Huckleberry Picking

There are so many huckleberries this year. We went to New Meadows today and picked until we could not pick anymore. The girls had a lot of fun riding the four wheelers.

What a crazy day! I took Kennedy's stitches out of her chin today and noticed that the redness was getting larger. We were planning to head to Cascade after Karleigh's soccer practice tonight. We dropped Karleigh off at practice and decided to go to a quick care clinic to have her chin checked before we drove to Cascade for the weekend. One hour of waiting at the clinic and we left and headed to another clinic down the road. Kennedy and I waited to see the doctor and Kevin had to go pick Karleigh up from practice. Finally saw the doctor and he agreed that she should be on an antibiotic and faxed it into the Sav On Pharmacy on Eagle Road so we could pick it up on our way out of town. Oh if it was only that easy! I went into the pharmacy to pick it up and the pharmacist was not able to guarantee it was gluten free because the manufacturer was closed and she could not verify the filler ingredients to be gluten free. She says to me, "You can take the prescription and take the chance that it has gluten in it or wait until tomorrow and I can call the manufacturer to make sure." WHAT!!! Like I could give Kennedy something without knowing it was gluten free. So by this time the dogs had been in the back of the truck for 3 hours and we were itching to get out of town but we had to head back to Kuna and wait until morning to get her antibiotics. As we were driving home I noticed a Walgreens and Kevin pulled in. I went in to ask if they had the gluten free antibiotics. The pharmacist looks through the ingredients and asks me, "Have you ever known gluten to be in liquid form?" WHAT!!! Uh, only beer, lotion, liquid soap, and a ton of other products!! By this time I was about ready to have a nervous breakdown!! The other pharmacist came over and had a little more knowledge. She phoned her friend who was a pharmacist and found out that in deed there could be gluten in the antibiotic. She recommended waiting until morning when she could manufacturer. The next morning we got up and drove to Walgreens. Yeah, the antibiotic was gluten free and we were on our way to Cascade.

Camping in Cascade, Idaho

Well today was a better day camping. Kennedy could not get her stitches wet so her and I went on a hike. Kevin took Karleigh and her friend, Abby, rafting. Fun was had by all.

Kennedy's first stitches

Well it was another wild and crazy weekend in Cascade, Idaho. Kennedy was riding her bike around the campground when I heard her screaming. I ran up to the hill and found her beside her bike. I knew that her chin was cut bad enough that it needed to be sutured. We drove to the Cascade Medical Center and they had a doctor on call. Kennedy was so brave and good for the staff. We told her that when we got back to the camper she could have a gluten free brownie.

Pamela's Yummy Zucchini Bread

2 C. Pamela's Mix
2-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 C. brown sugar packed
1/2 C. white sugar
2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini
1/4 C. oil
1/2 C. walnuts or pecans chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grate zucchini. Reduce moisture by squeezing zucchini in paper towels. Set aside. Whisk together Pamela's Mix. cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, oil, and sugar for one minute on medium. Stir in vanilla. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix together. Fold in grated zucchini and nuts. Spoon into greased 8"X4" loaf and bake for 55-60 minutes, or when inserted toothpick comes out clean. For muffins: fill greased muffin tin 2/3 full and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Kennedy's EEG Test

Today we took Kennedy to St. Lukes Hospital in Boise for an EEG. It is a test that measures and records the electrical activity of the brain. The electrodes are attached to the head and hooked by wires to a computer. The computer records your brain's activity on the screen and we will be able to tell if Kennedy has epilepsy. We are hopeful and praying that the neurologist will have good news for us next month when we get our results.

Mommy and Kennedy Day

Karleigh is spending the night at a friends house and Dad is in Burley working. Kennedy and I spent the day together. We ate at Red Robin's and then played in the pool. It was a great day for the two of us.

First pick out of our garden

Well it was a little early to pick this carrot, but we couldn't wait. We have been watching this garden grow and anxiously awaiting the arrival of or vegetables. Kennedy ate the carrot and loved it.

