The "C" Chronicles

Allergy or Intolerance? A fine line.

2009-11-08T16:57:00.000-08:00

An informational MSNBC Health article published today, Is it a food allergy or a food intolerance? helps differentiate some of the most important differences between a food allergy and a food intolerance. This article is informative, especially to those unfamiliar or recently diagnosed. But don't be mistaken, in my opinion and from experience, intolerances are just as serious dangerous to your health and immune system & possibly deadly if gone untreated or not properly diagnosed!!

How informed are YOU? What do you think of this article?

Gluten Free Summer - Back to Basics

2009-09-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

Has everyone had a great summer? Although fall is so very beautiful I am always a little sad to see summer go. I know I've mentioned this before but I love the beautiful warm summer weather. Tans, tank tops, sunshine....ah I'll miss you summer. There have been some ups & downs over here at The C Chronicles this summer. Job hunting has been at the forefront of my summer. It has certainly been a roller coaster of experiences & emotions! Following and respecting my gluten free/microscopic (lymphocytic) colitis diet is more important than ever through times like these, times of stress. One thing that I've learned is that my body reacts directly to my levels of stress!

I've experimented over the summer by incorporating some of my favorite summer veggies into my gluten free dishes. A trip to the local farmers market is a great way to get the best in season veggies, and it supports the awesome local farmers!

I love love stir fry! Brown rice with organic chicken, green & yellow zuccinni, red peppers, and pea pods. I've switched to all organic chicken because I learned that they add chicken broth to the frozen chicken I used to buy to preserve it and keep it's flavor. Is this chicken broth gluten free? I don't know... so I switched.

Gluten free turkey, olive & cheese burger. The gluten free bun from was key. Pam from the local Bread Stone Bakery gave me the bun to sample and it was absolutely fabulous! Yes, I'm getting that excited over a hamburger bun! Major kuddos Bread Stone Bakery.

The lettuce wraps at PF Changs are darn tasty so I thought I'd try making my own. They were delicious although next time I'm going to use a lot less of the wheat free soy sauce out of the sauce mixture, too much salt...and soy. Extra lean ground turkey, chopped up water cheastnuts, pea pods, & bean sprouts. Wheat free soy sauce, Rice vinegar, & red wine vinegar for the sauce.

...and obviously another stir fry concoction! This is actually one of my regulars because I love wax (yellow) beans. Brown rice with organic chicken, water chestnuts, & yellow beans. So simple!

Who says it's hard eating gluten free on a budget? Not me! I'm saving my money for upcoming fall shopping trip, candy apples, concerts, girls night out, and nice cheap bottle of vino!...ok maybe two cheap bottles of vino!

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Desert Giveaway!

2009-07-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

Isn't it fascinating the lengths people go to for free stuff? I include myself in this because I am blogging today not only to inform the public but to get an extra entry into a fabulous GF giveaway! Was scanning through tweets this morning and came across GlutenFreeDude's tweet about this giveaway. Clicked on it and it takes you to The Lucky Lady Bug's blog post about the giveaway. Clicked on the Mommy Googles link and VOILA! So basically, just click on Mommy Googles if you're reading this and want to enter! I just had to share my frantic yet enthusiastic hunt for the entry information!

Here's what you get: 4 samples, one of each of the GF desert mixes, 2 free coupons, a tote bag, a magnetic grocery list pad & pen. Kind of awesome right? Ok, maybe I'm a little too excited about this! HA! When you enter at Mommy Googles, you have to post a gluten free recipe to get at least one entry. If you're not gluten free & you don't know one, don't fret. I would recommend googling gluten free recipes, pick out one that you fancy and post it! You never know what you might find in the process! Expand your horizons people! (yes, I did just write that)

These GF products by Betty Crocker are brand new to the shelves and I have yet to find them in any of my surrounding grocery stores so weather I win or not, I am especially anxious to try them!

B-B-B-Birthday Shout Out!

2009-07-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my dearest friend AC! Are we getting older & wiser? Hmmm, well at least one of the two for sure! We've had (and continue to have) so many good, bad, and just plain craZZZY times!

(new school)

(old school with the Tom Cruise circa Top Gun framed photo hanging on the wall)

(marti gras party or just your average Saturday night back in the day? We'll never know.)

