Birthday Man!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!!

Love you tons!

Halloween Costumes.

5  Halloween Costumes I think A would look cute in!

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I have the hardest time picking a costume, last year she was Minnie Mouse!!

Help me decide??

Sunday Social.

Next Weeks Questions: Deep Thoughts with Ashley and Neely

1. What do you value most in life? Family. You can have money, nice material things, a great job, all of it, but it won't mean anything unless you have people to share it with.

2. What do you think is the greatest invention in your lifetime and why? The iPhone! Definitely addicted to it!

3. What do you think is the secret to a good life? Being you. And being with family. I don't think you can be happy unless you are true to who you are. People like to be fake & try to fit in with other groups, but are they really happy? I don't think so. I also think that we need to be with family. Maybe your family is made up of your friends, whoever that is, we need to make sure to include them in our lives.

4. What would you most like to be remembered for when you’re gone? Being a great mother & friend! 

5. What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of? Working hard to get my cars paid off & getting a house to raise a family in.

6. If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you? This would be a much easier question if there was someone I looked like! Umm... so I love Sandra Bullock! Lets just pretend that she would still be young by the time I had enough life for a movie to be made about me!

Cupcake High Heels.

My mom's birthday was last week, and I just had to share what my sister & I made for dessert.

Now we got pretty bored & couldn't decide how to decorate them 

after about 3 shoes. Overall though, it was so much fun. I'm making these again for my brother's fiance's Bridal Shower next July. Definitely need some practice, but if you ever need to, super easy to make these!

Wedded Bliss: Marriage Advice

Marriage Advice!
If you could give one piece of advice to any married (or soon-to-be married) couple, what would it be? Talk about your privacy as a couple. Like my husband's family is all about knowing every little detail about everything, whereas my family is more like, oh tell me if you want to, or don't. Whatever. We keep things to ourselves. For instance, money. My parents taught us never to ask how much someone makes. My in-laws like to ask & talk about how much they make. Not cool. When we talk about things, financially or even now when it comes to growing our family, we figure out when we want to tell people & what we want to tell them to make sure each of us feels okay with what is being said.  Really hope that made sense.
What is an absolute MUST for any marriage/relationship? Communication. Honestly, any problem we've ever had is only made worse, or is because we haven't communicated. 
What is the #1 no-no in a marriage? The complete opposite of the previous question. Not communicating. Seriously, if you have a problem let them know!
What is the biggest lesson you have learned from your marriage? Don't give up, and don't let your spouse give up. When things get hard, my husband is the first to give up and what not. I like to keep things together & figure out ways to fix things. It works for us. Just know if you aren't happy, sit down, talk about it & find a solution together. 

Diapers, Netflix & Hair Color

So glad it's Thursday!!!

It's okay:

That A insists on sleeping in only a diaper. Last night she woke up at 1 trying to get her pajamas off. Complaining that it was hot. As soon as she's out of pj's she's back asleep.

That I sat and watched 4 episodes of Pretty Little Liars yesterday!

That I'm addicted to Netflix & reading lately, meaning my blog is a little neglected.

That I'm ready to color my hair, when I just colored it about 2 weeks ago and had just got highlights a few weeks before that.

That I want to spend as much time in yoga pants & leggings as I can this Fall.

That I can't seem to keep up with laundry at my house, just as I get caught up it piles up again. 

Oh, How Pinteresting

With the weather changing, all I want to do is stay inside and be crafty! 
These are just a few of the things I've pinned! 

Source: I Think Sew via Nicole on Pinterest

Source: This Big Oak Tree via Whitney on Pinterest

Source: Corner House Blog via Gilly on Pinterest

Job Loss & Insurance.

It's been a month since my husband lost his job. A whole month & boy has life had to change. It's kind of crazy all the different things you realize a job does for you. Like Insurance. 

About 3 months ago we finally made the jump to join hubs' insurance through his work.We had originally been paying for insurance outside of a group. We had great insurance. If I would have known he was going to lose his job 2 months later I wouldn't have switched. It's crazy how fast things can change. Well right after he lost his job we started looking for new insurance knowing we didn't have too much longer left with our current. I found a few websites that would help with our insurance comparison shopping. 


Only to later find out that I couldn't be covered, due to taking Clomid just a couple weeks before he lost his job. Frustrating. I knew that would mean COBRA was our next option. So I found some information about COBRA Insurance. Which was then followed by the standard letter from COBRA letting us know what our payment was and how long they could cover us. 

As soon as we're eligible to get back on with an Insurance company, which I'm thinking won't be until I'm pregnant or until hubs gets a job I'll have to start with that comparison shopping again. I feel like I know a fair amount about health insurance plans, well at least how to shop for them. It's nice knowing there are different tools & websites to help. 

Have you ever lost a job & lost insurance? What did you do? I know some times people can find jobs faster than others & I'm sure a lot of people aren't taking fertility medication, but if you are what did you do? Anyone dealt with or dealing with what I'm going through?

**This post was brought to you by my friends at http://shorttermhealthinsurance.net **

19 Months!

Oh goodness A. You've already hit 19 months (Oct 5). I can't believe it. 

I didn't think much had happened this month, until I started looking through the pictures. 

You've had a busy month.

We went to Yellowstone & brought home a black bear.

Your cousin moved in with us. 

It got cold enough for you to start wearing winter/fall clothes.

Cousin C went back to school so you started exploring his room more when he's gone.

You got crayons for the bath & decided coloring on your body was fun.

You had a root beer float.

