaten wheat has mouthed. Trace exposures like those can cause symptoms and a lot of suffering but it can be very difficult to find and eliminate the source. Of course, a nursery worker can't watch every child every second, either, so a swiped cheerio or goldfish cracker can set us back to square one with him. If minor exposure can cause symptoms, imagine what actually eating something the size of a cracker can do. So it looks like until we're all on our way to healing, Sunday School and the nursery won't be possible. I don't know if it will ever be possible with a child who is still putting things in their mouth.
Figuring out what to eat is still overwhelming. Every item brought into the house must be carefully scrutinized, even if it's something we've bought before and double-checked with the manufacturer. Because manufacturing processes and ingredients constantly change, and the manufacturer has 3 months to update their labels once that change takes place, I don't feel like anything is really safe. I don't have the strength or even the ability to stand long enough to prepare food like we really need in order to help my healing process, and we're having to rely on a lot of helps like canned beans and tomato products, pre-made rice and almond milk, and the like. Those things are handy, but they up my chances of accidental exposure. Then I still have to figure out how to make a meal out of it. I'm still re-learning how to cook, since so many things have to be changed to go gluten and casein free. Cooking without wheat and diary is difficult to adjust to. We still have a little of the food left from Elizabeth, my dear friend in Charlotte who so graciously offered to batch cook some stuff for us. I hope by the time it runs out, I'll be well enough to do some cooking for myself. That will require no accidental exposures, though, and that's difficult right now. I don't know what we'll do if that happens.
In other news around our house, Jeff is as busy as ever. The Lord is blessing his job situation, and we hope to see some changes soon. He's spread pretty thin these days, but it's nothing new for us. He turned 36 on Monday but he says it feels no different than 35. Since I don't have an oven right now until the new one arrives, I made him a blueberry cobbler in the toaster oven instead of a regular cake. Gluten-free baking is definitely an adjustment with a big learning curve, but it tasted really good. He was quite happy with it.
Belle will be 4 in October, so we have started homeschooling her. She already knows her alphabet and the letter sounds, and we're going to start phonics with her hopefully this week. We went with curriculums that don't require physically active prep work for me, so I can sit with her on the couch for our sessions without much physical effort on my part. We're doing Bible every day and phonics, language arts, math, science and handwriting in rotation with her right now. We spend about an hour each day, broken into 15 minute blocks throughout the day. Right now I don't plan on taking summers off, since adults don't get a break during the summer and I don't want her to forget what she's worked so hard to learn. I'd rather go at a slightly slower pace for 12 months with smaller interspersed breaks than a faster pace for 9 months with one long break and have to spend the first month of the next 'year' in review. And a lot of the fun summer projects like gardening can be worked into a curriculum. With my diet, a garden will be a must next summer, I just hope I'm physically up to tending it.
Trey has decided in all of this mess that it's time to potty train. He was 21 months old yesterday, and we can't get him to keep a diaper on to save our lives. As soon as he can get away from us, he takes off to the playroom and drops the clean diaper on the floor and starts playing. Good for him. I realize we're going to have some accidents along the way, but I'm happy at least that he's taking the initiative on this one, and it's not something I'm having to push for. I just think he's still a little young since he can't talk well enough yet for anyone but Momma to understand him, and I wish his timing would have been better. But I guess that's pretty normal with kids. Belle started potty training herself when Trey was barely one month old, so I just figured it was a way of seeking extra, positive attention during a stressful time. And because potty training is a learned skill and not a behavior issue, I'm not beyond bribery to speed the process along. LOL So I called M&M Mars yesterday and found out that plain M&Ms are gluten free, so we're going to up the ante and offer rewards on top of lots of love and praise. I'm pretty laid back about it, so we don't fuss over accidents, but they do have to help clean it up. The less stress we place on them over learned skills, the easier it is on them.
We have noticed it takes about 3 weeks to recover sufficiently to function in emergency mode and 7 weeks to recover fully from an exposure. Unfortunately, I got exposed last week, and I'm still trying to recover. I still am having difficulty with stomach issues, vomiting, severe fatigue and muscle pain and 'bone pain.' It will take about 6 months of strict non-exposure plus a lot of work to get the healing process well on the way. We still expect a minimum of 2 years to recover my health, possibly longer depending on what we encounter along the way. We still have to deal with the possibility of related diseases from malabsorption such as bone loss and vitamin deficiency, and I will be seeing a doctor in October for a full battery of tests to evaluate that.
So for now I still feel like a hermit and isolation is always difficult. I haven't left the house since this started (8 weeks now?) other than the ER and Dr. appts, and once to handle some personal business where I barely left the truck. I'm still afraid of going out and getting exposed, as I'm still hyper-sensitive to even touching gluten. Almost all lotions and personal care products and many soaps contain wheat, so I'm afraid to shake hands or touch things other people have touched. And I'm afraid to wash my hands in a public bathroom and then eat, for fear traces of gluten in the soap will get onto my food and get swallowed and cause a reaction. But I'm otherwise chained to the house anyway due to the fatigue and stomach issues that go with celiac. My sense of smell has become very keen, and just being around people with perfumed products on is enough to make me ill. Plus, I'm obviously not able to eat out, so going anywhere for any length of time requires a lot of preparation because I have to eat every 3 hours, to the point that it's not worth it. By the time I'm ready to go somewhere, I'm completely worn out and ready to lay down, and it's time to eat again anyway.
