Everything in moderation

I talk a lot about health, exercise, being healthy, and, in particular, juicing.  This morning as I prepared to make my juice I thought my pile of produce looked so pretty that I decided to take a picture...and then decided I would just show you what juicing really looks like.

My mom found Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead on Netflix last year.  She mentioned it to me.  I watched it and was very inspired because of my autoimmune diseases.  But also because I just want to be healthy and feel good. 

Let's just be very clear here... I AM A JUNK FOOD JUNKIE AT HEART!  If I could be healthy and just eat chips and a beer for dinner, I would.  I absolutely adore cooking.  I absolutely abhor dishes.  I am passionate about fashion and love to have my clothes fit and feel really good.  I was always thin..at times too skinny..until my autoimmune stuff started in my early twenties.  And as I went through my pregnancies in my twenties, I found myself struggling more and more with my weight and my health.  By the time I was 28, I was having severe indigestion and intermittent gall bladder pain and my thyroid was no longer functioning.  By the time I was 37, I had been on numerous medications and I had my gall bladder out and I just felt unhealthy.  I have followed numerous diets..low fat, no sugar, high protein..you name it, I probably tried it.  I also had success to a certain degree.  When the clock turned to the new millenium, I knew I could no longer eat white flour.  I didn't know why.  I figured out by process of elimination that white flour made me feel very sick.  I continued to complain to doctors that I just didn't feel well.  I didn't know why.  I just didn't.  In 2008, I had two surgeries back to back.  One was a double upper abdominal hernia repair.  And the other was to place my BAHA.  I believe those two surgeries saved my life because they flared my autoimmune diseases.  I finally found a new endocrinoogist who saw something else going on with me..unlike all the others who simply checked my thyroid and said I was fine.  My new doctor found Hashimoto's which is what destroyed my thyroid, positive ANA bloodwork for Celiac (or gluten intolerance), and Sjogren's Syndrome which attacks your exocrine system..all the glands in your body that secret things like tears and saliva. It falls in the category with rheumatoid arthritis, schleraderma, or lupus and it mimics multiple schlerosis.  And that is where my journey with healthy food really begins.

Why juicing?... because from what I understand..juicing makes the wonderful enzymes in produce permeate your body at the cellular level within 15 minutes of ingestion.  And having been juicing for awhile, I can tell you that I feel good physically and emotionally when I juice.  Sjogren's causes flares with extreme fatigue..and it is energy that I seek and get from juicing.  It is also great nutrition which I feel can keep me off of traditional medications. 

spinach, celery, apple, carrot, kale, parsley, and lemon

We have two Jack LaLanne juicers...work great and easy to clean...he was the epitomy of health...

spinach first...or leafy things first...bunch them up in a tight ball



spinach coming out...very dark green and not a huge amount of juice but awesome nutrition

and I also put the parsley through following the spinach... parsley is full of chlorophyll which cleanses your intestines and gives you great breath!

carrot next to wash the spinach through the juicer..carrots produce a lot of juice and add sweetness

celery..it is my favorite to juice and is a natural diuretic...great if you are have fluid retention

and apple to wash it all through the juicer... an apple a day ;)

lemon adds a wonderful brightness (we don't put the peel through)



all of that produce makes 2 cups... we drink 2 cups per person at least per meal...which if we are really juicing a lot would be 3 or 4 times a day

very green...but tastes wonderful!  we use straws...we just like to

And I usually have some sort of healthy protein with my juice..this morning it was farm fresh eggs..we have a superb organic source

I wash my produce and do very little prep...cut off ends of carrot but no peeling...take seeds out of the apple...wash grapes only and put the whole bunch through...that's about it.  Putting the produce through the juicer takes a minute or two.  Then I quickly disassemble the juicer and rinse it very well while I drink my juice.  We wash the juicer with soap at the last use of the day.  That just seems to work the best for us...or we put all the parts in the dishwasher.

Don't get me wrong..everything in moderation.  I will still enjoy my chips and a beer for dinner every now and then.  And I will go out to eat or enjoy my chocolate when I choose.  But that's the most important point.  I can have what I want when I choose and just be okay and I can also choose to eat healthy or not eat at all if I don't feel like it.  And I can also choose to reboot and cleanse my system for a couple weeks if I want which is what I am currently doing in anticipation for Easter dinner.  I am looking forward to cooking for my family and them doing the dishes!! 

