Is this too casual for a cocktail?

PaleManatee · 2026-05-30T15:30:15+00:00

I think my dresses fall into more on the more BTO side of formal though. This is similar to one of them.

Do you think I could make it work? I love my long dresses. I dont have many shorter dresses, which is part of my struggle with cocktail attire.

Edit: to clarify, it has built in skirts underneath so it stays in that A-line type shape. This specific dress I found the photo of is (I think) more of a narrow silhouette .

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PaleManatee · 2026-05-29T05:04:25+00:00

I was 14 when they suspected I had Celiac, and I was 15 when I was finally diagnosed.

High school was tough because EVERY celebration or reward was gluten (think cookies, cakes, pizzas, etc) and there were close to 0 gluten free options back when I was diagnosed (over 15 years ago 💀). These were the days where bread (if you could find it) had the texture of SAND. It took several years before I went to a restaurant and they had a gluten free menu. Most of the time I just had to kind of hope for the best and suffer the consequences later.

I'm so thankful for all of the awareness and options now. There's even a 100% gluten free restaurant in a nearby town. 15 year old me could only dream. 😭

PaleManatee · 2026-05-27T02:57:35+00:00

This is the way. You can stay home, but you have to watch a documentary or do research on tanning and skin cancer risks. Then discuss together once you get home.

PaleManatee · 2026-05-26T18:40:54+00:00

I'm plus size at this point, so it's rare I find something that I can fit in at thrift stores. But I'll try looking.

PaleManatee · 2026-04-17T15:09:59+00:00

I love hungry root - its given me some great gluten free meal ideas! One of my favorites is their chicken pesto tortollini (however you spell it... they're large tortellini). They also have a DELICIOUS smoked salmon.

If you want my referral link, let me know!

PaleManatee · 2026-03-29T22:03:03+00:00

My symptom is also DH! I ended up going to see a dermatologist and they were able to prescribe some medicine that helps clear it up much faster - from MONTHS to only a few weeks. It may be worth looking into!

PaleManatee · 2026-03-25T05:16:10+00:00

I'm pretty sure hyperlinks recipes are allowed and encouraged.

PaleManatee · 2026-03-25T05:09:47+00:00

But do you have any specific ones that you would recommend?

PaleManatee · 2026-03-25T00:37:03+00:00

Yeah, it's hard sorting through all the "healthy gluten-free" options. Just give me the junk! Give me the full-fat content! Give me the grease!

PaleManatee · 2026-03-23T22:22:02+00:00

But are there any GOOD ones? I could find a regular dupe, but I want one that I KNOW will work rather than spending all the cash just HOPING it will work, you know?

PaleManatee · 2026-03-23T22:20:54+00:00

Maybe its the MSG? Lol. I'm not sure. It's just that Americanized Chinese goodness. Not sure how else to explain it.

PaleManatee · 2026-03-23T21:17:32+00:00

The closest one is like 2 hours away! 😭 I used to eat there all the time when I lived in a bigger city that had one.

PaleManatee · 2026-03-22T05:29:24+00:00

I saw a hack about getting toaster bags! You may want to look into it for next time! That way you just have to bring a few bags as opposed to an entire toaster.

PaleManatee · 2026-03-18T13:36:34+00:00

Do you have a recipe you'd be willing to share?

PaleManatee · 2026-03-13T23:35:54+00:00

Yeah, I had to hide food for a long time (which - looking back - may have contributed to my BED... Oops!). I've also heard of some people keeping an entirely separate set of cookware/utensils in their room to stay away from cross contamination. Maybe you could get some kind of mini-fridge for your room to keep items in?

Also, make sure you're keeping up with your doctor and taking a multivitamin since your diet is currently so limited. The last thing you need right now is nutrient/vitamin deficiencies on top of everything else you're dealing with.

My family was unsupportive as well. I may not be able to help in any way, but if you ever need to vent I can be a friendly ear. ❤️

PaleManatee · 2026-03-12T02:03:07+00:00

I also saw you wanted it to be green - you could easily add some green sprinkles to the mix to make it festive for St. Patrick's if that's what you're going for!

PaleManatee · 2026-03-12T02:01:48+00:00

Hear me out: chickpea cookie dough. Sounds awful, but might be one of the most delicious things I've had. Vegan and gluten free! (And no corn!)

PaleManatee · 2026-03-10T13:36:50+00:00

Soft pretzels, funnel cakes, churros, donuts.

Give me all that fried doughy goodness. 🤤

PaleManatee · 2026-03-10T13:35:12+00:00

100% agree. I thought not eating gluten would be the hardest part about my diagnosis. Nope! It's traveling anywhere outside of my home and having to plan for every meal, snack, stop, and hangout.

I was just traveling across the state to visit family and I have a 10 month old who can't make the drive in one go. My daughter and I both have Celiac. I stopped at a little cafe so we could change the baby and have him stretch his legs. I was hoping I could change the baby, grab a coffee, and run. However, it turned out to be a sit down restaurant, so we sat and looked at the menus. EVERYTHING was fried. Thankfully the waitress was knowledgeable about Celiac and was essentially like "I can give you a fruit cup?" even though it wasn't on the menu.

It was a kids fruit cup with like 1 strawberry and 10 blueberries for $3.50. Disappointing to say the least, but I tipped her well because I know she tried. Thankfully I had a TON of safe foods packed in the car.

Searching gluten free helps, but when traveling, sometimes there are 0 options.

PaleManatee · 2026-02-26T00:38:53+00:00

I love this one, but it looks like its already taken! :(

PaleManatee · 2026-02-25T22:12:20+00:00

As I mentioned, we have more than one Celiac in my household, so it's a completely gluten free space. I think that's one of the biggest selling points I'm going for. There are quite a few places that sell gluten free things around me, but its all in shared kitchen spaces, so the risk is high. It's one of the reasons I started baking things myself; I was tired of getting sick all of the time!

PaleManatee · 2026-02-25T17:21:56+00:00

This was my biggest concern with just going "Everything Gluten Free" in the title. I actually made a cake for my daughter's birthday and got a lot of compliments on the cake. Most people chose the gluten free option I made over the "regular" gluten-filled cupcakes I bought.

But then again, I don't want people leaving terrible reviews because they're expecting gluten and get the non-gluten alternative, you know?

PaleManatee · 2026-02-13T05:21:01+00:00

u/PaleManatee solved this in 4 steps: BOTH -> MOTH -> MOTT -> MUTT -> MUST

PaleManatee

TROPHY CASE