Day 48/49.
Just a quick update to say that still no visit, and now I'm beginning to feel sick. Benedryl has been my friend the past two nights to help me get a break from my constantly runny nose.
Right now I can breathe through both nostrils, thank goodness...
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Sew Fun
Day 47/48.
Today my mom, aunt and I went to the Sew Expo at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. It was splendid. I spent a lot of money. (and could have spent way more) So, Happy Birthday to me!!
I don't feel that bad, because Jamaal spent about the same amount as I did on a video game seat and steering wheel for his birthday present.
I can't wait to play with my new toys. :D
Today my mom, aunt and I went to the Sew Expo at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. It was splendid. I spent a lot of money. (and could have spent way more) So, Happy Birthday to me!!
I don't feel that bad, because Jamaal spent about the same amount as I did on a video game seat and steering wheel for his birthday present.
I can't wait to play with my new toys. :D
Friday, February 26, 2010
The suspense is killing me...
Day 46/47.
It appears that Aunt Flo might be making her appearance soon. I have some very slight spotting today. If I start for real tomorrow, I'll call today Day 1 of my second independent cycle, because I'm tired of this confusing mumbo jumbo with 2 possible days.
So I must admit, that I got slightly confused about my cycle. You see, I've been reading How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby by Dr. Shettles, but I had checked it out from the library and had to return it last week. Well, I've come to realize that some resources a person just needs to have at their disposal at all times just in case.
Let me explain.
I had signs that ovulation was starting on Saturday, and it was confirmed on Sunday via the ovulation test strips. The ovulation test strips test for a hormone commonly referred to as LH (or Luteinizing Hormone). This hormone is released prior to ovulation and is usually detected for 24-48 hours in the urine. (I unfortunately had no tests with me on Saturday, and had I tested then, I'm sure it would have been positive, making my LH surge on the long side at 48 hours or so.) But since I didn't test on Saturday my first positive test was Sunday at 1700. I continued to test positive at 2200 on Monday, with my first negative test on Tuesday morning at 1100.
The positive LH surge signifies impending ovulation, it does not necessarily mean that ovulation has occurred, which is where I got confused. The "fertile period" begins about 4-5 days prior to ovulation and ends 24-48 hours after ovulation. This means if a couple is not trying to get pregnant they should abstain or use a condom beginning 5-6 days prior to ovulation (which gets tricky if, like me, your cycles are new to you and/or not regular), and continue until 48-72 hours after suspected ovulation. In my head, I was thinking that Saturday was the day I ovulated, so on Tuesday, the day I had my first negative LH test, I thought we were in the clear. We had unprotected sex on that day. Now, I realize that I was possibly ovulating on that day and should have waited 72 hours after Tuesday. (Which, if you do your math is actually today.)
It isn't likely that I'll get pregnant, but there is a chance.
Confused? Join the club. ;) Even as a nurse I feel overwhelmed with the planning, timing, and details of conception and fertility. It takes a while to get a good handle on all of this fertility craziness, and that is why I decided I needed to purchase some resources so that I could easily reference them if I had a question or concern. I ended up with the following:
I actually enjoyed How to Choose the Sex of your Baby book, even though there are some chapters that I skipped over as they talk about the history of sex selection. People have wanted to be able to pick the sex of their baby for a very long time. It was kind of funny reading about some of the ways they used to increase the chances of having a boy (or girl, though I think it was more common for people to prefer to have male offspring.) The methods in this book are not 100% effective, because there is always a chance of having either sex, though you can increase your chances of having either a girl or a boy if you time intercourse at a certain time.
I will love any baby I am blessed with, but I really want to have a daughter. I also want to have a son, but I am my mom's last chance to have a granddaughter, and I promised her way back when I was 19 that she would get one. I just love little girl clothes etc...
Fertility and Conception, was a book I picked up because it looked like a good one from the outside. After perusing it a bit, I found that it was very colorful with lots of pictures and looked like it had a variety of information, so I chose it for a simple resource. It also looked like a fairly simple read, and looks like it has a bit of humor as well. Let's face it, when you're reading about cervical mucous, positions of the cervix, and timing of intercourse, a person needs a little humor.
And finally Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a book that I had heard of, and also googled online and got it because it spans the lifespan of a woman. It features explanations of how to conceive, how to naturally avoid pregnancy, and generally teaches about reproductive health. It looks dull, upon flipping through it, and since it is pretty thick, it will be a daunting read, but the reviews say that the text is easy to understand and enjoyable. We'll see. It might be one of those books that is more effective to use by going to the index and reading what you desire at that moment in time...(The reason I say it looks dull, is because the pictures are in black and white, and there appears to be a lot of text, in pretty small font. I didn't even read a word out of it, so I don't know how it flows.)
Hope you all don't mind hearing about my reproductive parts in action...
It appears that Aunt Flo might be making her appearance soon. I have some very slight spotting today. If I start for real tomorrow, I'll call today Day 1 of my second independent cycle, because I'm tired of this confusing mumbo jumbo with 2 possible days.
So I must admit, that I got slightly confused about my cycle. You see, I've been reading How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby by Dr. Shettles, but I had checked it out from the library and had to return it last week. Well, I've come to realize that some resources a person just needs to have at their disposal at all times just in case.