Happy Birthday to you!!!

GF Baking with Bob's!

2009-06-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

Brace yourselves people, I've been baking! Turns out one good thing about losing your job is it opens up a little free time to bake!

This Bob's Red Mill gluten free cinnamon raisin bread turned out great! Waiting for it to rise then waiting for it to bake was the worst but totally worth it! Many thanks to my mom for talking me into baking bread on a Saturday morning!

The cornbread was on a whim craving for something, anything bready. Uhh, SO good! I used an organic almond non-dairy substitute in place of the milk for this one and they still turned out fabulous, maybe even a little more flavorful because of the hint of almond.

A healthy alternative for non-Celiac's as well.

Bob's Red Mill products are highly recommended!

Yum!

Gluten Free fun in Vegas!!

2009-05-22T12:35:00.000-07:00

They don't call it "sin city" for nothin! I've been back from Vegas for a good month now and have yet to blog about it so I figure before I do anything else this Memorial Day weekend I better get on it! Vegas was a total blast and I'm more happy now than ever that I went and that I enjoyed some great times with AC & LMO!

For all of you non Celiacs, my gluten free restaurant rundown might bore you but to you I say, use this to your benefit for tips on good "overall" places to eat!

We stayed at the super fabulous New York New York Hotel & Casino. The first restaurant we ate at was the Nine Fine Irishmen right in NYNY. GF menu, awesome tasting food, live Irish music! A wonderful welcoming experience to Vegas! I ate the Brie Stuffed Chicken Breast and it tasted great!

What better way to ring in the NFL draft on Saturday then to have lunch at the ESPN Zone, also in our hotel/casino? Not to mention that the place was crawling with testosterone! No GF menu here but I got a burger, no bun and a baked potato.

PF Chang's inside Planet Hollywood was a favorite. I've indulged in PF Chang's here in Michigan so I am very familiar with their GF menu. I got my usual Singapore Street Noodles w/sauce on the side. I would say that if you've never had PF Chang's, gluten free or not you absolutely need to!

The one and only unpleasant GF eating experience I had while I was in Vegas was on Saturday night ay the restaurant Olive's inside the Belagio. Olive's was an early choice because of the awesome atmosphere. A very positive email from the executive chef assuring us that there would be many GF options available set my comfort level pretty high. Well let's just say there were NO GF options available. Both managers on the floor knew I was frustrated and neither bothered to come over to the table to talk to us. It was awful. I ended up eating very little of this raw beef dish that our waiter, Rick, drummed up. Thanks again Rick for your efforts and sorry again for my slight rudeness. All frustrations were postponed until later the next day as I proceeded to enjoy the rest of my evening!

Sunday night, after seeing the Cirque du Soleil show Zumanity we went out with a bang for our last meal of the trip at Gallagher's Steakhouse. No GF menu here but I asked the waitress if the chef could accommodate and they did! I got the filet with a baked potato and it was so amazing!

Overall, my Vegas GF dining experiences were very good. You just have to do a little research before your trip. Make sure you know your surroundings and be aware of the types of restaurants that are going to be in close vicinity to you. You don't want to get there and be like, "duh, I don't know" and waste your whole trip trying to figure out where to eat!

Yay! Can't wait to go back!

I'm not worthy Betty Crocker...

2009-05-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

Seriously! I had to blink TWICE when I saw this over at GF Steve! I love you Betty, I love you General Mills! A thousand thank you's! I will be anxiously awaiting the month of June!

Follow this link to get the scoop right from the horses mouth and spread the word! Don't worry...it's not gossip!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to ALL the spectacular mommies out there, including my own VERY fabulous mother! Thanks for everything you do every day! Love you! XOXOXOXO

"To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world"

- Anonymous

Rollin with the homies!

2009-04-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

Gearin' up for some much needed vaca with the ladies this weekend so see ya when I get back blog world! Hopefully I'll still know my last name when I get back!

Lighten Up!

