This is my first Christmas that I have had to go through being gluten free. I have a new title. Everyone in the office has soon realized that I won't over endulge in the office goodies since 99% of them have gluten in them. So where do they end up, at my desk.
A year ago if someone told me they were going to put gluten bread, cakes, and cookies in front of me I would have told them they were torturing me. Today, it seems so normal to give up so much. It actually makes me appreciate the fact that I am not adding all those extra calories on my behind.
Oh believe me I have found all different ways around that gluten torture to enjoy gluten free treats. I haven't lost much of any weight, in fact sometimes I wonder if my body has really readjusted and those calories I do eat are now just adding up some other way.
I feel like I have really gone through a transformation of some kind where I was so desperate several months ago to where everything just has a clear definition and I accept that.
Now if we could just get a clear definition on the rest of my problems. New Year's resolutions are around the corner.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
My Christmas List
During the Christmas time you can become very materialistic. You realize your children and grandchildren are extremely materialistic and even though this is the holiday of Christ’s birth and the reflection of that meaning, it really is the holiday of what Christ and God gave to us. So in the spirit of Christmas, I must reflect on the things that I appreciate the most, mind you they do have some materialistic value, but would I have them without God blessing me with them, no. So as Julie Andrews might say, here are my most favorite things:
1. God (don’t you always have to account for him, or you wouldn’t have the other 49 or more items)
2. Husband (don’t you always have to account for him, or you may not have the other 48 or more items)
3. Children (don’t you always have to account for them, kind of that “unconditional love”)
4. Grandchildren (don’t you just have to account for them, just because they are so dang cute!!!)
5. The rest of the family and relatives, (don’t you just have to account for them, because the other 49 items wouldn’t be able to appreciate you).
6. Good Friends (especially the really good ones they help you appreciate the entire 50)
7. My bosses (without them everything wouldn’t exist)
8. House (i.e. view)
9. Glaus Bakery (esp. Chocolate Rum Cake [now gluten free])
10. Perfect semi-warm ski days, with perfect cold snow, with perfect technique to get down the hill
11. Traveling
12. Beautiful Drives (before the gas crunch)
13. Lazy wintry days, (ok lazy any days)
14. Oprah
15. Turquoise blue skies w/a red sunset
16. Tear jerk movies with buttered popcorn and diet coke (any time “Life is a House”)
17. Breakfast of Champions (Dt. Coke & Donuts (had to change that just recently to gluten free)
18. Restaurants with unbelievable food
19. Baseball games with a cold beer and hot dog (okay maybe once in a year with gluten)
20. Family history that lead into great stories
21. Christmas decorations & lights (lots of lights)
22. St. Patrick’s Day (only holiday you can count on in making you happy, and don’t have to do anything for)
23. Parades (where people can reclaim their youth for just a moment)
24. Impressionism Art
25. Chocolates (Cummings please)
26. Great Music
27. Photos (especially old ones)
28. Going to a spa for a total treatment (I know miracles can happen)
29. My Dreams (no reason for living without them)
30. Talking to my husband, kids, and grandkids on the phone.
31. A real good laugh
32. Knowing I can learn something everyday
33. Halloween at my office
34. Money (I won’t be shy about saying that, it can make you happy)
35. Hot air balloon shows
36. Ethnic carnivals
37. Payday and especially bonus day at my office
38. A good book
39. Casual parties with my friends and a great Manhattan in hand
40. Zoo
41. Beautiful hotels (if you can’t afford to stay in one, check it out anyway)
42. Architecture (love old buildings with great architecture)
43. DVRs (the greatest techno invention ever made)
44. Internet (what did we do before it was invented)
45. Clean house definitely with clean windows
46. Lagoon or Swiss Day caramel apples
47. Cemeteries (go ahead and ask me)
48. Horoscope, end of the full Moon & psychics
49. Absolutely beautiful perfect weather days in my yard (w/no yard work)
50. Last, but definitely not least, my SPYDER on a perfect day.
Like the ghosts from the past and the future, I will revisit this list next year.
Hopefully Santa can bring some things on your list, because I already have my filled. Thanks Santa.
1. God (don’t you always have to account for him, or you wouldn’t have the other 49 or more items)
2. Husband (don’t you always have to account for him, or you may not have the other 48 or more items)
3. Children (don’t you always have to account for them, kind of that “unconditional love”)
4. Grandchildren (don’t you just have to account for them, just because they are so dang cute!!!)
5. The rest of the family and relatives, (don’t you just have to account for them, because the other 49 items wouldn’t be able to appreciate you).