Belle's going stir crazy having to be home so much, plus we're having to keep them home from church a lot due to fear of bringing illness into the house plus avoiding food activities, and nowadays it seems like every church activity involves food. Since they're also celiac, we're having to go through a lot of the same stuff with them, but they're too little to understand why they can't eat what everyone else is having. So anything social dealing with food is out for now, and will be difficult for us on a permanent basis. Plus you also deal with the contact issues like Trey crawling on the carpet in the nursery where a million cheerios and goldfish crackers have been ground in to the carpet, and him getting exposed from mouthing toys another kid who has eaten wheat has mouthed. Trace exposures like those can cause symptoms and a lot of suffering but it can be very difficult to find and eliminate the source. Of course, a nursery worker can't watch every child every second, either, so a swiped cheerio or goldfish cracker can set us back to square one with him. If minor exposure can cause symptoms, imagine what actually eating something the size of a cracker can do. So it looks like until we're all on our way to healing, Sunday School and the nursery won't be possible. I don't know if it will ever be possible with a child who is still putting things in their mouth.
Figuring out what to eat is still overwhelming. Every item brought into the house must be carefully scrutinized, even if it's something we've bought before and double-checked with the manufacturer. Because manufacturing processes and ingredients constantly change, and the manufacturer has 3 months to update their labels once that change takes place, I don't feel like anything is really safe. I don't have the strength or even the ability to stand long enough to prepare food like we really need in order to help my healing process, and we're having to rely on a lot of helps like canned beans and tomato products, pre-made rice and almond milk, and the like. Those things are handy, but they up my chances of accidental exposure. Then I still have to figure out how to make a meal out of it. I'm still re-learning how to cook, since so many things have to be changed to go gluten and casein free. Cooking without wheat and diary is difficult to adjust to. We still have a little of the food left from Elizabeth, my dear friend in Charlotte who so graciously offered to batch cook some stuff for us. I hope by the time it runs out, I'll be well enough to do some cooking for myself. That will require no accidental exposures, though, and that's difficult right now. I don't know what we'll do if that happens.
In other news around our house, Jeff is as busy as ever. The Lord is blessing his job situation, and we hope to see some changes soon. He's spread pretty thin these days, but it's nothing new for us. He turned 36 on Monday but he says it feels no different than 35. Since I don't have an oven right now until the new one arrives, I made him a blueberry cobbler in the toaster oven instead of a regular cake. Gluten-free baking is definitely an adjustment with a big learning curve, but it tasted really good. He was quite happy with it.
Belle will be 4 in October, so we have started homeschooling her. She already knows her alphabet and the letter sounds, and we're going to start phonics with her hopefully this week. We went with curriculums that don't require physically active prep work for me, so I can sit with her on the couch for our sessions without much physical effort on my part. We're doing Bible every day and phonics, language arts, math, science and handwriting in rotation with her right now. We spend about an hour each day, broken into 15 minute blocks throughout the day. Right now I don't plan on taking summers off, since adults don't get a break during the summer and I don't want her to forget what she's worked so hard to learn. I'd rather go at a slightly slower pace for 12 months with smaller interspersed breaks than a faster pace for 9 months with one long break and have to spend the first month of the next 'year' in review. And a lot of the fun summer projects like gardening can be worked into a curriculum. With my diet, a garden will be a must next summer, I just hope I'm physically up to tending it.
Trey has decided in all of this mess that it's time to potty train. He was 21 months old yesterday, and we can't get him to keep a diaper on to save our lives. As soon as he can get away from us, he takes off to the playroom and drops the clean diaper on the floor and starts playing. Good for him. I realize we're going to have some accidents along the way, but I'm happy at least that he's taking the initiative on this one, and it's not something I'm having to push for. I just think he's still a little young since he can't talk well enough yet for anyone but Momma to understand him, and I wish his timing would have been better. But I guess that's pretty normal with kids. Belle started potty training herself when Trey was barely one month old, so I just figured it was a way of seeking extra, positive attention during a stressful time. And because potty training is a learned skill and not a behavior issue, I'm not beyond bribery to speed the process along. LOL So I called M&M Mars yesterday and found out that plain M&Ms are gluten free, so we're going to up the ante and offer rewards on top of lots of love and praise. I'm pretty laid back about it, so we don't fuss over accidents, but they do have to help clean it up. The less stress we place on them over learned skills, the easier it is on them.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Diagnosis- celiac
We have a diagnosis. I am celiac.
Not only am I celiac, but the genetic tests show that I carry two copies of a rare gene- that means both parents are celiac, and all my children will be celiac as well. Less than 1% of celiacs in the US carry this particular gene, and having two of them is accociated with a worse severity of illness for this combination.
I don't know where we go from here. As I figure this all out, I'll post more. I do know I had a wheat exposure today, and it has made me terribly sick on top of everything else. My bones literally ache and I'm having trouble standing.
Not only am I celiac, but the genetic tests show that I carry two copies of a rare gene- that means both parents are celiac, and all my children will be celiac as well. Less than 1% of celiacs in the US carry this particular gene, and having two of them is accociated with a worse severity of illness for this combination.
I don't know where we go from here. As I figure this all out, I'll post more. I do know I had a wheat exposure today, and it has made me terribly sick on top of everything else. My bones literally ache and I'm having trouble standing.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Those who know me well know that I've been incredibly sick for five weeks now. We're still awaiting test results, but it looks like I'm reacting to gluten (wheat, oats, rye, barley, etc...) and MSG as a minimum, plus othyer issues. We're also awaiting results to see if caesin (dairy), soy, egg and yeast are issues. So now cooking and what I can eat has become the dominant time hog in my life. Trying to figure out what to feed me and the kids, and how I'm going to get it prepared with no energy and a serious amount of fatigue going on, not to mention finding clean, uncomtaminated sources of food. So we've found an Amish farmer for meat, diary and eggs, and a local farm for produce. That ensures that the meat and produce hasn't been sprayed or injected with MSG. I've still got to find good sources of non-glutenous grains to be able to eat. I'm having to try to also find personal care products, as those are also loaded with MSG and wheat. Even good soap is hard to come by.
