And We Call This Health Care

We rarely go to the doctor. We just don't. We never had health insurance when I was growing up, that I'm aware of. Nor did we have it the first 15 years or so we were married. So we never got in the habit of being doctor-goers.

Of course now we are forced to have "affordable" health insurance. Not that we can afford it, but our government assures us it's affordable, so it must be. In spite of that, we still don't go to the doctor much.

Our experience over the weekend really doesn't do much to make us want to change that.

***

Thursday evening Lyle showed me that his foot was swollen and red across the top. I had him soak it in epsom salts and essential oils. By Saturday it was looking worse and he just wasn't feeling good in general. I figured it was probably infected and needed an antibiotic. I took a picture of his foot and texted it to my sister, who has 30 years of experience as a nurse.

"Yeah, that doesn't look good," she said. 

"I think it's cellulitis. He probably needs Keflex."

On Sunday afternoon I finally convinced him to go to the urgent care clinic. The PA on duty looked at his foot.

"Yeah, that doesn't look good," he said. 

"I think it's cellulitis. I'll prescribe an antibiotic."

Great! That's what we needed. $20 co-pay. Isn't urgent care wonderful?

Oh, wait. Not so fast.

The PA started tapping around on Lyle's chest with his stethoscope with a very concerned look on his face. He asked if Lyle had been experiencing any chest pains? No. Shortness of breath? No. Hmm. Well, there was something not right here. Better do an EKG right away. So the nurse wheeled in the equipment, stuck little tabs to Lyle's skin in various places and hooked all the wires up. The machine spit out a paper. The PA came scurrying back in.

"This is not good," he said. "You need to go to the ER right away. I'll have the nurse put in an IV and the paramedics can take you to the hospital. There's something going on with your heart."

Lyle and I looked at each other, completely baffled. "But I feel fine," Lyle insisted, "do I have to go in the ambulance?"

"Well, I can't make you, of course," said the PA. "But you do need to go right away. I'll call and tell them you're coming. This is much more urgent than your foot. But they can finish up with that there, too."

He handed us a copy of the EKG print-out, and we walked out to the car. "Do you want me to drive?" I asked Lyle. He rolled his eyes, "Of course not! I feel fine!" he insisted. I just hoped he wouldn't have heart attack as he drove. The PA had me worried.

It was about 5 miles or so to the hospital. We checked in with the receptionist in the ER. "Why did they send you over?" she wanted to know. I had to look it up. Premature ventricular contractions. "Oh, PVC?" she said. "Those are very common. Nothing to be concerned about. But have a seat."

In a few minutes Lyle was called into the triage room. The PAs checking him in looked at the EKG printout. Any chest pains? No. Shortness of breath? No. Hmm. PVC is very common. Nothing to be concerned about. "But we'll get you back as soon as a room opens up and have the doctor take a look." About the foot...

"Yeah, that doesn't look good," they said. 
"I think it's cellulitis. You need an antibiotic."

Soon enough we were called back to the exam room. The nurse came in and installed an IV line and drew several vials of blood. PVC is very common. Nothing to be concerned about. But that foot doesn't look good. She departed.

The doctor came in. Any chest pains? No. Shortness of breath? No. Hmm. PVC is very common. Nothing to be concerned about. Should probably run another EKG, though, just in case. The foot, though:

"Yeah, that doesn't look good," she said. 

"I think it's cellulitis. I'll give you an antibiotic."

And she departed. We waited. An orderly came in to check the supply cupboard. 

A student volunteer came in to see if we needed anything. Nope, we're good, thanks. 

The registrar came in to finish filling out Lyle's paperwork and to get the all-important insurance and payment information. 

And we sat. And waited. 45 minutes later the student volunteer was back. We asked if she could see what the hold-up was on having the EKG. Before she left, the doctor came back in. "Has the nurse done the EKG yet?" No, we've just been waiting. So the volunteer and the doctor scurried off to find the nurse.

