Wedding present finished!

Brian and I received many many many wonderful wedding presents. We are very grateful to everyone who gave us them. Some of those gifts were in the form of cash. With that cash we paid off a student loan which is a huge weight off our shoulders....one less bill to pay, way less interest over time...always a good thing to pay something off.

With the rest of the money (yes, we had money left over....people were VERY generous) we decided to do a house project. We wanted that project to be something that we needed to get done rather then just wanting to get done. We wanted to put the money to the best use possible. If we were going to "waste" money it should be our own not other peoples. My mom also gave me a wonderful idea that I would send a picture of the finished product to those wonderful, overly generous people that gave us the money. So I kept a list of all who gave us money to send a picture of the finished product to. And I put it in a safe place. So safe, I cannot find it at the moment. Could have thrown it out but I have not given up looking for it yet. I may look like a feminine (I hope!) version of my dad but I am definitely my mom's daughter. So hopefully I will be able sending out old fashioned photo's soon but for now this will have to do.

So what project did we chose to do with the wedding money?

Putting blinds up with trim. We have 15 windows of various sizes and I think every house needs some kind of window treatment but you definitely do with a house in the south. We knew what we wanted but we could not afford that and frankly, I am not sure the house would be worth the investment. It took us a while to figure out what we could do. We ended up getting basic white blinds from Home Depot, had them cut to size and used trim to hide the top portion of the blinds.

I did not take very good before, during, and after but you will get the idea I am sure.

Before we had either nothing up on the walls or curtains on tension rods:

Before

There are no during pictures. We spent a LONG time waiting for the trim to be put up. We wanted our bookcases done before we added more work to our friends "To Do" list.

And so we skip right to the end:

That is what it looks like with the blinds closed which they always are. With them open....

These are the windows in the breakfast nook you are seeing but all of our windows are like this.

The process took a LOT longer then we thought....not counting the time we were waiting for the bookcases to be done to even start the trim portion. We also started the spice rack process this weekend. The made to order doors had come in so we were going to have them painted and put on this weekend but we are still waiting on the doors. A project we thought was going to take 1 day has taken 3 but so far we are loving the results. What do you think?

Next project? Back splash in the kitchen and finishing the spice rack so stay tuned.....

What have I been up too...

Not much I am afraid

The invisible fence is in so we are ready for Benjamin and Bailey (my parents dogs which I call mine) when they come down with the move.

This weekend we are having the trim put in above the blinds, the new doors we bought for the pantry put in and the back splash as well. I will of course post pictures of the finished product.

Work is going well. I am in production which surprised me and my manager. We both thought there would be more notice but things have changed as they typically do. It is okay though because I did very well in my first month of being in production. My manager is not worried at all. I did a little better then I was hoping for but not as well as I would have hoped. We have to meet 100% to keep our jobs (not immediately, there are steps in place to help you make production but if you ignore the suggestions and don't do what you are supposed to the quickest way to lose the job is by not making production) but if we make 120% production for the year we get a bonus. I have been hoping to get the 120% average so I can get the bonus. This month I got 125% without trying terribly hard. I have from the beginning tried to organize my time like I would if I were on production so the transition would be easier to working on production and maybe it wouldn't be too hard for me to meet production. Well it worked! I would have liked it to be a little higher then 125% because there is little wiggle room for the following months in case things slow down and I have trouble finding things to keep me occupied. But I think it is a great start for my first month and I will continue doing what I am doing and will look for more work to help boost my numbers.

Also with work, overtime is back! I am rejuvenated from my break with overtime and have been staying late doing correspondence. I am getting much faster (which will help my production) and enjoy doing it. There is overtime this Saturday which I am doing as well. Weekends have been tough because we haven't had much to do. This is the first weekend where we really have any real plans so we have been watching a lot of tv. Since I do have Monday off and I am not really necessary for the projects at home we thought it would be good if I did the overtime.

Brian and I are re-thinking what to do with the money I have saved for the extra mortgage payment. Brian is now thinking about wanting to use it to pay down one of his student loans. All the overtime I currently earn is being divided. Half of it will go towards house projects and the other half is going to his student loans. While making an extra mortgage payment each year would lower the interest on the house greatly Brian is thinking it might be better off paying off a student loan and then playing catch up on the house later. The student loan is at a higher interest rate then the house and having that paid off would free up money each month. I like our current system. Taxes/half of my overtime/bonus's/etc going towards student loans and having an extra mortgage payment for the house but I dont know if I am being type A, stubborn and not liking change or if my idea is more sound. Brian is wanting to put all the money we dont spend on house projects/bills to go towards paying off the loan. Nothing we need to make an immediate decision on, just something we are discussing.

