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| Mmmm the cinnamon filling for the pancakes. |
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| Look at those beauties cookin’. |
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| Cinnamon roll pancakes! I made these for my family, and they were pretty darn good! |
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| Look at that little smile! |
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| And of course TJ was taking his morning nap right underneath me while I was cooking. |
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| Sweet little moment between my dad and Miki. |
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| Aaaaand then Willow sees Miki is getting brushed… |
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| …so she of course gets right in the middle of it! |
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| My mom and I made this little fairy garden for my dad that doubles as a hummingbird feeder, since he loves birds! |
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| The card I made for my dad. |
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| It even lights up! I’ll be doing a whole post on this in the coming week so be on the look out for that! 🙂 |
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| Perry apparently did not want to be photographed… |
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| I had to show you guys the close-up. |
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| Angel never looks amused when I pull the camera out, but I promise she’s a sweetheart! |
When I found out I had to stick to a gluten free diet – you can read more about it on my post How To Eat Gluten Free – I knew breakfast would be a little difficult to figure out. I usually ate some kind of cereal that had wheat in it, so at first it was kind of hard adjusting. But, after reading from sources online and just simply going to the grocery store to check out my options, I’ve come up with some really solid go-to recipes for breakfast!
2. Gluten Free Toast and an Egg
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| Can we just appreciate how good this egg looked before I tried to flip it? |
Since I was a kid, toast and an egg has been one of my favorite breakfast foods. It really fills you up (especially this 7-grain kind!), and gives you a lot of energy for the rest of the day. I have also been obsessed with Cajun seasoning lately – I have been putting it on everything guys – and I put some on my egg and it tasted amazing! You seriously need to try it. I just put grape jelly on my toast with no butter or anything since I’m not the biggest fan of butter, and it tastes great! This is also a really fast breakfast for days that you don’t really have time. And nowadays, gluten free bread doesn’t taste any different than regular, so you can have your toast and eat it too!
3. Omelette With (optional) Salsa
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| You know this is full of Cajun seasoning. |
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| Another obsession of mine: salsa. |
Omelette’s are such a great breakfast food! Not only do they taste great, but they are great for you! I fill mine with sautéed vegetables, Cajun seasoning, and a little bit of cheese, and top it all off with a generous amount of homemade salsa! My taste buds are probably numb from all the spices I put them through, but ohmygosh does it taste amazing. Seriously, add in some bell peppers too and this is heaven!
Well, there you have it! Three different ideas for gluten-free breakfasts! There are definitely more that I love (gluten-free pancakes, oatmeal, Puffins cereal…) so if you want some more ideas, just let me know! I seriously always wake up hungry so it’s super important for me to always have solid breakfast ideas I can regularly fall back on. And since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I like to keep them healthy so I can get my body ready for whatever!
What is your favorite breakfast food?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
Well I just wanted to quickly update you guys and let you know about the name change! I hope you all like it, because I’m in love! 🙂
What are you excited for this summer?
Have a wonderful day! 🙂
Also, I leave you with this picture my mom took of me the other day and swore up and down it was cute. Mom’s will be mom’s! (I’m still super glad to be home hehe)
Dear Freshman Year,
I learned a lot from you this past year, and not all of that knowledge was from the classroom (or lecture hall, for most of my classes). Thank you for teaching me how to be an adult, and that I can be completely self-reliant but still lean on my parents when I need to. Thank you for making me realize that family isn’t always flesh and blood, and can be found in those people you awkwardly meet at your very first floor meeting. Thank you for showing me just how great my parents are, and that it’s okay to call them while crying when finals get to be a little too much. Thank you for allowing me to be truly young and carefree – if only for a night – with some of the best friends I’ve ever made. Thank you for teaching me how to live with someone I don’t exactly get along with, and how to make the best of a bad situation. Thank you for forcing me to break out of my shell in order to meet people that I’ll probably be friends with for the rest of my life.
Freshman Year, you were a difficult, crazy, exciting, adventurous, brand new year for me, and I’ll be eternally grateful to you. As I sit here in my kitchen at home and recall all that happened this year, it truly seems like a whirlwind. When I look back to last September, I remember a girl who was absolutely terrified to leave home. Now I see the girl I am today who has so much more experience in the real world. While it’s nice to be home now and have a break, you were truly a blast Freshman Year. I made some amazing friends, and learned that I really can rely on myself, even if I don’t always have to. I’ve had to make real-world decisions because of you, and I’m so glad that I was able to learn how to do so. A year ago, even the thought of those huge decisions would have me shaking in my boots (or Birkenstocks, as I always wear).
Freshman Year, you were probably one of the most difficult years school-wise. I was definitely pushed to my limits by you, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Getting eight hours of sleep this year was nearly always impossible, but I also wouldn’t have made a lot of the memories that I did, had I went to sleep at a healthy time. My grades would’ve suffered as well, and I had to pull many all-nighters in order to do well in my classes. I’m glad I learned that all-nighters are a lot better when they’re spent with coffee and friends. Speaking of friends, I learned from you, Freshman Year, that it’s okay to lean on them and let them help you with tough situations. It taught me that my friends really don’t mind listening to me list my problems, and then helping me find solutions to them. I wouldn’t have made it through this year without the friends I made, and also my best friends from home.
Without you, Freshman Year, I would not be the person I am today. While I’ve always been mature for my age, this past year has taught me more about the world than I ever could have imagined. I thought I already knew a lot about being an adult, but I really didn’t. I know I have a lot more to learn from the next three years in college, but you, Freshman Year, have taught me a lot. It’s crazy to think four years ago I was finishing my freshman year of high school; it really seems like worlds away. And in just three years I’ll be finishing college. I promise I’ll try and make every year count, but you’ll always hold a dear place in my heart.
