"Dolphins are just gay sharks."

Brittany: I don’t wanna do Britney.

Kurt: Why no Britney, Brittany?

Brittany: 'Cause my name is also Britney Spears. My Middle name is Susan, my Last Name is Pearce… That makes me Brittany S. Pearce. Brittany Spearce.

Not only am I *huge* un-closeted Britney Spears fan (duh), but Brittany is probably my favorite character on Glee. So the Britney/Brittany episode last night was over the top for me! So glad that Brittany (Heather Morris) got a whole episode to truly shine! And damn, can that girl dance. I'm so glad she finally got to show off her moves. Here's a few fun facts about the talented Glee actress you may not have known...

• Heather auditioned for So You Think You Can Dance (season 2) but missed the top 20 by one vote.


• She toured with Beyonce as a dancer and danced with her in several music videos, including "Single Ladies"


• She was originally hired on Glee as a dancer (and of course was key in teaching the "Single Ladies" routine to the football team)


• Brittany's character was not originally supposed to be so air-headed, but apparently she gave a particularly dim-witted look one day at shooting and from that point on, Brittany was declared dumb.


• A lot of the one-liner's are Heather's own ad-libbing.

Brittany: I’m more talented than all of you. I see that clearly now. It’s Brittany… Bitch.

Overwhelmed.

IVF is hella confusing, y'all.  We went ahead and ordered my meds this weekend thinking we'd immediately move forward with this IVF cycle.  But we still have so many questions as far as how to pay (cycle by cycle vs. pre-paying for multiple cycles on a plan), what the heck I'm supposed to do with all these meds (I actually have to mix some of them before injecting - dear me!), and just lots of other "what if" type questions.  After a sit-down on Sunday with my parents (who are graciously helping us fund this process), we all decided the wise thing to do would be to sit out this cycle, get our ducks in a row, and proceed with IVF on the following cycle. 

 

I'm totally fine with that... there are many reasons why this is good.  One big one is that 10/15 is our last big deadline of the year at work and it'll be nice not having to worry about balancing work and baby-making during the next couple of weeks.  I certainly do not want to be stressed during this process!  But a month can seem like an eternity at times... I have my little spouts of impatience, like "ugh, let's just GO!" But on the other hand, I definitely do not want to charge forward without dotting all our I's and crossing all our T's.  And we're only talking one month.  We'll be in the throws of it all soon enough and we're very excited!  For now we're just trying to figure out what the hell we're doing.

 

One thing we do know?  This is stupid expensive.  A little word to the fertiles... next time you're in mixed company and feel like complaining about how expensive babies are... Don't.  (I say that with a loving stink eye.)

Twilight Obsession.

No, not that Twilight. This Twilight.

So, yeah, I told y'all I cheated on Moo Goo last night. I indulged in a glass of red wine and a big chunk of Ghirardelli's Twilight Delight after dinner. It was a one time thing, so no worries. I hadn't let myself have any chocolate in like a month, so this was pretty killer. I have found a decent gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate bar. But I said, screw it... I'm going for my favorite tonight. And I did!

Now I am not really big on sweets generally. Give me a dessert menu and there will maybe, maybe be one item on there I'd eat. Brownie Sundae with hot fudge? Uh, no thanks. New York Cheesecake? I'll pass. But a good piece of dark chocolate is like a little slice of Heaven to me. And I've tasted lots of dark chocolate in my life's mission to find the best dark chocolate out there. I'm not through, but for now, the best out there (that I've come across) hands down is Ghirardelli's Twilight Delight. It's just perfect. We had a good time last night, Twilight and I. But it was a one time thing. I'm in a serious relationship with Moo Goo... so we shall never speak of this again, OK Twilight? I'll call you when I'm a free woman. Don't call me.

Are you ready for your makeover?!

Happy Saturday, all! And let's give a big congrats to... drumroll, please....

The Mrs. from One Fabulous Mom!

You are my fabulous winner of my Dave Giveaway! The signed copy of Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover will be on its way to your doorstep along with a free 3-month subscription to his online resources at http://www.mytotalmoneymakeover.com/! Thanks to all of you who entered - I really loved reading about what all you'd do if you were debt free.



