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.

10 Years & Counting!

PersonalCreations.com

We made it to Schaumburg yesterday afternoon.  It was nice to not have to drive in a downpour, like the day before.  We enjoyed a very scenic drive for much of the way, with only a "slight" unintentional detour due to a wrong turn that took us just over the border into Wisconsin instead of down toward Chicago!  We got turned back in the right direction and made it here only a little later than planned.  The hotel is incredible!  Our room wasn't ready yet, but we found a lovely area in the lobby to wait, me with a Cafe Latte from the RENdezvous Cafe in the hotel (yes, they serve Starbucks!!) and a Heineken for Dave.

RENdezvous Cafe

Before long we were able to get into our room.  After several hours on the road, we decided to just relax for the rest of the evening.  Our room is lovely and our view is pretty awesome.

 Panoramic view from our room

Pretty city lights

For the second day in a row, we enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in this morning!  I couldn't wait any longer, so at one point when I woke early this morning to use the restroom, I put out the gifts I had brought for my husband for our 10th anniversary, which is today.  It was fun starting our day by exchanging gifts.  The traditional 10th anniversary gift is tin or aluminum, so one of the gifts I bought Dave has a beautifully embossed aluminum stamp (L for Leisinger) on it.

There were two glasses in this gift - both have an embossed aluminum stamp with the first letter of our last name.
fineoccasion.com

 

This etched shot glass says, "Happy 10th Anniversary 4/21/17" (front) and "D & M Leisinger Est. 4/21/07" (back)
by Candid Nomad

Dave went with the modern 10th anniversary gift of diamond jewelry for my gifts, which works nicely since this is also my birthday gift (my 49th birthday is a week from tomorrow) and diamond is my birthstone, as well. :-)

We love Riddle's Jewelry and use them for all of our fine jewelry purchases.

We ordered a late breakfast from room service after exchanging gifts this morning.  When I called down our order, I placed Dave's order first, which included wheat toast.  I then went into my normal explanation of my gluten free dietary needs before adding my order.  The young man taking my order didn't miss the fact that I had ordered wheat toast and, politely "called me" on it!  I LOVE THAT!!!!  The staff here is very attentive and knowledgeable about the special dietary needs of those who are gluten free for medical reasons, such as Celiac Disease.  The fact that he mentioned this to me to make sure that I was aware that I had ordered something not gluten free is awesome!  I assured him that the toast was for my husband, who does not need to be gluten free.  I could actually hear the relief in his voice as we proceeded with the rest of the breakfast order.  The Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center gets big time kudos from me concerning all of this.  Of course, one would hope that they would be like this, considering that they are hosting the GF/AF Expo this weekend, but that doesn't guarantee anything.  I am so appreciative of the attention and care the staff here takes to take care of their guests, with or without special dietary needs.  For information about the GF/AF Expo click here.

Last night's supper - GF Coconut jasmine rice with peanuts, sriracha, cilantro and skirt steak - SOOOOOO much gluten free deliciousness in one bowl!

 My breakfast this morning - crisp bacon, eggs over easy, OJ, Starbucks coffee and a GF peach crumb cake.

This GF peach crumb cake was so flaky and YUM!

We had big plans to go out and about and see what there is to do in Schaumburg today, since it is the only day we have to do so.  Unfortunately, plans have changed since Dave is now not feeling well (nothing to do with the food).  So, instead of seeing what there is to do around here, I'm blogging and Dave is napping.  So much for a fun anniversary trip.  I feel bad for him because this seems to happen whenever we travel.  He seems to always end up not feeling well at least one day out of our trip every time we go anywhere.  Unfortunately, it happened to be the only day we have free to actually do something together and on our anniversary, too.  Good thing the room is nice, because this is where we are spending our entire day today.  I hope he gets to feeling better soon.  :-(  It looks like the wine I brought (purchased in March at a silent auction benefit for my friend, Dave Saul and his late wife, the first sister of my heart, Sue Saul) won't be opened tonight.

10 years and counting!  For better or for worse, in sickness and in health - Dave has definitely been there for me through a LOT of sickness over the years due to Celiac Disease (undiagnosed until 2014).  Now it is my turn to be there for him.  I think he is much better at that than I am.  Of course, he's had a lot more practice than I have.  I love you, Dave and I'm so grateful for you in my life!

For information about the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center click here.

