Little distractions

Well, the Hubby is out of town this weekend. I don't particularly like him being gone but I know I am incredibly blessed to have him around as much as I do, so I gladly let him go and spend time with the guys, help out other church's tech teams, and whatever else takes him out of town while Bubby and I stay home.
Anyway, I tried to take advantage of him being out by practicing a couple recipes. The first was a rolled sugar cookie recipe that looks like a pinwheel (I'll try to post the final products when they are done) and I made my first ever butter toffee. Oh my goodness!!! That one is definitely going to become a holiday tradition.
I want to get started making a couple gifts but have a hard time doing so with a toddling helper. So that will have to wait till there is another set of hands to help with Bubby. Perhaps then I will start taking and posting some pictures.
On a totally unrelated note, I saw my OB's nurse today and it reminded me that I'll be going to talk about still trying for a sibling for Bubby for nearly two years. We're still hoping for a miracle.

Its beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

Ok, well may-be not. Its 70 degrees out, the leaves haven't all turned yet and the fall decorations were just put out yesterday. However I just got my notification from Christmas Countdown saying that the Christmas Countdown has begun!
Now I am not the most organized person nor am I the most frugal so things like this website and the planner they freely offer is very helpful. Add my almost addiction to Pinterest and I think I may be able to get away with spending less $$$ if I will spend more time.
I already have decided on a couple treats that I want to make: Peanut Butter Bon Bons; peanut clusters; coated pretzels; and coffee spoons; and there are a couple gift ideas I have saved on . Those two things alone make the holiday season better. Oh and we KNOW that we will be going to Carson to see G&G on the farm for Christmas, that by itself makes things so much simpler. It helps to know these things prior to December 1st.
I hope to include this blog a bit more to help me with the planning, prepping, making, crafting, etc part of Christmas planning. We'll see.

Laundry Soap Adventures

So I started an adventure today: I made my own laundry soap!
I ran out of soap and still had two loads to do and really did not want to interrupt everything else going on to just go to the store for soap. So I pulled up a site that I had been looking at for a little while, found a recipe that I already had everything for and made it. Barely skipped a beat between making lunch, a load of dishes, preparing turkey for roasting and other laundry. Now I will have to remember to come back in two weeks (after vacation) and report on how the soap did.

Here is the site I looked at: http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/

Here is the recipe I did except that I just can't do things exactly the way they are prescribed.

*2 gallons Water (hot) - I used one and cut the amount used per load in half.
*1 bar Soap (grated) - I had a bar from melalueca (a citrus smelling bar) that had glycerin which helps laundry soap stay more in a solid state from what I understood from this site: http://www.ehow.com/way_5572202_can-soap-homemade-laundry-soap.html)
*2 cups Baking soda (yes baking soda this time–not washing soda) - I actually had this much on hand.
-Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
-In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap, stir well. (I used a rinsed out laundry jug I already had)
-Then add the baking soda, stir well again.(rolled solution around in jug for a couple minutes, gently so as to not create a bunch of suds)
-Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load. (since I cut the water in half I cut the amount used in half too)

Just some thoughts

So, we are smack dab in the middle of our second cycle after losing our little miracle. And yes, it still hurts. Bubby has been a wonderful source of comfort and distraction and Hubby has been extra wonderful. I love my family!
So why a post now? Well, let me tell ya, there have been some interesting thoughts going on in our house lately.
First about two weeks ago Hubby asks my opinion on a name, I love it and he says it should be our next baby's name. A minute later I throw out a middle name and he says "that's what I was thinking". Hmmm.
Later that week I am singing at Church and in the middle of the song I hear God say that my next child will be a "priest" (no we are not Jewish or Catholic); the name we both decided we liked means "priest".
Then there is the feeling that we will not have long to wait before our next child's presence is known to us.
So, now I am sitting here just a couple days past ovulation and the crazy analyzing every twinge and feeling is driving me batty. I am trying to not put my hope in anything but God, its all up to Him anyway and His timing is perfect. Hopefully even just getting this post out there will help me focus a bit more. Hopefully. :)

