gluten free Archives | Flowers&Rust Co.

31 Days {Rest}

ThoughtfulEscapes — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 21:38:43 +0000

Do you rest one day a week?

Here are my flowers – together. As a beautiful bouquet :-D. Aren’t they pretty?

I don’t hold firmly to not working on the Sabbath, in the sense you might initially think. I do, however, make sure Sunday is set aside for a day of rest. In this crazy, busy, social anytime of day or night culture, this is hard.

I’m not legalistic about this, but I do try really hard to keep Sunday as a day to do only what I really want. If I don’t feel like checking email, or working on the computer, or doing laundry. Then I don’t. But there are times that doing something plain, simple, and normal – like doing laundry – is relaxing to me, then I’ll do it on Sunday. Sometimes I get to Saturday morning and absolutely check-out. then my day of rest becomes Saturday. Sometimes I need two days – one to start relaxing and one to feel relaxed – when that happens, I’ve gone too long without taking a break. I’m at that point.

I actually have been here for a bit. Unfortunately there are many side effects of too much stress for me. One of them is, I am learning, the whole gluten issue is very related to stress. I have wondered if this was true for the last three weeks, this weekend it has been confirmed. When I am stressed, tired, not had enough rest, and just done. I can’t handle gluten, as in I can’t even touch it! Three weeks ago, I opened a package of cookies and moved them from their container to a plate. Over the next couple hours I remember thinking I didn’t feel great, but thought it was because it was a Friday night and I’d been at the church with lots middle schoolers. [total reason for a headache, don’t you think] Anyway, the next morning my face was puffy and my eyelids were swollen; over the last three weeks I’ve had lingering headaches, that icky all-consuming tired feeling, my elbows ache, my hands, hips, and ankles hurt; I’m crabby; my words don’t come out of my mouth correctly; and my stomach is just icky. Vince asked me repeatedly the first 3 or 4 days if I’d eaten gluten. I was sure I hadn’t but didn’t understand what my problem was, he was sure I had. I had a doctor appt and asked – she said she didn’t want to believe it was true, but she has noticed if she’s run down that gluten in the air/touching hands briefly tends to be a weak spot. I still didn’t want to believe it. Well, today is the end of the three weeks. There are symptoms & body signals I have learned that happen at 3 weeks after I get gluten. I believe it now. UGh! How dumb!!

The up side to this. I do not have a choice, I have to figure out a way to reduce stress. I don’t want to live this sensitive to gluten. It’s in too many places. I’m actually pretty excited about this. I always feel guilty for wanting to slow down; but there is a “valid” reason now. :-D.

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Blessed by the {Centrality} of Christ

ThoughtfulEscapes — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 21:38:42 +0000

The pictures are just for eye candy; they have nothing to do with today’s post. The ferris wheel I believe better depicts our life than a merry-go-round — not just round & round, but up & down too. The main ride [campaign primary] just got over, but we’ve done so many this summer I still feel dizzy. So now we’re working on walking on the solid ground again. The flowers are the same photo because I was having fun with PicMonkey. 😀 These are all iPhone pictures, because I forgot my “real” camera & can’t figure out Instagram…

What does communion mean to you? I am unashamedly going to tell you what it means to me and an experience from this morning I will never forget. In 1 Corinthians 11:24 we are told to “do this in remembrance of me.” The “this” being referred to is communion, an action representing Jesus’ dying on the cross and being raised again three days later.

At our church we usually have communion the first Sunday of each month, to remember the gift of God’s salvation provided for each one of us. The way we usually do communion is to take the elements when they are passed around, then on our own we pray and take communion when we choose – not all at the same moment. Three times a year we have what we call Christ at Center; it is a service when we have the chairs set up in a circle, in the very center is an empty cross and communion is up on tables around the cross. When it is time for communion, we go to the center, take communion, then return to our seat. When we are given the elements of communion we are reminded to “eat/drink this in remembrance of Him”. It is a visual reminder Christ is to be our very center. It is special; I think I speak for most of our church family when I say we all look forward to these three special times of communion.

Despite what communion means to me, I must confess this morning I allowed my sinful heart to begrudge having to be gluten free – to the point, I debated going. {For those who take communion and appreciate what it stands for – I have been taking just the juice as my communion for the last 15 months and I have felt left out in a way.} In “defense” of my not wanting to go – I am tired. Only Christine & I were here. I am exhausted. Life has been insane, I really could have slept until noon — I could probably sleep ’til noon for the next week & still not feel rested. My ears ache & my eye keeps twitching {my body’s signal of being too tired}. By the way, did I mention I am tired? 😀 …

Yes, I could have easily justified not going – however, I knew in my heart there was a much different issue at play.

