Most Recent Bread Recipe - Grain Free

 Kind of guessing on measurements:

1 quart kefir
1 cup oil
5 eggs
1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon or so of baking powder

Probably 8-12 cups of Flour mix (I use 50% chickpea flour to 50% starches (and my starches are equal amounts of tapioca starch, sweet potato starch, and potato starch).

Mix wet stuff and salt thoroughly.

Mix baking powder and flour/starch.

You want a mixture that is like semi-thick cake batter.

Dump into OILED cast iron skillet OR into BUTTERED glass cake pans. This amount of batter made 1 of each.

Put into a COLD oven. Turn to 400 Degrees F. 

Bake until golden and cracked on top. Turn out onto a cooling rack (if you leave it in the pans, it sticks and it will rust the cast iron skillet).

Cool completely. Then cut thin and refrigerate or freeze.

Same batter makes dumplings if you spoon drop it into boiling broth (don't Stir cause that breaks the dumplings into dumpling pebbles) and then cover with a lid on simmer for 15-20 minutes.

If you make the batter thinner, it makes pancakes. 

If you pour the batter thin onto a baking stone it makes a fairly good pizza crust.

The bread itself becomes croutons (cube, toss with spices, and bake on 200 for about 8 hours), bread crumbs (a blender on pulse for those croutons), and pretty good toasted cheese sandwiches.

IT DOES NOT DO WELL FOR COLD SANDWICHES. It's too crumbly and dry.

The Third Thursday in November

Woke up this morning to a wonderful note from my husband. Heart happy start to the morning.

He is enjoying Thanksgiving with all the allergens it traditionally entails at his sister's home today.

My family is doing their Thanksgiving dinner up there.

And I am here with the dogs.

Now - before you think this is a bad thing...

It is the perfect Thanksgiving for us! He and Samara get to enjoy their traditional foods. My family gets to do their thing. My son has no pressure about which family people to spend the day with. I get to have a day of doing whatever I want, however I want (a true gift for me!!).

I just cooked two beautiful sirloin steaks with sauteed mushrooms and onions (8 oz mushrooms, 1 medium onion, basil, garlic, salt, butter, oil, sirloin steaks). I have a steaming pot of coffee which just brewed. My dogs are skittering around the living room playing and enjoying the day. They have all been treated to some new chew toys. I have 3 loads of laundry done and another load in the wash - so ALL the laundry will be caught up. I am trying to decide if I want to play music today or set up some DVDs and listen to a movie marathon while I putter around.

A little later I will make some tapioca pudding, some grain-free bread, and maybe a cheese sauce. I can cook or play or simply watch the dogs. I have a day of my choice. And I am luxuriating in this!

My son will swing by on Saturday, when he is off work. I will make him some grain-free chicken and dumplings.

My parents, my sister and her kids are getting together down here for a allergen safe Thanksgiving on Sunday. My husband's daughter, mom and maybe his sisters will be here with their families. We will all enjoy allergen free versions of food and will continue our emergent tradition of safe-for-me holidays. We will have broccoli, mashed potatoes (three sets to accommodate all allergies), turkey, grain-free stuffing, cranberry sauce, maybe a cheese sauce, peas, and pumpkin pie. We will celebrate family and we will feast.

I posted this to help people see that there are all sorts of Happy Thanksgivings. If the one that works best for you is not the one you see in TV commercials or that fits the societal "should be", THAT IS OKAY. Do what works best for you and yours. Thanksgiving is a Mindset, a way of being. The third Thursday of November is just a day on the calendar!

Balance - what it is and what it is not. Equity vs Equality in life tasks.

Often, balance is defined as being able to do everything with equal effort and equal time (equality of time and resources). And if you do not have that balance, it is attributed to a personal failure in time management or in boundaries, or just of character.