The nurse wheeled the EKG machine in and hooked Lyle up again, and printed the report. Then she hooked the IV up to a bag of (guess what?) Keflex. "It will take 20 or 30 minutes to drip in," she told us. "Press the call button when it's done."

The doctor came back. The EKG is normal. PVC is very common. Nothing to be concerned about.

"Why?" we asked. "Why did the urgent care PA send us over here, if this is so normal?"

"Oh, they just don't see them as often as we do. Better be safe than sorry. We'd rather it turn out to be nothing, than them not send you, and it actually turn out to be something."

Because, of course, they aren't the one paying the bills.

After 35 minutes the antibiotic finally finished dripping. The nurse unhooked all the wires and tubes and handed Lyle a prescription for (guess what?) Keflex to continue taking orally. He put his shirt back on and we went home.

But not before stopping at the pharmacy to pick up his prescription.

Co-pay at the urgent care clinic. Co-pay at the emergency room. Probably more co-pays on the two EKGs.. and the IV... and who knows what else. Four hours of our day. I'm just glad we declined the ambulance!

Why can't a nurse with 30 years' of experience, who can expertly diagnose a simple condition via a texted picture, just prescribe the antibiotic?

That's really all we wanted.

Healthy Eating

Over the past few years I've been trying to make gradual changes away from the Standard American Diet to a more healthy way of eating for my family. For the past 6 months or so I've been loosely following the plan laid out in Trim Healthy Mama. As with any diet or eating plan, though, it needs to be easy to follow, appealing, and practical for sticking to long-term. Consequently, there are some recommendations that I have chosen to not implement at this time. Maybe later. Maybe not.

Here are some of the changes I've implemented along the way... some awhile back, others more recently. I don't do well with hard-and-fast rules, and I'm not legalistic about any of this.

I try to serve lots of salads and vegetables. Salad mixes offer some creative and convenient choices when I don't have time to clean and chop the fresh veggies... and there are an equal number of mixed vegetable options labeled "stir fry" in the frozen vegetable department. These can be used, obviously, for stir fry, but also just steamed with butter or broiled with a little olive oil drizzled on them. They are also great to add to soups and stews.

I don't worry too much about the fats in meat or cheese, but I have switched to olive oil, coconut oil, or butter rather than shortening, vegetable oil, or margarine.

A side benefit to our backyard chickens is that we can enjoy fresh free-range eggs. (You would think that would be the primary benefit, but no, they are actually pets who happen to lay eggs!)

I buy raw milk because it's available to us, and I think it's healthier. Sometimes I even make yogurt (much easier than I ever expected) when we end up with extra milk.

I've been trying to cut back on "junk" carbs, so I buy whole-wheat bread and tortillas, and preferably the sprouted wheat varieties, though they are harder to find and more expensive. I've even been experimenting with sprouting wheat and baking bread. Some days I feel down right "crunchy!"

Instead of white rice, I use brown rice or quinoa. Instead of potatoes, I serve other vegetables. I have learned some very creative and delicious ways to fix cauliflower, so that I don't even miss the potatoes.

Rather than trying to make "diet" desserts with sugar substitutes and low-fat ingredients, I just don't have dessert as often. When I do, I enjoy a small serving of the "real thing." (And by real thing, I mean made-from-scratch or with ingredients you can pronounce, not chemical substitutes.) A big bowl of berries (fresh in-season, or frozen-slightly-thawed otherwise) with a small scoop of Kirkland vanilla ice cream is my current favorite dessert.

Lyle and the kids still enjoy what they call "contraband" sometimes... things like Cheez-Its and M&Ms. As long as it's an occasional treat, and not their everyday diet, I don't have a problem with it.

My "one weakness" (as Dorcas on Lark Rise to Candleford says) is Coke Zero... and sweetened coffee. (That's two weaknesses, you say? That's okay. Dorcas actually has several "one weaknesses!") The way I look at it is that Coca-Cola is not good for you in any of its formulations (though "Mexican Coke" made with real sugar is probably best). But I like the taste and mild buzz of Coke Zero, so I enjoy that in moderation on occasion. Not every day. For coffee, I use real cream and a few drops of flavored liquid stevia. And sometimes I make iced coffee with unsweetened almond milk and flavored stevia.

