Well today was just lousy! Today is the day I decided I really don't like this whole gluten free living thing.
This morning, I made some very delicious homemade bread, which smelled up my entire house and was calling to me, and I couldn't take a single bite. All of it will be for my family. I am more than happy to make it for them, but I would at least like to be able to have a slice of it, thank you very much! I tried to make my own gluten free sourdough bread, but that was a total disaster. Dismal failure! Hopefully it can be redeemed when I try to make some gluten free "cornbread" dressing with it in a few weeks. (Believe me when I say, though, I will have a pan of REGULAR cornbread dressing just in case the gluten free batch is terrible!)
And then when it was time for lunch, and I made the girls some very delicious PB&J on regular bread, I had the thought to make one for me. Then I remembered, I CAN'T!
I was doing OK with all of that, until it came time for supper. I was reheating the last of those yummy delicious veggie enchiladas I made a few days ago, because, since we are leaving in the morning and will be gone all weekend, I was trying to finish off what was left in the fridge. They were looking all nice, hot, and bubbly reheating in the oven. And then, when I pulled them out and was just about ready to serve them onto my plate, I realized they are made with FLOUR TORTILLAS, which means they have gluten in them. UGH!
And I was just plain not happy when I baked the last of the homemade sugar cookie dough that I had been keeping in the freezer for the kids. As I smelled their delicious yumminess from my oven, I thought back to all that flour that I had added to the recipe.
So I have spent most of my day today thinking about all the foods I CAN'T have because EVERYTHING seems to be made with flour! But my sweet friend, Marci, told me she was going out of town and would be heading by a Whole Foods Market near where she would be staying, and she told me she would pick me up anything I might would like. Well, since we don't have a Whole Foods near where I live (sad, yes, I know), I really have no idea what they offer. So I told her to just surprise me and pick me up a loaf of gluten free bread and a box of gluten free crackers. I have no idea what she's going to come back with, but I am anxious to try it.
I can seriously tell a difference in the way my stomach feels. No more pain or heaviness or anything like that this week since I have eaten gluten free. So I really believe I may have found the root cause of my stomach issues. That's a GREAT thing! But it's a LOUSY thing that one of my FAVORITE THINGS in the whole world to eat is the cause of my problems. But at least now I know I have a choice. I can stay away from what ails me, or I can eat it and pay the consequences. But I have a choice. At least now I know.
And for tonight, well, let's just say I am VERY glad that they make gluten free chocolate/chocolate chip rice cakes! I have made a severe dent in them tonight. And at this moment, I am attempting to reclaim the last bit of today by slowly savoring a Hershey's chocolate bar. Yep, that's gluten free, too! So I guess the whole day isn't a total loss.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 3
Today, I am thankful for my dear sweet new friend, Marci! She and I met up within this last year and started to really get to know each other, and I just LOVE HER!! I think she and I are like soul sisters, and we must have just been separated at birth or something. OK, except for the fact that I am 4'10" and she is like 5'10"! Yeah, we look pretty crazy together, but WHO CARES?!
So besides the fact that I am very thankful for her dear friendship, I am today especially thankful for her sharing spirit! A week or so ago, Marci shared some of her sourdough bread starter and recipe with me. YUMM-O! So I have been busy this morning making up a batch of sourdough bread for the weekend!
This recipe takes a LONG time, because sourdough takes longer to rise than regular yeast bread. So I mixed it up yesterday morning, put it in the pans last night to rise overnight, re-punched them down and re-divided them this morning because they overflowed the bread pans (yeah, it looked like lava coming out of a volcano!), let them re-rise (wasn't supposed to have to re-do all of that!!), and popped them in the oven. As they were baking, I was thinking a very kind thought about Marci!
This weekend, we will be heading out of town, and I plan to slice all these loaves and take them with us. I pulled out three lovely loaves from the oven, two regular sized and one about half that size, and they will make wonderful sandwiches for my family. (No, I'm not planning to eat any - darn it! - because they are loaded with gluten, and I, quite frankly, have enjoyed NOT having a stomach ache this week because of staying away from gluten! But I will be drooling as I watch the rest of them devour that bread!) I'm planning to take one loaf to share with a friend who we will be meeting up with, as well.