2009-03-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading Lighten Up - Survival Skills for People Under Pressure, by C.W. Metcalf and his wife Roma Felible. Pretty much in the nick of time too since it's due back at the library tomorrow! The book's copyright is 1992 but except for some early 90's statistics & a few references to people like Ronald Reagan, Bon Jovi, & Paula Abdul, one wouldn't really know the difference. I had no special purpose for choosing this book, it began as a complete distraction to studying for the GRE! I usually take notes as I read so I'll share below a few things I considered interesting enough to write down from my read:

For people coming out of a rough spot in their lives, recognizing the absurdities of prior behavior is essential for regarding that all - important sense of joy at being alive.

How we choose to view challenge and change dictates whether we cope or are crushed.

Take yourself lightly and your situation seriously.

It's better to look for what works before you focus on what's broken.

Those with a strong will to live consistently discipline themselves to nurture the positives life has to offer.

If we do not generate & practice reverence for the joys in life, then the miseries, wars, and backed-up septic tanks will pull us under.

Importance of a "Joy List" - Look for the moments of absurdity, laughter, and joy around you.

Being old isn't just bad or just good, it isn't just sad or just funny. Truth is that being older is similar to the rest of your life; some of it is Heaven on earth, and then there's the plain ol' Mondays.

The author includes a lot of funny stories in delivering his techniques for lightening up! It's a good read and an easy read for the "out of practice" so to speak (like me and pretty much the majority of the country). It's refreshing to read something for enjoyment that isn't a textbook or a People mag! Don't underestimate me though, People.com is always a click away!

Slack-meyster the blogger

2009-03-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

HI-YA, HI-YA! I have been such an absent blogger, this I know! Just call me the slackster. I've had so much to do, some of it business, some of it pleasure so I have been the ultimate slackerator! I've been filling my time with a number of activities like applying to grad school, checking out and reading books from the library (shut up, this was an activity for me!), booking a gals trip to Vegas, attending numerous happy hours, taking care of my mom after her foot surgery (emphasis on the happy hours after this one!), working, & working out (or a weak ass attempt at working out).

...did I mention the St. Patty's Day celebration down in the D?
Here's my Irish partner in crime, LMO and her ultra celebratory hat! This is how our afternoon started out and the rest is pretty much history.....

LMO = "Where's the parade"?

C = "I dunno LMO, where IS the parade"?

LMO = "I don't see it but it's supposed to be RIGHT HERE!"

C = Uh, stay calm LMO but I think we're in the wrong spot."

LMO = "Screw it C, let's find a bar!"

C = "I'm pickin up what you're throwin down sister!"

Health is going so-so at the moment. Officially went off the Entocort (steroids) on March 4th and sure enough began to have all of my classic Celiac symptoms again. The joint pains pretty much blow so I'm contemplating my next move and keeping a close eye on everything else in the meanwhile. I have this process of complete and utter frustration and pissed-off'ness (a word? maybe...) followed by some calmness and focus! Keep on a truckin right?

...off to enjoy the 1st weekend of spring!

Now that's my kind of mac & cheese!

2009-02-18T16:28:00.000-08:00

Happy belated Valentine's Day to everyone! I was studying all weekend for my big GRE exam yesterday. On Sunday I needed something quick to make so I could get back to relearning all of the math I failed in high school & college. Ahhh, Trader Joe's mac & cheese...I hope it tastes good....cross your fingers!

mmmmmmmm...............holy crap, this is amazing! Very close to Kraft mac & cheese as a matter of fact! I'm very impressed you delightful box of mac & cheese! Celiac's if you miss Kraft I highly recommend you give the Trader Joe's brand a try. And on the up side, the rice pasta is so much better for you than the enriched pasta! Sold at all Trader Joe's stores so visit their website to see of there's a store near you. One box only set me back $1.99. How cool is that?

***Be careful because it's made on equipment shared with peanuts, tree nuts, and soy. I am fairly sensitive to soy but I took a small risk and I was fine. Only you know you so you be the judge.