When it comes to meal planning the Trim Healthy Mama way, the idea is to separate your fats from your carbs (if you're interested in losing weight), and to avoid spiking your blood sugar. S (for satisfying) foods or meals can have protein and fats but only minimal carbs.  E (for energizing) foods or meals can have protein and carbs but only minimal fats. When you have both together, that's called a "crossover" meal, and while it's okay to eat "crossover" style occasionally, I'm told it will stall weight loss. That has taken more effort to learn.

I've been collecting Trim Healthy Mama recipes on Pinterest. Some I've tried and liked, others we haven't cared for. It's definitely an on-going journey...

Parmesan Crisps

Two weeks ago, on our trip to the coast, we stopped at Whole Foods on our way through Portland. There's not a Whole Foods store in Spokane (our local "big city"), so I wanted to see what they might have in the way of crackers or snacks that fit in with the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle.

My favorite find was a container of Parmesan Crisps. Lyle wasn't sure he would like them, but I was pretty sure I would. They were pretty spendy at $6.00 for a 3.5-ounce package, but I went ahead and got them. We tried them as soon as we got back in the car. I love them because they are crisp and salty like a chip, but high protein instead of carbs. And they have a very rich flavor so I usually only want 1 or 2 at a time. It turned out that Lyle likes them, too, but we didn't go back and get more because they were so expensive.

Guess what? I figured out how to make them myself! 

This may be the easiest "recipe" ever... and they taste just like the ones we bought. I promise.

Here's how to do it:

1. Put a square of parchment paper on a plate.
2. Make four little piles of parmesan on the paper (about a tablespoonful in each pile).
3. Microwave on high for 1 minute.
4. Let cool.

 Can you believe how easy that is?

And a huge savings!

This container that cost $6.00? I was able to refill it with the same amount of product for 80 cents.

Unbelievable.

I should go into business.

The Flu

...will steal a week of your life.

Nasty stuff, that.

Glad to be back among the living.

No, Cookie didn't have the flu. I did. Just didn't care to share an actual "flu" picture! Not that there are any, you understand. She's a cute dog, though, isn't she?

Sufficient for the Day...

"...do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink..."

...or whether or not winter will ever be over...
...or when Becky will get over this virus that has been hanging on for a week now...
...or what if the rest of us catch it from her...
...or what to do about the washer on the blink, after just replacing the dryer last week...
...or where to turn for encouragement when the days are dark and cold...

"For your heavenly Father know that you need all these things. 

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 

and all these things shall be added to you.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about its own things. 

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Matthew 6:25, 32-34

Walking Pays Off

 It is approximately two miles from our house to the print shop where my husband works. One afternoon about 3 weeks ago, I decided to walk to the shop for exercise, and then ride home with Lyle. For someone as out-of-shape as I am, two miles is a "fur piece"... but I made it.

The next day I decided to try it again. It was more fun to have a destination in mind... especially with that handsome-man-of-mine waiting at the end... than just aimlessly walking around the neighborhood. And the second day was easier than the first day.

So I've been walking the two miles every weekday since. I have to admit it's not the most scenic route in our area, but there are interesting things to see along the way. The gorgeous Indian Summer weather we've been having has made it great.

And... I've discovered that it's actually a paying proposition! Yes, it is! Did you know that people leave money laying around on the sidewalks just for the taking? They do! Actual cash money!

I've garnered a grand total of 3 cents so far! I'm gonna keep watching, too, because my Daddy always told me if I picked up enough pennies I would eventually be a millionaire! (Just let me know if you need a loan, Dad.)

Celebrating

Happy Birthday

to my Favorite Man!

I've got a fun expedition for us planned in celebration this weekend. If I can get the Instagram app on my phone to talk nicely with Facebook, I am hoping to post little updates along the way. Wonder if there's a way to make it post directly to my blog? I betcha there is. Maybe I'm smart enough to figure it out.  But then again, maybe not. We'll see.

