Celiac Disease

I've recently been diagnosed with celiac disease, so I'm on a huge learning curve trying to convert to a gluten free diet.

For the past 6 months, I've been having weird esophageal and peripheral neuropathy symptoms. My doctors have been wonderful about trying to find the diagnosis.

Originally we thought it might be a wheat allergy but my allergy tests were negative for that. We tried GERD medications that helped somewhat, but I still had the strange "full esophagus" feeling that caused me difficulty swallowing.  Anxiety medications didn't help much, either.

An upper GI showed no physical restrictions, so we decided to have an endoscopy (since I needed my 50-year-old colonoscopy screening anyway). That way I could have them both at the same time.

A tissue sample from the intestine showed "marked villous atrophy" suggestive of celiac, but non-diagnostic.  So we followed up with the blood testing, and it was positive.

Now I'm trying to learn as much as I can. Thank heavens for so many online resources, and thank heavens for so many gluten-free products!!

Louis Bayard

I kept seeing  "The School of Night" by Louis Bayard in my book club magazine and always thought it looked really interesting, so while I'm in Elizabethan mode, I wanted to read it.

It's also another scavenger-hunt type of book dealing with clues about a lost letter written by Sir Walter Raleigh which mentions Shakespeare and the secretive (if it existed) School of Night.

It was very entertaining and page-turning. I love historical thrillers, especially those featuring real, notable people. This was the first book I've read by Louis Bayard, but I also have his book featuring Edgar Allan Poe on my to-read shelf.

Enrique Joven

I recently finished "The Book of God and Physics" by Enrique Joven and  enjoyed it.  It's a book about the Voynich Manuscript which is a 15th century manuscript written in code that has never been deciphered.

The book is written in the scavenger hunt style that I really enjoy, where one clue leads to the next, and so on. 

There are all sorts of theories about who wrote the Voynich Manuscript, who owned it, what the coded messages and drawings might mean. On Wikipedia, you can find pictures from the manuscript.  It's currently housed at Yale University. I wish I'd known about it since we lived near New Haven several years ago and it would have been awesome to see it (if it's on display).

The Voynich Manuscript and some of the same historical people are also mentioned in the book "Shadow of Night" by Deborah Harkness which is the second in the trilogy. It's mainly set in Elizabethan England. My sister gave it to me for a birthday present. Now I have to wait patiently for the final book.

WYSIWYG8 WebBuilder

Since I was leaving Homestead's web design tool, in addition to Kompozer, I needed a web designer tool that would let me insert objects, size them, and  drag and drop them so I could design my layouts.

I also needed them to be intuitive and very easy to use. I didn't want to spend 3 months trying to learn the software.

So I downloaded and tried 12 different web tools.  I finally decided that the WYSIWYG8 program had the features I needed at a price that was reasonable.

I was able to install it and begin using it with no lengthy tutorials or instruction needed. So far, I've mainly used it to design layouts so when I'm in full redesign mode (or new design mode) I'll learn more of its capabilities.

(I'm in no way affiliated with Pablo Software Solutions. I'm just a happy customer sharing my views and experiences about a product I like)

KompoZer

I was looking for an alternate web design program that would work like Front Page and was free (if at all possible).  I found KompoZer and it had very good reviews and ratings from its users.

From the Kompozer site: "KompoZer is a complete web authoring system that combines web file management and easy-to-use WYSIWYG web page editing.

KompoZer is designed to be extremely easy to use, making it ideal for non-technical computer users who want to create an attractive, professional-looking web site without needing to know HTML or web coding."

It's very easy to use and was very quick to learn for the basics that I needed. I'm also still discovering capabilities and features. I'm especially liking the built-in FTP and that saves me alot of time.

(I'm not affiliated in any way with KompoZer - I'm just sharing software that I find useful)

Louisville Cardinals 2013 Champions

I had to compliment the Louisville Cardinals on an incredible year.  I'm a Cardinals fan, since I graduated from U of L back in the 1980's. 

It was such fun to watch the team this year.  Since I play tennis, I understand the importance of mental toughness during the game. Watching the Cards bond as a team, overcome their lack of confidence, and become strong and supportive for each other was really amazing for a fan.

