Madeline's Kindle Holder

My niece, Madeline, is turning 10 this year. She is getting a Kindle Fire from her parents for her birthday. I wanted to give her something that to go along with her Kindle. I found this pattern on the Laws of Gravity website through Ravelry. You can see all of the details of the project here. It's basically a pyramid pillow, but it works. I may have to make one for myself, minus the bobbles. :-)

You can check out more of my knitting and crocheting projects on my Ravelry Projects Page.

BBBS Bowling

Yesterday, a group of Big Brothers Big Sisters matches got together and went bowling.

While most of our scores were pretty low (I'm happy if I break 50), we all had a great time!

Check out all the fun we had in this Smilebox.

If you are interested in becoming a positive role model in the life of a child or if you would like to refer a child to the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, please visit Big Brothers Big Sisters to find a local agency near you.

Almost Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last spring, I decided I would try to follow the Paleo diet. I did this not to lose weight, but because I have always had a ton of digestive issues. I heard that this diet was very good for stomach problems and food intolerances. I thought I would try it and see how it went. If it worked great, if it didn't work, it would have been no big deal.

The Paleo diet consists of eating only foods that were available during the Paleolithic Era. Basically, meats, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds are the only things that are allowed. Anything else including dairy, grains, legumes, refined sugars, and preservatives are all excluded.

Prior to trying this diet, my normal meals usually consisted of frozen pizza, pasta, rice, sandwiches, and hamburger helper. Switching over to this lifestyle was a pretty drastic change. I was skeptical, but it was amazingly successful. For the first time in my entire life, I could go an entire day without having any stomach pain. That, in itself, was remarkable. Besides the benefits on my stomach, my cholesterol, glucose, and blood pressure all improved. I also have more energy and just feel better all around.

The huge drawback of the Paleo diet is that you have to make everything from scratch. I am not a cook, at all. In the summer, following the diet was easy. I would take fresh vegetables out of the garden and throw some meat on the grill and I would have dinner. Since winter came, I have kind of fallen of the Paleo wagon. I follow it about 70% of the time, but I need to get back to 100% of the time.

There are a ton of recipes available. What's amazing is that some of the recipes actually taste better than the traditional recipe. One recipe that I found that is incredible is for these Real-Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies. They seriously, taste better than any chocolate chip cookie I have ever had. I do not follow the recipe exactly. I do not use the palm shortening. I use real, unsalted butter. I also use real chocolate chips instead of the enjoy life chips and dark chocolate. So, my cookies are not truly Paleo, I usually burn them, and they do not look pretty, but they taste SO good!

Jig It!

Yesterday, I faced the cold and helped out at the 8th Annual Jig-It Fishing Tournament in Escanaba. The proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area. The events included the Fishing Tournament, a Kid's Koop, Raffles, Food, Music, Prizes, and Fun. Although it was extremely cold out, there was a great turn-out, quite a few fish were caught, and one lucky fisherman went home with a $2,000 prize!

My Little Sister came along with me to help. She has been my Little since April of 2013. We do many different activities together including going to parks, ice skating, roller skating, bowling, watching movies, building things, doing homework, doing community service, going out to eat, and just hanging out. She's a great kid and we always have a great time together no matter what we are doing.

My Little and I at the Jig-It Fishing Tournament

Prior to her, I had another Little for 7 years. When she graduated High School last year and went on to college, I started with my new Little. I also participate in the school Mentoring program. Once a week, I go to the local school and spend time with my Little there. We spend a half hour doing homework and then the next half hour we play games, go outside, read, whatever the kids want to do.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters program is truly a great program and it does make a difference in the lives of both the Littles and the Bigs. For more information on becoming a Big or referring a child as a Little, please visit the BBBS website.

Steroids Suck!

I've been taking prednisone for the past 3.5 weeks for my ITP. The first two weeks I took 50 mg and although my counts went up, the side effects were terrible. I was then dropped down to 30 mg. I still am experiencing the side effects. They are not quite as bad as before, but I am still shaky, I get headaches, I'm very irritable, and sleeping is impossible. I've been averaging less than two hours of sleep a night. I'm sure that some of the side effects are actually from the lack of sleep. GRRR. I just want to fall asleep but my body does not want to!

The worst thing is that I have a feeling that my platelet count has dropped. I don't think it is dangerously low, but I have a feeling that it is lower than it should be. It's just a guess though since I don't see the hematologist again until the 31st. I'm just guessing based off some bruises that have appeared on my legs and my gums bleeding when I brush my teeth. I just hope that I'm wrong because these side effects suck if they are not going to help! I hate prednisone!