Speaking of the Man, his injured finger is healing nicely. We're hoping the nail ends up closer to normal length than this eventually. And it may.

But if it doesn't, we are still very grateful that it wasn't worse, and that he didn't lose the whole end of his finger.

Love that man!

The Power of Words

Yesterday morning my husband injured his hand at work. He got his finger caught in a paper clamp and pretty much crushed it. Long story short, he ended up having surgery on it in the afternoon to try to save it, and so we spent most of the day in the waiting room. Not what he or I either one had planned for the day, but life's adventures do sometimes throw us a curve ball.

Finally they called us back to the pre-op area. After taking care of all the preliminaries they put some sort of solution into his IV and told us that he probably wouldn't remember much of anything after that. Sometimes people get a little loopy as they go under anesthesia so I was hoping he might do or say something goofy that I could tease him about later. (Obviously, this was not a life-threatening injury or I wouldn't have been so blithe.) Much to my disappointment he didn't act drunk or anything.

As they were about to wheel him away the nurse told me, "You can hug him or kiss him or whatever would be appropriate." :-) So I leaned down to give him a quick kiss... on the lips, mind you! ...and he kissed me back-- this is important to the story. I murmured, "I love you," and patted his shoulder as I went back to the waiting room.

When his surgery was over I was curious to see how his memory was affected. "Do you remember me kissing you?" I asked him.

"You didn't kiss me!" he protested.

"I most certainly did!" I insisted.

"Nuh-uh. You said, 'I love you,' but you didn't kiss me!"

So that was my funny story to tell the kids of what happened when Dad was under the influence of anesthesia.

I thought it was interesting, though, that he remembered the words but not the kiss. Just goes to show that sometimes words do speak louder than action.

P.S. I do have pictures of his injury-- that he took while waiting to the see the doctor initially-- but I decided you probably wouldn't want to see them. You're welcome.

Catching Up

If you follow my Twitter feed (there on the sidebar, if you hadn't noticed it) you probably realize I've had a terrible cold last week. Dontcha just hate colds? So sneezy and uncomfortable... and just wearying and miserable. My brain has been so foggy I haven't felt like doing much except whining. What? You don't want to hear me whine? Okay. I'll stop now. Besides I'm about over it.

I fully intended to blog earlier this week, but somehow it's been one of those frantic, catch-up weeks-- what with being gone to Colorado one week, then not feeling all that great last week, and knowing that we will be leaving for a road-trip a week from today. Always so much to do.

Homeschool convention season is almost upon us, and for my family that means a series of road trips of various lengths from March through June. Our first trip this year will be to the Spring Curriculum Fair in Loveland, Colorado March 9-10. That's a pretty good distance for us (16 or 18 hours driving, I think) so we decided to combine it with a vacation trip. We plan to leave the weekend before that and drive on down to Arkansas and Missouri to visit our parents for a couple days, then loop back around through Colorado for the convention. We'll be making a stop at the Sonlight offices in the Denver area to pick up my convention supplies for the season, too. It's a lot of miles in a short amount of time, but we do love to travel so we are looking forward to it. I am hoping to be able to blog along the way.

Ready or not, I'm glad convention season is nearly here because that means it's almost spring! I have caught myself looking for tiny buds on the lilac bushes all month. Then I have to remind myself that it's still just February, so they won't be there yet.

In the meantime, among other projects, I have recently re-stocked my Etsy shop with new washcloth sets in a variety of colors, helped Laura get her Etsy shop set up @ Through Laura's Eyes (she doesn't have anything listed yet, but she's working on some tie-dyed t-shirts), and helped Rachel update the look of her blog @ A Romantic Porch.

I guess it's a good problem to have-- so many things you're interested in that you don't have time for all of them! At least I'm never bored.