Let me explain.
I had signs that ovulation was starting on Saturday, and it was confirmed on Sunday via the ovulation test strips. The ovulation test strips test for a hormone commonly referred to as LH (or Luteinizing Hormone). This hormone is released prior to ovulation and is usually detected for 24-48 hours in the urine. (I unfortunately had no tests with me on Saturday, and had I tested then, I'm sure it would have been positive, making my LH surge on the long side at 48 hours or so.) But since I didn't test on Saturday my first positive test was Sunday at 1700. I continued to test positive at 2200 on Monday, with my first negative test on Tuesday morning at 1100.
The positive LH surge signifies impending ovulation, it does not necessarily mean that ovulation has occurred, which is where I got confused. The "fertile period" begins about 4-5 days prior to ovulation and ends 24-48 hours after ovulation. This means if a couple is not trying to get pregnant they should abstain or use a condom beginning 5-6 days prior to ovulation (which gets tricky if, like me, your cycles are new to you and/or not regular), and continue until 48-72 hours after suspected ovulation. In my head, I was thinking that Saturday was the day I ovulated, so on Tuesday, the day I had my first negative LH test, I thought we were in the clear. We had unprotected sex on that day. Now, I realize that I was possibly ovulating on that day and should have waited 72 hours after Tuesday. (Which, if you do your math is actually today.)
It isn't likely that I'll get pregnant, but there is a chance.
Confused? Join the club. ;) Even as a nurse I feel overwhelmed with the planning, timing, and details of conception and fertility. It takes a while to get a good handle on all of this fertility craziness, and that is why I decided I needed to purchase some resources so that I could easily reference them if I had a question or concern. I ended up with the following:
I actually enjoyed How to Choose the Sex of your Baby book, even though there are some chapters that I skipped over as they talk about the history of sex selection. People have wanted to be able to pick the sex of their baby for a very long time. It was kind of funny reading about some of the ways they used to increase the chances of having a boy (or girl, though I think it was more common for people to prefer to have male offspring.) The methods in this book are not 100% effective, because there is always a chance of having either sex, though you can increase your chances of having either a girl or a boy if you time intercourse at a certain time.
I will love any baby I am blessed with, but I really want to have a daughter. I also want to have a son, but I am my mom's last chance to have a granddaughter, and I promised her way back when I was 19 that she would get one. I just love little girl clothes etc...
Fertility and Conception, was a book I picked up because it looked like a good one from the outside. After perusing it a bit, I found that it was very colorful with lots of pictures and looked like it had a variety of information, so I chose it for a simple resource. It also looked like a fairly simple read, and looks like it has a bit of humor as well. Let's face it, when you're reading about cervical mucous, positions of the cervix, and timing of intercourse, a person needs a little humor.
And finally Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a book that I had heard of, and also googled online and got it because it spans the lifespan of a woman. It features explanations of how to conceive, how to naturally avoid pregnancy, and generally teaches about reproductive health. It looks dull, upon flipping through it, and since it is pretty thick, it will be a daunting read, but the reviews say that the text is easy to understand and enjoyable. We'll see. It might be one of those books that is more effective to use by going to the index and reading what you desire at that moment in time...(The reason I say it looks dull, is because the pictures are in black and white, and there appears to be a lot of text, in pretty small font. I didn't even read a word out of it, so I don't know how it flows.)
Hope you all don't mind hearing about my reproductive parts in action...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Vitamins and minerals
Prior to my realization this weekend that I wasn't pregnant, I was freaking out. Here is the situation:
Jamaal, Bret, Joe and I go to Safeway, because I don't feel very good and I want ginger ale, cranberry juice, tums, wheat thins and nilla wafers.
I also secretly wanted to buy a pregnancy test. But, I didn't want them to know. The boys decide once they are done following me around, that they should get chips and pretzels to snack on later in the night. This was my chance to break for it.
When I get to the pregnancy test spot, however, there are none available for purchase, instead you have to go to the pharmacy desk or service desk to purchase them. Because apparently they are at risk of being stolen. (Food can also be stolen...)
Of course, there is a line at the pharmacy, but on a turnstile thing near the bottom, I find this:
Jamaal, Bret, Joe and I go to Safeway, because I don't feel very good and I want ginger ale, cranberry juice, tums, wheat thins and nilla wafers.
I also secretly wanted to buy a pregnancy test. But, I didn't want them to know. The boys decide once they are done following me around, that they should get chips and pretzels to snack on later in the night. This was my chance to break for it.
When I get to the pregnancy test spot, however, there are none available for purchase, instead you have to go to the pharmacy desk or service desk to purchase them. Because apparently they are at risk of being stolen. (Food can also be stolen...)
Of course, there is a line at the pharmacy, but on a turnstile thing near the bottom, I find this:
If you remember, I was thinking about buying one of these babies online, but didn't know what size to get. This little baby is way too big really for my current vitamin regimen, but everything fits with plenty of room. There is a divider for AM and PM meds, that comes out easily. But for now, I'll leave it in so I can take two calcium chews per day.
Back to the story....since I was freaking out, thinking I was pregnant, I thought it would be prudent of me to begin taking vitamins regularly. So I purchased the medication organizer.
