me? angry?

Anger, disappointment, frustration and feelings of being let down can sometimes creep out of nowhere. This happens to me a lot. I will be fine, thinking I have a pretty good hold on things and then the rug just comes right out from under me.

This happened this past weekend. As I watched my son struggle all day Saturday with itchy skin, all the while knowing we were doing everything we could to stop that, I felt waves of emotions I didn't realize were there, surface. At one point I just burst in to tears and sobbed behind the open refrigerator door. (it's a good hiding place)

Sure, I've had my very emotional moments when I've watched him suffer or I'll get frustrated when I can't stop him from scratching and he is crying....but this totally took me off guard.

Sunday, at church, while the service wasn't specifically about this, during the closing songs, I was hit with the realization that I was angry. Angry at myself for maybe causing this eczema more in Lucas due to antibiotics I took while pregnant and other things, and angry mostly with God because he still has eczema. I firmly believe that God is Sovereign and the Ultimate Healer, but I think recently, I've been taking things more into my own hands so when I don't see results, I by default, blame God.

And I think more than being angry with the fact that Lucas still has eczema, I have been feeling more forgotten by God.

The song that literally drove me to a sitting position at church was one of my all time favorites, a song by John Mark McMillan, "how he loves"

What a beautiful reminder that God hasn't forgotten and that in due time, Lucas will have relief. That God is jealous for us and cares so deeply for his children, most of all the least of these, like Lucas. I'll quickly admit that I sobbed right there in my chair and had quite the red face after church....but how good He is to send that gentle reminder that was also such an overwhelming embrace.

If you haven't heard the song before, please check it out on youtube HERE

I hope it blesses your heart as much as it has mine.

Recipe of the week and flax meal tip

I'm working on streamlining my blog a bit and want to get more thematic in my posts.
Starting today and every Tuesday going forward, I want to share a "recipe of the week". This might be something that Lucas has just loved and can eat, something super easy to whip up or something I've found (and probably pinned) and tried with success.

Stay tuned as I'll be adding some other themes as well! :)

For today, though, I wanted to share the simplest recipe with you that I found over the weekend. Sunday was the first day I gave up eggs for my little Lucas. I figured I'd much rather get everything out of my system and know without a doubt that it doesn't bother him than always wonder if there's something else causing the eczema.

But, let me tell you...having such a limited diet on GAPS already and then taking out eggs can cause a person to  want to go to the depths of despair!

So I went on the hunt for more Paleo-friendly recipes. GAPS food and the paleo/atkins lifestyles are very similar so I figured if I broadened by search, I was bound to find some yummy options.

I came across a very simple recipe for Paleo Pancakes. With three ingredients, they were easy enough to make and I used flax meal instead of the egg.

A nifty flax meal trick that I learned in the summer is that flax meal (ground flax seed) makes a nice gooey mixture when mixed with water, that easily resembles and does the job of an egg. Problem solved! :)

So my recipe, instead of calling for an egg, used 1 tbsp flax meal mixed in 3 tbsp water. Let it sit for 2 minutes while you mash the banana and add in the coconut flour (I used coconut flour so that Lucas could eat them too).

I fried mine in coconut oil and I must say, the crispy texture of the bananas when fried definitely make this something I can easily enjoy! Lucas LOVES them too!!

I did add blueberries to ours. He loves blueberries and it gives it that additional dimension of taste!

I'm finding they are super tasty for breakfast with a tiny bit of honey and maybe some peanut or almond butter or they are also great as a snack!

Here's what ours looked like!  Yum!!

Pinning "Take Me Away!"

When I saw Courtney's Pinterest post over at Baxtron Life, I immediately thought of my "go to" phrase that started when I was pregnant with Sophia. If I was having a particularly trying day (raging hormones and all) I would threaten to move to New Hampshire! (I honestly don't remember how exactly it started, just that I think that was the first destination that came to mind) It's since become a running joke in our family and now, I often have other family members offering to come with me! So, when I saw this pinning project, I just couldn't resist :)

And of course, my first destination has to be....yep, you guessed it...