On the Rock

Remember how I mentioned that I wanted to get in more walking and hiking this summer? Well, in spite of my good intentions, I haven't gotten out there as much as I thought I would. An overbooked schedule has a way of crowding out things like that. However, I will say, I have hiked more than usual this year-- so I guess that's better than just sitting, huh?

This past weekend we camped at Steamboat Rock State Park in central Washington. Number 1 on the itinerary was to "climb the rock." The men and kids had done it once before several years ago, but I just wasn't too sure I was up for the challenge. Casual walking and moderate hikes are not exactly hard-core training for rock climbing. Lyle was sure I could handle it, so I took a deep breath and set off with the group.

When we reached the face of the rock and saw that the trail looked like this ^ I balked. At least we weren't shinnying up the rock hanging onto ropes (that, I couldn't have done!), but slipping and sliding through the loose, sharp rocks seemed challenging enough.

I took my time, and made it to the first resting spot. "Don't worry," they told me. "That was the hard part. Well, actually, this next little section is really the hardest part... and then, after that... well, we won't say what's after that." I'm not sure how they thought that would be an encouragement to me, but I trudged valiantly upward and onward.

The landscape was so monotone and the sky was overcast, so it's hard to see the elevation change in the pictures. Believe me, we were going up! I wanted to give up a couple times, and just rest on a convenient rock until the rest of the gang came back by on their way down, but they wouldn't let me. "You can make it," they kept telling me.

And, finally, I did. This picture was taken on the top of the rock, by me! Again, with the lighting and monochromatic scenery it's a little hard to see the edge of the rock, but our group is standing pretty close to the edge. The green patches in the distance are the campgrounds (which are watered daily).

Naturally, going down was much easier than going up had been. But still, it was no walk in the park. Here's a view of the rock as I came around the side of it going down. I'm glad I decided to attempt it. I will say, it's not the best hiking trail I've ever been on, but it may well be the most challenging. Read: Not challenging at all for experienced hikers. Oh, well. It was an accomplishment for me.

Making exercise fun

 In an effort to get more exercise I've set a goal of walking or hiking on a regular basis this summer. (So expect to see lots of blog posts featuring hikes and geocaching in the next few weeks. Taking pictures and looking for caches make it seem more like an adventure, and not so much like exercise, you know!)

Saturday evening we decided to drive over to Coeur d'Alene and walk along the lake.

 Lake Coeur d'Alene has the reputation of being one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. I don't know who has been to every lake in the world to make that judgment, but in any case, the scenery is outstanding. Not only that, we've been having just gorgeous weather... sunny, in the 70s. Just perfect for a late afternoon walk.

We walked about 3 miles that evening, and found 3 micro-caches right along the walking path.

Wonder where we'll hike next?

Not Complainin'

It's a blizzardy morning in my neighborhood today. The view out my kitchen window is rather bleak. It's cold and blustery. We haven't really had much snow to speak of since Christmas time, and the ground has been mostly bare for at least a month, so I had hoped perhaps we would get an early spring. I should have known better.

But I won't complain.

The girls and I have been reading The Lost Art of True Beauty by Leslie Ludy, and she talks about learning to not complain. So instead of whining about a late-season blizzard, I will be grateful that we have enjoyed a relatively mild winter and spring really is right around the corner.

I also won't complain about having a cold, even though it's my second one this winter. Instead, I'll be grateful that it is just a cold, and that in general, I enjoy good health.

I won't complain about not having time to blog as much as I would like, realizing that the other things that have priority right now won't last forever. Especially homeschooling my children. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to sit down with them every day for learning and conversation.

I do have some catch-up posts lined up for this weekend, so hopefully I'll be back soon! In the meantime, what are you not complaining about today?

January Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: Not bad at all for January.

Things that make me happy: Sunshine in January!

Book I'm reading: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

What's on my TV today: I'm really enjoying Downton Abbey on Masterpiece Classics this month. Lyle chooses most of what we record and watch, but he records that series for me. (And even watches them with me. What a guy!)

On the menu for dinner: Chicken-andouille gumbo sounds really good. I think I have the stuff to make it... so, yeah... that!