The boys, by this time, were waiting for me at the front, wondering what had gotten into me. I wish I had a picture, but I was carrying cranberry juice, the boxes of wheat thins and nilla wafers, and the pill organizer. We left the store, and I was trying to figure out how I would get back there later.
The ginger ale I went with was awful, I chose a 2 liter of Safeway brand Diet, and it was terrible. I prefer Canada Dry Diet any day. Lesson learned...
Also, we decided on Papa Murphy's for dinner, so I was in charge of picking it up. This trip, I also picked up a couple bananas and carrots, which both sounded good to me. It is interesting to me, that I had pretty severe food cravings last weekend. I knew exactly what sounded good to me, which made me think that I was pregnant even more. I'm anxious to see what I'll be like when actually pregnant...
What a basket case.
Once I realized I was ovulating, I went on to play beer pong and did horribly. Jamaal and I were partners, and at one point we had only 1 cup left on our side, and hadn't gotten a single cup on their side. Of course I got blamed for being lousy. Oh well...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Exciting News.
Day 41/42.
I've been freaking out. While I want to get pregnant, I am not quite ready to get pregnant right now. I need to figure out my cycle first and get to know my body. Also, I would prefer to look a little less like a fat cow at my good friend Kristina's wedding in August. :)
After working all night Friday night, I got home on Saturday morning, showered and got in the car to drive to Portland. We went to see Bret's new house that he bought, and to play beer pong. I was nervous, because it was day 40/41 and I was beginning to be concerned. And then, in the car, I was nauseated. Only slightly, but still nauseated. I felt bloated and slightly crampy. I got so nervous that I went out and bought 2 different types of pregnancy tests (secretly) and didn't tell anyone that I took one.
It was negative. But then, as everyone went out into the garage to play beer pong I stayed inside. I really didn't feel very good. Pizza did not sound good, carrots and banana and wheat thins were all that sounded good to me. Then, as I was sitting on the couch I realized I felt wet, you know, down there.
When I went to the bathroom to check, I found very slippery, clear cervical mucous. There was a lot of it. Since I have been on the pill for nearly 5 years now, I haven't really had any cervical mucous, so this was a huge thing for me to notice. It hit me that I wasn't pregnant, I was ovulating.
Today, when I got home, I took an ovulation test, and it was immediately positive.
So while I am slightly disappointed that I'm not pregnant, I am very excited that I ovulated. I'm hoping that it continues to be quite obvious when I do ovulate like it was this time. Though I hope that my cycles shorten a little as it has been a very stressful month.
Kristina, it was a very very short trip, next time I'll come visit you, I promise.
I've been freaking out. While I want to get pregnant, I am not quite ready to get pregnant right now. I need to figure out my cycle first and get to know my body. Also, I would prefer to look a little less like a fat cow at my good friend Kristina's wedding in August. :)
After working all night Friday night, I got home on Saturday morning, showered and got in the car to drive to Portland. We went to see Bret's new house that he bought, and to play beer pong. I was nervous, because it was day 40/41 and I was beginning to be concerned. And then, in the car, I was nauseated. Only slightly, but still nauseated. I felt bloated and slightly crampy. I got so nervous that I went out and bought 2 different types of pregnancy tests (secretly) and didn't tell anyone that I took one.
It was negative. But then, as everyone went out into the garage to play beer pong I stayed inside. I really didn't feel very good. Pizza did not sound good, carrots and banana and wheat thins were all that sounded good to me. Then, as I was sitting on the couch I realized I felt wet, you know, down there.
When I went to the bathroom to check, I found very slippery, clear cervical mucous. There was a lot of it. Since I have been on the pill for nearly 5 years now, I haven't really had any cervical mucous, so this was a huge thing for me to notice. It hit me that I wasn't pregnant, I was ovulating.
Today, when I got home, I took an ovulation test, and it was immediately positive.
So while I am slightly disappointed that I'm not pregnant, I am very excited that I ovulated. I'm hoping that it continues to be quite obvious when I do ovulate like it was this time. Though I hope that my cycles shorten a little as it has been a very stressful month.
Kristina, it was a very very short trip, next time I'll come visit you, I promise.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Call me crazy...
but don't call me late for dinner.
The other day I decided to buy cayenne pepper. The reason I did so, was I read about this recipe on this blog, and thought I needed a spicy spice for my spice collection.
In college I created this masterpiece: rice and bean burritos. I added chili powder to it the first time I made it, trying to make it spicy, when really it added no true flavor to it. I was disappointed to say the least, and instead added taco seasoning the next time I made it to make it a little more flavorful and spicy.
I've been plagued by that experience ever since. I wanted a spicy spice that I could add to things like chili or rice and beans to give the food a little kick.
I have found what I've been looking for in cayenne pepper. It certainly is spicy, but I love the flavor it adds. I realize that I might be alone in this feeling, not everyone craves a spicy spice, but I thought I might share a few of my discoveries. I've since been adding it to everything...mostly when I cook for myself.
Spicy Fried Rice
Ingredients:
-cooked brown or white rice (I often use leftovers to make fried rice the next day)
-1 Tbsp oil (olive or sesame or a little of each)
-2-3 Tbsp soy sauce
-1-3 eggs (depending on how much rice you are using; I use 3 eggs for 4 cups of rice)
-cayenne pepper to taste
-freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Heat the oil in a large pan/skillet over med/high heat.
