On Saturday I was determined to get the house cleaned and as I walked passed the office, I saw the Guitarist had organized the desk and computer and moved his many books off the floor. Can I tell you, I love that man! Well, it motivated me even more to get the house in order. After I'd been home for an hour or so, he was tired and took his ever present canine companion aside for an afternoon nap. Now I was really ready to get down to the dirty business of cleaning, armed with the vacuum, the broom and a flurry of solutions. Sometimes it shocks even me to think what moments or activities put me in my element. Sadly enough, cleaning is one of those moments. Not many things in life make me feel a deeper sense of accomplishment than a house which smells as clean as it looks. Hmmmm...
Today is Thursday...and I really do not have much to report. I am feeling better than last week although still not normal yet and still wandering around in a haze of exhaustion...and beyond doing the dishes and straightening up a bit, I haven't done a thing since Saturday.
Not even the floors...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Tired and crazy...
Well it has been one of those weeks where no matter how much sleep I get, I do not feel rested. In addition to Celiac, I have a thyroid condition and it was time to have my levels checked and in the meantime, my prescription had run out. As a result, I went for 5 days without my medicine before the doctor re-prescribed a new dosage. I picked up the new meds yesterday although I have been directed to take them first thing in the morning as they work better after fasting through the night...I woke up at 6:12 this morning and the first thing I did was open that bottle and chase the little pill with a gulp of cold water and before I could put my glass down, the Guitarist asked..."Do you feel better yet?" That guy just keeps me laughing!
Strangely enough, I could feel the difference in the way my body was functioning although I had no idea it was noticeable to the world outside, or even to him...Interesting...The man knows me better than I thought and after 12 years I guess he should. Once I had explained to him why I was so tired all week, his response was..."so that is what's been wrong with you." And in the course of our conversation, he made the comment that I am much more fun when I stay on my meds...Ha..Ha! I fired back asking if he was trying to tell me I'm crazy and he said, "well of course, but crazy I can handle...punked out and drained I cannot. It is not the real you"...Yes people, this kind of humor is the norm in our house. And it suits us both just fine.
As a result of my exhaustion, I have only cooked once this week and the cottage is in disarray as I did not do much at all which is, as the Guitarist said, not like me. I am a bit of a neat freak and given the fact our house is so small and we have a dog who sheds so badly I can barely go two days without cleaning the floors, it takes little to make our place look a mess. So today when I get home from work I am hoping to make some headway with the cleaning. I also need to start cooking again because if the phrase, 'you are what you eat' is true, it is only a matter of hours before my man turns into a hotdog. I just pray my energy lives up to my to-do list.
Or perhaps I will take a nap instead...
Strangely enough, I could feel the difference in the way my body was functioning although I had no idea it was noticeable to the world outside, or even to him...Interesting...The man knows me better than I thought and after 12 years I guess he should. Once I had explained to him why I was so tired all week, his response was..."so that is what's been wrong with you." And in the course of our conversation, he made the comment that I am much more fun when I stay on my meds...Ha..Ha! I fired back asking if he was trying to tell me I'm crazy and he said, "well of course, but crazy I can handle...punked out and drained I cannot. It is not the real you"...Yes people, this kind of humor is the norm in our house. And it suits us both just fine.
As a result of my exhaustion, I have only cooked once this week and the cottage is in disarray as I did not do much at all which is, as the Guitarist said, not like me. I am a bit of a neat freak and given the fact our house is so small and we have a dog who sheds so badly I can barely go two days without cleaning the floors, it takes little to make our place look a mess. So today when I get home from work I am hoping to make some headway with the cleaning. I also need to start cooking again because if the phrase, 'you are what you eat' is true, it is only a matter of hours before my man turns into a hotdog. I just pray my energy lives up to my to-do list.
Or perhaps I will take a nap instead...
Thursday, August 14, 2008
A few of my favorite things...
Starched white shirts and good, worn denim cut offs.
Fine point black pens and clean white paper, thick and crisp; none of the cheap stuff.
Tulips of any color, but especially white.
Coral inpatients.
Dark red boots and boot cut jeans that fit.
The smell after it rains and the scent of fresh cut grass on a cool day.
The feel and taste of ice cold water as it slides across my tongue and down through my chest.
Eating crisp cucumbers like a banana...bananas with a tinge of green on the peel.