Juicing helps me not worry about food...what I will eat..or how my clothes will fit.  :)

Matthew 6: 24-26  Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?



God Bless,

love,

Monica

What makes your heart sing?

Eric has been pining for a kayak for a very long time.  He talked about the subject constantly even while he was overseas.  A week or so ago one came up for sale from a friend on facebook.  And when I showed it to Eric I could tell his heart gave a leap and started to sing...but he said, "No, let's just wait".  Well, sometimes I'm not very good at listening to his directions. ;)  I didn't wait.  Laramy and I drove down on Sunday while Eric was at drill and bought it.  We brought it in the dining room and waited for him to come home.  He did.  He came in the kitchen door and stopped and talked to us.  I told him he should go change out of his uniform (I was trying to get him to go to the dining room). And then he did..and he saw it... and his heart was singing and leaping and dancing.  And, of course, he climbed right in.... I cannot express how happy it made me to see him be so happy. 

Love his little boy grin

And the dogs jumped in too

And then he found the fishing pole holder

Well, Eric's heart is singing at the thought of being out in nature and my heart has been singing over my goose eggs lately. I am very thankful to have a nice supply of blown out goose eggs to art with.  But the following directions would really work well for regular store bought eggs that aren't blown out..downside is you can't eat or keep them.

Finished eggs

Blown out goose eggs

100 percent silk tie cut apart

 Wrap the egg with the fabric good side towards the egg with sewing thread

Wrap and Wrap until the egg is completely covered and no fabric shows.  I do this on the couch because if you drop the egg... well....

Put the egg in a pot of water to boil

Hollowed out eggs need to be weighted down...boil for 15 minutes

 When done, carefully unwrap the thread.  I sit on the couch for this part too...because I have dropped an egg and I was not singing....  And then carefully unwrap the silk and see what you have.  Some work better than others but it is always a surprise and very fun! 

Find something to do that makes your heart sing.... find joy in little things every day.

God Bless,

Love,

Monica

I can hear you now

I shed a few tears... again...over my new BAHA 3.  I realized last week that many of my readers and facebook friends have been confused about my BAHA...and the fact that I even had an implant...and maybe, for a few, that I am hearing impaired.  So I thought for the sake of my kids and those who care to know..I would write about my journey.

When I was 10 years old, in the fall of my 5th grade year, I became very ill with some sort of virus.  I had also been battling an abscessed tooth.  Sometime during that fall, my parents were alerted by a friend that I had been hanging up the phone when they called the house.  I remembering saying no one was there.  My dad had access to a hearing test machine and so he did a little test in the basement of our house..and he pronounced... she's not hearing anything in her right ear.  So off to my regular doctor I went..who referred me to an ENT..who said I was profoundly deaf in my right ear.  And from there they took me to Mayo Clinic in the spring and they also pronounced me profoundly deaf in my right ear because all of the nerves were dead and there was nothing to be done.  We never really found the cause but we assume it had something to do with the virus, the tooth, or a combination of both. I remember being very sad but also not really knowing how it would change my life.

Well, life changed dramatically for me.  I never really talked about my hearing loss and I don't think I ever really told anyone about it in high school.  Although, I know my close friends knew.  But as life progressed, I started to realize how much I missed...particularly because I had close friends and my husband by my side telling me.  I remember shortly after Eric and I were married that the Cochlear implant became news and I said to him, "If anything ever comes about to help me with my hearing, I will do it".

Well, I can tell you that being deaf in one ear is at times worse that being just plain deaf... well, maybe not..except everyone expects me to hear because I appear to be a hearing person.  I have spent most of my life with no directional hearing, never hearing in stereo, being afraid for my safety crossing the street (actually was hit by a bike once), being the last to get the joke, being called stuck up and, eventually becoming pretty social phobic because hearing socially was emotionally draining.  I am very fortunate to have a fantastic husband who has always been my "hearing aid".  And I have great friends who always made sure I didn't miss anything or I sat in the right place.  And I learned to read lips very well.  But my husband and all of my friends will say they preferred to be on my left side and avoid my black hole as I like to call it...because if you're on my deaf side you might as well not be there. 

