The Simple Woman’s Daybook: May 29, 2016

For Today…

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It was in the 80’s today which is not to my taste as I hate hot weather and it’s only supposed to get hotter this week.

I am thinking… about the move.

I am thankful… for a nice dinner with family friends last night.

One of my favorite things… the San Francisco Giants winning and the LA Dodgers losing games

I am wearing… jammies. Today’s outfit for both church and afterwards was the same as it was Folk Choir Sunday which tends to be more casual with people wearing jeans. I went with a blue-green fitted tee from Old Navy and black capris from Kohl’s.

I am creating change-of-address postcards

I am reading… The Fear Babe: Shattering Vani Hari’s Glass House by by Marc Draco, Kavin Senapathy, and Mark Alsip. I haven’t gotten a chance to read this weekend but I’m enjoying the book.

I am hoping… Daniel sleeps through tonight and let’s me sleep in tomorrow morning. Getting by on an average of 6 hours of sleep a night is not doing good things for me.

I am learning… about all the disability services in Washington state.

In my kitchen… hamburgers tonight.

In the school room… Daniel’s last week of school. He finishes on Thursday.

Post Script… for anyone who read this article, there is good news.

Shared Quote…

Some sage advice.

A moment from my day… Another amazing version of Baba Yetu.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Prison Inmates Who Crochet, The Fear Babe, and THE GIANTS ARE 4.5 GAMES AHEAD OF THE DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Hooks behind bars. There is a knitting/crocheting group at Folsom Prison and they make toys for needy kids, hats for cancer patients, and find it to be therapeutic. The story is here.

— 2 —

Debunking the Food Babe and other fools on vaccine science. I’m in the first chapter of The Fear Babe: Shattering Vani Hari’s Glass House and I’m seriously loving it. The first chapter deals with her stupidity surrounding the flu shot and you can actually read this chapter for free here. Pages 2-4 describe how vaccines actually work and they even go more in-depth into the issues surrounding thimersol and how it actually breaks down and is excreted from the body. (Spoiler alert: it does not decompose into methylmercury and it does not pass through the blood-brain barrier.) I wish this book had been around when I was doing chemistry in high school and college — I’m pretty sure it would have been on the reading list for at least one or two of my classes and it might have helped me stay pre-med longer.

By the way, this article and this article are useful in debunking anti-vaxxers.

— 3 —

All-Star game ballot time! It’s time to vote for the players who will get to take part in the MLB All-Star Game. You can go here to cast your vote — 1 vote for each position in the American League and 1 vote for each position in the National League. If you have no clue as to who to vote for, a good rule of thumb is to pick any player with “SEA” by their name for the American League and “SF” by their name in the National League. 😉

— 4 —

Rivalries. Just in case anyone hadn’t heard… THE GIANTS ARE CURRENTLY 4.5 GAMES AHEAD OF THE DODGERS AND ARE AT THE TOP OF THE STANDINGS IN THE NL WEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just thought I should point that out. 😀 My Mariners are at the top of the AL West so I’m pretty happy about that as well.

— 5 —

Gluten intolerance comedy and a caveat. My cousin’s wife shared this a few days ago and it reminds me so much of some of the people I’ve encountered who have claimed to be “gluten-intolerant” because it’s the new and hot diet trend…

My caveat to you: if you don’t actually *HAVE* gluten sensitivities and you act like a complete jerk when you go to a restaurant and send your food back because you were too stupid to actually read up on the menu ahead of time, everyone with an actual gluten sensitivity will want to beat the bloody tar out of you (and should be allowed to do so) because you are screwing it up for them. If you have celiac disease or a legit gluten sensitivity, the smallest trace amount of gluten will make you violently ill and you know to actually do your research on the menu and *TELL* the waitstaff ahead of time because they will have to take extra precautions with your food to prevent cross-contamination. Sending your food back because you “forgot” to tell your waitstaff or you “didn’t know it had gluten in it” means that they have to toss everything on the plate they’ve prepared for you and then take all those extra precautions to with your food because they can’t risk the lawsuit. I’ve had friends who have been treated really icily at restaurants when they’ve politely told the waiter their food allergies and sensitivities because so many people have claimed to have an allergy or sensitivity issue when they haven’t actually had one. Better yet, forgo the pizzerias and bakeries and any place that uses lots of ingredients that contain gluten. (I have a weird egg allergy so I tend to skip breakfast joints and having anything but juice or coffee for breakfast while eating out.)

So please… don’t pull the stunts depicted in the video. I and everyone else in my situation will thank you.

— 6 —

Prayer request. Daniel has been having lots of behaviors and sleep disturbances in the last few weeks. Please pray that we can get to the bottom of this as well as for my ability to function. I’ve had a couple mornings when I shouldn’t be allowed to *WALK* unsupervised, let alone drive, because I’ve gotten so little sleep and I’m bumping into walls.

— 7 —

Another prayer request. Please pray for the move to Washington. Everything is falling into place nicely but moving still unnerves me greatly.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: December 13, 2015

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY December 13, 2015

Outside my window… dark. It was in the mid-50’s with rain today. I found it positively delightful. Next weekend is supposed to be rainy as well. El Niño is more than welcome in my humble opinion.

I am thinking… about what I need to get accomplished this week.