I hope to someday take my best shot at a homemade GF mac & cheese but until then I am happy to explore and find my "from the box" favorites!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Saz's BBQ Sauce

2009-02-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

I would certainly be doing a disservice to the world, especially my fellow Celiac's and allergy prone peeps if I didn't share with you this great product and deal! A few weeks ago, while down & out in a, "good Lord I cannot possibly eat another piece if plain baked chicken" rut, I decided to try out my skills at making homemade chicken nuggets. I used my Gluten Free corn tortilla bread crumbs (as mentioned in a previous post) and I've been hooked ever since! I had in the fridge some Saz's BBQ sauce that someone bought for me FOREVER ago and I just never gave the stuff a fair shot. I'm chalking it up to me just being stubborn and assumptive, as I was back in the day...ok, I may still be a tiny bit stubborn...depends on who you ask! Silly rabbit. Saz's BBQ sauce created the perfect marriage to my crispy homemade chicken nuggies!

I recently ran out and haven't been able to find it anymore at my local grocery store. I found Saz's BBQ products online and low & behold they had a super deal. The "Saz's Sauce Trio" for $10! That's 3, 28oz bottles, one of each of Saz's signature flavors for $10 (S&H was free!). I ordered 2 of the trio's and the shipment arrived within about 24 hours. Amazing! I haven't tasted the Vidalia Onion or the Sassy yet but all three flavors are Gluten Free, Fat Free and also do NOT contain any Soy, Milk, Egg, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Wheat, Fish, or Shellfish. My body is not a fan of soy and do you know how hard it is to find a BBQ Sauce, or ANY type of sauce for that matter, withOUT soy in it? Go order yours so you're ready for all of the big summer BBQ's coming up and a much deserved Thank you to Saz's for this delish product!

Holla at'cha suga! Suga COOKIES!

2009-01-27T18:15:00.000-08:00

This sugar cookie mix has been burning a hole in my brain for a good 6 days now. I found myself gazing out the window thinking about cookies, then sugar, then the little man standing on the pile of cookies on the box. Yes, it got a little out of control but that's all over because they are now a reality! The Cherrybrook Kitchen sugar cookie mix was on sale for about 4 bucks at my local health food store (worked out to be about $2 a dozen). The actual mix is Gluten Free, Peanut Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, & Nut Free...and they DON'T taste like crap! How wonderful is that? If you or anyone you know has any or all of these types of food allergies this mix is 100% recommended! OR if you're on a diet: 1 cookie w/o the frosting is 0g fat and about 15g-18g of total carbs depending on how big you make them! Not bad! The back of the box calls for rice milk to keep it dairy free but I sub'd Fat Free Organic Milk because I'm good with dairy consumed in moderation.

The store bought frosting scares me. Way too many "unknown" ingredients so I made my own cream cheese vanilla frosting using butter, cream cheese, organic GF vanilla, and powdered sugar. Someday I'll make them from scratch, but not today!! I'd like to think of this as my Sandra Lee semi-homemade experiment. Tiz the shizzy if I must say!

As promised...

2009-01-18T16:17:00.000-08:00

Our January Dinning Divas theme was "Italian night" so I decided to try making something new. I decided on a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis for herb stuffed tomatoes. I watched Giada make them on her Food Network show Everyday Italian. On the show she made them with italian gorgonzola cheese but I did a trial run before "Italian night" and come to find out, gorgonzola cheese is nasty, or at least the one I bought was. This same recipe posted by Susie D on Recipezaar is essentially the same thing but with pictures, which being an amateur I definitely prefer!

They turned out great! I'm pretty sure the girls liked them, and if they didn't they weren't telling! I sampled only one because I'm not a huge tomato lover and it was da bomb! I mixed the grated provolone with some shredded parmesan then sprinkled it very lightly with colby jack right at the end. It was a special occasion so I cheesed it up but if you wanted to just keep it simple with the provolone it would still be awesome. I of course substituted Gluten Free bread crumbs for regular bread crumbs. I have to say that the Southern Homestyle GF Bread Crumbs are one of my new favorite things. I make homemade chicken nuggets with them and they always turn out so crispy & crunchy, just like nuggie should be! Delish. I rate this dish super easy to make if you're thinking of entertaining a few people or just feeling like trying something new!

Party Like It's 2009!

2009-01-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all! Hope everyone had a fabulous and safe celebratory weekend. I celebrated in GR at GP Sports Bar inside of the Amway Grand Plaza. MC squared, AC, EC, and I ended up there in a round about way because it was too damn cold to wait in line anywhere else but we ended up having a blast! This pic is essentially me on my tippy toes taking a picture of the Times Square ball on a very large TV! YAY!