It's discouraging to find out how much is in our environemnt in the way of chemicals. www.truthinlabeling.org tells about how incredibly difficult it is to avoid MSG. It's injected into meat, in make-up, personal care, sprayed onto produce, and in just about every packaged and processed food on the market. Even organic. And even if you don't see the words "Monosodium Glutamate" on the package, it can be there, or it can be created by the high-heat processes used to make modern foods. Wheat is everywhere, and about impossible to avoid for the same reason. Even foods that don't have it on the label can be contaminated at the plant by being manufactured on shared equipment. It's a difficult world for people with food allergies.
It's discouraging to find out how much is in our environemnt in the way of chemicals. www.truthinlabeling.org tells about how incredibly difficult it is to avoid MSG. It's injected into meat, in make-up, personal care, sprayed onto produce, and in just about every packaged and processed food on the market. Even organic. And even if you don't see the words "Monosodium Glutamate" on the package, it can be there, or it can be created by the high-heat processes used to make modern foods. Wheat is everywhere, and about impossible to avoid for the same reason. Even foods that don't have it on the label can be contaminated at the plant by being manufactured on shared equipment. It's a difficult world for people with food allergies.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there. I spent the day at home with Belle and Trey, since Belle is sick, and I'm getting sick as well.
I always think of the women who want children and can't have them on Mother's Day. Having been in that situation, I know how difficult it is to have to try to get through church services without crying. David was due on Mother's Day, and so it's a bittersweet day for me. Certainly a hard reminder of loosing him, and of course remembering my more recent losses, but I also have two children here to hold.
We are currently making decisions towards persuing adoption, since more biological children don't appear to be possible at this time. We'd appreciate your prayers.
I always think of the women who want children and can't have them on Mother's Day. Having been in that situation, I know how difficult it is to have to try to get through church services without crying. David was due on Mother's Day, and so it's a bittersweet day for me. Certainly a hard reminder of loosing him, and of course remembering my more recent losses, but I also have two children here to hold.
We are currently making decisions towards persuing adoption, since more biological children don't appear to be possible at this time. We'd appreciate your prayers.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Time for a Change
I had a make-over done yesterday. I thought ya'll might enjoy seeing the finished results.
Friday, February 24, 2006
A Housefull
Last night we had a house full of company. I had a Pampered Chef party, and we had a packed house. We had as many kids as Moms, Grandmas, and Aunts. So while Christy did the show in the living room, Jeff played with the kids in the sunroom. It was a loud but most wonderful and joyful noise. I hope one day to hear that again, except I want them to be all mine. :-)
Hug your babies for me tonight.
Hug your babies for me tonight.
Monday, February 06, 2006
It's been almost a month since we lost the twins. I am getting better physically. The twisted pelvis from hurting my back has finally been resolved, due to a wonderful chiropractor. I'm back on my feet, but I'm weak from having been off my feet for almost two months. I'm definitely not up to full speed. So now I'm trying to catch up on everything around the house, plus keeping the kids busy and dealing with their behaviour problems that crept up while I wasn't able to care for them like I normally do.
We've started a blog of funny things Belle does and says. It's at http://bellesays.blogspot.com. We'll start one for Trey soon as he starts talking more. They're both growing too fast. I'll post some more pics of them soon.
Jeff finally started his project in the local office last week. This will hopefully mean more family time in the near future. Working 60-80 hour weeks for the last half-year has been very draining on us all. Soon he'll be working there more, which will mean his drive time cut in half, plus regular office hours. Any extra work will hopefully be able to be done at home after the kids go to bed in the evenings. Friday evening was the first non-holiday week-day I have seen him in the daylight in much longer than I care to remember. We'll be thrilled to once again have dinner together every evening and have him here when the kids go to bed. They've gone many weeks not seeing him from Sunday evening to Saturday morning.
We've started a blog of funny things Belle does and says. It's at http://bellesays.blogspot.com. We'll start one for Trey soon as he starts talking more. They're both growing too fast. I'll post some more pics of them soon.
Jeff finally started his project in the local office last week. This will hopefully mean more family time in the near future. Working 60-80 hour weeks for the last half-year has been very draining on us all. Soon he'll be working there more, which will mean his drive time cut in half, plus regular office hours. Any extra work will hopefully be able to be done at home after the kids go to bed in the evenings. Friday evening was the first non-holiday week-day I have seen him in the daylight in much longer than I care to remember. We'll be thrilled to once again have dinner together every evening and have him here when the kids go to bed. They've gone many weeks not seeing him from Sunday evening to Saturday morning.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
We would like to thank everyone for the kind words, prayers, meals, and help that we have received in the last few weeks. Loosing a baby has been difficult, but then to discover that it was twins has put us through much heartache. We have named the other baby Esther Abigail. We buried them today, and hope that now we can begin to move forward. Please continue to keep us in your prayers in the coming weeks.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Longing for Home
By Jeff Foster
Though we didn't see you face-to-face
Our hearts rejoice because God's grace
has given us the joy of knowing
that with your oh-so early going
we have yet more the reason
to look forward to our home in heaven.
You've gone before to join the others
and how we long to enjoy the smothers
of kisses and hugs we here have missed
when home in heaven we come to rest.
Please hug the others until we meet
and sit with you at Jesus' feet.
Without a doubt at just this moment
it's hard for us to find a comment
that sums the hope we have inside
that soon in heaven we'll reside
to see your face, to hold your hand
while we walk on the river's strand.
Be sure and wave when us you see
And sing with all the joy and glee
that let's us know that you are ours
and then we'll talk and spend the hours
hand in hand, never again apart
and life in heaven just to start.