So today, I am very, very thankful for the friend that God put in my life at just the right time! Marci is just so much FUN, and I could hang out with her traveling in an RV all over the country side and never look back! Go check out Marci's blog to see how much fun she and her family have together, and you'll see some of the reasons why I love her so much!
So besides the fact that I am very thankful for her dear friendship, I am today especially thankful for her sharing spirit! A week or so ago, Marci shared some of her sourdough bread starter and recipe with me. YUMM-O! So I have been busy this morning making up a batch of sourdough bread for the weekend!
This recipe takes a LONG time, because sourdough takes longer to rise than regular yeast bread. So I mixed it up yesterday morning, put it in the pans last night to rise overnight, re-punched them down and re-divided them this morning because they overflowed the bread pans (yeah, it looked like lava coming out of a volcano!), let them re-rise (wasn't supposed to have to re-do all of that!!), and popped them in the oven. As they were baking, I was thinking a very kind thought about Marci!
This weekend, we will be heading out of town, and I plan to slice all these loaves and take them with us. I pulled out three lovely loaves from the oven, two regular sized and one about half that size, and they will make wonderful sandwiches for my family. (No, I'm not planning to eat any - darn it! - because they are loaded with gluten, and I, quite frankly, have enjoyed NOT having a stomach ache this week because of staying away from gluten! But I will be drooling as I watch the rest of them devour that bread!) I'm planning to take one loaf to share with a friend who we will be meeting up with, as well.
So today, I am very, very thankful for the friend that God put in my life at just the right time! Marci is just so much FUN, and I could hang out with her traveling in an RV all over the country side and never look back! Go check out Marci's blog to see how much fun she and her family have together, and you'll see some of the reasons why I love her so much!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 2
Today I am reminded how thankful I am for Divine Appointments. I don't believe in luck or chance, but I believe that God is completely orchestrating every aspect of life - even down to the details.
I went with my four kids to Wal-Mart this afternoon. It was late in the day, and I usually try to make my trips to that mad-house in the early morning in order to avoid the after work crowd. I went in for dog food only, but true to form, I came to the register with a buggy full of "things". OK, so they are things we will actually use! I grabbed some Almond Milk, 2 bags of gluten free chips (AKA Tostitos Scoops!), some Thanksgiving plates and napkins (paper, of course!), and some very small pumpkins that were on sale to go on my Thanksgiving table. The point is, I ALWAYS come out with more than I planned. What can I say? Everybody has their faults.
So we finally made our way to the check out line, and a gentleman pulled up behind me in the motorized cart. His cart was completely loaded down and he was pulling a buggy behind him that was even more filled than the cart. As he began talking, my heart immediately went out to him. He told me that, when he got home with all those groceries, he had kids and grandkids who would bring boxes over and load up food to take home with them. He said they rarely came to visit him, but only came over to get food or other things he had that they wanted. And he said, "That's just the way it is." He went on to tell me about how he raised his nine kids alone, because his wife had left him because he worked all the time trying to be somebody and didn't spend enough time with them. And he told me of the poor choices in a husband his daughters had made. As he talked, I could see tears forming in his eyes. And at one point, a few tears even rolled down his face. This was a man who had lived a long life and had no idea that things could actually be better than that. He had lived a hard life, and he told me that, if he could do it over again, he would do so many things differently.
Well, it was finally my turn in line. My two oldest helped me unload my buggy, as they always do. Generally, I have to tell them to stop fighting over who is going to help put the things on the conveyor belt! But tonight, they worked together beautifully. And when they finished, I called them over close to me, so as not to let anyone else hear. I told them that, while I was loading our things back in the buggy and paying, I wanted them to begin unloading his cart for him. He was old and tired, and I could tell he was already worn out from shopping. Both of them went right to work without any hesitation or questioning. When I got ready to pay, I looked up and saw the look on the man's face. He didn't really know what to do. Little Sister, my third, asked if she could get out of the buggy, because she wanted to help unload his buggy, too! So I lifted her out, and she went straight to work. When I was able, I went to help, too. Between the four of us, we had his buggy and cart unloaded, and all he needed to do was pay. I discreetly asked the girl working there if she could call over someone to help him take his goods to his vehicle and load them, and she did that very happily.
When we got ready to leave, I went and gave him a big hug and told him I hoped he had a great night. He looked up at me and thanked me, and the kids and I watched him roll away.