2. Add the rice and stir until warmed. Drizzle rice with soy sauce. Stir to coat rice evenly.
3. Let the rice continue to cook by pressing the rice gently into the pan and leaving it for a couple minutes. Using a spatula cut the rice "pancake" into quarters and try to turn the rice to fry the other side. (I'm not very good at this, but it doesn't really matter.)
4. After the other side of the rice has been fried a little, push the rice over to clear about a third of the pan to cook the eggs on. Scramble the eggs until dry.
5. Stir rice and eggs together. Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper and fresh ground pepper. Stir again, and serve warm. (If you want it spicy, and others do not, sprinkle your serving with cayenne instead.) :D
________________________
And my personal favorite,
Spicy Stove top Popcorn
Ingredients
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-1/4 c. popcorn kernels
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/4 tsp popcorn salt
1. Heat the oil in a 2 quart saucepan over med/high heat (make sure it has a lid). Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and popcorn salt. Swirl the oil in the saucepan to combine.
2. Add the popcorn kernels and put on the lid. Stir the popcorn kernels with the oil by lifting the pot and shaking, gently, forward and back (not up and down). Set the pan back on the burner, and periodically shake the kernels. Once the kernels are really starting to pop, shake the pot continuously until the popping slows. I sometimes set it back down to heat the pot back up, but you must be careful to prevent burning.
Enjoy!!
The other day I decided to buy cayenne pepper. The reason I did so, was I read about this recipe on this blog, and thought I needed a spicy spice for my spice collection.
In college I created this masterpiece: rice and bean burritos. I added chili powder to it the first time I made it, trying to make it spicy, when really it added no true flavor to it. I was disappointed to say the least, and instead added taco seasoning the next time I made it to make it a little more flavorful and spicy.
I've been plagued by that experience ever since. I wanted a spicy spice that I could add to things like chili or rice and beans to give the food a little kick.
I have found what I've been looking for in cayenne pepper. It certainly is spicy, but I love the flavor it adds. I realize that I might be alone in this feeling, not everyone craves a spicy spice, but I thought I might share a few of my discoveries. I've since been adding it to everything...mostly when I cook for myself.
Spicy Fried Rice
Ingredients:
-cooked brown or white rice (I often use leftovers to make fried rice the next day)
-1 Tbsp oil (olive or sesame or a little of each)
-2-3 Tbsp soy sauce
-1-3 eggs (depending on how much rice you are using; I use 3 eggs for 4 cups of rice)
-cayenne pepper to taste
-freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. Heat the oil in a large pan/skillet over med/high heat.
2. Add the rice and stir until warmed. Drizzle rice with soy sauce. Stir to coat rice evenly.
3. Let the rice continue to cook by pressing the rice gently into the pan and leaving it for a couple minutes. Using a spatula cut the rice "pancake" into quarters and try to turn the rice to fry the other side. (I'm not very good at this, but it doesn't really matter.)
4. After the other side of the rice has been fried a little, push the rice over to clear about a third of the pan to cook the eggs on. Scramble the eggs until dry.
5. Stir rice and eggs together. Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper and fresh ground pepper. Stir again, and serve warm. (If you want it spicy, and others do not, sprinkle your serving with cayenne instead.) :D
________________________
And my personal favorite,
Spicy Stove top Popcorn
Ingredients
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-1/4 c. popcorn kernels
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/4 tsp popcorn salt
1. Heat the oil in a 2 quart saucepan over med/high heat (make sure it has a lid). Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and popcorn salt. Swirl the oil in the saucepan to combine.
2. Add the popcorn kernels and put on the lid. Stir the popcorn kernels with the oil by lifting the pot and shaking, gently, forward and back (not up and down). Set the pan back on the burner, and periodically shake the kernels. Once the kernels are really starting to pop, shake the pot continuously until the popping slows. I sometimes set it back down to heat the pot back up, but you must be careful to prevent burning.
Enjoy!!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Quilt class
Okay so one more post for the day. I know I've gone overboard today. But sometimes I just get a compulsion to post. When you're done here, go check out my other blog, I've posted a couple things there as well!
Tomorrow, my good friend Kayleen and I will be going to a quilting class. Yesterday I washed my fabrics, and today I pressed them.
I have no idea what the quilt will look like when I'm done, so it was kind of difficult to pick out the fabrics. (I have not seen the sample of the quilt we will be making.)
We needed 10 different fabrics for the main part of the quilt, which I picked out in pairs. The off white is for the sashing, and the blue polka dot is for the binding.
I'll let you know how it goes. The table runner I started last year, still hasn't been restarted again since I stopped....
Tomorrow, my good friend Kayleen and I will be going to a quilting class. Yesterday I washed my fabrics, and today I pressed them.
I have no idea what the quilt will look like when I'm done, so it was kind of difficult to pick out the fabrics. (I have not seen the sample of the quilt we will be making.)
We needed 10 different fabrics for the main part of the quilt, which I picked out in pairs. The off white is for the sashing, and the blue polka dot is for the binding.
I'll let you know how it goes. The table runner I started last year, still hasn't been restarted again since I stopped....
The real avatars...
