Wow!  So I totally lied about updating my blog!  I believe I was going to update it on Veteran's Day when I was off work -- that was, oh, two weeks ago!

So I feel like a lot has been going on lately.  My job has gotten seriously crazy -- I definitely see why social workers have such a high burnout rate.  That crap is STRESSFUL! 

We did get some good news about a month ago.  We had our follow-up ultrasound at the end of October when I was about 12 weeks along.  The baby was doing great and the fluid situation they were worried about had resolved itself.  Talk about a relief!  Gosh.  I have my next appointment on November 29th.  I am scheduled for a regular OB visit, along with the quad screen.  I am not 100% sure I want the quad screen -- I may back out at the last minute.  At this point I am satisfied with my last u/s when they said everything was fine and the baby looked great.  I guess we still have a few more days to decide. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you all have much to be thankful for!  I know I am SUPER thankful that I actually like most foods again and that I have my appetite back.  I was so worried that Thanksgiving would come and I would still be hating food.  Woohoo!!!  I can't wait :)

Thursday, Thursday, Thursday !

...is the day I will update my blog :)  My life has been seriously insane lately and I want to update, I really do, but I just can't seem to find the time!  So Thursday I am off for Veteran's Day and I will have all the time in the world to update my little blog :)

What a crazy ride....

So I have a lot to update!  I haven't even signed into blogger in a couple of weeks because my life has been absolutely insane lately.  A LOT to update, so I will just start from the beginning...

When we first found out I was pregnant we talked about when and how we wanted to tell our families.  We both decided to just keep it a secret for a while and spill the beans after we saw a heartbeat and a growing baby.  I was DYING to tell someone, but I managed to keep the secret (mostly).  Dave kept saying "You need to tell your Mamaw" and I kept saying "I will wait and tell her when we tell the rest of our families".  Gosh I wish I would have listened to him.  At the time I had no idea that she would suffer a massive heart attack before we got the chance to tell her that she would be getting her 18th (!!) great-grandchild.  Tuesday morning (October 5), she was rushed to the hospital.  We had our first ultrasound the very next day and saw a little heart just beating away at 164 BPM!  By this time my Mamaw (my grandmother, if you haven't caught on yet :) was lying in a hospital bed pumped full of morphine.  I was really torn about what to do.  I was so sad that I had waited until she was sick and almost unresponsive in a hospital before I told her.  One week earlier and I could have told her and gotten one of her amazing hugs, and we would have sat down and talked about plans for a baby quilt (she was a lifelong quilter and made AMAZING quilts -- every stitch was hand-stitched, she didn't even own a sewing machine).  I tried to get a few minutes alone with her and just hope that she would hear me and understand my words.  With my luck, every time I got some time alone with her happened to be right after they had given her another does of morphine, so of course she was out of it.  I said the words to her, but in my heart I knew that she didn't really hear it.

So on Saturday, I am sitting in the hospital waiting room with my dad.  By this time she had been holding on for 5 days -- on top of the heart attack, she also suffered a stroke, one lung was collapsed and she also had pneumonia.  Her doctor told us that he truly believed it was a miracle that she even lived through the heart attack, as it totally destroyed at least half of her heart.  But yet she was hanging in there for some reason.  My dad said "The Good Lord is calling her home, but for some reason she is hanging on.  I wish I knew what for, so that maybe we could help her to let go."  When he said this I just reached in my bag and handed him the ultrasound picture.  It wasn't at all how I planned to tell him, but I told him that I needed him to help me tell my Mamaw -- he seemed to be able to get through to her and she responded most to him, I think.  So we went in her room -- my mom was in there so of course I had to show her the pic (there were lots of happy and sad tears in that room).  Then my dad and I went over to her bed, and she was not necessarily alert but I could tell that she was a little bit aware of what was going on.  I couldn't get the words out so my dad just said to her "Jessica is going to have a baby".  I knew immediately that she understood because when she got good news she would always say "Awwww" in the sweetest way possible, and she did that exact thing when my dad told her.  So that made my heart happy :)  She passed on Monday night after a good fight.

I am so sad that she won't be around to meet my baby and that I won't ever get the chance to work on a baby quilt with her, but I am so thankful for the time we had together and I have lots of good memories to share with my child someday :)

After I made sure my Mamaw and parents knew about the baby I could finally tell the rest of our families!  Here is what we did for my family...

That is my nephew, Levi.  Dave and I stole him away for a quick diaper change and put this onesie on him.  We just brought him back and handed him to my sister -- it took her a second to catch on, but everyone was so excited when she started shoving him in everyone's faces saying "read the shirt!".

For Dave's parents, we took them an early anniversary gift of a rubber ducky, a pair of baby shoes and a onesie that says "What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's".  Needless to say there were lots of tears from his mom.  Dave is an only child so we are their only shot at grandkids!

OK, now fast forward to the next Wednesday (2 days after my Mamaw passed, if you are following my crazy timeline!).  My midwife calls and says "well your bloodwork all came back great" and immediately I am thinking "why are you calling me?  You said you would only call if there are problems".  She then tells me that the doc looked over my ultrasound and noticed what she thought might be some extra fluid around the baby and that they wanted me to come back in for another ultrasound in a couple of weeks.  She kept saying "It could be a problem, but we won't know for sure until we see you again".  Of course my mind is reeling at the thought of my baby having any kinds of problems.  She could have told me that they needed to amputate both of my legs and I think I would have taken it better!  She just told me to stay calm (HA!) for the next couple of weeks and we would go from there.  So it has been a LONG week and I have one more to go :(  So if you are the praying kind, maybe you could say a little prayer for me and the kiddo?

If you have made it to the end of this post, well then all I have to say is Bless You!

Jason Aldean - Laughed Until We Cried

 

Last night I got to see Jason Aldean in concert.  It was pretty much amazing :)  This is my favorite song of his -- makes me all teary-eyed every time I hear it :)

Wow.

Who knew that pregnancy is the most terrifying journey that I would ever take!?  And I have not even known for three weeks yet.  The weekend was great -- Sunday I had mad cravings at the grocery store, coming home with the most random assortment of food items I have ever seen!  Sunday night -- the spotting started.  It was pink and I was absolutely terrified.  I literally curled up in my husband's lap and cried all night.  I just had that bad feeling, ya know?  I didn't sleep a wink because I was in the bathroom just about every 15 minutes or so.  I even called Labor and Delivery at the hospital.  Monday morning, I called into work due to the lack of sleep and the fact that I would be totally worthless.  I called my OB and talked to the nurse and she didn't seem too concerned -- just told me to keep an eye on everything and to come to my regular appointment on Thursday.  Thursday cannot come soon enough!!  I am going to literally BEG for an ultrasound (I wasn't scheduled for one) and if they don't give me one, then by God I will go to someone who will!! 

