Gluten-Free Thanksgiving

I've started my gluten-free Thanksgiving baking. I made cookies with chocolate toffee bits in them. I've baked chocolate chip banana bread. I have also made a loaf of sandwich bread, rolls, and bread dough to make into caramel rolls sometime this week. Oh....and I used some older gluten-free bread to make dried bread for stuffing.

I will be working on the pumpkin pies when I get there. I have gluten-free brownie mix and gluten-free rice krispies to make rice krispy treats.

I found my favorite bread mix. It comes in a green box...and I can't remember the name right now. But I had tried another kind of bread mix and the bread just fell apart after I baked it. But this one was an actual sandwich bread mix. I was able to bake it, let it cool, and then slice it pretty thin and it stayed together. So we will use that for Turkey sandwiches and toast this week.

I will eventually get my recipes on here, but I just had to share how much stuff I am able to do gluten-free. (it's pretty much everything really).

I'll keep ya'll posted on how well it all goes over. I'm hoping to get my family to eat one gluten-free meal with me just so they know that it's not all bad. There's nothing to be afraid of. I already got Martie's boyfriend, Neal to like the chocolate toffee cookies. Score one for this mommy!!!

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving everyone!

Gluten-Free

I think I'm gonna (as well as posting inspiring stories) start posting about my gluten-free journey. I started it a couple months ago and then quit. But I started it again yesterday. I think it would be kinda fun to share recipes and tips about my favorite gluten-free products.

Like I said, I re-started this again yesterday. I weighed myself yesterday morning and then carefully monitored what I ate to make sure it was gluten-free. When I weighed myself this morning I had already lost 3 pounds. I was shocked! I really wasn't expecting it to work that fast.

I'm really excited about Thanksgiving and Christmas and have given myself a personal challenge to eat exactly what everyone else is eating...but make the gluten-free version.

For Thanksgiving:
I have a pie crust recipe and plan to make myself (and my daughter) a gluten-free pumpkin pie. We have gluten-free cream soups, so I will make us a green bean casserole. And don't forget the stuffing, rolls, and of course the gravy!!! My challenge is gonna be to make all these things for us, so we don't miss out on anything. Good thing the turkey is gluten-free...lol.

I will share how this goes as I make them...and I'll share how good (or not good) they were.

And here's my inspiration for you for the day:

From a strictly Mathematical Viewpoint:
What equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 101%? What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11=98%

and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5=96%

but,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5=100%

AND, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4=101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

God said "NO"

So I decided to go through forwards I've gotten through e-mail and have printed out. I found a lot of very inspirational stories, poems, and other things. I'm always running out of ideas to make my blog more interesting, so I'm gonna start posting some of these periodically. They will reflect what is speaking to me at the moment...so you'll still get a glimpse of me through them. Here goes!!!

God said "NO"
I asked god to take away my habit.
God said, "No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up to me."

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, "No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary."

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, "No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;
it isn't granted, it is learned."

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, "No.
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you."

I asked God to spare me pain.
He said, "No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to Me."

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
He said, "No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful."

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said. "No.
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all thigs."

I asked God to hel pme LOVE others, as much as He loves me.
God said, "...Ahhh, finally you have the idea."

"May the Lord bless youand keep you,
May the Lord make His face shine upon you,
and give you peace...Forever"

My baby boy

Today I did one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I buried our most recent angel baby. We named him Isaac Samuel. I've had 8 miscarriages, but have never been able to actually bury our babies.

We picked out a nice little box to put his remains in and then I used a wooden recipe box to put that little box in along with cards and letters from us as his family.

He's not too far from us. There is a small tree in our backyard and I thought it was the perfect place for my sweet angel. I bought a cross marker that has his name and the date that he passed. I placed flowers by his tiny grave and a stone on top of his place of rest.

I know to most people, a miscarriage means nothing but a woman losing a pregnancy that would have one day been a baby....but to a woman who has had a miscarriage they are losing an actual baby. Someone they wanted to get to know and watch grow up. A woman already loves her baby from the moment that she finds out this tiny person is real. (aka...a positive pregnancy test).

I know most people think that life is supposed to just go on like normal, but I just can't do that. I have to grieve like any other person that loses a loved one. I made a good step today. I was able to get motivated to clean my house and do some work that I've been neglecting. I thought this was a great step in the right direction. I know that I can continue to move on because of today.

Sorry if this post seems too personal, but it's like I said...I am pretty sure it's just for my benefit anyway.