He gives and takes away

There is a song that is running through my head, has been all day. Its by Matt Redman called "Blessed be the Name of the Lord". The part that is touching my heart the most is based off of Job 1:21. This verse is at the end of a brutal chapter in the Bible where Job has lost his possesions and his servants, then he loses his children... all of them, on top of that his health is taken away as well. Pretty tragic. But then he is quoted as saying
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.[c]
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21 NIV)
And it goes on to say that in all of this he did not sin by blaming God for his losses.
I've always admired this and thought "well, Job's just a good guy, of course he didn't blame God". Now I don't think there is any "of course" about it.
Last week I took a home pregnancy test and it was positive. C and I were so excited, we had been trying for a while and even were taking medicine to help conceive and it finally worked! I eagerly waited for pregnancy symptoms to develope and while I did get tired and some food wasn't settling well, I never felt very pregnant. So of course my fears kicked in. Then last night my worst fear came true... I started spotting.
Ok, I know many ladies have spotting and go on to have perfectly healthy children and I knew that there was nothing I could do last night so I waited till this morning to check again. I was still spotting. I took my BBT and it was low. I took another pregnancy test and while a second line was faintly there it was fainter than the one from last week. And the spotting continued... continues.
I called the nurse and she sent me to get my HcG levels checked at the hospital. I sat there waiting pretty calmly, composedly. That is until at the end of admissions the clerk asks, with a bright happy smile, "When's your baby due?" As I stand up I tell her I am afraid I am losing my baby, the smile falters and the apologies start coming but I am leaving as quick as I can so I don't break down in front of a bunch of people.
So now, I don't think I am blaming God, I don't want to anyway. A friend wrote a song talking about how she never wanted to be God before but now that He is holding her little baby she never got to hold she wants to be Him for just a while. This song too keeps coming up in my mind.
I don't know the results of the labwork yet, I am still hoping that this will just be a story in my pregnancy journal showing the miracle my child is. But either way, my desire is that this is my response:

"My soul will choose to say:
Lord, blessed by your name."

It finally happened!

As I have mentioned I deal with infertility. I am insulin resistant and because of that I don't ovulate consistantly. We receive assistance via Clomid to "make" me ovulate which doesn't guarantee I'll ovulate. Well, on the 10th I had labwork done to check and see if I ovulated. The nurse called back the next day saying they needed to redraw, so I went back the next day for a redraw. The next day (Friday) they call and say the level is too low, can we redraw on Monday. I almost freak out but I know from taking my BBT (Basel Body Tempurature) that I did ovulate. By the next Thursday I still hadn't heard from the doctor's office which I take to be a good sign. Friday morning I woke up at 5 am needing to go to the bathroom (4th day in a row), blurry eyed I took a pregnancy test. After waiting for the mandatory 3 minutes I looked at the test and saw TWO lines! I was wide awake at that point. I went back to bed and laid there waiting for C to wake up. Around 6 I started to get antsy so I started moving around. When he finally opened his eyes around 6:10 I looked at him and said "Good morning Daddy, are you ready for another?" He mumbled something and started to roll over, stopped, looked at me smiling and asked what I meant.
So after 13 months of TTC, 7 months with the doctor's assistance, 6 rounds of Clomid I am finally pregnant!

Potty Training.

So Baby Bubby has been showing some signs that he may be getting ready to start potty training, you know, going to hide when he goes poo, becoming increasingly curious about C or I using the restroom.
So, we will be getting a potty chair soon and start to talk even more about going potty and being a "big boy" using a potty. We haven't decided yet whether to try for a all in one day method or more of a gradual method.

Trying for #2

This is a very sensitive subject that I actually like to talk about. It has changed how I view so many things.

Life offers many challenges. Some are easier to deal with than others. One challenge that I have found to be just about the most difficult challenge I have ever faced was trying to conceive Bubby. I may post more details later but for now the short version. It took us 2 years 10 months of actively trying to conceive (TTC) for us to finally conceive. After some heartache and disappointment under the care of one physician we took a break from ttc for a couple months when we went to a new doctor. Within one cycle we had a diagnosis, a treatment plan, and a plan towards conception. It took 10 months of metformin, and three months of Clomid and finally that wonderful Friday morning when I finally saw TWO pink lines!

Pregnancy treated me well (possibly more on that as well as there were some crazy things too). Labor and delivery was surprisingly good, and motherhood is the best thing ever! I should be content right?

Well, Bubby is 18 months old now and we have been trying for... 10 months. We've already done four rounds of Clomid and now I am just waiting to see if this cycle worked for us. I've learned a lot since the early days of ttc and struggling with infertility, I've grown up a lot and trust God more now too. While we are actively ttc and each time it is apparent I'm not preggo C and I both are sad, we are at peace and trust that God has a good plan for us and our little family.

So now, we keep going, keep living life, keep loving Bubby, keep loving each other, and keep trusting God.

A year in review

It has been over a year since I last posted. A long year that offered many challenges and changes.
Finances determined that I needed to go back to work. After working two long months at a fast food restaurant I got a job as an administrative assistant for an electrical contractor. Now we are doing well.
C has been given a raise in order to get internet at the house... and he has earned it as well. His boss is pleased with his work and the income he is bringing to the company.
Bubby isn't a baby anymore. He has been walking for almost 10 months already, he's climbing, tormenting the cats, and exploring all that life has to offer.
I do not have much time for crafting, photography, sewing, etc. That is as of yet, but, soon I am determined to add some creativity here. Also some stories of adventures with Bubby.
Oh, yes, we moved to a new, better house. It is lower in cost about $100 to $150 a month and we all love it.