Going Gluten-Free

This week our family has been more aware of God's perfect timing in so many aspects of our lives. Last night, on our way home from visiting family, many seemingly-random incidents added up to us being in the perfect place to help someone in need. We marveled at how those simple things (forgetting Ryan's wallet and having to go back for it, feeling the need to stop at Walmart for something that could have waited until next week, etc.) added up to a simple opportunity to help someone else. We discussed how we don't always see the end result, but how God is in the details of our lives. We can ask Him to open our eyes to see all of the wonderful ways that He helps and guides us each day.

Last year I was diagnosed with PCOS (poly-cystic ovarian syndrome), and an unknown auto-immune disease. My doctor feels like the testing to diagnose the auto-immune disease wouldn't be helpful at this time as it would cause more stress than it's worth. The medical treatments for most auto-immune diseases are sometimes worse than just managing the disease through lifestyle changes. So this past spring I made some drastic changes to my diet and exercise, which really seemed to help me feel better. Unfortunately, I didn't stick with those changes for long...but because of what I learned in the spring, making the transition to a gluten-free diet for Ryan did not seem daunting at all. Of course, we are still learning lots! I am very grateful for friends and family who are sharing their knowledge with us as we make these changes to our daily diet.

My first attempt at making gluten-free bread didn't turn out so great... (see below). But, I learned that you don't want to make gluten-free bread in a bread machine unless you have a newer machine with a gluten-free setting. And I learned that certain porous surfaces harbor gluten in them, so we need to replace some minor appliances and dishes. Additional attempts at making gluten-free bread turned out better, thanks to a friend sharing some of her favorite gluten-free mixes with us. And since Ryan gave me my first Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas last year, I don't even need a bread machine! Gluten-free bread is best made using the whisk attachment on the stand mixer, and then it only has one rising period and no kneading is allowed!

This loaf of bread should have been 3 times as tall...it was the most-dense loaf of bread I've ever seen!

In the last few sessions of therapy, Ryan has been focusing more on strengthening and stretching, and typing and memory. He has improved his typing speed from 16 wpm to 25 wpm! He still feels frustrated with his left hand though, which doesn't take orders from his brain as readily as his right hand does.

We have lots of appointments this week, which increases our gratitude for good health insurance. Ryan took the opportunity last week to share a talk with our girls and me: Beware of Pride. We had a great family discussion on ways that we can work to be humble and keep pride from destroying our family relationships. It's a daily work, with daily benefits if we honestly strive to humble ourselves. I humbly invite each of you to listen to or read that talk -- you will likely be surprised at what you learn! :)

Nicole and Rebecca just finished their first trimester of this school year. We are so grateful for their hard work at school, and for all that they are learning! Nicole especially loved her art class and her teen skills/home economics class. Rebecca tells me every day how much she loves going to school, and that she loves every part of it, but especially recess! :)

Nicole learned about colors, shades, and tints in art class, demonstrated in the project pictured above. And on Friday night, Miss Becca lost her first tooth! She was thrilled! :)





We hope you all have a wonderful week!