Road Trippin'

Greetings from Dubuque, Iowa!  My hubby and I are on the first stop of our mini-vacation.  I was tickled to see a Chick-fil-A within walking distance of our hotel.  (For Chick-fil-A's gluten free menu, click here.)  Whenever we travel, I'm always a bit apprehensive as to what gluten free options will be available.  According to the Find Me Gluten Free app on my phone, there are actually quite a few highly rated, Celiac friendly restaurants nearby!  (I love this app, by the way.  It has been a godsend when we are on the road.  Check it out here from the Google Playstore for your iPhone or Android devices.  I've found it to be a very helpful tool in my gluten free arsenal.) 

So, tomorrow we'll arrive in Schaumburg, IL a couple of days before the GF/AF Expo that begins on the 22nd of April.  This will be my first time at a GF/AF Expo and I am very excited to be able to attend!  For information about the Expo click here.  I'm looking forward to not only checking out vendors I haven't seen around the Siouxland area, but I also plan to check out a couple of the classes available at the expo.  Some friends from the area will be coming out for the expo, as well, so I'll be meeting up with them.  Before then, my husband, Dave and I will be celebrating 10 years of marriage on Friday.  Wow!  I can't believe it has been 10 years already - though he would joke that it feels MUCH longer than that.  LOL

At any rate, it is going to be a fun and busy next few days and I'm looking forward to it all!!!!  I will be sharing lots of pictures and info about the expo as it is happening on Instagram (follow me at @siouxlandceliac) and on my Siouxland Celiac Facebook page.  Later on, I will be blogging about my experiences, so stay tuned...

Celiacs Unite!

Since my diagnosis in 2014, I have been wanting to connect with other local Celiacs.  Shortly after my diagnosis I had searched the internet for a local support group, but I didn't find anything.  I wasn't sure where to look or who to ask. 

This past year I have been fortunate enough to connect with some amazing people in the local gluten free community.  People such as Mike and Brenda Orlando from Gud n Free (as you'll recall from an earlier post, in which I reviewed their new restaurant, two of their three young daughters have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease and they are a gluten free family).  I've also been fortunate to meet Tina Meseck from Better For You Bakery (I also reviewed Tina's new gluten free mixes which are available for purchase through her website www.betterforyoubakery.net).  Through the local Farmers Market I have met and have had several good and informative conversations with Alafia and Marije Wright, makers of wonderful skin care products under their original label of God's Green Earth.  Keep an eye out for a review of their products, coming soon!

This afternoon, my husband, Dave, asked me if I'd want to dine at Gud n Free tonight.  Having been sick for the past week (regular sick, not food/gluten related), it has been a couple of weeks since I've eaten there, so I jumped at that offer!!  On a side note, when we got there, Mike had noticed that I hadn't been in for awhile.  They'd been wondering if everything was ok or if something was wrong.  Now, how much of a personal, caring touch is that?!  More evidence that these people truly care about their patrons as people and not just dollars coming in.  They are there to serve and meet a very specific need and they care about the people they serve! 

Okay, back to the reason for my post - when we were finishing our meal, a group of people began arriving.  It didn't take me long to find out that this group was the Siouxland Celiac Support Group (no relation to this blog, my Facebook page or Instagram profile) led by nutritionist, Corrinna from the Sioux City Hamilton Blvd Hy-Vee Food Store.  Dave, knowing that I wanted to stay from the moment I found out who the group was, agreed to stick around so that I could participate.  While the group members were filing in and placing their orders, I excused myself to use the restroom before everything got started.  Dave spoke to the group leader and told her a little bit about me and that I would like to stay and join in with their group.  When I came out, I introduced myself to Corrinna and everyone got settled in for the meeting.

It was great to meet with not only other local Celiacs, but also some with other gluten related issues.  The meeting was very informative and we enjoyed good discussion and planned for the next meeting in November.  I'm very excited to get to know these fellow Celiacs and their spouses.  I'm normally not the kind of person who does well in a group of people that I don't know.  I get kind of shy, quiet and tend to be more of an observer than an active particpant.  I felt no trepidation at all tonight with these wonderful people.  I was comfortable and felt like I was among friends.  These people know what I'm living with and going through because they're living it, too.  Finally - my PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Meetings held the third Thursday of each month (unless it is a holiday) at the Hamilton Blvd Hy-Vee Food Store (2827 Hamilton Blvd) in Sioux City, Iowa from 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm.  The next meeting will be November 17, 2016.  For more information visit the Hamilton Blvd page at  https://www.hy-vee.com/stores/dietitian/