I wish I had a copy for all of you! I mean this book should be shelved in the This-Will-Change-Your-Life section at Barnes & Noble. I hope you will go out and grab it and give it a go. Now y'all have heard me rave about Dave over and over again and I'm sure you're over it. You have to understand that when something changes your life so much for the better, you want to tell everyone. You want everyone to know the joy, freedom, and peace you now know. You want to tell the world. We get this a lot from friends: "Well, that's great for you guys, but it's just not for us." Ugh, if they only knew. So enough from me... take a quick read of this review I found on Amazon for Dave's book. I couldn't say it any better...


I have to admit, I thought Dave Ramsey was below my level. I thought I wouldn't get much of anything out of this campy book, that I haven't already heard i.e.: always buy a used car, invest in your 401k, pay you credit card in full every month, ect, ect. If I had read this book and wrote a review 3 years ago, I probably would have even panned it for being "to simple" or used MBA jargon and some slick equations I learned from college to explain how returns from investment can outpace debt, so make the minimum on your house payment, take the tax write off, embrace a value investment strategy in secular growth stocks that provide a high dividend yield to offset the payments, debt is a tool, use your cash flow to build credit... Blah, blah. Just trying to prove I am more sophisticated than the audience to which books like this are written for.

I read this book, and I feel like a total tool.

It's not that I have debt problems. I don't. I have a nearly paid off loan for a 2007 ford escape I bought at CarMax and a mortgage for a small house in Texas with a good rate that I could potentially pay off in less than 2 years, or today just by selling one of my two profitable rental properties (also mortgaged) that have held their value over the recession. I even have a solid job, which pays very well and a couple of nice big investment portfolios.

My problem is that I am tired of playing the game. It's never been that case that I buy things I can't afford to impress people I don't like... It's that I go out, work my a$$ off and budget and invest accordingly, to pay a substantial amount of interest to financial institutions I don't like. After watching things unfold over the last few years, and my experience with the banks, these banks that suck up my money and make poor investments with it, I can't wait to be completely debt free. Dave made me realize that I, like many others, had a culturally accepted notion that debt is part of life. It's not. He also made me realize how much of my hard earned money I am giving away towards items I thought were "investments", that only continue to keep me in financial servitude and stress me out. His plan is solid regardless if people think his one-sized approach is too simplistic (my own campy Ramseyism: There's only one right way to do things, and hundreds of wrong ways).

In fact I would say anyone who writes a bad review is either living in denial, doesn't have enough experience (possibly an aspiring B-school student or alum), or is trying to prove their genius in the same sort of way the financial institutions did right before the taxpayers had to bail them out... This book is full of truth, and I recommend it to EVERYONE. I did not expect to gain much of anything by reading it, but it's completely changed my perception on how much better off my life could be, and how much easier it would be to build wealth, if I didn't have any financial obligations holding me back.

by "Previously Ignorant"
(gave the book 5 out of 5 stars, duh)

The Big Leagues

So do you want the good news or the bad news?  Bad first?  OK our IUI was a flop.  Took a test this morning first thing and it was negative.  Have I told y'all how much I *hate* taking pregnancy tests?  Like seriously hate them.  But we have to take them when doing an IUI.  I just stared at my alarm clock after it went off this morning and then prayed, prayed, prayed - not for a positive result (OK maybe I mentioned that), but for total peace with however many lines we got.  I checked my temperature... still up, so that was a good sign.  But sure enough, only one line on the pee stick.

 

This was our last IUI attempt, so the good news is, we're now moving on to the big leagues!  We had already done our IVF consult months and months ago.  So we have our protocol laid out and I called the doctor's office today to let them know I got a BFN on my HPT after my IUI, so let's do IVF.  Haha, I just felt like making your head spin with lots of acronyms.  Infertility world is full of 'em!  I seriously have to remind myself to spell things out for you damn fertiles.  So anyway, we're trying to get all our ducks in a row - today has been crazy!  I've been on and off the phone with RBA all day figuring out how to get my meds and also trying to figure out the $$ end.  I had my mom calling too, so I haven't gotten much work done today - ha.  Went ahead and did my initial bloodwork this afternoon, so now we're trying to digest all of this information and figure out if it makes sense to move forward immediately or to sit out this next cycle and hit the following one.  I think we just need the weekend to absorb it all and figure things out.  We're eager to move forward but of course don't want to rush anything we don't have to!