Kennedy's 6 month check up

Today we went to Kennedy's 6 month check up. She has been a real trooper the last 6 months. She had her labs done on Monday and today we got the results. Kennedy has done well since our last check up 3 months ago. Her colitis has healed and her body is doing great with the gluten free diet. The only "bad news" we received today was that Kennedy is still IgA deficient. Looks like she will be deficient long term or forever. We can deal with her deficiency because it seems like she has had this her whole life. She has always had a sinus infection, allergies, or a cold since she was born. Since January 2009 when she was diagnosed with celiac she has not been sick one time. The gluten free diet has really changed our lives. Other good news is that we can start to introduce eggs back into her diet!!!!!!! Yeah, I may cook and bake with eggs again. This will make life so much easier.

IgA Deficiency

Selective immunoglobulin A(IgA) deficiency is a relatively mild genetic immunodeficiency. People with this deficiency lack IgA, a type of antibody that protects against infections of the mucous membranes lining the mouth, airways, and digestive tract. Persons with this disorder have low or absent blood levels of a special protein called immunoglobulin A.

IgA deficiency is inherited, which means it's passed down through families.

Most people with selective IgA deficiency have no symptoms. Others with this condition have chronic diarrhea caused by intestinal infections. Some have frequent ear, sinus, and lung infections. Other symptoms include mouth infections and unexplained asthma or bronchiectasis(a disease in which the small air sacs in the lungs become damaged and enlarged).

Celebration of Leroy's Life BBQ

Since hearing about Leroy Matthews death I have been thinking how short life can be. We never know when our last day may be. It is so important to make time in our busy lives to spend with friends and family. I decided to throw a BBQ in New Meadows the Saturday(July 12, 2009) following Leroy's death. I had 72 hours to plan an event that I had no idea how many would people would show up. With the help of my former classmate and friend, Mac Qualls, we started posting our BBQ plans on facebook. Before long we had people signing up to come and it all just came together. About 200 people showed up to to the BBQ. We even had to make a run to the store to get more hamburgers. We stayed in the park until 12:30 a.m. just siting back and remembering our friend Leroy.

Leroy Matthews dies

Wow, tonight I found out Leroy Matthews was killed in a car wreck outside of New Meadows. I a shocked and can't grasp the idea of Leroy being gone. It has been about 1 month since I have spoke with him. He and Monte, his Dad, came over for a quick visit to our house. I wish I would have known that it would be the last time I saw him. I have many memories running through my head of Leroy. The smile that was always on his face. What a short life he had.

4th of July in Cascade

What a great 4th of July weekend! We took of for Cascade on Wednesday morning and stayed through Monday. We celebrated our 15th anniversary and Aunt Cathy's birthday. I made a gluten free dutch oven apple crisp and the girls made homemade ice cream. We spent time on Cascade Lake, floating the river and just riding bikes. The parade in Cascade was a lot of fun. We watched the fireworks from a friend's house in Cascade.

4th of July Gluten Free Cupcakes

Made with Pamelas Cake Mix, Pamelas Vanilla Frosting, cut strawberry fruit roll up and blueberries. YUMMY!

Poor Chevy

Well today we were playing at Lake Cascade and noticed that Chevy somehow got a cut on his back leg. We don't know how long he had the cut ans was swimming. By the time we got back to camp his leg was wiggling from all the water that was trapped in the leg! We went up to a vet in Cascade, but we were told that he was out on a ranch call and would be back in 3 hours. 4 hours went by and the doctor made it back to the clinic. He sewed Chevy back up and put him on antibiotics. He will have to avoid getting wet for the next 10 days-that will be hard for a lab!

Our 15th Anniversary

Wow, Kevin and I have been married 15 years! We spent the weekend in Cascade. Life is good.

Preparing for our first camp trip.

I spent the last couple of days making food for the 4th of July weekend. It is going to be easier for me if I can prepare the food at home. I made cinnamon rolls, macaroni and cheese, sausage biscuits and biscuits and gravy. We should be able to have some great meals and not feel deprived while camping. I will probably gain weight on this camp trip.!

McCall Farmers Market

So last weekend we attended the McCall Farmers Market. I noticed that there are no gluten free vendors. When I spoke with the coordinator she had informed that she gets a lot of requests for gluten free items. She has peaked my curiosity into starting my own business. I could try to make it easier for families that are faced with the challenge of living gluten free. This week I will look into starting this Journey.

Our new raft.

Well we decided that this year we will take advantage of the Payette River that goes right through our RV park. It is a nice a mellow float for 10 miles. We found this raft today and had to get it. After seeing a lot of people this weekend floating it made us want to try it. We did a "dry" run in the pool to make sure it floats.