Brian is still obsessed with the bunny in our yard. He is so cute about it!

I am back at the gym and while I am sore, I am enjoying being back. I had a nice "break" but it is nice to be back in more rigid, structured classes again.

Really the biggest thing is waiting for Mommy and Daddy to move down!

Bunnies!

We have bunnies!

They hang out in the back of the house on the left hand side if you are looking directly at the house. We know there are at least two.

Brian is so excited about them! He will stop whatever he is doing to look if the bunny is in the yard. He will text me that the bunny is there and he even took pictures. Yes one with his iPhone to text me at work but with my camera. This guy will not use a camera, don't ask me why but he wont so the fact he went and got my camera and took pictures is huge.

It took me a couple days to see the bunnies and Brian tried to explain that they only come out to see nice people not mean people. I am not mean Brian is just being silly. I have seen them multiple times over the weekend and Brian just stated that was because he was there.

They are so cute! Here are the pictures Brian took...

I hope the bunny sticks around unlike the baby geese. I still can't look at all the baby geese in the area and wish ours had survived :(

Why do I have to be allergic to cats?

Josh's mom was having a barbecue last night so Josh and Vicki invited Brian and I to come along. Brian has been close to Josh's mom since forever and we had a great time. Ate way to much amazing food and got myself invited to go with them for an art class!

Josh's family recently rescued some kittens. They were so cute! They were even holding each other as the slept.

Chicken Caesar Lasagna

Brian and I tried a new recipe and it was okay. Not Brian's cup of tea but I liked it. It wasn't really quick but it was easy. I am posting it because if Brian liked Alfredo sauces as much as I do we would probably make this a lot more often.

Chicken Caesar Lasagna

Ingredients:

-9 dried whole wheat or regular lasagna noodles (we used oven ready but boiled them anyway and it worked fine)

-2 10 oz containers of refrigerated light Alfredo sauce (we used 2 15 oz jars, non refrigerated, regularr Alfredo I dont think it made a difference)

-3 tablespoons lemon juice

-1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

-3 cups chopped cooked, chicken breast (I would use more chicken next time)

-1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

-1 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, drained and chopped, (we used the whole jar)

Non stick cooking spray

-1/4 cup shredded italian blend cheeses (we used the whole two cup bag, we like cheese)

Directions:

1) Cook the noodles according to package directions and drain

2) Rinse noodles with cold water, drain again

3) Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine Alfredo sauce, lemon juice, and black pepper

4) Stir in chicken, spinach, and roasted peppers

5) Lightly coat a 3 quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray

6) Arrange three cooked noodles in bottom of dish

7) Top with 1/3rd mixture

8) Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice

9) Cover and bake at 325 for 45-55 minutes or until heated through

10) Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly

11) Let stand 15 minutes before serving

Prep: 35 minutes, Bake: 50 minutes, Stand: 15 minutes

Brian calls me stranger....

I got my hair cut and professionally colored and while Brian is a fan of the color he is not a fan of the length.

I, however, LOVE both. I feel like me again! It is shorter then I expected it to be but that is okay, it looks so cute! And yes Mom, you would love it! The color is VERY similar to my Aunt Betsy's in the dark but it is much redder in the sun. By the time I got home I couldn't find enough lighting to show the red but I think you will get the idea.

Everyone on Facebook loves it...what do you think? Are you on Brian's side with too short? Are you jealous of my ability to pull of red and think its too red? Or are you in love with it as much as I am?

My Aunt and I both agree that we both should have been born red heads. I agreed but added it would definitely have been cheaper that way! Maggie, the wonderful person who did my and my bridesmaids hair for the wedding, did this and it didnt cost me nearly as much as I was expecting!

The beginning of...

infertility when it truly matters.

As I have mentioned I have gotten my IUD out. Not that we are actively trying...we should wait a few months for that but we are no longer preventing. And I have always known I was infertile but it is only starting to be an issue/question now. But I should really start this at the beginning...

I have never been regular and that time has ALWAYS been painful....if it ever happened. We at first thought it was just growing pains....my body would figure it out and it would get better. But it never did. My mom has gotten several calls from me crying begging for a hysterectomy because at that moment I was in so much pain that a hysterectomy would be worth it even if I couldn't have kids of my own.

At about 15/16 we realized things were not getting any better and if we all wanted to live in the same house without killing each other we should get this checked out. I was immediately put on birth control.

First the Pill. Who doesn't first get on the Pill? It worked okay when I remembered to take it. I have never had a routine schedule so I would forget to take it. Thankfully I wasnt using it for birth control.