Fear. {An ugly 4 letter word I am too often paralyzed by.}

Since “going” gluten free I have taken communion once {accidentally, I forgot until the moment right AFTER swallowing} and last month I was glutened by cross-contamination {I didn’t eat it, but there must have been gluten on the edge of the cup}. So, there was more than a little lingering fear I was fighting on top of being exhausted. Have you ever noticed once you start to let your mind go down the slippery slope of irrationality, it’s hard to stop? I told myself a month ago I wasn’t going to be paranoid about taking communion, yet when actually facing the day in the face I was ready to succumb to the paranoia. I admit, there are too many days and circumstances when I have an attitude about being gluten free. This morning was one of those times. All aspects involved – tired, fear, attitude problems …. I made myself go. I decided we were going to go, but not take communion. I just didn’t want to walk to the center to drink a sip of juice – sadly, my heart was not pretty.

As I drove to church, I knew I was too weary to step up & I didn’t want my ugly weakness to keep me from sharing in the joy of our resurrected Lord. I prayed & asked God to meet me where I was. We got to church a bit earlier and went to a different section than normal {I normally get there later & that section is full}. When I looked at the tables with communion in front of me. One of the tables with communion had ‘Gluten Free’ on it. I nearly burst into tears. I had no idea our church had Gluten Free communion. I fought tears through much of worship, and I was overwhelming thankful. I am blessed.

God TOTALLY met me where I was – which was on my butt in the chair, trying to stuff my bad attitude. Mind over matter, right? I was overwhelmed He showed up in such an obvious way. I have been going to this church for nearly 20 years; I have been involved in Bible study, Sunday School, Youth Group, Women’s Ministry. Most of the staff are individuals I could consider friends, or for sure more than acquaintances. Yet, I had NO idea. I will be earlier to church on “Christ at Center” Sunday’s. I will know I will take communion FULLY three times each year. I am so blessed!

Total side note: these pictures are additional blessings. My phone volume button broke & on Friday I had to get it replaced. I thought I’d lost all 540 photos in my phone {I thought all the info was in the sim card – no that is just what makes it connect to the phone company}…but my computer settings were set right & I had actually {totally unknowingly} backed my phone up a half hour before walking out the door. I was able to plug my phone into the computer & everything is just as it was – except now I can hear!

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Project Simplify: Pantry

ThoughtfulEscapes — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 21:38:41 +0000

YEA! I actually got my pantry organized, wiped down, and labeled. I wasn’t positive it would happen this week, but once I got it started it was really only about an hour…. It took me longer to figure out how to make a stupid simple sheet of labels on the Mac more than anything else – put together!

So, once I got the labels done – I printed it on a sheet of labels I had and used about 18″ of contact paper, also something I have on hand…so, essentially free :-D, my kind of project!

I simply put the label on my containers, then so I could wipe them off and re-name if wanted, I covered them with a piece of contact paper.

I didn’t know some of my flours need to be refrigerated, so I did a little rearranging there too. I believe with the labels my Gluten Free stuff is less likely to get contaminated. My family just doesn’t get it, not to be mean, but just not thinking about it. I’m hoping with the red containers and ‘GF’ written on containers that are needing to stay Gluten Free it helps them stop and think before using. For twelve years mom’s pantry has been my go-to if I ran out, and my pantry has been her go-to…that is a hard habit to break. I’m not even trying to break it, just re-train. I’m hoping with the shelves labeled my kids will be better about helping keep the pantry clean.

So, now under my lovely sign and behind my curtain – is a clean organized pantry. I so, very much love “a place for everything and everything in it’s place” {sigh}! Do you see my poor tree reaching for the light. It is aimed towards the glass door. It’s starting to get more light.

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My Gluten Free journey….

ThoughtfulEscapes — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 21:38:40 +0000

We don’t know where our journey leads. But we do know God has the perfect plan,
and we do know He is with us at ALL times. Especially, when we can’t see around the corners of life.

First of all — my kids and I have just spent the first five days by ourselves. In the house. With no one else here. We’ve left twice, for a total of four hours in the last five days. Did I mention it has been just us? I’ve been looking forward to this since April of last year…..