So I have had on and off spotting today and thankfully it has been brown and haven't noticed any at all in a couple of hours, but I have felt like I have had more cramps than usual which is a little worrisome to me.  So now I am just counting down to Thursday and hoping and praying for a healthy baby.....

I can't believe I am typing this....

But....

Excuse the 1970's style bathroom countertops, but you are looking at a BFP!!  The first positive pregnancy test I have ever seen and I am absolutely over the moon!!  I honestly thought we were out this month.  I did a terrible job temping/charting and just really didn't put much effort into TTC this month.  On top of that I started a brand new job and my insurance doesn't kick in until November 1st (oops)!  I do still have my old policy, so I am not worried about coverage.

OK so here is how it all went down....

Like I said I really thought we were out this month and I wasn't even planning on testing at all.  Fertility Friend hadn't confirmed my O date since I had a lot of missing temps and open circles.  I woke up on Friday morning (September 10) and considered not even taking my temp, just waiting for AF to come.  I thought I would take it just for the heck of it and I am so glad I did!  It had actually gone up!  So I decided to go ahead and test.  I am so used to seeing negatives that I usually can tell right away that it is going to be a negative, but I still let it sit for a few minutes just to make sure.  So this one looked like it was going to be a negative so I followed the normal routine of setting the strip down and going about my business, doing my makeup and hair or whatever.  Well when I glanced back down at the test I about had a heart attack!  I could not believe my eyes.  Dave had already left for work so I just walked around the house in shock!  I didn't know what to do!

So I went on to work -- it was a long morning -- and bought a FRER Gold Digital at lunchtime.  After the longest three minutes OF MY LIFE, that beautiful YES+ finally popped up!  After work I went out and bought a card, a bib that says "I love Daddy", and the Willow Tree New Dad figure for Dave.  When he got home I handed him the bag and told him to open the card first.  He just sat there staring at me in shock!  He kept saying "are you serious?"  I wish I would have thought to capture the look on his face with my camera, but my mind was preoccupied at the moment!

In short, I am so very grateful for everything that God has blessed me with :)  I know I don't deserve it all, but I am thankful nonetheless.  I prayed and prayed for this day, shed many tears along the way, and I sit here typing this and just can't believe it is actually happening!  I have never felt anything like it :)

What's for Supper? (or dinner, depending on where you come from!)

I woke up today craving a good BBQ sandwich.  Apparently my husband was watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives last night while I was sleeping and they were focused on BBQ.  I didn't watch it but I guess my subconscious picked up on it!  So this morning I broke out the ole' crock pot and fixed myself some BBQ!

I used this recipe from allrecipes.com:

Ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
• 3 pounds boneless pork ribs
• 1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce

Directions

1. Pour can of beef broth into slow cooker, and add boneless pork ribs. Cook on High heat for 4 hours, or until meat shreds easily. Remove meat, and shred with two forks. It will seem that it's not working right away, but it will.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Transfer the shredded pork to a Dutch oven or iron skillet, and stir in barbeque sauce.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until heated through

I followed it exactly and it turned out great!  Well I did cook it on low all day instead of on high for just a few hours. 

I did bake it in the oven for about 30 minutes or so.  I am glad I did because it gave it those little crispy pieces :)

Served it up with some baked beans and fresh garden corn :)

Yum!

The Secret of Life....

Is a good tomato sandwich :)

Our family has done some serious gardening this year and on top of that Dave's patients and co-workers keep sending him home with fresh veggies!  So right now we have an abundance of tomatoes that we are trying to eat through.  In my opinion, there is no meal more refreshing on a hot summer evening (or morning or afternoon) than a good tomato sandwich.  In fact, I think I could eat them for the rest of my life and be totally happy with it!

There are really only 3 ingredients that are absolutely vital here:

1) Cheap white bread (any store brand will do fine, because really its not about the bread)
2) A fresh garden tomato (the juicier the better -- I love it when the bread gets a little soggy)
3) Mayo (It has got to be Duke's, in my opinion -- but Hellman's will do in a pinch)

And there you have it!  Delicious!

Etsy = Love

I have recently been on an Etsy kick -- spending more time there than on Facebook or The Bump, even!  I have found some of the cutest things that I am just dying to order for our house.  Sadly, the hubs and I just joined up our finances so he of course sees EVERYTHING and well I really am trying to be good and save a little.  But here are some of the cute things I have found for our bathroom that we are getting ready to remodel, and I am talking a TOTAL remodel -- drywall, new tile floor, new sink, shower, bathtub, the works basically.

A vinyl decal for our wall.  And I am actually considering painting the walls a neutral color like this one.

A Ball Mason jar soap dispenser! 

Of course I have found about a million other things that I have to have too!

Tomorrow is the day.  I am turning in my notice first thing tomorrow morning.  The boss was out on Friday so that pretty much ruined my original plan.  So lucky me -- I got to look forward to it ALL WEEKEND!!!  My letter is printed, now just to break the news.  Oh boy.

Haha

0 As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure) Take the test!

Saw this on another blog and of course I had to take it and re-post it!  My favorite question:  "Puts her cold feet on husband at night to warm them?"  Heck yes I do!  Isn't that what he is there for?

Ummmm....ok

So I got a new job, which is great!!  It is a county job with awesome benefits and health insurance that actually covers maternity!!  So I will be able to ditch the $417 a month that I spend to buy insurance (with maternity coverage) privately since my current job doesn't offer it.

So here is the tricky part -- telling my boss that I am leaving.  If I leave my job, I will be putting my co-workers in a really bad spot.  My boss is going to be so disappointed in me.  I know when it is all said and done that it is my life and I have to do what is right for me, but that doesn't really make it any easier to do this. 

Vance, our deputy director at the agency where I work, has worked his butt off all summer writing grants to fund my program.  I am scared they will have to send the money back if I leave and all that work he did will be for nothing!  I am really not normal -- I should be excited I got a new (better) job, and I am, but I feel like such a letdown. 

Oh well -- I am thinking I will turn in my notice on Friday afternoon, so that way they will have the weekend to cool off (or plot my murder, whichever).

And on to the next...yet again.

Yep we are moving on to cycle 8.  I guess there is not much more to say than that.  I am at the point where I don't even expect anything BUT disappointment.  So yeah, there you have it.