I am thankful… for the chance to sleep in until 9 a.m. yesterday. I sorely needed it.

In the kitchen… Dad made steak, potatoes, and salad tonight. He also got Cherry Garcia for dessert. Yum!

I am wearing… my VBS shirt from this year and black capri sweats.

I am going… to be working on Daniel’s SSI overpayment appeal this week.

I am wondering… if we’ll have the kitchen back to normal this week. *crosses fingers*

I am reading… some Jessica Beck murder mysteries and Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber.

I am hoping… the counters arrive this week so the sink and stove can be installed and I can cook again.

I am looking forward to… seeing family at Christmas.

I am hearing… The Bells of Dublin by the Chieftains. It’s my favorite Christmas album and what we used to put on while decorating the tree.

A Daniel story for today… Mr. Boy curls up on the heating vents in the morning so I curled up with him on the one in the living room this morning and wrapped a blanket around us to keep the heat in. He is a wonderful cuddlebug.

Around the house… people sleeping. I think I’m the only one awake.

A favorite quote for today… “How can God stoop lower than to come and dwell with a poor humble soul? Which is more than if he had said, such a one should dwell with him; for a beggar to live at court is not so much as the king to dwell with him in his cottage.” — William Gurnall

One of my favorite things… Coca-Cola. I know how bad it is for me but it’s irresistible at times.

A few plans for the rest of the week: organize my Christmas card list, work on Daniel’s appeal, knitting group on Tuesday, Daniel’s 30-Day IEP meeting on Wednesday, Bible study on Thursday morning, choir on Thursday night, and whatever else comes up.

A peek into my day… Our anthem from this morning:

Post Script…

My friend Carrie also blogged about gluten-free life for 31 Days of Writing and she compiled all her recipes into a new cookbook. She offered me a copy and after reading it, I am excited about cooking!

I should warn people that it isn’t grain-free in the event that people are following the advice of renowned quack William Davis of Wheat Belly. (I’m not linking to his blog because I don’t want to give him any more hits than necessary.)

Anyway, go check it out!

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 27, 2015

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY October 27, 2015

Outside my window… dark as it’s 1 a.m. Temps have been summery though.

I am thinking… about the things I need to do tomorrow to start building Daniel’s support issue in San Jose.

I am thankful… that the first part of the move and the 7 1/2 hour drive are over.

In the kitchen… Dad brought home Hawaiian pizza for me. I’m thankful to be done fasting from gluten!

I am wearing… Momcat shirt and navy/white striped pj bottoms.

I am going… to hopefully be able to sleep soon.

I am reading… Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson.

I am hoping… that my call to Social Security goes well tomorrow.

I am looking forward to… church on Sunday at ECA.

I am hearing… silence.

A Daniel story for today… he woke up to find himself alone in his bedroom tonight around 10 so he went and climbed into bed with my mom. Thankfully, she found it cute and I was able to settle him back on his bed.

Around the house… painting and decluttering going on.

One of my favorite things… the song “God of This City” by Bluetree. The Chris Tomlin version is sub-par.

A few plans for the rest of the week: un packing, enrolling Daniel in school, and getting services for him transferred up here.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

31 Days of Gluten-Free Life: Tetelestai

31 Days of Gluten-Free Life

The title is Koine Greek for “it is finished” and is one of the Seven Last Words of Christ. I’m using it today because I’m having to stop my 31 Days of Writing series due to some things in my personal life that will be occupying a lot of my time in the next week or so. This was a fun project to take on but I didn’t realize at the time I chose to do so that I would be dealing with what is going on right now.

I’m still going to be eating gluten-free for the rest of the month most likely — just not blogging about it daily.

31 Days of Gluten-Free Life: Reflecting (and Whining) At the Halfway Point

31 Days of Gluten-Free Life

I’m over the halfway point of my experiment of avoiding gluten for a month and I’m running out of subject matter, at least on days like today when I’m sleep-deprived due to my wee bairn having sleep issues as a result of tweaking his ADHD meds. Anyway…

I’m starting to get some empathy for people who deal with food issues all the time because it is seriously hard to avoid gluten without having to cook from scratch or buy some fairly expensive foods that don’t taste “right”. It’s requiring more creativity on my part than I can exercise at this time of sleep deprivation and some pretty radical changes being made in my life.

However, I’m noticing changes in my mental clarity — I’m not as “foggy” as I usually am and I think I’m probably eating a lot better as a result. I’m definitely eating more protein and I’m actually thinking about how to balance every meal. I’ve also come up with snacks where I can sit and eat at the table with Daniel and that’s definitely a plus.

I’m sorry to admit that I’m planning out my first meal WITH gluten: a Jr. Roast Beef sandwich and fries from Arby’s. (I would have to stop somewhere else to get the Coke.)

31 Days of Gluten-Free Life: Interesting Find

31 Days of Gluten-Free Life

When I was trolling the 31 Days website yesterday, I saw a banner advertising Thrive Market, which seems to be a mail-order company where you can order specialty foods catering to certain diets, allergy restrictions, or sensitivities. I thought their gluten-free selection looked interesting so I thought I’d pass on this information today! (Well… that and I have pretty serious writer’s block.)

Also, the 31 Days people are hosting a giveaway for a $500 Dayspring shopping spree. Go here for details.