My dad always makes a birthday card for our birthdays and gives it to us at our birthday dinner. This year I opened a card to both Jamaal and I to find this photo. I think it is hilarious...we make good avatars don't we?
Sweet cakes.
If you have never been to Trophy Cupcakes, I think you should make it a goal to make it there at least once this year. I decided to stop by the Wallingford store last Saturday morning (the day before Valentine's Day) to pick up a couple sweets for my sweetheart.
The box of cupcakes and my dogs, chomping at the bit to get some. ;) look at Bacardi licking her lips.
Here are the majority of the cupcakes. I brought them home, said "Happy Valentine's Day." And showed him his cupcakes: a vanilla with vanilla frosting, and a vanilla with chocolate frosting. Well I decided to take a picture of them after Jamaal left for work, and this is what I found. He was on a sugar high all day at work. :) The cupcakes I picked out for myself were carrot walnut, and a triple coconut. The latter was. To. Die. For. The carrot walnut was good, but I kept wishing I had more of the triple coconut cupcake. You must like coconut in order for you to enjoy the cupcake. But...mmmmm.....
Monday, February 15, 2010
An icy surprise
Day 35/36.
Aunti still has not come for a visit. The guest room is all made up, but remains empty. If both (pregnancy tests and period) are still negative by this time next week, I'll be going in to get some blood drawn. I can't handle the suspense.
Unfortunately, even if I am preggo, I'm a high risk for miscarriage since I just got off of the pill.
I've got some very slight cramping going on right now, so chances are I'll have a visitor in the next couple days.
In other news...
On Saturday, my family took Jamaal and I to Tokyo Steakhouse for dinner to celebrate our birthdays. Mine isn't until March 23, but my brother will begin coaching baseball at his school, and is super busy in March because of that. And Saturday was the first day we were all available to go out for Jamaal's.
We were all having a good time. We were actually nearly done, he was about to serve us our steak when a waitress spilt diet coke down my back. It was a shocker. It was freezing cold, but all I could think about was the fact that the shirt I was wearing was brand new, and it was hand wash only. And it wasn't really all that cheap. I think it was $24 but I really liked it, and I never really treat myself with new clothes all that often. I usually only buy from the clearance racks anymore. The rest of dinner I was freezing cold. It got on my jeans and on my underwear as well, so it was uncomfortable to walk. I kept feeling as though I wet myself. I was in shock when it happened and didn't really want to talk about it. Later my waitress came up (as the girl who did it was simply refilling our drinks to help our waitress) and apologized and said that my drinks would be free. It really was a slap to my face. My $2 diet coke (with free refills) was free. And my brand new shirt was possibly ruined? And I did not enjoy my food, or the fact that I was out to dinner with my family, as much as I would have with dry clothes. As we were getting ready to leave I started to cry. And I had a very hard time stopping. I really really didn't want to cry. I didn't fight the fact that I felt at the very least that girl should have bought me dinner. After the fact, I wished I would have told them how I felt, but I also know that she didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident...but definitely not worth a free $2 drink.
Aunti still has not come for a visit. The guest room is all made up, but remains empty. If both (pregnancy tests and period) are still negative by this time next week, I'll be going in to get some blood drawn. I can't handle the suspense.
Unfortunately, even if I am preggo, I'm a high risk for miscarriage since I just got off of the pill.
I've got some very slight cramping going on right now, so chances are I'll have a visitor in the next couple days.
In other news...
On Saturday, my family took Jamaal and I to Tokyo Steakhouse for dinner to celebrate our birthdays. Mine isn't until March 23, but my brother will begin coaching baseball at his school, and is super busy in March because of that. And Saturday was the first day we were all available to go out for Jamaal's.
We were all having a good time. We were actually nearly done, he was about to serve us our steak when a waitress spilt diet coke down my back. It was a shocker. It was freezing cold, but all I could think about was the fact that the shirt I was wearing was brand new, and it was hand wash only. And it wasn't really all that cheap. I think it was $24 but I really liked it, and I never really treat myself with new clothes all that often. I usually only buy from the clearance racks anymore. The rest of dinner I was freezing cold. It got on my jeans and on my underwear as well, so it was uncomfortable to walk. I kept feeling as though I wet myself. I was in shock when it happened and didn't really want to talk about it. Later my waitress came up (as the girl who did it was simply refilling our drinks to help our waitress) and apologized and said that my drinks would be free. It really was a slap to my face. My $2 diet coke (with free refills) was free. And my brand new shirt was possibly ruined? And I did not enjoy my food, or the fact that I was out to dinner with my family, as much as I would have with dry clothes. As we were getting ready to leave I started to cry. And I had a very hard time stopping. I really really didn't want to cry. I didn't fight the fact that I felt at the very least that girl should have bought me dinner. After the fact, I wished I would have told them how I felt, but I also know that she didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident...but definitely not worth a free $2 drink.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
A warm house
I suppose I forgot to post about our house warming party. I started to post at one point, but didn't finish for some reason...But there really aren't very many good pictures of people at the party, except this:
My nephew Connor, and Jamaal's Cousin's youngest, Sierra playing the Wii. Being friendly. This time he didn't make her cry. (They were the ring bearers at our wedding.)
January 30th.
A day after Jamaal's 25th Birthday.