Image obtained from http://img-9gag-fun.9cache.com/photo/ajAerM1_700b_v2.jpg
Discussion of image and related images at http://culturalorganizing.org/the-problem-with-that-equity-vs-equality-graphic/

I think that balance, when defined as everything getting equal time in all aspects of life, is BS. However, the idea of balance calls strongly to me. And, there is certainly more than 1 narrow definition of balance. For me, Balance has more to do with dialectics (ability to accept 2 separate, sometimes opposing ideas at the same time) and equity instead of the either/or of strict equality. 



To determine life balance, I first did an in-depth exploration of what I really needed. And compared that to what I thought I "should" do in any given 24 hour period. (There is some part of me that truly believes there ARE 36 or more hours in a day... So I have to have outside structure to NOT overschedule my life).

I know I MUST have 8 hours or more of sleep a day. That went on the schedule first. I know I have to tend to typical activities of life - showering, eating, getting dressed, etc. Into everyone's life comes household tasks. Those went on next. Part of my household tasks include cooking everything from scratch so that I can avoid my multiple allergens. It is a fact of my life that a significant amount of time must be spent on canning, cooking, crafting body products, etc. So these things all went into the time-bucket.

Next, I had to plan work time. Remember that part of me that has messed up time ideas? Yeah! If I do not limit myself, I would schedule crazy hours. So, set hours for work. And remember the allergens? Each day I go out of my controlled environment at home, I experience allergen exposure. That means my blood pressure increases, I have inflammation issues, and multiple other long-term build-up symptoms. So, I cannot work 40 hours in a row. That goes into the planning. I have to take a day off in between.

My boss, the owner of the practice, wants the office closed to clients at 6 PM. She would prefer me to go home shortly thereafter. This provides a boundary.

I have family that requires time - and with whom I need to connect on a regular basis. My husband is growing a small business. So, he has a work schedule I need to accommodate in order to sync free time. His daughter is here every other week - so her schedule needs to be considered in order for us to have family time together. My son, who is an adult and lives in a nearby town, tends to swing by fairly frequently. Time needs to be allocated for him as well.

Now, it comes the things that I love - reading, writing, crafting, hiking, pictures of wildflowers.

And then comes the necessity to build in quiet minutes into each day - moments to immerse in the moment and senses so that I recharge.

But, nowhere in these considerations is the idea that all things should get equal time. To each item is allocation of time needed. Order of importance depends on a hierarchy of safety, maintenance of life, well-being.

So, my schedule looks a lot like this:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Wake up at 6. Get ready. In the office by 7:30. Clients 8 am to 6 pm. go home. Home by 6:45. Dinner. Do a load of laundry. Family and Dogs. Get ready for bed. Bed at 9 PM.

Friday - Up at 8, or sleep in if needed. Play with dogs. household tasks. Marathon cooking and crafting for the next 7 days. Free and Fun time. Daughter time after school until bed. Bed at 9 PM

Saturday. Wake up at 6. Get ready. In the office by 7:30. Clients 8 am to 6 pm. go home. Home by 6:45. Dinner. Do a load of laundry. Family and Dogs. Get ready for bed. Bed at 10:30.

Sunday - Family time = often hiking or other activity. No counseling work. No housework other than throwing laundry through. Will fold the laundry on Monday between notes and paperwork.

Monday - Some Mondays I sleep in until noon depending on what my body needs.  Other Mondays, I am up at 7. Ready for the day by 8:30 (extra time for a second cup of coffee or tea). Set up environment (select soundtrack or movies to play, get dogs out new chew toys, set something on the stove to cook for the day to scent the house with wonderful smells, pick out fuzzy socks and select fabrics of clothes to maximize pleasant textures, etc). Meander through paperwork - taking a break every 30 minutes to move around and stretch. Breaks include checking Facebook, calling friends, short essays, walking with the dogs, etc.

And, as with all things, there is moderation. That moderation allows calmness and centeredness. Not all things get equal time, but all things get the time needed. To me, that is balance.

And, the schedule is flexible like a willow tree - has shape but responds to winds of life, moving with the flow of the moment without losing integrity.

