What to do with the cucumbers...

Smitten Kitchen is a great blog for fun and beautiful recipes. This one looks beautiful and yummy, and you can put some of those cucumbers to use! Happy Harvesting!

Maggie's

If you haven't been to Maggie's on Commercial Street you haven't lived! For a thrift store junkie like me this is true. It looks pretty frumpy on the out side, but inside it is really great. The prices are good and cheap. Today I found several items I had been wanting...tap shoes for Miss Ellie, a white button down shirt for me, a vintage tin for my counter, a vintage embroidered table runner, and a red/white gingham table runner that I am going to use for a dish towel...all this for $5.50! Things like this make me pretty excited. If any one makes a visit let me what you think, Happy Thrifting!!

New Favorite Blog

Nourishing Days is my new favorite blog. Mainly because she gives me hope and encouragement for our new diet. Some months ago I started feeling pretty rotten, everyday. We thought I was pregnant because I was nauseated and tired, what felt like all the time. I felt like this for months, I was afraid to go anywhere by myself because at times I thought I would pass out. A couple days of Daddy staying home from work and a blessed doctor's visit, we found out I had quite a few food allergies/sensitives. I never thought my symptoms could be food allergies. As soon as I cut those foods out my symptoms went away! Don't get me wrong, I still get tired --- I have two littles to love on all day long. But it isn't the fatigue like before, that was like fluish feeling --- wanting to crawl into bed and stay there. We have learned a lot about food allergies and the causes. You may have food allergies and not know it. Additives and preservatives, stress, eating too much of the same food, and other factors are all causes. But, our bodies have the ability to heal themselves and we are hoping mine does.

Our food budget is the highest it has ever been, and me, miss cheapo is okay with that. My food prep sometimes takes a little longer. And it is tricky when people invite us over b/c I have to ask what they are preparing and I feel awkward doing so. I feel awkward because before this I thought "what is the thing with all this gluten free???" And I pray they are not thinking that. No compassion. That's the great thing about suffering, compassion and obedience are produced. I am SO thankful this happened to me. We are eating healthier than we ever have, and I have only scratched the surface --- I am much more understanding and prayerful of peoples needs --- and I feel closer to our Lord than I have in a long time. Anyhow...enough about me and my food issues :) check out this blog and look at her recipes and try one. Just do it, I get intimidated and then I do try something and think "why did it take me soooo long to try that?" :) Bon Appetit! (from Julie and Julia, good movie.)