So, he got brownies.
And, once the house warmers left, we played beer pong (and death pong). Death pong, is beer pong, but using hard alcohol instead. I cannot stand beer, and will not play beer pong, so instead I mix up a nice rum and coke or some fruity concoction and drink that instead. We are that classy, and pulled off a closet door and put it on our kitchen table to make a beer pong table. Yes, we played in our kitchen...it's too cold outside!!
Feeling good...
It looks as if I just got hit in the head with a ping pong ball, but alas, I did not.
Focused. Joe and I make a good team. We are both light weights (him more-so than me), and get along well.
Bret after several rounds of beer and death pong. He played in every game. Here he is our lead singer of our Rock Band. ;) Bella wants to play too.
Taking a break...
Oh night shift, how you make me crazy. ;)
Yesterday I got off work, and since I knew I didn't have to go back to work until Friday night, I was a bit wired when I got home. Finally, around 1000, I shut my eyes with the intention of waking at 1330 (1:30pm). Well, next thing I knew my hubby was calling me to let me know he wouldn't be home on time, and it was 1730. Oops...I had to get up and move, because I had water aerobics last night, and I need to leave my house by 1815.
Then at midnight, the hubby and I went to sleep. I found myself awake again at 0600, and began thinking of my plans for the day and my crafty ways to the point where I decided I would get more done up and about.
My "To Do" list for the day is getting longer and longer by the moment.
I'm currently sipping on my Breakfast shake, and working on taking my vitamins. I need a system that helps me to remember to take my plethora of vitamins!! I want one of those plastic weekly medication containers, but none of them are big enough for my chewable calcium. I'll keep my eyes peeled for one though. 
Here's one I found on amazon.com but I don't know if that is big enough or not. I'd have to see it in person.
Yesterday I got off work, and since I knew I didn't have to go back to work until Friday night, I was a bit wired when I got home. Finally, around 1000, I shut my eyes with the intention of waking at 1330 (1:30pm). Well, next thing I knew my hubby was calling me to let me know he wouldn't be home on time, and it was 1730. Oops...I had to get up and move, because I had water aerobics last night, and I need to leave my house by 1815.
Then at midnight, the hubby and I went to sleep. I found myself awake again at 0600, and began thinking of my plans for the day and my crafty ways to the point where I decided I would get more done up and about.
My "To Do" list for the day is getting longer and longer by the moment.
- I'm picking pictures to get printed, and have been doing that since 0600, and will pick them up later today at Costco. (I love being able to upload pictures at home, and later that same day pick them up from Costco.)
- I would like to buy some frozen fish fillets from Costco if they have individual servings of fresh, wild caught salmon or cod. And a few other things like condoms. ;)
- I will be going shopping with my mom later, I want to go to Kohls to get a jacket and matching shoes. (Don't know if I'll find what I'm looking for there or not, but I have a gift card, so it's worth a shot looking.)
- We received our tax credit check in the mail, so I need to deposit that today.
- It's time again to do dishes, so that will be what I do after I'm done blogging.
- Water aerobics again tonight at 1900.
- Groceries for the rest of the week, however, I might just find something for dinner tonight and tomorrow instead of buying for the rest of the week, since I might be pressed for time today.
- If time permits, I'd like to work on a project of mine...
- I want to take Jamaal and his dad and brother to see Charlie Murphy when he comes to Seattle in March, so I need to buy the tickets.
- Jamaal and I (and a few friends) want to go to Vegas in March as well, so I need to book the hotel.
I'm currently sipping on my Breakfast shake, and working on taking my vitamins. I need a system that helps me to remember to take my plethora of vitamins!! I want one of those plastic weekly medication containers, but none of them are big enough for my chewable calcium. I'll keep my eyes peeled for one though. Here's one I found on amazon.com but I don't know if that is big enough or not. I'd have to see it in person. On the Fertility front, still no real signs of ovulation. I'm currently on day number 31 or 32 with no signs of Aunt Flo. (I was supposed to start my period on a Monday and only barely spotted so I don't really know if I should count that as day 1 or not. If I do, I'm on day 32, if I don't I'm on day 31.) I hope she comes soon. I'm getting anxious for my cycle to normalize. I KNOW I'm being silly, but I've been kind of wondering if I'm pregnant already. I've tested with pregnancy tests, and according to them, I'm not. BUT I looked into it, and hCG doesn't show in the urine for a few weeks after conception. It doesn't show until 1 week after a missed period, for most women. That means conception was probably 2.5-3 weeks prior to the positive result.
Though like I've said before, there have been no signs of ovulation thus far.
I'm going to be a nutcase for a while until I regularize...I guess I should say, if I regularize.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
It's Saturday?
I cannot believe it is the "weekend." And that is simply because I begin a 4-day work week tonight. Thankfully my first shift on is an 8-hour shift, so I get some time to relax with the hubby when he gets off work this afternoon. Poor guy works Monday thru Saturday (with one random day, lately it has been Wednesday, off). It sucks that he doesn't get two consecutive days off. I complain if I only get 2 nights off of work at a time...
To prepare for another night of work, I slept in. But I didn't really mean to. I meant to sleep until 11 or 12, but it was 1430 when I woke up...I got over 12 hours of sleep in. Perfect.