The 1st week of 2009 brought unto me a flu unlike any other. I'm not gonna lie, it was 4 nights of pure hell. As if being a Celiac is hard enough! After some TLC and much needed rest I'm back in the saddle and ready to get 2009 rollin! So thanks to all for a wonderful 2008 first blog year. My resolution is to add to my blog plenty of my Gluten Free faves! Most are everyday store bought items, but my goal is to try and add an occasional recipe (if I'm brave enough!). I've not yet perfected the whole baking/cooking thing so I'm sure there'll be some good stories to go along with...

Christmas Chaos - I love it!

2008-12-28T16:53:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday! Over the last few days I've participated in and witnessed everything from Christmas Eve beer pong to Christmas Day pin the hat on the turkey! Wffhhheeeew, what a whirlwind and I wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world!

Kind of long video but just a small sample of one of the finer chaotic moments! Half of the fam wasn't even there!

Grandma Dee helping the kids play pin the hat on the turkey. Isn't this a Thanksgiving game? Whatever, tis the season!

Snow'd in!

2008-12-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure WHAT Mother Nature's problem is but she needs to get over it!

Thank goodness my car is in the garage! Right?...Wait, where's my garage??!!

The hills are alive with the sound of let's freeze our asses off!

AC, I just HAD to take this pic of your drive! I'm positive it no longer looks like this due to the fact we got 5-6 more inches last night not to mention the blizzard conditions of today!

Snow is crap.

2008-12-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

It used to be so pretty...until cold and snow and winter.

We knew it would eventually happen and it did. Winter has officially cracked the whip on us. I loved winter as a child. Going sledding, toboggining, ice skating, snow days! But now, I'd like to say I'm a middle of the road kind of gal when it comes to winter/snow/ice/slush/salt etc... BUT I'm not. I try my darndest to enjoy it because sometimes it is pretty and whatnot but it's gross and cold and that's it. I have compiled a list of 5 "LOVES" and 5 "HATES" about the wintery weather/season.

LOVES

1. Snow men - they really are cool at any age.

2. The ability to buy sweaters and let your gut out for 3 to 4 months!

3. Christmas cards with pictures on them - or just Christmas cards in general.

4. A legit excuse to stay in.

5. Bailey's & coffee.

HATES

1. Salt trucks. Everything about em' - hate em'

2. People who like to show off their 4 wheel drive - Hello, you're scaring the crap out of everyone else! Plus you still look like a dumb ass.

3. Broken wipers.

4. Gross slushy crap and road salt all over your nice dress clothes.

5. The inability to properly enjoy a slurpee (or any delightful frozen drink for that matter).

12/12/06 - 11/17/08 Sianara!

2008-11-17T20:10:00.000-08:00

Its been SUPER fun collecting (reading, studying, memorizing, highlighting) books for the past 2 years but as of today I can officially say good bye! Time to close this chapter and start a new one! YAY!

Birthday Fun!

2008-11-02T18:12:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday baby A! Had such a great time at your birthday party this weekend! You & your big sis are too cute and you're both growing too fast!

**And you're never too old for "mock senior photos"!

Happy, pretty fall season...

2008-10-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hello friends & fellow bloggers! I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall season where ever you are. I think my fellow Michiganders will agree with me that Michigan is certainly one of the prettiest states in the fall! It's the winter that screws with us (at least that's my opinion)! Sorry to report, that last weekend I discovered via an Apple Genious that my computer will need to be re-fixed before I am able to download any more pics from my camera. Unfortunately I need my computer every day until my last class ends on Nov. 17th. You'll all just have to deal with my semi-lame phone pics for a few weeks!

I took this picture today. I look out my office windows into the courtyard everyday and I see this big beautiful yellow tree! It seriously gets brighter and brighter everyday. The picture doesn't do it justice at all. It's almost blinding. I also look at it and think, "soon all the leaves will be gone and there'll be ice & snow, and I'll want to throw myself from this very window. Call me sentimental....yeah, ok...........bite me.

Damn, I'm cute!

