Show Us Your Life {Kid's Room}

I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner for SUYL.  This week they're featuring kids room's and nurseries.

I've been making a few changes in Hadley's room the last year. I have a few things left I would like to do but overall I'm pretty happy with it.

My dad just made the dress-up armoire for her birthday.

 I have the bed that goes with the rest of the furniture in my garage.  I just haven't been motivated enough to work on it yet.

 Here are some upclose pictures of the dresser and vanity I redid for her room.
The vanity before...

After...

The dresser before...

After...

And her picture wall.

Thanks for checkin' in!!

Show Us Your Life {Going through Infertility}

For those of you who have been following my blog you may have heard me talk about my struggle with secondary infertility.  Today I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner to connect with others going through the same battle.

I say "secondary" infertility because we do have a sweet little 2 year old girl, Hadley.

Although getting pregnant with her was no walk in the park, we never had a diagnosis.  We were never officially "trying" but I had been off birth control for about 20 months before I "accidently" got pregnant.

In August of 2010 we decided to start trying (this time officially) for baby #2. 

Here's our timeline:

August 2010 started trying.

March 2011 Annual OB/GYN appointment. Told her we were trying she said to do the counting method (the 12th day after first day of cycle).

June 2011- I called OB/GYN about a very bad pain in my lower left abdomen.  They told me it was probably a cyst and not to worry just take Ibuprofen.

July 2011- I called to set-up appointment to see what our issues were as we still were not pregnant.  They told me to give it another month and "have fun with it."  =)

August 2011- I called and they set up an appointment for September.

September 2011- Appointment day came and my doctor told me (based on what I told her my cycles were like) that I was fine and I was probably just missing it.  She also told me to do 3 more months of ovulation tests and then she would set up another appointment.  I went home completely devastated and aggravated. 

Later that day I called back and told them I would do the tests but I was not satisfied with only doing that.  I wanted to be more proactive.  They informed me my only option at this point would be to start the testing for Andrew (which all came back fine).

November 2011- I finally decided to set up an appointment with a fertility specialist, Dr. Clark Bundren.
December 2011- I had a complete breakdown, I cried for probably 4 days straight and lost about 5 lbs in those same 4 days.  I finally started blogging about our struggle and it was amazing.  I instantly felt the weight lifted off me with all the responses and messages I was getting back.  By the end of the day I had 40 messages in my inbox and 30+ on the link on my facebook wall.  God worked on my heart that day and I woke up the next morning with an overwhelming sense of peace.

December 13, 2011- Appointment day came and they did the works.  I had an ultrasound which confirmed a pretty bad case of polycystic ovary syndrome.  He said there were probably 30-40 on each ovary.  They also did lots of lab work and set-up my diagnostic laproscopic surgery for endometriosis.

January 13, 2012- I had my laproscopic surgery which confirmed Stage 3 endometriosis and I also had an endometrioma on my left ovary.

January 23, 2012- Post-op appointment we discussed my further treatment which was the Lupron shots that they planned to start in February.  These shots help to treat the endo as well as PCOS because they basically stop the production of estrogen to the point you no longer ovulate or have a menstrual cycle.  (Essentially putting you into menopause.)

February 2012- Started my shots.  I will receive one every month through July.  The months of August and September I will be on birth control to help "jump start" my hormones again.
The shots are taking some getting used to but I think I'm going to make it.

October 2012 we should be set to start trying again, Lord willing.

This last year and a half has been a struggle for me both physically and emotionally.  It seems as though everyone around me is getting pregnant (no lie they really are) and I'm having hot flashes and night sweats with the rest of the 50 year old women.  I know God's timing is perfect but it's not always easy to wait especially since I'm not a very patient person.

Through this I have found much comfort in prayer and a book that a girlfriend sent me, Baby Hunger, by Beth Forbus.  I would strongly recommend both.  =)
I am about to start another book that the same girlfriend sent me called, Hannah's Hope by Jennifer Saake.