I had a dream last night that I cooked dinner, but forgot to make the fish, which was the main part of the dinner. How silly. Tonight I'm making baked catfish, brown rice and steamed broccoli. I'm hoping that we like catfish. Because I'm not a huge fish fan....we'll see.
Last night we had Sesame-Yogurt Baked Chicken Thighs (the recipe was for a quartered chicken, but we don't need that much chicken so I did 4 thighs instead), and it was okay. I think it would have been better using skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Jamaal doesn't like having to deal with bones. I don't particularly care for it either, and really don't care for skin. So I suggest trying this recipe using chicken breasts or chicken breast tenders.
Sesame-Yogurt Baked Chicken
From: My Great Recipes (one of the free recipe cards that came in the mail to my parents many many years ago, that I've collected and finally used.)
Ingredients:
-1 frying chicken, 3 to 3.5 lbs., cut into quarters
-1 egg
-1/2 cup plain yogurt
-1 Tbsp. soy sauce
-1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp. each baking powder, salt, and paprika
-3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
-1/4 cup butter or margarine
1. Beat egg and combine well with yogurt, soy sauce and garlic. Dip chicken pieces in mixture until evenly coated. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, paprika and sesame seeds. Then coat chicken quarters evenly with flour mixture. (I personally found there to be plenty of wet coating, but barely enough dry coating. If I were to make this again, I would make a double batch of the dry coating using only 4-5 Tbsp of the sesame seeds.)
2. Place butter in a baking dish, 2 inches deep, and just large enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer. Place baking dish in a preheated oven until butter melts. (If I were to make this with chicken tenders, I would use a deep cookie sheet, and I would melt the butter in a microwave. I would spread the chicken tenders out on the cookie sheet, then drizzle lightly with butter.)
3. Place the chicken pieces, skin sides down, in butter, then turn skin sides up.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees until chicken is tender and well browned, about 45 minutes. (and of course if you use chicken tenders, they probably don't need to be cooked for 45 minutes, I would try 10 minutes, then turn them over for another 10 minutes.)
P.S. Why is it so hard to spell sesame right?? I always want to spell it seasame...
To prepare for another night of work, I slept in. But I didn't really mean to. I meant to sleep until 11 or 12, but it was 1430 when I woke up...I got over 12 hours of sleep in. Perfect.
I had a dream last night that I cooked dinner, but forgot to make the fish, which was the main part of the dinner. How silly. Tonight I'm making baked catfish, brown rice and steamed broccoli. I'm hoping that we like catfish. Because I'm not a huge fish fan....we'll see.
Last night we had Sesame-Yogurt Baked Chicken Thighs (the recipe was for a quartered chicken, but we don't need that much chicken so I did 4 thighs instead), and it was okay. I think it would have been better using skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Jamaal doesn't like having to deal with bones. I don't particularly care for it either, and really don't care for skin. So I suggest trying this recipe using chicken breasts or chicken breast tenders.
Sesame-Yogurt Baked Chicken
From: My Great Recipes (one of the free recipe cards that came in the mail to my parents many many years ago, that I've collected and finally used.)
Ingredients:
-1 frying chicken, 3 to 3.5 lbs., cut into quarters
-1 egg
-1/2 cup plain yogurt
-1 Tbsp. soy sauce
-1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 tsp. each baking powder, salt, and paprika
-3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
-1/4 cup butter or margarine
1. Beat egg and combine well with yogurt, soy sauce and garlic. Dip chicken pieces in mixture until evenly coated. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, paprika and sesame seeds. Then coat chicken quarters evenly with flour mixture. (I personally found there to be plenty of wet coating, but barely enough dry coating. If I were to make this again, I would make a double batch of the dry coating using only 4-5 Tbsp of the sesame seeds.)
2. Place butter in a baking dish, 2 inches deep, and just large enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer. Place baking dish in a preheated oven until butter melts. (If I were to make this with chicken tenders, I would use a deep cookie sheet, and I would melt the butter in a microwave. I would spread the chicken tenders out on the cookie sheet, then drizzle lightly with butter.)
3. Place the chicken pieces, skin sides down, in butter, then turn skin sides up.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees until chicken is tender and well browned, about 45 minutes. (and of course if you use chicken tenders, they probably don't need to be cooked for 45 minutes, I would try 10 minutes, then turn them over for another 10 minutes.)
P.S. Why is it so hard to spell sesame right?? I always want to spell it seasame...
Friday, February 5, 2010
Pregnancy dreams...yet again
I had a dream last night that I was 3 months pregnant, and had a pretty big bump. I was extremely disappointed because I couldn't feel the baby. I just felt fat. My baby bump wasn't firm either it was saggy so I could like lift it up and move it around. It was upsetting because of all the things I look forward to, feeling another life growing inside me is number 1.
Side note:
My quick research tells me that most women don't start to feel the baby move until 4 months at the earliest (16 weeks). So I guess my dream had some truth to it. I read Kay's old blog entries of her first pregnancy experience and even though she didn't feel the baby move she was still thinking about the baby. She started to notice a small bump at roughly 10 or 12 weeks (but most people wouldn't be able to tell with her fully dressed).