In other news...I have a magician cat!  We went to the vet today and I had him in his carrier.  The carrier is a fabric-y type carrier with a zipper door on the front and a zipper on top.  So we get to the vet and I leave him in the car for what I thought would be just a minute.  I needed to get some things for the dogs and I wanted to do that first.  Of course I left the car running so he would stay cool.  I left him in his carrier, but made sure to lock the windows just in case.  The car was parked right outside the door so I was keeping my eye on it the whole time.  Well when I go back to the car to get him he is nowhere to be found!  The window was down!  That little shit somehow found his way out of the carrier.  I am thinking the thing wasn't all the way zipped and he got his paw in there and worked it open to where he could get out.  Then he somehow managed to press the window lock button on my door, unlocking all the windows.  THEN he went over to the passenger side door and stepped on the button to roll down the window ALL THE WAY and jumped out!  It was an absolute nightmare!  I guess that is what I get for turning my head for 5 seconds!  Thankfully I found him and he was just fine, but I was scared to death.  I am getting a new and sturdier carrier for the next visit!

Well....

So much for TTA this month!  We started the cycle with good intentions to TTA, just because I had applied for the TA job and wanted to be clear on insurance type things.  Wellllll we maybe weren't so careful about that -- but it is fine because I ended up not getting the job anyway!

So now I am very hopeful for a BFP, am 8DPO and have phantom symptoms like no other!

On another note -- today is payday!  I had big plans of treating myself to a pedicure after work.  Sadly, our payroll company decided they were going to forget my check this month, so now I won't get paid until Monday :(  They are in Georgia so even if they fed-exed it here over night I still wouldn't get it until Monday.  Plus it is the end of the month, and if you have ever had a job where you only get paid once a month, well then you know how hard that last week or so is!  So no pedicure today. 

Well I am proud to say that I finished my first week of C25K on Sunday!  In the rain no less!  It had been raining on and off all day and finally came to a point where it looked like it would hold off for a while, so I hit the road -- yeah, not so much.  The high school track is really slippery when it is wet and I just kept envisioning myself slipping on the painted lines and numbers and strawberry-ing up my face!  But I made it without injury :)

So I have added another goal to my list.  You may remember that last week I was dreaming of the day when my thighs did not rub together anymore.  Well today I am thinking how lovely it would be to be able to cross one leg over the other without having to wedge it up against the side and top of my desk -- does that make sense?  Ahh a girl can dream, I suppose....

I have also lost 5.6 pounds in two weeks, which I am pretty freakin' excited about!

Hmm what else....  Oh I had my job interview on Tuesday for the TA position.  Turns out it is not exactly what I thought it would be, but that is ok.  It is a "line of sight" position with a little boy with special needs who is also deaf.  If I do get the job I would have to learn sign language -- which I think would be amazing!  I have always wanted to learn to sign.  The job would be a significant paycut, but I would have full state benefits -- with good health insurance.  Woohooo!!!!    Oh and did I mention summers off?  :)

In other news.... You should totally check these guys out.  They are pretty much amazing.  I'm not kidding. 

The Dirty Guv'nahs

You're welcome.

Since we decided to TTA this month while I figure out my job/insurance situation I have decided to really put some effort into getting healthy again.  So I am taking all of my babymaking effort and putting it towards my weight loss effort!  And I put a lot of effort into babymaking!

I am really proud of myself so far.  Last Tuesday I signed up for SparkPeople.com -- used it for about a day.  Don't get me wrong, it is a great website and resource.  I ended up signing up for another 3 months of Weight Watchers online.  WW just feels comfy to me.  I know the plan and I know that it works!  So I have been at it for a week and 2 days now and have already lost 5 pounds -- it feels good :)  I can already tell a difference in the way my clothes feel.  And get this -- my wedding rings fit again!  I have been wearing them all along, but normally if I am at home they come off because they are just too uncomfortable on my sausage fingers.  Now they slide right on and off without any trouble at all!  Go me!

Another thing -- last night I did my first Couch to 5K session.  Now I don't really care if I ever get to the point where I can actually run a 5K (I don't even know how far a 5K is, to be honest), I just want to do some type of exercise and I just don't have the money to spend at a gym right now.  What I REALLY want is for my thighs not to rub together anymore!  Big mistake to wear shorts to the track last night!  Ouch.

At least when we do decide to TTC again -- which I hope will be very soon -- I will be that much more healthy :)

What to do, what to do......

Well we may be putting TTC on hold for a little while :(

I am in grad school right now working on my MAT in Special Education.  I have a Bachelor's in Sociology, which if you have one then you know it is a pretty much worthless degree.  Thankfully I have actually been able to find work since I got out of school, so I guess the fact that it is a 4 year degree is worth something at least!  But I am really unhappy at my job -- it is actually what persuaded me to go back to school.  I had a REALLY bad day at work about 2 years ago and I thought to myself "Screw this!  I'm going back to school!"  So I started on my MAT the next month!  Of course I had to keep my job because let's face it -- money doesn't grow on tress.

I have been wanting to get a job with a school system for a while, but since I am not licensed yet options are pretty limited.  Well this past week they listed 4 TA jobs in the EC classroooms in my district!  After a lot of thought and a discussion with my husband I ended up applying for them.  I want to be in a classroom -- I need the experience.  But it will be a HUGE paycut for me -- like half of my salary.  Yikes!  But the upside is, I would have good benefits, which my current job doesn't offer -- like health insurance!  I have health insurance with maternity coverage now -- but I buy it privately and it is bleeding me dry!  Like $417 a month!

So I think we are going to be putting TTC on hold for at least a month until I find out about my job situation.  I just don't feel comfortable continuing without knowing what I will be doing.  I am really sad about this, but I know it is the best decision for us right now.  I will still be daydreaming about my phantom baby though -- that will never change :)

On to the next.....again.

Well at some point today I will officially be moving on to cycle 7.  My temp dropped below the coverline this morning and I am 15 DPO.  This sucks.  When we started TTC, I actually believed that I would be getting ready to deliver a baby in September.  Yes I thought it would happen right away -- I never in a million years thought that getting pregnant would be so hard.

This month has been hard, harder than the others.  We are officially past the halfway mark of 6 months TTC -- that is a little scary.  I can't stop thinking about all of the what-ifs.  And I finally got to meet my nephew!  Don't get me wrong, he is such a blessing and I absolutely adore him.  I love my nephew, and I love my sister with all my heart.  I love seeing them together and watching her learn to be a new mom -- but it is really, really hard.  A constant reminder of what I have been praying so hard for, and that my prayers haven't been answered yet. 