I would also like to say, I love my daughter with every fiber of my being and I will say it hurts when people use that against me in this situation.  Just because I want another child by no means is me saying I don't love the child I have already been blessed with.  Infact its the opposite.  BECAUSE I love her so much and she means the world to us I would love nothing more than more of that feeling and love.  I want more of those sweet hugs and kind words that comes from someone so innocent they say it only because they really feel that way.
I feel so blessed to have her in my life and I know without a doubt God gave her to us to help us get through this time.  I couldn't imagine going through this without her.

Thanks for checkin' in!!

Show Us Your Life {Christmas}

Today I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner, for Show Us Your Life: Christmas Tour of Homes.

Here are just a few of our Christmas decorations.

*WELCOME*

*Living Room*

The Mantel

My mom actually made all of our stockings, well everyone but Jake's.

Our Christmas tree.

Presents are wrapped and under this tree!

Just a few other things thrown in for festivity.

My Christmas card board, which I think next year will become a tree.  

There just isn't enough room.

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Hadley's Princess/Barbie tree, in the playroom.

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*Dining Room*

Table Centerpiece 

Corner hutch with a few Christmasy things.

I found this burlap like deco mesh and have loved it in my dining room.

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Just a touch of Christmas in the kitchen.

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I threw some berries and pinecones in an apothecary jar for a wintery look in the bathroom.

Thanks for checkin' in!!

Show Us Your Life {Blogging Tips}

*I'm linking up today with Kelly's Korner: Show Us Your Life*

#1- Get a blog (ha) and share it with friends. Put a link on your FB profile when you update so friends can see what you've been up to. Also, you can share by linking up and getting involved with other bloggers. {Case in point}

#2- Always post with pictures.

I'm kinda ADD when it comes to reading but when its broken up with pictures it helps me out a lot.

And I mean seriously lets think Biblically:

Matthew 7: 13- "So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you."

And I would want pictures. =)

#3- Remember its your blog so write for yourself just as much (if not more) as you write for other people. So don't worry if you feel like it might seem silly to other people, just blog it! On that note I love being able to look back on days and know exactly what I did with Hadley even if it was something as small as going to Wal-Mart. One day your kids are going to be big and you'll wonder what you used to think about/do when they were little.

#4- Do activities with your family and blog about it! During the school year I try to do a baking activity with my sweet little girl every Tuesday.

We call it Shakin' Bakin Tuesdays.

I also like to have a little recap on the week I call T.G.I.F. Favorites.

#5- And most importantly HAVE FUN!!!

Show Us Your Life {Marriage Advice}

I love this guy!!

I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner SUYL Friday.

*Talk...Talk...and Talk Some More*

I think most of the time when Andrew and I have arguements it has to do with not communicating very well.

Get dressed up and have some alone time.

Make family time.

If you do have children remember you're not just man and wife you're also mom & dad.

Remember you're never too old to build a fort and watch a movie in it. =)

Support each others dreams!

NEVER be too serious, its just not as much fun.

Have some time with your friends.

Let him have time with his.

Always remember the couple that prays together stays together.

Andrew gave a toast at one of our friends wedding's about making your life a triangle. Each spouse is the bottom corner with God as the top. As you become closer to God you also become closer together.

(Or something like that (ha), but you get the picture.)

Show Us You Life {Side Dishes}

Show Us You Life- Side Dishes

Roasted Butternut Squash

I got this recipe from the November 2009 Edition of Real Simple and I love it!!

Ingredients:

3 small butternut squash (about 2 lbs. each)--- peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 in thick half-moons

8 shallots, cut into wedges

4 tablespoons EVOO

kosher salt and black pepper

1 cup apple cider

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard (I used ground)

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375*. Divide squash and shallots among 2 rimmed baking sheets. Toss in 2 tbsp. EVOO and season with salt & pepper. Arrange in one layer and flip once until golden, about 50 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, simmer the cider in a small sauce pan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10-15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in vinegar, mustard, parsley, and the remaining 2 tbsp of oil. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Transfer shallots and squash to a serving dish and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

ENJOY!!

Show Us Your Life {Organization}

Okay I really don't have pictures, I apologize but I'll just say organization makes me so happy inside. And when Kelly's Korner made it her SUYL theme this week you better believe I'm gunna add my two cents.