Back to the dream:
My dream fast forwarded to later in the pregnancy (though my belly did not change it was still floppy). And I was having super mild contractions, nothing worse than a mild cramp, and I freaked out. Turned to Jamaal and said "I want the drugs." My doctor (or midwife) asked what I wanted, an epidural or IV meds. I really didn't want an epidural (because there is a risk of permanent damage) and I was concerned about becoming paraplegic. But I was also concerned about the baby and asked which would make him the least stoned. And yes I said him. And the baby was due in November/December.
So what I'm getting at is it is highly unlikely that I will conceive at this time, but as I recently read in How to Choose the Sex of your Baby, some women have a very short LH surge, and most women's LH surge happens later in the day (and I was previously testing in the morning when I first woke up, or right after work). So it is possible that I missed my LH surge this month. Though I doubt it.
I would prefer not to conceive before April 23rd. (my due date would be January 14th 2011). As, like I've said before, I don't want Thanksgiving or Christmas overshadowing the babe's day of birth. But of course I'll take anything I get. ;)
I should also mention that Jamaal was very supportive of me, and when I asked for the drugs, he was right there agreeing with me. (I think that was more for his benefit, and he didn't want to deal with me in a ton of pain.) But I remember thinking that he was being very sweet, and very proud to be having a baby with me. Which, of all the important things, shares the number 1 spot with being able to feel a life growing inside me. :D
Side note:
My quick research tells me that most women don't start to feel the baby move until 4 months at the earliest (16 weeks). So I guess my dream had some truth to it. I read Kay's old blog entries of her first pregnancy experience and even though she didn't feel the baby move she was still thinking about the baby. She started to notice a small bump at roughly 10 or 12 weeks (but most people wouldn't be able to tell with her fully dressed).
Back to the dream:
My dream fast forwarded to later in the pregnancy (though my belly did not change it was still floppy). And I was having super mild contractions, nothing worse than a mild cramp, and I freaked out. Turned to Jamaal and said "I want the drugs." My doctor (or midwife) asked what I wanted, an epidural or IV meds. I really didn't want an epidural (because there is a risk of permanent damage) and I was concerned about becoming paraplegic. But I was also concerned about the baby and asked which would make him the least stoned. And yes I said him. And the baby was due in November/December.
-----------------------------------------
I woke up thinking about my dream and the fact that it was something that could happen. (Well I'm going to assume that my baby bump does not flap in the wind...) But well, Jamaal and I haven't exactly been too careful yet. Sometimes he will reach for a condom, but sometimes not. I don't like the smell of them at all, so I can't stand to touch them. And I don't really have that will power to say no. Plus, I haven't ovulated yet. I'm on day 26 of my first independent cycle, and my ovulation test strips have been negative thus far. (And I've had pretty much no cervical mucous all month. Which is weird because I had some while on the pill, and now nothing...) For those of you who are curious, I'm not using the basal body temperature method since I'm working night shift and my sleep cycles are so irregular. (And for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about these are the methods that help to determine when a woman ovulates, or are fertile, and are the basis for methods associated with natural family planning. I am using the methods to determine my ovulation, but will rely on condoms to prevent pregnancy, and to help me to focus on my bodies signs of fertility. Cervical mucous is difficult to see, for women new to looking at it, if there is also semen in the mix.) So what I'm getting at is it is highly unlikely that I will conceive at this time, but as I recently read in How to Choose the Sex of your Baby, some women have a very short LH surge, and most women's LH surge happens later in the day (and I was previously testing in the morning when I first woke up, or right after work). So it is possible that I missed my LH surge this month. Though I doubt it.
I would prefer not to conceive before April 23rd. (my due date would be January 14th 2011). As, like I've said before, I don't want Thanksgiving or Christmas overshadowing the babe's day of birth. But of course I'll take anything I get. ;)
I should also mention that Jamaal was very supportive of me, and when I asked for the drugs, he was right there agreeing with me. (I think that was more for his benefit, and he didn't want to deal with me in a ton of pain.) But I remember thinking that he was being very sweet, and very proud to be having a baby with me. Which, of all the important things, shares the number 1 spot with being able to feel a life growing inside me. :D
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Unmotivated update
I've been having a difficult time finding motivation. I'm blaming it on night shift. It seems no matter how much I sleep, I still feel exhausted. I feel like there is a constant fog in my brain, and usually my solution is sleep or brainless Internet surfing.
Yesterday, I came home after working a 12-hour night shift, watched about 30 minutes of The Hangover, and went to bed. I meant to sleep until noon, since I was off last night, but ended up waking at 4pm. (I got about 6.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep) Then at midnight I went to bed and slept until 8:30 this morning. And yet I couldn't pull myself off of the couch or computer. Last week I was doing pretty good. I limited my time on the computer, I got up and started doing things before 10am, but I was motivated. I had a housewarming/birthday party to prepare for. I need to get some more unpacking done, and yet I always find myself saying "I'll do it tomorrow I have a couple more nights off." And then, when it has been a day I start to say "I have to go back to work soon, so I should just relax." It's pathetic really...
I was finally able to get out of the house at 3pm. And now I need to go make dinner for the hubby, as I have water aerobics tonight....so much for this post.
Tonight it is "French Onion Burgers" from The Campbell's Kitchen. I saw it on a commercial, and thought it looked good. We'll see...
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