A moment of silence...

Thank you...

Semi-Easy Sewing Project

Have you ever seen those super cute rubber gloves for doing your dishes?  Some of them are really adorable.  The only problem?  I have big hands.  I do.  I am 5'10"...I am tall and large-boned and those cute gloves seem to come in sizes small and medium.  Still, my heart was longing for cute rubber gloves in my kitchen.

Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer.  I took my old gloves (figuring if I ruined them, I'd already gotten two years out of them) and added a ruffle to them!  I love how they turned out, especially considering I was using scrap fabric, so I couldn't get as long a ruffle as I'd have liked.

Aren't these fun?

So, why do I call this a semi-easy sewing project?  Because I found it difficult to sew in the glove the same way one finds it difficult to sew embellishments on a sleeve.  The gloves were too small to fit over the free arm, so it was a bit of a pain.  Still, I'm please with how they turned out.   Not bad for no money and 40 minutes!

P.S.  Doesn't everyone use binder clips in their kitchens?

Meet Froyo!!

Isn't she adorable? Superman was home on leave for a few weeks ending last week. While he was home, his baby girl batted her big brown eyes and convinced her father that she needed another hamster. Really, Superman doesn't stand a chance. He and Buttercup have that wonderful father/daughter relationship and he, too, loves her hamsters. Still, we'd been without a hamster for almost a year and I kinda, sorta thought we were done with hamsters. I was wrong.

Froyo is a Winter White hamster, so she will supposedly change colors with the season. She is so tiny...there she is hanging out on my iPad. (Yes, she's trying to send an email, but we explained that she's a hamster, not a mouse!)

So, for those of you who like to keep count: We have four cats, two dogs, three birds, and one hamster. Not bad, eh?

A Happy Accident or "No More Acid Reflux/Heartburn"

One of the happy side effects of going primal and eliminating grains from my diet was the realization that doing so eliminated heartburn and/or acid reflux from my life. Amazingly, it took me two months of being primal to recognize that my heartburn was gone...strange, isn't it?

A little background. I'd never had heartburn before my pregnancy with Buttercup twelve years ago. All those Tums commercials? I didn't have a clue. That pregnancy, however, clued me in quickly.   Sleeping in chairs because I couldn't manage to stack pillows high enough. Having a sour stomach that just wouldn't stop and having no idea why. It was horrible. It stopped for a while after she was born, and then seemed to get worse each year.  By last year, I was miserable.

I started sharing my discomfort with friends and discovered relief with the Zantac a friend recommended. Unfortunately, the relief was short-lived. It seemed like no matter how much Zantac I took (and I frequently exceeded the recommended dose), the heartburn was there...waiting.  

Not only was I getting only partial relief from Zantac, but there was no way I could see myself taking some pill for the next 40 years to solve something that had to be caused by some change I hadn't clued into...something had to have changed, I just needed to figure out what. I knew it wasn't stress, because I got it all the time, even when I wasn't stressed.  It was just so annoying.  Nothing I did seemed to work.  I was feeling really helpless about the entire situation, plus I was feeling dependent upon a pill for any kind of physical ease...and I really don't like feeling helpless and dependent.  Really, really don't.

So, I did some research and discovered the seldom heard theory that, contrary to popular belief, acid reflux is not caused by too much acid in the stomach but rather by not enough acid.   On some level, this made sense to me.  The theory suggested that adding acid, such as Apple Cider Vinegar, to the stomach when you have a flare up would relieve the symptoms. I was desperate, so I tried it.   (I really couldn't imagine it making me feel worse than I already felt.)   It tasted vile (to me), but it worked...immediately! Crazy, isn't it?   A tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar did the trick every time. Every single time. It worked like magic. I can't say I was thrilled to be swigging the stuff...it worked, though, so I moved on.

Shortly after, I discovered primal eating and, two months after that, I realized I wasn't swigging Apple Cider Vinegar anymore. How cool is that?  Let's recap: a way of eating that makes me look better, feel better, sleep better, and takes away my heartburn? Oh, happy day!

Now I am wondering if my mom, who has had stomach issues for as long as I can remember, actually suffers from an intolerance to wheat and other grain? I suspect she does...even more, I suspect I passed that intolerance along to my children. No, we don't have Celiac's Disease, but I will tell you that my 15-year old son reports digestive issues if he eats grains (think about that for a second...issues enough to make a 15-year old boy take notice must be significant). Oh,  and did I mention that removing dairy and grains made his "teenaged" acne disappear, only to reappear if he falls off the wagon? Crazy, isn't it? As long as Valiant stays away from dairy and wheat, his skin is beautifully clear.

Anyway, there was a terrific article about GERD/Acid Reflux/Heartburn on Mark's Daily Apple yesterday (which inspired me to share my own experiences with you). Even if you're not interested in grain-free living, the article is a really comprehensive explanation about GERD, its symptoms, causes, and some natural remedies. If you are at all interested in the topic for yourself or someone you care about, I urge you to head over to MDA and read it.   I always enjoy reading the comments that follow his articles...the anecdotal evidence of his readers is inspiring.

