Graduation Season 2017

Today my family and I celebrated the college graduation of my niece, Shelby from the University of Iowa.  What an exciting time.  It has been wonderful for me to see nieces and nephews as they continue their education, get married, start families, find careers that suit them.  My husband and I don't have any living children of our own, so we've live vicariously through our siblings, their children and grandchildren.

Traveling is always an adventure for someone with food issues (allergies, intolerances, diabetes, Celiac Disease, etc).  Through the past few years I have learned to always pack a LOT of gluten free food and treats to take with me.  This weekend trip has been no exception.  I feel very blessed to have a family that is very supportive, understanding and as accommodating as possible under the circumstances.  Last night we ate at a place we've eaten before since my diagnosis.  While I am always wary of buffets and normally avoid them at all costs, I will eat at the buffet at Riverside Casino & Resort near Iowa City.  They've been accommodating and have a few items that I can safely eat.  As always, I avoid areas where there is likely to be cross-contamination, even if there is a gluten free item.  If it is next to something not gluten free, I don't take a chance.  I took meat that was carved from a larger piece as I watched the cook cut it and put it on my plate and I chose to eat a lot of crab legs - all still in the shell and in an area away from the rest of the food on the buffet.  Granted, I do know that I was taking a risk - more than the usual risk I take eating at a non-buffet restaurant that is not dedicated gluten free.  I chose to take that risk because I know that I've eaten safely at this place before and haven't had any issues.  I do not recommend doing this without doing your research to be as sure as possible that you can eat safely.  Today, the luncheon after the commencement ceremonies was held at Pizza Ranch in North Liberty, Iowa.  I've been very happy with the Pizza Ranch near where I live.  They are extremely cautious and take great care to protect their gluten free customers from cross-contamination as much as they can.  Again, do your research and ask questions beforehand.  Find out how your food is prepared and what they do to make it as safe as possible before you order.  Be as safe as you can be.

Yay, Shelby!!!

If you have to - eat beforehand.  Do NOT let having Celiac or any other food issue keep you from joining in on the celebration!!!  I've attended plenty of events where I had to eat either before or after the event.  Yes, I sit there with nothing to eat while everyone else is eating, but I can still join in on the conversation and celebration.  My health and being proactive in taking care of it is about me, but the celebration or event isn't.  Don't make it about you, but God bless the families and friends who are understanding and accommodating of our needs even during their big and important events!  Celebrate!  Enjoy time with loved ones, co-workers, etc.  Don't stop living just because you can't eat what everyone else can!

Congratulations, Shelby and all of the other 2017 graduates - high school and college - everywhere!  Let the celebrating begin!!!!!

Touching Base

Good morning.  I had planned on writing over the weekend, but some things came up that took me away from writing.  I'm Monday I got into something that has made me I'll with all kinds of Celiac symptoms including diarrhea, inflamed and achy muscles and joints, headaches, nausea and brain dog with trouble concentrating.  Yesterday was worse than Monday.  Starting to feel better today, but still have lingering headache along with the inflamed and achy muscles and joints.  Heading back to work today and hope to be able to concentrate enough to write a real post tonight or tomorrow.  Thank you for your patience and understanding, Dear Readers.

God's Green Earth

Photo Credit: God's Green Earth Facebook page (used with permission)

In 2016 I had the privilege to meet Alafia and Marije Wright at their booth at the Sioux City Farmer's Market (which opened for the 2017 Summer Season today, by the way).  The Wright's produce a skin care line, which includes soaps, lotions, lip balm and much, much more, under the company name of God's Green Earth.  It was the name of their company that first caught my eye.  I tried their soap and hand lotion and quickly became a regular customer!  

    Tea Tree soap                                    Facial Scrub

     Facial Lotion             Lavender Hand & Body Cream

These are just a few of the products I've purchased and used from God's Green Earth.  The Tea Tree Soap is my favorite.  I love that the fragrance helps wake me up in my morning shower - especially since I am NOT a morning person at all.  The soap is gentle and leaves my skin soft and without a filmy residue that some store bought soaps leave behind - yuck! The Facial Scrub was a different experience for me.  I haven't used one like it before.  The texture is what you'd expect for a facial scrub, gritty.  It doesn't take very much product to work gently into your damp face and then wash off with warm water.  It exfoliates really well and leaves me feeling fresh and clean.  I've gone through a couple of bottles of the Facial Lotion.  Again, it doesn't take a lot to cover my entire face.  I use it in the morning under my make up and at night after I've washed the make up off.  The lotion doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy, but smooth and silky soft.  I've had dry skin most of my life, but since using the products from God's Green Earth, my skin feels hydrated and soft, not rough and scaly!  Probably my very favorite products are the Lavender Hand & Body Cream and the Lip Balm (not pictured).  I use the hand & body cream on my hands, my rough (not anymore) elbows and calloused feet.  I'm amazed at how smooth using this cream has made the roughest, most dry areas of my skin.  The lavender scent is very relaxing and calming.  I like to use the cream especially at night before going to bed because of its soothing qualities.  The lip balm really surprised me the most.  I can't stand to have dry, chapped lips.  It drives me crazy.  I always carry lip balm and put it on a lot through out the day.  The lip balm from God's Green Earth I can apply once at the start of the day and my lips stay moist and hydrated all day long.