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All kidding aside, the first destination I would love to go to would be to my beloved Peru. Hubby and I have talked forever about going to Machu Pichu together. He has never been and the one time I went, I loved it! 

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Peru is beautiful! The mountains are breathtaking!

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Or, I would totally "settle" for home!

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Some other life-long dream vacations include:

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And last but not least...some honorable mentions:

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If you could go anywhere in the world...where would you go?

This post has been linked up to "Pinning" Week 10 - Take Me Away

homemade ghee

If you'd asked me 6 months ago what Ghee was, I would have had no idea! And suggest I make it? No way! The name just makes it sound complicated!

If you're like me, and have never heard of it before, ghee is clarified butter. Its from South Asia (think India!!) and the process of melted butter removes the whey and all dairy so it's ok for Lucas and I to consume right now that we're dairy free.

I had seen it in stores, but it's expensive! So, when I found out I could make it easily at home, I couldn't wait to try it out! I followed the GAPS book method of preparation and it couldn't have been easier!

I make our  butter from our grass-fed, raw milk so once I got enough butter made, I made my ghee! Did I mention it's SO easy??

butter goes in the oven (heated to 250) for 45-60 minutes

after 45 minutes, mine was ready. I strained it using a cheese cloth and took off all the drippings that way

Now it's ready to use! It's perfect at high temperatures as the milk has been taken out (which is what burns in butter)

It also has a wonderful buttery smell and taste and smelled up the entire house as it was heating. Yum!

I've already spread it on almond bread...delicious!

highlight: blueberries

when it feels like nearly all foods have been eliminated in order to heal, it's such a joy to see pure delight on a baby's face, fully enjoying his blueberries!

how was your week?

homemade liquid soap - finished pinterest project

So when I mentioned that I'd like to do 12 projects in 2012, I readily confessed I might not be able to wait and do just one per month. As you can see from January, I've already made three, counting this one! Oops! Hey, it was a goal, right? :)

I know this was technically way down the road on my list of creations (June), but I have so many bars of soap and needed something that was easy for the kids to use, so I went ahead and made it! I bought glycerin on amazon.com for less than $3.00 and that was it! This is a very inexpensive project! I really like those kind! I even doubled the recipe since I had so much soap in that one bar.

Here is the original project

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And here's my version:

I just recycled an old soap dispenser! 

This is a 1-gallon container!

 What have you made on pinterest lately?

my dinner guest

Want to know who I'd like to have dinner with more than anything?
Head over to Baxtron Life and find out! I'm featured over there along with some other lovely ladies.

You can also enter her giveaway

toothpaste

Recently I've been reading up on the dangers of fluoride and reading that fluoride causes things like:

increase in lead absorption

Brain damage and lowering IQ

thyroid problems

genetic problems

disruption of synthesis of collagen

arthritis

bone cancer

increase in tumors and cancer

hyperactivity and/or lethargy

dementia

inactivation of 62 enzymes

direct effect on immune system

muscle disorders

bone fractures

inhibits formation of antibodies

That's quite the list, don't you think?

Even if fluoride causes just one of those things, that's enough for me to say, "no thank you" And while we get fluoride from many sources, the fact that the water we drink is full of it has me praying that we can buy our Berkey Water System  MUCH sooner than later.

But, in the meantime, I figured it would be easy enough to eliminate fluoride from our toothpaste. I know that Nicholas still swallows more toothpaste than I would like and while I know that we could use just baking soda, I honestly think that might be asking too much of my children just now. ;) So, recently, while at a friend's house, I saw a toothpaste on her bathroom counter that caught my eye. This friend also happens to have an awesome blog over at Baxtron Life. You should go check it out!! :)

I couldn't wait to order it myself! We've had it for a couple days now and I already know I will be repeat buying! The kids really like theirs and I heard no complaints on taste, and I really like the cinnamon/tea tree combo flavor of ours.

But....notice the very best part of all! 

