baking...

I'm pleased to say that my gluten intolerance has not had much of an effect on my baking and cooking. Sure, I'm more careful and have to watch what I use and everything, but I've been baking and cooking just like before.

This morning I woke up wanting cereal, but when I saw we were out, it didn't take any time at all for me to find my copy of Gluten Free Girl's Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies . I mixed them up really fast, rolled them into balls, rolled the balls in sugar, put them on the cookie sheet, made the criss cross with fork prongs and stuck them in the oven. In about 10 minutes I had warm peanut butter cookies that I could eat. I had two for breakfast!

When I first was told I have Celiac disease and would have to read every food label, avoid cross contamination, and follow a strictly gluten free diet, I thought my world would end. I love biscuits...I found a gluten free biscuit mix. I wanted cookies...found recipes for those (even a mix for chocolate chip cookies). Then I had my birthday. What in the world would someone gluten free have for their birthday?! I found a gluten free cake mix that I did not like. It was too dense, thick and I could taste the eggs (for those of you who don't know, I have a pretty keen sense of taste...tasting eggs when you're eating cake is disgusting). I think next year it will be ice cream for my birthday...we'll see.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my baking success with you guys. I'm hoping that I'll be able to find some more great recipes for gluten free foods soon.

That's the Way it is...

This past week has been ok, but wasn't exactly the best week ever.

I did get my replacement phone about a week ago, but am having trouble getting all of the numbers that I had. Part of this is because some of the people don't get online very often and I can't find their numbers on past phone bills. It's hard to go through all of the phone numbers that you called, have called you, you've sent a text to, or that have sent one to you...after a while they all seem to be the same.

Our school had Lip Sync on Friday. My nephew, Alex, was in it with a few of his friends. They did some song I've never heard before..."Jeremiah Peabody's Polyunsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant-Tasting Green and Purple Pills"...it was cute, but they didn't win. I like going, but because the auditorium gets so crowded, I kind of hate it. I don't like being around so many people at once....especially packed into a crowded room with them.

I am still taking the "medicine" from that herbalist that I had went to. So far, it isn't helping. In fact, this morning my stomach hurts worse than usual.

On another note, I had a great supper last night. Of course, mom didn't like it because I used Italian Seasoning and she doesn't like it. I mixed Italian Seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, a little cumin, and some crushed red pepper in an empty bottle. I then rubbed that mixture onto some boneless pork loin chops. I heated a little oil in a pan and just pan fried them for about 4 minutes on each side. I then removed the meat and used the grease in a corn starch gravy (gluten free). I made mashed potatoes and broccoli with cheese. After I had everything cooked, Anthony fixed a can of biscuits for them. I thought it was all good. Mom doesn't like anything with Italian Seasoning and Anthony usually just fills up on potatoes and biscuits if they're made. So I guess I have leftovers for lunch today.

I'm thinking it's about time for me to go back to the doctor (a real doctor) about this abdominal pain. It's not getting any better and I'm tired of running a low-grade fever. I'm tired of being sick...and I'm tired of being tired all the time. My cousin (a nurse) said it sounds like mono and chronic appendicitis, but she wasn't sure. She asked the doctor she works with and he said he hadn't heard of anything like this before. One of my friends asked me the other day if all of the run around I get from the doctors has me nervous...I'm not nervous, in fact, I'm glad they aren't saying it's something serious. You would think that since it isn't serious, they'd figure it out quicker though. It has baffled at least 3 doctors that none of the CT scans, ultrasounds, xrays, or anything else showed gall stones even though my gall bladder was near rupturing. I think I should get an award for baffling so many doctors, nurses, friends and family. haha

Anyway, I think we're about to go somewhere. We got behind this week in our errands because I wasn't feeling well. It's not like we can get many errands taken care of on a Sunday around here, but some of them we will be able to...and places won't be to crowded.

Stolen Phone Rant

Ok, so I know it's not the weekend but I'm a little mad and want to write. Today my little brother stole my phone. Yeah...I know, why would he steal my phone?! He has his own and it's not like mine is anything special. Of course, when mo asked him about it, he lied and said he didn't.

I got a message from a friend on myspace (we'll call him George) earlier saying that he got a text from some guy. Anyway, my brother had given George's phone number to some guy (I'm guessing Blake) and he texted George saying that I'm not who I say I am and all this mess. Anyway...it could have just been my brother pretending to be someone else so that George wouldn't be texting him on my phone. I don't know.

