Parents of the Grand kind..

 I was going through some pictures the other day and I came across this one of my Grandpa and Grandma Taylor. This is one of my favorite pictures of them, taken at Darren and Tami's wedding. It got me thinking about how wonderful it is to grow up with loving and caring grandparents that will give you memories that last a life-time. My memories are of fresh bread, milk carton blocks, chocolate cake, macaroni and cheese, always wishing I could whistle like my grandma, grandpa always having a funny joke or story to tell us and he always has some change in his pocket to give you to put in your piggy bank. So thankful that I can still go home to Oxbow and stop in to see G&G to have a little visit...bread-making day is the best day to visit! : ) Love my grandpa and grandma!

Colton LOVES his grandpa and grandma and I know he already has fun memories of grandpa and grandma that he will never forget. Colton associates grandpa with trucks, combines, four-wheelers, going for icecream everyday and  for being a big tough guy. Grandma tends to bring out the goofy and funny side in Colton. Giggles are never-ending when grandma and Colton are together. There is always some sort of fun trinket in Grandma's purse or a sweet treat in the cupboard to snack on when mommy isn't around! I hope Colton grows up to appreciate his 'Drandpa and Dramma' and realize how much fun they are and the memories you will always have b/c of them.

Sunday Sunday

 We spent some time outside today enjoying the beautiful day. Colton wanted to build a snowman so this was the outcome....with a few additions made later by Colton.

Saturday's Kitchen

 Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups - These fruit roll-ups bring back alot of memories from Elementary School. The Jones Boys always had these in their lunches and I remember on a number of occassions trying to trade my lunch for a roll-up. They were such a tasty snack! I got my hands on a dehydrator and I have made a couple batches of fruit roll-ups. This one will take 11-12 hrs... my kitchen smells so good right now. Today i decided on a raspberry/blackberry roll-up.

 These are Gluten Free Potato/bacon and cheese perogies. Guess what I'll be having for supper tonight?!

 MY OWN BREAD! Made my first GF loaf of bread and it turned out better than I thought. I am actually eating a piece of toasted fresh bread lathered in peanut butter while I do my bloggin'...mmmm

Homemade Chicken Broth -  Store bought chicken broth is full of gluten so I have had to resort to making my own to have in the fridge.

This has been my Saturday so far. It is such a beautiful day out today so I cracked open all the windows and started cooking.  I don't get many days like this so i figured I would take advantage of the quiet day and get the fridge/freezer filled again.

A Thankful Heart

Today is a downer day for me...stressed out about things piling up one after another before the previous thing is taken care of and it just seems never ending. I do not handle stress well and I tend to shut down and shove it all to the back of my head and then it all comes to a front all at the same time...like today. I felt the need to sit down and write out what I am thankful for..


Jen's Thankful List
I am thankful for:
- knowing that I have a God that I can pray to whenever I need him and he can comfort me and give me strength to move on when things are tough and guide me in the direction I am to go.
- I have the most wonderful man in my life that I wouldn't trade for anything. He knows my good and bad sides but yet loves me unconditionally. He knows how to make me laugh or smile on a bad day and he knows when to sit silent if i need time to think or to be alone for awhile.
- I have a very happy and healthy son that is the sunshine in my everyday. He loves me and tells me that about 100x's throughout my day. Nothing beats those little arms wrapping around my neck at bedtime and him planting a big slobbery kiss on my lips and looking into my eyes and saying, " I love you mommy"..usually followed by another kiss. Melts my heart.
- I have two wonderful families that I can turn to whenever I need them. Understanding, accepting and non-judgmental.
- And for my dear friends who are there to listen on days like today. Thank you friends..you know who you are!
- A job that allows me to stay home with Colton and to be able to watch him grow up and to see all the funny stages he goes through..i would not trade these last 4 years for anything.
- Jeff doing so well at his job and you can see it in his eyes and the content look he has on his face when he comes home every night.
- my health! there could have been so much more that could have been wrong with me, but there wasn't and I am thankful that it is something that I myself can deal with and try to improve.