The constant questions from my family don't help much either.  "When are you having one?"  "When is Levi getting a first cousin?"  "You know, its your turn now!"  Yes, thanks so much for the reminder that yet another month has gone by and I am not pregnant.  Thank you so much!  I am about to break down and tell them all that yes, we have been trying and to SHUT IT!  They don't realize it, but their words hurt. 

So I declare today "Give Up On Life" Day -- I plan on laying here on the couch, eating junk food and watching daytime TV until I can't stand it anymore.

Love at first sight....

Last night I finally got to meet my brand new nephew, Levi James.  I am so totally in love with him already!  After a long and hard labor, Levi finally decided to join us on June 30, 2010 at 10:14 PM.  He was 7 lb, 3 oz. and 19 inches long.  He is an absolute doll baby :)

xoxo

By gosh I am about to meet my nephew!  After 2 very hard days of labor, he is finally ready to make our acquaintance!  I freakin' cannot wait!!!

Pictures to come soon!

Hi Jackie, Hi!

New toy :)

I bought a new camera yesterday!  I am pretty excited :)  I lost my battery charger for my last camera  -- so what better reason to replace it?!  I have spent all day snapping photos -- not really knowing what I am doing, I might add -- but I have had a great time!  I got a Canon Rebel XS -- my first DSLR and I already absolutely love it!  The difference between this camera and a point and shoot is AMAZING!  I am so glad I made the switch!

So that is just a few of the photos I took today -- I definitely need to read through the manual and figure out how to work the thing!

That Chicken Stuff

So yesterday afternoon at about 4:30 was the frantic "what do you want for supper" call to my husband.  He said "make that chicken stuff".  'That chicken stuff' is actually a Kraft recipe that is so super easy to make  -- and yummy too!  I make it about once every two weeks, most of the time on my husband's request. I love this recipe because it only takes 4 ingredients!

What you need:

1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken

2 cups  chopped cooked chicken

1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 lb.  (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 

 Make it!

HEAT oven to 350ºF.
PREPARE stuffing as directed on package. Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl. Add stuffing; mix lightly.
SPOON into 2-qt. casserole.
BAKE 30 min. or until heated through.

Mixing it all together (before adding the Stove Top)

The finished product!  Yes it looks kind of gross, but I promise it is good!

For sides, I usually fix green beans and crescent rolls.  Yesterday my husband randomly wanted broccoli and carrots and crescent rolls of course.  So of course I had to find a way to take away all nutritional value whatsoever from these veggies.  So we had broccoli smothered in velveeta cheese sauce and sweet glazed carrots.  For the carrots, I just sauteed some baby carrots with butter and brown sugar -- no measuring, I just eyeballed it.

My Plate - trying to stick to proper portion sizes here, people!

Challenge!

My fridge is a disaster -- an absolute mess.  So much so that I was actually forbidden to use the crisper drawer in the fridge.  My husband said "Jessica, you are not using the crisper until we get a new fridge.  Absolutely not."  See, we have an old-school fridge and all the drawers are white.  The problem with this is that I go to the grocery store with good intentions of being healthy and buy tons of fruits and veggies.  I tuck them away in the crisper and promptly forget all about them.  Then the next time I go grocery shopping, I do the same thing.  By the time I get home to put the food away the veggies from the previous shopping trip have all turned to black goo in the crisper -- it is like a science experiment in my fridge!

So I am challenging myself today -- I have to prove to my husband that I CAN be responsible enough to use every drawer in my fridge.  I went grocery shopping today and stocked up -- and yes the drawers are full of delicious fruits and veggies!  My challenge to myself is that I am going to eat every piece of fruit and vegetable that I have in my house right now (that I bought tonight), which would be:

2 grapefruits
3 peaches
1 big ol' bunch of grapes
1 cucumber
1 green pepper
1 head of lettuce
1 bag of pre-made salad

Challenge starts tomorrow morning, 8 AM :)

Hey Ya'll

It has been brought to my attention tonight that there are actually people in this country who don't like sweet tea.  What the?!?  I know...  But what is even worse is that there are actually people who don't even know what sweet tea is!  I couldn't believe it.  There is nothing more delicious than a big ol' glass of sweet iced tea -- in a Ball Mason jar of course.  There really is no other way to drink it.

It is 2 am here and I am wide awake.  Oh whats that?  I should be sleeping?  Yes, yes I know.  Sadly I can't sleep because my brilliant husband let the cat get out somehow.  He had the door open last.  I know it was his fault.  He knows it was his fault.  He is sound asleep and I have been searching high and low for the cat.  By myself.  I am not happy.  I finally got to the point where I just couldn't look anymore -- I have been all over.  I just put a can of tuna outside on the porch and here I sit just hoping that he decides to show back up so I can go to sleep.

Thankful Thursday

Yep, it is Thursday again and it has been a whole week since I updated my blog!

Today I am thankful for my town.  I love living in a small town.  I complain about it sometimes because I mean lets face it -- it is hard to keep anything a secret in a small town.  Everybody is always up in everybody else's business!  I am always reminded how much I love it in the middle of the worst situations.  Two years ago today was a TERRIBLE day.  Our town lost a great person, father, husband, son and friend -- State Trooper Shawn Blanton.  I graduated high school with Shawn and he was such a good friend to everyone.  He had an infectious laugh and a smile and eyes that would just light up a room -- it was hard to not like him.  I may have had a gigantic crush on him during senior year!  When he was killed, it was amazing to watch our town come together -- it reminded me just why I love living here. 

I am also thankful for all of our law enforcement officers and the risks they take each day -- yes I know it sounds corny.  But seriously, they go to work every day not knowing if they will ever make it back home.  I can't imagine...  Thank you G540 -- you will never be forgotten.

Thankful Thursday

I tend to do a lot of complaining about school, work, money, you name it -- so it is important every once in a while to stop and thank about all the good things I have in my life.

Today I am thankful for my husband and our life together.  I am thankful for our fur-babies who make our house a home (yes a home covered in pet hair and slobber, but a home nonetheless).  I am thankful for my parents, sisters, in-laws, and the rest of my family.  I really should tell them I love them more often.  I am thankful for my nephew Levi James -- I am sooooo looking forward to meeting him.  Any day now and he will be here! 

Above all, I am so thankful that the Lord saw fit to bless me with another day here on Earth with my family and friends.