Cabernet.
The sound of nothing while perched at the top of the Rockies.
My sons who never cease to make me feel that amid all my faults and failings, I have done something extraordinary.
My Mom's spaghetti sauce.
Pickled beets, cold from the frig.
Candles...lots of candles (the Guitarist can attest to that).
While I am here, the Guitarist! And his faithful side kick, Lila' the ornery yellow lab.
Clay flower pots.
My big red sofa.
Clean sheets.
Good hair days.
Black shirts and pants and khaki shorts.
Cheap black flip flops.
High heeled shoes...okay, any shoes.
Gerbera daisies.
30 minutes of silence when I get home from work.
Anything chicken.
People magazine, and Cooks Illustrated and Cooking Light and Living Without.
The best neighbors on the planet.
A sister I also consider my closest friend.
Writing.
Entertaining for those I love.
Strong peppermint gum.
Organic almond soap.
Fabric softener fresh laundry.
My little cottage of a home.
People who are of tender spirit and heart.
A sharp, snappy sense of humor...and sarcasm.
Chicago Tribune Sunday crossword puzzle.
NFL football...go Redskins!
Eating gluten free and feeling healthy again!
Well I guess that was a bit more than a few of my favorites but whose counting, right!
Fine point black pens and clean white paper, thick and crisp; none of the cheap stuff.
Tulips of any color, but especially white.
Coral inpatients.
Dark red boots and boot cut jeans that fit.
The smell after it rains and the scent of fresh cut grass on a cool day.
The feel and taste of ice cold water as it slides across my tongue and down through my chest.
Eating crisp cucumbers like a banana...bananas with a tinge of green on the peel.
Cabernet.
The sound of nothing while perched at the top of the Rockies.
My sons who never cease to make me feel that amid all my faults and failings, I have done something extraordinary.
My Mom's spaghetti sauce.
Pickled beets, cold from the frig.
Candles...lots of candles (the Guitarist can attest to that).
While I am here, the Guitarist! And his faithful side kick, Lila' the ornery yellow lab.
Clay flower pots.
My big red sofa.
Clean sheets.
Good hair days.
Black shirts and pants and khaki shorts.
Cheap black flip flops.
High heeled shoes...okay, any shoes.
Gerbera daisies.
30 minutes of silence when I get home from work.
Anything chicken.
People magazine, and Cooks Illustrated and Cooking Light and Living Without.
The best neighbors on the planet.
A sister I also consider my closest friend.
Writing.
Entertaining for those I love.
Strong peppermint gum.
Organic almond soap.
Fabric softener fresh laundry.
My little cottage of a home.
People who are of tender spirit and heart.
A sharp, snappy sense of humor...and sarcasm.
Chicago Tribune Sunday crossword puzzle.
NFL football...go Redskins!
Eating gluten free and feeling healthy again!
Well I guess that was a bit more than a few of my favorites but whose counting, right!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
A whole new world...And it begins with pork!
...this blog-sphere is just that for me so forgive my naivete' as I get the hang of this and hopefully get to know others out there in blog land.
I live gluten free and have for the past 10 months. In some ways it is more of a challenge than I ever dreamed and in others, it is the most simple task I have ever taken on...eat whole foods and there is really no issue. The daunting task comes into play when we (me and the man who will now be referred to as the 'Guitarist') want to have a meal outside the house. Even trying to grab a quick 'something' is nearly impossible though I am so thankful the Guitarist is very understanding and will go with the flow (although I always say the guy would eat broken glass if I gave it to him in a bowl with a spoon). And though I love to cook, with the size kitchen I have it has lost some of its luster...36" of counter space, a small range and basically no room to prep or prepare anything bigger than a sandwich and the irony here is if the bread isn't gluten free, there will be no sandwich for this girl. Are you getting my point here? Small kitchen+gluten free living=not much fun!
Our home is small but very charming, peacefully cozy and I am in love with this house. So we are preparing to do some remodeling. And I must add, this prep has been going on since January and still not one spec of dust has been raised in the efforts of creating a functional space for me to properly feed my very talented musician, but I hope to get started as soon as the weather cools off a bit. Did I mention up until the past 4-5 days, it has been in the high 90's and so humid you could steam asparagus over my driveway...no, I must have left that out as the wonderfully cool temps have made me think I am on some lovely tropical island...See what I mean? The heat was really gone to my head. And if you stick around for a while, you will find I am a little insane at times...