I have had my pantry and kitchen in 100% my (& my children’s) control for the first time since having to be gluten free. I know, I know, that is a weird thing to say or care about. But it’s because you don’t really get the layout of our house; I live in an apartment attached to my parents’ home. I have my own kitchen and bathroom. My daughter and I share the one bedroom in the apartment, and my son has his own in my parents’ house. We share a laundry room, which we call the “in-between room”. So anyway, I knew that even though I have learned to not cross-contaminate my sugar, spices, condiment containers, etc., others haven’t. Not to be mean, but out of lack of understanding. It’s just normal – when mom or I need something, rather than make a special trip out we check the others’ kitchen and pantry first. (we do check with the other before just using)

I have had lingering symptoms of something from somewhere – gluten or allergy to something else? I don’t know, but they are symptoms I didn’t have last summer when I was gone. Yet, they are symptoms I’m all too familiar with, and especially since January of 2010. So tired, falling asleep standing up kind of tired. My hands, feet and abdomen were so swollen and ached. It’s funny, I was so physically miserable but didn’t know why. I tried to eat healthier, which was to lean towards whole wheat – which I grew up on. I quit drinking Pepsi and moved onto to Mug Root Beer, I thought maybe it was caffeine bothering me. But it just got worse. Tongue swelling, can’t think – let alone think straight kind of worse.

Jump to just 14 months earlier and the events were: my mom had an appendectomy and spent 10 days in the hospital; two milestone birthdays-my son turned 13, my daughter 10; an attempt at my children going to school instead of home school; dad completed another round of chemo; finished up another campaign; another job change; 10 years of being a single mom; my mom had knee surgery; another miserable winter; more pounds gained; more swelling; more pain; excruciating exhaustion – but 14 classes later, on April 10^th, my school was finally done. Yes, 2010 was kind of brutal :-D….but God was, is, and always will be faithful!

{there are two truly horrible photos coming here – the first is painful to even look at. My eyes were NOT closed – they were swollen, even the eyelids. My hands hurt so bad opening that envelope, but it held my diploma — I had to open it. The second photo is almost four months to the day later. My kids playing with the iPhone – we were in Lowes (of course). Totally blurry, but as you can see – I do have eyes}

May 14, 2011

May 23^rd, I finally went to the doctor. I went because my aunt had visited in January and my dad had come home a couple times – they both said it was obvious something was wrong. I kept saying, “It’s just stress. School will be done soon. I don’t have time to deal with making an appointment and then going.” I knew my thyroid was totally messed up too and that was going to take a few needles and months to get sorted out and on the right dosage. So I put it off.

When I found out I was going to get to take a wonderful trip out of state for six weeks and a good portion of it would be with my aunt, my mom basically black-mailed me by saying, “You know she’ll {my aunt} want to know why you didn’t listen”.

Ugh, mothers! {I’m kidding, :-D} Fine. I’ll go.

I don’t have insurance; I hate needles and medicine…so I went to a naturopath. I knew this naturopath had a reputation of wanting patients to go gluten free and dairy free (or at least easy on dairy). I was dreading the appointment for that reason.

You have to realize, I wasn’t concerned about what I’d be “missing”. I don’t enjoy food, never have. It’s a necessary evil in life as far as I’m concerned. I told her I really didn’t want to “do gluten free” to see how well I would feel. I felt it was the new fad food. It’s too expensive. I didn’t doubt people would feel better, but unless there was a medical reason for it I really didn’t want to go there. I didn’t want to know how good I could feel if I wasn’t going to keep it up. {please don’t think I was being calloused. I have friends with Celiac, I was in no way referring to them. It was the idea of “doing gluten free” like so many “do organic”, because it’s “better” – in Alaska, it’s EXPENSIVE, and I am very choosy where I will spend money. Food is not it – it’s not a priority to me.} She convinced me to try it for three months, then we’d re-evaluate the necessity of it. … well, I decided I would do what she said – go gluten free (GF) and dairy free (DF) for three months. I would be good, I would be thorough, I would be diligent. And I was. Within three weeks, all head aches were gone, the swelling in my fingers and toes was down to the point of my shoes fitting comfortably and I could make a fist again; and my abdominal swelling went down by a couple inches. The biggest thing for me – I was traveling and not sick, tired, achy, or having headaches. Unheard of! I had all summer and much easier access to GF foods, and lots of feeling wonderful to get used to this new way of life.

As much as I hated the idea of focusing on GF/DF foods for the summer for myself, while in others’ homes – God totally knew what He was doing {of course, duh!}. It was an amazing summer. For the first time in my life I felt hunger; and when I ate, I felt satisfaction. Food tasted good. I understood why people wanted food. I actually enjoyed tossing menu ideas around with my cousins. I never once in those six weeks felt icky. So mind boggling to me.