We love you son, with all our heart
Not wishing that we are apart
But that will end before we know
Jesus could come before next snow.
We thank the Lord for the time to come
when we hear Him say, you're welcome home.
Though we didn't see you face-to-face
Our hearts rejoice because God's grace
has given us the joy of knowing
that with your oh-so early going
we have yet more the reason
to look forward to our home in heaven.
You've gone before to join the others
and how we long to enjoy the smothers
of kisses and hugs we here have missed
when home in heaven we come to rest.
Please hug the others until we meet
and sit with you at Jesus' feet.
Without a doubt at just this moment
it's hard for us to find a comment
that sums the hope we have inside
that soon in heaven we'll reside
to see your face, to hold your hand
while we walk on the river's strand.
Be sure and wave when us you see
And sing with all the joy and glee
that let's us know that you are ours
and then we'll talk and spend the hours
hand in hand, never again apart
and life in heaven just to start.
We love you son, with all our heart
Not wishing that we are apart
But that will end before we know
Jesus could come before next snow.
We thank the Lord for the time to come
when we hear Him say, you're welcome home.
Homecoming
We would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers the past two weeks during a very difficult time of waiting. Baby Ickle Pickle has joined his siblings at home with the Lord. We have named him Reuben Allon Foster.
Please keep us in your prayers in the coming weeks.
Please keep us in your prayers in the coming weeks.
Friday, December 30, 2005
My supplement regime to prevent HG
I appreciate all of the well wishes and prayers that have been sent my way in the last few days. We have passed an important mark, in that I have passed the point where I got sick with Trey and hyperemesis hasn't set in yet. At this point I am pretty much home-bound due to nausea and having to eat so carefully and so often and having to carefully avoid smells to keep from getting sick.
So we're doing what we can to get everything ready for if and when it hits, however we're praying that the Lord will keep it from happening. The church has volunteered to help where needed, which is a huge relief in that when I do have to take medications to stop the hyperemesis, it typically knocks me out for a few hours, then I'm incoherent for several more. Taking care of kids and cooking and cleaning just isn't possible in that position.
For those who have asked, here is my entire supplement/eating protocol. The point of the daily foods is to provide nutrient density for minimum volume. The supplements are specific to HG due to liver congestion and possible nutritional deficiency.
So we're doing what we can to get everything ready for if and when it hits, however we're praying that the Lord will keep it from happening. The church has volunteered to help where needed, which is a huge relief in that when I do have to take medications to stop the hyperemesis, it typically knocks me out for a few hours, then I'm incoherent for several more. Taking care of kids and cooking and cleaning just isn't possible in that position.
For those who have asked, here is my entire supplement/eating protocol. The point of the daily foods is to provide nutrient density for minimum volume. The supplements are specific to HG due to liver congestion and possible nutritional deficiency.
Daily Foods
- Red Raspberry Leaf, nettle, oatstraw, alfalfa, dandelion root in tea
- water- total fluid intake of about 100 oz per day
- salt to taste
- (5) 8-ounce glasses whole raw milk
- 4 tablespoons butter
- half a lemon in hot water first thing in the morning and before bed to help the liver clear excess hormones
- 2 or more eggs plus additional egg yolks, preferably from pastured hens
- Fresh beef
- 1 sweet potato
- blueberries and banana
- Protein to equal 100 grams consumed in small amounts no more than 2 hours apart, and upon every waking at night
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- Lacto-fermented condiments and beverages- ginger ale and kvass, sauerkraut, cortido
- Bone broths (stock cooked 24 hours with vegetables) used in soups, stews and sauces
- Fresh, organic vegetables and fruits
Daily Supplements
- 1 tablespoon cod liver oil and 1 tsp butter oil
- pyridoxial 5 phosphate (a form of B6) -- about 100 mg two to three times a day. Toxicity level is 500mg/day PO, IM or IV. Pregnant woman USDA is 2mg. It is available in both pill and sublingual form. Have the sublingual form on hand in case you can't swallow pills.
- magnesium citrate to toleration without resulting in loose stools
- ginger - 1 gram a day in 4 divided doses
- probiotics- kefir and 2 capsules a day of probiotic
- digestive enzymes as directed
- Encapsulated HCl as directed OR raw Apple Cider Vinegar encapsulated or taken with water before meals
- Vitamin K2 (menaquinone)- 5mg once daily taken with 25 mg or more Vitamin C. Avoid Vitamin K3 (menadione) because it is man made and has a low, known toxicity level. K1 (phylloquinone) and K2 are naturally occurring with no known toxicity level. Most pills are in mcg, not mg so you will have to make sure you are taking the right amount. 1 mg = 1000 mcg.
- Additional Vit C, 1/4 tsp powder in smoothies
- chloine- as directed
- kelp powder- 1/2 - 1-1/3 tsp daily, in a smoothie
- Protein Powder- Designer Whey- in a smoothie
- barley green- as directed, in a smoothie
- kombucha drops as directed in water or a smoothie, or home-made, working up to 4 ounces a day, to help detoxify the liver
- folic acid- 800 mcg
- colostrum- as directed to help prevent illness. I use 1/2 tsp freeze-dried powder or 4 ounces fresh liquid from a grass-fed cow from the first milking.
- wheat germ oil- NOW brand- for up to 400 IU Vitamin E daily. I currently only consume one capsule a day
- dolomite powder- KAL brand- 1/2 tsp. KAL tests to ensure no heavy metals are present.
