Staples in my pantry:  Soy Grits * Vital Wheat Gluten * Soy Flour * Almond Flour * XanthumGum * Oat Flour * Soy Protein Powder

Quick Equivalents Chart

Sherrie & Eric 10th Wedding Anniversary

The reason for my absence on the boards.

In April 06, I was bitten by a deer tick in my yard, while cleaning up after the tornado that hit our area here in West Tennessee.  I was infected with Lyme Disease, and probably a second infection, and although I was treated early, I have gone on to develop late stage Lyme Disease.  It has affected my nervous system, I have quite a bit of nerve damage in my arms leg feet and hands.  These are just some of the symptoms that have put me in bed for most of this past year and a half, the fatigue is overwhelming, short term memory loss, sometimes I can't find a word to finish a sentence, sensitivity to sounds and smells...the list goes on.  Forgetting where I am is the scariest of all.  I'm learning as much as I can about this disease and my doctors are learning as well, you see, in the south they just don't know what to do for this.  At least I'm lucky to have a doctor that is trying to help me get well again.  

The Univ. of TN at Knoxville has included out farm in their statewide study of ticks and their disease population in Tennessee, which should finally give residents here a clearer picture of the problems that are obviously already here.  So I urge everyone, check your children daily for ticks, and yourself.  If you have been bitten in the past month by a tick watch for the bulls eye EM rash, but be aware that only 60 to 70% of people get this rash at the bite site.  In children, look for overall not feeling well, tender stomach that hurts to touch, and headaches and some times sore throat.  In adults, look for the flu, that's exactly what this feels like is just like the flu...only more intense.  And each day the symptoms seem to worsen. Most doctors never ask you when you have flu symptoms if you have recently been bitten by a tick.  If every doctor did, the CDC might have a more accurate number of the real cases that exist each year.  Some experts in Lyme Disease estimate that 1 in 15 Americans have been exposed to the disease.  

Lyme disease has been misdiagnosed as Multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). As it is quite common for people to not remember having been bitten in the first place, later symptomatic diagnosis may point to autoimmune and neuro-degenerative diseases.

This research by Dr. Garth Nicholson should be read by everyone, and yes, this year his tests have already been confirmed with the exact numbers!  The medical community may have to rethink it's treatment for all autoimmune diseases from now on.

Lyme Disease Basics

Lyme Disease Symptom Checklist

How it mimics other diseases

See how small this tick that infects is

Sherrie's Pumpkin Pie
Sherrie's Buttermilk Cornbread
Sherrie's Waffle Buns
Sherrie's Breakfast Cereal
Eat your heart out Aunt Jemima pancakes!