XOXO

So I am really feeling crappy about myself today.  I have reached that dreaded day in a woman's life when she looks in her closet and NOTHING FITS!  Seriously -- I am wearing the same 2 dresses and 1 pair of pants to work every day.  I have TONS of clothes -- like a couple closets full: can't wear any of them -- well I can wear most of the tops, but definitely not the bottoms.  A few months ago I got to a point where I had a mini-breakdown in the mall.  I told Dave I wasn't buying anymore clothes unless I got skinny or got pregnant.  Well the pregnancy thing isn't working out too well for me and I sure as heck haven't gotten any skinnier!  So the time has come....uh, again.  The question is -- where the heck did my motivation go?!  I am pretty sure it left me standing at the alter on my wedding day.

I can't even count the number of times I have gone through this, and each time I say "This time will be different!"  And one time it was -- a lot different!  Sadly that didn't last too long and I am back here in the very same spot as I was before.  If I would have stuck with it back in January (I even blogged about it!) I could be right where I wanted to be right now.  Ugh.

But on a positive note -- I have drank a lot of water today.  Oh and I came thisclose to going to Sonic tonight for a milkshake, but I didn't.  I'm too lazy.  Unfortunately this was the rest of my day:

• Breakfast -- coffee (the usual)
• Lunch -- Nutri Grain bar and Wendy's Spicy Chipotle Boneless Wings
• Snack -- Baked Lays
• Dinner -- a WHOLE Totino's party pizza (come on those things are tiny)!

In case you are wondering, yes I did get in some health foods:

• Fruit: the strawberry filling in my nutri grain bar, duh
• Veggies:  Chipotle is a type of pepper right?  Peppers are veggies, are they not?  Oh and coffee is made out of coffee BEANS
• Whole grains -- Nutri GRAIN bar, duh
• Dairy -- there was cheese on the Totino's pizza

So there.

This man, my friends, is a hottie.  Plain and simple.



You're welcome.

Whats for dinner?

Pot roast!  Yes, I made my very first pot roast today -- I am so proud!  I was so proud of myself that I had to take a picture of my plate!



Here is the recipe I used for the pot roast:

4 pound boneless chuck pot roast
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope onion soup mix
pepper
Lawry's seasoning salt

Rub down the roast with the pepper and seasoning salt and place the roast in the slow cooker.  Combine the cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix.  Pour over the roast and cook on low for 8 hours.

Really it was the easiest thing I did all weekend (I love my crockpot).  The green beans came from our garden last year.  I used to really hate green beans but I am really starting to love them!  Probably because we have so many of them!  The secret to good green beans in my house is to cook them down until you almost burn them.  I usually add fresh water, a spoonful of butter and a slice of bacon (or sidemeat if I have it), then I walk away from the stove and I usually forget about them!  I always think "crap I forgot about the beans!"  And by that point they are almost burned -- my husband swears that is why they are so good!  He says that is why his mamaw's beans are so good, and apparently I too have now mastered the art of nearly burning food.

As for the biscuits -- nothing but the best for my husband!  Mary B's biscuits in a bag :)  I mean really, why spend all that time rolling out dough when you can just buy frozen biscuits that are delicious!?  OH and the mashed potatoes?  Yeah I spent hours on them -- peeling, slicing, boiling.  Nah just kidding!  Those are Easy Mash instant taters.  But you know what?  I freakin' hate peeling potatoes.  So Easy Mash it is -- but actually they are extremely buttery and delicious :)

Hang in there!

This morning I am drinking my usual coffee out of my most favorite mug in the entire world:



This coffee cup belonged to my Nana.  I always loved it and it was my go-to cup for hot chocolate at her house.  When I went off to college she let me take it with me and it helped me get through countless all-nighters!  It was like a cup of encouragement saying "Hang in there!  You can do it!"  So as I sit here this morning drinking my delicious Dunkin Donuts home brew, I feel like my Nana is right here cheering me on -- reminding me to hang in there!  If that guy can hang in there (hanging off a cliff, no less) then I certainly can!

Here is a pic of my sweet Nana.  She has been gone for 5 years now, but I think about her every.single.day.  <3

Thankful Friday?

Well my temps came crashing down around me this morning.  Sad.  I knew it was coming last night and I let myself have the obligatory pity party.  I was feeling a little (ok, a lot) sorry for myself and went to bed crying.  I definitely think it is fine to have a good cry every now and again, but I can't let myself drown in it!  So today, instead of Thankful Thursday, is going to be Thankful Friday.  Here is what I am thankful for right this minute:

• It is FRIDAY and I get off work in 1.5 hours to go see Brooks & Dunn!  Even though I probably just should have taken the whole day off because I am OBVI doing nothing.
• My delicious Dunkin Donuts coffee that I just finished enjoying.
• The fact that I will be stopping by Dunkin Donuts today to get some Munchkins :)  Yes I love DD!
• The sweet sweet lovins' that I got from my furbabies this morning.
• The fact that we will finally be working on our house again tomorrow!  So thankful that we have the money and are able to do this.
• Jason Aldean
• Cosmo Radio -- Hi Jackie, hi!
• And of course all the givens -- my wonderful husband, family, friends and pets :)  Love them!

Wow and that is just what I am thankful for right this minute!  That doesn't count the other 525,599 minutes in the year!!  Happy Friday everyone!

Star light, star bright.

"Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?  I could really use a wish right now...."

Come on Jessica, pull yourself together....

Today I had my first official TTC breakdown.  Yes I have shed a few tears here and there along this journey, but today was a full-on disaster -- as in I almost went to my aunt and begged her for a Zanax.  I will just say this -- I do not want to be told to 'relax', 'give it time', 'it will happen when it is meant to happen', 'stop trying so hard'.  I do not want to be told 'put your legs up in the air', or 'have sex on cycle day 14'.  This is all worthless advice that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  I know people mean well, they really do, and I tried not to let it bother me but now it just hurts a little more every time.  I have never wanted something so much IN MY LIFE.

To add to the stress, I have work stress, school stress, money stress, you name it I have it!  I am really ready for an emotional break.  My mind is racing and I just want a break.

BUT I may or may not have bought a new Coach bag this weekend, so that was a highlight :)  Or it could have something to do with my money stress!  But I just see it as a good investment -- after all, I do use it every day!