- milk thistle- as directed (usually 3 capsules a day) to support and detoxify liver
- nutritional yeast- 2 Tbs daily in a smoothie
- dandelion- as directed or in tea to support the liver
- liver capsules- 3 a day for B6 and iron (or you can eat beef liver, but I can't stomach it)
- Mt Capra Mineral Whey - 1 tbs, in smoothies
- progesterone cream- 1/4 tsp rubbed into the skin twice a day, if leutal phase defect or low progesterone is suspected
In addition to this, to help prevent sickness in the house, I supplement my children daily. Here is their supplement schedule:
- 1/4 tsp cod liver oil
- 1/4 tsp butter oil
- 1/4 tsp sambucol during flu season, as directed when ill
- 1/4 tsp Larix during flu season, 1/2 tsp when ill
- 1/4 tsp colostrum powder, more when exposed to an illness or when ill
Revised 1/4/06.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Oh, boy! Here it comes!
I have been doing a great deal of research on hyperemesis gravadarium (Latin for "extreme vomiting of the pregnant woman") since I'm facing it. Last pregnancy I threw up at least 40 times a day for 18 weeks, then was sick to varying degrees until delivery. I'd like to summarize some of what I have learned in case it might be a help to others.
- Vitamin B6 with or without doxylamine (OTC Unisom tabs not gelcaps) has been shown to be a help. The USDA for B6 in pregnant women is 2mg. Five servings of raw milk or kefir a day results in approximately one-quater, or .5mg of the daily needs of B6 in pregnancy. The standard recommendation for women suffering from hyperemesis is to take by IV, injection or orally 100mg, 2-3x/day. This is virtually impossible to get in food. Toxicity occurs in levels at 500mg/day when sustained, in the form of neural s/s and tremors. The form of B6 recommended is pyridoxial 5 phosphate. Concurrent to the B6, magnesium citrate is recommended. Up the dosage daily until you find the point that it gives you loose stools, then back down on it until you're comfortable.
- Vitamin K in conjunction with Vitamin C has been a help to some women. The recommendation is for 5mg once daily taken at the same time as 25mg Vit C. This dose is difficult to find, as most pills are micrograms. Injections are available.
- Hydration is a major issue in hyperemesis, as most women can not keep anything down when they become dedydrated. Once you go into ketosis, you need to rehydrate yourself in one of two ways. You can go to the hospital for an IV, or you can use a rehydration solution in an enema.
- Some women experience HG as a result of gluten intolerance. Eliminating all gluten before concieving and continuing the diet through pregnancy may be a help.
- Half a lemon in hot water first thing in the morning and before bed will help the liver clear excess hormones. If the HG is due to liver congestion, milk thistle and dandelion should be taken daily. Coffee enemas might also be of help, but it is debatable whether it is the coffee or the hydration from the enema that has the beneficial effects.
- Spend time before concieving consuming vitamin and mineral dense foods to ensure you have adequate stores. This will help keep you from becoming depleted as quickly. Continue with nutritionally dense foods, concentrating on the above vitamins, until the hyperemesis starts. Follow the WAP recommended diet for pregnancy, cutting out the grains. Once you become ill, concentrate on the nutrient dense foods you can tolerate. Some women find that if they begin consuming 100 grams of protein a day before the hyperemesis starts, they can keep it under control. Frequent, small meals and eating and drinking through the night before getting sick can be a tremendous preventative measure as well.
- Keep a close check on blood sugar levels, and cut out carbs from starchy veggies and grains as needed to help keep it under control. Blood glucose monitors are available OTC.
- Set up an action plan. Prevention is key with hyperemesis, especially with dehydration. Decide now when you will call someone in to help you, babysit the kids, go to the hospital, etc... Have the needed medications on hand once you get a positive pregnancy test so you can begin immediately on the nutritionals, and have a perscription on hand so you can try to stop the downward spiral at the first sign of nausea once it begins.
- Get everything in place before trying to concieve. Find a hyperemesis-friendly OB or other physician who is up-to-date on current medication treamtments should it be needed (Zofran, although terribly expensive, seems to hlep many women). For many women, they reach several points where medication must be used to keep from going into a downward spiral- know that you are not a failure for taking medication to help keep you from getting sicker. Get the house clean, do all the shopping for household items needed during the pregnancy, get haircuts for everyone, buying gifts that will be needed during the pregnancy, stock up the pantry and freezer, put plenty of meals in the freezer so your family can eat. Line up volunteers for cleaning your kitchen, watching the kids, whatever you might need. Do liver, colon, and gallbladder cleanses.
Good resources include the Hyperemesis Research and Education Foundation at http://www.helpher.org/ and the nutritional database at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/SR15/wtrank/wt_rank.html.
If anyone has anything more to add, I'm all ears.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Trey's First Birthday!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Velveeta Fudge
Disclaimer: I have posted this recipe to my blog for the benefit of those I know IRL who wish to have it before I throw out my paper copies. I do not endorse consuming foods that are not in line with WAPF principles. Complaint e-mails will go into the trash. I don't care what your opinion is about me sharing old recipes with others.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
8 ounces pasteurized process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, about 5 cups unsifted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup non-fat dry milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
PREPARATION:In a large saucepan over medium heat butter and cheese cubes together, stirring frequently; remove from heat. Sift together confectioners' sugar and cocoa; add to cheese, mixing well. Stir in non-fat dry milk, vanilla and nuts. Turn into a 9x9x2-inch pan; chill until firm and cut into squares. Makes about 3 pounds of Velveeta Fudge.
Taken from southernfood.about.com
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
8 ounces pasteurized process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, about 5 cups unsifted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup non-fat dry milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
PREPARATION:In a large saucepan over medium heat butter and cheese cubes together, stirring frequently; remove from heat. Sift together confectioners' sugar and cocoa; add to cheese, mixing well. Stir in non-fat dry milk, vanilla and nuts. Turn into a 9x9x2-inch pan; chill until firm and cut into squares. Makes about 3 pounds of Velveeta Fudge.