Our first weekend in Cascade, Id

Well this weekend was our fist of 11 to come. We set up camp this year in spot #95. We have a great backyard that will be perfect for summer games. We all have our bikes up there this year and I am sure that we will be putting a lot of miles on them.

Pigs in a blanket

Yeah, I finally found a biscuit mix that you can roll and make pigs in a blanket! Blue Chip Baker has a great biscuit mix. I bought my first package at Jake's Gluten Free Store in Meridian. I made a bunch of them and froze them. Now if Kennedy wants one I can pull one out and throw it in the oven. It is a quick and easy thing to keep on hand.

The Old Spaghetti Factory has gluten free

So today is Father's Day and we took Kevin to a car show in downtown Boise. For lunch we tried The Old Spaghetti Factory. They have gluten free corn pasta that was delicious. Kennedy had spaghetti, salad and an vanilla italian soda. We can add this to the list of restaruants we can go to.

Sangria

I have to admit that I am not one that like wine. I made this sangria yesterday and anxiously awaited today so that I could give this a try. It was very good and a great summer drink.

Our Cheap Picnic

Peach Crisp

Filling
4 peaches, pealed and sliced into 1/4" thick slices
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 C. white sugar
1/8 C. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. gluten free flour

Crisp Topping
6 Tbsp. butter, slightly softened
1/4 C. gluten free oats
1/4 C. chopped almonds
1/4 C. gluten free flour
3 Tbsp. white sugar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Directions
Preheat oven 350*F
Peel and slice peaches into thin slices
Put into a medium bowl and sprinlke with lemon juice and mix
Add sugars, flour and cinnamon-mix very well
Pour into baking dish
Put softened butter into the same bowl that you mixed the peaches in
Add oats, almonds, flour and sugars and mix until crumbly
Crumble over peaches in baking dish evenly
Bake for 23-30 minutes
Cool slightly before serving

Weekend with Great Grandparents

This weekend Kevin is in Salem, Oregon for work.
Today we decided to cook a big dinner and have the
Great Grandparents and Dode over for dinner.
We made spaghetti, bread, salad and corn for dinner.
The best part was the dessert. I made a peach
crisp with vanilla ice cream and it was delicious.

Our first U11 Soccer Practice

6 days after tryouts and Karleigh has her first practice. Half of the girls were not at practice today because they are on vacations. Luckily the practices in June are not mandatory. The coach seems intense and I think that Karleigh will grow so much this soccer season.

Gluten Free Cherry Crisp

CHERRY PIE FILLING
4 cups cherries, pitted
a squeeze of fresh lemon (optional)
1/2 C. sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch (or thickener of choice)

Bring Cherries to boil. Mix cornstarch and small amount of water. Pour into the cherry mixture and stir until thickened. If you need to thicken even further, just add more cornstarch.

TOPPING
1 cup gluten free oats
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup almonds, sliced

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Pour slightly cooled pie filling into a glass pie dish and arrange the topping over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Our U11 Soccer Player

It is official! Karleigh starts soccer practice on Thursday. We are excited for this new challenge and opportunity.
We believe that she is ready to take her game to the next level.

Spanish Quinoa

Spanish Quinoa

1 garlic clove

1 minced small onion

1 can pinto beans

1 can tomato sauce

1 C. Quinoa

2 C. Water

Directions:

Fry bacon and set aside. Saute onion and garlic until soft. Place in rice cooker and add Quinoa, water, and turn on rice cooker. It takes about 20 minutes. When it is done add tomato sauce, pinto beans and crumbled bacon. Warm for 10 minutes.

Great with grilled pork chops.

We got the call!

Les Bois Soccer League called and offered Karleigh a position on their U11 girls team! Jason said that Karleigh has a lot of athletic ability and shows a lot of potential. He wants to place her on a U11 girls team. Karleigh would practice 3 times a week with 1 game a week. She would also have 2 traveling tournaments. We need to sit down and decide if this is what we really want to do.

Karleigh's tryout for the Les Bois Soccer Team

Les Bois soccer held a tryout tonight for the 2009-2010 competitive soccer team. Karleigh has played Les Bois youth soccer for 2 years and we all decided that it may be in her best interest to tryout for the next level of play. It is stormy today and there are black clouds all around the valley. The kids were divided onto four teams and they had to scrimmage. Karleigh did great. She was the youngest player, but she made 3 of the 6 goals! We were told that the parents would get a call within 24 hours letting us know if there child made it on the team. UGH! Is this what it is all about?