The ingredients (or lack thereof):

While obviously this doesn't mean we'll swallow it by the spoonfuls, I feel so much better knowing I took this little step! It's another one of the those baby steps that makes me feel so great, knowing my family is just that much healthier because of it! 

For more information on the dangers of fluoride, here are some links:

Danger for babies/children

Cancer

Thyroid

Damage to your bones

Brain & Kidneys

The Real Facts on Fluoride

This post has been shared on Fight Back Fridays

the most amazing grain-free granola, ever!

I'm going to brag about this amazing granola, but quickly admit that I didn't come up with the recipe. I'm just so incredibly thankful that I found it via....you guessed it...PINTEREST! :)

This granola has greatly helped me in the last few weeks as every other granola I've found requires that you add some sort of grain. I knew we'd be going on the GAPS diet, so I started looking for a granola that I could eat (and enjoy) and still stay within the guidelines of the diet. I've found it!!

I found this granola at Paleo Parents blog. I'll admit that I haven't looked at much more on their blog, but it does seem like a very family-friendly blog geared at helping those pursuing a traditional foods lifestyle. I'm excited to check them out a bit more. They are definitely allergy-friendly!

My goal tomorrow is to make this granola into granola bars. I'm cutting out all dairy (cultured or not) and don't have any coconut milk on hand. It's great to nibble on, but I would love to be able to take it on the go with me as well!

I also found that I don't like baking for an entire hour. I've found that I'm happy with it only going around 35 minutes, but I checked it after 15, then 10 and then 8 or so minutes. Super crunchy, super yummy!
Also, instead of the macadamia nuts, I used raw sunflower seeds and I've used dates and prunes as well as cranberries.


It's amazing! 

Here's a picture of how mine turned out! Doesn't it just look super yummy?? :)

lip balm junkie

ok...I confess, I am  such a lip balm junkie!!! For as long as I can remember, I have put chap stick on my lips before bed and right after I wake up. I hate feeling like my lips aren't moist.
A few years ago, I discovered Mentha Lip Gloss from Bath and Body Works. I was immediately hooked! It has a soothing sweet peppermint flavor that keeps lips moist while making them look pretty too.

This summer when we took the holistic, organic, traditional foods plunge, I decided I needed to find something more natural and organic to put on my lips and I found Made On Skincare Products. I bought the DIY kit and I was sold! With only three ingredients, I felt confident that I could slather that on my lips or anywhere else for that matter (darn it you can even eat it!!), without the guilt! It has a nice coconut scent and it keeps lips nice and moist.

However, the more I learn and discover, the more I have learned how bad it truly is to continually apply lip balm, chap stick, vaseline, etc to your lips, all day long. Of course ever-so-often or even 1x a day isn't bad (especially with whole, natural ingredients) but that constant need to moisturize is actually making the problem much worse, not better. I've known it for months, but feel like I'm going to lose my mind if I don't put it on. My lips, I believe, is where my sensitive skin flares up the most. I get really dry, rough, hands that like to bleed as they crack (especially in the winter) but as much as that drives me crazy, having my lips flare up like they have in the past few years is enough to make me want to go nuts! Not only are they dry, they get so itchy as eczema covers them. And then, they start to peel...nice! And oh-so-super attractive! :)

I had heard that upping my  Vitamin D intake and getting in more healthy fats would help but until last Monday, when we started the GAPS diet, did I actually put that latter one into practice. Because the entire diet is based on consuming large amounts of animal proteins and fat (think lots and lots of butter) I couldn't help but add it to my diet.

And you know what? A little over a week later, my lips only get lip balm maybe once a day! I'm so pleased! I don't feel that irresistible urge to lick my lips all day or freak out if I left the house without my balm. And, oh-my-goodness, WHAT A RELIEF!!!

My prayer is that soon, Lucas will start experiencing that same relief and his little gut gets healthy and his skin starts to clear up. I cannot wait to look at his little body and no longer see the red, inflamed, itchy skin.

Thank you GAPS diet!!