Taken from southernfood.about.com
Buckeyes
Disclaimer: I have posted this recipe to my blog for the benefit of those I know IRL who wish to have it before I throw out my paper copies. I do not endorse consuming foods that are not in line with WAPF principles. Complaint e-mails will go into the trash. I don't care what your opinion is about me sharing old recipes with others.
Yield: 1 million buckeyes
1 pound butter
32 ounces peanut butter
2-3 pounds confectioner's sugar, sifted
3/4 cake paraffin wax
24 ounce chocolate chips
Melt butter. Blend in peanut butter until smooth and remove from burner. Add 2 pounds confectioner's sugar, blend well.Add up to one pound more confectioner's sugar to get to a shapable consistency. Shape into balls. Melt wax and chocolate chips in double boiler. Keep warm while dipping each ball into chocolate using a toothpick. Put on wax paper to cool.
Yield: 1 million buckeyes
1 pound butter
32 ounces peanut butter
2-3 pounds confectioner's sugar, sifted
3/4 cake paraffin wax
24 ounce chocolate chips
Melt butter. Blend in peanut butter until smooth and remove from burner. Add 2 pounds confectioner's sugar, blend well.Add up to one pound more confectioner's sugar to get to a shapable consistency. Shape into balls. Melt wax and chocolate chips in double boiler. Keep warm while dipping each ball into chocolate using a toothpick. Put on wax paper to cool.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Hair, Hair
For those who asked, it's now several inches past my waist and growing. This pic was taken in mid-October. For those who don't know me, I'm the one on the right. LOL This is one of the few pictures I have of myself with my hair down, as I normally wear it up due to not wanting the kids to break or damage it.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Slow-cooker Sweet Potatoes
This is adapted from a Betty Crocker Recipe
6 medium (2 pounds) sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups applesauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 or more tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1. Place sweet potatoes in 2- to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients except nuts; spoon over potatoes.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours or until potatoes are very tender.
3. Sprinkle with nuts.
Note: This recipe was tested in slow cookers with heating elements in the side and bottom of the cooker, not in cookers that stand only on a heated base. For slow cookers with just a heated base, follow the manufacturer’s directions for layering ingredients and choosing a temperature.
6 medium (2 pounds) sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups applesauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 or more tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1. Place sweet potatoes in 2- to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients except nuts; spoon over potatoes.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 8 hours or until potatoes are very tender.
3. Sprinkle with nuts.
Note: This recipe was tested in slow cookers with heating elements in the side and bottom of the cooker, not in cookers that stand only on a heated base. For slow cookers with just a heated base, follow the manufacturer’s directions for layering ingredients and choosing a temperature.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Self-Rising Flour
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
Combine all ingredients; store in tightly covered can or jar. Use in any recipe calling for self-rising flour.
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
Combine all ingredients; store in tightly covered can or jar. Use in any recipe calling for self-rising flour.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Sweet Potato souffle
3 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs vanilla
1 stick melted butter
Topping:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
Mix together the first 5 ingredients and pour into an 8x8 pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Mix together topping ingredients with hands until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top.
Bake at 350 until the top is brown and crisp.
Can double ingredients for a 9x13 pan.
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs vanilla
1 stick melted butter
Topping:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
Mix together the first 5 ingredients and pour into an 8x8 pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Mix together topping ingredients with hands until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top.
Bake at 350 until the top is brown and crisp.
Can double ingredients for a 9x13 pan.
Cold Oven Pound Cake
Disclaimer: I have posted this recipe to my blog for the benefit of those I know IRL who wish to have it before I throw out my paper copies. I do not endorse consuming foods that are not in line with WAPF principles. Complaint e-mails will go into the trash. I don't care what your opinion is about me sharing old recipes with others.
Makes 12-15 servings
1/2 cup shortening
2 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
5 large eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
3 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla extract or 2 tbs vanilla, butter and nut flavoring
1/4 tsp rose or orange water, optional
Cream the shortening, butter, sugar, and salt very well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour alternately with milk, mixing well after each addition. Mix in extract(s). Turn into a greased and floured 12-cup tube or bundt pan, or TWO loaf pans.
Put in a COLD oven set to 325 degrees.
Bake approximately 1-1/2 hours in a bundt/tube pan, or 70-80 minutes for two loaf pans. Do not open the door for at least the first hour.
Take cake is done when a toothpick comes out practically clean, and the cake is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate to finish cooling. The flavor develops best if made the day before serving.
Makes 12-15 servings
1/2 cup shortening
2 sticks butter
3 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
5 large eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
3 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla extract or 2 tbs vanilla, butter and nut flavoring
1/4 tsp rose or orange water, optional
Cream the shortening, butter, sugar, and salt very well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour alternately with milk, mixing well after each addition. Mix in extract(s). Turn into a greased and floured 12-cup tube or bundt pan, or TWO loaf pans.
Put in a COLD oven set to 325 degrees.
Bake approximately 1-1/2 hours in a bundt/tube pan, or 70-80 minutes for two loaf pans. Do not open the door for at least the first hour.
Take cake is done when a toothpick comes out practically clean, and the cake is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate to finish cooling. The flavor develops best if made the day before serving.
Cookie Dough Pie
Disclaimer: I have posted this recipe to my blog for the benefit of those I know IRL who wish to have it before I throw out my paper copies. I do not endorse consuming foods that are not in line with WAPF principles. Complaint e-mails will go into the trash. I don't care what your opinion is about me sharing old recipes with others.
This is a very easy pie to make, and is wonderful.