Aside from the breakdown today, I did have an awesome weekend.  We went down to Charlotte on Saturday.  The boys went to the Nationwide race while the girls did some retail therapy at Concord Mills (where I may or may not have acquired the Coach bag).  Then we went to the dirt track race that night which is always entertaining!  Sunday we tailgated all day and I discovered the most delicious drink probably in the entire universe -- Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka (OMG delicious)!!!  I guess that is the silver lining of still NOT being pregnant -- although I would trade that in a hot minute if I could.  The race was pretty disappointing -- we went to Charlotte two weekends in a row to watch freakin' Kurt Busch win both times.  My man Tony Stewart had a pretty uneventful night.  Actually what kept me entertained most of the night was the guy sitting next to me.  He was clearly there with his girlfriend, who was pretty adorable BTW.  But he was getting a booty call from some girl named Mary all night.  Yes I was nosy and was reading his texts!  It was DISGUSTING. 

And tomorrow is Tuesday and I get to go back to work (YAY!).  And summer school (aka Hell) starts tomorrow.  It is going to be a long and busy summer!

We made it!!!

I wanted to post this last weekend, but we have just been so busy and I haven't been able to find the time!  Last weekend was very big for me and Dave -- we made it through our first year of marriage and celebrated our anniversary!  In honor of our anniversary, I wanted to post some pics from our wedding... 

Me and my daddy :)


Seriously cute kiddos!


The kiss!


We had a very unusual anniversary weekend, but despite everything we had a great weekend.  Saturday we went to a wedding at The Farm (where we got married).  Basically, we went to our own wedding -- at least it felt like it!  It was a Bluegrass and BBQ wedding reception, which was what ours was -- it was surreal.

Then on Sunday, sadly, we had to attend Kyle's funeral.  It was a rough day for everyone and it just didn't seem right.  Seeing a life being taken so quickly like that makes me so thankful for what I have -- I could not imagine living without my husband here with me.  But on a happier note, we did go out for dinner and then we came home and ate a few bites of the top tier of our wedding cake -- yes our wedding cake from A YEAR AGO!  It was pretty disgusting if you wanna know the truth!

The wedding cake on our wedding day!


The top tier of our wedding cake a year later!

Delicious....

Well it has been an emotional evening.  Dave called me at work to let me know that he was going over to the hospital to see his friend Kyle.  Apparently Kyle hit his head (not sure of all those details), went to bed with a headache, and never woke back up.  He was sent to Mission and not given very much hope.  I just read on Facebook that he passed away -- my husband doesn't even know yet.  He just texted me saying that there was no change and that he was on his way home.  He doesn't know, but Facebook knows.  That doesn't seem right to me.

So now I am just waiting on him to get here so I can tell him before he reads it on Facebook.  My heart is broken for Kyle's family -- they are such good people.  And, more selfishly, my heart is broken for my husband.  I can't stand to see him hurting and I can't imagine what it is like to lose a friend.  I have lost plenty of family members, but never a friend.  Somehow I just don't think it is quite the same.

As soon as Dave gets home, I plan on giving him a giant hug and a kiss and telling him how much I love him.  Life happens in a flash and you never know what the next minute holds.  We never know when our time will run out.  I am SO thankful that the Lord has blessed me with another day here with my family and friends.

Rest in Peace, Kyle.

Happy Mother's Day!

Yes I just posted, but I couldn't let the day go by without recognizing my fabulous mom!  So here are a few reasons why I am thankful for my mom:

• She gave birth to me!  Thanks Mom!
• She is always behind me 100%.
• She has shown me (with my dad's help of course) what a loving and committed relationship looks like.
• She is selfless and always puts others first.  I admire that.
• She always keeps an open mind and heart.
• She worked hard to make sure that my sisters and I always had what we needed, even when her and my dad were dirt poor and were barely scraping by.
• Her house is always full of love no matter the day or what is going on in the world.
• She has SUCH a kind heart.
• She is becoming my best friend.

Well there are just so many more reasons why I love my mom, but this is a good starting place :)

New directions.....

Since today is Mother's Day I think it is fitting to change the direction of my blog.  So here goes.....

My name is Jessica, my husband is Dave.  We have been together for 5 years now, married for 1 (next week!).  I have wanted to be a mom ever since I can remember.  I love watching D interact with kids -- he is SO good with them.  I have always had a soft spot for daddies and their babies :)  Watching him makes me want to be a mom more than just about anything in the world.  I spent all of my college years worrying about getting pregnant, spending tons of cash on birth control, stressing about the "what-ifs".  Little did I know......getting pregnant is actually a lot harder than I ever imagined!  No one told me that!

Fast forward to December 2009 -- we tossed the birth control finally and just had to wait the longest two weeks EVER until my insurance kicked in January 1st.  The first month was pretty laid back.  We just decided to have fun and see what happened.  Well, nothing happened.  How naive was I to think that it would actually happen on the first try?!  I read everything I could get my hands on that had anything to do with getting pregnant.  I learned TONS of things that you NEVER learn in health class.  I basically dived in to hardcore TTC -- OPKs, temping, charting BBT, green tea drinking, pom juice chugging, pineapple core eating and all the madness of trying to get pregnant!

We have now been at it for 5 cycles (in the middle of our fifth), and no baby yet.  I know in the grand scheme of things this is not a very long time, but it is frustrating nonetheless.  I have had lots of days full of hope and some have been totally hopeless.  I can go from one extreme to the other in a split second. 

And today is Mother's Day -- something that I desperately want to experience.  Needless to say I have been emotional all day long.  My sister showed me the CUTEST outfit that she bought for baby Levi (who will be here next month!) today and I almost got teary-eyed.  The most extreme feeling of WANT came over me and I had to shove the clothes back in the bag before I lost it.  How pathetic is that? 

Anyway, I have been debating for a while whether or not I wanted to start blogging about this, but I really need an outlet.  My husband is great, but I feel like he gets tired of hearing it all the time.  And I don't know anyone that understands all the measures I am taking to get pregnant (temping, charting, etc.).  Heck I didn't even know it all existed until I started on this crazy, emotional journey!  But I feel like this is going to be a good outlet for me, even if no one reads it.  I am not quite ready to talk about it all in real life yet, so this will have to suffice for now!

I have neglected my blog.  Sad.  I am not normally the type to keep a blog anyway.  I guess the excitement of it comes and goes.  But I did want to post some pics for all of the interwebz to see.  I threw my sister a baby shower last weekend and I have to show off some of the decorations :)



The diaper cake I made :)  I found the little jungle animals at Michael's and they were perfect since she wanted a jungle theme.  I also made the blocks and painted them to say "We Love You" on top, and "Levi James" on the front.  So altogether it said "We Love You Levi James".  You can't really see all the letters though because the scrapbook (my first attempt at scrapbooking!) is in the way.



