When Sadness Becomes Happy-ness

Oh, this is going to be a smattering of stuff that you will either be fascinated with or not. It is actually going to be the uncensored thoughts of my brain RIGHT NOW. I might censor when I proof it but the general rule I have learned when it comes to developing a blog is to do it often, keep it short, and it doesn’t matter what the content is.

I absolutely love the 4th of July. There is always a good memory associated with it, whether it be sparklers and homemade ice cream in my grandparents backyard or the fireworks I saw last year in Warner Robins. We’re headed back there tomorrow, staying nearby at a great bed and breakfast resort and basically creating somewhat of a tradition. The concert and fireworks are free and my brother in law will be playing in the Air Force Band which means we’ll get good seats. yea Tim!

Yes, we were there exactly a year ago and I’ve spent the evening thinking about what’s the same and what’s different in a year’s time. The obvious difference is the fact that we might be seeing the recession fireworks show tomorrow night. Last year they spared no expense and I loved seeing all my tax dollars light up in the sky, it lasted FOREVER and I was just plain grateful to be standing on American soil, surrounded by the veterans and members of the Air Force witnessing it. Now, I’m not to sure what we’ll see tomorrow but something tells me that my tax dollars are busy paying for something else this year. We shall see.

We’ve got a new president. I’ve got a new doctor (joy!) and seem to be managing all my growing pains much better now. My children are growing WAY UP really FAST. Other relationships in my life are different too… some are deeper and more fulfilling than ever. Others of them make me sad because they are strangely different. I’ve learned lately that it’s okay to be sad because sometimes, well, it just is what it is. And sometimes really letting myself be sad about something is when real happy-ness begins.

There is much to be happy about today as I sit on my new love-and-respect seat in my newly painted room. I don’t have to go into great detail here. The one that knows of my happy-ness also knows the how, why, when and where of it all.

I love my life.

today

Out of nowhere today my son said something so reassuring to me it had to be the voice of God speaking into the car.

Canon said, today it’s okay if you’re late mommy. Sometimes you just have to be late and it’s okay.

late for what? I asked him.

for anything. sometimes you’ve got to just be late and it’s okay, was his reply.

he said it like three times. I said, you’re a smart boy Canon. he said, you’re a smart mommy, mommy.

and I think it was the best part of my day today.

Burden + Opportunity = Godly Leaders

“Nehemiah didn’t discover his purpose until he was confronted with a problem. That’s the way it works for most godly leaders. They don’t have to go looking for something that captures their hearts. The calling comes as the result of obediently seizing an opportunity that is close at hand. The burden precedes their vision for the leadership.”

~John Maxwell

HT to Suzanne, who is my hero, battling cancer. John Maxwell is always right on!!!

My 5 Favorite Gluten Free Items in my Fridge Right Now

Since I know you’ve been wondering what in the world I eat on a regular basis (besides Snickers and 3 Musketeers bars) I thought I would give you a little look into my fridge. Please ignore the fact that it needs to be cleaned in a big way.

1) Organic Tamari Wheat Free Soy Sauce
2) Organicville Tarragon Dijon Vinaigrette
3) Seal Sama Teriyaki Sauce
4) Annie’s Naturals Organic BBQ sauce, Hot Chipotle
5) Organicville Organic Ketchup

I am noticing as I type this list that all of these are sauces of some sort. And that makes complete sense! Because you can take chicken or pork and make it oriental or bar-b-quey. Or, you can dip veggies in the Tarragon Dijon or even use it as a marinade, besides, it tastes great on any and all salads. Best of all, an order of McD’s fries is gluten free and is better than ever when dipped in my Organicville Ketchup!

Another common theme is there is NO WHEAT DISTILLED VINEGAR in any of the aforementioned products. Organic cider vinegar or rice vinegar = okay. Wheat = fever, rash, achy joints, in the bed, sick. I don’t know why. Except my research indicates that folks with my particular autoimmune condition cannot digest the wheat protein, gluten. All of a sudden my body thinks it’s a foreign substance and it begins attacking itself. Crazy! But I don’t think I would know how to live my life if it weren’t a little crazy now and then.

In all honesty, I love vinegar and I hate the fact that I can’t ingest it. I’m a greek salad girl, a full moon bar-b-que sauce woman, a heinz ketchup fanatic. But I’ve found some substitutions and they are quite good and they are good for me. I just ate my organic tamari soy sauce on a stir fry I whipped up tonight. And I’m feeling fine! And by the way, PF Changs has that gluten free menu with this same sauce :). It’s all good!

On my next post, I’ll give you a sampling of what we eat around here. I promise it’s not boring! And if you’re really curious about eating “G-free” (I sound so hip when I say it that way - ha!) then comment on this post and we’ll have you over for dinner. For real. Consider yourself invited!

Isn’t it

ironic:
definitions from the urban dictionary

1. A situation where the result is a complete reverse (and practical mockery) of what was expected

2. A word heavy misused and abused in conversation today, mostly by people who think that using the word in any way will automatically make them seem intelligent. The word is usually misused to exactly mean “coincidental” or “tragic”, when again it doesn’t mean this (see #1)
If the heavy metal band Anthrax dies of anthrax, that would be poetically tragic, but not ironic. If a diabetic crosses the street and is run over by a truck carrying insulin, then it’s ironic.

