Caveman Say Ugh!

My previously mentioned diet has been thrown out the window by my lovely allergist. It has been replaced with the "Caveman Diet".

I told that to my Mom and she groaned in sympathy for me.

For those who don't know, when you are on the Caveman Diet you may "eat all you want" of

-Fresh fruits (or frozen if home prepared)

-Fresh vegetables (or frozen if home prepared)

-Broiled, boiled, or baked meat & fish

I may drink all I want of pure fruit juice, pure vegetable juice, and water (bottled or filtered is better)

I may NOT have

-any prepared food products (boxed mixes, etc.)

-cake, cookies, candy, or soft drinks

-any grains or nuts (including rice & soy)

-any dairy products--milk, butter, margarine, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc.

-any fruit, vegetable, or meat to which you have been found allergic

-fruit drinks. They contain corn syrup and are NOT allowed

I may have one teaspoon of honey per day.

I really appreciate the upbeat spin they tried to put on this diet by stating that I may "eat all I want" of those three precious food groups.

This is DAY 3 of the Two-Weeks required for this diet.

I don't know if I'll make it...

So far my will-power is holding out.

Actually, I am quite impressed with myself. I have cookies and crackers and bread and chocolate and oats and granola and many other yummy but forbidden foods filling my pantry and fridge. But I haven't succumbed to temptation yet.

Hooray for me.

I just have 11 more days to make it through.

ELEVEN!!!

This CaveGirl says UGH!!!

Decisions, Decisions

I am so hungry!

But I can't figure out what to eat. In November, when I visited the ENT's office and was diagnosed with more polyps in my sinuses, I was also sent for allergy testing.

I hate allergy testing.

It usually involves a lot of pricking and a very itchy back.

I was fortunate this time. Instead of the back pricks, they tested my blood. Hooray! I just had to sit still while a nice man drew a couple vials of blood.

The results came back a month ago. I had my consultation with the Allergist a week later.

The results, my friends, are not good.

Turns out I am allergic to:

Wheat

Oats

Corn

Soy

Yeast

The yeast is particularly bad. My Allergist recommended that I stay away from it all together. As for the grains, my Allergist suggested that I avoid them for a few months then add them back to my diet one at a time, keeping a couple weeks in between each addition to be sure that there are no adverse effects.

That's right. I am supposed to cut out Wheat and Oats and Corn and Soy!  Do you understand???

That means I can't eat Bread, Pasta, Cookies, Cake, Donuts, Rolls, White sauce (it uses flour in the roue), Cream of Wheat, Bagels, Oatmeal, Tamales, Tortillas, Chips, or Tofu.

Now, I am allergic to a lot of things. I have known this for years and years. Dust, molds, trees, pollens, these things practically kill me a couple times each year. There are foods I avoid because they set my throat to itching and swelling and make it difficult for me to breathe. But never have I thought that I was allergic to the grains. I don't know if I've ever even been tested for them.

My Hubby, trying to make me feel better, said, "Well, You can always just eat an apple."

But no, No I can't. Because it turns out I'm allergic to apples too.

COME ON!!!

Who is allergic to apples?  Isn't there something unlawful about that? I mean, it's completely un-American to be allergic to apples. Right?  RIGHT??

So, I'm on a restricted diet.

I've put it off and put it off, but it can't be put on any longer. I just have to bite the bullet and do it.

Still, it's only for a few months. Just until my body resets itself. Then I should be able to add the grains back in.

Until then, it looks like I will be eating a lot of Rice.

Wish me luck. I am seriously going to need it.

Oh! And wish me some Will-Power while you're at it.  I'm going to need loads of that.

Meanwhile, I'm going to go eat a pickle for breakfast. I don't think I'm allergic to those. :(

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

During the kids' winter break we visited extended family in the Phoenix area. It was quite the adventure, but I'll save those stories for later. This post is about HAIR!