GAPS

A little over 3 months ago, I went gluten free in an attempt to help soothe Lucas' eczema. While I did see some positive results, right after Thanksgiving he developed a new itchy spot around his neck that he'd never had before. I haven't been able to get rid of it since.

As the new year approached, I knew we needed to do something more. I couldn't just sit by and watch him be miserable when I knew we had more options to try.

When I first started our traditional foods journey way back in June, I came across several blogs that talked about GAPS which stands for Gut And Psychology Syndrome, developed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride when her son was diagnosed with Autism. She managed to cure her son by putting him on the GAPS diet. Right away, just reading that, I was totally intrigued!

Come to find out, more than just people with Autism can benefit from going on the GAPS diet and many who have had eczema, asthma, allergies, ADD, ADHD, Depression, etc have found great help by understanding the link between their gut and how it affects the rest of their body.

In the back of my mind, I had a feeling we might need to do something more drastic for Lucas and over the holidays, I felt more and more convinced that this was the way to go. I'm so incredibly thankful for such an amazing and supportive husband who has my back on this crazy endeavor!

Last Monday, I officially started Lucas and I on this GAPS diet journey. Because I'm still breastfeeding and this diet causes a lot of die-off or detox, we decided to go on FULL GAPS so that there wouldn't be quite the drastic change in diet that would lead to both of us being pretty hard hit with detox. Regardless, it was still an adjustment. I spent the first part of the week starving. When on the GAPS diet, you consume animal proteins, animal fat, chicken, beef, or fish stock, veggies and some fruits all the while loading up on probiotics to get that gut back to the healthy place it should be at. It's very similar to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).

Thankfully, having gone gluten free and thinking about giving up all grains, it didn't hit me nearly as hard as it would have had I been eating a SAD Diet (Standard American Diet). Without those extra carbs to curb hunger, I really had to eat a lot of protein to make up for it. Lots of salads and soups were made as well. The older kids and hubby by default got most of the diet as well as I decided going in to this that I wouldn't make two dinners. So far, so good! :)

The latter half of the week, I definitely felt more detox. I was dizzy, exhausted and my tummy was definitely protesting. Lucas' skin flared up a bit more (which is totally expected and needed). It's actually a sign that something is working! We've started giving him Epsom Salt baths at night which also aid in detox. This has seemed to really calm him before bed and his skin is starting to look back to the way it normally does.

We've only been on it for a little over a week, but already I've noticed that my lips (my most sensitive skin spot and where I experience my eczema) are doing so much better! But more on that in a later post!

To give you an idea of what our diet now consists of, check out gapsdiet.com
On FULL GAPS, we're allowed to have cultured diary, cheese and some raw milk if it's tolerated, but since I haven't eliminated dairy yet to see how Lucas does, I'm going dairy-free for at least 4 weeks to see how he does.

For the most extreme cases, going on GAPS can take 2 years to cure the problems. I'm truly hoping that since we started this so young with him, we won't have to go that long. But, honestly, whatever it takes is what we'll do!

If you've cured an allergy holistically, I'd love to hear about it! 

elderberry cough syrup - pinterest project completed

This wasn't on my list of pinterest projects for 2012, but ever since I saw the how-to on this blog, I knew it was something I wanted to do. I had actually picked up some elderberry syrup at Whole Foods for the kids for this winter but I knew that at $15 a pop, I could easily make my own for much cheaper and the adults in the family could use it too!

I love how much syrup it made and I have plenty more herbs for more syrup!

Here is my experience:

Elderberry Cough and Cold Syrup

All the ingredients needed can easily be found on Mountain Rose Herbs

Fenugreek:

Elderberry

Rosehips

Slippery Elm Bark

from start to finish (not including cool-down period) it took me 35 minutes to do! I let the herb syrup cool a bit before putting in the colander to strain.

I added the honey first and then poured syrup on top. I had to make sure to mix it well as the honey struggled a bit to mix in at first.

I already had my first tablespoon. I've been feeling a bit congested for a week or so. 