Routine/Schedule:

I love knowing what's coming next and I think it helps Hadley too. As far as her schedule goes, I try to keep it as consistent as possible. It obviously get a little messed up on playgroup days and on Monday's, because that my Wal-Mart and cleaning day. But consistency is key with toddlers I think.

I love doing my Wal-Mart and cleaning on the same day. Yes, it very tiring but I'm so glad its over at the beginning of the week and the rest of the week I just pick up after Hadley goes to sleep. Also, having my Wal-Mart days consistently on Monday's helps Andrew to remember to tell me when he needs stuff.

We also try to make our Family Fun Night on Fridays. This is just helpful because when we day is out when looking to plan things with other people as to not schedule it over our family time.

Storage:

I am obsessed with labels and baskets. I think they are such a cute way to organize and are very self explanatory. If you open our bathroom cabinets there are baskets everywhere. Most of them labels with what's inside. Even without labels baskets are a good/cute way to stuff things and hide them. Hadley's shelves in her playroom have really cute animal face baskets in them and make the room pop with color and declutter, but if you were to pull one out and look inside you will totally lose that feeling of organization, ha.

I also love rubbermade drawers. I have them in closets and in the garage. I have a 3 drawer in our coat closet: top drawer- hats; middle drawer- scraves & gloves, bottom drawer- extra sheets and blow-up mattress (kinda random) If you asked me what any drawer in our house had in it I could most likely answer in a heartbeat.

Overall:

I think the biggest thing about being organized is not letting yourself become overwhelmed. If you get too much going on and let things pile up, thinking about how hard its going to be to get reorganized is exhausting and makes you not want to do it. Know your limits and don't over do it.

KNOW THIS=> If you DON'T put too much on your plate and it makes it much easier to stay organized. =)

Thanks for checkin' in!!

Show Us Your Life {My Family}

HIS SIDE

CeCe and PJ with their granddaughters.

They live in Searcy, AR which is a bit of a drive these days so we don't get to see them as often anymore.

Great Grand-daddy Bob & Carol with their 4 great grandchildren.

PJ's dad and Carol also live in Searcy, just a few miles away.

Andrew with his Grandmother and cousins Helen (far-left) and Megan.

This was CeCe's mom, she passed away shortly after Hadley was born.

The siblings and their girls.

J.O., Rachel, and Andrew (Rachel & Andrew are twins incase it wasn't obvious by the picture, ha!)

Rachel and her husband Adam live in Austin, TX, which makes it hard to see them regularly too. They have a little girl, Harper, who is just three months younger than Hadley.

J.O. and Tamra live in Cabot, AR and have a 4 y/o, Trey and a 2 y/o Addison.

Me with my AWESOME sister-in-laws!!!

Tamra (left) and Rachel (right)

All the kiddos.

Starting from left: Harper, Hadley, Trey & Addi

The whole group at Christmas

Everyone (minus Adam) at Andrew's Commissioning

MY SIDE

My parents live in Rogers, AR, which is just a short drive in comparison to the 3 1/2 hour drive it used to take when we lived in Searcy.

Pap-pa with his girls

MiMi and Audrey

My grandparents (Pap-pap & Grandma) with us and my parents at Andrew's White Coat Ceremony.

Below is my Pap-pa & Grandma Williams with my dad, Aunt Kay and Aunt Ruby.

Both of my grandparents have passed away as well as my Aunt Kay, they are all missed, but we know they're enjoying their time where they are now. =)

Some cousins we rarely get to see on my mom's side.

From left: Christy, Me, Jonathan, Jolene, Heather

Sweet Beth getting her blood pressure taken at Christmas.

(another cousin from my mom's side)

Me and my wonderful older sister, Jolene.

My baby brother, Jonathan, and Jolene.

Jonathan (or Uncle Willie to Hadley) getting some quality Hadley time.

Jolene and her husband, Ryan, live in Bentonville, which is also pretty close so we're fortunate to get to see them pretty often.

And this is they're beautiful little girl, Audrey.

Hadley and Audrey ALWAYS have a blast together!

Jake, our almost 5 y/o Schnocker (Schnauzer & Cocker mix).

Some of my favs of our little family!

Thanks for checkin' in!!