Country Living Design

I have a beautiful side porch on the circ 1836 Victorian Farmhouse. We put the swing out there and I have been decorating it for outdoor living little by little each summer. I visualize this cover for "Country Living" magazine in my head. Leafy green ferns hanging down, pillows and old quilts tossed accross my swing, little tables filled with books and lemonade, and candles to light it by night. I am happy to say, I am part way there. This weekend, I painted my wicker chair ( rescued from curb last spring, rehabbed with spray paint I already had and a cushion I made out of this perfect yellow toile fabric I bought waiting for the perfect project). Next to it is a old picnic basket I also rescued from a curb, and on top of that sits my old porch light we replaced last spring, of which I gutted, painted, and turned into a candle lantern. Lovely, not a dime spent, and items were saved from the landfill. Green and free, even better. By summer's end, I hope to have the fern and more old cozy linens to add to the swing and chair.

Rescue Me

Stopped at a garage sale on my way home from dance with Miranda yesterday. Couldn't believe my finds, and all for less than 5.00! Battleship, mint condition for a very excited Miranda. ( love that my kids will play board games. They are "off the grid kids". No "gamers" here.....) I was in the market for a storage facility of some sort for her room. She has her play clothes living in her vanity, and no room for her "girly" stuff. I found a 3 drawer plastic organizer, and hauled it out happily, very happily.
But the big find? Best of all, I got a "Beauty Box". A retro chrome bread box for a buck. Yes one dollar ladies and gentlemen. I wanted one for my pantry organization project. Didn't want a new one, wanted an old one. It probally could have been an east 20.00 at an antique store or more, but there is was dull and a little rusty. What I know is that retro chrome and steele wool? Shines up nice. So I hauled it home, steel wooled it last night, replaced the little lever with this PERFECT glass knob Brian had, and viola! It now occupys a shelf in my pantry for bread, of the gluten and non gluten variety.

Good weekend so far. Went to the Grand March for Prom last night. Our kids had a "Old Hollywood" theme, and I was so happy to see elegant long full dresses. Very little hoochie mama present. My neighbor girl, the one who babysits and I think the world of? Stunning. Can't believe she didn't have a date. Well, in college, the guys will beat a trail to her. What fun. Made me feel old, though.

Tainted Food

For the most part, I have learned this past week that our food supply is tainted. Not just the all too frequent recalls of infested meat, but in general, the food we eat is filled with crap. Crap our bodies don't need, and can not handle.
In addition to spring cleaning, organizing, and yard work ( I worked like Wonder Woman this week), I researched Celiac Disease. Ava has been diagnosed with it, and I needed to know all about it. I have also had to read every label of everything I fed or made her. Crap. Our food is filled with crap. Maltodexrin, for example, I had to look this up, as she can't have Malt. Maltodexrin is a starch, sometimes a wheat starch. Did we need another added starch? Do we even NEED starch of anyform? Grains, yes, from time to time, but our food is pumped with starch, modified food starch, corn starch, modified corn starch, and this isn't even the half of it.
So, doing what any good OCD mom would do, I purged the pantry, and spent an insane amount of money replacing my products with products that are gluten free, and organic. With products that have no more than three ingredients, and that are as close to natural as I can get them. We have all gone gluten free here, as I see gluten linked to many many health complications. Many. So many it made me crazy.
My week has also made me second guess Brian's diag of Fibromyalgia again. See, his dad has Celiac Disease, and 97 % of the people that get it carry the gene, as it's genetic. I don't have any digestive or autoimmune issues, so I blame this on Brian. If that is so, he carries the gene. He had the antibidy test done in 2004, but this test, if one hasn't had much gluten, can be a false negative. Celiac Disease is autoimmune. It can lead to extreme joint pain, fatigue, IBS, lactose intolerance, anemia, thyroid issues, high CK levels ( liver issues), ALL the things Brian has. I am convinced he has this and not Fibro. I asked him to give me a month of gluten free diet to see if he feels better. Ava is doing OK, Brian? Not so much. He can't have a beer, or even hard liqour. Not that the man drinks a lot, but on a hot summer day like today, after working hard, he likes a chilled beer. I hope he survives his month, and I hope I am right about all this. Celiac has a cure, just don't eat anything with Gluten in it and you feel ok. Fibro? Nothing has made him feel better.
Ava and I are off to Syracuse on Tuesday to see the pediatric specialist. Thank god. I have a zillion questions. She seems hypoglycemic as well, which goes with this, and doesn't sleep through the night, another symptom, but don't ask me why? Kids with celiac have night terrors. She wakes up SCREAMING. Every night. And I am tired.

April Showers

April showers actually bring on spring cleaning here! A day in means a day to clean and organize. First, I have to say Happy Birthday to Miranda. 10 today. Double digits. Not sure how that is possible since I am still 30 ( Shhh), but it is what it is. I have her presents stashed, and a nice family dinner planned. In the summer, when it's warm, she is having a High School Musical ( OMG, I love Troy!) sleep over/pool party, and my neighbor allegedly ( he's an engineer, has all sorts of technology) has a projector we can use with a big sheet hanging on the back of the carriage house for an out door viewing of HSM 1 and 2.
For today? More of yesterday, cleaning house, cleaning up yard, mucking out closets, getting organized, etc....One teacher asked me what I was doing over vacation. When I told her this, she said, " If the girls are bored, they can come over." Funny, this is my idea of a perfect vacation! Who would think my girls will be bored spring cleaning? ( however, she is a musher, and has sled dogs, I am thinking of calling her. In their world, she is a rock star!)

Happy Spring Cleaning!