 

So yes, while getting a big fat *NO* on the pregnancy test was a bummer, all this IVF madness has me well distracted and excited to move forward.  I'll of course keep y'all updated and let you know the ins and outs!

 

OK and just so my bases are covered (and because someone asked me the other night to explain), here's a quick explanation of IUI vs. IVF for those who may not know.  I forget that not everyone lives in my world, gawh...  IUI is basically the "turkey baster" method... artificial sex on steroids.  Sex with a catheter... in stirrups.  Highly romantic!  Generally, they put you on Clomid or some other drug to stimulate your ovaries and when the time comes, your man does his thing in a plastic cup.  They take his sample, concentrate and turn it into *super sperm* and then use a catheter to insert the goods directly through your cervix.  Again, textbook definitions here.

 

IVF involves a lot MORE drugs so that you make tons of eggies.  Then they go in surgically and extract those eggs, once mature.  Meanwhile, the hub does his thing in a cup again.  The eggs and sperm all party in a petri dish.  Some hopefully will fertilize on their own, but they'll also force some to, if need be.  A few days later, the fertilized eggs (probably 2) will be inserted through a catheter back to the uterus. 

 

I think I need a glass of wine.

A week in Moo Goo: Friday

Yay for Friday! Hope you all have an excellent one and don't forget to enter my Dave giveaway by midnight (EST) tonight if you haven't already! No major weekend plans for us... looking forward to getting stuff done around the house and catching up on some Tivo. How about y'all?

Today:

Breakfast. Hard-boiled egg, 2 turkey sausage links, instant grits (1/3 cup, plain) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter*

Lunch. Beef enchilada with red sauce (no cheese), one crispy beef taco (no cheese), and black beans, tortilla chips (1 oz) and salsa (Went out for Mexican with my mom! I've found that Mexican is the easiest type of food to go for if I'm eating out - lots of Moo Goo friendly options since I can have corn tortillas and corn chips. I just have to stay away from flour tortillas, sour cream, and obviously... cheese. Oh and margaritas.)

Snack. 1 cup raspberries with 2 tbsp sunflower seeds

Snack. 1/4 cup Back to Nature Pumpkin and Sunflower Seed granola

Dinner. Spaghetti with gluten-free noodles (from Wal-mart of all places), Barilla Mushroom & Garlic sauce with ground turkey, onions, and green peppers added. And....are you ready for it? One 4 oz glass of red wine and nearly 2 oz of dark chocolate*. Yep, I totally cheated. I gave myself a one-time break after the day I had! I broke like 5 rules of Moo Goo there with the wine and chocolate.


* Note that because I don't have "true" allergies to gluten or dairy, I'm a little forgiving when it comes to things like small amounts of margarine/butter, or certain sauces that probably have a little of either of those. I generally just try to eliminate the obvious things and do the best that I can with the rest! So if you have a real intolerance for gluten or dairy, you may need different options. I will star these items that may contain some wheat or milk.

A week in Moo Goo: Thursday

Oh I'm so glad tomorrow's Friday. Bring it! We've been running around so much this week and I'm ready for a relaxing weekend. Even if relaxing means doing laundry. We're also testing this weekend to see if the IUI was successful! The last two weeks actually went by pretty quickly, so I've been thankful for that. We're of course praying for a BFP here but more than anything I'm just praying for continued peace with whatever comes. Dave Ramsey often says to callers, "I'm not in your forest; I can see the trees." I'm always trying to remember that God has the bigger and better perspective. But geez, God... from our end the timing looks pretty damn good. How 'bout yours?!

Today:

Breakfast. Hard-boiled egg, 2 turkey sausage links, instant grits (1/3 cup, plain) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter*

Lunch. Black beans, diced bell pepper with leftover Mexican Rice

Snack. 1 cup raspberries with 2 tbsp sunflower seeds

Snack. 1/2 cup Back to Nature Sunflower and Pumpkin Seed granola*

Dinner. Hamburger patties (8 oz), 1/4 cup hummus with Crunchmaster multi-grain crackers, Tostitos Scoops, 1 oz (Yes, I realize this is a really weird dinner. We had small group tonight, so of the food available, this is what I was able to eat! The hamburger patties were actually from sliders and I just ditched the buns and cheese.)