I asked Marije to give me a little information about their business and the inspiration behind it.

"God's Green Earth was established in 2014 by husband and wife team Alafia & Marije.  After their children had been diagnosed with eczema, asthma and food sensitivities to Gluten, Soy and Lactose they were on a quest to find natural remedies.  The prescribed medications for eczema are full of steroids and were causing undesirable side effects.  Alafia & Marije tested many recipes for soaps, lotions, toiletries and household cleaners before being confident in bringing them to market for sale.  Alafia & Marije have a commitment to produce their product lines toxic-free with as many natural, organic, GMO-free, dairy free, soy free and gluten free ingredients as possible.  They only use a small amount of preservative for their lotions because they grow bacteria and get rancid quickly, which would make them unsafe.  They source their ingredients from reputable companies and try to buy as many ingredients locally as possible.  At God's Green Earth nothing gets made that Alafia & Marije wouldn't use themselves for their family of 7.  They are committed to providing toxic free products that you can be confident are safe and enjoyable to use in your household.  Alafia & Marije offer products that are allergen friendly, meaning that they create their products in a manner where they are safe to use for people with sensitivities and allergies to gluten, soy and dairy.  At God's Green Earth we know our skin is our largest organ and we want to help our customers take care of their skin in a healthy and safe way.  We strive to produce all our products without gluten so that anyone can use them.  The only soy that is used by God's Green Earth is in the candles and wax melts; soy is a common allergen because it's one of the highest GMO crops in the nation and it is used in a lot of beauty products, we leave it out of our products that are applied and used on the skin.  God's Green Earth does not use dairy in their general product line.  If you have a bovine protein allergy, Alafia & Marije recommend you stay away from their ...And It Was GOAT line of products because Goat milk may contain some of the same proteins as cow milk.  Sometimes a specialty soap is created which contains some dairy and it gets labeled very clearly.  All the beeswax Alafia & Marije use comes from local (within 200 miles of Vermillion, SD) sources, and is in its rawest form when it gets to them.  This means the only processing that has been done to the beeswax is a filtering to get out large particulates and the heating to produce our particular product.  Alafia & Marije believe in transparency with labeling so even on their handcrafted soaps you will find an ingredient list.  All the products created for God's Green Earth are made in small batches which ensures quality control and it reduces the risk of contamination with ingredients that are not desirable.  Alafia & Marije are committed to providing products you love to use, they are willing and able to create custom formulas for individuals with specific needs or to make available wholesale.  They are available to answer questions about their products if you have specific needs or allergies and can match you with a product or make a special one for you."

Contact information:

Alafia & Marije

God's Green Earth

Vermillion, SD 57069

605-202-9126

GodsGreenEarth57069@gmail.com

www.mkt.com/GodsGreenEarth

www.facebook.com/GodGreenEarth

Celiac Awareness Month 2017

I'm sure you've already seen many posts about May being Celiac Awareness Month.  For those of us living with Celiac Disease, we are aware every single day of the year.  This month is set aside for us to help educate others on this very real and serious autoimmune disease, to encourage people to get tested if they think they may have Celiac Disease and to connect with others in the Celiac/Gluten Free Community.

In the spirit of connecting, I want to hear YOUR Celiac story!  I'm interested in you, Dear Reader, and how Celiac has affected your life and family.  This month is the perfect opportunity for you to share your experiences and story with others.  Stand up.  Be heard.  Help make others aware by telling your story, so they can see that this is real people, living, dealing, struggling, succeeding through this disease.

How are you helping to spread the word about Celiac Disease?  I started the month off by baking!  This past Saturday was my 49th (shhhh - don't say it aloud!) birthday and I decided to treat my co-workers with some gluten free cupcakes - nearly homemade.  I used a couple of chocolate cake mixes by Better For You Bakery (for information about Better For You Bakery, click here.)  I decorated each cupcake with a green awareness ribbon.  These cupcakes were so moist and delicious that my non-gluten free co-workers loved them!  Several even wanted my recipe!  Of course, I had to tell them they could make these yummy cupcakes, too, just by heading to one of the Sioux City Hy-Vee Food Stores to buy the mix!  I'm also working with some other Celiac bloggers on some neat ideas for raising awareness throughout the month.  Stay tuned to see what these are.

Please comment below and tell me your Celiac story and/or how you plan to help raise awareness for Celiac Disease this month.  We're all in this together - you're not alone!  I think you'll be surprised how many people understand what you are going through.

Also, stay tuned for more posts - this month I will be writing about the GF/AF Expo in Schaumburg, IL that took place 4/22 & 4/23, as well as bringing you product reviews, posts about GF kids, travel and much more.