Voiceless Wonder

The boy and I celebrated our annual Valentine's feast last night. This year was a little different than past years as I had to reveal my menu early so that my love could help me in the preparation. This saddened me as it was one more thing Rheumatoid Autoimmune Disease has taken away from me. I still enjoyed our little tradition with the man I love and that is the most important thing. One day I won't be able to cook at all anymore so I will enjoy every time I am still able to while I can.


Renzo as usual out did himself in making me a meal to remember. At his request, I skipped my Methotrexate and Arava so that I could safely drink alcohol. I am so glad I did. He prepared a delicious Strawberry Maragita to accompany my Southwest themed feast.


My appetizer was a flavourful Tortilla Soup.

My main course was Tequila Lime Chicken served with  Fresh Ranch Salsa and Queso Fresco served with Green Pablano Rice. All of it was delicious!






I, with Renzo's help, prepared him a (sorta) French themed meal. It was accompanied with a crisp Pinot Grigio.


His appetizer was a Blackberry, Arugula and Baby Spinach Salad in a Warm Bacon Red Onion Vinaigrette. The salad was also topped with juicy grape tomatoes, toasted pecans and crumbled goat cheese (I did not add the chicken as it was not a main course).




For his main course, I prepared Grilled Lamb Chops with a Pomegranate Port Reduction served with Roasted Asparagus and Three Cheese Mashed Cauliflower (I used cream cheese, cheddar and parmesan cheese. I also used the immersion blender to give it more of a whipped consistency).






For dessert we both enjoyed Ricotta Marscapone Chocolate Chip Cannoli. I think these were better than the ones we had in New York City made by the Cannoli King of Little Italy. 




The meal was wonderful! We now can't wait for next year's feast which we have decided will have a "Best Of" theme as it will be the 10th year of our Valentine tradition. 

Sadly our sweet Bazil passed away at 3pm today. She appears to have suffered an aneurysm or brain bleed and there was nothing that could be done to help her.

Bazil was the light of our life for 10 wonderful years. She came to us from the Humane Society when she was approximately 4 years old. She was a typical Jack Russell Terrier who loved to dig, bark and play fetch; she was also the sweetest dog you could ever meet. She never bared her teeth or even growled at any people. She was bossy with other dogs (especially Farfalle) but with humans she was so sweet and submissive. We couldn't have asked for a better girl.

Her last year was wrought with many health difficulties. She had severe arthritis in her hips, Cushings, diabetes, cataracts and glaucoma that left her in darkness for her last year. But she never let it show. She was still the happy little girl she had always been. To look at her, yes she looked old but you would never guess she was as sick as she was.

We miss her terribly. The loss to our household is one that will never be filled. She was our baby, our sweet little girl.

Rest in peace my sweet Bazil. I love you so very much and will never forget you.

Miss. Bazil is actually awake in this photo. She is blind but bright lights bother her so when the flash went off, she closed her eyes.

We are so thrilled she reached this milestone birthday. The vets told us last year she would never reach this day given her health difficulties. My girl showed them; she's a little fighter!

After a 1 year hiatus, our annual Valentine's Extravaganza tradition resumed this year. We quickly learned that our new kitchen is smaller than our old one, which complicated dinner preparation this year but we were finally eating by 10pm. We will adjust our usual plan next year to accommodate for the smaller space.


Renzo's meal started off with a flavorful Asparagus, Artichoke, Camembert, Caramelized Pear and Arugula salad followed a delightful Dover Sole Picatta paired with Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Caramelized Onions & Toasted Pistachios and Champagne Risotto. His meal was paired with a Sauvignon Blanc.

My meal started with a sweet French Onion Soup followed by a decadent Sauteed Chicken Breast in a Creamy Tarragon Sauce, Asparagus with Toasted Almonds and Risotto. As I unfortunately  am not allowed alcohol due to my RA meds, my meal was paired with San Pellagrino.



The meal ended with Chocolate Puff Pastry Croissants and tea.

