Spring and Clean

I was in Greenwood Friday and over the weekend cleaning some more. I think everything is as clean as possible until we paint and lay the new flooring. Steve is busy in the field but the next rain we plan to begin the major jobs or at least hire someone.

This time I remembered to clean the oven. I also took a load of kitchen items and place them in the kitchen. I love unpacking a little at a time rather than tons of boxes all at one time. This way when I decide to change the location of something there's not so much to move and believe me I do that regularly.

To share some more photos, remember the main photos of the new house will come as we get the room ready to move into.

My cup collection is all packed up but I have not taken it over yet, it was in the china cabinet and I haven't decided whether I'm going to put it back there or not. By the way the china cabinet is still in Macon.

Lots of packing going on!!

Added to the kitchen counter this week.

I took at break and walked through the yard a few times.

I have three roses blooming here in Macon a far cry from the ten bushes that I had until the plane sprayed them. This is one thing I will not miss about living on a farm my roses will only die by an act of nature. Honey picked this one and brought it in to me last night.

So how do you eat gluten-free while traveling between two houses all the time. Right now it's really hard but I'm trying to get my kitchen over there workable. When I return to the farm I am still able to cook. I'm dividing all the dishes, cookware etc so that I can cook at both places eventually.

That'll have to do ya for this time!

Grand Children ARE Grand,

I've been blessed in watching Punkin for Be and Ash the last couple of days. Thursday Ash took the afternoon off to do some shopping and yesterday Ben and Ashia went to a movie. Every time I watch her I marvel at the new things she is doing. I know she's probably done them in front of her parents but not for Gammy. So these times are special. Here are a few things I've caught on camera.

 

She loves to watching Nick Jr. so it is convenient that she now holds her own bottle. Such a cutie.

It seems the bottle got heavy for her so she was so cute putting her foot inside to help support it. Is this lazy? I think it's smart!

Her Mom has her hooked on Ni Hao, Kai-lan this is a Chinese learning show for babies. Ashia has always had a passion for adopting and would love to adopt from China in the future. To learn more about this read her blog HERE...

This was so funny, I don't think she was very hungry and chose to talk while taking her bottle. After a while of this I took the bottle away.

I was tired and had a headache so again she was watching Wonder Pets while sitting in the recliner next to me.

We do a lot of activities not just watch TV. She has a exer-saucer that she loves and spends a lot of time in, when she gets tired of it I lay her on her play mat a while then we'll eat, watch a little television and take a nap. She's really good and a easy baby to keep! Thank you Jesus!!!

We ate at "Trailboss" last night; I appreciate the way they cater to me to make sure that I can eat without getting sick. Thank you!

Now, I guess you're wondering why I'm not in Indiana, I will be soon. They have put Mary's procedure off a few days so we are still home getting some things done around here.

So my next blog will be written from Indiana soon!

Thank you friends you are a blessing!

Gluten Free Pantry at Wal-mart in the Delta!!!!

I took my usual trip to Wal-mart after getting settled in my castle (or camper) in the Delta to buy the ingredients for a gourmet meal. (Usually something VERY simple!) Farmer Steve had suggested that I make something with pasta for supper and my reply was kind of cocky. I told him that he must have forgotten that I have to eat gluten-free and there was no where to buy my pasta close to us, that he should have suggested that before we left home.

I had a small list of things I needed and had planed on buying some type of chicken to cook but then when I walked into the store it consumed me. I started at the back and walked up and down each and every isle dreaming of everything in the store being gluten-free. While checking to see if they had the Betty Croker Gluten-Free cake mixes I had a vision. Right in front of my eyes was "The Gluten-Free Pantry" baking mixes for brownies and muffins. I reached up and took one of each and then realized that this was not a vision it was a dream come true. Up until this point I was walking slowly as if dead lice was falling off of me but not NOW. My adrenalin started pumping and I started speed walking up and down the isles. I thought that if they have these in the store what else may be hidden on these shelves. As I approached the isle with pasta I walked right by it but then had a second thought, maybe they have gluten-free pasta now? THEY DID on the bottom shelve there it was "DeBoles Gluten-Free" pasta in spaghetti style and one other type that I can't recall right now. Also, in their brand (Great Value) they had spaghetti sauce with "Gluten-Free" in big bold letters.

This is all I ran across on this trip to Wal-mart but you had better believe I will be looking closer every time I go there for more gluten-free treats. I will also be checking out the Wal-mart stores near Macon to see what they have.

Thank you Wal-Mart you are helping to make life easier for us Celiacs!