Then for the table centerpieces I made diaper cupcakes!  I also set out baby pictures of the proud parents-to-be!

It was a good day!  I can't wait for someone to throw ME a baby shower!

99 Things.....

99 Things


I copied this from some other blogs I follow..I've done everything in bold below. Now you can copy this on to your own blog & bold the things you’ve done!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (only if high school marching band counts :)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (it wasn't good, but hey I did it!)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee


What about you?

New beginnings....

So last night I found out that my little sister is having a boy!!  I am so excited for her!  A little jealous, but excited nonetheless!  I will have a little nephew that I can spoil absolutely rotten and then send him back home to his mommy :)

I have my heart set on having a boy someday -- have the name and everything picked out!  But right now our family is really over-run with boys, they are everywhere!  They are oh so adorable and sweet though :)  We have one little girl in the mix.  She was with us last night when we found out it was a boy, and she was just so sad that it wasn't a girl.  She said in her little 3 year old voice "I wanted a girl" and then she just hung her head and went and hid in the bedroom.  It was so sad!!  Who knows, maybe I will make her dream come true one day!

On another note, my boss is on a conference call in her office -- on speaker, with the door open.  It is pretty annoying.

This has been one of the most stressful weekends I have had in a long time.  It started off great on Friday, I was really productive at work that morning and then I got to have lunch with one of my very best friends that I hardly ever get to see.  Then it just started going downhill from there and it really hasn't let up yet.

SO here it is.....this effing recession, or whatever they are calling it now, has hit TOO CLOSE to home for me.  Thankfully my husband and I both still have our jobs.  We still struggle to make it though, as I think most people in this town do.  I see my parents struggle every day to pay the bills, and my mom confides a lot in me about their situation.  The ONLY reason they have been making ends meet for the past nine years is because of my mom's second job -- which she found out she would be losing.  And this was not a piddly job where she just made a few bucks a night -- she worked one night a week and at the end of the month she made as much as she did at her full-time job.  She has always told me that if she ever lost this job, then she didn't know how they would make it.  Their house payment depends on this job -- that is pretty serious.

My family is now in a situation that we never thought we would be in.  We looked at other families struggling to get by and we felt for them, but were just thankful that it wasn't us.  I no longer live with my parents, and if I chose to (and had no heart) I could probably go on unnaffected by this.  But at the end of the day they are my world and I can't sit around and watch them give up everything they have worked so hard for.  And my parents work SO hard -- and now they will probably have to work until the day they die.  It is just not right.

My mom has such a big heart and she can't stand to see a family go without.  This past Christmas, she was so worried about one of her co-workers -- this lady was not going to be able to have ANYTHING to give her kids for Christmas.  My mom, being the sweet caring lady that she is, went out and bought gifts for the whole family.  She wanted to make sure this family had a good Christmas.  And it wasn't a move to get attention -- she bought the gifts, gave them to her co-worker, and the kids never knew that they came from my mom.  My parents never hesitate to tithe at church or give to a family in need.  My mom has written I don't know how many checks to families that needed the money. 

It is just so unfair that things like this always happen to the most honest and hard-working people.  And here I sit whining and crying over it, but I know my parents aren't doing that.  I guarantee my mom will be out in town looking for another job tomorrow -- she will go to Wal-Mart and work nights if she has to.  They will find a way to make ends meet just like they always have and I bet you a dollar she will still give to others even when she clearly doesn't have it to give.

On a happier note, I just caught up on American Idol and FINALLY saw the "Pants On the Ground" guy -- PRICELESS!!

One more time....

I love food.  Like a whole lot.  This can be troublesome, considering I also cannot stand working out.  I don't stop eating, even though I know I should but gosh dang-it food just tastes so good!  So this love affair with food has led to me, sadly, to being 20 pounds heavier than I was on my wedding day.  8 MONTHS AGO!!  When you break it down, that is 2.5 pounds a month.  That, on its own, is not a lot and I could drop it in a week.  But I didn't and now here I am staring down 20 pounds that I really want to get rid of :(

I blame this totally on my husband :)  No it really is my fault for shoving food into my mouth all the time, but when we started living together we both put on a lot of weight.  We just fell into the habit of going out to eat, A LOT.  So a little over 2 years ago, I was sick of it.  I was at my highest weight of 157 pounds, which for my height is 16 pounds overweight.  So I joined Weight Watchers.  I had never been a dieter, but I wanted to lose the weight so bad, so I did it.  I don't know where I found the motivation, but I stuck to it and lost 37 pounds in 7 months.  It felt SO GOOD and I was so truly happy with my body.  I was eating right, exercising -- I just felt healthy.  At that point I couldn't imagine letting myself gain the weight back.  I really and truly only maintained that weight for about 2 months and I slowly starting letting myself indulge a little here and a little there.  I made it to my wedding day, BARELY fitting into my dress -- I mean I could hardly sit down at the reception my dress was so tight! 

Anyhow, here I am 8 months later and 20 pounds heavier (30 heavier than my goal).  I was feeling so down on myself last night that I ALMOST let myself roll over and cry on my husband's shoulder about how unhappy I was with myself, bla bla bla.  But I decided to just suck it up and not wait another day to do something about it!  So this morning I drove my butt to Weight Watchers and faced the music.

Here we go again.......

Cheers!

Carry on a tradition

I have just made a decision!!  And if you know me, then you know how indecisive I can be, so go me!  Anyway, I have decided that I am going to learn how to quilt.  This is something that I have been saying for a lot of years now, but this time I really mean it!  I desperately want to be a mom, and because of this I am constantly looking at baby things online.  I have also had a recent obsession with Eric Carle books.  I am not sure what came over me, but I cannot stop thinking about how awesome they are!  So, as a result of these two things, I came across possibly the cutest quilt ever on Etsy......

 

Cute right?  The price tag is $200, which sorry but I would not spend that on a quilt made by a stranger!  SO I figure I will learn to quilt -- and make it myself -- well I will change some things around, but I love the idea of it! 

