Home Sweet Home

Goodbye 30 degree weather, hello 60 degree weather!

We made the long drive from PA back to NC today and I have to say it feels good to be back in our own home. We've been visiting family and friends for the past 2 weeks and while it was great to see everyone, nothing feels better than being in your own home. There will be lots of time to blog tomorrow since I have finished my schoolwork for the week early. I'll be able to update about Christmas, my 5K, school, a reflection on the past year and New Year's resolutions. I hope everyone has a great time celebrating tonight. Stay safe and enjoy!

Military Monday Blog Hop

I'm trying to get back into posting since I've been MIA since the Christmas holidays started. I'm participating in my second Military Monday Blog Hop. If you would like to join in and link up your blog, head over to Diary of a Devil Dog's blog for more information! If you're a new follower to my blog, please leave a comment. I love reading them and getting to know my readers!

We made the journey from Evan's parents' house to my parents' house in Philly. We were worried about the snow and ice, but the drive was nice and smooth. We're looking forward to celebrating Christmas Part 2, watching the Eagles game tomorrow night and seeing friends in PA and NJ. More updates and lots of pictures to come!

Merry Christmas!

I've been slacking off when it comes to blog posting. We've had so much going on in the past few weeks with school, my first 5K, going to New York City and seeing family in Pennsylvania for the holidays. Once things start to calm down a bit, I'll be trying to catch up with some new posts.

I'd also like to quickly welcome anyone stopping over for ICLW. I'm trying to catch up on my commenting and I appreciate all the comments that have been left for me so far.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday! Merry Christmas!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #6

Happy Friday everyone! Here are the questions for the Friday fill-in. Head over to WifeofaSailor's blog to get your own set of questions and to link your blog. Enjoy!

1. What is the best gift you've ever received or given?

The best gift I've ever received is a pearl necklace from my husband for Christmas 2 years ago. You can read about that here. The best gift I've ever given is probably the Kindle that I gave to my husband this year. He's been talking about getting one of these for months and I finally got to surprise him with it last night. He's looking forward to taking it along with him on work trips and the upcoming deployment.

2. Do you celebrate holidays differently when your loved one is deployed/gone or do you keep tradition?

When Evan was gone last time, I celebrated in the same way that I did the year before. He may be gone for the holidays next year, so we'll see what happens then.

3. If you celebrate Christmas, do you put an angel, star or something else on the top of your tree?

We don't have a tree topper yet and I'm not exactly sure why. I'm planning on purchasing one after the holidays when all of the decorations are dirt cheap. I'm hoping to land something at Pier 1.

4. What are your three favorite websites?

Facebook, Amazon and The Bump

5. On your man do you prefer....boxer, briefs or boxer briefs? Or commando?

I personally don't think anyone should go commando ;) I think boxer briefs are my favorite though.

I don't know if I'll be doing much blogging while we're away for the holidays so I wanted to wish everyone Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

4 years ago...

4 years ago, I walked down the aisle and married my best friend. Even though we planned our Pennsylvania wedding from North Carolina in only 5 months, it turned out just the way I had wanted it to. I remember getting up early in the morning to get my hair done with my maid of honor and bridesmaids. After we were finished at the salon, my best friend and I went to Subway to grab a quick lunch since we knew we wouldn't be eating again until dinner.

After we arrived at the church, everyone got dressed and we took a few pictures before the ceremony. The ceremony went by quickly and before I knew it, we were married! The weather was warm for mid-December (in the low 50's if I remember correctly), so we decided to take some pictures outside the church before heading over to the reception. We took some pictures of just myself and Evan. The groomsmen posed with Evan afterwards and then it was my turn with my bridesmaids. After the pictures were finished, we hopped in the limo to head to the reception.

Our reception was held in a beautiful ballroom that was decorated in reds and whites. I handmade the centerpieces and place cards and they looked beautiful on the tables. We had a wonderful buffet dinner, an amazing cake, great company and lots of dancing. It was by far the best day of my life! I can't believe these past 4 years have gone by so quickly. We have experienced so much together. Next year will be much like our first year of marriage. Evan was deployed for the first 15 months of our marriage and he will deploy again for another year. I hope to stay strong and keep busy over the next year so hopefully the deployment will go by quickly.

Here are some pictures from our special day. Enjoy!

(You may kiss the bride)

(Look at all the bubbles!)

