Daily Archives: September 30, 2015

31 Days of Gluten-Free Life: Landing Page

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31 Days of Gluten-Free

As usual, I tend to find out about things like Write 31 Days at the last minute and hop on the bandwagon, adding yet another thing to my nightly to-do list for that time between when I get Daniel to sleep and when I can finally go to bed. This time, however, I had a topic around which I could build it, so this monthly challenge actually *benefits* me.

For those not in the know, I have IBS and have had ulcers in the past. In late July, I started getting really sharp stomach pain and we thought that it might be another ulcer. Add on my diminished appetite and the increasing number of foods that just make me feel nauseated and we had a distinct possibility. Well… after nasty and invasive tests (endoscopy/colonoscopy), we learned that my digestive tract is fine with no ulcers and I’ve tested negative for celiac disease both in my bloodwork and in the biopsy. So what exactly is going on? After doing extensive research (also known as “Ask Facebook”), I decided to try going gluten-free for a month to see if it made any difference with my stomach. The whole 31 Days of Writing thing came along at the right time because now I have an excuse to be whiny and let people know how this is all going for me! Aren’t you lucky people? 😉

I’ll put a link to each day’s post on this page so please check back for new content. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy my musings!

Day 01: Smoothie Queen
Day 02: Pesto Quinoa
Day 03: It’s My Blog and I’ll Whine If I Want To
Day 04: Rice Pasta with Cheddar
Day 05: Coffee Klatch
Day 06: Snacking
Day 07: Eating Out
Day 08: On the Road
Day 09: Verdict on Road Food
Day 10: Uff Da!
Day 11: Craving Bread
Day 12: Attempting to Make Smart Decisions
Day 13: In Back of the Bread
Day 14: “Company Food” I Need to Learn to Make
Day 15: Interesting Find
Day 16: Reflecting (and Whining) At the Halfway Point
Day 17: Tetelestai

#5Faves: Miscellanea (XLVIII)

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#5Faves

One

Bartok’s “Bagpipe Sonatina”. The first movement of this sonatina (the first 1 minute 30 seconds) was one of my two senior recital pieces for piano.

Two

“To A Wild Rose” by Edward MacDowell. This was the other senior recital piece for piano. It was also my grandfather’s favorite classical pieces and I learned to play it because of discussions with him on how deceptively simple it sounds.

Three

Kiva.Org This goes along with Jenna’s post on non-material gifts. Kiva.Org is a microlending site where you can make $25 loans or even gift someone with a $25 loan to support the entrepreneur of their choice. It empowers people to expand their businesses, get an education, fix their homes, and is aimed toward helping people to find ways of supporting themselves. I tend to lend to women in the Middle East and Central Asia as that is where my heart tends to be these days though I’ve also made loans to people in the Philipines, Africa, and Bolivia. Of the 19 loans I have made, only one has ended in a loss and the $7 of the loss is hardly a loss for me. I’ve invested maybe $225 of gifted loans and my own money and have been paid back twice over. I honestly cannot recommend them enough.

Four

“There’s A Sweet Sweet Spirit in This Place” This hymn was played during Communion in the last month or so and it’s stuck in my head. We ended up singing it through a couple of times and our music director is from an Adventist background so we also got the amazing piano accompaniment that you would find if you sang this in an African-American congregation. (It’s definitely not piano music I hear frequently in the Episcopal Church!)

Five

Old Navy fitted tees. They’re long enough to cover my torso (a challenge because I have a long torso with really short legs) and they’re cut in a flattering way. I find that I can wear them on a daily basis with jeans/shorts/capris as well as with my pretty clothes on Sunday.

Go love up Jenna and the others.