Dresses on Sale- Regular and Plus Size!

What a find! Amazon currently has the following dresses on a great sale. Make a note of the material, as not all are spandex/ latex-free. These all ship free with Prime (unless noted otherwise), and are eligible for free returns if you don't like them. Remember, Amazon changes prices frequently, so be sure to check the price before you check out.



The Wrapper Women's Plus-Size High Low Jersey Dress is currently available from Amazon for just $8.47! This dress does have spandex in the material, and is machine washable. Available only in the pictured color, but what a lovely color it is!










This Wrapper Sequin Bodice Halter Dress is so cute! Available in size small to XL, it's on sale for $15.75. Made from polyester and rayon, hand wash only. You can buy a black one for nights out on the town, and a white one for carefree summer days!








I am loving this Plus Size Rosette Cocktail Dress. In sizes 14 and 20, it is 100% polyester and I'm not seeing any indication of elastic- which means it should be safe for those with latex allergies! For $14.98 plus $5.95 shipping, what a great price on such a lovely dress!







This Plus Size Black and White Polka Dot Dress isn't the most adorable dress in the world, but it looks super comfy. At $15.98 after shipping, this 100% polyester frock is well worth it for anyone with latex allergies. I'd love to have it to wear around the house. It just looks so comfortable!








I am also loving this Ladies Fashion Maxi Dress, available in Medium and XXL. Currently $13.98 after shipping, this silk and polyester piece looks like it may have elastic in the arms, neckline, and upper torso sections. If it does and you're allergic to latex, Amazon is fantastic about accepting returns. I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with Amazon!





I knew that keeping an eye on Amazon's clothing selection would eventually result in finding something affordable that I could wear. Without being able to really go shopping anymore, I almost cried when I saw these and other dresses!

Want to know a secret? One of the reasons I love comfy dresses now is that I have less laundry! I can take a shower, toss on a dress, go to sleep, and not have to change clothes when I wake up!

Chronic Illness and Relationships: A Series

Recently I've had to take a good hard look at my relationships with both family and friends as a result of hateful, hurtful verbal attacks. I refer to these as attacks as I have simply not responded to these uneducated, ignorant remarks. As a result, I've decided to start a series of posts discussing the issues anyone with chronic illness faces when it comes to relationships.

I've also started looking at what the Bible says regarding these sorts of things. Before you decide to dismiss these posts since I am approaching this from a Biblical perspective, not every post will be filled with Bible verses. While I feel very strongly about my faith, I also respect those of other viewpoints. Even if you think the Christian faith is a bunch of bologna, you have to admit there are some great kernels of advice in the Bible.

This series will be quite personal, but I believe that the chronic illness community needs more people who are willing to be authentic about their situation and failings, as well as the stark reality of living with illness. Many of the topics and situations I discuss will be applicable in other situations as well, and hopefully will provide anyone who doesn't suffer from an invisible malady a glimpse into our world.

Since this is a very broad topic, I'll open it up to you. What do you want me to address? What issues/problems are you having?

Confession #5: I Don't Always Wear My Gloves and Mask When I Should

I'm bad. There are so many times when I really should be wearing my respirator and nitrile gloves... but I don't. Such as right now, when I'm typing on the computer. My fingertips are getting painful and are incredibly itchy, and I have a mild headache. It's due to the latex behind the keyboard. Every key press releases more particles from their little home, making every word of this post more harmful to me.

Have you TRIED wearing nitrile gloves all the time? Your hands get sweaty, and they get so uncomfortable. My respirator starts digging into my face or head, leaving marks where the straps were. And with overactive sweat glands, I can't type very long at all before I can picture streams of water flowing out from under my gloves. Granted, this has never happened, but it could. Right?

Every exposure to latex makes a latex allergy worse. I know this. I'm fully aware that latex is in practically everything. Most of the time I wear my gloves and mask, but dang it, sometimes I just want to LIVE!

In short, yes, I am a huge hypocrite. Aren't we all? But as long as I'm a good girl the vast majority of the time, I think I'll be alright. At least that way I'll be able to maintain the tiny thread of sanity I have left, and get a few things done.

Payback: A You-Know-What

A few months back I went to a doctor for one of those useless disability evaluations. Before I even walked in the door I had a bad gut feeling, but I didn't have a choice- I had to go in.

The place just gave me a bad vibe. I wanted to turn around and run. Years of relying on my instincts in dangerous situations in social work were screaming at me. The ladies at the front desk were just plain rude. I got called back when my hubby and mom had left the waiting room for a minute, and I informed the ladies at the office that they needed to come back with me. I'm doing much better now at identifying when a reaction is starting, but not so much then.