(Before he smashed it in my face)

(First dance - Billy Joel - "Just the Way You Are")

(Taking a break from dancing)

(My handsome husband)

Wordless Wednesday

(Christmas - 2009)

So much for no side effects

I really believed that I wouldn't have any side effects from the increased dosage of C.lomid. Totally wrong on that one. I've been taking it since Wednesday and the past 3 days have been particularly rough. I've been so emotional and I can't stand it. Just thinking about the upcoming holiday makes me sadder than usual. I keep thinking that we should have a 2 month old baby to love, care for and to introduce to extended family at Christmas. Instead, I have to sit in this house with the dogs, thinking about what could have been.

I feel jealous because of my 4 friends who have December due dates are getting ready to welcome their own babies into the world. Why don't I get my chance? I look at all the medicine I have to take everyday and can't understand why this comes so easy to some, while others have to suffer through infertility. I was talking to a friend the other day and I told her I was going to try and be more optimistic about everything from now on. Optimism is currently absent from the picture. I really don't like feeling sorry for myself but that's just what's going on right now. I found out that Evan will be headed off for another training session next month and we'll miss out on my January cycle. If I don't get pregnant this time around, we only have one more shot before deployment. I guess I'll just have to call Dr. P. and figure out what the next step should be for February if needed. Will this ever get easier?

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #5 and a short update on me

Happy Friday everyone! Here are the questions for the Friday fill-in. Head over to WifeofaSailor's blog to get your own set of questions and to link your blog. Enjoy!

1. What do you see your life like in 10 years?

Well in 10 years, I'll be 38 (wow that's scary). At that point, I'll hopefully have 2 or 3 children (even though just one would be great). I'll have completed my classes for my teaching certification and will be teaching in an elementary school. Hopefully I'll be working towards my masters and/or specialist degree. Evan will be coming close to the 20 year mark with the military so who knows where we'll be living. I hope that we'll have experienced overseas living at this point.

2. What do you like most about your job?

Well currently my only job is full-time student so I'll say that I'm so glad that I have the opportunity to go to school so I can live out my dream of becoming a teacher. When I worked in the daycare in AZ and was a substitute teacher in GA, the best part sof those jobs was just being able to be around children, interact with them, teach them new things and hopefully leave a little impression on them.

3. What are three things you do every day, no matter what day it is?

Go to the gym, walk the dogs and eat.

4. What would you do with an extra five hours in your day today?

I would probably start on homework for next week, start baking Christmas cookies and take a long nap.

5. What is your favorite Christmas(or whichever holiday you celebrate) cookie recipe(please share!)?

I talked about my favorite Christmas cookie recipe in the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge. Here's the link because I'm too lazy to type it out again :)

In unrelated milspouse Friday fill-in news, AF has arrived. I was shocked that she showed up without any assistance but this is definitely a good thing. I start the higher dosage of C.lomid today so I'm thinking, hoping and praying that this works! Also, instead of having only one chance before deployment, we may now have 3. I'm trying to look on the positive side of things. Depending on the outcome of this cycle, we may try one round of IUI before deployment happens just to maybe give us a slight better chance of getting pregnant before he leaves.

In unrelated fertility news, I started my first class on Monday. I have to take 4 undergraduate courses in addition to the 9 graduate ones so I decided to start with Biology. I think I dislike it as much now as I did in high school. This first week is loaded with work. 6 discussion board posts, one essay, 4 chapters of reading and a huge lab report. Thankfully, everything is finished except the proofreading of my essay. It should be interesting when 2 grad classes get thrown into the mix in a few weeks. I just have to stay organized and I will be able to do this!

Wordless Wednesday

(Beautiful birthday roses)

New RE appointment

Yesterday was the big day. I finally got to meet with my new RE! The appointment went very well and I was happy with the outcome of our discussion. After our introductions, I told him about my history, reviewed my current medications and discussed the miscarriages. He is satisfied with the dosage of M.etformin that I'm currently on but wants to add a daily dosage of baby aspirin to my daily regimen of meds. He said that the aspirin may help thicken my uterine lining and could help decrease the chance of another miscarriage happening. At this point, I'm willing to try anything to stop this from happening again.