One refrigerated pie crust
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 to 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Roll the refrigerator pie crust out and pat it into the bottom of a glass 9-inch pie pan. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed. Gradually beat in the sugars. Add the eggs individually, beating well after each one. Beat in the vanilla extract and then the flour and salt until well blended. Blend in the milk (don't worry if the filling looks a little lumpy at this point) and finally, stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Pour the pie filling into the chilled shell, smoothing it with a spoon. Bake the pie on the center oven rack for about 50 minutes, turning it about 180 degrees halfway through. When done, the top will be golden dark brown, and the filling will be set except for the very center, which may jiggle slightly when you tap the pan.
Cool the pie on a wire rack. This pie is equally good served slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled (for 1 or 2 hours). Makes 8 to 10 servings.
This is a very easy pie to make, and is wonderful.
One refrigerated pie crust
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbs milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 to 3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Roll the refrigerator pie crust out and pat it into the bottom of a glass 9-inch pie pan. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed. Gradually beat in the sugars. Add the eggs individually, beating well after each one. Beat in the vanilla extract and then the flour and salt until well blended. Blend in the milk (don't worry if the filling looks a little lumpy at this point) and finally, stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
Pour the pie filling into the chilled shell, smoothing it with a spoon. Bake the pie on the center oven rack for about 50 minutes, turning it about 180 degrees halfway through. When done, the top will be golden dark brown, and the filling will be set except for the very center, which may jiggle slightly when you tap the pan.
Cool the pie on a wire rack. This pie is equally good served slightly warm, at room temperature, or chilled (for 1 or 2 hours). Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Pecan Shortbread
Disclaimer: I have posted this recipe to my blog for the benefit of those I know IRL who wish to have it before I throw out my paper copies. I do not endorse consuming foods that are not in line with WAPF principles. Complaint e-mails will go into the trash. I don't care what your opinion is about me sharing old recipes with others.
1 cup softened butter, no substitutes
2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1-1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 cup pecans, minced
Cream butter with sugar; add flour and pecans. Chill dough one hour. Form into 2 strips, roll into logs and wrap in waxed paper. Chill in freezer at least 2 hours (you may freeze longer if it is well-wrapped).
Slice logs into 1/4 inch slices, and place 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes at 375 degrees.
1 cup softened butter, no substitutes
2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1-1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 cup pecans, minced
Cream butter with sugar; add flour and pecans. Chill dough one hour. Form into 2 strips, roll into logs and wrap in waxed paper. Chill in freezer at least 2 hours (you may freeze longer if it is well-wrapped).
Slice logs into 1/4 inch slices, and place 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes at 375 degrees.
Mom's Chicken and Dumplings
2 chicken breasts
water to cover
salt
pepper
2 cups thick white sauce (see below)
2 boiled eggs, chopped
Place chicken in stock pot, cover with water, and season. Boil chicken until done; debone, chop, and return to water. Add white sauce and boiled eggs. Bring to a boil.
1 cup flour
1-1/4 tbs baking flour
pinch salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
water
Combine dry ingredients and enough water to make a dough. Roll on a floured surface and pat to desired thickness. Cut into pieces and drop into boiling liquid. Cook until done. Adjust seasoning.
Thick White Sauce
4 tbs flour
4 tbs butter
pinch salt
2 cups whole milk
Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir in flour. Cook until mixture pulls away from the side of the pan. Drizzle in milk, stirring constantly. Whisk until no lumps remain. Heat through.
water to cover
salt
pepper
2 cups thick white sauce (see below)
2 boiled eggs, chopped
Place chicken in stock pot, cover with water, and season. Boil chicken until done; debone, chop, and return to water. Add white sauce and boiled eggs. Bring to a boil.
1 cup flour
1-1/4 tbs baking flour
pinch salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
water
Combine dry ingredients and enough water to make a dough. Roll on a floured surface and pat to desired thickness. Cut into pieces and drop into boiling liquid. Cook until done. Adjust seasoning.
Thick White Sauce
4 tbs flour
4 tbs butter
pinch salt
2 cups whole milk
Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir in flour. Cook until mixture pulls away from the side of the pan. Drizzle in milk, stirring constantly. Whisk until no lumps remain. Heat through.
Honey-Lime Grilled Chicken
Serves 4
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
In a ziplock or shallow glass container, combine the honey, lime, and soy sauce; mix well. Add chicken and turn to coat. Seal or cover and refrigerate 30-45 minutes. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken, uncovered, over medium heat for 6-7 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.
From Tate of Home's Quick Cooking. July/August 2000.
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
In a ziplock or shallow glass container, combine the honey, lime, and soy sauce; mix well. Add chicken and turn to coat. Seal or cover and refrigerate 30-45 minutes. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken, uncovered, over medium heat for 6-7 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.
From Tate of Home's Quick Cooking. July/August 2000.
KerryAnn's pizza dough
1/4 cup warm water, about 110 degrees
2-1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar (muscovado or rapadura)
4 cups bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/4 cups cold water
1 tbs coconut oil, melted
Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside until foamy (if it doesn't foam, the yeast is dead). In a food processor, combine salt and flour. Pulse to combine. Add the yeast mixture, cold water, and oil. Pulse until a ball is formed; this will happen quickly, be careful not to overwork the dough. Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for several minutes until dough is smooth. Allow dough to rest for 2-3 minutes. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temp for one hour.
Punch down dough, and divide into 2-4 balls, turn to coat with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.
Pre-heat over to 500 degrees. Form a 10-14 inch pizza crust and place on a pizza stone. Place toppings on the crust and bake until golden, about 9-10 minutes.