* Note that because I don't have "true" allergies to gluten or dairy, I'm a little forgiving when it comes to things like small amounts of margarine/butter, or certain sauces that probably have a little of either of those. I generally just try to eliminate the obvious things and do the best that I can with the rest! So if you have a real intolerance for gluten or dairy, you may need different options. I will star these items that may contain some wheat or milk.

One more day!

I'll be back later today with my Moo Goo eats, but just wanted to post a quick reminder to you all to enter my Dave Giveaway! All you've got to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what you'd love to do with your money if you were DEBT FREE! It's fun to dream, so come play! Up for grabs is a signed copy of The Total Money Makeover along with a 3-month subscription to the online TTMM site. Enter by tomorrow!



Also, Atlanta pals, don't forget to grab your tickets for Dave's LIVE Event on Saturday Oct 2! It's one afternoon that has the potential to change the course of the rest of your life. It did for us two years ago! Hope to see you there! Here's a clip of an old entry video from one of his past shows. OMG it gives me goose bumps - I'm such a nerd.

A week in Moo Goo: Wednesday

Mmm.... that granola yesterday was delish! I'll be having some more of that today! I may need to swing by Publix to grab some more since the sale ends tonight. Speaking of snacks, one thing that's really tricky with my diet is that I'm on these herbs - many of which have to be taken on an empty stomach (including my nasty-ass Noni juice). So that makes timing my snacks very tricky. As you can see, I'm the type that eats throughout the day. But I have to squeeze in two doses of Noni and other herbs between lunch and dinner. And I have to do each of those at least 2 hours after eating and 1 hour before eating. So like yesterday one of my afternoon snacks got the boot because I wasn't able to fit it in. I have to take my last dose of Noni before 6pm. Why? I don't know... I guess I'd turn into a Gremlin after 6pm. But it makes snack time a little difficult!

Well here's to a great Wednesday... hope y'all have a good one. We're doing something kinda fun today - the hub and I are visiting some 5th graders at an inner-city school over lunch. We'll just be spending some time with them and chatting - a mentoring thing through church. I'm a little nervous, but excited! Till tomorrow...

Today:

Breakfast. Hard-boiled egg, 2 turkey sausage links, instant grits (1/2 cup dry, plain) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter*

Snack. Back to Nature Sunflower and Pumpkin Seed granola, 1/2 cup*

Snack. 1/2 cup all natural applesauce

Lunch. Leftover turkey chili, 1.5 cups

Dinner. Grilled chicken (6 oz) marinated in Wish Bone Italian Dressing with grilled vegetables (onion, bell pepper, and yellow squash) and brown rice


* Note that because I don't have "true" allergies to gluten or dairy, I'm a little forgiving when it comes to things like small amounts of margarine/butter, or certain sauces that probably have a little of either of those. I generally just try to eliminate the obvious things and do the best that I can with the rest! So if you have a real intolerance for gluten or dairy, you may need different options. I will star these items that may contain some wheat or milk.

A week in Moo Goo: Tuesday

Found some fun looking granola on sale at Publix last night - so I'll be snackin' on it today! I got the sunflower and pumpkin seed variety. It's not labeled gluten-free, but there are no unfriendly ingredients in it that I can see. Amazon does say it's processed in a factory that processes other products with wheat, milk, and soy. Whatev. I can deal with that.



You'll notice that I do eat a lot of seeds. That was another big thing Dr. Liu wanted me to do - and she especially mentioned pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, so I do try to eat my fair share of those. They are high in fat, but it's good fat. And they fill you up and have a great protein punch, so seeds make a great snack. I made some chicken salad this morning and threw sunflower seeds in - I love the nutty flavor and crunchy bite they add. My doctor also mentioned eating fruits with seeds (where you actually eat the seeds), like berries, seeded grapes, etc. So you'll see that the fruits I eat usually have seeds as well. Hope y'all have a fantastic Tuesday! I've got my eye on Friday.

Today:

Breakfast. Hard-boiled egg, 2 turkey sausage links, instant grits (1/3 cup dry, plain) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter* (Yeah, this is my standard breakfast, so get used to it!)