We decided to try one or two more cycles of C.lomid. Instead of taking the 50mg, I'll be bumped up to 100mg. I'm currently on cycle day 35, so if a cycle doesn't start by Monday(and I get a negative pregnancy test), I will start 10 days of P.rovera. I told him that I've taken P.rovera two times before with no success, so he told me that I should call him right after the holidays if AF hasn't shown up. If this happens, we'll go forward with a progesterone shot to help out. The only possible wrench in this plan is the fact that Evan will be gone for a few weeks in January. If I have to go through with the P.rovera but it doesn't work, then I'll be ovulating most likely when Evan is away. I'll hold off on the C.lomid if this is the case and we'll have one last shot in February.

The doctor and I also discussed the possibility of going forward with IUI while Evan is deployed. He said as long as Evan and I are onboard, then so is he. The only problem is that we would have to freeze sperm and Evan (understandably) is a little wary and uncomfortable about this. We're going to have a discussion about this when he gets back from his work trip. I hope I can convince him to go along with this treatment because I really don't want to have to postpone TTC for 7 to 10 months.

If and when I get pregnant, the doctor assured me that he would monitor me with blood tests, exams and ultrasounds from the very beginning of the pregnancy. I would stay on with him until he's comfortable releasing me to a regular OB.

Finally, we discussed possible reasons why I've miscarried twice this year. I asked if the C.lomid has anything to do with it. He said most likely not but he can't entirely rule it out. I'm a little scared to try it again but if he says it's ok, I trust him. When he ordered my labs, he ordered a test to see if I have any clotting disorders which can be a cause of miscarriages. No other doctor has explored this so I'm anxious to find out the results from that.

It looks like I'm just waiting on AF to show so we can move on with the next round of meds. Please pray that she shows up soon so we can get this show on the road again!

Goodbye 27, hello 28

I can't believe another year has gone by so quickly. Remember when you were a kid and all you wanted to do was grow up? Now I wish my youth wouldn't have gone by so quickly. I feel like I just turned 21 yesterday! A lot of things have changed this past year. Our address has changed 3 times due to all the moving around. We got to experience living in Georgia, Arizona and now North Carolina. I'm thankful that we can put down roots for the next 2 to 3 years. It's nice to finally have some stability in our lives. Our living situation also changed - we went from renters to homeowners. I love my house and am looking forward to enjoying it and improving it over the next few years.

My outlook on life has changed. I've become slightly bitter and discouraged about certain things and sometimes I wish I could trade my body in for a better, upgraded model. We lost two babies but I did find out that pregnancy can happen and it will happen (sooner rather than later I hope). I'm putting all my faith into my new doctor. He seems very understanding, knowledgeable, compassionate and willing to try treatments that I've suggested (I'll write another post on the RE appointment later on).

This year I also made new friends, said good-bye to some and strengthened relationships with others. Friends who have experienced loss and/or are going through their own infertility struggles have really helped me these past 8 months. I'm so thankful to have their support and understanding.

I've also had the opportunity to do a lot of traveling this year. Evan and I drove across the country, not once, but twice this year. While in Arizona, we also explored the Grand Canyon, San Diego, Hollywood, Disneyland, Sedona, Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff. Being in the Army does provide us with awesome traveling opportunities.

This upcoming year, I will be focusing on school, going through more fertility treatments and most importantly praying for a safe tour of duty for my husband. I have a feeling that 2011 will be another challenging year but I'm hoping that we will have more positive outcomes!

12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 14

I guess I've finally reached the end of the 12 (really 14) days of Christmas blog challenge. I've gained some new followers, found new blogs to read and got some great baking and craft ideas from this challenge. I really enjoyed participating in it!

The final topic of the day is: Oprah's Favorite Things: What item(s) would I want if I were in the audience?

Oprah gives away a lot of awesome things. Have you ever watched one of her favorite things episodes? Seeing how the audience reacts is probably the best part about them. These women are insane! Anyways, if I were in the audience I would love to score a trip to London and Paris. I've never been to London before and I'm dying to go there someday to experience the British lifestyle (and to go to a foreign country that actually speaks English). Also, I would love to go back to Paris again to see all the things we didn't see the first time. There is so much to do and experience there. It can't be all accomplished in one trip.

I'd also like a new car for my husband so he can stop complaining that he wants a new one even though he just bought one 3 years ago. He's never satisfied with the car he has. He's always wanting something new. :)

Hope you all enjoyed the blog challenge as much as I did! Happy Holidays!