I am really picky about my hair. You might not think so if you saw me, but I am. And I'm pretty picky about who I let cut my hair. I have had some crazy bad experiences in the past.

My sister V lives around Phoenix and does hair. While we were in town I scheduled appointments for the three Blue Girls to get our hair trimmed.

Anne went first. This girl has been growing her hair out for three years. She's had it trimmed here and there. But no major cuttage. And she has LOVED having long, long hair. Until Thanksgiving. Then she decided that she wanted a bob and to donate her long hair to Locks of Love.

We've donated to Locks of Love in the past. Rose, Anne, and I all donated in January 2008...three years ago. Rose donated again a few months ago. At the time, Anne and I decided to keep our long hair long and just got trims. Now Anne donating again.

First, Aunt V combed and combed Anne's hair. Anne has super thick hair with a bit of wave.

Then Aunt V sectioned Anne's hair into four ponytails.

Then came the cutting.

Miss Anne posing with her cut locks.

Anne has four thick ponytails to donate. Look at that Gorgeous Color!!!

After the locks were cut, the styling began. Aunt V wet down Anne's hair and went to work.  The final result...

Aunt V was going to blow dry it, but we told her not to bother. It was raining pretty steadily outside and we knew it would just end up wet again. :)

Next up was Rose.

She had gotten a bob a few months prior when she donated her longer locks. But her hair grows quickly! She was already in need of a trim.

Aunt V got to work snipping and shaping and buzzing. The final result...

Rose loves that it is shorter in the back than the front.

I came back later that day for my turn.  The only cuts that I have had in the last three years are the occasional 1/2 inch trim and one time I cut bangs. My hair is super-long.

But I was ready for a change.

I don't know if this ever happens to you, but there are times in my life where I just have this insane urge to chop all my hair off just so I have something different in my life. Well, I'd been having one of those urges for the entire month prior.

I was ready to ask V for a shaggy bob and to color the hair black. Hahaha!

Luckily, I had a whole month to think about it and make a rational decision. I certainly didn't want to do anything I would regret.

My end result, a new long style and bangs.

You might not be able to tell, but V cut four inches from my length. FOUR! I thought between that and my bangs short again my crazy urges would be cured.

They weren't.

A few days ago I decided the problem was my bangs were too long. So I chopped them shorter. They now look ridiculous and basically stick straight up. I would include a picture but it is too embarrassing. It's bad enough people have to see me in person with the weird bangs!

But at least now I know that the bang length isn't the problem because I'm still having that strong urge to chop all my hair off and color it cRAzY. 

Maybe the change of going back to school will be enough to shake my hair cutting urges.

Then again, maybe not...

News!

So many things have been happening the past month and I just haven't had time to write any of it down.  I still don't have time! Haha! I figured I better take a quick five minutes to write a few highlights before I start forgetting. Here goes...

1) We had two songs come true for Christmas for our family. Joe had lost his two front teeth in previous months. Christmas week the two teeth were coming in strongly. We also got a hippopotamus for Christmas in the form of Baby Jim. His two front teeth came in the same time Joe's were coming. But unlike Joe, Jim has a big gap between his front teeth. His sisters have laughed and laughed about it. They say that when he smiles he gappy teeth make him look like a hippo. They are right! It is quite funny to see. The sight also makes my pocketbook happy. He's the first kid to have gappy teeth like his Mom...which translates into He will probably be the only kid out of five that won't need orthodontic work. ;)

2) My Sister Bee had her Baby! The Babe is 3 1/2 weeks early and weighs 9 lb, 7 oz. Yowser! I just laughed when my Mom told me. Not because I'm mean, but because Bee is carrying on the Big Early Baby tradition in our family. Haha! All of my Mom's babies were HUGE and we were all super-early.