Snack. 1/2 cup all natural applesauce

Lunch. Chicken salad (7 oz chicken) - homemade with light mayo, green apples, sunflower seeds, celery seed, and black pepper

Snack. Back to Nature Sunflower and Pumpkin Seed granola, 1/2 cup (pictured above)

Dinner. Turkey chili (made by the hub!) - ground turkey, kidney beans, Rotel, onions, and chili mix (2 cups maybe? I don't know - I was starving.)


* Note that because I don't have "true" allergies to gluten or dairy, I'm a little forgiving when it comes to things like small amounts of margarine/butter, or certain sauces that probably have a little of either of those. I generally just try to eliminate the obvious things and do the best that I can with the rest! So if you have a real intolerance for gluten or dairy, you may need different options. I will star these items that may contain some wheat or milk.

A week in Moo Goo: Monday

The hub is off to work today! Well, both of us are. But most exciting is that the hub's new job starts today! He's very pumped about this new opportunity and so am I. We went out to dinner with my parents Saturday night to celebrate. So today's a good day! My hubby also commented that he wanted today to be the start of all things fresh... including eating better. He is very active, but well, let's just say his diet is not the greatest. He eats whatever I cook, which is great... but he snacks on a lot of crap and really doesn't get the fruits and veggies he needs. And last night after dinner at a friend's house, he commented about how stuffed and bloated he felt. And I was like, "well, if you went gluten-free and dairy-free like me, you wouldn't have that problem." Not that I really care if he does my hard core Moo Goo diet, but it's true... when you eliminate wheat and dairy out of your diet, digestion issues just disappear.

Most of y'all know, I'm on this crazy diet because we're trying to get prego. My acupuncturist put me on this diet. Not because wheat and milk will keep you from getting knocked up, but because she wants me to get my body in the best shape possible to carry a baby. Traditional Chinese Medicine is all about a holistic approach to health... and the obvious first step in getting the body in balance is cutting out wheat, dairy, and excess sugar. I also can't have caffeine, alcohol, or anything cold. No raw veggies (hard to digest). Aside from the occasional herbal tea, all I drink is room temperature water. I know it sounds awful, but I've been doing this for like 4 months now and I'm pretty used to it. The only time it's *really* hard is in social situations - especially parties. Party food is mostly made up of everything I can't have! Like yesterday I went to a clothing swap and there was literally nothing I could eat. I expected this, so it's not like I was disappointed. But it just means my meals do require some planning. Grabbing a "quick" meal is not so easy.

And really, gluten-free on its own is not so bad. It's kind of become en vogue lately and a lot of restaurants in Atlanta have started offering gluten-free options. But add in dairy-free, and it gets REALLY hard. So eating out can be tough, but that's not a big problem for us since we rarely do so. But for example, at the traditional Italian restaurant we dined at Saturday night, I ordered Veal Picatta with a side of spinach (instead of the standard pasta side). For a salad, we all shared a big antipasto platter - which I can eat most of aside from the cheese. No garlic bread, tiramisu, or after-dinner coffee (ugh, my past favorite) for me though.

So while it sounds torturous, I can't deny how much better I feel being on this diet. I have more energy, I never feel bloated or overly full (aside from that one soy latte incident that will never be repeated!), and I feel stronger - like my immune system is more on game. My allergies are definitely better - that's something I've really noticed. So while I definitely will indulge in certain things when I get the green light, I do plan to try to keep a low-gluten and low-dairy diet in the future. People ask me all the time how long I'm going to do this. The short of it? Till I get pregnant. And I will most likely keep it up through the first trimester and then I can let loose a little!

A sweet friend of mine is also getting back into the swing of things while she and her hubby try for miracle baby #2. She also sees Dr. Liu and is going back on this diet. She suggested I do a sort of "food diary" for a week. We've given each other ideas back and forth on what to eat through all of this, because at first you really are like, "what the hell CAN I eat?" And just so you know, I've never ever been one to diet - in the sense of restricting any certain foods or types of foods. I'm a calorie counter, but I never denied myself any certain foods. So this was a very hard diet to transition into, but now that I'm here, it's just not a big deal. And you must also consider the fact that I have a very good reason to be doing it. It's not a weight-loss thing, it's an I-want-a-baby thing.

So this week I will be detailing my meals and snacks for you - Moo Goo style. It's really for my friend, but maybe y'all will get something out of it too. Enjoy!