I’ll never forget my memories from you, Freshman Year, and I know I’ll be telling some of these stories to my children one day. Hopefully all of the friends I made during this past year will be there when I do so, and we can look back on you with all of the fondness in the world. I’m excited for the next three years, but I promise I’ll never forget you. You are just the beginning to a brand new chapter in my life, and I’m so excited to continue my journey.
Love,
Kendra
So, what is endometriosis anyway?
Endometriosis is a condition that a lot of people don’t know about, but is becoming more and more prevalent among women today. It’s a disorder that is oftentimes very painful, where the tissue that usually lines the inside of the uterus grows outside of it, usually around the ovaries, bowel, or the tissue lining the pelvis. The extra tissue outside of the uterus causes cysts to occur because the tissue has no way to exit. These cysts are very painful and sometimes have to be removed with surgery if they don’t go away on their own. Endometriosis can also cause scar tissue around the uterus, which can lead to fertility problems later in life.
My Story
(Side note, this story contains a lot about periods so if that isn’t your cup of tea, you have been warned)
How I Deal With Endometriosis
Now that my endometriosis is mostly under control, the pain has lessened immensely. Before we knew that I had it, the pain was sometimes unbearable which caused me to occasionally stay home from school and lie down for most of the day. I had no idea that other girls didn’t get such bad cramps, or feel pain in their lower stomach throughout the month. I’m actually really allergic to ibuprofen so I can only take pain medication with Tylenol in it, so I typically just lie down and let the pain subside. Using a heating pad can really help sometimes, too! Since the hormones that cause the tissue to grow uncontrollably are under control, I have a lot less pain, and a lot fewer cysts.
Why I Decided To Post About Endometriosis
When I first heard the term “endometriosis” I had absolutely no idea what my doctor was talking about. We of course came home from the doctors office and researched it as much as possible, and found some great resources. It turns out it is a hereditary disorder, and affects the women in my own family on my dad’s side, and a couple on my mom’s side as well. Endometriosis is something that needs to be talked about a lot more because it’s affecting more and more women. It’s something that can easily be controlled once known about, but also something that can get out of control if let alone. There are some great resources, like the Endometriosis Foundation of America, that have information about endometriosis and just general support. I learned a lot from their website when I found out I had endometriosis, and it made the whole situation feel a lot more manageable!
I wanted to post about endometriosis, though, so there’s a little bit more awareness about it. I really think more people should know about it, because it’s something more and more women are suffering from, but they don’t even know it. Early detection can literally be life-saving, because some women become infertile if left untreated. This has happened in my own family, and it’s so sad when it happens, especially to women who really want children.
Symptoms
-Pain in the lower stomach and back, especially during your period
-Excessive cramps during your period
-Heavy flow
-Excessive fatigue, especially during your period
-Basically, every symptom during your periods are far worse than normal
Treatments
-Pain medication
-Hormone Therapy
-Low-dose birth control pills
-Surgery (laparoscopies usually)
When should I see my doc?
If you are having sever symptoms during your period, you should just go see your doctor to get things checked out. Periods suck in general, but if they are debilitating to you, then you should really go in. Early detection is key with anything, so it never hurts to ask your doctor if you could be experiencing endometriosis. It can be a little scary at first (I was only fifteen at the time so I was quite terrified to say the least), but it’ll work out in the end, and you can always take someone with you to the doctors! I had my parents with me every step of the way, and the rest of my family was there for me after my surgery to constantly check in on me, so that was really wonderful.
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Wow, this ended up being long! I’ve been wanting to write about endometriosis for a while now, though, because like I said, it’s something that I believe needs more awareness. I’m also in the middle of dead weak (finals are in a couple of days!), so it was nice to take my mind off of studying and just write about something that’s been a big part of my life in recent years.
Have you ever heard of endometriosis?
Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
Is there anything you’ve dedicated yourself to?
Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day! 🙂
I usually exfoliate on Wednesday’s and Sunday’s, so twice a week, but it’s important to exfoliate at least once a week! It helps to remove the dead skin cells that can clog your pores up, and just keeps your skin happy and healthy!
4. Use a face mask.
I use the Clear Improvement mask from Origins once a week to clarify my skin, but you can use any type of mask you want! There are some really great moisturizing face masks if your skin is particularly dry (I usually do this in the winter), or masks to help reduce oiliness. I really love this mask, though, and it works really well with my skin! I’ve always had really good experiences with Origins products.
5. Use a good moisturizer.
I use the Daily Face Cream from First Aid Beauty in the mornings and night, and I really love it! It’s super important to make sure your face is properly hydrated day and night, so I suggest using lotion at least twice a day. Sometimes I even like to pop on some lotion in the middle of the day when my skin is really dry!
What are your skincare tips?
Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day! 🙂
What are your imperfections?
Thank you so much for reading, you are all beautiful, and have a wonderful day! 🙂
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| She was kind of nervous at first in the car. |
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| This is TJ, my dog. |
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| She became more brave and started trying to cuddle with him! |
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| And then TJ didn’t really like that so he came up and sat on my lap. Not even kidding. |
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| Typical puppy chewing on everything. |
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| We stopped at Lake Shasta real quick which was really pretty! |
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| TJ was so happy to be home and able to run around. |
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| This is Miki, and she was super happy to be home as well. |
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| Miki was really unsure of Willow at first, but she warmed up to her. She loves to “mother” her! |
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| Willow just adores Miki – and TJ – and loves to do everything that they do. |