Then the Patch. That worked much better, I remembered to switch those out but I have very sensitive skin and I would get horrible rashes. I would have to switch sides so the other side would heal for the next round. SO that didnt work for me.

At about that time it was found out that my family has Factor V (five) Leiden. Here is a link from the Mayo Clinic that explains what that is: Factor V Leiden

Basically it is an inherited blood clotting disorder. The women (the men can have it too but it doesn't nearly affect them as much) are much more susceptible to having blood clots which can be fatal. Women with Factor V Leiden have very limited choices with prescription birth control because higher levels of estrogen react badly with Factor V Leiden. From what I have found they can do the Copper IUD and depending on their Factor V Leiden they can do the Mirena. Relating to pregnancy Factor V can lead to more miscarriages, pre-eclampsia, slow fetal growth and the placenta separating from the uterine wall early.

I needed hormones to make that "time of the month" when it decided to show up bareable...I remember being concerned that my doctor wouldnt let me get the Mirena because of Factor V. It was at this time that I was seeing an OB/GYN that specialized in Endocrinology...aka infertility specialist making peoples dreams come true. There are, like in most genetic disorders, variations of Factor V Leiden. It can affect 1 or 2 chromosomes. The people that have 2 chromosomes that are affected have it really badly and the people with the 1 chromosome don't have it nearly as bad. My family has 1 chromosome so my doctor felt comfortable giving me the Mirena.

It was also during this time that we found out through hormone testing (trying to find out why my time was only happening twice a year) that I was infertile. I was still 16 so we didnt go into too much detail as A) I wasnt nearly ready to begin trying...I was 16 and B) I am sure the doctor and my mom didnt want to give a 16 year old full pass to go too far with a boy. I know it wasn't Endometriosis or Poly Cystic Ovaries and it is very common infertility. I remember my doctor not being concerned stating if I dont grow out of it (my body never grows out of what it is supposed to so I am not holding my breath) I may only need a jump start.

The IUD worked great for me. The pain was greatly reduced, I didnt have to remember to do anything.

That pretty much gets you caught up. I have asked previous doctors about me being infertile and they didnt believe me and couldn't due the testing due to the IUD but nothing much has been found out on the infertility side.

SO the IUD got taken out on April 26, 2012 and I am currently getting through the withdrawal. I don't have it nearly as bad as some girls it is just weird for me as I had no CLUE there was a withdrawal period. While the Mirena does have hormones it is progesterone at SUCH a small amount (one of the main reasons why my doctor was okay with me having it) that no one expects there to be a withdrawal period. I have been exhausted some days going to bed at 7:30pm and getting mad at my alarm going off to being starving. Mom found that eating foods with B6 raises your natural progesterone and is used along with medical methods with infertile moms so I am taking B6 vitamins daily. I just started today so we shall see.

At my new doctor's office visit (love them by the way) I found out that Factor V Leiden was going to have a bigger role then I originally thought. I did not realize I only had 1 chromosome in the office so that might change things but I will fill you in on where we stand. I have to be on Prenatal vitamins apparently they lesson the risk of miscarriage among other things. Those made my mom sick and as I get older, while I may not look like my mom, everything my mom needs to do health wise I am needing to do. So hopefully I dont have a bad reaction to the Prenatal vitamins but I wont be surprised if I do. I have to go to a huge hospital 2 hours away for a meeting with a genetic counselor (read: high risk infertility specialist) regarding the Factor V Leiden. I also have been informed that once pregnant (naturally or with medical help, either way) I will have to give myself a shot of a blood thinner to lower the risks of complication with the Factor V Leiden every day. At this point I will need to mention to doctors (and I will bring this up at the genetic counselors) that the prenatal vitamins have a warning on them about taking these vitamins while on blood thinning medications. I dont know if it is ALL prenatal vitamins or just this brand. I am fine with them until I start on medication. Who knows what the doctor will say. I also am expecting to still be infertile so I am going to be asking the genetic counselor how infertility drugs and Factor V will work.

Where do we stand now?

I am waiting for the huge hospital to call me to make an appointment. I am also to come back to the office in a few months if my time doesn't return (don't expect it to, no signs so far as it will) so we can do hormone testing or to come back once pregnant so we can start the shots. I am going to have to make sure I stock up on pregnancy tests, I have to be sure I am skipping my period because my body is infertile rather then because I am pregnant. Once I am pregnant I have to start the blood thinning medication so I cant just wait and see, I have to know.

Where do we go from here?