6. Good Friends (especially the really good ones they help you appreciate the entire 50)
7. My bosses (without them everything wouldn’t exist)
8. House (i.e. view)
9. Glaus Bakery (esp. Chocolate Rum Cake [now gluten free])
10. Perfect semi-warm ski days, with perfect cold snow, with perfect technique to get down the hill
11. Traveling
12. Beautiful Drives (before the gas crunch)
13. Lazy wintry days, (ok lazy any days)
14. Oprah
15. Turquoise blue skies w/a red sunset
16. Tear jerk movies with buttered popcorn and diet coke (any time “Life is a House”)
17. Breakfast of Champions (Dt. Coke & Donuts (had to change that just recently to gluten free)
18. Restaurants with unbelievable food
19. Baseball games with a cold beer and hot dog (okay maybe once in a year with gluten)
20. Family history that lead into great stories
21. Christmas decorations & lights (lots of lights)
22. St. Patrick’s Day (only holiday you can count on in making you happy, and don’t have to do anything for)
23. Parades (where people can reclaim their youth for just a moment)
24. Impressionism Art
25. Chocolates (Cummings please)
26. Great Music
27. Photos (especially old ones)
28. Going to a spa for a total treatment (I know miracles can happen)
29. My Dreams (no reason for living without them)
30. Talking to my husband, kids, and grandkids on the phone.
31. A real good laugh
32. Knowing I can learn something everyday
33. Halloween at my office
34. Money (I won’t be shy about saying that, it can make you happy)
35. Hot air balloon shows
36. Ethnic carnivals
37. Payday and especially bonus day at my office
38. A good book
39. Casual parties with my friends and a great Manhattan in hand
40. Zoo
41. Beautiful hotels (if you can’t afford to stay in one, check it out anyway)
42. Architecture (love old buildings with great architecture)
43. DVRs (the greatest techno invention ever made)
44. Internet (what did we do before it was invented)
45. Clean house definitely with clean windows
46. Lagoon or Swiss Day caramel apples
47. Cemeteries (go ahead and ask me)
48. Horoscope, end of the full Moon & psychics
49. Absolutely beautiful perfect weather days in my yard (w/no yard work)
50. Last, but definitely not least, my SPYDER on a perfect day.
Like the ghosts from the past and the future, I will revisit this list next year.
Hopefully Santa can bring some things on your list, because I already have my filled. Thanks Santa.
A Recipe of Thanks
Yes Thanksgiving has come and gone. My husband and I always have quiet holidays just because I realized that when I was my children's age it was always so hectic to run from in-laws to parents to other grandparents etc. So it isn't easy giving up my children and grandchildren for holidays but you readjust and you see them in calmer circumstances. You get off of the pity party of not being with them and you just enjoy the day of not having to be at work, not to have to work to entertain others and just enjoy your day. It actually turns out a little selfish when you think about it.
Well this is the first year that I really had to think what am I going to eat for Thanksgiving. Two of our friends and us would go to a local bar in town that had 5 star rated Thanksgiving dinner for free. It was the Bar's way of thanking the community for supporting them.
During Thanksgiving we all live in a state of "you should be thankful for the things you have." Even though in so many ways I have shown through this blog the ways I have thanked God for different issues in my life, you still do think, what am I thankful for on this particular day.
Yes I could go through all the traditional thank yous, my husband, my kids... and undoubtedly they are thank yous in my life, but I am not going to.
You know what I am going to thank God for, is the knowledge in cooking and baking. After taking a few cooking classes and listening to my youngest the fact she doesn't know how to cook, I am amazed that people do not know this. Didn't their mothers teach them how to cook. Truly, but when I think about it my mother even though she cooked every day, she really didn't teach me either. Of course I dabbled a few times in baking cookies or other things, but my mother really didn't teach me, she just did it. I guess she figured I would learn by osmosis. My first husband stupidly said he loved rice and gravy that he use to make while he was on his own, and so guess what he got for at least several months after we got married, Rice and Gravy.
It took many years and several children and circumstances for me to feel you need to learn and so I guess I just started reading recipes and of course like any great cook, I burned a lot of dishes.
Still to this day I don't think I cook or bake real well and I am always amazed when something I actually cooked comes out really good.
Since this year I can't go out and enjoy 5 star food without picking through the dressing made out of bread, I will stay home and make my own dressing. I will make my own gravy, and desserts. It didn't take the celiac for me to learn how to at least try to cook and bake something good. It took a life time of trial and error.
So God, thank you for helping me along that path, I might not be the greatest cook, but I am okay and that's good enough for me.
Well this is the first year that I really had to think what am I going to eat for Thanksgiving. Two of our friends and us would go to a local bar in town that had 5 star rated Thanksgiving dinner for free. It was the Bar's way of thanking the community for supporting them.