Well in 2007, when Brenden went to the ENT to have his vocal cords assessed, the nurse asked him if anyone had trouble hearing him he said, "Yes, my mom, but she doesn't count because she's deaf in one ear". And that's when the nurse asked if I had heard of Cochlear's BAHA which I hadn't..she got me a brochure and I don't know I heard much more of Brenden's appointment.  I came home with a leap in my step and an excitement deep in my soul.

I made the appointment to see if I was a good candidate. After finding out I was, we proceeded to gain approval from my insurance company which for many people proved difficult.  But in a very short time I was approved and my surgery to place the titanium post in my skull was scheduled.  On March 28, 2008 my life was changed.  The hardest part of surgery was not being able to wash my hair...much at all...for over a month.  Eric was really good about helping me.  And in June, after the post was fully oseointegrated, I received my first processor called the Cochlear Divino. 

Annie (my good friend) and Eric went along.  My first experience with "hearing" was quite overwhelming...I remember stepping out of the office and hearing the birds, the cars, the people, the wind all at one time.  And for quite awhile after that, when I would hear something new, I would stop in amazement and sometimes shed some tears.  The first time I heard the piano in church, I sobbed uncontrollably, and had to actually get up and leave.  It was as if I had been hearing in black and white for 33 years and someone turned the color on...my flat world became very full. 

My sound processor attaches to my abutment and it picks up sound and passes it to my good cochlea in my left ear through vibrations through my skull.  So essentially, I "hear" everything still on my left side.  But I pick up sound on my right side and my brain has learned to distinguish the difference but I'm still pretty directionally hearing challenged.  And if I don't have my processor on..I am my own deaf self...which sometimes I just prefer to be.

My Divino was just that..I popped it on, turned it on, and went.  My new BAHA 3 is digital and has three settings..normal, for background noise, and for my iPod...yes, I can plug directly into my processor and hear music in my head... very cool. 



I can't believe it has been four years since my initial surgery. Biomedical engineering is absolutely amazing!
The pictures to follow are from 2008 to present.

First post-op picture in 2008...scarves of all sorts were my fashion accessory of choice

After my first post-op visit and dressing change...this is called the healing cap and I still have it

A few weeks after the initial surgery in 2008...the site is essentially a skin graft

My first processor..the Cochlear Divino..very simple with a volume control only

What my abutment looks like today

Audiologist hooking me up with my BAHA 3 to the computer

My hearing test through my BAHA...and adjusting it to my specific needs

Me..hooking it up and turning it on by myself for the first time..looks very similar but it is completely different.  The sound quality through this digital version is amazing compared to my old Divino.

I have a post that my processor attaches to so I can share the experience with anyone who wants to hear what I hear..it's pretty fascinating and I love seeing the look on people's faces.

I will say...that after four years..many people around me can tell when I don't have my processor on and I do still miss things...but considering it all... I don't think you'll be able to sneak up on me on my deaf side....I can hear you now. ;)

I am blessed!

God Bless,

love,

Monica

It's never too sappy... share the love!

Last year on Valentine's Day, Eric and I were spending his last day of leave together.  It was a bittersweet day because we both knew we had to say goodbye again the next morning.  He bought me my 25th anniversary diamond and we enjoyed breakfast and lunch together.  Sending him back to Afghanistan the next morning was the most difficult thing I have ever done...worse than saying goodbye the first time he shipped.

This morning I was thinking about last year and was reminded of eleven years ago..... Valentine's Day morning... My sweet husband woke up early with a plan in hand.  Actually, he had a back pack sprayer on his back.  We had snow covering the ground.  He knew the first thing I always did was wake up and raise the shade in the bedroom.  And I did.  And much to my surprise, I found my Valentine in the snow.  It was the sweetest Valentine ever and I will always remember the surprise and love I felt when I discovered it.

That same day we had bad weather...or maybe it was the day before...I'm not really sure.  But Brady kept insisting he wanted to walk uptown.  And I kept telling him no.  It came to the point of me scolding him because he would not quit.  He had a plan and he was not going to give up.  But it was very cold and finally I said I would take him..to which he said I couldn't because he had a surprise.  And, finally, it came out that he was going to buy roses for me with his own money.  It was the sweetest moment for me as a mom and a very humbling one.  If I remember correctly, I did drive him to the floral shop in the icey, cold snow and I kept my eyes closed as best I could as he climbed into the back of our big, purple van.  And then he presented me with the roses in the picture above. 

