Food adventures

I've sort of been on a food adventure. Apparently I have a bit of a problem with gluten/wheat. So I've had to cut that out of my diet with so far only good results. I've had Keratosis Pilaris (this link contains more info on the link between Keratosis Pilaris and gluten) which I've battled with for a long time and which also went away very quickly after starting my wheat/gluten free diet. I had started to develop breathing issues and throat swelling issues which led me to see an allergist. I found out at that time I had a wheat allergy however it was a low end one which meant it should not have an affect really. However prior to the appt I'd gone without wheat and noticed an improvement. I tried to start eating it again post appt and found all the symptoms that led to me going in the first place came back. I've gone wheat/gluten free ever since. I'd been getting mouth sores that I attributed to my lupus...those stopped entirely. Breathing difficulties mostly stopped (though I have a high allergy to cottonwood and cedar and it comes back during those) my regular allergy symptoms have not been bothering me daily like they used to. I'd had stomach issues those have pretty much stopped though I'm thinking they may take a bit longer as there is likely long term damage there. Hormonal problems have eased (I won't go into that) anxiety has decreased some. So many things. I just feel better in general. The cravings were bad at first but have lessened and I am still feeling my way around this. I can eat some cereals that are gluten free (I braved it with the reeses puffs because they are made with corn but did notice a slight issue with them ...likely due to the fact that they are made where there is wheat present so in the label it does warn "MAY contain traces of wheat") I eat potato chips and tortilla (corn) chips. I've figured out how to make brownies from Nutella by substituting regular flour with gluten free (I used Bob's red mill oat flour)  I'll post that recipe here in a few. When my family eats at Mcdonalds I order a bunless burger or a chicken bacon ranch salad and a parfait (hold the granola) I don't ask anyone to change how they cook or eat just because I am I just work around it. If the family has something say with noodles or something my hubby may cook the meat and leave some aside for me OR I just fix something else for myself. I use a lot of either canned chicken or chicken breast or fajita strips of beef or pork for lunches. Etc. Again I am still learning. 

 1 jar nutella 2 eggs 8-10 TBspns of oat flour (add til thick as desired) mix well (sprinkle nuts on top if desired or mix in) bake at 350 for about 20 minutes done when fork comes out clean. 

This recipe called originally for regular flour so you can make it with that as well. 

Hot day....killing time

 my latest artwork.... To see more you can like my facebook page at Through the Eyes of the Storm 

I am getting the urge to write more and more and I mean actual writing not just FBing or blogging. So we'll see if I ever get brave enough to actually do it. On that note I am off to draw I just wanted to share this here :) 