The kids and I headed to our van and loaded up. Once inside, I told them how very, very proud I was of them. I explained to them that this man had no idea of what real love was, and they just showed him a God love in a very real, tangible way. This man had lived a hard life. He was worn down from the disappointments that had come his way. And he knew he was going home just to face it again. But for tonight, for a few moments at the check-out register in Wal-Mart, this man got a glimpse of a God type love. We didn't know him, and we will probably never see him again. But I believe God had that Divine Appointment set up tonight, so that this dear man would be able to see in a real, tangible way that love for others does exist. To simply tell this man I hoped things got better for him would have been pointless. To wish him well and tell him to have a good night would have been ridiculous. Nothing I could have SAID would have spoken nearly as loudly as what my kids DID for him. They showed love. Unconditional love. Love for a complete stranger. Love for their neighbor.
And as for my kids, well, tonight they learned an amazing lesson in SHOWING God's love for others. How often in our small world do they have an opportunity to put into action the love for others that we instill in each of them? God provided that learning time for them. This is something I should think they will not soon forget.
So tonight, I am so very, very thankful for God's Divine Appointments in my life and in the life of my kids. I am so thankful He chose to use us and gave us the chance to serve Him through helping this man. And I am so thankful that He took me to Wal-Mart at an odd time and allowed me to stay longer than I had planned, all so that I would end up in line at just the right time to meet this dear soul whom God wanted us to love on. I am so thankful that God's timing is beyond any of my understanding, and it is greater than I could ever imagine.
I didn't write this so that people who praise what we have done. I am not looking for a pat on the back or any other thing such as that. The reason I tell you all of these things is because of this. First, I want you to see that you don't need to be a missionary in some foreign world to be used of Christ. You don't need a degree to share the gospel. Second, realize that I was NOT preaching to this man! I rarely said anything, but just let him talk. You don't have to be in a "church" setting or be a minister to be able to share the love of God with others. You can win people over more by your actions than anything you could say to them. And third, there are hurting people all around you. Look up from your own buggy and see the fields white with harvest! Is there someone you can help today? Someone you can share God's love with in a REAL, TANGIBLE way? Ask God to put someone in your path whom you can speak love and healing to today in the name of Jesus. And then come share your story of God's Divine Appointments in your life!
I went with my four kids to Wal-Mart this afternoon. It was late in the day, and I usually try to make my trips to that mad-house in the early morning in order to avoid the after work crowd. I went in for dog food only, but true to form, I came to the register with a buggy full of "things". OK, so they are things we will actually use! I grabbed some Almond Milk, 2 bags of gluten free chips (AKA Tostitos Scoops!), some Thanksgiving plates and napkins (paper, of course!), and some very small pumpkins that were on sale to go on my Thanksgiving table. The point is, I ALWAYS come out with more than I planned. What can I say? Everybody has their faults.
So we finally made our way to the check out line, and a gentleman pulled up behind me in the motorized cart. His cart was completely loaded down and he was pulling a buggy behind him that was even more filled than the cart. As he began talking, my heart immediately went out to him. He told me that, when he got home with all those groceries, he had kids and grandkids who would bring boxes over and load up food to take home with them. He said they rarely came to visit him, but only came over to get food or other things he had that they wanted. And he said, "That's just the way it is." He went on to tell me about how he raised his nine kids alone, because his wife had left him because he worked all the time trying to be somebody and didn't spend enough time with them. And he told me of the poor choices in a husband his daughters had made. As he talked, I could see tears forming in his eyes. And at one point, a few tears even rolled down his face. This was a man who had lived a long life and had no idea that things could actually be better than that. He had lived a hard life, and he told me that, if he could do it over again, he would do so many things differently.
Well, it was finally my turn in line. My two oldest helped me unload my buggy, as they always do. Generally, I have to tell them to stop fighting over who is going to help put the things on the conveyor belt! But tonight, they worked together beautifully. And when they finished, I called them over close to me, so as not to let anyone else hear. I told them that, while I was loading our things back in the buggy and paying, I wanted them to begin unloading his cart for him. He was old and tired, and I could tell he was already worn out from shopping. Both of them went right to work without any hesitation or questioning. When I got ready to pay, I looked up and saw the look on the man's face. He didn't really know what to do. Little Sister, my third, asked if she could get out of the buggy, because she wanted to help unload his buggy, too! So I lifted her out, and she went straight to work. When I was able, I went to help, too. Between the four of us, we had his buggy and cart unloaded, and all he needed to do was pay. I discreetly asked the girl working there if she could call over someone to help him take his goods to his vehicle and load them, and she did that very happily.
