Check-In September 2008

[ostrich]

[cruelshoes]

I better get my update in before the month is over! We are having a beautiful Indian Summer here in the PNW. My raspberry bushes are still going great guns, and I can hardly keep up! I have been picking blackberries every saturday, and so far I have made 22 jars of jam, frozen enough for another batch of 22, and frozen enough for 8 pies. I will probably go out again the next 2 saturdays. My goal it to have enough frozen blackberries for 2 desserts a month for the next year.

The kids are back in school, which means for the time being I am driving to work instead of riding the bus. I really miss my down time during my commute. My older daughter will be starting a zero-hour class next week, so hopefully I can get back on the bus when she does that. Otherwise I get to work too late to make it worth while.

The latest planning meeting for the GIG conference was this week. I am on the sub-committees for the exhibits and the teen program . I am a bit daunted trying to figure out how to do all of this, but I know it will all work out in the end.

I have really fallen in love with whole grain GF flours. I can't remember the last time I used white rice flour. Teff is my current favorite. I am also on a bit of a sweet potato kick right now. They are so good! I have used them in so many different ways! Earlier this week I made sweet potato fries, which I have never had before, and they were amazing! Who says GF food has to be boring?

Al and Nan - I will totally post my high school yearbook picture if you will. Mine is a hilarious pic of me in my full black bat-caver regalia and braces. We should do a then and now set for all of us.
_________________
-Colleen

Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handcart?

[aklap]

[donald]

Hi everybody, sorry it has been so long since I posted, but U have been incredibly busy. I thought once I retired, I would have plenty of time for my art and fishing, but somehow other things constantly come up. Heading to northern Mn, for a couple of weeks later this month, hoping to catch a whole mess of Walleyes. GF diet is going well, had an oops 2 weeks ago and I don't know where it came from. The only new thing I tried were Hungry Jack mashed potatoes, but nothing gluten related was listed on the box. Sorry this was kind of long, guess I had a lot to say

[aklap]

Hey Donald, hope you catch lots-o-fish in the land of 10,000 lakes! Mmmmmm GF walleye fish fry....

Sorry to hear about your glutening. Hope you're feeling better now.
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[caseygirl]

So far, Sept. has been pretty good. I started my new job mid Aug and I really love it! I was worried about eating GF there but it's been fine so far. I make my lunch everyday, so I usually make a sandwich with GF bread of course, some fruit, and some GF crackers. I have been eating the same thing for lunch though, so I should really try to branch out and try different things.

I'm going home for a wedding this weekend, so it will be interesting to see if I can eat anything at the reception. Does anyone have any ideas for weddings? I'll probably bring a larabar or something and eat before, of course. I'll just have to fill up on fruit and veggies.

I love my life right now -- I am finally out of school (!!!!) and loving working and having a normal social life. I just moved to a new area of Baltimore; my house is much bigger and I now have 2 roommates instead of just 1. I've been feeling much better, minus one gluten mistake at my house warming party. Since then, I haven't messed up. I'm still eating a tiny bit of soy and I also have a small cup of greek yogurt (skim milk) every morning. I know my enterolab results showed reactions to casein and soy, but I find it very hard to eliminate all soy. I could stop eating the yogurt (my really only source of casein) but I don't think it's affecting me negatively. I usually have to go to the bathroom right after I eat my breakfast, but it's almost like a routine and doesn't seem to continue on throughout the day. So, hopefully I can continue eating the yogurt. As for soy, well I've stopped drinking soy milk and avoid obvious foods with soy in them. I do eat a little bit from items that say "may contain traces of soy." Again, I think my stomach has been able to tolerate small amounts. As for gluten, I'm 99% free. I still haven' bought a separate toaster and use dishes washed with my roommates. So, I'm not sure if I'm ingesting gluten from cross contamination. I do feel very good most days though. Well, this is long enough....happy fall to everyone! My most favorite month!!!

[plain_old_donut]

Wow! Time flies when you're having fun. The last time I posted was probably sometime in February.

The reason for the long absence is that DH and I took a new job. We are the managers at a Christian camp and retreat center. We started in February, spending some very long days to get the camp ready for a weekend retreat in March, then getting everything ready for summer camp. The maintenance had been lacking for several years, so there were lots of repairs to be done, as well as hiring summer staff, planning the menu, and getting the grounds in order, etc, etc..... A 30' x 60' swimming pool is quite a challenge to open and maintain without all the rest of the work required to open camp. Thankfully, we discovered we have a "lawn boy" to mow the 35 acres during camp season.

We survived our first season, and heard lots of "We've never done it that way before," and "That's not how (insert any previous manager's name) did it." But thankfully, we also heard, "Wow, the food was really good this year!" and "The camp hasn't looked this good in years!" and even, "I never would have thought of doing it that way. What a good idea!"

So we are now into the recovery season, with just a few more retreats. Then it's time to look over what we did this year, and figure out how to make it better for next year.

On the CD front, I have finally convinced my husband to be tested. We are taking a short vacation to Chicago on Oct. 18, and we both will be tested. I was tested before, but not from a doctor or a lab with a whole lot of experience. I'll let you know how that turns out.

I had blood test for normal stuff done, and discovered I am Pre-diabetic(one point from being considered diabetic), and my cholesterol is not good either. Add that to 80ish pounds overweight....hmmmmm. It's long past time to get this all under control. Just being here at camp has helped some, walking these hills has taken off 12 lbs this summer. The doggies and I will keep up that walking the hills thing. It seems to be working.