2008-10-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've been being a MAJOR slacker on my blog lately. If you've been boycotting me I understand. The truth is I've been really busy (yes, believe it or not single people are busy too!...lol) and now that I have a bunch of recent pics I have to update my camera software to go with my new updated Apple software! Ahh, the joys of technology. Put it this way, something on the computer that would take the average 15 year old these days about 15 seconds will take me about 3 months! In the mean time I found a few "old school" pics to tide us all over until I get settled. Trust me, you won't be disappointed...

Believe it or not this is my Uncle Matt. He tortures me now but this proves at one time we got along! My head is averaged sized, HE has the tiny head....and large teeth if I may say.

What can I say.....I loved Barbie. She was my everything.

And who can resist some Super Golden Crisp!!? I'm sure my mother will be proud of this one!!...ha.

Well I hope you enjoy and I'll be working on my updates. Enjoy the weekend everyone!

Ahhhh....September

2008-09-01T17:49:00.001-07:00

Happy September, Happy Labor Day, and Happy 1st Anniversary to my best wing couple!! It was a great day...one for the books!

One year down and you didn't strangle each other! Here's to many more!!

Please don't take my sunshine away.

2008-08-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm back in the friggin saddle, the computer is fixed. It's been fixed for a couple of weeks, I've just been busy workin & playin. I have all the fixins to back up my work. 2 GB USB, a pack of 50 CD-R's for pics, now I just need to know HOW to get everything there! I refuse to let this computer make me look like an idiot so I will figure it out.

Well, summer is quickly coming to a close and I'm pretty sad about this. Not that I don't enjoy fall, winter, & spring but.....I don't enjoy fall, winter, & spring. So I've decided to include a few of my most memorable moments from the last few weeks in order to help me deal with the upcoming seasons...

(Ok, these 3 were last month but I couldn't resist. Pretending I'm a bandit? Maybe...)

(AC & I couldn't resist going down & playing on the track after watching the race...yeah we get these bright ideas after we've a had a couple race track margaritas)

(Mom came for a weekend visit a couple weeks ago and we walked around downtown to check out all the art. Look real hard...squint! Here she is posing with Alexander Calder's famous La Grande Vitesse.)

(...and the great ol' Au Sable trip. What can I say? An oldy but ALWAYS a goodie as far as summer events go! What a great time!)

On that note, everyone have a great Labor Day weekend and enjoy the sunshine while it's still around! GO ON...quit readin this silly blog and get outside!

Mama's Fallen Apple

2008-08-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

I had a great brainstorm going for my next blog on my wild & crazy Au Sable weekend but brainstorming is about as far as I got because late Monday night my beloved Mac took a nose dive into corruption world. Thank goodness I was only about 100 words into my paper at the time (MAJOR procrastination on my part!). Technician Charlie (my new BFF) at the Apple store is taking good care of her and tring to re-install most of her hard drive. He has been able to save most of my docs, thank God because I have ALL of my psych papers from the last 2 years on there w/NO backup! Wow, did I feel like a complete dumb ass when that came up! Needless to say backing up my info is at the TIPPY TOP of my to do list now! I might still lose the majority of my pics but Charlie will do his best...and that's all I can ask. Pray for Mama's fallen Apple blogworld! I will be back (hopefully) in 3 to 5 business days!

Addiction...NO laughing matter

2008-07-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

So, call it an epiphany or simply a realization...but I'm addicted to "the joe". Coffee that is. I'm not particularly proud of it but I am. I think I realized this last week as I ran out of my fabulous Gevalia French Vanilla blend. I went 2 days without "the joe" and by Thursday morning I realized that I was sort of transforming, if I may, into another person...a scary "joeless" person! And this week I catch myself thinking, "OMG, how am I going to be able to get my "joe" before I push off on the river this weekend?" Shouldn't I be worried about more pressing things? "Whoa", I thought, "who am I?" I never in my life thought I'd get addicted. I didn't even like the stuff a year ago! Being a psych major I attempted to diagnose myself. "Maybe it's bipolar disorder, maybe it's schizophrenia!" Nope. I had "joe deprived" disorder. It's a complicated disorder with many different reported cases and symptoms. I realized I had to accept my diagnosis and move on. So that very day I set out to find a store bought brand of "joe", see I'm spoiled and I've never purchased "the joe" from a store...I get my dear Gevalia sent to me! I purchased the Seattle's Best Vanilla Bean to try and I have to say I love it! This "joe" along w/my Vanilla Nut "joe" creamer is the perfect combo percription! So for now, no intervention needed.