Too much excitement

In such a short time frame. If you've been following Oklahoma weather at all you know we've had an eventful last few weeks with multiple tornadoes touching down in some of our more populated areas. Two of them being F5's and apparently both vying for the title of the worst tornado on record. The 2nd one won that title at a whopping 2.5 miles wide. One tornado got semi-close to our area (the next town over) and we had a warning for our area one night which ended not with a tornado but with a hail storm and flooding. We've lost two large branches off our cottonwood tree and I really expect it to come down in the next couple of wind storms or so. (don't plan on any of us being in the house) 
Other than that there have been medical issues with my mom going to ER and was not herself. She was angry at me for going for awhile but things have calmed down and we are working out a new routine as she is needing more constant care than she was so working out that as well as taking care of our more immediate family as well. As for me a couple of ER trips (this had better not become the norm I HATE the ER you sit there for hours and only for them to do nothing really....well the 2nd one resulted in a prescription for an ultrasound that I have to do but still) anyway. I have decided that the way they weed out the ones that don't want to sit too long is to freeze them to death (it was cold as a walk in freezer) and play Lifetime movies til they can't stand it anymore. Oh and of course to keep you waiting so long that you wonder if you need to have your mail transferred there. If you survive all that you are taken to a room in which they poke on you for approximately 2 seconds and tell you that you need to see your dr asap (which the whole reason you went there in the first place is your dr is out of the office this week and they told you to go to ER because you needed to be seen otherwise you would not have gone in and sat through all that for hours) Such is the lovely experiences with the health field. 
On another note we saw some poor guy come in with some of his friends and was being pushed a long in a wheel chair but seemed to be in good spirits and was laughing and all. Wasn't til I saw my hubby cringe that I looked as he poked me and saw that it looked like the guys ankle was broken and was sitting at  an odd angle as well as being hugely swollen. Enough so that a lady sitting across from them while talking and laughing with them was trying to get him to cover it up with an ice pack LOL :) When he came out the nurse asked if it was broken and he proclaimed nope torn ligaments. 
In any case I am still awaiting testing but I seemed to have found out on my own that my problem may be extreme allergy related with an infection that occurred secondary to that. (my glands in my throat and along my collar bone swelled up as well as feeling like I was swallowing a large marble that wouldn't go down) anyway. 
They are wanting to test my thyroid though to rule that out. 
This time last year we were desperately wishing for rain as we were going through serious drought. Now we are getting all that rain and then some. Our rivers are over full and are eroding the banks and people have lost houses etc over it. Our two main roads to the next town were closed for a short time (well one of them for sure unsure if they actually closed the other one but they put out a warning about it and said they'd be closing that one shortly) Our lake is once again full though. No one around here has been really wanting to drink the city water because after the lakes turned it tastes and smells like it comes directly out of the lake. The fish in several of our lakes are suspected of being too high in mercury to eat.  Story on mercury Though I still want to get my husband a fishing license (and me one too but mostly him because he's been wanting one for awhile and at least this year it wouldn't be trying to fish in dry mudholes. Well that is just a quick update for now seems like for me I will always have these gaps because things of course get busy. Or rather they stay busy but sometimes they slow down for a short time.

School's out!

My kids had gotten an extra week of school as an extension but that ended yesterday so it is officially summer for our household (well yeah I know technically still spring but you know what I mean...) Today is also the start of a 4 day period of severe weather. Sitting here waiting to see if anything interesting happens. I've always been interested in the weather and I think some people take it as me being fearful of it or something...it isn't that. I get like storm chaser type excited. Always found it exciting. Right now it is suffocatingly hot and humid though so not enough energy to get too excited about it. 
I've made some dietary changes and have done pretty good at sticking with them. Mainly because of the difference I noticed all ready. I went of wheat entirely and I've noticed I don't have the constant headaches, no more throat swelling up, my nose isn't driving me crazy all the time, and my digestive issues are continuously doing better and better (no more swollen/bloated tummy as an added bonus)  Granted I miss the bread and it is hard. Especially right now when we have lofthouse cookies in the house which I love but they are alas made of wheat flour so that is a no go for me. My biggest problems is family members keep offering me things I can't have because they forget. I just have to remain strong willed and keep turning the things down and reminded them when said things are offered because I know how I felt before and how I feel now. My allergy was supposed to be minor but my dr said she'd seen other people reacting as I do to it and that was the only way they seemed to find relief of their symptoms which well... that is how it has turned out for me. It is quite possible that I have had celiac disease as well but I did not undergo testing for this so really can't say that is what it was but if so then that is also why this has been so successful for me. 
I haven't decided yet really what all I want to do this summer. I mean I do have some plans weather cooperating but we'll see. 