After the initial three months I realized the GF was with me to stay, but I begged to have cheese again. Real cheese. I promised to keep it limited to just pizza once a week, and nachos/other dishes/cheeseburger a couple times a month. I love cheese. Not fancy cheese. Plain, mild Colby Jack- generic brand, thank you.

Until a couple years ago I didn’t realize cheese bothered me. I knew milk did, but chose denial when cheese was involved. I didn’t go back to milk, because it’s always bothered me and I’ve found I like the canned coconut milk in my coffee in place of half-n-half; and I can actually eat cereal now because I use coconut milk (not canned, the drinking kind). If I’m out and about and pick up a coffee, I will put half-n-half in it, but not too much or it gives me a tummy ache. Nothing new there, no big deal. So, I have been really particular and pay close attention to the GF. I’ve checked my lotions, shampoo, conditioner, soaps – all those hidden places.

four months later

I have “been glutened” a couple times – each time I’ve had no question whether I should have eaten _____ or not. Basically, I mentally and physically shut down. I can try to fight it, but it just makes the headache worse. About six hours go by and it really doesn’t matter what my “mind over matter” plan might be, I fall asleep. Hard. The first time was three days. When I can get up, I am crabbier than crabby, and there is still a residual headache and intestinal yuck to deal with, for a couple weeks. But it’s a headache I can work through and at least I’m up, not sleeping.

So – lately I’ve been wondering if I’m blowing this out of proportion and being over conscientious of where gluten is lurking. I’m tired of reading ingredients (why is it written in huge, non-normal people language words, in all caps, on rounded containers? Seriously!). I’ve wondered if I allowed myself to be lured into thinking I “needed to do this”. After all, what would happen if I just quit? So what if I don’t feel as well. It can’t be all that bad, right; I lived that way for 38 years. That has been a looming thought for me over the last couple weeks.

Well, my dad was home last weekend. On the way to the airport we stopped to eat. I had looked the place up online, they had good reviews for accommodating GF…but they were from 2008. I took food with me, just in case. I had it in my purse.

Anyway – to make this a bit shorter I won’t go into much detail. But, I will say I was told unless I was Celiac {as in just gluten intolerant} I would be fine. I was not comfortable with the food not being contaminated (not even a salad). He already had the other three orders, I mentioned I would just eat my own food. He said, “No, we won’t let you eat your own food in here.” In the end I ordered a cheeseburger with just lettuce and tomato, and they were going to treat it as gluten intolerance.

Bad, bad choice on my part…. I was near tears within the hour, but I had promised my kids we’d stop at Barnes & Noble to read; then I had to stop at Costco before heading home. I had the stupid headache, and my stomach hurt so bad. When we were getting ready to leave Costco, Vince looked at me and said, “Are you sure you can drive? Your lips are really white, like creepy looking.” We got home fine, my kids unloaded Costco, and I don’t even remember laying down on the couch. I slept from 7pm-10:30am; then again from 1-6pm before that stupid headache let up and I could wake up.

I’m so very thankful God has blessed me with good children, children who care for and about others. They just came in the house, did what needed to be done, including unloading and putting away Costco stuff. They woke me up to go to bed, then the next day just did their school work on their own. When they woke me up at 6pm, dinner was waiting. Amazing. Thank you, Heavenly Father. I know a lot of this is because we home school and they are used to life – and what needs to happen each day. But they made the choices, and good ones. Repeatedly. Together.

It’s now five days later – and I still wish I hadn’t eaten that meal. I forgot how much your head, stomach, and joints can hurt – and all from something I can’t even see!

I can say with confidence God has answered my prayer and questioning thoughts of whether I should just quit GF and who cares, I’ll get over it. …Uh, never mind – I will stick to being gluten free, thank you. I can be confident He will provide the finances to buy the more expensive foods too. He promised to.

He is faithful. All the time.

My reasoning for dragging you all through this ridiculously long post – besides for me to remember by – is just in case there is someone who needs to make that phone call, or who is thinking of ignoring something health wise. This is your encouragement to take the time, make the effort – do it. {It probably won’t go away on it’s own without some kind of help or additional knowledge.} Also, and more importantly, for the reminder once again – we have a loving Heavenly Father who cares and hears EVERY request. Only God knew how much I was wrestling with this. He could have quickened my heart to not order, or if I didn’t listen and ordered it anyway, to not eat it. Yet, He chose to let me be reminded by feeling the pain because He knows that is how I learn best. {yes, I am consistently stubborn-not proud of it, but it is the truth}

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