Is it Friday yet??!...

2008-07-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday everyone! Is it me or is this summer flying by? It will be over before we know it! To reminisce a little, AC's 30th birthday festivities were last weekend. Seriously SO much fun! We started the day off by going to get mani-pedi's on top of a little shopping for something to accentuate our 30 year old hotness! The evening began with some dinner & drinks at Churchill's in downtown GR. By far the best meal I've had this year! The head chef, Tommy, visited our group of 17 often. He dolled up and delivered the cakes, and he was particularly catering to my need for a Gluten Free meal. If anyone ever gets to GR go there to eat if you can. The atmophere is fun and modern and the staff are wonderful! We ended the evening with some dancing at Club Moxie, pretending we were 25 again! I was going to post some sweet normal pics but I've decided to pick one or two of my favorite funny ones from the evening...

(I was pretty proud of my cakes even though we had a tiny mishap w/one of them! The chef jazzed it up and fixed it good!)

(Not so much MC pretending he's in a Sears catalog, but the "open legged skirt" behind him...seriously.)

AC: "we are SO hotter than that 24 year old blonde with fake boobs"

CML: "uhmmm hummm...you KNOW it guurrrl, let's go shake our money makers!"

This past weekend consisted of the 1st Annual GR Bar Crawl. I have not done this many restaurant/bar related events in a while so don't go thinkin I'm out on the town every night or anything! It just happened to end up this way...HONEST! We started out at an awesome tapas restaurant, San Chez. They too had a Gluten Free menu that I could order from! I took absolutely NO pictures from the Bar Crawl but had an absolutely wonderful time and met a lot of new people! BIG shout out to AN & JN for the invite and also AC & MC for taking me along! I am looking forward to a BIG couple weeks ahead with a work event at the Berlin Raceway this weekend and the BIG Oscoda canoe trip the following weekend. Ahhhh.....I can smell the Au Sable and jello shots already! Can't wait! In the mean time, I will try not to go bonkers!

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great extended weekend and hopefully you were all able to soak in some fireworks and celebrate your independence! I have a very busy few weeks coming up so I took advantage of the weekend by hangin out over at AC & MC's house. They HAVE to be getting sick of me, I am freakin always there! If they would help marry me off we wouldn't have this problem! This pic was taken from their deck. The K-wood city fireworks are lit off about a block from their house! We got fancied up and went out on the town for a bit on Saturday. Have to scope out places for AC's big 3-0 coming up next Saturday (one week left my friend...ONE week)!

I also put my sweet darling baby up on autotrader today but not before she decided to give me one more headache. Thanks a lot bitch! She never did like those fancy car-washes...she always preferred the ol' sponge and bucket method. If anyone out there in blog world has any ideas for a cheap fix, feel free to chime in! I've already ruled out duct tape! Thanks again bitch!

Says so on the box!...

2008-06-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm not all about back to back blogs but I just have to put my excitement out into the earth today! I was sitting at work today, working (A.K.A...searching through my sweet read blogs) when I came across a post over at goingglutenfree. In this lovely post she talks about General Mills Rice Chex being Gluten Free. Remembering this post later on after work, I decided to scan the cereal isle at Target and I'll be damned if it isn't totally TRUE! It it labeled very clearly on the box, which is a BIG deal if you know anything about labeling and the "hell" of reading and figuring out labels. And how much easier is it now for people like me that can just go grab it and eat it!...After purchase of course. I snagged up the biggest box I could find and had some for dinner. I am pumped.

Today also marks day 1 of a little journey of my own. My lovely GI specialist diagnosed me on Friday with something called Refractory Sprue. My body hasn't been responding to the Celiac diet for quite some time now so I decided to take action. Well, long story short...it's been a long process with lots of tests and traveling and here we are! I'll be taking a low dosage steroid (Entocort EC) for 6 months to a year and hope I don't have hair on my back or turn into a man by the end of this! I don't think I'd make a very hot man...but I might get more action! Sorry to get all "medical" on the readers but I just thought I'd school ya a bit! What-What! Expand your brains.