During Thanksgiving we all live in a state of "you should be thankful for the things you have." Even though in so many ways I have shown through this blog the ways I have thanked God for different issues in my life, you still do think, what am I thankful for on this particular day.
Yes I could go through all the traditional thank yous, my husband, my kids... and undoubtedly they are thank yous in my life, but I am not going to.
You know what I am going to thank God for, is the knowledge in cooking and baking. After taking a few cooking classes and listening to my youngest the fact she doesn't know how to cook, I am amazed that people do not know this. Didn't their mothers teach them how to cook. Truly, but when I think about it my mother even though she cooked every day, she really didn't teach me either. Of course I dabbled a few times in baking cookies or other things, but my mother really didn't teach me, she just did it. I guess she figured I would learn by osmosis. My first husband stupidly said he loved rice and gravy that he use to make while he was on his own, and so guess what he got for at least several months after we got married, Rice and Gravy.
It took many years and several children and circumstances for me to feel you need to learn and so I guess I just started reading recipes and of course like any great cook, I burned a lot of dishes.
Still to this day I don't think I cook or bake real well and I am always amazed when something I actually cooked comes out really good.
Since this year I can't go out and enjoy 5 star food without picking through the dressing made out of bread, I will stay home and make my own dressing. I will make my own gravy, and desserts. It didn't take the celiac for me to learn how to at least try to cook and bake something good. It took a life time of trial and error.
So God, thank you for helping me along that path, I might not be the greatest cook, but I am okay and that's good enough for me.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Back To Normal
I have been having blood tests run about every six months just to check my celiac level and my fatty liver. I intentionally made sure I was very aware of my intake of any kind of flour prior to having the tests. With a few mishaps which always seems to happen when it comes to doctors, I had the tests run and yes "I AM NORMAL." Everything is down to normal. I am so excited. If I could just get my stomach to get better I would feel perfect. I don't think normal people realize how big of deal this is. My count was 120 and now it is down to 20. That is a big deal and a lot of work.
Now if I could just give up all of the sugar I would happy.
Now if I could just give up all of the sugar I would happy.
Oh Whoops
The stomach is still one of those, did I eat something wrong or different, did I drink to much, did I exercise in the wrong way, to almost to the point of did I sleep the wrong way. Somedays it can be just down right miserable. Everyone asks if it is the celiac or the wheat and I have to keep repeating myself "no, it is when I ruined the lining of the stomach by eating to much pain medication. You wouldn't think it would be that big of a deal. Ask anyone that has done the same thing, and they are still having and will always have problems.
Well one quick way of throwing your whole system into a whack is to drive out of your garage in the dark, with a very dirty car, with no garage lights on, with your husband's car in the driveway. Now you wouldn't think those things would make your stomach sick, well all those scenarios is a perfect storm. Crunch, I don't remember that snow behind my car, then you realize, oh whoops, you just hit your husband's car. Now this wouldn't be such a big deal to some, especially to a husband that has a car that has 250,000 miles on it and has a few scratches on it already. My husband takes every little ding to his cars, no matter how many miles it has, very personal. Knowing also my husband he wouldn't really care about my car, the brand new one, just his car and what he will be seen in. Now mind you we also have a perfectly good Tahoe in the garage, that no one drives, with no scratches on it. Hmmmmmmmmmm, what's wrong with this picture.
So in the dark I am driving to work horribly upset, not only for my husband's reaction, but what did I do to my new car. By the time I got to work my stomach was about to explode. After several pills later, and trying to calm myself down and several hours later, my stomach wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better.
I think I need to get rid of my stress.
Well one quick way of throwing your whole system into a whack is to drive out of your garage in the dark, with a very dirty car, with no garage lights on, with your husband's car in the driveway. Now you wouldn't think those things would make your stomach sick, well all those scenarios is a perfect storm. Crunch, I don't remember that snow behind my car, then you realize, oh whoops, you just hit your husband's car. Now this wouldn't be such a big deal to some, especially to a husband that has a car that has 250,000 miles on it and has a few scratches on it already. My husband takes every little ding to his cars, no matter how many miles it has, very personal. Knowing also my husband he wouldn't really care about my car, the brand new one, just his car and what he will be seen in. Now mind you we also have a perfectly good Tahoe in the garage, that no one drives, with no scratches on it. Hmmmmmmmmmm, what's wrong with this picture.
So in the dark I am driving to work horribly upset, not only for my husband's reaction, but what did I do to my new car. By the time I got to work my stomach was about to explode. After several pills later, and trying to calm myself down and several hours later, my stomach wasn't perfect, but it was a lot better.
I think I need to get rid of my stress.
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