I will of course meet with the huge hospital but I am wanting to push the appointment into July so my mom and Caroline can join me. My mom having background in Factor V and Caroline knows about infertility methods plus the added support because I have no clue with that meeting will bring. I will not go back to the doctor for a few months for hormone testing. Under the current benefit I am under it would be cheaper to wait to January to do the more heavy duty infertility stuff when I switch benefits (I will technically change in October but it wont come into affect until January 1). It will take a few months to see what my body does but I also don't want to spend more then I have to but I also want a baby. So I am probably going to take that visit month by month and see where I am. Of course, if I get pregnant naturally it will be straight to the doctor!

So now you are all caught up. I will hopefully not have to do such a long drawn out post in the future as this was a lot to read but I was not sure how to really break this up. Will of course keep you posted on how all this is working.

Wine Tasting!

On the 27th of April I hosted my first party!

It was a wine tasting and I think it went wonderfully! Caroline and her daughter Blair (one of my bridesmaids who moved to New Orleans right after the wedding) came along with Vicki (another bridesmaid), Janet and her friend Kathy, and Sherry were all able to come. My parents ended up coming down that weekend house shopping so they caught the very tail end of the party.

It was so much fun, our wine educator Robin did a great job. I of course forgot to take pictures. I was too concerned about making sure the party was going well. Everyone seemed to enjoy each other and enjoy the evening. The party started at 7 and didnt really end until 11pm. My parents and I had a long weekend but it was well worth it.

I cannot wait to host another party! So easy in this house!

Update on regular life

Sorry for the long break in posting....nothing has really happened to really prevent me from blogging so I guess life just got away.

Marriage life is really not different for us. The only strange thing is my new last name but I quickly got used to that because of my new job.

Still not sure what we are going to do for a honeymoon. We don't have as much left over from the wedding budget so I am not sure what we are going to be able to afford. We were invited to join a two other couples to go on a cruise next March/April to the Carribean so maybe we make that a honeymoon? I know your supposed to go away just the two of you but I just dont really feel that that is so important with us. Brian and I have gone away by ourselves plenty of times. Also...that is a bit far away for a honeymoon.

I have had my IUD taken out. Brian and I are not actively trying but we are no longer preventing. I did find a great obgyn and office so I am excited about that but I did receive news that I was not expecting. I have always known that I would more then likely have issues getting pregnant on my own and we are currently waiting and seeing but an issue I have known about is apparently a bigger issue then I thought. I will post about it later. Right now I am trying to fight the withdrawal symptoms from having my IUD taken out.

My Mom and Dad have made great progress in their move out of the Great White North and I am getting so excited for their move.

We finally got our bookshelves so we are putting together Brian's man cave this weekend so I will be posting pictures of that. We are also getting our ducks in a row for the future projects so hopefully I will have more pictures of that.

Work is still going well. Transitioning well to being on the phones full time. Overtime is no longer required which is good because I am about burnt out of overtime. There is overtime this Saturday, I may do it...it depends on how I feel.

I really feel that is about it. There will be posts describing my pregnancy journey and what I have to do or am lucky that I do not have to do and I will of course keep you posted on the house as it gets finished. I will definitely do a better job keeping you all up to date.

Please tell me something nice happaned.....

Remember the goose we had? Well a week or so (ya I am a bit late with the post) Brian came home saying the goose was off her nest. So of course I come running with my camera....sure enough the goose was gone! She was just there this morning.

What I found was not so exciting....

The goose is no where to be seen. I am not sure how this happened....either we have incredibly mean neighbors who are geese murderers or a wild animal got to them. I am thinking we have mean neighbors....Brian thought they just hatched but A) the babies would be in the nest and B) the goose would not have abandoned her babies....

I miss my goose :(

Who would have thought....

That the first project we would finish would be in the garage. And as promised, when projects get finished you get pictures!

This project started out well...got dramatic and finished alright like always.

We first had to clear the garage and clean it out. You would be very surprised how dirty a brand new garage is. The following pictures are after we swept.

Then we realized we needed to sweep some more!

Finally it was time to etch the floor. Etching is done to remove oil stands and dirt that is on garage floors for years. Our floor wasn't dirty enough to need it for that reason but etching would make the paint cover more ground and last longer.

We then had to wait for that to dry...

After it dried we painted the curb and floor with the epoxy paint and specs. We had *just* enough and thought we had done a pretty good job. I didnt know it was supposed to rain but the boys did and they said the rain wouldnt start until 2am so plenty of time for the paint to dry so the rain wouldnt be an issue since we finished painting at 7:30. We had to leave the windows open and garage door 6/8ths to help floor dry. Then at 8:30 we had sideways downpour of rain. It looked really bad and we were thinking we were going to have to redo the floor completely. Looking at it the next morning it may not last the 10 years it is supposed to but it will be awhile. We also decided to put clear coat on it...to smooth it out and hoping that will make the paint last longer

And voila! Garage floor is done!