Plus I figure this will give me a great opportunity to spend more time with my 89 year old grandmother -- she has made HUNDREDS of quilts over her lifetime.  I mean she really puts her whole heart and soul into them.  Every one is 100% hand stitched -- she doesn't even own a sewing machine!  She has made three for me -- a baby quilt when I was born, a quilt when I turned 16, and a quilt when I got married.  I absolutely CHERISH these quilts and I seriously would not take a million dollars for them, I love them so much.  I just know how much love and time she puts into her quilts and it really is an honor to be the recipient of one.  When I got the quilt she made us for our wedding, I immediately burst into tears -- it was that special to me.  Actually I am getting emotional just typing this!  I definitely regret that I did not do this earlier, and I don't want to waste another minute without learning this from her.  How special will it be to my child when I tell them that their mom and great-grandmother made this quilt especially for them?  I hope it is something that they will love and cherish for a lifetime.

xoxo

Leopard Print

So tonight on Facebook the trend going around is for every woman to post the color of her bra in her status -- the point being to "spread the wings of breast cancer awareness".  I did not participate in the latest facebook trend.  First off, I am not wearing a bra right now.  Secondly, I have a couple of issues with it.  Here goes.....

1) I am not a horny teenage boy, so I have no need to know that your bra is "leopard print" or "black with diamond studs". 

2) Really, what difference does it make if the world of Facebook knows what color your bra is?  Is it really making a difference? 

I say get off Facebook, get off your couch and DO SOMETHING!  Donate your money, time, talents -- whatever you can do to TRULY make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.  Sorry ladies, but posting your bra color just ain't cuttin' it.

I choose to leave mine to the imagination and do something truly worthwhile.  You can choose to do the same....

Susan G. Komen For the Cure

Wintertime Blues.....

So basically this week I have been totally worthless.  I have been fighting off a nagging headache for the past three days that just won't seem to GO AWAY!!  My body aches so bad -- yesterday my hair was aching!  NO LIE!!  I know it was probably just my scalp but it was really hurting!  If you have ever had long/thick hair and worn it up in a ponytail for a long time and then taken it down, then you probably know the feeling.  But I was wearing mine down all day and it just randomly started hurting!  It doesn't hurt today though :)  Probably because I washed it in the most awesome shampoo in the entire world.......


There are tons of different scents, but Wal-Mart only has this and the Coconut Milk (which I am trying next!).  I will have to check around at CVS and Rite-Aid soon to see if they have more variety!  I am usually a cheap-o Suave girl, but I tried this and I LOVE IT!!!!  Even after I dry and fry my hair, it still smells good!


Anyway, back to the wintertime blues.....I've got 'em.  After New Years I really have no use for winter!  All it is good for is making me cold, drying my skin out, and making my hair fly all over the place because of all the static electricity.  In a word, I hate it!  OK three words.  I feel so worthless in the winter -- it seems like all I wanna do is curl up on the couch with a blanket and a good book or my DVR, and not EVER get up.  So, that is what I have been doing -- but it has got to stop, because it is taking a toll on my house, which looks like a tornado came through :(


Summertime, where are you?

Lessons learned.....

Right now I just want to write about something that has been on my mind for the past couple of weeks...

As I look at my life and the people around me, I realize that the people that I most thought would be there are....well, just not.  I look at the friendships that I thought would last forever and maybe I am a little let down because I see that they won't.  But I am also realizing that what matters most is the "here and now" so to speak.  The people I am surrounded by are the ones that are meant to be in my life.

In the past I have taken a lot of pride in the fact that I have been friends with girls since kindergarten (21 years ago!).  While the idea of "old friends" is nice, it just isn't always meant to be, which is why I have found myself moving on in the past few months.  Sometimes you just have to let it go.  Yes, I still look back and smile when I think of some of the crazy things we did and the good times we had, and I am sure I always will.  But people grow apart.....and thats ok.

In short I am just so thankful for my friends in this new chapter of my life, and I hope they know that.  I am looking forward to becoming "old friends" again.

Its going to be a good year :)

I LOVE getting mail!  Like actual real mail.  It is usually one of the highlights of my day.  Is that sad?  Anyway, I check my mail today and in the box is something that I have been waiting for ALL WEEK!  My order from Everyday Minerals!  Now, if you do not know what that is, you need to go here and check it out.  It is only the most AMAZING makeup there is :)  And, BONUS, it is also good for your skin!  I have noticed that my skin is much clearer since I have been wearing this makeup.  Even if I forget and go to bed with makeup, I can rest assured knowing that it is OK!  Now I am far from a beauty queen and, to be honest, I don't really know HOW to put makeup on correctly.  But for the past year I have been absolutely addicted to Everyday Minerals.  I have accumulated quite a bit of it this year and my stock just keeps growing!  I usually order the sample sizes, and let me tell you they are GENEROUS samples -- like they will last at least a couple months, probably more if you don't cake it on!  But if you want to pamper yourself a little (for not a lot of money I might add), check it out!  I love my time in the morning when I am putting my makeup on -- I feel like such a girly girl and I LOVE it :)  OK thats the end of my plug for Everyday Minerals!  Oh one more thing -- check out this website for a great selection of brushes -- each are only $1 and they last forever (well for a long time anyway)!

On another note, I took down my Christmas stuff today, but not without injury!  I was getting the last strand of lights off of my tree, I jerked the cord and the plug flew out and popped me right in the eye!  Like the actual EYEBALL.  OUCH!  For a second I was sure I had gone blind, but I am OK now!  I am always a little sad when it come time to take the tree down.  I am the most content at Christmastime and it is most definitely my favorite time of year!  But, like with all things, there comes a time to move on.  And so the tree comes down.....

Only 357 more days until Christmas :) 

Need :)

SO if I plan on taking this wife business seriously (which I of course do) I really really think I need to have this apron! It is called "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not". I am pretty sure I would be in the kitchen ALL THE TIME if I had this :) I mean really, how cute is this?! AND I love that you can tie it in the back OR make a cute bow at the waist. BTW, I found this on etsy.com. Pretty cool website with lotsa cute handmade stuff!

New Year, New Hobby :)

Happy New Year!!

So with the start of 2010, I have decided to attempt a blog! I have no idea how this will go or what I will write about, but hey it is a good way to pass the time I guess! I guess I have been inspired to do this after following a blog of a girl I went to high school with. I clicked on the link to her blog from her Facebook page, read it and became totally intrigued! Also I just recently watched Julie and Julia and LOVED it! I wonder how many blogs were started after that movie!?

I really doubt I will get too personal on here, probably keep it to movies, books, music, recipes, etc. BUT we will see how it goes! A very good friend of mine told me yesterday that she started a blog about her being a newlywed and becoming "domesticated", so who knows, maybe I will go in that direction too since I am also a newlywed!

OK, well there you have it! My first post! Wow, that wasn't so bad :)

Happy New Year!!!