As I mentioned above, I am doing research to begin a new chapter of my life. I am hoping it will be a rousing success and perhaps then I can even hire the Guitarist to be my own personal serenader (is that even a word? Don't judge me. Spell check says yes). Regardless, it is my hope, or rather my dream that we can be free to make our own success and not someone else's...I will keep you up on the progress and when the time is right, will reveal my new venture.
Thanks for spending a few minutes with me and please leave me a comment! Good, bad or indifferent, I value your input!
I leave you with a recipe...enjoy!
More later!
T
Pork Chops with Onions...Gluten Free!
4-6 thin sliced pork chops (the thick ones do not work as well)
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of organic sugar
olive oil
salt and pepper
If your pork chops have a ring of fat or tissue around the edge, snip it every few inches with scissors or a knife. This will help prevent the meat from curling at the edge causing uneven cooking. Salt and pepper both sides of pork and put into fairly hot saute pan coated with olive oil. Brown good on both sides...about 5-7 minutes. Mix soy sauce, vinegar and sugar together and pour over chops in pan. Add onions on top of chops and turn pan to low heat so the liquid still bubbles a bit. Simmer 10 minutes on each side until tender and onions are transparent. Remove meat and keep warm for a few minutes...I just cover mine with foil. Turn pan up to med high, scrape brown bits from bottom of pan and reduce sauce for 3-4 minutes. Serve sauce and onions over chops.
Yum! And quick and easy too~
I live gluten free and have for the past 10 months. In some ways it is more of a challenge than I ever dreamed and in others, it is the most simple task I have ever taken on...eat whole foods and there is really no issue. The daunting task comes into play when we (me and the man who will now be referred to as the 'Guitarist') want to have a meal outside the house. Even trying to grab a quick 'something' is nearly impossible though I am so thankful the Guitarist is very understanding and will go with the flow (although I always say the guy would eat broken glass if I gave it to him in a bowl with a spoon). And though I love to cook, with the size kitchen I have it has lost some of its luster...36" of counter space, a small range and basically no room to prep or prepare anything bigger than a sandwich and the irony here is if the bread isn't gluten free, there will be no sandwich for this girl. Are you getting my point here? Small kitchen+gluten free living=not much fun!
Our home is small but very charming, peacefully cozy and I am in love with this house. So we are preparing to do some remodeling. And I must add, this prep has been going on since January and still not one spec of dust has been raised in the efforts of creating a functional space for me to properly feed my very talented musician, but I hope to get started as soon as the weather cools off a bit. Did I mention up until the past 4-5 days, it has been in the high 90's and so humid you could steam asparagus over my driveway...no, I must have left that out as the wonderfully cool temps have made me think I am on some lovely tropical island...See what I mean? The heat was really gone to my head. And if you stick around for a while, you will find I am a little insane at times...
As I mentioned above, I am doing research to begin a new chapter of my life. I am hoping it will be a rousing success and perhaps then I can even hire the Guitarist to be my own personal serenader (is that even a word? Don't judge me. Spell check says yes). Regardless, it is my hope, or rather my dream that we can be free to make our own success and not someone else's...I will keep you up on the progress and when the time is right, will reveal my new venture.
Thanks for spending a few minutes with me and please leave me a comment! Good, bad or indifferent, I value your input!
I leave you with a recipe...enjoy!
More later!
T
Pork Chops with Onions...Gluten Free!
4-6 thin sliced pork chops (the thick ones do not work as well)
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of organic sugar
olive oil
salt and pepper
If your pork chops have a ring of fat or tissue around the edge, snip it every few inches with scissors or a knife. This will help prevent the meat from curling at the edge causing uneven cooking. Salt and pepper both sides of pork and put into fairly hot saute pan coated with olive oil. Brown good on both sides...about 5-7 minutes. Mix soy sauce, vinegar and sugar together and pour over chops in pan. Add onions on top of chops and turn pan to low heat so the liquid still bubbles a bit. Simmer 10 minutes on each side until tender and onions are transparent. Remove meat and keep warm for a few minutes...I just cover mine with foil. Turn pan up to med high, scrape brown bits from bottom of pan and reduce sauce for 3-4 minutes. Serve sauce and onions over chops.
Yum! And quick and easy too~
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