3) I got a new church assignment for this year. I say assignment because the calling is the same. I'm a "Primary Worker". As such I spent 2009 in Nursery and 2010 teaching CTR 7. This year I am thrilled to be the Music Leader.  Hooray!!!  I have wanted to do this calling for YEARS! The desire was cemented when watching Nancy Face in action. She was truly the best Music Leader EVER!

4) I was accepted into NAU's Master of Education in Elementary Education program. Sheesh, what a mouthful! I begin the MEd program next week. I am ecstatic. I have felt so in limbo with my life. Hubby described it as "stagnating". He's right. I was in the Waiting Place for People Just Waiting. I am so happy to get out of that place and into something that will challenge me and help me grow.

5) We got stuck in a snow storm two miles south of Payson on the eve of New Year's Eve. It was crazy! We passed two semi's (one with wheels spinning) jack-knifed on the road. We were fortunate to get past them safely. I thought we could make it all the way to Payson before the storm hit. Our kids all wanted to spend New Year's in the snow. We knew that the roads from Payson to Strawberry were closed so the cabin, which was our original plan, was OUT. But we thought we could get to Payson and just spend the night there. WRONG! When the storm hit it was the perfect mixture of cold enough to snow and for the snow to stick, but also warm enough for the bottom snow to melt just a bit and then refreeze as ICE! Aargh!

At one point I lost control of the van. The wheels lost traction and we started fish-tailing. I got control back and kept plugging along because we were almost there! But after another mile my tires started spinning but wouldn't grip at all. Meanwhile some four-wheeler trucks were trying to pass me. All I could think was, "You Dummies! You'll be lucky if I don't smash into you."  At that point we just pulled over to the side of the road to wait for the snow plows. After thirty minutes there was a line behind us as far down the road as I could see.

Thanks to a Cute Young Guy in one of the crazy four-wheel trucks, we were able to get back on the road. The guy stopped to help another motorist behind us. They couldn't be helped. Then he moved on to us. He let a bit of air out of our back tires and told all the kids to get in the back seat to add weight. Our van is rear-wheel drive. He and Hubby then pushed us back onto the road. I thought Hubby would run around to the passenger door and jump in. Nope. Instead he hoisted himself onto our back bumper holding onto the luggage rack to keep himself there. He figured his weight in the back would help more than the weight of all those skinny little kids we have. He was right. What he hadn't figured on was the icy wind blasting him and freezing his knuckles in place. Poor guy. He was a trooper (or maybe just scared for his life) and held on tight the whole time. While traveling those last two miles I saw a snowplow going the opposite direction. I pulled in at the Casino, which is the first traffic light in town. Hubby jumped into the van (he could barely get his door open) and we decided that we were NOT going to spend the night in Payson. We slowly hightailed it after the snowplow and were able to get back to Mesa safely. What an adventure!!!

We were sure grateful to the Cute Young Guy. His idea to let air out of the back tires was genius. After that guy got us on the road, he jumped back into his big truck, passed us, then PURPOSELY put himself into a skid...TWICE! What a goofy young guy. :)

And that is the end of my time.

GO OUTSIDE!!!!!

Get ready to go outside tonight. I don't care that it is freezing cold in your town. There is something amazing occurring tonight. Something that hasn't happened in about four hundred years. Something that won't happen again for another eighty years.

The TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE is TONIGHT!!!

The show should start at 11:33 pm Arizona time.

Drag your kids out of bed! Drag yourself out of bed! It is sure to be amazing.  Just cross your fingers that the clouds don't block the view.

Seriously people! You have to get out of bed and see this. It will be such a wonderful experience to have. Rose is currently putting together her telescope so that we can get a better view when the moon turns red!

That's right...RED!

You absolutely do not want to miss this. So set your alarm clock.

We're going to start watching earlier than 11:33 pm. We want to see the entire shift from Full Moon to Red Moon and Back.

What a marvelous planet we live on!

Return to the Family

My dear sister, together with her partners, has launched the 2011 Blogging Campaign.