“Isn’t it ironic that the pop song ‘Ironic’ contains absolutely no examples of irony?”

“One issue of Mad Magazine showed Alfred E. Neuman face-down in the desert, crushed to death by a parachuted crate of first aid supplies. Now THAT was ironic!”

2. ironic
containing irony
irony:
-the opposite of the literal meaning
-a mismatch between the expected and the actual result
pro-lifers making death threats to Michael Schiavo is ironic

3. ironic
That a song about things which are ironic makes no mention of any things which are, in fact, ironic.

The Best Parenting Advice

I’ve gotten so far…

The job of the parent is to help children come to know themselves, grow to like themselves, and find satisfaction in being themselves ~ Chuck Swindoll

That changes everything.

What Elisabeth Hasselbeck and Shelley Shaw Have In Common

This is a stretch. But here we go…

We’re moms. We both have great husbands. She does have a spot on a major TV talk show, which, if given the opportunity, I’d do the same in a New York minute. And we’re both blonde. She likes Sarah Palin. So do I. And I like Australia. Maybe she does too? Surely she does, after being on the Outback Survivor show and all.

But here’s the biggest connection I have to this celebrity. She’s gluten free! How ’bout that?

I get asked daily about this and I have found it is simple to explain. However, once it sinks in, most folks look at me like I’m crazy and say, “wait a minute, what DO you eat?” It’s tricky, but there is a way.

My story is much different than hers, as most of us with a gluten intolerance would tell you. It is generally on a case by case basis and sometimes (well, ALOT of times) goes undiagnosed. Because wheat is a huge part of the Western diet, it is impossible for most people to imagine living with out it. But truth be told, I’m living because I do live with out it.

Chronic pain and inflammation is a foreign concept to many and was to me before I began noticing how bad I felt a couple of years ago. I wondered, why I am bloated 3 weeks of the month? Why do I feel sick and have brain fog after eating a bowl of oatmeal? Those were uncomfortable symptoms but I lived with them. Until I started a fever, joint pain and a rash that would NEVER go away. Yikes! I had every test under the sun. And what came back was an elevated rheumatoid factor. Then my proactive, take charge self decided it was time to figure this out.

I was not diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. But it was becoming apparent I had an autoimmune disorder and these things take time, sometimes years, to figure out. Ever heard of prostrate prayer? Well, you can bet I was on my face daily. And when I wasn’t on my face I was in the bed. And when I wasn’t in the bed I was in pain. Again, Elisabeth had her aches and pains and I did too. I would say agony might be another thing we have in common. Plus food!!! Food, had become the enemy. Both Elisabeth and I have been at war with our own bodies.

Long story short, people suffering from a wide range of diseases—from autism to osteoporosis, from diabetes to rheumatoid arthritis—can often benefit from a gluten free diet. A chiropractor finally told me I needed to give this wheat free/gluten free thing a try. I was ready for anything. When you live this way for any length of time you will do ANYTHING to get better.

So, I have been gluten free for a year now and I am coming out on the other side of this crazy season of my life. I still have a chronic autoimmune condition which requires daily medication but by controlling the amount of wheat and gluten in my diet I have become much better. I do not have the same condition Elisabeth has, but my autoimmune disorder goes hand in hand with gluten intolerance.

Gluten is the binding element in wheat. It is a protein and once it gets into my bloodstream my autoimmune system attacks it as a foreign substance. I can handle LOTS of other foods (thank you God!) but not wheat. And it’s a full time job figuring out what you can eat. Thank goodness for celebrities like Elisabeth, for shedding some “celebrity” light on this discovery. Who knows, I might have another thing in common with her. We might just be trendsetters.

And I’m good with it.

yesterday

Laugh it off let it go and
When you wake up it will seem
So yesterday, so yesterday

The Value of Things Not Sought For

ser·en·dip·i·ty

Function:
noun

: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for ;

1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.
3. An instance of making such a discovery.

:an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

This was today. Didn’t plan it, didn’t go looking for it. Serendipity. Now I know what it is.

The Blessing of Field Trips

April 15th, 2009

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go on a field trip with Canon’s class… I say it was an opportunity because it truly is just that, an opportunity, a chance. So many field trips I’ve been on and I don’t think I’ve ever taken one for granted. First of all, it is such a gift to have children of my very own in my life. Second of all, I am so blessed to have a boy and a girl, what a joy it is to see the world through Canon’s eyes! And thirdly, they are growing up and each day is a day the Lord has given me to see them through it. How good God has been to me!

The hayride was the highlight of the trip

I am cherishing this because over the weekend I got the words I knew I would hear one day.

me: “I sure wanted to go with you on that field trip to Montgomery, Melodi. I am sorry it didn’t work out this time…”
melodi: “that’s okay mom. I think I had more fun without you being on it.”

She went on to say how grown up she felt. Last week she had the opportunity, the chance, and she took a charter bus with a bunch of school kids and with $25 in hand and her gameboy she left for a full day on the town. Before I know it she is going to be dressed for prom for a full night on the town. I just hope she doesn’t take her gameboy. But if she does, that boy better just consider himself darn lucky. Because not every girl can make a gameboy a fashion accessory ;).