So, to me Balance is more about being calmly centered, intentional in meeting the needs of various parts of your life, with boundaries to prevent job-creep, and without damaging one part of your life to enable others. It is not so much integration as it is a mindful allocation of time and resources.

Kneeling in the NFL

Respect - So many people are talking about the kneeling during the National Anthem as a matter of respect.

I find this very ironic.

While I do not agree that kneeling during the anthem is a good thing, I AM PASSIONATE that people have the right to kneel.

You see, I do not only respect the rights of others who agree with me. I respect the rights of those who do not as well.

So, yes. If a person feels led to protest by kneeling, then kneel on. If the person kneeling offends you, then don't watch, don't participate.

The reason protest is so powerful is because it is a statement that the person feels the purpose of the protest is more important than any consequence imposed for the protest. I respect that.

Now, flag-country-veterans... 

A country is a group of people in a geographic location under a common government.  IT IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE. 

 A flag is NOT a country. It is not the veterans who fought for the country. IT IS A SYMBOL. There are no homeless flags. There is no suicide rate among flags. There is no increase in mental illnesses such as depression or PTSD among flags.

You want to respect the veterans? Awesome. I am all for that. Let's support their families when the service member is deployed - show up, help in tangible ways, write thank you cards letters. Let's support the veterans who have returned from service with physical and emotional/mental scars - increase funding for the VA, provide sanctuaries where they can heal from PTSD while still remaining in society (there is a wonderful farm in Florida which does/did this), provide shelter for homeless veterans. Put money and time into respecting our service people. Walk the walk!

Veterans and service people fought for FREEDOM (an idea. a trust.) That means they fought for the freedom for people to kneel during an anthem and they fought for freedom for people to boycott those with whom they disagree.

There is no right to not be offended. There is no requirement that everyone MUST present the illusion of patriotism by showing some action. Mandated patriotism is an lie that looks pretty, but is not only empty but is even cancerous to the society which mandates such pretense.

So, when a person kneels in protest, that is his or her right. Just like it is your right to respond as you would like - in support, in boycott, in discussion, or some other way. Freedom - the trust for which service members served - it is that thing which lets EACH person protest and respond as he or she is called to do.

Fall to me is:

Fall to me is 

beautiful colors on leaves, 

deeper blue skies, 

frosty air in the mornings, 

frost prints on the windows, 

fuzzy socks 

and birkenstock clogs
              instead of sandals, 

longer sleeves and silky sweaters, 

less fur being shed by the furbabies...
               We have three
                 a min-pin pug
                            who is grouchy and looks like a gargoyle,
                 a chihuahua puppy
                            who is 9 weeks old and happy as can be,
                 and a healer/beagle mix
                            who is goofy and always up for a fun moment, 

hot mugs of cocoa or tea for the morning. 

Wooly worms with bands of two or three,
Lots of lovely things.

Herbal Resources

Alternative Treatment and Herbal Info:

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mentalhealthandcam

https://nccih.nih.gov/health/herbs/understanding-interactions

http://www.naturallivingideas.com/10-amazing-benefits-of-matcha-green-tea/

https://theherbalacademy.com/101-herbal-books/

http://www.naturallivingideas.com/14-genius-ways-recycle-used-coffee-grounds/

http://www.naturallivingideas.com/14-reasons-why-witch-hazel-should-be-in-every-home/

http://hubpages.com/art/avocado-seed

http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_uses_index.php

http://wellnessappliances.com/best-essential-oil-brands/

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/dandelion-facts.html

https://theherbalacademy.com/25-free-herbal-resources/

https://theherbalacademy.com/about-flower-water/

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/Herbs.html

https://nccih.nih.gov/health/herbsataglance.htm

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/history-of-coffee.html

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/hyssop-benefits.html

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/linden-flower-tea-benefits.html

http://www.methowvalleyherbs.com/2014/10/your-key-to-winter-wellness.html

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/parsley-herb.html

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/peppermint-health-benefits.html

http://herbarium.theherbalacademy.com/

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/lemon-balm-plant.html

http://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/marshmallow-herb.html

