Summer in Pictures

So, I obviously have not posted that much this summer.  I thought I would share some pictures of the summer with you and when I went to edit some it appears that I have not really taken that many pictures either.  So here is a taste of what I've been up to.

I attended my first ever Doo Dah Parade on the Forth of July.

Here Joe is not pulling his weight while doing a keg stand on his and Ray's keg bike.

This is my friend Sarah who did field work this summer, which cut back on the number of midweek potlucks.

We were able to get together with her and Joe and some others to celebrate the Forth of July however.

And I did get to see my niece and nephew who are growing up so fast but love spending time together.

Cold/Flu

For the 5 days I have been dealing with one of the worst cases of cold or flu I've had in a long long time.   It started with a sore throat Monday morning and continued to escalate with the usual symptoms (runny nose, cough, headache, fever, body aches) till late last night.  Finally on the down swing of things I believe.  I'm hoping that after I recover from this I will feel well for the next little bit.

It's been about 2.5 years since I learned that I had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.  I knew then it wasn't just my imagination that illnesses that were usually no big deal for average healthy people, were way worse for me.  I had known for a long time that unlike some people I could not afford to use "sick" days as personal or fun days, that I needed to save them up because I would always need them because I would always get sick.

Does having this knowledge make spending the week in bed any easier?  No, not really.  But it does give me a little bit of comfort to know that I'm not a wimp, or that I'm not exaggerating when I can't get out of bed because of the common cold.  I just have to take these things as they come, and enjoy my healthy times.

After this past week I am really looking forward to some healthy times.

Dear Blog,

I've come to realize I've seriously been neglecting you lately and for that I am sorry.  You are a good friend for being patient and waiting for me to come around and update you.  This will happen again soon I promise.  But for now I just wanted to say hello and that things are going Ok.

The change in the weather has caused my fatigue to be almost unbearable, with the addition of the bedroom air conditioner it has improved slightly.  I am still attempting to finish up my school work for a semester that has been over for several weeks and I am determined not to fail.

In other news, looking forward to the summer.  There are family weddings planned and hopefully some visits with my wonderful niece and nephew.  They are both growing up so fast and I do not want to miss any more than I have to living so far away.

I will also be attending my 10 year high school reunion this summer, this is pretty crazy to think about.

My dear blog, I will leave you with a picture for your enjoyment until we speak again.  Here is a recently made frittata.

Yours truly,
Chrissy Joy

Mama Mimi's: Gluten Free Thursdays!

I've known about Mama Mimi's Take 'N Bake Pizza since I moved to Grandview in 2008.  It wasn't a place that received my patronage because by this time I was already living life sans gluten.  When Ryan began working at Gentile's Wine Sellers which shares a building with the Grandview Mama Mimi's location he began bringing pizza and breadsticks home for himself.  He also often came home smelling like dough and flour.  Although I've never been a huge pizza fan, I do like dough and cheese.  My brother-in-law who use to own a pizzeria makes a mean garlic white pizza, and I was beginning to miss it just a little.

A few weeks back Ryan came home from work and informed me that Mama Mimi's was going to have Gluten Free Thursdays.  They had worked hard to find the appropriate dough supplier and did research into what exactly the best gluten free practices were when it came to cross contamination.  They developed a process of using separate sauces and gloves for their gluten free options in hopes of keeping any kind of exposure to a minimum.  Keep in mind though, it is ultimately a place where they make dough, and the guarantee of no contamination just can not be made.

The dough.  Ryan had tried once to make a me a gluten free dough, and it really wasn't anything special, more of a conduit for toppings than anything else.

Mama Mimi's has found a supplier that has for the most part gotten the gluten free dough process right.  It is organic.  It is thin and chewy.  What it is lacking is the brown crispy bottom that traditional dough can achieve.  I have had the most success putting it in the oven at room temperature, the edges at least get crispy and enjoyable.

The ingredients.  Each pizza is made to order with the freshest of ingredients.  They have a large menu with a variety of toppings that you can pick yourself as well as a selection of specialty pizzas that they have designed for their establishment.  They have several different sauces including homemade tomato, as well as a pesto.  I personally have my crust brushed with an olive oil, basil, garlic base before my toppings are added.

Locations, hours, ordering.  Mama Mimi's have several different locations throughout central Ohio including: Clintonville, Powell, Arlington, Grandview, Westerville, as well as Dayton.  The hours vary by location and day.  You can find the locations, hours, and contact information on their website.  You can phone in your orders and now you can even order online from their website.

The picture above is today's pizza.  I dug into it before even thinking about taking a picture.  It had olive oil, basil, garlic base with ham, onions, mozzarella, fetta, and banana peppers.  Tasty tasty.

Ages

Yes, it's been ages since I've written last.  Funny thing: real life seems to be getting in the way of my once prolific online life.  I no longer hang on ever Tweet and blogging seems to have taken a back seat.

All of this is good news.  I like being out and about and exercising my critical thinking skills back in the classroom.  However I have missed it and have been rolling ideas over in my head about my writing plans for this summer.

I have a lot of passions and you know that already.  One of the things I'm leading towards though is starting to write reviews and information about Gluten Free dining options and product reviews in Columbus Ohio.  I think it will give me a slight focus without taking away from other interests.  And I think there are things that need to be said about this wonderful city and how it is becoming more and more GF friendly.

So for my first post, I'm going to let you all know about Mama Mimi's pizza and their Gluten Free Thursdays!