Okay, first of all I have to say, it sounds absolutely crazy saying that about my sister! I mean, she's my sister...a regular person. To the ordinary onlooker she appears to be only a Mom, crafter, and hair guru. But just like Clark Kent and Kara Zor-El, she has another side-a super side. It's a bit unreal sometimes to realize what a big name in blogging she is.

As I was saying, my sister has launched the 2011 Blogging Campaign.

The theme is "Return to the Family".

She introduces the Campaign by stating:

"In today’s world, the family unit is often discounted, and even overlooked, so we are calling for a revolution. We would like to invite you to return to YOUR family, by using these two steps: 1) having regular family dinners and 2) having uplifting art in your home."

I completely agree with these two principles!

I am a firm believer in having regular family meals. We eat breakfast and dinner together every day. It is a time to grow together as a family. We use this time to talk about our days. We listen as family members cheerfully tell of the good things that have happened that day. We talk about the trials they passed through and discuss ways to overcome them in the future. We plan for future activities. And sometimes we just try to see who can tell the funniest joke. No matter the topic, we grow together and strengthen our familial bonds.

And I have always felt that beautiful, uplifting art was an integral part in changing a house into a home. At some point, one of the general authorities had stated that every LDS home needed Five pictures to truly make it a Gospel-Centered Home:

1) A picture of Christ

2) A picture of the Temple

3) A picture of your Family, must include Children!

4) A picture of their Heritage: Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, etc.

5) A picture of the Prophet

I used to have one or more of all these pictures. In our last move my Temple picture broke and I have yet to replace it. And I still haven't hung my picture of President Monson. I love the man and support him as the prophet. It's just that putting up his picture requires taking down President Hinckley's picture. I just haven't been able to part with it yet. Maybe I'll just hang President Monson next to President Hinckley. Hmmm...  Decisions, Decisions.

As part of their campaign they teamed with artist Liz Lemon Swindle** to provide Christ-centered art for the project. I'm still going through all her paintings,trying to decide which one I want Hubby to get me for my birthday. ;)

Anyhoo, I think that this is a wonderful program! They're trying to get the word out to everyone. So I'm doing my part in this little corner of the blogosphere. I hope you'll take time to check it out.

**Isn't it great that her name is "Liz Lemon"! Haha! When I read that name my interest was sparked immediately. Of course,being the nerd I am, I was thinking more along the lines of Liz Lemon as played by Tina Fey in 30 Rock. I was quite surprised to see pictures of Christ when I followed the link.

Sonic Screwdriver!

One of my favorite blogs to read was The Park Bench. It was a gathering place for nerds to go for all the latest news. The author has gotten busy with life and not posted for a while, which means I've had to troll the internet myself to keep abreast of all things science and sci-fi. I have to say, I am not anywhere near as good as Liz. Science news is often buried under the flashy celebrity gossip. And the Sci-fi nuggets I manage to find are, more often than not, fake. It can be quite discouraging. But as the true nerd that I am, I keep plugging along.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I came across this story! This AOL.news story is the U.S. version of this story for the U.K.'s The Telegraph. They both report that a team of British engineers has created a gadget that can manipulate objects via ultrasonic sound waves! Can you believe it!  I am so excited! What a marvelous development! It will be fun to watch and see how their new tool develops.

Meanwhile, the Doctor Who Christmas Special is just weeks away. A trailer was released, but is "not available in my area". That's because I live in America and not the U.K. *sigh*

I really love America. It is a wonderful place to be. It truly is the greatest country. I'm happy to be here and wouldn't trade it for anything. But sometimes, when I know the Doctor is coming and I know that he'll arrive in the U.K. soon, but I'll still have to wait months to see him...well, sometimes I wish that I could live in the U.K. ;)

Luckily for me, though, some wonderful fan who feels sorry for us Americans will post the episode somewhere on the wide, wide web. Which takes me back to trolling the internet... Haha! Wish me luck.