Snow White

"Snow White chooses an Orange!", watercolor & ink, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

In my story Snow White says, “No thanks. I’d rather have an orange!”  She remains strong, healthy, and in charge of her own destiny!

What if we all stayed away from food that robbed our health? That poisoned us?  That slowed us down?  That was filled empty or useless calories? And allowed ourselves to heal and grow strong, healthy and in charge! 

Two things I hope my pre-school daughter learns from me…

See the beauty that you are so that you don’t fall prey to others dictating beauty. And beware the lure of harmful food.

Food and Fairy Tales

Sneak peek of "Snow White" 8x10. watercolor & ink, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

My daughter, a few months shy of four, loves fairy tales. Fairy tales, fables, myths – you name it.  Books, stories, videos, movies, toys. The fantasies and characters seem to swirl and dance through our home, ever present.  They peek and lurk around books, by the princesses found at every turn, and near the dragons, knights, castles, unicorns,  and - more princesses, that dictate our decor.

I was inspired to illustrate her as the princesses and heroines of her favorite stories so that the big "D" wouldn't be her sole source of how a princess can look.

Inspired and driven.

And as I started to create them, some with my own twist of knowing, and a pinch of my daughter’s wit and imagination, it occurred to me how many of the stories have food as an integral factor… Food that is the distraction, the downfall, the carrier of poison, or the evil lure.

Ah, and so my circle back to celiac and gluten.

To be continued…

Lunchtime

"Italian Garden', watercolor & ink on paper, 5x7, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Lunchtime does not normally move me to tears. Just a meal in the middle of the day, right?  Not usually an emotional experience.  

But recently I met my husband for lunch at a pizza place that I learned about on twitter.  I had seen tweets about gluten-free pizza by the slice (!), over 60 varieties of cookies and dozens of fresh baked GF cakes. On 23rd street!  Just blocks from my office.  Sounded too good to be true.

It wasn't. The pizza was outstanding, the owner and staff were all very friendly - and all those GF cookies and cakes were there... An entire wall of them!

I sat and ate my slice of spinach, mushroom and fresh garlic pizza with tears in my eyes. Moved by the fact that there are chefs and business owners who want to get GF right - driven to perfect their recipes and not just settle for good enough.

I am very sensitive to any gluten, and cross contamination is a real fear of mine. I ate at Mozzarelli's safely, happily and with tears in my eyes. My fellow celiacs know what I mean.

Gluten Free Holiday

"Welcome to Gluten-Free Pineapple" watercolor and ink, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Gluten-Free Living Magazine put together a Gluten-Free Holiday Gift Guide on their blog from foods, to cooking and baking tools, to clothes & aprons, even a special section for the GF man in your life... and I was thrilled and honored that my GF Illustrator aprons made the list!

So if you are looking for gifts for your gluten-free family and friends to show you care, and support them in their quest for optimal health, it is worth checking out.  

Happy Gluten-free Holidays!

The Monkey House

"Close Enough"detail, ink on paper, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

I hadn't been down the grocery store bread aisle in ages. But honey was on my list and that's where our local Pathmark shelves it. Having no need for 'regular' bread I've avoided that aisle since honestly, I no longer care for the smell.

The longer I am gluten-free the less I can tolerate the smell and the more uncomfortable it makes me. The honey was half way down a looong aisle so I couldn’t just get in and out. The coughing started as soon as I entered, increasing the further I went, and as I got to the honey I was really coughing - truly feeling like I couldn’t get enough air. By the time I was able to get out I was practically gagging.  It's very similar to my reaction to the monkey house at the zoo and usually make a quick exit.

When I got home and told my husband he thought it was a bit kooky - can't blame him - and he assumed it was my thought associations with gluten that was responsible for the reaction. So I reached out to my celiac/GF friends on twitter to find out if anyone else has a similar physical reaction. And found out I am not the only one (which proves I'm not crazy).

How does the bread aisle make you feel?

Gluten-Free Halloween

"Happy Halloween Dahling", watercolor & ink, 5x7, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

I love chocolate, chocolate and oh, more chocolate!  Halloween is a great reason to have lots of it in the house.  I don't know if it is the unmatched flavor of chocolate, or living without it for 23 years, or my continued awe and joy that living gluten-free has given me back the pleasure of chocolate. But, I enjoy a little every day.

The NFCA has published a Gluten-Free Snack and Candy List on their website and I was thrilled to find such a large selection. With Halloween right around the corner I thought I would share my top 10 candies, but realized it’s just a few that I am crazy about and quite possibly - addicted to.

Here are my top 3 favorite gluten-free sweets...

Reese’s peanut butter cups A delighful & perfect blend of two of my favorite flavors. I craved Reese's PB cups for the entire 23 yrs I went without chocolate.

Peanut M&M's  I did not appreciate the beauty of the peanut m&m’s when I was a kid but when I had them again for the first time it had been closer to 30 yrs. Wow - first your teeth crack through the sweet crispy shell, then sink into the soft creamy chocolate, and top it off by reaching the yummy peanut. Such a combination of taste and texture. Genius.

3 muskteers Deliciously smooth and creamy.

I also LOVE Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips but throwing a handful of loose chips in Halloween bags doesn’t work, so I'll just enjoy those on my own.

I am waiting until right before Halloween to stock up so I don’t eat them all before the trick-or-treaters arrive.  I am secretly hoping traffic will be light so there will be an abundance of leftovers. 

Pressure & Perfection

"Wine Tasting Border", 3" x 7", watercolor & ink, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

To say I am a perfectionist is an understatement. It is my greatest stumbling block. I started this blog to document my journey to reclaiming & maintaining good health and yet if I can't find the perfect thing to say with a matching illustration, it seems I can't say anything. I need to constantly remind myself that it’s the process that counts. If so then every piece along the way, good bad or anywhere in between, is fine just for the reason that it is ALL part of the adventure.

This is so with all the main aspects of my life… my art, the food I consume, my relationships and motherhood. Now I always try to do the right thing for all of above for many reasons but perfect is not always (or ever) possible. If mistakes happen along the way I need to learn from them and move on. I also need to stop putting enormous pressure on myself... It is counterproductive to all that I want to accomplish. See that...back to focusing on the end product.

I was reminded last night that it’s all part of life and there are an infinite number of opportunities to make choices in any given day.  So I am shifting my focus from accomplishing perfection to staying in the moment, and viewing it all as the work in progress that it is; an ongoing creation and interaction.

To that end I release myself from the need to always have the perfect thing to write here matched with the perfectly appropriate art/illustration.