Today:

Breakfast. Hard-boiled egg, 2 turkey sausage links, and 1/3 cup (dry) instant grits (plain) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter*

Snack. 1/2 cup all natural applesauce

Lunch. Imagine Organic Creamy Portabello Mushroom Soup, 1.5 cup

Snack. 1 cup sliced strawberries with 2 tbsp sunflower seeds (shelled, roasted)

Snack. Hummus (individual pack - 1/4 cup) with Crunchmaster multi-grain crackers

Dinner. Grilled chicken (6 oz) with Mexican Rice (awesome recipe - I use brown rice, Rotel and GF chicken broth and I just throw it all in my rice cooker to make it easy)

* Note that because I don't have "true" allergies to gluten or dairy, I'm a little forgiving when it comes to things like small amounts of margarine/butter, or certain sauces that probably have a little of either of those. I generally just try to eliminate the obvious things and do the best that I can with the rest! So if you have a real intolerance for gluten or dairy, you may need different options. I will star these items that may contain some wheat or milk.

Woo hoo! It's a Giveaway!

So this has been a good week. Scratch that. Make it a GREAT week! The hub is officially EMPLOYED!!! As in full-time, 9-5, desk with a chair, four walls, and a W-2 to boot! And big props to my husband for having the courage to make this job happen. He was initially turned down for the spot a month ago, but on a whim decided to take the guy who interviewed him out to lunch and said, "you need to hire me, fool." OK, maybe not in those words. But seriously, I'm amazed by his spirit. I SO could not do that. But wow, what a year it has been. I've stated many times that I didn't think we'd make it out of 2009 alive... the hub's last full-time pay check was deposited into our account on 9/30/2009. And here we are, right at a year later, still kickin'... and praise God, he's been blessed with a new, very exciting opportunity. These last 12 months have been a true exercise in faith, trust, and most of all... patience! God is so faithful and we are just overwhelmed with gratitude. And excitement!

So now the real test begins.... over the past two years we've been "forced" to live on a very tight budget. I mean, if the money's not there, you can't spend it. Eating and paying bills were our priorities. Now with the potential of a lot more income coming in, we will have to really hunker down. Because now doing the *wise* thing will truly be a choice. Eye on the prize!

And I must say, as usual, Dave Ramsey could not be coming to town at a better time. He always does that! He must be checking our schedule or something. We are volunteering at his Live event when he comes to Atlanta on October 2. And yesterday afternoon my mom and I went to his "tweet-up" and walked away with some fabulous freebies! So in honor of a fabulous new job for the hub, and Dave's arrival here in a few weeks, I'm doing a great Dave giveaway!



If you're not familiar with Dave's teachings, this book is the best place to get your feet wet. The Total Money Makeover, if you work it, will change your life. Personally, our perspective on money is completely different today than it was two years ago. We've learned how to handle money the way God intended us to, and it has done wonders for our marriage and faith. The thing about the "makeover" is that it's a lifelong journey. It's not a 6-week program or something that only makes sense for a certain crowd. It's for everybody, no matter your financial situation. Whether you're living paycheck to paycheck or counting your millions in your nest egg, everyone can learn something! And what makes his advice so real and relative is the fact that he's been there. As in, 20 years ago he went bankrupt and lost everything. He then decided to figure out how money *really* works. After meeting with millionaire after millionaire, he learned the real key to building wealth is getting out of debt and staying out of debt. And the real charm of the book is his straight-forward, no-nonsense approach, topped with his uncanny humor. What's not to love?

So, again, in celebration of a fantastic new job for the hub and Dave's upcoming Live event, I am giving away a SIGNED copy of Dave's NY Times best-selling book, The Total Money Makeover, along with a free 3-month subscription to his online Total Money Makeover website where you can access budgeting software, get involved with an online community of people going through the program, and much more.

So I'm asking you to dream a little... To enter, leave a comment on this post with your answer to the following question...

If you were debt-free... if you had no payments to anyone... what's one thing you'd love to do with your money? Your income is your most valuable wealth-building tool. When it doesn't have a bunch of other people's names on it, you can do some amazing things. So, what would you do?

You have until Friday, September 24th at 12 midnight EST to enter! I will announce the lucky winner the following Saturday. Go get 'em!