Just irritating that my little brother is a thief. I mean, honestly, it doesn't even make sense to steal someone's cell phone if you're going to be giving out the numbers that they have...especially since my brother has never met George.

Oh well....maybe he'll learn sooner or later.

Tom's Balloons, Groomer and a Witch Doctor

This past week has been pretty boring.

Thursday was Tom's birthday...the first one since he died. I made Lemon Icebox Pies to celebrate his birthday. Penny and her kids had the great idea of us all signing a birthday balloon and letting it go. Of course, if you know me or my family, you also know things don't usually go as planned. We all signed the balloon and Penny started writing what seemed to be a novel on it (ok, so it was really a few sentences) and the balloon popped before something fell and hit her on the head.

We decided to try again on Friday. Penny got two balloons this time and her sons tied them together. After we all signed (without a long message from Penny) they let the balloons go and they wrapped around an electric wire. Needless to say, we decided not to try again.

I've been a little sick lately...sinus infection and it's now bronchitis. It's nasty and I won't go into details right now.

My birthday is tomorrow. I have no idea what we'll do. Since I'm on this gluten-free diet because of Celiac, if we did a cake it would have to be gluten-free. Mom hasn't cooked gluten-free and I don't feel like baking a cake from scratch...so we may just do ice cream or something.

Oh, another thing that happened was on Tuesday of this past week I took Chandler to the groomer for the first time. I got him from a lady that owns a kennel and it's taken a lot of work to get him as trusting as he is right now (he likes ladies more than guys, but will growl at anyone except for me and mom). Anyway, I was told that he is one of the best dogs with kennel syndrome that this groomer has seen, especially for being 2 years old...and a male. The groomer didn't get to do a lot because he was just trying to build trust, so after a bath (only his back and top of head), blow dry, and brushing, we left (with no charge since he didn't get to do everything). We go back today and the groomer is getting the clippers out this time. I'm hoping that he'll be able to give Chandler a cut, because he is scraggly looking with this long hair (at least an inch and a half long all over).

We also went to Rose Bud to see the "witch doctor." Barry Joneshill is an herbalist...natural healer...whatever you want to call him. Our trip there was interesting. I went in (his "office" is a few chairs just inside a health food store) and we looked around while he finished up with some other "patients." Anyway, I noticed that a lot of the things there were more expensive than the health food store I go to for gluten-free, casein-free foods, soymilk, vitamins, and spices.

When it was my turn, I had my mom go with me and talk to him first. We st about 5 feet in front of him (no tables or anything between us) and told him what was wrong with us. After a few minutes of silence and him scribbling (the way doctors do), he got some papers and stapled them to the cards he wrote on and came over.

He told my mom that she was too much like her father (who has been dead since around '83) and had a hole in her gut, along with a hiatal hernia which causes her coughing, shortness of breath and a few other things.

When he came to me, he said that most of my medical problems are because I have 6 kidney stones, gout, and my body doesn't produce hydrochloric acid. He gave me a list of herbal things to get (pineapple juice, cherry juice, some pills, and hydrochloric acid pills). I got them to try and we'll see how I'm feeling in a few weeks. He didn't address my sinus infections, bronchitis, or my constant wheezing though. Also, he told me that for me to lose weight, I'd need to stop drinking so much during meal times (limit myself to 8 ounces while I'm eating but can drink as much as I want before or after). I don't believe that though because I don't drink anything while I'm eating, only after...I don't even drink anything for like 30 minutes or so before I eat. Anyway...I'll give it all a try and see I guess.

It's a whole new week and hopefully it will be more interesting than last. It seems like I'm forgetting something, but if I remember I'll just write later.

On the subject of love, sex and relationships

Many of you know that I have many opinions about love, relationships and sex. I'm not against any of the aforementioned...in fact I hope to find love, and that will lead to the others.

The problem with so many people I know is that they confuse love and attraction. People use the word "love" too loosely and that makes it lose it's meaning once you finally find that person that you truly love. Also, people use sex as a cornerstone of their relationships. Sex is not supposed to be abused like it is today, with people having multiple partners with no relationship between so many of them.

I have a friend that has been absorbed in sex, love and relationships since we were teenagers. She has had a few serious relationships, but wonders why none of them work out for too long. I think it's because she hasn't actually been in love and her relationships revolved around sex (among other things I have opinions about). She is currently fighting for custody of her oldest daughter, going through a divorce with the father of her twins, and living with the father of her youngest daughter.