On my To Do List: Get some extra work and homeschooling done this week, as I will be gone 4 days next week on a business trip.

New recipe I want to try soon: Dutch Baby pancakes. I had one at a local restaurant on our breakfast date Saturday and it was wonderful!

In the craft basket: Still working on my bedroom curtain. I also have a pair of socks on knitting needles, as a take-along project.

Looking forward to this week: I've been wanting to go to our local Kroc Center to check out the facilities and get some exercise in this winter. What with sickness and other busy-ness, it keeps getting put off. I'm really hoping to make it this week!

Tips and Tricks: I discovered a liquid herbal supplement at our health food store that has helped with my chronic winter cough better than anything else I've tried. (And yes, I've tried the "100%-effective-Vicks-Rub-on-the-bottom-of-your-feet" thing. I don't know how something can be 100% effective and not work for me... but it sure doesn't.) Anyway, this concoction is put out by Wish Garden herbs. It's not cheap... about $12 an ounce... and it's very bitter. But it only takes a few drops at a time and seems to be effective for whatever-kinda-cough-this-is that I get every winter.

On my mind: Looking forward to my trip to Denver next week. And then long range, planning for Laura's graduation activities later in the spring.

Inspirational Reading: The Never-Wavering Few @ Lady Liberty Patriot.

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December Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: Unpredictable. After the record-breaking snowfall we had in November, I was sure we wouldn't see the ground again until March at the earliest. And then we got more snow, which confirmed my suspicion... but the last few days have been "warmer" (high 30s, low 40s) and raining, so much to my amazement the snow is about gone. If I had my way we would have a White Christmas, with just enough more through January to make it seem like winter. Then when Valentine's Day is over, it can be spring! It doesn't usually happen that way around these parts, though. *sigh*

Things that make me happy: Productive, fun weekends. Working alongside Lyle to get projects done on Saturday, then just hanging out enjoying our home and family on Sunday.

Book I'm reading: The Clouds Roll Away by Sibella Giorello

What's on my TV today: We probably won't watch it today, but I added the VeggieTales take on It's a Wonderful Life to our Netflix queue. I like to watch the classic at Christmas time, and thought it would be fun to see the VeggieTales rendition.

On the menu for dinner: Beef and Vegetable Stew. Some nasty virus (or two) has been making the rounds of my family for the past couple months. The kids have both been sick twice, and now Lyle is fighting it. So I wanted something extra-nutritional to help build up our immune systems.

On my To Do List: 

• Alter a dress.
• Finish gift-wrapping.
• Mail packages.
• Mail Christmas letters.

New recipe I tried: Chocolate-dipped marshmallows on stirring straws. I saw the idea in a magazine and made some up to serve with hot cocoa at our Christmas party. They were a big hit with the kids!

In the craft basket: I'm about to finish knitting a pair of socks. I like to keep a pair on the needles (I knit both socks at the same time on circular needles) because it's a nice, small take-along project. This pair finishes up the sock yarn I had on-hand. Guess that means I'll have to go buy some more. If you insist.

Looking forward to this week: Attending the Nutcracker with my daughters on Friday evening. We're going with a few friends, and we're planning to dress up fancy! It should be fun.

Tips and Tricks: Using printed gift boxes instead of wrapping paper is a huge time-saver (not to mention being "green") for family gifts. In the past few years I haven't been inclined to take the time to make gorgeous gift packages... though I have in the past, and may again in the future. I picked up a good supply of printed gift boxes one year after Christmas, and I've been re-using them each year.  I write the person's name in the corner of the bottom of the box. The following year, I just draw a line through it (unless it happens to be to the same person again) and write the current recipient's name under it. Some of my boxes have been used at least 3 years so far. My family doesn't mind.

My favorite blog post this week: How to measure yarn in wraps-per-inch.

On my mind: My family's health. Hoping we will all be feeling better soon.