You had sushi.

You went to nursery for the first time.

You went to the airport for the first time.

You started taking pictures of yourself.

Slow down A, you're growing up too fast!

Monday Listicles.

So the topic this week is "10 WAYS YOU ARE THE SAME OR DIFFERENT THAN YOUR YOUNGER SELF." Well how about 5 of each?

5 WAYS YOU ARE THE SAME AS YOUR YOUNGER SELF.
1. I'm still self conscious about my feet. They aren't crazy looking or anything, I just have to make sure they are always painted, soft & clean. If they aren't presentable I hate it!

2. I still have to be showered & ready for the day before I leave the house or have anyone over.

3. I still dislike bananas. I'll eat banana flavored stuff just not a banana. 

4. I still love chocolate. It's an addiction. I could seriously live off cake when I was younger.

5. I hate scary movies. I still can't watch them. 

5 WAYS YOU ARE THE DIFFERENT THAN YOUR YOUNGER SELF.
1. I'm more confident with myself. 

2. I stand up for myself. No more being bullied or pushed around. 

3. I wear yoga pants & leggings as often as I can.

4. I'm more outgoing. 

5. I actually eat a ton better. I may be addicted to chocolate, but I rarely have it. I make sure I'm taking care of my body. 

Sunday Social: Let's Get Literary!

 Lets get literary!

1. Favorite childhood book: 

For some reason, I was in love with the book The Chimney Witches.

I read it as often as I could, especially during the fall in elementary school.

I also loved The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs.

2 . Favorite Book lately

I've been reading SO many books lately. I have Goodreads to thank for that! I'm currently reading The Mortal Instruments Series. Pretty good. I read Betty White's If You Ask Me and that was a really good, quick read!

3. Book you wish you could live in

I haven't really read any mushy, or super happy books lately, more of mystery or Vampire type books, and I don't think I'd want to live in any of those! When I read though, I definitely can put myself into any story. Love it, one of my favorite things about reading.

4. If you could be any character from a book who would it be and why?

Ah! I always dread this question! I have no idea!!! My mind seriously goes blank & I can't think of anything. 

5. Favorite Book turned Movie?

The Notebook. I love that book! I like the movie too! 

6. Favorite Magazine

I don't read too many magazines, but I used to love Cosmo! I have a bunch downstairs, not sure why I'm keeping them. Ha. I also love Parents Magazine, super cute ideas in there!

Clomid Cycle #2

Hey friends! 

It's time for an update. Another cycle is just beginning, our second with Clomid. Seriously, when our plan was made for tlast cycle, I didn't think that it would work out. I figured that something so simple couldn't work. Then as each day started to pass, I would think "maybe this could happen" or "maybe I could be a mom to two" .  As soon as CD 24 hit, I didn't feel very optimistic anymore. My blood work came back fine, but that wasn't the cycle that I got pregnant. 

So now as I sit and wait for CD 10 to come, I start feeling optimistic again. Start thinking, "okay, I could have a July baby". I'd have a tiny little baby for my brother's wedding. Honestly, I don't know if the next cycle will work, but I still hope it does. If it doesn't we'll try again. We're not going to give up. 

I've gotten some emails over the last couple months, from people saying they found my blog and are going through a stage of TTC, something they didn't think they would have to do. They say "no one IRL knows". They don't know how to deal with the disappointments each failed cycle. Honestly, sometimes I used to wonder how I got through all the disappointments. It was hard. I let myself cry if I feel the need to. I let myself be a little jealous of the baby bumps. Let myself wonder "why?!" when I see another announcement on Facebook of an unplanned baby. Seriously people?! So many would give an arm and a leg and whatever else they could, to have an "unplanned pregnancy". 

You guys have been my support group. The place I turn to when I just don't know if I can deal with another failed cycle. When I first started blogging Ashley at Stealing Baby Kisses,(her blog is now private), was one of the first blogs I found. Her story is very different than mine, but I felt a connection. Someone that understood my want, or I guess I could say need to have a baby. She has also (without knowing) kept me trying to be positive through it all.

After that I started meeting more and more bloggers, quite a few that have become friends. People that don't necessarily live close by, but people that text me with pictures of positive pregnancy tests, birth announcements and so on. I know that most can't share their stories with IRL people, but I hope that if you're going through something you know that you're not alone. There are so many bloggers out here that are going through something, some could be just like you. 

We're here to support each other. I know that I can't help but think about each person that has emailed me, as every month passes. Hoping that their time comes soon. I've said it in emails before, but not on my blog but I need to. I'm here for people that need to talk. I know every journey is different but everyone needs a friend, everyone needs support. 

Hope all is well. 

Wedded Bliss Wednesdays.

How often do you and your husband have a date night?

Not often enough. Since having A, we haven't really gone out without her. But once she's asleep we'll snuggle up on the couch and watch a show or two. 

What did you do on your first date? We met up at Barnes & Noble for some Starbucks then decided to head to the theater where we watched Awake.

What is your favorite kind of date night? The ones where we stay at home & just pick up a pizza & a movie. We like to keep it simple.
How do you do date night on a budget?

Pizza & a movie at home. Drives to see Christmas lights. Simple fun things like that.

What is the best kind of date your husband could surprise you with? Dinner together at home. He would of course make dinner & have the house clean! Oh and some sort of chocolate dessert too! I meant it when I said we like to keep it simple!

Yellowstone Trip!

We had SO much fun in Yellowstone! 

So glad we went with my family! 

Just wish that my sisters would have been able to join us!