Wow! This was harder to do than I thought. I am sitting here with tears rolling down my face just looking at my little list and thinking how blessed I really am.
Be thankful for all the little things in your life that you take for granted. In the end, material things won't make you happy or get you anywhere, but the love of your family and friends and knowing that there is a God that loves you will get you everywhere.
Thinking of the Hansen family today that is doing one of the toughest things that a family will ever have to do...laying a loved one to rest.

Test #1

This past weekend Jeff, Colton and I went on a little road trip to Edmonton. Jeff and I had his work Christmas Party to attend so Colton got to go on one of his first sleep-overs and spend some time getting to know some cousins. BIG thanks to Angela and Christopher for taking Colton for the night!
I was very hesitant and nervous about this whole Christmas dinner thing. I wasn't sure if I would get lost in the shuffle seeing as there were 400+ people all having dinner. Jeff had sent in a request for a gluten-free meal a couple weeks ahead of time. As the meals were being served, I had a plate set in front of me and the meal was covered in gravy! I politely let the server know that I had requested a gluten-free meal for Jennifer Taylor. He quickly removes my plate and comes back with the exact same thing! I looked at him, smiled and said, "Could I get a meal without gravy please?" He looks at me with a look of disgust and marches off and returns AGAIN with a plate and the meal is literally SWIMMING in gravy! I was sooo hungry and embarassed that this was beginning to cause a little commotion with the waiter and the people at our table. Can't say as I really enjoyed the dinner, but the dessert was really good! I got thinking later, I doubt that I was the only one requesting a specific meal in a room of 400+ people! Seeing as how Celiacs Disease effects 1 in every 133 people, there should have been at least 4 other GF meals to serve. Should I have gone up to the microphone and asked that the Gluten-Free meal people raise your hands...was there a GF table set up that I was not aware of? hehe.(me just being cheeky)
 Thankfully I had packed a whole gluten-free meal from home just in case this happened..so I waited until everyone was finished eating and I headed up to the hotel room to INHALE my own food. I read a very informative GF book recently and the author suggested going into the kitchen yourself and meeting the cook and making your meal demands known. Those of you that know me, could you see me marching into the kitchen to tell a chef how to do his job?! ...me neither! : )

It's mine..ALL MINE!!

The Celiac's Cupboard

                                  This is the final result from my cupboard organizing to
                                  make me my own gluten-free cupboard. These are most of the
                                  essentials that a gluten-free diet needs in order to eat healthy
                                  or to even cook your own meals.
                                          

                                   Starches and Gums that are essential when it comes
                                   to making gravy, sauces, glazes and soups.

                                       Flours, GF pasta, rice and quinoa

                                          A chart that I made and put inside my
                                          cupboard door. It is a list of flours, gums,
                                          starches and rice with their purpose, substitutes,
                                          and what they can be used for.

First off, thank you to Jeff for taking yesterday afternoon off to have a father/son day with Colton so I could get out by myself and do some research and get some ideas for cooking and baking on my challenging new diet.
I started off yesterday afternoon with a very disappointing Dietician appointment. I went all the way down south planning on being in my appt for about an hour and coming away totally overwhelmed by all the info I would get....WRONG! I was in and out in 15 minutes. I was so upset and frustrated that i came away with absolutely no information to help me out in my new little journey. I was referred to another dietician who should be calling me within the next 2 weeks to set up an appointment..and then another month before I actually get in to see her..grrrrrrr.
Anywhoooooo...I was glad that I didn't have to rush home after my appointment(which is what i usually have to do) and could spend the afternoon touring health food stores. I actually came away having learned alot during my afternoon of being 'on tour'. I literally read every label so I could educate myself on what I can and should be eating. I was able to stock up on all the essentials that i need to start cooking and baking and succeeding at it.
Looking forward to making my first EVER loaf of bread tomorrow......thanks to a bread machine. I'm thinking that the next time I am home in Sask I need to spend an afternoon with my grandma, who still makes her own bread, and learn some tricks on bread making.
OH YA! I just about forgot...the best thing from my 'tour' was that I found bread that is light and fluffy and just like REAL bread. I was so excited that I went out to the car and ate 3 pieces of bread in a matter of 30 seconds per slice. It was so delicious that I was just about in tears. I had myself a toasted tuna sandwich today for lunch, just b/c I could. You people out there that can eat wheat bread, enjoy and be thankful for every bite you take b/c chewing on gluten free bread is depressing! Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow morning when I can lather my light and fluffy bread in honey..mmmmm