P.S. God, awesome job on answering big prayer request #1. If you answer #2 (for a baby, duh), that would be friggin' sweet. And September 2010 will officially go down in history as my favorite month EVER!

Kiss it, etsy.

My sweet bestest had a craptastic day yesterday... she found out that her etsy shop had been permanently shut down.  Some ridiculousness about copyright infringement.  Which is bogus.  But bogus or not, etsy kicked my dear friend to the curb.  So not only does this make me sad for my friend, who used etsy as her #1 means of getting business, but it also puts etsy on my shit list.  I know there are other outlets for her to sell her stuff and she is in the process of researching all that.  So if you, dear crafty readers, have any advice or suggestions for her, please pop by her blog and let her know!  Her ears are open.  There's no one with a kinder heart and she doesn't deserve this crap. 

 

*Grimacing and shaking fist at etsy!*

Twiddling my thumbs on the two-week-wait...

IUI cycles are just crazy. It's like go-go-go, doctor-doctor-doctor, pill-pill-pill until the big day. And after that it's just... wait. Sometimes it can be the longest two weeks of your life, but I'm doing fine so far. I just try not to think on it too much and distract myself with other things, like this video. NBC re-aired an old SNL episode with Peyton Manning this past weekend and it has one of our favorite digital shorts of all time. (I can actually appreciate Peyton Manning now that he doesn't wear an ugly orange jersey anymore.) Enjoy!

Remembering

There's a lot of remembering going on today.  The easiest way for me to focus on the significance of September 11th is to look back to what I was doing that day.  Not because what *I* was doing was important or special, but because it's the best way to remember how the events of that day made me feel.

 

I was at home in my apartment in Dunwoody studying for the CPA exam.  The exam was my life back then.  I had the Bert Show on (local morning radio show) and they suddenly went nuts over something that was happening.  So I quickly turned on the TV - this was just after the first plane hit.  I remember thinking, OK how could a pilot be that off base?  Seriously.  How horrible.  And then the second plane hit.  And that confirmed it: this was no accident.  I imagine a lot of y'all felt what I felt... true fear.

 

I was on and off the phone with my dad all morning, giving him updates since he was at work with no TV coverage.  And we were trying to get in touch with my mom, who was in DC for work.  She was fine, and not even close to the Pentagon at the time, but it was scary not being able to get in touch with her.  She ended up having to get a rental car to get back to Atlanta because no planes were going out, of course.

 

A scary day.  A tragic day.  A day of tremendous suffering and loss.  And another big reminder that we live in a broken world.  I'm thinking of all of you today that lost loved ones nine years ago.  But I take comfort in the fact that we've got a big ole God.  He hurts along with us, but his glory is far greater than what any terrorist did that day.  So don't forget that.

 

"In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth, a life full of the most atrocious tortures on earth, will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel." - Mother Teresa

"It's on, bitches."

So I got a positive read on my OPK test today, which means game-on for the IUI tomorrow. I was hoping to go one more day before getting the green light, but I think we'll still be in good shape. We're supposed to do another ultrasound tomorrow so I'm very curious to see how chunky my lining has gotten over the last 3 days. I've been drinking this nasty ass Noni juice that's supposed to help with implantation, among other things. It better. My acupuncturist warned me, "it no taste good." Yeah, she wasn't lyin'. Also, the hub's gotta give me a shot tonight. As many needles as I see each week, I still don't like them. Actually it's not that bad - I just have a hard time doing it myself since I have to look away. That kinda makes it hard. Anyway, here's to a fabulous turkey basting in the morning! Big prayers!

Moo Goo to the Rescue!

So I had my first mid-cycle check this morning... I'd been anxiously awaiting this appointment because I knew it would be rather telling as to whether or not the acupuncture, etc I've been doing the past 3+ months is working.  Well it looks like I have some nice cushy lining in the works!  It still has some growing to do, but so do my follies.  So I'm hoping ovulation holds out till this weekend - which it should.  But every ovulation test I take I'm like, "be negative, be negative!"  So far, so good.

 

Today, my lining measured at 6.5mm.  I pulled up my records from our last IUI cycle a year ago.  At this point in my cycle then, I was only measuring at 5.5mm.  So that is huge improvement!  They generally want you to be at 7mm at a minimum when they do the IUI (but closer to 8 is best).  So here's hoping that estrogen really kicks in and starts building some sweet ass sticky baby walls.  I go back again Friday morning for another ultrasound.  Go, uterus, go!

