Gluten Free / Dairy Free Recipes and Resources

Well, hello there! Just popping in quick to say that I’ve created a new tab above (“GF/DF”) with all the resources I could think of off the top of my head related to gluten- and dairy-free recipes. There’s a lot out there, but I wanted to start with recipes that my family has tried and liked, so that’s why I made my own list. It is a work in progress and will be edited over time, but I needed a big list for recipe planning, and I thought it might be helpful to more than just me. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis at the beginning of Silas’ pregnancy last fall. In dealing with this condition, I have come across a ton of research that indicates that nearly 100% of people with Hashi’s are also gluten intolerant. Fun! I am also dairy intolerant just because I’m special. I’ve recently had lots of digestion issues and am so tired of always feeling poorly and having an irritated gut, so I’m going to do something about it.

There you go. I’ll blog more about my journey at another time. But here’s a start.

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This is so Jason will find something when he checks.

Little bit of a lull, eh? Sorry. Life, four children, homeschool, tomatoes, poultry, blah blah blah.

Oh yes, and yesterday, we started a gut-to-the-studs remodel of our lower level bathroom. The one we were not planning on remodeling (beyond paint). This is what happens when WORMS CRAWL OUT OF YOUR ROTTEN WALLS. You can bet I ran straight for the crowbar and cancelled any fun plans for the holiday weekend. (And to be honest, I handed the crowbar right over to Jason, who donned his super special hazmat mask, taped off the downstairs with blue tape and polyethylene sheeting, and got to work. Thanks, honey. We miss you.)

It’s complicated, but essentially, the bathroom shares a wall with an under-the-stairs utility space that houses the well tank, water softener tanks (three, it’s kind of a complicated system), and lots of copper pipes. This area was drenched, all the tanks and pipes were sweating, and the water was seeping under to the bathroom. That part is all condensation. We bought a dehumdifier, pipe wrap insulation, and bubble foil (for the tanks) and plan to go to town with the duct tape to cut the condensation. We have fans blasting, too, and the water issue is greatly reduced now.

But like I said, it’s complicated, so there’s more. The previous owners of our house did some very terrible things in the name of DIY (and are the perfect example of what DIY should NOT be), and basically this whole bathroom was shoddy from the start. The prefab shower was leaking, and everything around and underneath it ended up moldy (which we discovered after we started yanking things out). Some of the studs are moldy, not much, but we might have to replace/sister in something to get rid of the mold there. Everything else that was moldy is yanked out. The drywall in half the bathroom and the entire ceiling is gone, too.

The new plan: clean up the water and mold, clean it some more, run the dehumidifier and fans non-stop for a while, and take a deep breath. We did not budget for this, so there really isn’t any extra money for a new bathroom, but with a family our size, a second bathroom is very handy. So we’ll see what we can scrap together. We may use the pedestal sink we bought for our upstairs bathroom remodel (*sniff*), re-use the toilet, and buy an old cast iron clawfoot tub and have it re-finished.

The first thing we will do, however, after cleaning up all the water and mold, is INSTALL A VENT FAN. The previous owners never did, and we put it off because we don’t use that bathroom very often. It will have to vent out the front of the house, which is not exactly in line with my exterior decor plan, but whatever.

So, that’s what I’ve been up to this merry Labor Day weekend! How about you?

(School is fine. Great, even. We’ve been at it for two weeks, in preparation for a vacation that is coming up, and the girls are loving it. The boys are…challenging. Especially that “baby” of mine, who is nearly 20 months old and is SO MUCH TROUBLE. I feel like I say that a lot about Cal, but gosh it’s true. So mischievous, that one.)

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Plum Tuckered Out

I have mostly enjoyed posting every day of November thus far, but today is one of those days that I’m all NaBloPoMoed out. Just tired from a busy weekend, but I’m sure I’ll be back, fresh-as-a-daisy, tomorrow morning. I’ll postpone the Christmas Gift Ideas 2010: Dress Up post until then. But see? Here I am, still posting, because I want to see this thing through ’til the end. A few bullet points for you, then I’m relaxing these typing fingers:

• Had fun celebrating Thanksgiving with J’s side of the family Thursday, and my side of the family today. It was great to see everyone and remember how much I have to be thankful for.
• I’ve pretty much been eating non-stop for the past four days, and it really must stop. All that baby weight I finally lost is going to creep right back on!
• Speaking of baby weight – I have recently dropped all of my Cal, Asher, and Ellery pregnancy weight. But that stubborn 20 lbs. that I gained after having Maya (it’s really nursing weight, not baby weight, as my body likes to add/hang on to fat while I nurse) just won’t let go. I’m hoping that someday, when Cal is done nursing, I will have a chance to lose that last 20 lbs. (and perhaps a few extra, too). That would make me pretty happy.
• In the mean time, I’d like to get out and walk more, just to stay in shape. I am plenty active with these kids and taking care of our little farm, but sometimes nothing beats a meditative prayer and/or thinking walk, you know? Good for body and soul. It’s difficult to find the time, as my days are packed to the brim, and my husband isn’t around when it’s daylight for me to go walking. I need creative suggestions for ways to make it happen. Got any?
• We lost one more chicken over Thanksgiving. To a hawk. In the woods. (Many chickens,  including ours, are good at hiding from hawks in the woods/brush. But no one told these hawks that they’re not supposed to hunt there. Our first hawk attack, wherein the chicken survived, was in the woods, still lush from summer growth. This last death was also in the woods, though a more barren late fall variety. Apparently we have smart hawks who don’t avoid the woods like others do?) The chickens have been kept locked up since yesterday. Today, I looked out the window and saw a hawk brazenly land on top of one of our chicken coops! He was looking for a way in, no doubt. He waited a minute after seeing me before flying away. I know he can’t get it, so I wasn’t worried.
• But what am I going to do? I hate locking those chickens up.

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Dust Allergy

We just discovered that Maya is extremely allergic to dust mites. The good news is that it’s not plants or mold, so we can throw open the windows as much as we want. (The outside air is cleaner than the inside air.) The bad news is that we need to do some work to eliminate dust mites in her bedroom so she can breathe at night.

Anyone have experience with a dust allergy to share?

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No ‘Poo Update

I haven’t updated on my shampoo-free experimentation. But I got a question via email recently, so thought I’d do a quick update.

I’m back to using an organic shampoo and natural-ish conditioner. I only use a teaspoon or so of the shampoo, and just on my roots, every other day . I had to take a break from the no-pooing, mostly because baking soda lightens my very dark hair. And, my hair is super greasy, and I haven’t found the baking soda/vinegar combo that really gets it clean. I’m sure I could if I stuck with it, but enter the hair lightening factor, and I needed a break.

Have you gone no poo? What’s your experience? Any fellow dark, wavy-haired greasies want to share how it works for you? (As a side note, I’m tired of reading about how people with wavy and curly hair have drier hair, so they have to wash less often, and never should use shampoo. I have very wavy hair, but a very greasy scalp. Am I just a freak of nature?)

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Sick. In July.

Who gets sick in July? We do, folks. Asher’s been coughing at night for months. Last week, it turned into a full-fledged cold. But now he’s back to coughing only at night again. He seems no worse for the wear.

Maya had a tummy ache Sunday, then a fever Monday. She also had the sniffles. She’s totally fine now.

I, however, am sick as a dog and ready to crawl in a hole and die. It progressed exactly the way all of my colds do:

• Day One: Sore throat*.
• Day Two: Intense pressure as sinuses fill.
• Day Three: Runny nose/headache.
• Day Four: Worst Day Ever.
• Day Five: Back to mostly runny nose. Add in coughing.
• Day Six: Symptoms subside, except coughing, which worsens. Realize I will not die. Life is looking up.

I am on Day Four, just so you know.  (Oh, and I got a bonus migraine last night.) I’ll see you on the other side, if I survive. I’m so blessed that Jason is home for most of today to help. I feel bad asking him, but it’s just that awful.

*Is this normal? I don’t get a cold that doesn’t start with a sore throat. Some have told me I should get my tonsils checked. But it seems so dinosaur to have your tonsils out nowadays. Plus, a friend did it, and you can’t be pregnant or nursing, so I’ve been ineligible for pretty much seven years now. But if it would reduce the amount of colds I got…

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Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

I am 11 weeks, 2 days pregnant. There are only four days until the day I passed Winter in my last pregnancy, and I haven’t had a sign of spotting in many weeks. My uterus is easily palpable, and the kids and the hubs are both able to feel the “baby bag” in the mornings. I’m feeling very positive about this pregnancy, and thank God for the blessing of life. We continue to pray that we will meet our healthy, full-term baby in January (New Year’s Day would be perfect).

I drank red raspberry leaf tea with nettles mixed in during most of the second and third trimesters of Asher’s pregnancy. (See Mountain Rose Herbs for a great way to buy bulk and organic; they are currently out of stock of raspberry leaf, so I bought from here instead this time.) I brewed a strong quart each day, strained and refrigerated it, and drank it iced. I found it delicious and refreshing. I don’t know if it has anything to do with my bag of waters remaining intact until I was fully dilated, but if there’s any chance it does, I’m totally going for it again. Labor with the bag of waters intact was a whole different (preferable, wonderful) animal, compared to labor after my waters have broken. I already have quick, intervention-free labors, so I can’t say if the RRL tea helped with that or not, but many people think it does help with easier labors. (See this thread at Mothering.com for dozens of pages of testimonials, including my own, here.)