Hustle & Bustle...

2008-06-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Well the month of June has certainly been an insane one in the "busy" department! There's just so much to do during the summer and I never want to miss out on anything so I try to do it all, which usually doesn't end up working out too well for my sanity. Anyways, an update on fun events of June...

The 1st weekend was fun, got my IKEA cherry popped. Whoa....IKEA. We had so much fun trying to figure the place out and once we did it was shop till you drop! I will post pics of my new sweet bookshelf once it is put together. After IKEA we went to this awesome steakhouse, J. Alexander's. So, delish and I thuroughly enjoyed the martinis after the long shopping day (as pictured)!

The first annual Back Yard Games were on the 21st and boy was it fun! We were up late Friday tearing up Alicia & Matt's yard & building horseshoe pits but everything went off as planned.

I went to dinner with my Royal Oak buddies Lynn & Nicole on Thursday of this week and then jetted off to Cedar Point on Friday morning with my Law Firm. Ok, I haven't been to Cedar Point in a while and I feared I wouldn't be able to ride the coasters because I am getting older and I vomit much easier but I had a blast and rode a lot of them and a couple new ones I really liked. My fave: the Millennium Force, Least Fave & ride that scared the crap out of me, but proud that I tried it: Top Thrill Dragster.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all dads everywhere! I hope you all got to do whatever it is you do on this day. I didn't get to see my dad today but I'm sure he milked it for all it was worth! Here we are at my 30th birthday party back in February. Damn, we're good lookin'!

Don't drink and ride!

2008-06-05T08:54:00.001-07:00

There is no better lesson that I've learned throughout the years! Sometimes old habits are hard to break! Last Saturday I had the privilage of walking to the park with my best friend, her sister, niece & nephew, her grandparents, and her dad & his wife. It was a grand ol' family time at the park. Spent some time on the slide and monkey bars. I also played my 1st BlongoBall game. This game is fun! It will also be one of our featured games at the First Annual Back Yard Games this year and I can't wait to play it again!

Here I am trying to get rid of a spider (without killing it) that made it's way up to the very top of the slide. It was an intense moment for the kids and I but he finally made it onto the smallest piece of stick in the world and I tossed him into the grass.

I also just want to give a shout out and congrats to my girl & her husband over at the Barron Blog on the birth of their twins! Another shout out and congrats to my girl over at momoftwinz on the news of her impending Aunt-hood! So great to hear about all the procreating! Well done!

The Blaze of 2008 is OUT

2008-05-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so before I start blogging about my favorite recipes, music, crafts, friends & family, cool stuff, things that annoy me, things that don't annoy me, blah, blah, blah, I must tell you about the blaze of 2008 that occurred last weekend. My goal is to try and post a fab video or pic along w/this post but if I don't succeed don't hate me. So I'm coming out of my favorite mexican casa downstate, Qdoba, and walk upon an electrical box that is buzzing quite profusely and also starting to spark quite profusely. Well, in the words of a wise anchorman, "things escalated quickly". I was in awe, just starring...until my "gent" decided to call 911 and drag me to the truck for safety purposes. Still in awe at the escalation of things and anxiously timing the fire departments arrival, we decided to start frantically taking pictures and videos w/our phones. I also realized I had my camera so I indulged in a video or two with that. I was upset that the building was burning a little but also quite enthralled in the action. What is it with that? The fire department showed up, broke into the building and turned the power off. See, it was an electrical fire so they couldn't just spray it w/the hose! HA! Don't laugh.

I did it world! I am a blogger!

2008-05-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

I have no idea what I'm doing but here it goes! I have been wanting to join the blog world for a while now but just never took the time to sit and do it. I also fear I will have nothing to blog about since I have no children and I have no husband! All of my wonderful friends who blog have husbands, businesses, projects, children, children on the way, twins, etc... But then I thought, "hey I'm not totally boring, I have stuff going on...sort of! Also, what an awesome way to keep in touch with everyone who is far away! I hope you are all happy and proud I am here. I'm sure most of my blogs will just be babble but who cares? I'm going to give it a shot...for all of you that make this look so easy and fun! I'm comin' after you if it isn't (you know who you are)! HA! So, if you can send any tips or tricks of the trade my way, feel free!