 

So all in all, I'm feeling much better this week.  Last week was crap.  Two hysterical crying fits (and several minis).  Dealing with my funk over a best friend's pregnancy.  And busy with work in the middle of all that.  On Friday morning, my sweet friend was having an ultrasound to hear her baby's heartbeat for the first time.  On that same Friday morning, I was having an ultrasound to assess just how effed up my uterus still is.  That was unsettling, to say the least.  I'm blaming all my mood swings on the drugs.  I'm much more with it this week so far.  It's only Tuesday, but I'm optimistic!

 

Oh and in completely other random news, we went to the NASCAR race on Saturday...hahhahha... (We had free tickets - don't judge.)  So while I did not become an insta-fan, I will say there was some fabulous people-watching to be had.  Just to give you a taste, the outfit of choice for the ladies was a string bikini top underneath denim overall shorts with one strap dangling.  It doesn't get any better than that!  Hope y'all had an excellent Labor Day weekend...  enjoy the rest of the week!

15 Minutes of Terror

So this morning started off a *little* rocky. About every other morning, the hub gets up around 5am to play racquetball with a buddy in the neighborhood. I hear him getting up and getting ready. The pups stay snuggled up next to me (because who the hell gets up at 5am?). I hear the hub whisper "I love you" as he walks out. I respond with my usual barely audible grunt. I hear the garage door go up and back down, pat Belly's head under the covers, and roll back over. ZZZzzzz....

Thirty minutes later, I wake up suddenly to some rummaging noises downstairs. I jump up and realize the dogs aren't in the room with me anymore. Oh great... Gertie's gotten into something. What now? So I throw on my glasses and head downstairs.

All the lights are on. TV's going. But no dogs. Hmmm... maybe the hub accidentally left them outside? The noise must've been them jumping on the door to get back in. I look outside (which is still dark as it's not quite 6am)... no pups. OK I swear I just heard them! I pull out their food in the pantry and start scooping it (because if anything will get them running to me, THAT will). No dogs. I turn around and see the hub's phone and racquetball bag on the kitchen island. OK... he left like 30 minutes ago. What is going on? No husband, no dogs. Empty house. What the HELL is going on?

Insert: MAJOR HYSTERICAL RAGING TEARFUL FREAK OUT

I just keep circling up and downstairs... and down in the basement. Check again outside. I keep saying "What is going on? Where are my babies?" Yelling my husband's name. Crying hysterically the whole time. So now I'm playing out these awful scenarios in my head. He's been kidnapped and the dogs escaped! OK that's ridiculous. He left without his stuff and the dogs accidentally got out. So now I'm picturing having to bury two other dogs. But I JUST heard them! What is going on?!?!??! Do I call 911?

Finally I think to go look in the laundry room where we keep the leashes for the dogs. And sure enough, the girls' harnesses and leashes are gone. Common sense would say, OK the hub decided to go on an early morning walk with the dogs. But common sense doesn't kick in till at least 7am. No, a robber has come in and stolen our dogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So now I'm trying to convince myself that the hub did indeed just take the dogs out. But why? Whenever we walk them, it's at night. So this is not normal AT ALL. I calm down some but am still pacing. A few minutes later (though an eternity in my state), the hub comes through the front door with our dogs. I meet him there and just break down. Sounding like a 5 year old who dropped her ice cream cone, I cry "I... didn't...know....where....you....were!!!!"

He of course felt terrible... he said he did come back upstairs and grabbed the dogs and told me he was going out for a walk with them since his buddy canceled on him. Yeah, no recollection of that. Snoozing away. Perfectly innocent on his part, but sheer terror on my end. He didn't think I'd be awake before he got back either... which I probably wouldn't have. Turns out it was the clatter of him getting out the door with the dogs that woke me up.

So now we have a new rule... leave a note. I think my heart is still trying to slow down. We had a good laugh over it, after I calmed down of course. "Well, at least I know you'd miss me," the hub said. "Or at least the dogs."

Hopefully the rest of the day will be a little more smooth sailing! Happy Thursday! :)