Naturally, while I was in the back they refused entry to both my mom and my husband.

The nurse was about to check my vital signs, after I had informed her of the latex allergy. I asked if the blood pressure cuff was latex free. She literally waved it in front of my face and taunted me! "Look, there's no rubber here! I don't see any rubber, do you? Nope, no latex here!" (This was only 1 or 2 weeks after I had a hysterectomy, so I wasn't exactly feeling so great anyways.)

I had taken my boots off to be weighed. I looked at my boot, looked at her. Back and forth. I seriously considered throwing my boot at her, but I decided it wasn't worth the effort. Instead I covered myself with my winter coat and refused to let her touch me until I could see myself that it was safe.

At least the doctor didn't make me take off my respirator or gloves, but the so-called exam was a joke.

So, fast forward 2/3 months. Remember my bad gut feeling about the place? There was a reason for that. The DEA raided the place. The doctors and some employees have since been arrested. Evidently there was all sorts of crazy stuff going on with pain killers, in a number of cases resulting in death.

Payback's a you-know-what. It's especially nice when it comes along during this life. ;)

Everyone will get theirs. What goes around comes around. It's been oh-so-satisfying to see that actually happen.

In all things, be safe. Listen to your gut. And don't be afraid to look at people like they are flipping idiots, because if they won't listen to you, they are indeed idiots.

Moving on Down

As I am preparing to move from a 1700(ish) square foot house to a small one bedroom apartment, I decided to take some "before" pictures. It's a blank slate now, and I have tons of ideas to make it a nice comfy home. So check it out, and stay tuned as I'll post more pictures after we move in!

The bedroom closet. Small, but then my wardrobe is small now anyways. There's no door, but there is a rod to hang a curtain! Oh, the potential!

Apartment bathrooms never seem to be pretty. This will probably be the last room I try to make cozy.

We'll have to see about that little gas stove. There's room for a full size stove, but we're waiting until I actually have time to try it out before jumping for a full size stove.

The kitchen window, where I'll put my sewing table so I can bask in the glorious sunlight.

The couch and loveseat were left by the previous tenant. We're keeping them and selling our sectional. They are comfy and that's one less thing to move.

So, as you can see, it's nothing fancy. But it does have a front porch, space for a garden, and a patio. Most importantly, we can afford it and the landlord is super nice. I'm so excited to have a fresh start!

Now it's your turn- what do you think? Have any ideas for making the best use of the space? I can certainly use them!

Confession #4: Sometimes It Seems Like More Pain Would Help

Some days I hurt so bad that I think that it would actually help to cause myself more pain. This seems to be more common on days when I have a migraine. On those days in particular I think that hitting my head against the wall would actually help the pain. Would it? Of course not!

Why do I have these thoughts and urges? I've never acted on them, of course, but what is the rationale in causing oneself more pain intentionally? I tried to find information about this, but the only thing I'm finding is in regards to individuals that are severely depressed.

Perhaps it is simply my mind attempting to come up with a distraction to the pain, no matter how ridiculous. I have no desire to actually hurt myself, I just want the pain to stop! Unfortunately, on my worst days, the only solution to the pain is to take medicine that knocks me out and sleep all day.

Do you ever have these thoughts and impulses? What do you think the cause is?

Organic Potting Soil for $11.99- With Free Prime Shipping!

Organic potting soil is on sale again on Amazon! I ordered a bunch the last time it was on sale and am super happy with it.

You can't beat this price when it comes to organic soil, not to mention getting it delivered to your door without extra shipping costs! Miracle-Gro 72983510 Organic Choice Potting Mix, 32-Quart is currently on sale for $11.99 with FREE Prime shipping.

Check it out before the sale is over, you never know how long it will last!

Special thanks to my friend Anna for the heads up!

Latex Allergy Blog and Resource Call Out!

Picture courtesy of stock.xchng

Do you have any favorite blogs on latex allergy?

Do you have your own latex allergy blog?

I'm starting to put together a directory of latex allergy blogs and resources, so please comment if you have any to recommend!

Reusable Latex Free Gloves!

I am uber psyched. I was just chatting with a friend the other day about how I really need some reusable gloves as I tend to fly through my disposable nitrile gloves, and *voila* I found some!

Available in small, medium, and large, these should be on my porch any day now!  The Mr. Clean Satin Touch Latex-Free Reusable Nitrile Gloves are available in small, medium, and large and are currently $4.99 per pair.

Compare that to disposable nitrile gloves, which I will still of course keep on hand, and you have yourself a deal!

Yay! Free Stuff!

