Final Garden Design

I've been working on a garden design for a few weeks now, and I've finally completed it! I love our garden, and I am super excited to start planting! We actually have quite a bit of work to do before we're ready to plant, so we'll get started this weekend. We have two compost bins that Josh built. One has turned into gorgeous dirt, so I'll spread it over the ground with some additional fertilizer before Josh tills everything up. Once it's emptied, we'll start using that one, and let the other one compost away in peace. It'll be ready to spread before winter hopefully!

I planned the design based on past experiences, and what we love and use all the time. There are a couple of newbies in there as well.

Here is what the finished product will look like:



A) large tomatoes
B) cherry tomatoes
C) a. sugar snap peas; b. blueberries; c. blackberries
D) bush beans
E) cucumbers
F) bell peppers
G) spaghetti squash
H) a. basil; b. rosemary; c. cilantro
I) marigolds
J) spinach
K) kale
L) red leaf lettuce
M) green leaf lettuce
N) onion

The spinach, kale, and lettuce will have very spread out plantings - that way we don't end up with an entire row of everything all at once. What we don't use, I'll freeze in ziplock bags and add to my morning green smoothies (sounds gross, but you can't taste the greens even a little!)

Marigolds probably seem random, right? We garden organically, and they keep away lots of unwanted bugs. Planting them in with the veggies is called companion planting, and it's a great way to start an organic garden! You can also group together certain kinds of veggies to produce better results, both in production as well as decreased insects/disease. I'm relatively new to gardening, so I'm definitely still learning all about it! I read the other day that anyone who grows any type of plant should keep a journal. You should record things like the name of the seeds you planted, your production results, what types of problems you had, weather, etc. This way you can research solutions over the winter and hopefully avoid some of the same issues the following year. I will be starting one this year for sure!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! (from me in the middle!)

Slacking in the blogging department, but still reading all of your updates! I'll catch you back up soon!

Girls Weekend!

So last weekend was an all out girl's fest. It was my cousin's 30th birthday, and we all wanted to hang out and celebrate. Saturday morning, we did a 5K. We've all been wanting to do one for awhile, but just never really got up the nerve to do it. Although I did run some in preparation, I really didn't "train" appropriately, so it was by no means a competitive run or anything. In fact, I had a terrible nightmare a few days before the race. In my dream, I was walking/jogging and I kept trying to push myself but I just couldn't go fast no matter what I did, so people kept passing me. Then I could see the finish line, but there was no one there. So when I ran through the finish line, everyone was packing up all of their stuff. I was so late that everyone left. I was totally freaked out after that, but I toughed it out and, as it turns out, I didn't finish last at all. There were tons of walkers that finished after us (woo hoo!). It was totally satisfying, and a little addictive! I can't wait to do another one, but the next time I want to jog the entire thing!

After the 5K, I went home and cleaned up, and then we all met back up and headed to downtown Nashville. We went to The Melting Pot for supper. It's a really nice fondue restaurant that is a total blast! We all ordered martinis and had tons of fun cooking food! After that, we went to this pedestrian bridge that is all lit up at night, and just hung out and acted goofy. It's fun to do that every now and then :-)

Downtown Nashville


Me, the birthday girl, and her sister



Cooking Fun!



Dessert Time (mmmmmmmmmmm....)


Some other random stuff

GREAT News!

***TMI WARNING***

Okay, okay...so I know that in the last post I mentioned Josh wanted me to go quiet about our fertility stuff, but I did get his permission to blog about the HSG, because there was just SO much I wanted to tell!

So my appointment was Wednesday afternoon, and let me tell you, I had been dreading it. The procedure was scheduled for 1:15, but they told me to be there an hour early. I got there, filled out some paperwork, and then waited the entire hour before I went back (of course). Once I got back there, they took my blood pressure and temperature, and then gave me a pregnancy test, just to be sure I wasn't pregnant. After that they had me get dressed in a hospital gown, hair cover thingy, and thick socks. Then they put in an IV. They didn't have it hooked up to anything, but it was just in case. I had this fantastic nurse named Darren that sat with me. He was hilarious and had me totally cracking up! They rolled me back to a giant room that had tons of oversized machines and then pulled one of them over to the bed, so that it covered my belly. There were two good-sized screens to the right of me, and the doctor came in and explained that she would be watching the screens and I could watch, too, if I wanted to see what was going on. Then she casually said, "Most people are far too uncomfortable to watch, so if you don't, then we can just look after..."

?!?!?!?!?!

She told me it would be super intense for a couple of minutes, and my already freaked out self did not like that news at all. So she gets started and then says, "I'm going to insert the catheter into your cervix, and you'll feel some pain." So I braced myself, and I literally did not feel anything. At that point I was super excited because I thought that meant I would be one of those people that is totally comfortable and has minimal cramping! I totally relax, and then right before the dye went in Darren (the nurse) grabbed one hand, and the hot radiologist grabbed my other hand. I was kindof joking with them about how unnecessary that was and then she pushed the dye in.

Oh. My. Effing. GOSH.