True, I'm not in a relationship right now...and I'm a virgin...and not sure if I've ever been in love before. I have had relationships though and they ended in a mutual decision (none of that high school crying drama that so many other girls went through). I'm still friends with most of my ex-boyfriends because we have respect for each other. We built our relationships on things that relationships are meant to be built on....respect, loyalty, friendship...and yes, attraction. When a relationship like that ends, it shouldn't be a heart breaking event because you know that you weren't right for each other and because of the respect you have for one another, you truly want the best for the other person.

I think that sex should only come into the relationship when you TRULY know that you love the other person and there is a commitment to be loyal to each other. There are people (even some of my friends) that think that my opinions are prudish but I think they are the way things are supposed to be. I'm not saying that every time you have sex it should be candles, rose petals and romantic music...but it should be an event that you put your whole self into...physically and emotionally. So many people that I know only put their physical selves into it, when making love should be an emotional experience as well. When you have sex, I believe that it's a way to express your love (not prove it).

Anyway...enough of that. Just got on my soapbox for a minute.

The Hardest Month Yet....Birthdays

Well, for those of you that don't know...February is usually a very busy month for my family....Valentine's Day, my mom's birthday, and then my older brother's birthday. This year is going to be very different for us though...my older brother, Tom, isn't with us to celebrate his birthday on the 25th. Of course, this month has been harder for some of the family than past months. The days before my birthday (March 3) will be hard too...because between February 25 and March 3 has always been our "birthday celebration" when we have special meals and desserts and usually have our first cookout for the year.

Anyway, enough of that....yesterday was Valentine's day. We started the day with a phone call from my youngest brother saying that he, my younger brother and their friend were stuck because her car had died and they needed a jump. After close to an hour hooked up to Tara's car, we decided it was not just the battery. They all ended up coming to the house while my mom and I went out for our annual Valentine/birthday meal and a little shopping. Nothing too exciting.

Today we're having a family meal and whatever cake or ice cream mom decides on...she suggested lemon icebox pie, but I told her we'll do that for Tom's birthday like we've always done. So....we've got to decide what she'd like and fix it for everyone later.

Mom and I have been hoping to hear from one of my best friends from school so that we could keep her youngest daughter for a while...mom wants the distraction and I just love the little girl!! Anyway, nothing really new this week...maybe next week will be more exciting.

Just a hello....and gripe about Valentine's Day

Well, the weekend is here again! I'm glad to report, that after ice storms, my family was only out of electricity Tuesday night through Saturday afternoon. We were lucky to have it back so soon, especially considering that we live in the country. Others weren't so lucky...a close friend of mine, Blake, said they just got their power back on yesterday.

Our cell phones have been having problems, but I think they're fixed now. We live near a cell phone tower and usually have perfect reception....however, for like the past week, there will be times we have NO signal strength at all. Anyway, I think it's fixed....and the number of texts I've been getting assure me of that.

We have been watching my niece this week some. We picked her up on Wednesday and she is going home this afternoon. She's two and a half....and a mess! We made up a song the other day (my niece and I) that she is singing while I type. "Madison's a booger head. Booger head, booger head. Madison's a booger head. hahaha hahahaha. Madison's a boo---ger Head!!" She loves it and sings it in all kinds of voices.

Anyway, I guess I'm just as boring this time as I was in the last post. Chandler, my toy poodle, has adjusted to having another boy dog in the house...but still barks and growls and Joe and Anthony, my brothers. Of course, because of his size Mom and I think it's cute...I guess we should try to train him away from that.

Valentine's Day is next week. I don't think I could like a holiday any less. I think that couples should celebrate their love for each other 365 (366 in some cases) days a year, not one day that we have assigned on a calendar. Valentine's day is a holiday that, I think, shows that we have scheduled our lives so much that we need to assign a day to show the person (or people) that we love how much we care for them. It's a pitiful holiday because if you are truly in love or love someone, you shouldn't have to have a single day set apart on the calendar to celebrate that love. It should be celebrated on a daily basis with as much gumption as people put into Valentine's day. However, if you use Valentine's day as a "love reinforcement" day, spending more time and effort to celebrate the love that you do each day, then you fully deserve to celebrate this day with your loved one. I think my gripe is that so many people are so busy after the holidays that they use Valentine's day as a love catch-up day....squeezing as much love into one day as they can because they haven't celebrated that love since the holidays.

Anyway, I guess that's all I have for now.