I loved this cartoon as a child. What happened to cartoons like this; cartoons with a message; cartoons we could feel good about? Bullying is such a hot issue these days. Lambert has such a great message. It's a shame it's not being used as a teaching tool in schools anymore.

When you have RA, day to days tasks become difficult if not impossible. Most of us try to find easier ways of doing things, even using aids to assist with what should be the simplest of tasks. Having RA and MCS can in some ways make finding these aids near impossible but I have found a few things that have made my days easier.

The biggest hurdle, at least for me, is personal grooming. Not only are most things difficult for me to manoeuvre with my creaky hands, most things are scented which can make bathing damn near impossible.

Thankfully, I have found a few things that have made my life easier. I found a great unscented, chemical-free shampoo and conditioner by Curelle that I purchase from Aviva.ca. These are salon quality products that have left my hair feeling super silky. And by putting pumps in the bottles instead of the regular squeeze cap, I can easily dispense the products.

Unfortunately the actual act of shampooing my hair is another issue. But Aviva.ca carries this fantastic little gadget by Relaxus--a shampoo brush! It is easy to hold and it does the scrubbing of my scalp for me, saving my poor fingers.

Drying your hair is another sometimes painful task. I have found that rather than trying to manoeuvre both a hair dryer and a brush, a hot brush allows me to perform both tasks with ease. Usually styling products are a no-no for those with MCS but I have found a great unscented, all natural hair gel by Hairy Kids does a great job of styling my locks (they have fantastic shampoos, conditioners and body washes too!). For those days when hair spray is a must, Sun Coat Sugar-Based Natural Hair Spray is both scent and chemical free and holds your desired hairstyle but doesn't leave your hair frozen in place (à la 80's rock band).

Shaving is another task that has caused problems for I'm sure most with RA not to mention trying to find one that is MCS friendly. I use the Intuition Plus Razor for Sensitive Skin by Schick. It has a non-slip thick handle that makes it easy to use and the sensitive skin blades with built in shaving cream and moisturizer is fragrance free.

Some days, holding a loofah or a face cloth can also be a difficult task. In addition, stiff joints make it even more difficult to reach those hard to reach body parts. On these days, I have found that using a loofah/body puff back scrubber makes the job much easier. They even have a model for your face!

Finding a MCS friendly body wash that won't break the bank and that is relative easy to find in stores is difficult. There are few main stream products that I can use anymore and the fragrance free lines by Aveeno are one of them. I use Aveeno Fragrance Free Skin Relief Body Wash for my body and Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser for my face (it's also fragrance free).

Finding an anti-perspirant is perhaps the hardest thing if you have MCS. I tried close to 30 different ones before I found one that a) kept me odour free and b) didn't send me running for my inhaler or migraine meds. I use Almay's Fragrance Free Solid Anti-Perspirant and Deodorant. This product unfortunately isn't available in Canada but I usually purchase it from Ebay.com or Drugstore.com or I stock up when we head across the border to upstate New York for some shopping.

RA hands also seem to have a hate-on for teeth brushing. For my pearly whites, I use a rechargeable toothbrush. Mine is an Oral-B Advanced Power but any battery operated toothbrush with a thick handle should do the trick. There are many affordable ones out there, such as the Crest Spin Brush and the Oral-B Vitality. For flossing, the Oral-B Hummingbird Electric Flosser can do all the work for you or for those who don't need as much help, the Reach Access Flosser is a great tool to have.

It is important to remember that everyone with MCS has different triggers and what I find is safe for me, may not be safe for you. Always do a sniff test in-store or if ordering online, see if the retailer will send you a sample.

For those with RA, sometimes the unorthodox way is the only way. Whether it be using a hair dryer instead of a towel to dry off after a shower or just using a hairbrush with a wider handle, whatever doesn't hurt your fragile joints is the way to go. Sure your spouse may laugh if s/he sees you performing whatever trick works for you but if it helps make your life a little easier go for it!

In the coming months, I will post my tips for day to day living RA style with a MCS twist. If you have tips of your own, email me at steph@voicelesswonder.com or comment below. I would be thrilled to add them to my posts and to try them out!