Miltary Monday Blog Hop

I'm joining Marah over at Diary of a Devil Dog Wife in the Military Monday Blog Hop. If you would like to join in, click here and follow the instructions on Marah's blog. I gained some new blog followers on Sunday so hopefully this blog hop will introduce me to some more military spouses. If you're a new follower, please leave a comment so I can follow you back. Welcome to my little piece of the blogging world!

12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 13

The topic of the day is: Favorite Cookie Recipe

I think I shared the recipe for my snickerdoodles a few posts ago, so I'll share a different recipe for some variation.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe from eatingwell.com)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. Grind oats in a blender or food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy. With the mixer running, add the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls, at least 1 inch apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until firm around the edges and golden on top, about 15 minutes. Cool the cookies for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

This recipe is easy and the cookies are a little bit healthier than the standard chocolate chip cookie. I usually love the big gooey chocolate chips cookies, but these taste just as good and they have half the calories. Also as a side note, I usually substitute the oil for unsweetened applesauce. It doesn't change the taste of the cookie but actually makes them a little more moist. Enjoy!

Meet and Follow Sunday

I've decided to take part in The Thrifty Military Wife's Meet and Follow Sunday! I'm looking forward to discovering and reading new blogs as well as gaining some new followers! If you're a new follower, please leave a link to your blog so I can check out your blog and follow you as well.

12 days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 12 and my 100th post

The topic of the day is: Decorations

I finally got motivated to put up the Christmas tree and to decorate the house a little bit this past Wednesday. Here are a few pictures!

(New Christmas wreath)

(Our little Christmas tree all lit and decorated)

(The stockings were hung by the chimney with care)

(New dining table centerpiece and runner)

(Another new decoration)

(Of course I had to add a picture of the dogs. Bella's shirt says Santa Paws on the back)

So I can't believe I've finally reached my 100th post. I'm kind of disappointed that I don't have anything exciting to report. I started my mini-training for my 5K today. I ran outside in the freezing cold for 2 miles. Every other day, I'm going to add an extra 1/4 mile to my run so I'm ready for the full 3 miles in a few weekends.

Evan was so sweet and bought me an ice cream cake for my birthday. We cut into it last night so I won't be left alone in the house for a week with a whole cake to myself! I got a few birthday cards in the mail from friends from home which was really sweet.

My first RE appointment here in NC is on Monday morning. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I'm ready to get a new treatment plan in order with my new doctor. We found out that Evan's deployment may be longer than first anticipated which makes me want to get moving on things sooner rather than later. I will definitely be discussing the possibility of going through with IUI while Evan is gone. I hope I have good news to report after the appointment. Finally, I start one of my undergraduate courses that are required for my teaching certification on Monday. The first class is biology and I'm definitely not looking forward to it. Wish me luck! Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend so far.

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In #4

Happy Friday everyone! Here are the questions for the Friday fill-in. Head over to WifeofaSailor's blog to get your own set of questions and to link your blog. Enjoy!

1. If you were given $1,000 right now, how would you spend it?

I'd probably take a little bit of it and use it towards our anniversary celebration. My husband and I have been talking about going to New York to go out to a nice dinner and see a Broadway show over the Christmas holiday. After our fabulous night, I would put the rest in savings.

2. If you had to choose a movie title (a real one that already exists) for your life story, what would it be?
"Eat, Pray, Love" - I love to cook (and eat). I pray everyday that I will get to be a mother soon. I love my husband and dogs.

3. If you were a teacher, what subject would you like to teach?
I will be a teacher in about a year and a half! When I did substitute teaching in Georgia, I loved teaching in pre-K and kindergarten classrooms, so I would love the opportunity to teach that grade level full time.

4. Has being a MilSpouse changed how you view holidays or how your holidays are celebrated? If so, how? If not, what hasn’t changed?
I definitely don't take spending the holidays with my husband for granted anymore. My husband was deployed for our first 15 months of marriage so we missed out on birthdays and all major holidays for a year. Next year, we will be put into the same position. We plan on enjoying the company of family and friends this holiday since we know we'll be separated again next year.

5. What is your favorite Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) memory?

My favorite Christmas memory is probably baking cookies and cakes with my mom when I was younger. I loved mixing up the ingredients, spooning the cookies out on the trays, adding sprinkles to the top and stealing spoonfuls of batter when my mom wasn't looking.