The Finished Product



I recently found a gluten-free Milky Way spread so I thought this would be a great addition to my brownies. YUM

Eating Myself into a Coma?

I’ve often heard are said, “I’m going to eat myself into a coma,” and this holiday weekend I thought I really was.


Saturday Ashia came in with me some Sunkist fruit gems, these little jewels are great. Ben and Ashia recently toured the Jelly Belly Factory in San Francisco, California and because Jelly Belly's are not gluten-free only Steve got some. But they found these little fruit slices that were gluten-free and treated me to a bag of them. I loved them but could never find them around here and just last week Ashia found the same thing but in different form at Barns & Noble book store. Thank you Ashia you made my rain day bright.

On Sunday we visited First United Methodist Church in Macon. They had a special speaker who is a long time friend of Steve’s and we have not seen him or his wife for a couple of years now. It was fun to visit with all of our old friends at the Methodist Church. After church we stayed and enjoyed a covered dish meal with everyone. I had made a “Chicken and Broccoli” casserole that everyone loves. I got this recipe from a friend in Guatemala and have transformed it to be Gluten-Free. (Recipe listed below)




Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1-cup mayonnaise (Hellman’s is gluten-free)
2 eggs
1 onion; chopped into small pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use Glutano cream of mushroom soup mix)
1 ½ cups water
1 tsp. garlic salt
4 cups broccoli; partially cooked
1 chicken; cooked and chopped
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1-cup gluten-free breadcrumbs

Instructions:

Mix the first six ingredients together and set aside. Mix the chicken, broccoli, breadcrumbs and cheese together, add the mayonnaise mixture to it. Put in a 3x9x12 dish and bake in the oven for 1-hour at 350 degrees.
ENJOY

Sunday afternoon my Dad came for a visit and we cooked and ate the whole time we were together. Ben and Ashia joined us and supplied part of the food. We had a big variety including Rotel Dip, grilled deer sausage, pork chops, steak, hamburgers, fries, baked beans potato salad, grape salad, apple pie and Better Than Sex cake. Some of the food wasn’t gluten-free but believe me I had PLENTY!!!!

I am having another flair up with my stomach, I guess I’m going to have to break down and call my Gastroenterologist and get an appointment for him to decide which step to take. The last time he did the procedure to stretch the opening from my stomach to my intestines, he said if it keeps closing he’ll go in and put a shunt there to keep it opened. I hate any type of surgery no matter how small so I always put it off as long as I can. The last few days I have been extremely uncomfortable every time I eat anything and sometimes I can’t get the food to go down, this is a sure sign that something needs to be done.



I went to the grocery store today and my favorite butter, “Brummel & Brown“ vegetable oil spread, it is now labeled Gluten-Free! As you probably know I get so excited when I see this. It will be no time and everyone will know about or have heard about living life gluten-free. Thank you to all of those out there who have helped to make a difference.

So Much Beauty in the Midst of the Ugly

Last Saturday I woke up around 6am with another terrible headache. Ashia and I were supposed to go baby shopping but didn’t make it. After a late breakfast Steve was going to work mowing up around the farm so I asked that he take the ant killer with him and sprinkle it on all the massive ant beds in our yard. He suggested that I do it because I probably needed to get some sunshine; while the sun was shining we had a big chance for rain later on in the day. So off I go with my little shaker to try and kill the ants all of the rain had brought in. While I was out side I was looking at my flowers. I don’t have a lot of flowers anymore because with my allergies I can’t work in the yard like I use to but I still love the ones I do have. While is was outside my head started stopping up and I started sneezing and I thought to myself, “there is so much beauty in the midst of the ugly”. Not that anything outside is ugly but when I have an allergy attack while outside I think of my ugly allergies. I have posted a few photos of the beauty!

We are in the Delta and I have just finished cleaning my home away from home. It is very small and doesn’t take a lot of my time though it gets really dusty here on the farm. I cover the coach to try and keep the dust down. When I go home I always take the cover and wash it.

I have the better of two jobs though Steve is out mowing up in the yard around the camper to try and rid us of many snakes. I guess after having 12+ inches of rain we are abundantly blessed with snakes. I’m not talking about Rat or King snakes I’m talking about deadly poisonous Cottonmouths. Steve didn’t have to tell me but one time, “if you go outside be sure and walk in the gravel”!

This afternoon we are leaving Inverness and returning to Macon to pick up more supplies and clean clothes. We plan to return soon and should be able to work in the field by Wednesday afternoon. After cleaning the house yesterday I am either having an allergy attack or I have taken a head cold. Either one is no fun! I may go to the Doctor before returning and see if she will give me a shot.