Loved the Senior Pic, Al. You haven't changed a bit.

Donna
_________________
Donna - Daughter to Eli, diagnosed with CD in 1968,
and wife to Jim, self-diagnosed with corn allergy in 1977.

[aklap]

[cruelshoes]

[Eeyorific]

Hi everyone!

Before September ends, I thought I would pop in with an update.

First, thank you so much to everyone who helped with the frosting and pinata ideas! A special "Thank you" to Mrs. P for taking time out of your day to talk me through some last minute details over the phone! ((hugs!!))

Matthew's 6th birthday was a huge hit! (pardon the pun)
His party was held outside at a ball diamond/park. In all, there were over 20 kids. Matthew had his own baseball (3D) cake, the only ooop's was my food processor broke in the middle of making the confectioners sugar. So the frosting could have turned out better in my opinion. However, Matthew would disagree with me, and say it was perfect. (what does he know, he's never had frosting before!) The pinata held out like a champ!! We weren't sure it was ever going to break, but it did, and they loved it! The weather was great, and the game was perfect! I couldn't stop laughing, at one point, I turned around and we had two runners conversing on 2nd base. Also, during the game we had a runner on 3rd, the ball was hit down the 3rd base line, and our runner was so sweet to run after the ball to help the other team!

Onto the update...
Much has changed for us since last Sept. Not much in the way of diet, he was GF/CF and corn free then, and still is. However, now we have a positive dx for strong allergy to corn and a lesser allergy to dairy. In the past the doctors had to take my word for it. He still is as sensitive to any CC from gluten as he's ever been, but he's still very sweet and accepting of his limitations!

A fun story from several months ago.. as a 4 in 1 celebration we went about 35 miles to our nearest Outback as a family. Matthew had the only thing he could order which was a plain burger and broccoli. I've never seen anyone get so excited about food as he was that night, let alone something as basic as beef and broccoli. He begged for a second order of the "brown stuff", and with every bite of broccoli, he claimed it was the best broccoli ever! I know I struggle at times with his limitations, but it has helped him become this awesome little guy! I couldn't be prouder of him!

Other cool things happening for him, is he threw the 1st pitch at our minor league team for the Cubs. He also sang the National Anthem for the same team with his Homeschool Choir. The only thing he didn't get to go was go to another live Cubs game, but he's followed them every step by radio or T.V. He's just finished up Occupational Therapy. Again, this is another area he has come so far in. He's doing so well!

We're still homeschooling. Matthew is in 1st grade and Emie is in 7th. Speaking of my daughter, she's still GF (so am I) going on 3 years now. Our health has been good! She's doing great, too! I can't believe she's nearly a teenager!

My husband's health is fair. I'm not sure if I was able to mention it or not, but we nearly lost him last Dec. He was so sick with Pneumonia that he was in the hospital for 2 weeks , at home on oxygen for months after that, and at one point, his entire right lung, and nearly 50% of his left were affected! God has been good to us! My husband has been back to work for months now, and off of the oxygen just as long. The bad news is recent x-rays show that there is still pneumonia in his right lung, and outside of work, tires very easily.

I think that concludes our "book" for now. Things are still pretty busy here with school, babysitting, teaching a Homeschool gym class, etc... but I miss you all and think of you often. I hope to visit on a regular basis!
_________________
Kristie M.

"The truth of God's love is not that he allows bad things to happen....
it's his promise that he will be there with us when they do!"

[cultureslayer]

I'm doing much better! Yay for high dose antibiotics, definitely helping with the lyme. Will be spending a lot of time in the lab over the next several months, so don't be surprised if I disappear for a while. Lots of catching up to do, need to go to the dentist and get a few fillings and other stuff too.

About to go to Harris Teeter for triple coupons, there are a few good GF deals. 4 pack of hunt's snack packs for 55 cents after coupon, free tuna, etc. It's nice to have a hobby that saves money instead of spending it.

Otherwise, still have the motorcycle and bought a car. Complete opposite of the bike, land yacht '94 caprice but it's a retired police car so at least it has a 5.7L V8 (gas mileage in the high teens around town isn't a problem, I use the bike 95% of the time so it's just for the massive amount of space) and a few suspension and engine upgrades thanks to the previous owner. My first upgrade was a locking gas cap, don't want anyone emptying the 23 gallon tank for me. I forgot to take pics and right now it's with the boyfriend in IL so he can change a transmission coolant line.

Cruelshoes, next time you go to the asian market try some Okinawan sweet potatoes. A little more expensive but a nice treat. They are naturally purple inside and the texture is a little different.
_________________
Lauren
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.

[Eeyorific]

[soutram]

Meanwhile, SOUTRAM - you say you were poisoned in Calgary. I live there. Where/what did you eat so I can try to have Ty avoid it.[/quote]


When I was in Calgary I got "poisoned" at the Cattle Baron. I was very specific about what I could and could not eat. The meal came and it was totally the opposite of what it needed to be such as breaded shrimp, and their special potatoes. They took the meal back and "fixed" it, but I think they kept the same steak and caused CC. I am not sure exactly if that was it, but it is a hunch.
_________________
Sue
Gluten free since May 2008

[aklap]

Sue - if that happens again - "mark" your steak. Cut it, slice it, something...so you know.
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[celiacmaine-iac]