Crafting for personal and home use

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Beeswax-Lip-Balm

https://snapguide.com/guides/make-beeswax-and-honey-lip-balm/

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/05/diy-hand-cream-recipe.html

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2011/11/diy-homemade-udder-balm.html

http://cornfreelifestyle.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/personal-care-recipe-homemade-sunscreen/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/521010250617175621/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/521010250617175618/

http://www.healthcentral.com/skin-care/c/458275/168362/naturally-infographic?ap=2015#slide=list

http://www.naturalskincarerecipes.com/homemade-face-mask-natural-skincare-ingredient-chart/#axzz3HKloYEDp

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f3/15/4a/f3154ae7efc744ebcdc68de6bef97dce.jpg

https://www.pinterest.com/mianatural/natural-homemade-skin-care-recipes-diy-skincare-fo/

http://www.naturallivingideas.com/8-quick-natural-remedies-for-blackheads/

http://hair.allwomenstalk.com/fantastic-natural-homemade-shampoos/2/

http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/04/a-recipe-for-homemade-herbal-detangler-spray/

http://wellnessmama.com/5047/diy-dry-shampoo/

http://greatmastications.blogspot.com/2008/01/shampoo-diy.html

http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-conditioner/

http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-shampoo/

http://www.healthyvegasvegan.com/2014/02/01/simple-diy-herbal-hair-cleanser-conditioner/

http://crabappleherbs.com/blog/2008/02/01/simple-herbal-hair-care/

http://www.minimalistbeauty.com/no-more-chemical-hair-products-part-2-herbal-hair-cleansers/

http://www.anniesremedy.com/chart_remedy_hair.php

http://www.sheknows.com/beauty-and-style/articles/803536/get-healthy-hair-with-herbs

http://mountainroseblog.com/herbal-hair-care/

http://www.minimalistbeauty.com/yucca-root-another-natural-hair-cleanser/

http://almostexactlyblog.com/2013/10/21/problems-with-no-poo-or-low-poo-heres-the-holy-grail-of-natural-shampoos/

http://almostexactlyblog.com/2013/10/21/problems-with-no-poo-or-low-poo-heres-the-holy-grail-of-natural-shampoos/

http://www.beautyandtips.com/hairtips/11-homemade-shampoo-recipes-using-only-natural-ingredients/

http://67.222.53.210/frontierfreedom/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=105&Itemid=57

http://homemadethisandthat.blogspot.com/2011/08/castile-soap-tutorial.html?m=1

http://www.lovinsoap.com/2010/09/liquid-soap-lets-formulate-a-recipe/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-Lye-Free-Liquid-Castile-Soap-from-your-Kitc/?ALLSTEPS

https://www.thesage.com/calcs/LyeCalc.html

http://www.herbsandoilsworld.com/soap-making-101-making-cold-process-soap/

http://survivingthefoodallergyapocalypse.wordpress.com/2014/07/23/ww-homemade-olive-oil-soap/

http://www.diyhomeworld.com/laundry-detergent/

http://www.crunchybetty.com/the-mother-of-all-soap-nuts-recipe-resources

http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/print/

Foraging & Flowers

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/beginner%E2%80%99s-guide-edible-mushrooms-medicine

http://www.mywildflowers.com/identify.asp

http://www.edupic.net/va_wild.htm

http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/flowers/wldflwrs.htm

http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/gwj/home

http://uswildflowers.com/wfquery.php?State=VA

http://www.cwildflowers.com/Virginia.htm

http://urbangardencasual.com/2009/06/12/use-plant-identification-keys/

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/plantbiology/ncsc/keysetc.htm

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72766.html

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/map.php

http://www.botanicalauthentication.org/index.php/Main_Page

Gardening

http://pioneerthinking.com/gardening/6-culinary-and-medicinal-herbs-for-small-containers

http://www.motherearthliving.com/gardening/herb-gardening/medicinal-herbs-zmgz12ndzmel.aspx