So, this week I received:

A free Sinus Rinse bottle courtesy of Neil-Med, a $25 check for 10 minutes of my time, a free e-subscription to a Bible Study magazine, a free download of The Gospel Coalition's "Songs for the Book of Luke" album, $5.25 for keeping an app on my iPhone, and a free set of Wall O' Waters.

Here are the details:

• I requested the free Sinus Rinse bottle on January 25th, when I posted the giveaway. It was a pretty effortless request, and I'm excited to try it out.
• The $25 check came from a study on a workman's comp claim a few years back. Evidently my information was provided from the state. Ten minutes on the phone, and I get the check within a week. Score!
• For The Gospel Coalition's "Songs for the Book of Luke" album, I entered the giveaway through the PunchTab app on my iPhone. If you don't have it, get it! It makes entering giveaways so incredibly easy!
• Also thanks to PunchTab, I won the 1 year e-subscription to Evangelical Quarterly through http://biblicalstudies.org.uk/.
• Yet again, another win through PunchTab. The Wall O' Waters is a season extender for plants, protecting them from cold weather damage. I've never used anything like these before so I'm excited!
• The Mobile Trends app for iPhones anonymously tracks how you use your smartphone and daily sends information updates. For keeping it on my iPhone for a month, I received $5.25 Paypal cash. I've been using it since January, so I know it's legit.

Moving with Chronic Illness

We are moving! I don't know when, but sometime! Currently we have about 1700 square feet of space. While it's not stuffed with furniture, I do have a bunch of junk and stuff in the garage and a storage room. That is.... I did!

Since I can't remember when we decided to move, I can't tell you how long ago it was that I started preparing for it. A month? Two months? Let's settle on 6 weeks.

So 6 weeks ago, we decided that we simply needed to start over financially. Get out of our house which we can't afford to take care of and find a place with low rent and utility costs. At this point I pulled out a binder and filled it with notebook paper, with a week-by-week list of what I should be doing to prepare for moving. I also listed what needed to be done in each room before we moved.

Did I follow the plan? Of course not! (Remember the blog plan? Ha!) BUT, it has helped tremendously. It got me into the mindset of getting rid of things we don't use, such as the rocker recliner no one has sat in for 5 years. In fact, we have a car full of items to go to the consignment shop, and I still have so much stuff to get rid of that I started a Facebook page to sell things!

Not only are we getting rid of clutter, we're making a bit of money. Money that will pay for deposits and moving expenses.

Now before you think you couldn't possibly do this, I used to be a bit of a hoarder. Not one of the intervention- requiring ones, but the type of person that saved all sorts of things "just in case." Well, "just in case" either never came or when it did, I couldn't find what I had kept because it was buried with so much other unnecessary junk!

As a result of this realization, I retrained my brain. If I keep so many thing for a rainy day, then can't find them because of all of the other rainy day items, I'm doing nothing but causing myself problems!

There is, of course, a good deal of items that won't sell. Things that I would feel guilty asking for money for, and these are going on Freecycle and the free section of Craigslist. It's amazing what people will take off your hands if it's free! Off the top of my head, two non-functional TVs, a small broken chest freezer without the door, a ginormously tall wooden pole, an old side table that's falling apart, lots of paint.... and much more. So keep this in mind if you need to get rid of something that you would otherwise have to pay to dispose of.

The moral of the story is to pace yourself and accept the bad days in with the good. And always remember, if you commit to do just one thing every day (even if it is just rinsing off a dish), you did something and the day wasn't a total and complete wash-out.

What are your favorite moving tips?

Latex Free Socks

Socks are one clothing item that you really can't do without. If you're like me and literally just dumped out your sock drawers, you're probably wondering what in the world to do now. Fortunately, there are options! Not a lot, but there are some.

I went from drawers full of fun and colorful socks to seven pairs. It was quite the culture shock, as I was used to having a variety to choose from to lift my spirits a bit in the morning. I liked wearing cute socks. While I have yet to find printed latex free socks, I did find some colored socks from J. Crew.

• J. Crew: My best advice is to simply call them and ask about latex free socks. I had an incredibly helpful customer service agent that contacted all sorts of people to ensure that a particular line of socks was latex free. It took perhaps a week, but it was well worth the wait. Plus, I now have pink socks! The particular socks I bought were on clearance, so I can't really offer a price range.
• Cottonique: I haven't ordered from this company, but I hear nothing but good reviews. Their white socks are $18.75 for a two pack, and are made of 100% organic cotton.
• Vermont Country Store: While the socks here are both marketed for men, women can easily just buy a smaller size and be happy. (That's what I did.) 
• Their Merino Wool socks are comprised of merino wool and nylon and come in traditional trouser sock colors. They are $13.95 per pair.
• The Non-Elastic Crew Socks come in a two pack and are 99% cotton and 1% nylon. They are $9.90 per pack. These are what I bought. They don't stay up like "regular" socks, but they work, they're comfy, and most importantly, I don't react to them.

