Pumpkin Pie Secrets Plus A Gluten-Free Version

Fibromyalgia: Not for the faint of heart

I am having a rough time lately dealing with the realities of being sick. I am packing to move, which I would like to get done fairly quickly, but can only work an hour or two at a time with frequent breaks. I won’t be able to help load and unload, and heaven only knows how I’ll get unpacked. It is incredibly frustrating. And depressing. But it will get done, just a few days later than planned.

I do want to express thanks to my family for all their help, Grandma packed the kitchen-a huge help! I feel ashamed of myself, that I need the help.

A Visitor To Our Humble Home

We have a visitor this afternoon, who popped in on us slightly unexpectedly. I’m happy to report that within the 5 minutes between his calling and arrival, I was able to pick up and straighten slightly, and the house is a bit more presentable than usual.
I really need to revisit my plan to have a Cleaning Schedule. Maybe I’ll make a free printable of my schedule, geared toward those with chronic pain-and getting the necessities done!

Fibromyalgia Pain

I’m having pretty horrid fibro pain tonight, in the outside of my lower arms and wrists. I guess I’ve eaten too much crap today, that’s all I can come up with for a reason. But the weather is changing too, so that could be it. Its pretty miserable, and nothing to do about it. I”m sure though that the motional upset this morning also isn’t helping. I experienced a little of this pain last night, but not like this, not so bad. I’m tired and frustrated, wish I could get to sleep and get out of this pain.

Ginger Remarried

We got a bit of news this morning via my older sister’s facebook. My ex-step-mom has remarried, less than 7 months after my dad’s passing. Its amazing how something like that can affect you. We, sister and I, are in a tizzy this morning but trying to calm down. Its very upsetting on a lot of levels.

Most of all, though, I feel for Ginger’s kids. Daddy raised them, more so than he raised us, and his passing has affected us all differently, but we are all definitely still in mourning. Except Ginger, apparently. I had suspicions this would happen, but it feels really weird to have been “right” about it.

I wish I was wrong, I wish I had miscalculated, but most of all, I wish Daddy’s wife of 18 years had not disrespected him in this way.

Thankful Post: Gourmet Crochet

Happy Holidays Amigurumi designed by Carolyn Christmas

 

Sometimes, it nice to just think of thankful things. Today, I want to mention Gourmet Crochet: my mother’s crochet design and publishing company. Gourmet Crochet is an exemplary example of my mother’s crochet talent. Her amigurumi and wearables are my favorites, like 

Pamelyn design by Gourmet Crochet

 

I’ve made Pamelyn twice or three times now-it is a lovely fast wearable to stitch with a lot of wow factor! I just finished it in Comfy by Knitpicks for my sister, and it fits beautifully.

So, in today’s thankfulness post, I want to say, “Thanks!” to my mom, for being an inspiring crochet designer, among many, many other things!

Sunday Funday Link Party

Its Sunday Funday! A day for fun and folic-and adding your link to my link party! Link up and comment if you want, I’ll be posting favorites after it closes in 24ish hours!

If you would like to contact me directly, here’s a form! There’s also one on another page around here for any time 🙂

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I look forward to seeing your lovelies and browsing everything!

Love your life,

Whitney

Saturday Supper

Dh made a delicious dinner of lean ground beef, with stewed tomatos, fresh rosemary, and other herbs and spices. It was super good!

Most of my eating today has been pretty good. I did start the calcium supplement again, a gummy vite, but it has too much sugar to continue having on a daily basis. I took magnesium too, a giant horsepill, and overall I have felt well today.

 

 

GFCFSF Diet

I don’t want to call it a “diet” per se, though it is a diet, just not in the sense that at some point I’ll stop eating this way. GFCFSF stands for gluten free, casein free, sugar free. Casein is a milk protein. Sometimes, this type of eating is called Paleo, Primal, SCD, GAPs, and other names. Basically, I am eating whole, real food. Tada! I’m avoiding GMO products, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, soy, etc as well, so really trying to buckle down.

I made tuna patties tonight, from this recipe. They are super delicious. It seems like a lot of ingredients, but you just toss everything in a bowl, stir, and plop them into a pan to cook. Et voila! Easy peasy entree. The only change I made was to halve the recipe, and I used minced garlic instead of garlic powder. Grandma suggested putting some lemon juice on top, as we do for fried catfish in these parts. I tried it, not sure but may veto it as an option. It did add a little zip but the breading (egg + almond flour) absorbed it and it was weird.

Also this week I’ve made Pumpkin Sausage Soup, Carrot Ginger soup, and Split Pea with Ham and Bacon. The pumpkin sausage was by far the best. I left out all the creaminess, but the brothy, rich soup was very satisfying. The carrot ginger soup failed for some reason, it was not tasty, and a weird texture. So I used a bit of the stock that I had left to make the split pea. The stock this time was ah-maze-ing. I used a recipe from Suzanne that I can’t find at the moment, but it was fabulous.

I encourage you, if you suffer from chronic pain, fatigue, illness, mental illness, or weight issues, to give this eating plan a try!

Love your life,

Whitney

The Death of John Wrana

 

I am shocked and appalled. Google John Wrana, go ahead, come back and I’ll wait.

….

Disgusting. Depraved. Disillusioned.

[Gross misconduct]
After researching this incident, I believe the police were in the wrong. His death was ruled as a homicide by the medical director, due to the beanbag rounds in the gut. The cops killed an old man. 95. In his chair. With only a cane and shoehorn confirmed as “weapons.” Seriously people. This is making me sick to my stomach. Weapons of mass destruction, they arent, but 5-7 policemen in riot gear turned out to eventually shoot him due to a knife being pulled. That the staff insists did not happen. There was no knife found.

[Depraved]
Do I believe the officers targeted him due to his WWII veteran status? No, I do not. Do I believe he was a spirited old man, perhaps going to hurt himself-but no one else? Yes. This means any of us are in danger. Without knowing a man’s background, it cannot be expressed as the cause, as some news blog sites are implying.

[Blind]
I am so naive, and I am ill, sick to my stomach at this incident. I cannot imagine (except perhaps with a talent, health, and a throwing knife) how the cops felt compelled to taser the man. What was said as the man was yelling? Why-beyond refusing surgery-should he have died. I can think of no instance in which this death, premature, is justified. Even if in an alternate reality, he died that next day on the operating table, his homicide, literally men killing a weaker man, will not be forgotten.