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/vegetable/herbs/best-herbs-for-container-gardens/#page=1

http://herbgardens.about.com/od/herbalgardendesign/tp/HerbalistGarden.htm

http://www.wholeliving.com/133759/grow-your-own-healing-herbs

http://chestnutherbs.com/growing-medicinal-herbs-in-containers/

http://www.seedsavers.org/department/herb-seeds

http://herbgardens.about.com/od/indoorgardening/a/How-To-Grow-An-Indoor-Medicinal-Herb-Garden.htm

http://mattovermatter.com/2011/07/how-to-grow-100-pounds-of-potatoes-in-4-steps/

http://www.planetnatural.com/herb-gardening-guru/potted-herbs/

http://herbgardens.about.com/od/indoorgardening/a/How-To-Grow-Herbs-Indoors.htm

http://tipnut.com/nifty-food-plants/

https://www.strictlymedicinalseeds.com/

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/15/ten-best-herbs-grow-containers

http://www.seedman.com/medicinelore.htm

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/do-list-january#.UD6keS1wNq8.pinterest

Medicinal

http://www.makelotion.com/blacksalverecipe.htm

http://handmaidenkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/01/make-your-own-witch-hazel-extract.html

http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/04/comfrey-plantain-salve.html

http://thenerdyfarmwife.com/how-to-make-medicinal-vinegars-oxymels/

https://naturalherballiving.com/herbal-simples/

https://naturalherballiving.com/blog/

https://naturalherballiving.com/confirmation/?transaction_key=e7zx34Psxy3HcW7H637foint8lKVDXlF&tx=47B70264PF304380N&st=Completed&amt=4%2e00&cc=USD&cm=658%7c1%2a2%7c%7c&item_number=2&sig=RPvNFBKdTP8BrUsq0%2btGPo7SryOCfPCVg5TUGNXn0X0DOOmOruh%2bxAihHVHu0V1M3MNTfNO4OIATt44AQTMU6Ys%2bXgQ6NOH5uOQ2zV3eG3bjzmwz6iXJHwp7vhYl9T755uDeoiBMTdP5hgk8HT14EE%2fN2Nm00m3V%2f2NKP3ufKg4%3d

http://www.practicalprimitive.com/skillofthemonth/pineneedletea.html

http://andhereweare.net/2014/09/what-to-do-with-elderberries.html/

https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/home-goods/seeds

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/521010250616643888/

Self-Care. Self-Love. And a journey to lose weight

A Facebook conversation I had with a friend:

Self-love/Self-care 101 from a dear friend, Laura A Rowsey-Collins
*The shape of you is nothing to be ashamed of. If you wish to lose weight for the health of you that is certainly a good thing. But your value has nothing to do with a scale number or an appearance. your value has to do with who you are your value also has to do how you exist in the world and what you put into the world. So doing the things to improve your health that you know will improve your health that is self-care. Knowing you have value regardless of appearance or scale number or any other external metric that is self-love. Perhaps the transparency is that you are learning to love yourself no matter what shape your body has

* And perhaps part of self-love is knowing that you were doing the things you need to do to improve the health and the comfort of your body

> MY FRIEND:  'My greatest 'self-care' acheivement of the weekend was NOT BINGEING in order to bear my negative emotions over this picture!'

*That is indeed a self-caring achievement.

*You might want to think of negative emotions as "indicators" that what you are reacting to violates in some way your idea for what should be or what your goals are. For instance, regarding dismay over pictures, perhaps that is an indicator that you are not yet where you want to be. So, it is an indicator you are still on your journey to better health.

Or, it can be an indicator that your mental picture of self does not match paper image of self - and so there needs to be work on revising either the way to see your mental self or the way you perceive the paper version.

Distress is not a reason to lapse or wallow. (even though sometimes a good wallow is helpful)... It is instead an indicator that there is misalignment between a fact and a thought.

When distress is a tool that you can use to focus your attention, it stops being a trigger for self-destructive behavior. Instead, it becomes something useful and purposeful.

Flower Pictures