My Gluten Free Journey

About a month ago, I was home on a Friday night and I felt TERRIBLE! Truly, like death. I didn't have a fever or anything but I just could not function. And, as I started reflecting on the days prior, it dawned on me that I had been eating a LOT of bread. . . Sandwiches, breading on meats, the whole nine yards.

I had been told before that I really needed to eliminate gluten from my diet. I have an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto's, have had for more than a decade actually, and when I eat Gluten, my body mistakes it for thyroid hormone and launches an attack. The symptoms vary and are ever-changing. Here is a sample: extreme fatigue, digestive issues, apathy, inability to focus, total brain fog. This is me most days.

So, right then and there, on a Friday night on my couch, I decided to quit gluten cold turkey. I know what you're thinking. "Big deal. Whoop-dee-do." So, I should tell you that I L-O-V-E bread. I crave it often. I can be very happy with a slice of bread and a pat of butter. I eat a lot of peanut butter sandwiches. So this was going to be very hard. And, what you don't always realize is that gluten is in more than just bread., think soups and condiments.

I wish I could tell you that I never slipped up. I did. I ate two glutinous cookies one night in a weak moment, and another day I let myself have a few croutons. A couple of times, I ate gluten and didn't even mean too! But I am on my way. My taste buds are changing, thankfully. And by default, my family is eatin less gluten because I don't buy it. If it's in my house, I will eat it. I am so weak; no will power!

I know this will continue to get easier. It's already easier now than it was a month ago. But I am still learning my way around a gluten-free world. I am reading everything I can get my hands on and Pinterest is my new BFF. (I still love you Amanda Sue!) Every weekend my kitchen turns into a testing facility. Last weekend I mastered a gluten-free cupcake. Praise God! Lord knows that I LOVE cupcakes!

Laura  xoxo

Happy New Year

I am not usually much for New Year's Resolutions. It seems that every year people make a list of things they want to do, make a big production of writing them down, and then most are forgotten by mid-January. Or maybe that's just me. 

But this year there are some things I want to accomplish so I am giving this another go. I also think it will be neat to review this post at the end of 2014 and see just how much I can check off this list.

1) the biggest thing I want is to pursue God on a consistent basis . . . Read His word daily, read books by authors of farther greater faith than me, and lean into Him, talk to Him, trust Him, love Him. Our church is going to read through the Bible this year as a congregation, so that will be a tremendous learning experience for me. I am also reading a book by Beth Moore called "Believing God." I really think God has something in store for me and my family and I can't wait to see what those things are.

2) I want to get out of credit card debt. I say this all the time and something always comes up that prevents us from getting this monkey off our backs. We don't have a lot but I want to have zero!

3) I want to firmly lead my family on a path to healthier living. I want us to go for walks together, hike together, camp, swim, anything but watch TV. And I want to change the way we eat 5 days of the week. I figure we can splurge on the weekends. Right now we are splurging everyday. 

Three is enough, right? I don't want to bite off more than we can chew and these three are fairly hefty already. I hope I can stay committed to each of these. We shall see . . .

Happy New Year!

Laura xoxo