Grimes Creek

Today we spent the day at Grimes Creek. We have some friends that were camping up there and decided to come up and hang out and let the kids play. It was an hour drive from Kuna. I was amazed at how pretty the scenery was. We were there for 5 minutes and Kennedy found a mud puddle to play in. The girls took the bikes and had fun riding around and "jumping" thier bikes. I wish we would have taken the trailer up and been able to stay a couple of nights.

Gluten Free Macaroni and Cheese

Make the macaroni and cheese with Quinoa Pasta. It is made with corn instead of rice. It has a lot more texture and flavor.

Gluten Free Breakfast Burritos

Well we got to go camping and have our breakfast burritos. All was good. The brown rice tortillas were great.

Three Island Camp Trip

Our first camp trip of the year! This has been such a busy year that we did not get out any earlier. We went to Three Island Crossing Park in Glenns Ferry, Idaho. The temperature was in the 90's so the girls had a lot of fun on the slip n slide. I hope this is the start of a great camping season.

My Empanada's

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

2 cups Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour

1 level tsp. xanthan gum

10 tBsp unsalted butter (1 stick + 2 tBsp.), diced & kept COLD

1/2 tsp. salt

Approximately 1/2 cup ice water

Fillling: Be creative, meat mixture, any fruit would be great

4 bananas
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 TBSP. brown sugar

In a large bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum & salt. Cut in the butter (with either a pastry cutter or two knives in repeated cutting motions, as if you were cutting steak, but rapidly) until the dough forms pea-sized pieces of butter wrapped in flour. Stir in the ice water, a little at a time, watching for the dough to come together into a ball. If it is too sticky, add a bit more gluten free flour. Lightly knead, handling the dough as little as possible. Wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove dough from refrigerator & pull the dough into two parts. Remember you want to handle the dough as little as possible. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface & roll it to a thickness of 1/8″. With a bowl that is about 4″ in diameter, its rim floured & overturned, press into the dough to create 4″ rounds of dough. Remove rounds & pull together scraps. Roll out scraps & make more rounds. Repeat with remaining dough.

Place about a tablespoonful of filling in the center of each round of dough, fold over & pinch to secure the edges. Crimp the edges along the seam with the tines of a fork.
Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet lined, greased a bit to ensure easy removal of empanadas. Brush empanadas with either an egg wash (1 egg + 2 tBsp. milk) or just some milk to help it brown in the oven.

Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.* Serve warm or at room temp.

Our Memorial Weekend BBQ

We had a great Memorial Weekend BBQ at our house today. The kids enjoyed swimming in the pool. Personally it needs to be 10 degrees warmer for me. The temperature today was 79 and the pool was 76.

My new dehydrator

Well I am truly turning into a tree hugger. My mom gave me a food dehydrator and we made a fruit leather today. We blended 1 apple, 1 banana and 8 strawberries. It took8 hours to dry the fruit, but it was worth the wait. What a great way to use left over fruit. We are going to try applesauce tomorrow. This is a new healthy snack that the girls loved.

Red Robin has a gluten free menu

Yes it is true, we finally got to eat out at a restaurant today! We found out that Red Robin offers gluten free menu items and today we decided to go out for lunch. It has been almost 5 months since we have eaten out as a family. Kennedy ordered the gluten free french fries, mandarin oranges and cheese burger without the bun. It is nice to have the option of an occasional treat and Mom not having to cook dinner!

Kennedy's 5th Birthday

Today Kennedy turns 5 years old. How time flies when you're a Mom. It seem like yesterday when I think about bringing her home. She was 6 lbs. 10 oz. and from the beginning we knew that she would be a tough little girl. She has been through a lot this year and I know that a lot of kids would not have taken this challenge so well. She never once has tried to eat food that she knows she is not allowed to have. I know that even I have not been able to commit to 100% gluten free.

Today was the last day of school for Kennedy. Calvary Christian Pre School had the parents brind their child to the Boise Zoo today to celebrate the end of the school year. It worked out perfect having today be her birthday. Kevin and I took her to the zoo today and we had a great time.