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Archive for June, 2012

The Two Sides of “Paying for It”

Posted in Nutrition on June 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

With my new, restrictive diet, we have made adjustments to our camping cuisine. I try to make some of my hubby’s favorites and still stay with my eating plan. Not easy, but I haven’t had a s’more or pancake this season.

On our latest trip, I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough almond butter to last the four days camping, so we went to the grocery for a couple of things that I had forgotten. Going to the local store to get items we have forgotten has become a camping tradition. The market only had one type of almond butter, and it was outrageously priced. A full two dollars more than what I paid at home, but I needed my quick protein/snack source.

On the third day of our trip, we went to a large dairy operation, Fair Oaks Farms. It was very educational, as well as tasty. I eliminated dairy from my diet a few months ago, and I felt better, but there are some things you just can not pass up:  famous grilled cheese sandwiches and fresh ice cream.

With some decisions, you are going to “pay for it.” By that I mean there will be some discomfort involved. Now, there are two ways to “pay for it.” You can come away from the experience totally defeated and empty or somewhat defeated but satisfied.

With the almond butter, I had enough that I did not use the new jar on the trip. The day after we got home, I used the last of the almond butter in the opened jar. I pulled out the pricey almond butter and looked at the expiration date; it had expired over a month ago, and there was not a store located in our area to which I could return it. An overpriced item I could not eat, quite the price to pay for not planning better. Totally defeated.

After eating the grilled cheese, I had a stomach ache, but it was tolerable. The freshly made, velvety ice cream went down in creamy coolness; no other ice cream in my 48 years tasted so delicious. A little later I felt somewhat nauseous, but that went away shortly. I was still paying for the dairy a few days later with gas and bloating and an increase in mucus production, but it was still worth it. After going back on the no dairy diet, I felt better after those couple of days of discomfort. Was I satisfied enough to eat at this establishment again, knowing I would pay for it? Definitely.

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The Saga of the Strawberry Syrup

Posted in General on June 18, 2012| Leave a Comment »

This (mostly) true story is dedicated to our niece, Jaelynn.  Happy birthday, sweetie!

Once upon a time, a little girl named Jaelynn visited her Uncle Terry and Aunt Dawn in Indiana. While she was there, her uncle introduced her to yummy strawberry syrup in her milk. The strawberry goodness put a big smile on Jaelynn’s face; making Jaelynn smile put a big smile on her Uncle Terry’s face.

On a visit to Wisconsin, Jaelynn’s mom told Uncle Terry that when they go to the store, Jaelynn always asked if they could please buy strawberry syrup.

“No, honey. We don’t buy that kind of syrup. Only Uncle Terry buys that kind of syrup,” or something to that effect.

Uncle Terry got a twinkle in his eye. “Well then, now I know what to send you for your birthday,” he winked.

Months later, in the month of Jaelynn’s birthday, as the aunt and uncle were cleaning up after dinner, the uncle asked, “When is Jaelynn’s birthday?”

“Strawberry syrup!” the aunt exclaimed, without hesitation. “It is coming up. I will get the syrup and mail it off.”

When her aunt looked at Jaelynn’s mommy’s facebook page, she saw that Jaelynn had lost a front tooth. “A perfect place for a straw full of strawberry milk,” the aunt thought with a grin.

Well, Aunt Dawn forgot to write strawberry syrup on her grocery list. When she came back from the store, no syrup. Uh oh! She only had a couple of days to get the syrup and mail it off so that it would reach her niece in time!

Aunt Dawn got the syrup and needed to mail it the next day. As she did her Friday errands, she got behind. She was determined to get that syrup in the mail! She got to the post office with 15 minutes to spare. What’s this? She forgot to pick up a box for mailing! No problem, the post office had boxes. But the boxes were too big, and she didn’t have any tape! The aunt wrapped the bottle in paper and put it in a soft sided mailer. She got to the counter with one minute to spare. As the clerk was weighing the package, Aunt Dawn saw a sign that read, “Blah blah blah, no liquids, blah blah blah.” Um, strawberry syrup is a liquid, even if a harmless one. The little girl’s aunt kept praying that the clerk would not ask if the package contained a liquid, because if the clerk asked, of course she would not lie. The clerk finished stamping the package (without asking questions) and said that the package would go out that day. Hooray! 

Aunt Dawn went back to her car. There, sitting under her purse, was the card, not in the package. Oops! She put the card in the mailbox. Even if the card and strawberry syrup did not arrive at the same time, the syrup was on its way, and that was the most important part! Uncle Terry was very excited that the syrup was making its way to his darling niece.

Hopefully, as you read this, there is a sweet, little girl in Wisconsin who is drinking her strawberry milk happily ever after.

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