Scripture Reading:
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. --John 1:14

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A Crochet Challenge

Back in the summer I went in for my not-so-annual checkup. When the doctor came into the exam room she started going through her normal routine of listening to my heart beat, making me say "ahhh," and asking general health-related questions. Then out of the blue she said, "Do you crochet?"

I thought that was a funny question! Of course, I do... but what did that have to do with my health? So I hesitantly said, "Yes. Why do you ask?"

She said, "Oh! I noticed that..." and she pointed to the slipcover I had made for my netbook which was sticking out of my tote bag, "...and wondered if you made it." I told her I did. Then she explained that she had an afghan that she had started 20 years ago, that she knew she would never finish, and was wishing she had someone to give it to, who would want to finish it.

I told her that I usually crocheted at least a little every day, and that I would be happy to have it. (I have to have something in my hands when I'm watching TV with Lyle. It's usually crocheting, though sometimes it's knitting or quilting or word puzzles.)

I didn't think too much more about it, but I had a follow-up visit to the doctor a few weeks later. This time when she came into the exam room she was carrying a plastic tub of crocheted squares and a bag full of yarn!

I immediately recognized the pattern as one I had made... probably 20 years ago! ...for my sister-in-law, in the colors shown on the pattern book. My doctor had worked about half the squares when she was laid up with ankle surgery, she said.

It was an interesting pattern, because each block is a different stitch. I enjoyed the challenge of finishing the crocheting and then putting the blocks together for a finished blanket. My gauge was not the same as the parts crocheted by the doctor, but by the time I got it all sewed together, I thought it looked pretty good. The colors are not what I would have chosen, but it's a good, warm blanket!

Pink

One of my recent projects was crocheting this soft pink throw for my sister-in-law who was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer.

It took me awhile to find just the right yarn. I wanted something soft and lightweight, and I wanted pink, but not "baby" pink. (There are lots of choices for baby pink, but not so many for rose.) This was actually called "salmon" but I think of salmon as more peachy than this. Once I could think past the label, I decided it was just the color I wanted after all.

The pattern was fun to work up, with the pineapple edging. I thought it turned out very lacy and feminine.

I had some yarn left over, so I whipped up a little pair of slippers to match.

I loved being able to stitch and pray at the same time... and if you happen to think of my sister-in-law, please join me in praying for her recovery.

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Homemade Pop

My family has been enjoying experimenting with making our own pop for the past few days. On Friday we received the SodaStream outfit I won at Reviews and Reflections. Just as Heidi said, it is super easy to use, and comes with a wide variety of flavors that we are working our way through.

Our first batch didn't turn out to be fizzy enough because we misunderstood the directions. It says to push the button several times until it buzzes, and that 3 buzzes is a normal carbonation level. We thought that meant to push the button 3 times. On the next batch we figured out how to do it "right" and were very impressed with the results! More than we expected to be, actually.

I like that the flavor syrups do not contain high fructose corn syrup or aspartame. The diet flavors are sweetened with Splenda (which is still not great, in my opionion), and then I noticed even the regular flavors have Splenda as an ingredient as well as sugar. I'm not sure why, except that it makes them lower calorie.

We want to experiment with making our own flavoring syrups. We also tried carbonating regular apple juice to make sparkling apple juice. That worked great! I know we're really going to enjoy this new gadget! Thanks again, Heidi!

Homemade Ice Cream (sugar-free)

In my quest for healthier eating for my family I've been pleasantly surprised to find that our regular grocery store has quite a few organic options to the foods we are used to eating. Yes, it's usually a little more expensive, but I've decided that it's worth it. Our grocery store even has organic ice cream!

The only thing is, I've also been trying to eat "low-glycemic" to try to eliminate my migraines. And the only sugar-free ice cream I've found has the nasty artificial sweeteners. We even have a really extensive natural foods supermarket in our area. I was sure they would have a sugar-free ice cream with a natural sugar substitute such as xylitol or stevia. But they didn't! So I decided I would just have to make my own.