When we got ready to leave, I went and gave him a big hug and told him I hoped he had a great night. He looked up at me and thanked me, and the kids and I watched him roll away.
The kids and I headed to our van and loaded up. Once inside, I told them how very, very proud I was of them. I explained to them that this man had no idea of what real love was, and they just showed him a God love in a very real, tangible way. This man had lived a hard life. He was worn down from the disappointments that had come his way. And he knew he was going home just to face it again. But for tonight, for a few moments at the check-out register in Wal-Mart, this man got a glimpse of a God type love. We didn't know him, and we will probably never see him again. But I believe God had that Divine Appointment set up tonight, so that this dear man would be able to see in a real, tangible way that love for others does exist. To simply tell this man I hoped things got better for him would have been pointless. To wish him well and tell him to have a good night would have been ridiculous. Nothing I could have SAID would have spoken nearly as loudly as what my kids DID for him. They showed love. Unconditional love. Love for a complete stranger. Love for their neighbor.
And as for my kids, well, tonight they learned an amazing lesson in SHOWING God's love for others. How often in our small world do they have an opportunity to put into action the love for others that we instill in each of them? God provided that learning time for them. This is something I should think they will not soon forget.
So tonight, I am so very, very thankful for God's Divine Appointments in my life and in the life of my kids. I am so thankful He chose to use us and gave us the chance to serve Him through helping this man. And I am so thankful that He took me to Wal-Mart at an odd time and allowed me to stay longer than I had planned, all so that I would end up in line at just the right time to meet this dear soul whom God wanted us to love on. I am so thankful that God's timing is beyond any of my understanding, and it is greater than I could ever imagine.
I didn't write this so that people who praise what we have done. I am not looking for a pat on the back or any other thing such as that. The reason I tell you all of these things is because of this. First, I want you to see that you don't need to be a missionary in some foreign world to be used of Christ. You don't need a degree to share the gospel. Second, realize that I was NOT preaching to this man! I rarely said anything, but just let him talk. You don't have to be in a "church" setting or be a minister to be able to share the love of God with others. You can win people over more by your actions than anything you could say to them. And third, there are hurting people all around you. Look up from your own buggy and see the fields white with harvest! Is there someone you can help today? Someone you can share God's love with in a REAL, TANGIBLE way? Ask God to put someone in your path whom you can speak love and healing to today in the name of Jesus. And then come share your story of God's Divine Appointments in your life!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Gluten Free Living - Day 3
I decided that I really need some gluten free crackers if I'm going to survive this way of eating. Since opting for vegetarianism, I have been loading up on great dips, like hummus, and salsas. But what is one to do with NO CRACKERS?? So last night, I started looking online for a good cracker recipe - gluten free. And here is what I came up with.
I found a cracker that looked absolutely delicious in the picture. It had ingredients that I had on hand (OK, the NEW ingredients that I bought the other night. It's not like they are just things I keep on hand every day.), and I liked all the seasonings that went in it. So I whipped up a batch. The recipe said to press them onto your tray, and use a knife to score the crackers (that means to cut lines through them so they are actual crackers when you're finished), and then bake them in the oven for like 15 minutes. Sounded easy enough. Only problem was, when I got ready to pick them up off of my baking stone, they started to break. So I had a few actual crackers, but most were just broken into small pieces. Now, I will say that the flavor was great! I loved how that part turned out, and I decided that I will definitely be able to use these as croutons on my next salad. But as far as dipping, well, I just don't think that's going to happen. I did eat pinto bean soup today for lunch, and they held up pretty well when I put the beans on top. Still though, they weren't quite what I was hoping for.
All in all, I really liked the flavor. But I don't think I will be making these again. I just don't eat croutons on my salad enough to worry with making this recipe just for that reason. Later I'll see if I can find a different recipe that might turn out a better cracker that doesn't crumble when I try to lift it off the pan.
So day 3 of gluten free eating went really well. Looking forward to tomorrow and whatever awaits me in my kitchen!