Centering

Listening to some Waterbone and wishing I had an alone spot. Someplace to sit and meditate preferably out in the woods. I think I found my perfect spot all ready at the new house but of course that is there not here. I also am feeling a need to release into my art or via dance. Art is a possibility but not dance really right now. Just so many things going on. Things that make the smaller things in your life that seemed big get drowned out. I will talk about the smaller for now though. My mom has to go in to figure out what is causing her tremors which she is being told may be Parkinsons. Though I am not quite as sure. I kind of think it could be in relations to the fact that her organs are shutting down. She is going through Renal Failure and they aren't going to do anything. She is also on a large amount of medications and believes fully that she will soon be like my grandpa was. Completely unable to move etc. Something she'd had nightmares about before because of that. Still having your mind but no longer having your body. I can only imagine how scary. I keep telling her she doesn't know this yet. Just hang in there til her appt. (comes up in a couple months or so) I am not sure anything will ease her fears. She is asking for a wheel chair because she can't walk really much anymore and she is trying to get her affairs in order. (This will mean full time care on our part and will soon anyway as her hands shake so bad she can hardly do anything) 
For my own problem it is small in perspective to everything else. Nothing really. I am having to go through a full dietary change that I didn't think I had to go through. Yes I am allergic to wheat, milk, peanuts, etc.....but the allergist thought I should still be able to eat it for the most part. Well it turns out that is what is causing my throat to swell. (Wheat) I talked to my dr after another episode and she says that even though the allergy is small that it is effecting me enough that I really just can't eat it. Everytime I stop I am fine. I had thought maybe something else was causing it but it isn't. This is something that you really have to take into thought how many things you eat that have wheat in them. For me having to go through a diet change at the same time as having several traumatic events happen ....not easy. Especially since I was somewhat stress eating so well maybe in the end it is a good thing I can't have it. I told my husband I don't want anyone else in my house to feel they have to eat any differently just fix what ever they would normally fix and I will work around it. (I know some people that expect everyone else to change with them and to me that is just not fair if the other people don't have the problem then why should they suffer?) It is something I am adjusting to. On another side note I've screwed up the ligaments in my foot. I am not going to go in to the other things going on because they are personal for other people and I don't feel I have a right to share that.  Rough times all around though I will say that. I keep trying to focus on positive things and positive change and that is becoming harder to do. Trying to hang in there though. I feel like I am being pushed or pulled in some direction and I am just off the path right now or something. Who knows. Hopefully that path will open up soon. Some may part ways on it but as long as that is the best for everyone then so be it. I just want to find peace again. 