Single person awareness day... oh bah.... it is spread the love day... Share the love with all those around you.  It is just a happy day. 

Happy Valentine's Day!
Love and God Bless,
Monica

"Cheese Crust Pizza"

http://www.eat-drink-smile.com/2011/04/cauliflower-crust-pizza.html

Enjoy.... it is really simple and so easy to pat into a circle.  I let it sit for a few minutes and it served up nicely.  But it is fork pizza....not finger pizza.  After I had eaten dinner, I ran an errand.  The lady helping me commented that whatever I made for dinner smelled delicious on me.  ;) If you are not a garlic fan you might wish to cut back on either of those ingredients.  I also didn't need to cook the cauliflower in the microwave for as long as it stated...and I grated mine with a cheese grater pretty quickly (well, I was trying to hurry to hide that ingredient).

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour is really my favorite blend so far...and it made a great pie crust at Thanksgiving. It is available online but I've had great success finding it in my local grocery stores, too.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/peanut-butter-cookies/b1bc87be-3fa5-4957-974b-e15d40aca4aa#?st=6&term=gluten free cookies&ps=9&pi=9&fv=AND(HasGridViewImage%3ATrue)





Gluten Free Bisquick is another favorite...pancakes taste exactly the same.

And, finally, my favorite bread is Udi's.  I have tried a few brands and this one has the best taste and seems the most "normal".  I made our traditional breakfast casserole with it this year and everyone liked it better than the original.  So that speaks volumes about this bread because most gluten free bread tastes like dust..or grainy.  Be prepared though... it is pricey. 

Even if you don't need to eat gluten free...the pizza is worth a try... great way to get some extra veggies in..and garlic is awesome for you, too!

God Bless,

Love,

Monica

Don't blow my cover....

I haven't felt particularly inspired to write for quite awhile. I usually find inspiration when I'm on my bike...and considering this very warm winter we are having... I should be on my bike.  But I've been thinking a lot about my blog lately and how much it meant to me during the deployment.  And now that the deployment is behind us I've contemplated creating something new...except I love my Pugh sitters here.  And so, while we are still a military family, you will start finding me write more about our daily lives...all kinds of things, actually. 

Many of you may not know that our daughter-in-law, Sarah, has celiac disease and is allergic to wheat and I am also gluten intolerant....well, they diagnosed me with celiac, too. But I'm still slightly in denial. For the past three years I have been on a hunt for recipes and spent many hours searching for ways to eat our favorite things gluten free.  Quite frankly, eating gluten free and reading every label for wheat allergens (including shampoos and the like), really sucks the life out of the cake and gravy! But never fear...we have recently had much success.  And I see delish cakes and cookies in our future!  While it is difficult, I can tell you that living gluten free has really changed my health and saved Sarah's life.  So it is all worth it for sure. 

While Eric was deployed, I learned I needed to be even more cautious with label reading.  I had been avoiding breads and all of the obvious gluten items.  But, I hadn't been reading all of the fine print for myself.  Turkey and sour cream are two examples that a person might think they don't have to worry about.  But modified food starch, unless it is labeled corn, is made from wheat.  And it is used often as a thickener or flavor enhancer.  Who knew? 

Also, having celiac disease and being allergic to wheat are two different things.  I am not allergic to wheat.  What I have is like being diabetic..if I eat wheat, rye, or barley, I do invisible damage to my intestines and may or may not give me a very bad stomachache.  Diabetics can get away with eating some sugar....but eventually the damage they may do becomes irreversible.  The same is true with celiac disease.  Or I can eat properly and my body will heal.  Did you know diabetes and celiac disease are both autoimmune diseases?  Sarah's wheat allergy requires her to carry an epi pen. 

Well, thanks to my mom, Brenden thought he was cheating the gluten issue when he enjoyed some delicious cookies she had made over Christmas.  Bren was at our house without Sarah...and then I informed him they were gluten free...he said, "Aw, man, I thought I was getting away with something and eating the real deal"!  A crumb on Bren's lips could pose quite a problem for Sarah if he kisses her.  So he stays clear of gluten and wheat, too. 