I found a cracker that looked absolutely delicious in the picture. It had ingredients that I had on hand (OK, the NEW ingredients that I bought the other night. It's not like they are just things I keep on hand every day.), and I liked all the seasonings that went in it. So I whipped up a batch. The recipe said to press them onto your tray, and use a knife to score the crackers (that means to cut lines through them so they are actual crackers when you're finished), and then bake them in the oven for like 15 minutes. Sounded easy enough. Only problem was, when I got ready to pick them up off of my baking stone, they started to break. So I had a few actual crackers, but most were just broken into small pieces. Now, I will say that the flavor was great! I loved how that part turned out, and I decided that I will definitely be able to use these as croutons on my next salad. But as far as dipping, well, I just don't think that's going to happen. I did eat pinto bean soup today for lunch, and they held up pretty well when I put the beans on top. Still though, they weren't quite what I was hoping for.
All in all, I really liked the flavor. But I don't think I will be making these again. I just don't eat croutons on my salad enough to worry with making this recipe just for that reason. Later I'll see if I can find a different recipe that might turn out a better cracker that doesn't crumble when I try to lift it off the pan.
So day 3 of gluten free eating went really well. Looking forward to tomorrow and whatever awaits me in my kitchen!
The Gratitude Project 2011 - Day 1
Today is the first day of November. Where did the year go, I would just like to know! It seems like the scorching heat from a summer in the Deep South has finally given way to some cooler Autumn breezes before I could even blink my eyes. One day it was hot, and the next morning I woke up to a sweater and some hot chocolate. Ahhh, such is life where I live. Anyways...
Since this marks the first day of November, it also begins this year's Gratitude Project. Here's the quick run-down of the project. For the next 25 days leading up to Thanksgiving, I will spend some time each day reflecting on the things for which I am truly grateful. I will be purposefully grateful, which means that, even on days when I really don't feel like I have anything for which to give thanks, I will FIND the blessings in life and give thanks. And each day, I will blog about those things in my life for which I am most thankful. In an effort not to completely duplicate what I shared last year (because my priorities are pretty much the same - God, family, friends, anything else), I will be looking for the not-so-obvious things in my day that God has blessed me with! And so, here we go.
The thing for which I am thankful today are these two sweet little girls I have who are crawling all over me showing me the hot dog pieces in their mouths! Some days, I just feel like they are completely in the way, and I just need a break! But when I really think about it, I wouldn't trade them for the world. Both Little Sister and Baby Girl just make me smile so many times in a day. My day would be so boring without them. So today, I am thankful for the two of them. :0)
Since this marks the first day of November, it also begins this year's Gratitude Project. Here's the quick run-down of the project. For the next 25 days leading up to Thanksgiving, I will spend some time each day reflecting on the things for which I am truly grateful. I will be purposefully grateful, which means that, even on days when I really don't feel like I have anything for which to give thanks, I will FIND the blessings in life and give thanks. And each day, I will blog about those things in my life for which I am most thankful. In an effort not to completely duplicate what I shared last year (because my priorities are pretty much the same - God, family, friends, anything else), I will be looking for the not-so-obvious things in my day that God has blessed me with! And so, here we go.
The thing for which I am thankful today are these two sweet little girls I have who are crawling all over me showing me the hot dog pieces in their mouths! Some days, I just feel like they are completely in the way, and I just need a break! But when I really think about it, I wouldn't trade them for the world. Both Little Sister and Baby Girl just make me smile so many times in a day. My day would be so boring without them. So today, I am thankful for the two of them. :0)
Baby Girl said, "Look me, Mommy! I exercisin'."
Little Sister couldn't be outdone by Baby Girl's exercising, so she had to do a "trick".
I encourage you, for the next 25 days, to take the challenge and join in The Gratitude Project! You can show your thanks via social networking (Facebook or Twitter), blog post, giving someone a call on the phone, shooting someone an e-mail, or even send a card in the mail. And if you feel so inclined, leave me a comment each day telling me what you are thankful for, so I can share in YOUR Gratitude Project!
And a BIG, HUGE THANK YOU to my friend, Ray, who started the project last year. If not for his challenge, I would very likely be going through this month with hardly a thought to being thankful, except for on Thanksgiving Day specifically.
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