Angie Windheim

Following the trend of so many women my age (mid-thirties and up), I signed up for the IgG food intolerance test. I’m hoping to find a reason behind my very, very dry/itchy scalp and face and dry eyes. My report came back with a few moderate/high reactions: whey/milk and yeast. Eggs were considered low, but my doctor still believes I should avoid them as well. Oh, and oysters. I’ve never had one, and I guess now I have a legitimate excuse not to try them. 🙂

So these “intolerances” are a little tricky. Whey is in a lot of packaged goods (even Chips Ahoy).  Yeast is in bread obviously, but also beer, wine, vinegar, etc. Some evidence shows that people with yeast issues should also avoid sugars and molds and mushrooms and canned goods and dried fruit.  But then, other reports don’t agree with that at all.  I’m sure I’ll make mistakes, but I’m hoping to tackle eliminating milk/whey for sure. I’ve bought the soy milk which is pretty good. I will miss yogurt though. I will also tackle yeast in the forms of bread and beer/wine. Only vodka drinks for me. And, boy will I miss my sourdough.

The goal is to try this for 8 weeks and then return to the doctor. She’ll be re-checking my thyroid (slightly low and I’m on a daily low-dose supplement now) and cholestrol (slightly high, but I didn’t fast before the test).

Wish me luck!

Just a quick note to all of you Northwest veggie gardeners out there.  Get those cool weather crops in ASAP.  Peas, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, brussels sprouts, etc, can all be planted now (if you’re soil isn’t too wet and clumpy).  Please try to hold back though on the tomatoes,  basil, peppers, zucchini, squash, beans, etc.  It’s still a bit cold so they won’t grow and could get mold and rot issues. Mother’s Day should be about perfect for those sun lovers.

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”

If you didn’t have an excuse before, then this month’s Earth Day and Arbor Day should get you motivated to plant some trees!

The Stella Olsen tree planting was very fun. Lots of volunteers, doing lots of good work. This was my first time volunteering for a collective tree/shrub planting. It was great fun. Everyone is happy to be there, ready to work and getting some exercise. I will definitely seek out more opportunities to dig in 🙂

If you are looking for some ideas on what to plant and where to buy some trees or shrubs, I have a few suggestions. The Sherwood Rotary tree sale is underway in the Albertson’s parking lot. $10 per bareroot tree.  I bought myself two peach trees to fill out my orchard and one Golden Chain. I’ve always wanted one and they had a great specimen. They also have just about any kind of fruit tree you can imagine, lots of willows, maples, oaks, alders, etc. Just make sure that when  you go that you are ready to plant right away. Bareroot trees dry out very quickly and you really want to get them in the ground before the completely leaf out.  The trees are small, but they’ll grow. I bought some birch 3 years ago and am really happy with their progress. And, hey, I mean $10! Awesome!!

Another good source of trees and bareroot fruit bushes right now is Loens Nursery on Hwy 99. The trees are 40% off. I bought a beautiful Dogwood for just $50…a steal for sure. They have great deals on bareroot grapes, blueberries, currants, raspberries, etc. At the Stella Olsen planting I discovered I had to have some currants. I bought both black and yellow shrubs. Can’t wait to taste them this summer.  They have great flowers and a really interesting smell, too.

Just a reminder that Friday is the big tree and shrub planting at Stella Olsen Park. You’ll need your gloves, some boots and a shovel to join in the fun from 11am to 3pm on April 16th.  Snacks and beverages will be provided.

Brian and I will be there as will our friends from Raindrops for Refuge to make sure we do it right. I get to be a “crew leader.” Very exciting 

Click here to sign up or contact Olivia Collins, Volunteer Coordinator, 503-625-4251 collinso@ci.sherwood.or.us

Monday: 9,087

Tuesday: 11,122

Wednesday: 12,423

Thursday: 8,965

Friday: 8,837

Saturday: 4,958

Sunday: 8,114

Total for Week: 63,506

Daily Average: 9,072

Lost a little momentum on the steps this week, but was much better about watching calories. I dropped one pound which is a great “step” in the right direction. This week’s goal is an average of 9,500 steps per day and 2 pounds. Can she do it? Yes, she can!

I resisted Facebook for a long, long time. I had two reasons. One was that I’m already on the computer enough and really don’t need another excuse to be online. Another was that I didn’t think I wanted to connect with people from the past. We’d lost touch. So what?

Well, I’m singing a different tune now. I joined Facebook to help launch Angie Windheim Photography. But I’m a “fan” of Facebook now because it’s helped me reach out and feel so much closer to friends and family who live far away.  It’s fun to see the comments and off-the-cuff remarks. I now know that one friend is a serious coffee addict, another runs a yoga retreat and yet another just got a job as a Foreign Service Consular Officer for the State Department. And, I have a brand new baby second cousin in Japan and another cousin teaching in Korea. Facebook is very fun.

That glowing recommendation aside, it is another massive drain on my time. I have to find a way to limit the minutes I spend on it. What’s right? Once a day? 15 minutes a day? Less? More? I don’t know. Right now, I’m not able to resist checking it as frequently as email. It’s just too easy with my iPhone.  Maybe it’s just like a new toy that you can’t put down and my interest will fade over time. Yeah, right 🙂

Painters paint on canvas. Musicians paint on silence.

– Leopold Stokowski

I love using tie dye frosting to dress up cakes and cupcakes. They never look the same twice, but they always look cool. You check out my tips on eHow.

It was unanimous. All of the Lit Ladies Book Club members LOVED The Help, by Kathryn Stockett.  Any complaints? Well,  yes. We all wanted more. We became so attached to Skeeter, Minny, Aibeleen, etc that we would love the story to carry on. She brought each character to a satisfying conclusion, but like life, the story wouldn’t end there.  Doubtful we’ll get our wishes granted.

For May we’ve selected the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: “The letters comprising this small charming novel begin in 1946, when single, 30-something author Juliet Ashton (nom de plume Izzy Bickerstaff) writes to her publisher to say she is tired of covering the sunny side of war and its aftermath. When Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams finds Juliet’s name in a used book and invites articulate—and not-so-articulate—neighbors to write Juliet with their stories, the book’s epistolary circle widens, putting Juliet back in the path of war stories.”   I’ve been wanting to read this one for a long time. Yay!  But first, I must finish The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest.

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is quite simply the best book I’ve read from the Lit Ladies Book Club. In fact, it sits right up there on my pedestal of favorites of all time. I loved the writing style, the story and the message.

The novel takes place in 1960’s Mississippi. At the center is a young college graduate and wanna-be-writer nick-named Skeeter. She returns home to the pressures of a mother and friends bent on marrying her off and to the puzzle of her missing, beloved maid Constantine. The story weaves into the lives of Minny and Abileen (the help) and unites all three of them in a secret project that will changes and potentially risks their lives.  Each of them is trying to break free of the stereotypes and segregation and “rules” that limit them at every turn. It digs deep and gets very personal. I really became attached to and cared about each of the characters.

The Help is fantastic. Read it.