Last week, I found a wonderful recipe for "cheese" crust pizza.  I believe this is going to be the next classic "cheesy noodles" recipe in our family.  When the boys were little, the only way they would eat tuna casserole was to tell them it was cheesy noodles.  And in the beginning, I used to blender the sauce so they couldn't see the tuna chunks.  But they grew up loving it as one of their favorite dishes.  And then Brady went to college and called home for the recipe..and my cover was blown.  Well, my cheese crust pizza is going to stay a secret for awhile until they fall in love with it..and then I'll reveal the recipe on here.  I loved it and Lare and Ayden licked it all right up without asking. They didn't even seem to notice the huge grin I sported. 

btw...I seem to do fine with beer made from barley..but I stay away from wheat beers...and there are some good gluten free beers on the market, too.  If you are really sensitive to gluten, all beer must be avoided which I did for a very long, long time.  And then I tested it to see if I had any symptoms which I did not.  And I would if it bothered me, because the longer I am away from gluten the faster I get sick if I get into something accidentally. But everything in moderation is still a good rule to follow...even if it is gluten free cake!

God Bless and happy February!
love,
Monica
James 1:12

History is always in the making

December 7th, 1941.  I can't imagine the grief torn through the families who had loved ones stationed there.  And I'm sure there were many days of chaos and uncertainty as they waited to hear of survivors.  Both of my parents were around 10 years old when Pearl Harbor became history in the making.  While Pearl Harbor is history, so is our year of deployment.  Both changed my life.  But one  made me appreciate the sacrifice the military families in 1941 made for me. 

Over the last couple of weeks I have been revisiting the history of my life as I decorated my house for the holidays.  Last year at this time my heart was lacking the spirit with Brady and Eric gone.  So decorations were very limited.  But this year I have gone through every box and reminisced and we put out almost every decoration we own.

One of my Christmas trees was my Grandma Pieper's.  I can't believe I still have it.  It was Eric's and my first Christmas tree as a married couple 25 years ago.  When I pull it out of the box, the smell of old polyethylene triggers a memory of my childhood at Christmas time.  I don't always put this tree up.  But there was new sentiment this year for me as I pulled it out of the box once again.  I can think back to that time in my life as a 10 year old girl and know that I had no appreciation or understanding of anything military. But I can also imagine that my Gram was overcome with fear and insecurity as Pearl Harbor happened and she was a young mother with three young children. 

Our big family tree was my mom and dad's all of my teen years.  She gave me that tree in 1996 when my oldest son Brady was about 10.  Over the years we have collected and filled that tree with all of their ornaments plus ones from my childhood and a couple my Gram used to hang on her tree.  As I pulled out each one, I was reminded of the time it was made or given.  I treasure them. All three hundred are individually wrapped and as I pull out each one I try and repeat the story of where it came from or whose it was.  My boys often say to me, "I know Mom".  But someday I hope at least one of them will appreciate the history behind them all like I do. 

A couple of our other trees, we have five, remind me of the journey we have taken as a family.  Our smallest tree was always in the stairwell of the house we built.  Our slim 7 foot tree was bought for our second country house because we had no room at the inn for a big tree.  And my white tree was purchased from a garage sale with my dearest friend, Melody.  That tree will always remind me of great times with a great friend.

 I am sure by Christmas in 1941 most of the family members of the lost soldiers knew their loved one was gone.  I'm sure Christmas that year was a very devastating time for them.  I am so thankful to be facing holidays with my soldiers home and so grateful for all our military men and women who served and lost their lives for my freedom.  Their sacrifice gives me and my family the freedom to celebrate Jesus' birth and the freedom to enjoy all these wonderful Christmas memories.

A little section of Gram's tree.  It has been decorated many ways over the years. 

I used to help my Gram put this tree together. It is very fragile and I treasure it.

My childhood radio flyer sled... We pulled the kids on it when they were little.  I adore it decorated on my porch.

Our family tree.. I think Ayden loves the tree topper because it has been around his whole life. It is his history.

This is an old ornament from my childhood...I didn't realize until I was an adult that it wasn't Jesus.  :)  But I tell my kids every year it is hung that I thought this was Jesus when I was a little girl.  They inform me they know.

And this is another ornament from my childhood... a favorite.

I hope you'll all take time to reflect  this Christmas season over your own histories, good or bad, and count your blessings. Our histories make us who we are.

God Bless,

much love and Merry Christmas,

Monica

Luke 2:11-14

For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."