Cabinet Clutter

When Jake and I moved into our current duplex, we were missing some things in the house )i.e. counter space in the kitchen, but we won't go there). Among these was a pantry. Luckily, my parents were generous enough to purchase some "pantry" cabinets from Ikea. They're actually just bookshelves, and we added doors to them. They work, and we couldn't be happier with them. There's just one problem...they were a mess.

Last night while trying to find a good marinade/rub for the salmon that was defrosting for dinner, I got mucho frustrated and decided "that's it, the pantry is getting a makeover". My one pet peeve in the pantry was the spice shelf. I love cooking, and I love spices and cooking with them. I would find it very frustrating to be looking for simple things like lemon juice, or dill and not being able to find it on the correct shelf. I'm also an avid baker so of course, I have a cake decorating set and sprinkles for cakes and cupcakes. We have a big pantry, and a small one. The big pantry is twice the width of the "small" one. The bigger one houses our everyday things like cereal, crackers, pasta, canned goods, etc. The smaller one is home to more of my stuff: cake mixes, sprinkles, spices, pancake/waffle mixes, etc. The smaller one is the one I like to visit the most, so that was first.

Before:

After:

Now for the "main" part of the pantry.

Before:

After:

OK, granted the main pantry wasn't that unorganized, but it needed a little facelift. I was so proud of myself when I was done. I know I know...a small accomplishment. But would it be better to say I did it entirely in about 15-20 minutes? :)

Midnight Sun

I decided I couldn't handle it any longer...I had to read the partial draft of Midnight Sun, the 5th installment of the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer. It basically tells the story of Twilight from Edward's perspective rather than Bella's.

The inner battle in Edward to realize how in love he is with Bella vs. trying to help her be "safe" by staying away from her...it's amazing. I'm glad he gave in though...I just thing it's too bad that the book was illegally leaked. Meyer's website said she's restarted the novel, with no ETA of a completion date or publish date. The online "copy" of the book is on Meyer's website. It's 264 pages, and I read them ALL over this past weekend.

I cant wait for it to come out. I'd love to finish the story.

"Let's get it started!"

So, I have an announcement...sort of...

Jake and I are going to start trying to have a baby again next month. We've had several talks about the possibility of starting early, but thought it wouldn't be a good idea until I feel better with the epidural. I'm still good. The epidural has worn off a tiny bit, but the amount of pain has gone down about 95%, which is awesome. I still get sore when it's the end of the day and I've really exhausted myself. Other than that, I'm one happy camper.

I've been praying a lot for peace of mind, clarity, and patience with this whole experience. Jake and I are completely and totally ready to take this on and keep with it. We're a team, and we're hoping that soon we'll be able to announce that our "Smithling" is on it's way. I'm asking our friends and family to pray for us that this journey is smooth, and short.

Weekly video 3/6/09

Today's video is in honor of Jake. Jake, as most of you know, is a comic fan (BIG understatement). This might be TMI, but he has The Punisher shirts, Batman shirts, Spiderman shirts, DC comic sleep pants, and even Batman boxers. We also have Marvel comic checks (it usually gets a lot of comments when paying with these).

So of course, The Watchmen is opening officially today. Jake's been bugging me to see it and how much he's been looking forward to it. So, today, the day Watchmen opens, I'm posting the preview for my weekly video, just for Jake.

Enjoy!

Having faith

While listening to the song I posted on my blog, it reminds me of something I talk about a lot...faith.

I decided to start taking an active approach to the coming months that will pass to Jake and my ultimate goal: starting to try to have a baby again. In November, we said 6 months. It's been 4. I've been doing research on foods and what to do and not to do to help our upcoming infertility treatments. Admittedly, I haven't been praying as much as I should be, but I have been doing some soul searching. I've gone from one end of the spectrum with wondering if I even want children, to the other...wishing my first IUI took, and I'd be 4 months along now. It's been a good road for me to travel, something I needed to do.

I've been very fortunate to have a supportive family to not question our decisions and to encourage us to not lose who we are. I also have Jake who's been with me every step of the way in this. We're hoping this next step in our journey is a short one, but we're more committed and optimistic than ever that this will work. I know now that even though I will have stressful times, and disappointments if IUIs don't take...it's all a part of the process. I also know that it will all be worth it when I finally see those two little pink lines and it'll be real. So I'm asking all my family and friends to pray for us, and keep us in your thoughts in the coming months. We love you all and we hope to spread good news soon!

Oh, and we aren't pursuing fertility treatments until after tax season. Sorry if I lead anyone to believe we were starting now.

Happy belated birthday to me!

On my birthday, my MIL (mother-in-law) gave me a gift certificate for a custom clock from a local artist and family friend. He makes really nice pieces, so I was given the choice of something he had already made, or something in the works that wasn't finished yet. I liked 3 clocks among his 50 or so in his studio. There was one that was mostly tannish brown in color with basketweave and cloth with little huts on it. The next was a gold and blue clock that looked rather "celestial" to me...and then there was one in the "shop". All I saw was a wooden plate with blue, purple, and green beads glued onto it. I fell in love. So I picked that one.

Almost two months later, my clock is here, and I'm completely in love with it! Jake even snuck into my jewelry and took an earring from a set that he had given me for one of our month anniversaries when we were dating. It's gorgeous!

Welcome baby Justus!

My cousins Megan and Jon (and big brother Jalen) welcomed Justus William Allen to their family Saturday February 28th, 2009 at 8:57pm. His stats are 7lb, 11oz and 19inches long. He has blond wispy hair and a perfect round head. No cone zone for this little boy.

My mom and I went to Sacramento yesterday to introduce ourselves and spend some time with the new addition. He seemed quite content to sleep in my arms. I guess it's because I'm always warmer than most people...I tend to have a higher body temp than normal.

Congrats Meg, Jon and Jalen...and welcome to Justus!

Mommy Megan and baby Justus

Me and my new little buddy

Isn't he so cute?