12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 11

The topic of the day is: New Year's Resolutions

For the past 4 years or so, my resolution has always been to lose weight but now I'm proud to say that I'm finally at a place where I just need to maintain where I'm at. That being said, one of my resolutions for next year is to continue going to strength classes in order to tone up. My problem area is definitely my stomach so I need to work a little harder when it comes to ab work. I also want to be in the best possible physical shape for when I finally get pregnant and stay pregnant (fingers crossed on that one).

Another resolution is to finish all of my education classes so I can student teach starting next January. I've been working on getting my teaching certification for almost 2 years now and I'm ready to finish! All of the moving around has made it challenging to get into classes but I finally found an online school that will work. I miss working in the classroom and can't wait to be teaching a class of my own.

My final goal is to run more. I'm not much of a runner to begin with but Evan is and I would love to be able to run with him on the weekends and actually be able to keep up with him. I just signed up for my first 5K ever and will be running it on December 18th. Stay tuned for details and pictures of us wearing reindeer ears in honor of the reindeer run!

Remembering our little angel babies

I've been trying to figure out a way to remember our 2 angel babies over the Christmas holidays. I was in Hallmark the other day looking for a birthday card for my best friend and I decided to look through their massive amount of ornaments that were on display. I found this and immediately thought of our babies. It will always have a spot on our tree every Christmas to remind us of our angels watching us from above.

(The caption says:

"Every life leaves something beautiful behind")

The lady who checked me out made a comment that the ornament is a sweet way to remember someone that has been lost. I couldn't agree more. The holidays will be hard to get through especially since both sets of parents know about the most recent miscarriage and will most likely be asking a ton of questions.

My RE appointment did get bumped up by almost 2 weeks though. Lucky for me, the appointment falls on my birthday. Maybe that's a good sign?

12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 10

The topic of the day is: Favorite Christmas Songs/Carols

You're all going to think I'm a grinch, but honestly I'm not really into Christmas music at all. I think it's because of two things.

1. Working in retail

2. My mother

I swear Christmas music started playing earlier and earlier each year I worked in a retail setting. I remember setting up Christmas trees and displays at the end of September a few years ago. Being around the music, 9 hours a day, 5 days a week was enough to make me hate it forever.

My mom is also a big Christmas freak. I can remember her taking out the Christmas records and tapes (when I was very young) and then cds (when I was older) as soon as Thanksgiving was over. She also had a habit of keeping up the Christmas tree and decorations until mid-January, so that meant the Christmas music kept playing.

12 Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 9

The topic of the day is: Favorite Holiday Recipe

I have so many holiday recipes, it's hard to choose just one! I guess I'll post one that I have used for the past few years and post a new one that I'll be trying out for the holidays this year.

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

(I also use red and green sprinkles to incorporate with the sugar and cinnamon to make the cookies look a little more festive)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, and stir in remaining flour.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Combine the 4 tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.

Place balls of dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are beautifully golden.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Trio of Mini Pound Cakes

Ingredients

For mix-ins

• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 very ripe banana

For batter

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions

Prep mix-ins
In small bowl, combine poppy seeds and lemon juice. Set aside. In second small bowl, toss together chocolate chips and flour. Set aside. In third small bowl, gently mash banana. Set aside.

Make batter
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9 (4-ounce) disposable mini loaf pans. (If using nondisposable metal pans, butter them, then line with parchment paper and butter paper.)

In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In large bowl, using electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat butter at high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat until mixture is light and somewhat fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well at low speed after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Add 1/3 of flour mixture and beat at low speed until not quite combined, about 30 seconds. Add 1/3 of milk and and beat at low speed until not quite combined, about 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and milk, adding in 2 more batches of each. Beat at low speed just until smooth.

Pour 1/3 of batter into medium bowl. Gently stir in poppy seed-lemon juice mixture and lemon zest. Divide among 3 of prepared pans.

Pour 1/2 of remaining batter into medium bowl. Gently fold in chocolate chip-flour mixture and mashed banana. Divide among 3 of prepared pans.

Divide remaining vanilla batter among remaining 3 prepared pans.

Place all pans on large baking sheet. Bake until cakes are puffed and firm to touch and tester inserted into the center comes out with few crumbs attached, about 30 to 40 minutes. Cook on rack.

When cool, wrap each cake in plastic wrap, then parchment or wax paper. Label, stack in groups of 3 (1 of each kind), and tie together with ribbon or twine.

I think I may omit the banana and make the 3rd set of pound cakes with just plain batter. I do love the idea of making a lemon poppy seed cake as well as a chocolate chip cake.