Main stream Media and conspiracy theories

North Koreans train   My only thought (that isn't as laughable) is they are raising their children to be war minded (if this is accurate) and they have to grow up sometime...when they do will they have better technology and capability to carry out what they cannot now? Just a thought. Otherwise surely he is not actually basing his strategies on the same ideals as the propaganda videos of us they were putting out. People ask why the civilians of NK keep going along with their lives the way they are...it is a good example of brain washing that is why. They are steeped in this atmosphere til it becomes natural for them. This is the life they know and while we have more freedom (right now) to do our own research and etc from what I understand theirs is limited. 
Anyway I've been caught up in the news lately as has much (most?) of the US. I have noticed that the Boston Marathon bombings and the manhunt for the still missing suspect have served to act as a good time for them to bring out their new tactical vehicles and do a lot of photo ops and put them out there. Sort of a "See we told you we'd need these!" type thing it seems. News story from earlier today with photos There seems to be an ever growing number to those who are calling false flag and conspiracy theories which I have to agree that NOT EVERYTHING is a conspiracy and should NOT be treated as such though there are always those things that make you go...well that IS weird or the wonder as to why it seems things constantly seem to escalate. It seems we get used to one thing being the new normal only for that to change again and we have to adjust to that. If several years back you would have told me the military would start conducting drills in the US and we'd have drones being experimentally used (especially that Oklahoma would be a testing ground) for police work not just military work. It would have seemed too futuristic to me. Part of it is just that we are growing so quickly technologically and there are so many ways for this to be used....where do we draw the line between using it to help and using it to control. I think that is where the conspiracy theorists come in at with the analyzing of these situations. Is this occurring as a natural course of action? Or are we being pushed in the direction of becoming accustomed to these things being the norm and allowing military and police to reform their boundaries. Their question is are we being protected or controlled I believe that is what it boils down to. I honestly don't have an answer to that as I see a lot of both going on. I do analyze the crap out of the news and all and I have found that increasingly the media puts out inaccuracies and then redacts them only in turn they point their fingers at social media. I think the thing is that people using social media are mainly reposting what they read from MSM (main stream media) I think what we are seeing that is creating the conspiracy theorists are that people are starting to question their sources as MSM has been putting out so much incorrect information in the rush to be first to get the news out there. They put out conflicting stories or they put out bits of information without checking to make sure it is accurate. Partly because we in an era now where news travels so quickly that is a race between news agencies to get it out first and to hopefully beat twitter and facebook etc.....then a more recent development it seems is more and more people are latching on to sites such as Broadcastify to listen to the police scanners and get their "news" straight from the source. Even then this can prove inaccurate or confusing when things happen such as last night when they put out there the names of two suspects claiming it was them that they were searching for one of them being a missing student from Brown University and then later realizing it was not and then changing it to the two Chechnyan brothers (the MSM did this as well) only AFTER friends and family of the first two named suspects were harassed and threatened. 
Something I don't think people think about so much is that the media strongly influences peoples feelings on subjects. No I'm not saying people can't make up their own minds about how they feel....I'm saying sometime when you are watching the news pay attention to the particular wording they use when describing something. The tone they set. You may find that another news station etc will set an entirely different tone on the same story. It all is influenced heavily by the emotions that particular station etc intends to produce or enact in people. I've been really noticing that more and more. I knew this did this for ratings on certain stories etc and always have ...however if you really watch it goes a bit deeper than that. The media really does influence the public in other ways.  (yeah I know captain obvious here but it is the depth of it that surprised me I guess.) Another reason I say do your own research. Make SURE you check out multiple news sources before you pass judgement on something. 
Something else I have noticed is the hatred that spews onto the boards and comments sections of any news story, FB post, etc People seem to think that hate warrants more hate. The only thing that is happening is it is spreading it and creating more situations like this when people snap or when groups become more and more divided over hateful remarks about religions, ethnicity, etc. We are dividing ourselves and blaming it on situations like these when we should be standing together instead against it. Not pointing fingers and saying Oh because you are of this religion or of this race you shall now be grouped in with this person who did this or that. People are individuals. I can understand the anger especially about situations like this one with the Boston Marathon...what gets me is when people put all that anger on an entire ethnic group or religious group.  It disgusts me to see people stereotyping. I will post more of my thoughts on this later (maybe) 

Spring 2013

What will the spring and summer of 2013 hold for us? At this point I have absolutely NO idea. Usually I have at least some idea but not this year. None. We are attempting to move forward with some plants and have had a hard time so far due to illness. (Everyone in my house has caught that dratted cold that is going around and we can't seem to shake it) It is very frustrating but this does not look to be the overly hot and dry summer that we've had the last few years so maybe we can actually get somewhere with it. Everything for this coming year is up in the air. We'll just have to see where the cards fall. Too many transitions the last few years and they are wearing me out. Would love for things to slow down so we can take a breath and catch up so to speak but they never seem to. So many plans and so little time to accomplish anything. Or at least that is how it seems. Trying to sort things out into parts or sections so we can deal with those separately. I have started a few things though. My husband bought me some tomato plants and those seem to be going well. I am trying the experiment I'd seen recently with taking the part of the romaine lettuce that is normally discarded (in our case given to my son's guinea pigs) and planting it in a little garden and so far they are growing back nicely. My stargazer lilies are coming up really well (one had disappeared last year and I thought it was done for) my blueberry bush is getting really leafy. Even have a couple of strawberry and baby aloe plants going so in the gardening front at least we are doing well. (Still want some pepper plants and some herbs) Oh and my mint plants are taking over. Growing around where they were planted but not in that exact spot. ;) So for now we are playing everything by ear and taking each day as it comes. Will try and find time to blog when I can.