The fact that Russ Smith is staying for his senior year is also a tribute to the team cohesiveness. He will be the first in his family to get a degree. This decision just shows how the players are all maturing and becoming champions.

1and1 Web Hosting

After almost 15 years with Homestead web hosting, I had to cut the cord and switch to another host. I was having trouble with Homestead's new site builder and I couldn't get it to work correctly with Windows 7.

But as I found out, change is a good thing. I've liked 1and1's customer service and I've had all my domain names registered with them since about 2003. So I decided to try their web hosting for my sites.

It has been incredibly easy to set up and use. I now have unlimited web sites and storage plus databases for LESS than I was paying with Homestead.

I got the Linux packages so all the server side includes that I use on my sites work with no problem. I also use a free web designer called Kompozer and I'll talk more about that in another post.

There are so many other features that come with the package and I haven't had time to explore them yet.

The link above is a referral link. If you purchase any 1and1 product, I would receive a small commission. But I've been a loyal customer of theirs for 10 years and am thoroughly pleased with them.

Libre Office

I've always been a huge fan of Open Office, but when I upgraded to Windows 7, I'm having alot of trouble getting the Base program to work. By searching, I found Libre Office which is the more robust version of Open Office.

I downloaded and installed it, and my databases opened perfectly with no crashing. I'm reading that it will also open Publisher documents, although I haven't tried that yet. 

Wire Crochet Wrap Bracelet (Part 2)

I finally finished my wire crochet wrap bracelet so that it looks OK. There are still some things I'd correct if I re-crocheted it, but overall, I'm pleased with what I learned.

It does wrap around my wrist 5 times, so it's the right length. I used a bead as a fastener and I wound my end wire through the bead twice on each side to secure it and to make it look symmetrical.


I'm also learning how to photograph jewelry, so the pictures are still shadowy. But the clarity is good enough to show the crochet stitches.

Next, I want to try a 4 or 5 strand crochet bracelet without a fastener. That will be more challenging and will probably take me several tries before it looks acceptable to me.  I'll post my attempts as I start it.

Crochet Wrap Bracelet (Part I)

Using the tutorial at Fiddle Knits,  I wanted to try crocheting this wrap bracelet with beads.  Eventually I'm going to make it using wire, but I wanted to make it using yarn and pony beads first so I can see how it will work.

It's very easy to make with yarn.  To make it sturdier with wire, I'm going to use 2 stands (I think) of 30 gauge wire.



I'd also like to make 5 wraps, so it will need to be almost twice as long.

I'll post my pictures after I try it with wire. It may take several tries before I'm satisfied with it, but that's most of the fun: learning something new.

Wire Crochet Bracelet

I recently won some beads in a sweepstakes from Cousin so I wanted to try wire crochet again and make a bracelet.

I used 30 gauge wire and a size G crochet hook. It's so much easier using a larger hook. The last time I tried this, I used a tiny hook and it was much more difficult.

So I crocheted 3 different strands, using different colored beads on each one. I then braided them together, twisted the ends, and threaded on the clasp.

For a first try, I was pretty happy with it. I need to do a better job attaching the clasp, so I'll keep working on that.

Listia

I've been having fun with Listia this week. I'm in cleaning mode at my house, and we're working on organizing the basement area and seeing what we need to keep as our children get older.

Listia works based on credits, so you list auctions and buyers bid on them with credits instead of real money. Of course, you can buy credits from the Listia site if you prefer. Shipping may or may not be free - each seller decides that and clearly posts it in the auction.

So I've found joke and riddle books (without ISBN's or I'd list them on PaperbackSwap), purses and wristlets, cell phone cases, gift sacks (that I'd had when I was a room and den mother), LOTS of discontinued cosmetic samples, and we're just getting started.

I have a big plastic bin in my "office", so as long as the items will fit in it, I'll store them until I'm ready to list them for the auction.

Yes, the link is my referral link. For a limited time, I would get 500 credits for every friend who joins and successfully completes their first listing. You would also get 100 bonus credits as a special gift when you join!