This time, I ordered red raspberry leaf, alfalfa, and nettles. I’ll mix them all up (8 parts rrl, 3 parts alfalfa, 2 parts nettles, per the recipe given here for Mama’s Red Raspberry Brew, minus the peppermint) and brew a pot daily. (You can also buy the Brew pre-mixed at the link I gave, but I calculated that I’ll save money and get 50% more by mixing my own. Plus, I didn’t need the peppermint.) I strain the herb leaves out with a sieve, but you could easily used a fine mesh colander, cheese cloth, or tea towel. (Just be sure to wash with a castile soap and boil your cloths several times to remove detergent residues.) I didn’t order peppermint because we have peppermint growing here, and I can add fresh leaves in if I want to. We also have a stevia plant that I can add leaves from if I want the tea to be sweet. But I prefer it the way it is.

Why did I wait this long? Because I wanted to be sure things were going well before spending the money on the herbs. There has been some talk of RRL tea being linked to bleeding and/or contractions during the first trimester, though the research indicates that’s not true. But due to our loss, I’m not taking any chances. So we decided to wait until the second trimester to start the RRL tea. I do think that RRL tea during the first trimester is probably completely safe, but I think I can still reap the benefits by waiting and starting in the second, so that’s the path I chose.

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I FOUND A TICK ON MY SCALP.

Just scratching an itch, and I felt something. Pulled it out, praying the whole time that it was just dandruff or food or anything but a tick. But it was a tick. Right before bed. Ask me how thoroughly I checked the sheets and pillows. Ask me how long it took me to fall asleep.

I had a very emotional day yesterday. Asher will be needing some tests done to rule out a serious condition that scares me to death. (He is currently fine, but has some markers that caused our doctor to recommend further testing.)  The same doctor also forcibly retracted Asher’s foreskin in the blink of an eye after being our doctor for nine months and three prior well baby visits without ever touching that area. He did it so fast, before I could finish saying, “I don’t want you to do that.” I feel sad and violated for Asher. And mad at myself for not pressing the issue further afterward.

The tick on my scalp was the straw that broke the camel’s back. We moved out to the country to fulfill a dream of small scale farming. We want our children to grow up knowing where their food came from, helping to grow it, collect it, milk it, etc. We want them to spend as much time every day outdoors, exploring and playing. I want to spend hours on a picnic blanket each morning, doing school and art and lunch. The ticks are robbing us of that joy right now. Every time they sit on the ground to dig in the dirt or run in the tall grass to play, they get ticks on them. They are wearing pants, socks, and tennis shoes instead of sandals, capris, and/or dresses. This is a dealbreaker for me; I can’t spend the rest of my life in fear of ticks and tick-borne diseases. We can’t go get the mail without doing a thorough tick search after we get back. I can’t even feed the chickens, a short 20′ from my front door, without finding a tick on my pants when I return. It is maddening!

Please pray for Asher’s health and for my sanity. And for a miraculous removal of all the ticks on our property.

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Migraines

Last night I had a migraine so bad that I thought I was going to die. If you were to delete all of the hyperbole in this blog, you would still be left with that sentence. I really thought I was going to die. I nearly had Jason call 911, but I was in too much pain to talk. While I had had a dull headache all day, the acute part came on lightning quick, and I wasn’t able to sit up to drink water and down some (more) ibuprofen. Jason had to squirt it in my mouth with a syringe. The lights and sounds were excruciating (not characteristic of my normal, everyday headaches), so we turned off the lamps and t.v. I finally fell asleep by lying very still. The 800 mg of ibuprofen did their work, and when I awoke at 2:30 a.m., I was groggy but headache-free. Thankfully, Asher slept the whole time.

In the past two months, I’ve had two ocular migraines (also known as “migraines with aura”), but the actual headaches afterward were unremarkable. This one had no aura beforehand, but the headache was the worse I’ve ever had. All three times, it was in the evening, while I was watching t.v. I think I was on my stomach all three times, too.

Do you have migraines? How do you treat them? I haven’t seen a doctor about them in years, because prior to February, I hadn’t had one for probably four years. I don’t really want to treat them with medication, and yet, I can’t go through something like last night again. I would really like to identify the triggers, but I know that can be a difficult thing to pinpoint.

To top it all off, Maya threw up before breakfast this morning. We so rarely get the pukes around here that it took me by surprise. So far, she’s the only one…

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Loss

It is with a heavy heart that I post today. Our sweet baby’s heart is no longer beating, and I am miscarrying.

Spotting resumed on Christmas Day, and turned into bleeding on Sunday. Yesterday I went to an ER in the upper peninsula (we were at Cedar Campus) and the worst was confirmed. I would have been 11 weeks, 3 days.

I am devastated. It seems so much more difficult, considering the miracle we experienced just two weeks ago with this same babe.

Please pray for us, especially the children. As difficult as it was, finding out that our baby was gone, it was even more difficult to tell the children. Maya, in particular, is have a very hard time.

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