Hoping that starting this will help cut that short! 

highlight: sophia's Jesus birthday

As soon as I've found out I was pregnant with each of my babies, my prayers begin for their little, forming lives. I pray for their development, growth and protection but also I start praying that they would be born and grow to have a love and longing for our Heavenly Father. My heart's desire is to see each of my kids meet Jesus!

Last night while I was at my women's Bible Study, hubby and Sophia got to talking about Jesus and she shared with him how she really wishes he would come now and visit our country so she could see what he looks like and meet him. As they continued to talk and share, she told him she wanted to have him live in her heart and what a joy for my hubby to help her pray and welcome Jesus into her life.

What joy filled my heart as I came home and heard about her decision and their prayer together. My mind immediately went back, 28 years ago, when my own daddy prayed that same prayer with me. I was so thankful that he had had that same privilege as I hold that moment in time with my own dad so close to my heart!

This is obviously the biggest highlight of my week! I'm so incredibly thankful that she has chosen this.

Tonight, her grandparents came over and we celebrated. As a child, we had a birthday every year on the date we accepted Jesus and so tonight, I made a cake and we sang "Jesus Loves Me" We formally called it her "Jesus Birthday" What a special time. What an amazing heritage she has!

Thank you Jesus! 

the superwoman dropout creed

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last month, we went to visit my grandparents and aunts and uncles on my mom's side of the family. It was such a nice day with everyone and while we were there, my aunt gave me this little purple sheet. What was written on it was just so encouraging.

I know I struggle to balance it all and make sure everything I have to take care of is covered. But let's be honest! There's no way we'll ever live up to our own expectations of being superwoman. Never. So grab a cup of coffee or tea and prop your feet up for 5 to 15 minutes (whatever you need today) and enjoy this little Creed and take heart! He sees you. He is pleased and He loves you!

the superwoman dropout creed
i am a superwoman dropout.
i am not going to buy the lie anymore.
God sets my schedule, and i do just what he tells me.
he loves me like crazy.


dust on my mantel does not mean that i am a failure.
my lawn hasn't been mowed in over two weeks, and i am OK with that.
my children can still be well-rounded, even if they are not involved in 37 after-school activities.
on occasion, hamburger helper is a perfectly viable option  (my note: maybe something healthier??) :)
the children's ministry will not cease to exist if i don't volunteer.


i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
but that is different from being called to do all things.
God gives me enough time and resources to do everything he has for me to do today.
today i'm going to use my time and resources to honor him.
he loves me like crazy.


copyright 2011 Kristi Stoughton/www.krististoughton.com


Be encouraged mamas! I know I was!
Happy Thursday!

vanilla beans, rum and a finished january pinterest project!

As I mentioned last week, I'd like to do at least 12 pinterest projects this year. I figure if I do at least 1 per month, I'll have a goal I can stick with!

January's project was to make my own vanilla extract. I've wanted to do this since I saw this post back in August, but just never got around to ordering the vanilla beans and sending hubby to the liquor store to get my alcohol. Last week I finally ordered my vanilla beans from olivenation.com and got them on Friday! I was so excited. :) Saturday, hubby got my rum (rum and bourbon are gluten free while vodka isn't) and I was set!

Here's the project from start to finish...well...after hubby had his fun with the rum :)

He really is a silly man! If you haven't seen that side of him, you're missing out! :)

Ok...now on to the task at hand!

first I gathered my supplies! I love that I only needed 3 things to complete this project!

I decided to start small and used only 3 cups of rum. For ever cup of alcohol, it was suggested to use 8 vanilla beans. She also said that many have tried it with less with stellar results, so I chose to do 15 beans for 3 cups.

Now to cut my beans.

I first started with a knife, but it was super hard to cut the beans that way.

I moved on to using scissors and it was SO MUCH EASIER!! 

and oh-so-messy! :)

Here are my beans after putting them all in the rum and shaking it up a bit.

Today, day 2, they are already looking much darker! 

Now, I need to be patient for at least 4 weeks before I can start using it...waiting it so hard! 

What have you done recently that was inspired by pinterest? I'd love it hear!!