I literally thought I was going to pass out. My back involuntarily arched up, every single muscle in my body clenched, and all I wanted to do was pull me knees up but of course I couldn't. I could hear Darren and the radiologist encouraging me that I was doing great, and that it wouldn't be much longer, but honestly, it was all sortof just in the background. It was literally the worst pain I have ever felt in my entire life. During the intense part, I heard her say, "I can't see her right tube at all" and my heart just totally sank. Then I heard her tell me to roll my hips to the right, but I literally couldn't. I was in so much pain that I didn't know what side she wanted me to roll to so I just didn't move. Finally she grabbed my hip, and when I felt her hand I was able to shift. As soon as I did, she said, "There it is! Perfect!" and then it was over. Literally, the very second that she stopped I was totally back to normal and I looked over my head and Darren and the radiologist and apologized for any crushed bones and we all laughed. They said that I actually did better than lots of women. Apparently, some people scream and cry, too (and believe me, I wouldn't judge them!). So the great news is - EVERYTHING IS PERFECT! She said my tubes and uterus were "Textbook"! Funny side note, the dye they use on the x-rays is clear, but there is a lot of it. They told me to bring a pad, but when I initially stepped off the bed to grab my bag of clothes, I totally leaked a puddle of it. Fun times. I actually ended up leaking for the rest of the day, too, but just small amounts.

I'm so very relieved. Hormonal issues are so much easier to resolve than blocked tubes, and I just didn't want to have to deal with anything else. So, now that we're actually getting closer to the real stuff, I will have to be quiet about everything, but hopefully we won't have to wait too much longer for Little Lynch!

News, News, News

So in the last post I announced that I had scheduled my HSG. I did, but there were some cycle issues and I ended up having to push it back. I didn't push it back far, but I haven't had the procedure quite yet. Anyway, we've reached a point where Josh has asked me to stay "quiet" about where we are at with the whole baby thing, and obviously I respect his decision (although I think it sucks, haha) so for now, no updates on specific dates or times :-( Even though I can't be specific about what is going on and when, rest assured you will absolutely be getting updates about our doctor issue, and what I'm doing to handle that. I believe that my HSG will be with a different doctor, so I'm hoping all turns out well.

In other news, I GOT A NEW CAR!!! I am sooooo SUPER excited! I have quite a commute to work - an hour both ways - and so it's really nice to be in a car that totally rocks. It's a 2010 Altima with black leather interior and a sunroof. I actually haven't taken real pictures yet (just a few with my phone) but I'll do that this week and post them for all to see.

I'm missing all my bloggy friends. I have some catching up to do this week!

HSG SCHEDULED!!!!!

I made a HUGE, giant leap today - I scheduled my HSG. Go ahead, you can clap a little :-)

For those of you who don't know what it is, it's a procedure where a catheter is placed through your cervix and a dye is used to fill your uterus and fallopian tubes, all while being x-rayed. Ideally, the dye should flow through the tubes completely, where your body just reabsorbs it. If the dye pools up anywhere, it indicates a blockage, which could be a good reason that pregnancy isn't happening.

Honestly, I can't believe I've waited so very long to do it. I just thought I would love my RE, and everything would flow smoothly from there. When that didn't happen, I was a little bit scared to go back right away. A friend of mine mentioned that I was essentially giving the doctor total control over my fertility, and that regardless of what I thought of the doctor, I needed to go back and take charge if I wanted a baby. She's completely right...but it took me awhile to take her advice. So I'll be real, I'm still really, really freaked out and nervous to go back. I just had such a negative experience the first time, that I'm worried this next time will be just as bad. But I'm putting on my big girl panties and toughing it out!

HSG is scheduled next Friday - October 15th! Fingers crossed that I'm all clear!

Feeling Better...and PUMPKIN!!!!

After that terribly depressing previous entry, I must say that I'm feeling much more chipper. I should've mentioned that I was sick ALL last week, and that today is the first morning I woke up and didn't feel like I needed to immediately take some medicine. I've been battling a stuffy nose, sore throat, and lots of coughing since last Monday, and I rarely get sick, so I'm a total baby when I do. Being sick makes me irritated and emotional, and that produces blog posts that are not quite full of sunshine :-)

Today has actually been the perfect day to recover, too. I've had the house to myself today, so I went to church this morning, came home and took a nap, read a book for a bit, took a bubble bath, had a nice big glass (okay, okay, two glasses) of wine, and now I'm watching a Lifetime movie and catching up on some blogs. Sundays totally rock!

I think this week I'm going to start getting some fall decorations out and really cleaning the house over so I can decorate! I am SO ready for fall. This time of the year is my second favorite (Christmas is first - OF COURSE!) for decorating. Plus it's so simple. Some dried branches, fake leaves, pumpkins - super easy and inexpensive! Speaking of pumpkin...I've been craving some pumpkin ALL week. I don't know if it's just the cooler weather moving in, but I need some pumpkin. There is a fall smoothie that I absolutely love, and today I went to the store to buy some pumpkin, but no one has it out yet. I was so disappointed. I guess I'll just have to keep harassing them until they decide to put it out. Obviously I totally understand the reason for not having real pumpkins out yet, but there is NO reason to hoard all of the canned pumpkin, too!

So this is totally random, but I've been reading about the plastic lining in canned foods. Apparently, it's one of the largest contributors of BPA in our bodies. Last year I started using less plastic and more glass to store things, but I honestly hadn't even thought about canned foods. The good thing is that I don't use canned foods very much at all. Still, I'm trying to use them even less. So having said that, I think this year I am going to buy a few pumpkins, and actually make fresh puree. It's time consuming (which is why I've never done it before) but since pumpkin is seasonal and I don't eat it daily, some puree would last me over until pumpkin season next year. My plan is to store it in the mini Mason jars in my freezer, that way I can enjoy it in the occasional smoothie or mixed in with yogurt year round!