Soccer Classes

We've recently signed up Isaac for a few weeks of soccer classes. It's been fun to watch him develop new skills doing something he's not done too much of before.

A Call For Recipes

As some may know I've had health issues for the past couple of years, dealing with stomach cramps and fatigue. To make a long story short, I've recently started going to the local Naturopath here in Smithers. Last month I gave some blood for some allergy tests and the results I got last week were informative to say the least. Many of the things I've been eating over the last 1 1/2 years (since my last Abbotsford Naturopath appointment) I found out I'm significantly allergic to.

So now I'm trying to find recipes for the food that I can eat. Which leads me to this post. I'd like to list the major things I'm allergic to and then ask you for your help. If you have any recipes that use foods I can eat (mostly for baking items but not necessarily limited to them), please let me know. Thanks. Now on to the main items on the list:

Significantly Allergic To:

• Dairy: cheese, milk, butter, ice-cream, sherbet, sour cream, buttermilk etc.
• Beef
• Eggs (whites or yolks)
• Gluten (I can only have kamut, oats, barley, buckwheat, 100% rye at most once every 4 days, but apart from these, no gluten)
• Wheat
• Almonds
• Peanuts
  

Alternatives/Substitutes to the above list that I can have:

• Some of the dairy substitutes I'm able to have are: rice milk, coconut milk juice, So-Nice Soy Beverage)
• Some of the grain substitutes for wheat I'm able to have are: rice, rice flour, rice pasta, rice noodles, millet, amaranth, teff, quinoa, quinoa pasta.
  
• For Baking: rice flour with non-aluminum baking powder or baking soda added to it. Thickening Agents: potato flour, arrowroot
• Corn Products: corn flour, corn germ, cornmeal, corn tortillas, cornstarch, corn syrup, popcorn, corn pasta
  

This is not easy at all for me to deal with, so for those who've had to deal with these things, whatever advice you have as far as coping strategies, and of course, recipes, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

So how was your Christmas?

When we booked our flight a couple of months before Christmas, we certainly weren't expecting the Fraser Valley to have as much (or more?) snow than we'd be leaving behind in Smithers! I must admit, though, it was very, very beautiful! I am so thankful that our flight was not cancelled or delayed like so many hundreds or thousands of other peoples. My heart went out to them, especially those I saw in the Vancouver airport as we made our way to our luggage. They looked so forlorn! I'm thankful that my aunts and uncles made it safely, too.

I really enjoyed our time at Mom and Dad's over Christmas - eating, playing games, eating, doing puzzles, eating...I felt really bad for Curtis, though, since he couldn't eat a lot of the goodies that were around, not even the special ones I had made for him, as even they seemed to trouble his stomach. Poor guy!

Unfortunately we weren't able to get together with some of the friends we had hoped to see, because of the weather, but we did manage to see a few. So to those we did see - thanks so much for the memories! For those we didn't see, we're sorry we missed you, but maybe next trip?

I wish you all a very blessed New Year, and look forward to sharing emails, talks and visits with you, hopefully soon!

More Fun In The Snow

Isaac and I spent the day at my mom and dad's while Bonnie slept (she worked a late shift--11pm to 7am this morning). After lunch, Isaac and I went with Dad to one of his neighbours to shovel some snow off the room of a shed. As you can see by the pictures below, there was a lot of snow indeed. Isaac worked a little, but most of all he just played and managed not to fall off the roof by accident.



The only time he went off the roof was on purpose. (That's actually him jumping off below.)

More from our trip

Our last stop in Abbotsford was visiting some friends of Bonnies. While I went out to do some shopping (board games and a David Gilmour CD/DVD set), Bonnie and Isaac stayed and visited/played. Bonnie thought she'd get some good visiting time in with her friend Jann, but when I got back, they said most of their time was spent laughing hard at all the antics of Isaac and his friend Sammy.

I heard stories of science experiments, and blowing milk bubbles with a straw. But most of their fun was in throwing/rolling water balloons down the stairs.

Christmas in Langley

We managed to leave in between snowstorms (both here and in Vancouver) on the 23rd and spent a week with Bonnie's family in Langley. Here are a few of the highlights.

on the plane down to Vancouver


the scene in the Vancouver airport (luggage from people stuck in the airport for days)


Bonnie and her dad shaking snow from the heavy-laden branches.


the Abbotsford airport on the morning of the 24th (we went to pick up Bonnie's Aunt and Uncle who unbeknownst to us were actually diverted to the Vancouver airport)


Isaac playing with Lego with Alaysia and Shaelyn


more snow from another flurry


the whole crew around the dinner table


Isaac goofing around with "Uncle Pete"


...and Aunt Olga


Bonnie with her mom and Aunts puzzling over a puzzle


Isaac and Papa playing Go Fish


Isaac and Bonnie the night before we left for home


Isaac in the airport waiting for our flight.