After reading several recipes (some calling for sugar, some for other sweeteners) I came up with my own concoction using granulated xylitol and real vanilla. My family declared it delicious. We honestly could not tell that it was not sweetened with sugar. Well, not by taste anyway. Cost-wise, xylitol is significantly more expensive than cane sugar. So this will have to be a special treat!

I also want to try tweaking the recipe. For homemade ice cream it was good! But  you know how homemade ice cream is usually a little "grainy" compared to commercial ice cream? I want to try to see if I can get it to come out creamier. I'm thinking if I cooked it first into a kind of custard before freezing it, that might work.

I think I might wait until the weather warms up a bit, though. January is just not the best time for homemade ice cream!

No-Sugar Apple Butter

Last week I realized that I needed to do something with the apples we still had left from our apple-picking excursion earlier in the fall. I came across this recipe for No-Sugar Apple Butter and decided to try it.
Of course, I had to make some modifications. (I can't seem ever follow a recipe exactly.) I left out the apple peel and the cloves... and after getting the apple mixture good and hot on the stove top I transferred it to my Crockpot set on High. I have an oval shaped Crockpot so I just put the lid on sideways so that steam could escape as the apples cooked down. Usually you don't want the steam escaping, but in this case I wanted a nice thick apple butter so I wanted a lot of the liquid to cook out of it. It took most of the day to cook down to the consistency I wanted, then I just spooned it into hot jelly jars and tightened lids on them to seal.

It turned out to be absolutely delicious! It really doesn't need sugar (or any extra sweetening) at all!

Visit Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for more Slow Cooking Thursday recipes.

Scottish Buttermilk Oat Scones

Remember my commitment to go off sugar? It's not going too well.

Oh, I've managed to avoid sugar, refined flour, and other "high glycemic" (i.e. starchy) foods for the past two weeks. The thing is, I don't feel any better. The headaches? They're still with me. Shakiness? Yep. But... "they" say that's to be expected. It takes a few weeks to start noticing a difference. So I guess I'll stick with it awhile longer.

In the meantime, I'm trying to rethink my menu planning. My family is supportive to a certain extent. They are willing to at least try whole grain alternatives to our normal fare. I just need more recipes. I tried Googling for "low glycemic recipes" and most things called for sugar substitute. That didn't help. I am looking for less-sweet recipes with wholesome ingredients. Anybody know a good website?

I found one recipe last week on the Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats bag for Scottish Buttermilk Oat Scones. I thought it might be a good breakfast recipe so I tried it. The recipe called for raisins or currants. I didn't happen to have any on hand, and besides, raisins are kinda sugary, so I decided to put in slivered almonds instead. I thought that would give it a nice crunch. Turns out, that wasn't a good choice. What I hadn't realized is that the steel cut oats are chewy, so the almonds were too much. It just really needed the raisins. Or maybe blueberries. (I think blueberries might be less sugary than raisins.)
Anyway, here's the recipe. Oh, and I did substitute stevia for the sugar, although it probably didn't make much difference since it only calls for 1 teaspoon of sugar. I "frosted" it with plain cream cheese.

Scottish Buttermilk Oat Scones
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 cup whole grain oat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup currants or raisins
butter for greasing baking sheet
4 tbsp. softened butter, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp. milk
cinnamon and sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350. Place the oats in a pie pan and toast them for 20 minutes, stirring often to toast evenly and prevent burning. When slightly golden, remove from oven. Combine oats with buttermilk in a small bowl and let stand for 20 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, sugar, salt and raisins. Reset the oven to 400 and butter the baking sheet.
Using a pastry blender, cut the 4 tbsp. butter into the flour until the texture is coarsely crumbled, then stir in the buttermilk/oat mixture until combined. Flour your hands and scoop the dough, forming it into a ball. Do not over mix. Press the ball of dough directly onto the pan, then press into a 3/4" thick circle. With a sharp knife, score the surface, almost to the bottom, making eight wedges. Brush the surface with milk and sprinkle a bit of sugar and cinnamon on top. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cut into wedges. Makes 8 scones.