A few days ago, I saw a beautiful sculpture on social media. It was a huge tree trunk, carved in the middle to reveal the tree's "younger self" inside. It was a striking representation of growth. Just like all great art is supposed to do, this piece got me thinking: What did that tree go …
February 8, 2019: Day 365
A few weeks ago, I had a dream. I was watching a horror movie with Erin. On the television, a young couple was hiding in a closet...terrified by the monster that was currently in the house looking for them. The woman was the one we could see due to the camera angle, and she was …
Last Year’s Favorites: Our 2018 Low-FODMAP Collection
Instead of sharing one of our recipes today, I thought I'd share a few of our favorite low-FODMAP recipes from other people. We've had a lot of hits (and a lot of misses) in the past year, but these were definitely at the top of our "hit" list! Rachel Pauls' Low-FODMAP Dressing I'll totally admit …
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Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili Nachos: Low-FODMAP Style
The weather's cold, so a good chili recipe is just what this gal wants! I had originally found a chili recipe through Fody Foods that tasted great - until I learned that beef tends to trigger my symptoms. Not to be deterred, though, I came up with this slow-cooker turkey chili version that tastes just …
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“I Can’t Go On. I’ll Go On.”
Prior to 2018, I rarely read anything outside of fiction and the Bible. Self-help books, biographies, historical accounts - they just weren't in my realm of interest. But then I was faced with something I've never faced before. And another thing. And another... And I decided to start reading a little nonfiction. I've gone through …
Looking Back and Moving Forward: Another Year
Last year, I wrote a blog post called "Looking Back and Moving Forward: A Spin On New Year's Resolutions". It was published on my "for fun" blog and was written prior to the "Cruise of Doom" in February 2018, prior to http://www.ibstakesguts.com, prior to low-FODMAP dieting...basically, it was prior to the gal I am now. …
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Bloom Where You Are Planted
"Bloom where you are planted." That's a topic we discussed at worship tonight, and to be honest, it's one I've wrestled with a lot since February. If nothing else this year, I've learned that it's incredibly hard to trust God's big picture when you are fighting moment-to-moment for your life. But! I've tried really hard …
Low-FODMAP Pumpkin Pie
The holiday season is here! Thanksgiving memories, Christmas trees, sparkly lights, cheerful music...and, yow-zah...all the food. This is my first holiday season on the low-FODMAP diet, and to tell you the truth, I wasn't looking forward to it at first. As I've told you in previous blog posts, my family is a family of cooks; …
Sly Old Fox
When I was a kid, there was a children's church song that I loved to sing. It went like this: "The Devil is a sly old fox; if I could catch him, I'd put him in a box. Lock the lid and throw away the key for all those tricks he's played on me. Second …
Side Effects of Life
You know those really dramatic fight scenes in movies and television shows, where the underdog is down and the crowd favorite is about to celebrate his victory in the ring...but then, out of nothing but sheer willpower, the underdog gets up again and looks his opponent dead in the eye? That's the type of scene …
IBS Takes Guts 