                                                    

Turning the page

So, this was a rather quiet weekend which I welcomed with no problem. Actually, it has been a quiet month with my day home kids still away. I have been so thankful for this month to get my life and health back in order. I have had more Dr. appts in the last month than I have in all of last year! GULP! I am a little nervous on when the kids are all back and we are back to routine. I feed all of my DH kids and there are alot of pasta dishes, grilled cheese sandwiches with crackers and cheese for snacks.(yes, I serve fruits and veggies but i can eat those)so this will be a real challenge to not sit down and eat 'bad food' with them like I usually do. It has been a real challenge this past month just buying 2 grocery orders for the three of us, let alone now having to shop for 8 of us. I didn't realize how expensive this Gluten Free diet would be. A dear friend dropped off her bread maker for me so i could start making my own GF bread instead of spending $7.00/loaf!
 It is funny how things come along at the right time whether they are for the good or bad. Regardless, they are to teach us a lesson or to prove something to ourselves. I LOVE food and sweets are my major weakness. I get stressed..I eat sweets, I am angry..I eat sweets...and so on. I think this GF diet is what I needed and to prove to myself that I can control what goes into my mouth and that there are other ways to de-stress...a more healthy way to de-stress. God wouldn't put this challenge in my lap if he knew I couldn't do it. I know that I can do this....and I AM doing this..TA DA! Baby steps Jen..baby steps.
My first big eating challenge is still to come next weekend. Jeff's Christmas party is on Saturday night and I haven't eaten out since my diagnosis of Celiac Disease. I am a little nervous about it and I really don't want to spend the night in the hotel room curled up in a ball moaning in pain( how ironic is it that bread in French is 'pain'). Thankfully we are able to make the banquet hall aware of any food restrictions if necessary. Shouldn't I be worried about what I am going to wear to this shindig and not what I can and can't eat at it? What's wrong with this picture?! :S
Hope you all have a great week!

Withdrawl

Oh boy! This is going to be a long day. I am going through some serious comfort food withdrawl. It is all i can do to keep myself from hopping in my car and driving to my favorite bakery and buying the biggest and freshest loaf of bread that I can lather in honey and devour! I am literally doing circles in my kitchen looking for something filling to eat. I am stuffing my face with fruits and veggies for snacks and rice cakes and tuna for dinner....but I can't get full. I went to have a big bowl of mushroom soup for dinner today and realized that I can't even eat mushroom soup.(insert tears and a whimper here) I am so irritable today and so hungry. I now understand why it is so hard for people to quit drinking or smoking or kicking any other habit. This is definatly a  major self-control day...and i feel like I'm losing. I need to go for a walk or something to clear my head and get back into the 'I- can- and- will -do- this' mode!

stay tuned...

Today has been a day of ripping apart my kitchen. Cupboards have been emptied, washed down and re-organized. I have designated a cupboard for just me and all my Gluten-free food and snacks. This new diet is a challenge that I look forward to taking on....learning how to eat and cook again...should be fun. : ) It will be complicated learning how to bake again and all the changes that will need to be made to favorite recipes. Maybe my dream of always wanting to have my own little bakery can happen....a Gluten-free bakery perhaps? Stay tuned for some pictures of my 'new' kitchen...

Sick days

Thankfully Colton waited to have the flu until we returned home from Christmas in Melfort. The two of us spent the day on the couch watching cartoons and movies and enjoying a cuddle-filled day. : )