As for me, I'll just stick to primal living...it has been a win-win all around.

P.S.  Primal eating is a diet without grains, legumes, and dairy.   You eat meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and good fats.  I wrote primarily about grains and grain-free living because I really didn't do dairy and legumes before, so I know for me, that the grains were the culprit and their elimination the key.

Almond Butter & Apples - This is my new favorite snack!

I told you here that our family has gone "primal", as in attempting to follow the guidelines of  The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson.  While it is still a work in progress (sourcing good meats, etc.) and keeping the kids consistent, we've made huge strides and experienced the benefits we'd hoped for.  We are leaner, fitter, and happier.  Who knew it would be this easy?

Anyway, one of the things I quickly discovered when we began this journey was that none of the snacks I used to eat such as popcorn, tortilla chips, cookies, etc., are primal.   Neither is peanut butter (no legumes).   I had no interest in coming up with "grain-free" versions of our old favorites because I figured we needed to truly change the way we were eating and set about retraining our tastebuds to taste real food again.  It hasn't always been easy, but I have to say I did get lucky with some of the things I attempt. 

For example, this has become my favorite snack.  Apple slices with home-made almond butter.  It is so good.   I would never have guessed, but my friend A brought over some almond butter for me to try and, after initially turning up my nose, I tried it and I was hooked.  I decided I could make it myself and I was right. 

Even better?  Making it was actually easy.

I simply grind up raw almonds, add a pinch of salt, and keep going until I have the desired consistency and I'm done.  Grinding the almonds releases their natural oils and, as they warm up, they become more smooth and the consistency becomes more creamy.  Once completed,  I store the almond butter in a container in my refrigerator.

Primal snack-time goodness.  What more could a woman ask?

There is an app for that...

Beans discovers the joy of playing Angry Birds!

Who needs Green Pigs?

Did you miss us?

I can't believe I neglected this blog for almost three months.  At the same time, it really isn't surprising.  As I wrote in a note to a friend of mine, we've been so busy living life that we haven't had a moment to reflect on life these past few months.  This, I've discovered is one of the realities that comes with living a place with four real seasons.  The slumberous pace of winter quickly gives way to the exuberant pace of spring which then becomes the frenetic pace of summer, and finally, oh finally, gives way to the slow down that accompanies autumn.   Even the plants finally give up, the luscious bright colors of spring and summer tone down and become the muted colors of autumn.  It is as if they, too, are exhausted by the effort to give us such a beautiful show.    Still, it is an amazing show while we have it, isn't it?

That is how our summer was...and it is only as I look back on it that I realize it is no wonder that the blog got neglected...we were crazy busy living life and it was a blast!  From working to playing to travel to cooking to diy projects to friends and to family, we did it all.  Over the next few days, I'll catch you up...then we'll head into the slower days of autumn together.  I'm ready to slow down, aren't you?

For now, I'll leave you with this lovely picture of my children.  "No, no, don't hold back.  Tell me what you really think of my cooking!"

(Trying new recipes wasn't always appreciated...

the kids were actually plugging their noses

 so they didn't have to taste the food!

Six Years Ago This Weekend,

Superman and I took a huge leap of faith, piled our kids in the car, hooked up a U-Haul trailer, and pulled out of the driveway of our Glendora, CA house for the last time. 

(our California house)

People said we were crazy.   We were born and bred Californians.  Our children were 4th generation natives to Southern California.  Truly, we knew nothing else.  Still, we felt compelled to make the move and the real estate boom financed our dream and we headed off into the unknown.  We left behind our So Cal heritage, our wonderful friends, and a house we loved and headed to the unknown. I had never seen the house Superman had purchased for our family. We were headed to a town we didn't know, where we knew no one, had no job waiting, and really had no clue how it would all turn out.  Despite all that, we were full of expectant enthusiasm.   It felt "right" and we really didn't hesitate.  (Besides, we were used to people thinking we were crazy...our friends and family thought we were crazy 23 years ago when we moved in together 2 weeks after dating, got married less than a year after our first date, and had our first child 15 months after we got married.  We're used to following those "right" feelings!)

(Our "new" home in Washington!)

Six years later, I can't believe how well our move turned out. We have amazing friends and have created for our family a life we love. We are fortunate enough to have a home we love in a wonderful neighborhood that has provided the backdrop for the formation of amazing friendships that have helped us celebrate the high points and weather the inevitable storms that hit every family and allowed us to help them weather their own storms. Is it perfect? No, of course not. The faltering economy has hit our area hard and Superman continues to work overseas to support our family. Still, we are happy and continue to feel blessed by the opportunities that have come our way these past six years.

So, here we are on the anniversary of the leap of faith and, as I reflect on all that has happened since that exhilarating day, I just feel so fortunate...I lead a truly blessed life.