Game Night

Day 5: Tonight the hubs and I went over to a friend's house for dinner and card games. I was so excited because our friends planned out an entirely gluten free meal so I could enjoy everything along with them. So thoughtful (and delicious)!! It was Adam's first time trying Thai food. I'm so excited that he likes it because it opens up a whole new world for us when planning dinners. Yay!

After dinner, we played a card game called Dominion. I have to admit, when I saw the box, I was pretty apprehensive. I love playing games, but this did not look like anything I would ever even think about playing.

I was SO wrong! Never, ever, EVER judge a book by its cover, right? Sorry I'm so enthusiastic about this game -- it's 1 AM. I need sleep.

  We had so much fun coming up with new strategies to win. And, the best part was the game changed each time we played. There are several sets of cards in the game, but only a select amount are used. So, each game contained new cards with new rules. Fun, right?

We think so. We're so excited to play again. And, after all that fun, it's time for these party animals to head to bed. Goodnight! :)

Little Memories

Day 4: Today, I remembered something my mother used to tell me as a child. When getting me dressed in two layers of long sleeves, she would always have me hold on tight to the sleeves of my undershirt as she pulled my sweater on over it. That way my sleeves didn't get all bunched up underneath. She made it some sort of game for me. Somehow she made getting dressed for the day fun and exciting. So, today I got to pass this 'lesson' on to my nanny kids. These little memories make me smile.

Iroquois Park

Day 3: Today, we went on a hike at Iroquois Park. Our dog, Charlie, was so, so happy!

 He didn't let any obstacle get in his way!

 I love spending quality time with my pup. :)

 Love my little family. <3

 Love finding beauty all around our city.

Cookies!

Day 2: My husband and brother-in-law surprised me with homemade gluten-free cookies after work! So delicious!!

GF...On the Road

I don't think this gluten-intolerance could have happened to a worse person. That sounds like a complaint -- it's not. I promise. I think it'll be really good for me. But, more on that later.

I hate confrontation. Hate it. I sometimes imagine myself as Steve Carrell in 40-year-old Virgin whenever he has to do something unsettling. Sweaty palms, quiet voice, darting eyes. I'm sure this isn't how I appear, just how I feel. I don't like causing issues or problems (or things that I perceive as issues or problems). Few things make me more uncomfortable. So, on a road trip home we decided to stop at Jimmy John's for lunch, and I got that uneasy feeling. Yes, I had Googled plenty of gluten-free options. Yes, there were several things for me to eat. But, there is always a risk of cross contamination. New gloves and spatulas would be a must and I was going to have to request them. 

"Maybe I'll be okay with just getting an unwich and not asking for new spatulas," I suggested to my husband. 

"Ashley, you're asking for them. You have to. You've got to get better about this."

Have I mentioned how much I love my husband? Always pushing me to better myself. I truly appreciate it (although, in this moment it made me want to hide in the car and let him make the request for me).

As we approached the counter, Adam ordered first. Then, it was on me.

"Hi (I smiled way too big, trying to make up for my obnoxious request). Can I get a Turkey Tom…unwich, please? And, um, sorry about this, but could you please use a different spatula that hasn't touched any bread? I'm sorry, I have this allergy thing…" I kind of put my hands in the air as if to say, I don't know (which I don't -- I have no clue what I'm doing). 

"Sure, no problem. We'll hook you up," the cashier reassures me. She turns to the kid manning the sandwich counter and tells him to get a new spatula and new gloves (I had forgotten to ask!) to make my unwich. I resist the urge to watch them make it. I probably should have watched, but this was enough "trouble-causing" for me. I walk to the restroom to wash my hands. When I return, my unwich is waiting for me at the table along with my smiling husband. Make-believe confrontation over.

Truth be told, the whole situation wasn't so bad. I know I'm a bit neurotic about these things. I also know it's a restaurant's job to tend to a customer's needs and provide quality service (which they did very well). I just need to remind myself that my health is not an inconvenience (mine or anyone else's). Oh, and for the record, my unwich was quite tasty. And, more importantly, it didn't make me sick. :)

Project 365

So, I've decided to take on a 365 photo challenge this year. This will be my first ever photo challenge, so I'm not comfortable with limiting myself with a theme (yet). I will be taking a picture everyday to document my year, and then share them here on my blog. This will be a great way to (hopefully) work on my photography skills and also share special moments from my everyday life. I fear that most of my photos will be taken on my phone (it's too convenient!!), but my intent is to break out my Canon a bit more and document with that. We'll see what the year holds. :)

To start out my project, I took a picture of my dinner from this evening (let's be honest, this isn't the first time I've done that). Tonight's dinner was special, though, because it was my first attempt at cooking a gluten free meal.  I've just recently started a GF diet and have really had a lot of difficulty. I have been cooking frozen meals and dining out at GF friendly restaurants for the past two weeks just to avoid attempting to cook "special meals." It seemed as if everything in our pantry contained gluten, and I really had no idea where to even begin. So, when Adam surprised me with a GF cookbook for Christmas, I was thrilled! I immediately picked out a weeks worth of dinners and was very eager to get started. Now that the holidays are wrapping up, we are finally able to go out and purchase some things for our first meals.

Tonight we made a Tamale Bake from Cooking With Trader Joe's Cookbook: Gluten Free. It ended up taking us a bit longer than expected because Trader Joe's was closed for the holiday (good for them!), so we didn't get all of the exact ingredients. That aside, it was one of the best dinners the two of us have  ever made together! I am so excited to try all of the other delicious recipes in this book!

I am always on the lookout for some great GF recipes (or those that can be modified to a GF recipe). Feel free to share! :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, y'all!

Looking forward to a fresh start this year! I have so many new projects and changes coming up. Can't wait to see what this new year brings!