THANK YOU MEE!

I am so glad to be back writing again! I think that I am finally getting back to normal. I have thought about putting my thoughts on paper but have not been able to concentrate long enough to get the words down in black and white.

Life has been a challenge since Labor Day weekend. There have been many days of waking up, cooking breakfast and going back to bed. My off days have consisted of alternating housework for 30 minutes and napping for an hour.  I have cancelled lunches with girlfriends and workouts at the gym in place of lying in bed and resting, all due to eating gluten over Labor Day Weekend.

For 6 weeks I spent my time praying that something or someone would help me. I had a burning in my stomach that felt like a cigarette lighter and I could barely move for the pain and swelling in my joints.  Also, the Celiac Disease was affecting my Hashimoto’s Disease. My labs were haywire. Normal Thyroid Peroxidase is 0-34. Mine is 1176. Also, my weight went up 25

lbs in 2 weeks! I was for lack of a better phrase a hot mess!

Then one day in October, I saw something on the local news that has changed my life! I saw Mee Tracy McCormick and her book ‘My Kitchen Cure”! She was talking about better alternatives for Thanksgiving and curing chronic Autoimmune Disease through diet!  As I watched and cried, I knew that my prayers were answered. I ordered the book on Nook and couldn’t put it down! Then I bought the book in hard copy and got to work.

I am now able to go to the gym and ride the stationary bike for 45 minutes, I am back into yoga, and I have lost 15 of the 25 pounds that I have put on! I have gotten rid of the processed and canned food in my house with the exception of a few cans of beans and coconut milk, canned tuna and organic chicken broth. I also have a shelf of gluten free chips and crackers that I keep in case we get invited out and need to take an appetizer or snack to a friends house!

I am so thankful to Mee and I want to recommend that you all go out and buy her book! Her story is an inspiration and has been a blessing to me! I am leaving you with a picture of my new non-processed pantry!!!! 

Recovering From a Backslide

Have you ever wondered why life turns out the way it does?  Me too! However, I’ve decided to move on and quit wondering and start living!

I am now almost 3 weeks past my Celiac breakout and 7 days past steroids, still feeling bad, still itching but thankful that I am slowly healing. The last 3 weeks have given me a new perspective on life! I am so thankful that I am able to enjoy my life and so blessed that I have been given a chance to move on and learn a new way of thinking!  Although, I have been gluten free for almost a year, it was by choice (I could deal with a little joint pain or swelling if I really had to eat that special something!). Now it is a matter of my life and well-being.  I cannot repeat another outbreak just because I want that piece of cake or those fried shrimp. After 3 weeks, my body is still not back to normal. I still find myself taking naps and having to struggle to finish tasks. I also know that if my skin is this bad after 3 weeks, my stomach and intestines must be horrible!

I spent yesterday going through my pantry. Although I have been eating relatively gluten free for almost a year, I needed to verify that EVERYTHING in my house is gluten free.  I ended up with only one thing of barbeque sauce that I was not sure about. I read the ingredients and noticed that at one point it said “spices”. I got it out of the pantry! I remembered Vanessa’s teaching: If the manufacturer won’t tell you what “spices”, it is not safe to eat!

Another thing that I am working on is a list of restaurants where I can safely eat. For those of you in the Nashville area, Darfon’s and the Backstage Grill have REALLY nice gluten free menus! I have also had success at Blue Coast Burrito. I get the Cabo Bowl and Red Robin; they have gluten free hamburger buns! Forget eating at fast food restaurants! The only exceptions that I have found are Hardees; I get the low carb thick burger and Subway, where I get a 6-inch made as a salad!

Dominoes and New York Pizza have gluten free crust pizza, but be very careful because they make and bake the pizza in the same area with the traditional wheat pizza! A month ago, I would have taken that chance, but not now!

The thing that I am happiest and most excited about though is that I can cook ANYTHING that I want and make it gluten –free!  I am rethinking my recipes and am thinking about a cookbook. What do you think?

The Close of an Era

I love this time of year! Everything is green, pink, yellow and white! The birds are back and everything smells new and clean. I am so thankful for my life.

I had a wonderful surprise this week. My parents came to visit. I love my parents! We had a great time talking and spending time together.  We went out to one of my favorite places to eat, Demo’s.

My husband also surprised me this week and took me to the Grand Ole Opry. What a great time!  So many great acts, but my favorite performers were Jimmy Wayne and ALABAMA!!!

ALABAMA hasn’t changed since they first became famous when I was in high school! They are amazing. For those of you who haven’t been to the Opry, I encourage you to go if you get a chance. It is something that you will never forget!

It is ironic that the week that I get to the Opry, we lost one of the greatest singers of all time, George Jones. My favorite song EVER is “He Stopped Loving Her Today”. He will be greatly missed. When we first came to Nashville we lived in Franklin. You could see Mr. Jones most any morning in Cracker Barrel having breakfast. It was an experience that I will always remember.

Speaking of great entertainers, Waylon Jennings’s son Shooter was one of the performers at the Opry the night I went. He brought his mother Jesse Coulter who performed a piano piece and sang the first song. She is a beautiful, talented and gracious lady. I was very disappointed with Shooter however. Instead of entertaining and showing his talent, he sang a rant about Nashville that included the fact that Nashville “wouldn’t know country if it hit them in the head with a baseball bat” and how unappreciated his father was.  I understand that during the “Outlaw” period, his father and the other “outlaws” were ostracized, but I would like to think that this young man has enough talent that he could find his own way into the music world and not ride the coattails of the “outlaws”.

I am enjoying my new job and my new life. I am going to be the Marketing Director for the agency, but at this moment, I am writing a training manual and setting up SOP’s (standard operating procedures) for the office. I am also organizing and arranging the office to make it flow better.

I am looking forward to the marketing part of the job and will keep you informed on how it goes. I hope that all of you have a wonderful and blessed week and that you enjoy life as much as I do!

The moon this week has been spectacular! I am posting a picture of the moon from Mount Juliet!

Until next time!