Cookie's Book Club Annual Christmas Giveaway

The Cookie's Book Club Annual Christmas Giveaway is on now.

Rain on a Distant Roof: A Personal Journey Through Lyme Disease in Canada By Vanessa Farnsworth

On the book blog today…

New interview with Vanessa Farnsworth about her novel Rain on a Distant Roof: A Journey Through Lyme Disease in Canada, plus I'm giving away a paperback copy of her novel.

Until November 11th, enter to WIN a copy of Vanessa's powerful memoir, at Cookie's Book Club.

While battling Lyme Disease and the medical system that mostly ignores its existence, journalist Vanessa Farnsworth did a lot of research. She's something of an expert on what Lyme Disease is and how it is (mis)managed in Canada.

Have a question for Vanessa? Come check out the interview and ask her!

You can also join us for an up-coming Twitter Q&A, November 12th at 6pm MST. Use hashtag #LymeInCanada to follow and participate. (Further instructions can be found in the interview post.)

Acceptance for Positive Change - or - Stop Nagging Already!

Today, I accepted the fact that I am a nag. I nag my son all morning long, beginning with light nags like "It's time to get dressed now" and "Don't forget to turn off the light in your bedroom." Eventually, no matter how many nags I issue, we are behind schedule and in our last five minutes the nags are coming fast and furious. "You've got x, y, and z still to do and you've got two minutes to do them in." "We need to be out the door in one minute." "We're late!" "RUN!!!"

Not only does this stress mama out, it creates a tension between junior and I that I don't like. After all, we only have this short hour of togetherness before he's gone to school all day. I also don't want the start to his day to be stressful. My constant reminders about what he has to do and when he has to do it also relieve him of any responsibility for anything. He knows I am watching the clock, so why should he? He knows I'll remind him if he forgets something, so why listen the first time?

Today, I decided to take responsibility for what I was doing, instead of blaming him for what he was not doing. Today was day one of my son's new life as a responsible six-and-a-half-year-old. This morning, he was responsible for everything, including keeping track of the time and what he had to get done. He has a watch and he can read it. He knows the morning routine. Guess what? We made it to the bus on time. Yes, we had to sprint, but we made it. No stress and a light workout. Awesome.

Have a responsible day! :)

Sue

Mama's Lasagna made gluten-free, of course, and with a reduced glycemic index option

An aunt recently exclaimed about my lasagna that it was the best lasagna she has ever had. That's high praise considering it had been in the freezer for a year! We haven't eaten dairy in about that long, so it just sat there. I finally gave it to someone who would love it. I thought, since I am sharing the recipe with her, I would share it with you all too!

Photo source: Chatelaine.com

My mama's lasagna is super easy to make. Her recipe goes like this:

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Low Glycemic Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Recently, a friend's gluten- and dairy-consuming six-year-old called these cupcakes "The... best... cupcakes... ever!" They were an experiment based on a recipe for a cake that I have been making for a while now, combined with a favourite muffin recipe. I'm tempted to call these muffins because they're so healthy, but I'll resist and call them what they taste like: "The... best... cupcakes... ever!"

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Low Glycemic Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Based on the Chocolate Cake recipe from the Pulse Canada recipe booklet Pulses and the Gluten-Free Diet, with substitution for white sugar

She

For a dear friend who recently experienced a great loss:

If words could ever be enough, I would speak them to you and heal your pain, or if it were allowed, I would help you at least to carry it. Instead, I will be a constant mirror to you so that you can one day see what I see: a miracle, woman and mother, vulnerable and strong, beautiful and loving.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

She is forever changed.

Still a beautiful woman inside and out, still a good mother (though not as good as she thinks she should be), still herself but different in hard to perceive ways.

She wears a veil of grey now that clouds and distorts all experience. It dulls the colours. The veil will lift someday - some - enough - but in no one's time but her own. Even she can not say when this will be.

When the veil does lift she will not be as she was. Though she will begin to see the beauty in things again, begin to laugh fully the way the innocent do, she that was is gone. She now is more serious than others, more grateful, more conscious, and more alive in ways than those with the luxury of seeing through rose-coloured glasses. This is as it should be, but she will not know this for some time yet.

In the meantime...

She will be strong, because she has no choice. She will bend and nearly break to do the things that the rest of us find simply annoying because we have much and appreciate little.

And I will let her know that...

She is a gift. She is both what has been lost and what has been saved. She is strength, vulnerability, beauty and love. She is me and she is enough.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Your grace and courage are an inspiration to me, dear friend.

xo

Sue