There are some other companies that advertise as offering latex-free socks, but so far these are the only ones that I can confirm. Please comment if you have any socks to add to the list!

Remember to ask about spandex/lycra/elastene as well- these aren't necessarily safe for those with latex allergies anymore!

Making Your Wardrobe Latex Free: A Detailed List

When I first realized that I was actually wearing latex, I went through all my clothes. My sock drawers and underwear drawers were literally just dumped out, as I knew that everything had Lycra/Spandex/Elastene in it. I had no idea that latex was so pervasive! Here is a plan of attack to make your wardrobe latex free:

Remember: elastic and Lycra/Spandex/Elastene are now your arch enemies!

• T-shirts
• Only keep t-shirts without the plastic-y decals, the decals generally contain latex. 
• Check the labels to ensure there is no Lycra/Spandex/Elastene in the material. 
• Examine all of the seams closely, especially around the neckline, across the shoulders, and at the wrists. Clear elastic can be hiding here, and it's very sneaky!
• Jeans
• Check the labels. Almost all denim now contains Lycra/Spandex/Elastene, particularly those designed for women.
• Look for elastic at the waistband and in any areas of ruching.
• Decorations can be iffy. Use your own judgement here.
• Dresses
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Look for elastic across the shoulders, around the neckline, at the cuffs, and at any other seams.
• Ruched or layered dresses almost always have elastic across each ruched section.
• Underwear
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Look for elastic, especially at the waistband and leg openings.
• Socks/Hosiery
• Socks generally don't have tags, and unless they are special ordered, almost all contain latex. Dump the drawers out and say goodbye!
• The vast majority of pantyhose and knee-highs contain latex as well, with the exception of L'eggs brand.
• Slippers
• Look for elastic.
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Get the model information from the tag and call the manufacturer. Be sure to ask about latex in the adhesive or trim as well.
• Once you have the information from the manufacturer that the shoes *should be* latex free, take a sniff of the (clean) sole. If you have no symptoms, move on to sniff the top of the slipper. Any slippers that leave you without symptoms are keepers!
• Swimsuits
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Look for elastic, particularly clear elastic.
• Shoes-Athletic
• Get the model information from the tag and call the manufacturer. Be sure to ask about latex in the adhesive or trim as well.
• Once you have the information from the manufacturer that the shoes *should be* latex free, take a sniff of the (clean) sole. If you have no symptoms, move on to sniff the top of the shoe. Any shoes that leave you without symptoms are keepers!

• Sweatshirts
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Get rid of any sweatshirts with the plastic-y decal(s). 
• Belts
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Some belts have elastic in them, so look closely. 
• Hats
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Search for hidden elastic, especially in the more stylish, formed hats.
• Suits
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Look for elastic, particularly at the waist.
• Shorts
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Look for elastic, especially in waistbands.
• Coats
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Look for elastic. It can be hidden in all sorts of spots in coats, but most often in cinched waists and cuffs.
• Robes/Housecoats
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Look for elastic everywhere.
• Examine all seems very closely for clear elastic. One of my robes had clear elastic across the shoulder seam and I didn't catch it until I had been itchy for a month!
• Skirts
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Look for elastic in any ruching and at the waistband.
• Pants
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Check the waistband for elastic.
• Look for elastic in the cuffs, especially in sweat pants.
• Shoes- Dressy/Casual
• Get the model information from the tag and call the manufacturer. Be sure to ask about latex in the adhesive or trim as well.
• For sandals and women's dress shoes in particular, closely look for any elastic. Even the smallest section of elastic touching your skin can set off symptoms.
• Once you have the information from the manufacturer that the shoes *should be* latex free, take a sniff of the (clean) sole. If you have no symptoms, move on to sniff the top of the shoe. Any shoes that leave you without symptoms are keepers!
• Gloves
• Check the label for Spandex/Lycra/Elastene.
• Look for elastic in any form-fitting portion or gathers/ruching.
• Examine the palm and fingertips. Latex can be hidden here.

If there is Spandex/Lycra/Elastene listed on the label, it must go! Some elastic is fairly easy to remove and replace with latex-free elastic or a drawstring, so you may be able to keep items in which the only problem is a piece of elastic or two.

This has been an ongoing process for me as I continue to find more hidden sources of latex in my clothing, so I'm sure I've left something out. Please comment anything you notice that I have missed!