2-1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar (muscovado or rapadura)
4 cups bread flour
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/4 cups cold water
1 tbs coconut oil, melted
Combine warm water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside until foamy (if it doesn't foam, the yeast is dead). In a food processor, combine salt and flour. Pulse to combine. Add the yeast mixture, cold water, and oil. Pulse until a ball is formed; this will happen quickly, be careful not to overwork the dough. Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for several minutes until dough is smooth. Allow dough to rest for 2-3 minutes. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise at room temp for one hour.
Punch down dough, and divide into 2-4 balls, turn to coat with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.
Pre-heat over to 500 degrees. Form a 10-14 inch pizza crust and place on a pizza stone. Place toppings on the crust and bake until golden, about 9-10 minutes.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
The NC State Fair
We went to the State Fair in Raleigh on Saturday. Here are some pictures from our trip.
Belle's 3rd Birthday Party
We had Belle's third birthday party at Burger King on Sunday. Here are a few pictures.
The happy birthday girl!
Trey looks more like 2 years instead of 10 months!!
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Creamy Onion soup
2 cups yellow sweet onions, thinly sliced
2 tbs butter
2 cups chicken broth, concentrated
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup Velveeta, cubed
1-1/2 cups white sauce
cheddar cheese for garnish
In a 2-qt saucepan cook 3 tbs butter and sliced onions on low to medium heat, stirr frequently until soft and clear but not brown. Add broth, salt, pepper, and stir until completely heated through. Add white sauce and velveeta cheese. Simmer on medium low heat until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are blended, stirring constantly. Turn temperature to warm and let cook for an additional 30-45 minutes.
Serve with a garnish of shredded cheddar cheese, and a couple of slices of a warm, dark Russian bread.
Thick White Sauce
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 C whole milk
In a 1-qt saucepan, melt butter and add the flour. Cook on medium heat until the flour turns thick and comes away from the side of the saucepan. Pour in the milk a little at a time and stir constantly to keep from lumping. Add salt. Mixture should thicken like pudding.
2 tbs butter
2 cups chicken broth, concentrated
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup Velveeta, cubed
1-1/2 cups white sauce
cheddar cheese for garnish
In a 2-qt saucepan cook 3 tbs butter and sliced onions on low to medium heat, stirr frequently until soft and clear but not brown. Add broth, salt, pepper, and stir until completely heated through. Add white sauce and velveeta cheese. Simmer on medium low heat until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are blended, stirring constantly. Turn temperature to warm and let cook for an additional 30-45 minutes.
Serve with a garnish of shredded cheddar cheese, and a couple of slices of a warm, dark Russian bread.
Thick White Sauce
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 C whole milk
In a 1-qt saucepan, melt butter and add the flour. Cook on medium heat until the flour turns thick and comes away from the side of the saucepan. Pour in the milk a little at a time and stir constantly to keep from lumping. Add salt. Mixture should thicken like pudding.
Chicken Delight
2 chicken breasts
1 bag Pepperidge Farm Herbed stuffing mix (blue bag)
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream or mayonnaise
1 can sliced water chestnuts
poultry seasoning to taste
1 stick of melted butter
salt and pepper to taste
Boil chicken breasts in seasoned water until they reach 160 degrees internally. Cool, debone and chop. Set aside. Save broth.
Combine onion, bell pepper, and celery, and saute until soft.
In a large bowl, combine the dressing mix, cooked veggies, and melted butter. Mix well.
In another bowl place canned soup, sour cream, chicken, poultry seasoning, chestnuts and broth from chicken breasts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Make it soupy with broth.
Spray a 9x13. Put a generous layer of dressing mix on the bottom of the pan. Then add the chicken mixture on top and top with the rest of the dressing mix.
Place in a 350 oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with cranberry sauce.
1 bag Pepperidge Farm Herbed stuffing mix (blue bag)
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream or mayonnaise
1 can sliced water chestnuts
poultry seasoning to taste
1 stick of melted butter
salt and pepper to taste
Boil chicken breasts in seasoned water until they reach 160 degrees internally. Cool, debone and chop. Set aside. Save broth.
Combine onion, bell pepper, and celery, and saute until soft.
In a large bowl, combine the dressing mix, cooked veggies, and melted butter. Mix well.
In another bowl place canned soup, sour cream, chicken, poultry seasoning, chestnuts and broth from chicken breasts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. Make it soupy with broth.
Spray a 9x13. Put a generous layer of dressing mix on the bottom of the pan. Then add the chicken mixture on top and top with the rest of the dressing mix.
Place in a 350 oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let sit 10-15 minutes before serving. Serve with cranberry sauce.
Steamer Banana Bread
Makes 12 servings
1-1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup ripe banana, mashed (2-3 bananas)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
Fill steamer water resivoir to max level. Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients and stir into the dry ingredients. Pour into a greased and floured 8"x4" loaf pan. Cover pan with aluminum foil to prevent water from entering. Be sure the foil creates a tight seal around the pan. Place pan in steaming bowl. Steam for 60 minutes.
Per serving: 183 calories, 8.3 g fat, 2.4 g protein, 25g carb.
1-1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup ripe banana, mashed (2-3 bananas)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
Fill steamer water resivoir to max level. Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the wet ingredients and stir into the dry ingredients. Pour into a greased and floured 8"x4" loaf pan. Cover pan with aluminum foil to prevent water from entering. Be sure the foil creates a tight seal around the pan. Place pan in steaming bowl. Steam for 60 minutes.
Per serving: 183 calories, 8.3 g fat, 2.4 g protein, 25g carb.
Pictures from our trip to FL
We were in FL from October 6-17. Here are some pictures from the trip.
Belle tries out the furniture in the time-share.
Belle tries out the furniture in the time-share.
Belle plays in a puddle in the church parking lot.
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