29 November 2013

home

So Chris is sitting on the couch watching tv and I'm in the kitchen getting a snack. I start singing a nonsensical song about how happy I am that he's home... and he turns up the volume on the tv.

Haha, my point exactly.

28 November 2013

Richest

I have everything.
And I'm so thankful for all of it.

24 November 2013

3 more sleeps

until my better half comes home. Forever.

After 3.5 years, these last days are so short, yet so long. Can they just fly by, please?

P.S. I did my grocery shopping on Saturday night, after this near-constant nausea took a pause. (I think it's these new birth control pills. I hate them and I'm so glad they're temporary.) Anyway, it was really, really pleasant. I usually do my grocery shopping Sunday morning, and I always have to be out of the house before noon in order to avoid the crowds. Saturday night it was positively delightful. No crowds, even on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Instead of rushing through the aisles and avoiding people and carts, I leisurely strolled through the clear aisles and rather enjoyed myself. Even the music was good. I may have to re-think my routine.

19 November 2013

annuals

I cannot believe it's been a year.
And, I really can't believe I'm saying this, but it went by quickly.
What? No... Yes. It kinda did.

And oh, that man. Still gives me the squiggleflutters from 4,000 miles away.
(In a week, he'll be doing that in person, every single day.)

And, I came home to beautiful flowers, even though we both promised we weren't doing gifts.

Here's to many more, my sweet toot.

16 November 2013

Shuttle Stories

Week 2.
  • Monday- Holiday, no shuttle. Drove to work.
  • Tuesday- Uneventful
  • Wednesday- Uneventful
  • Thursday- Dr's appt. Drove to work.
  • Friday- Uneventful
Notes:
-Occasionally someone would sit next to me. Sometimes that's no big deal. Sometimes they smell bad.
-Continuously doze off during the ride. Have not noticed an improvement in my evening productiveness. I think that has to do with how early it gets dark now.

One thing I didn't mention before: The cost.
After crunching some numbers (because that's what I like to do on Saturday mornings), I have determined that if I completely switch from 100% driving to 100% shuttle, I'll save approximately $10 each month. That alone is not worth much, but calculating in the other benefits, I think I'll like it much better-- IF it continues to be reliable.

That will require terminating my parking contract, and I'd hoped to keep that as a safety net in the event I have to drive. Not going to make any decisions yet; I'll see how the next couple of weeks go.

15 November 2013

IUD Adventures: Conclusion.

After 2 years, my uterus is no longer an impenetrable fortress.

This week I had the IUD removed.

Why?

1. The husband started referring to my vagina as the "Wiener Scraper." Um, not exactly the nickname you want your lady parts called.
2. Consistently random cramps and spotting. Just enough to ruin a pair of underwear. The cramping varied from slight and fleeting to constant and bad enough to make me double over.

Other thoughts:
-I never could feel the strings. I just assumed it was still in there because I figured if it somehow came out, I'd know about it. 

Those are the main reasons. While I did love the "set it and forget it" aspect, and the peace of mind that the statistical effectiveness gave me, the other issues were just deal breakers, especially #1.

What surprised me was how incredibly easy and painless the removal was. Literally 30 seconds, during which my gyno went up in there, told me to cough, and walked out of the room. He even joked that I just "coughed it out."

After 2 years of near-constant cramps, and how much the insertion hurt, I was dreading the removal. Turns out, it's a piece of cake. I no longer feel that pain randomly throughout the day.

Now the next logical question- and in fact the nurse asked me this- "Are you going to try to start a family now?"

The answer is a big fat NO. Just to be clear. If you scroll back up to the list of reasons for removal, the desire for babies is definitely not one of them.

So. I'm temporarily back on a pill. One that is supposed to be chewable and tastes minty. Gag.

For my next trick, I'll be trying out the implant that goes underneath the skin on the arm. Statistically effective enough for me, and it has the same "set it and forget it" aspect as the IUD. Minus the wiener scrapage. It's ordered the same way as the IUD, so once the insurance company calls me and I pay for it, I'll be able to make an appointment for the insertion.

Yes, there are side effects associated with this type of birth control, as with all hormonal forms of birth control, but I'm still willing to try it out.
All this, for the sake of spontaneous sex without the threat of pregnancy! As I've said before, the current birth control options are great, but in some ways still so archaic and manipulative.

13 November 2013

talking to the cat.

'Hey Pumpkin,

Let's take a shower, watch an episode of Desperate Housewives, and go to bed early.'

I feel weird about a lot of things today, and I think it's best just to sleep on it. Tomorrow's another day.


10 November 2013

Window seat

I'd like to give a little shout out to this window seat.



Don't you just want to curl up on there with a book and a cup of tea, and maybe a kitty?

Also, I feel like this way-too-accurately describes my life.



09 November 2013

Shuttle Stories

Week 1.

  • Monday- Read about that here.
  • Tuesday- Uneventful
  • Wednesday- The morning shuttle was late. After one of my fellow riders called and got word that the shuttle was broken down and a replacement would be there 30+ minutes late, I stepped out of line and drove to work. On the plus side, I know what time I have to leave the shuttle stop to drive to work on time.
  • Thursday- The shuttle home was 15 minutes late. Not as crucial, but still noted.
  • Friday- Uneventful
So, how do I feel about taking the shuttle to work?

After the first day I knew what to expect and the bouncy creaky loudness didn't bother me much.
I did switch to sitting on the side that doesn't have an overhead hang above that bangs and rattles the whole time.

Things I enjoy:
-Gas savings
-Not worrying about traffic or other drivers
-The shuttle stop is much closer to the main building, and much more crowded. When I drive I don't mind the walking, but I DO mind walking in the dark alone allll the way out to the parking lot. I feel much safer, especially after the time change.
-Especially on the ride home, since it's dark, I get rocked into a state of zen chillout time. Even if I don't plan  to, my eyelids get droopy and I end up closing them. I never actually fall asleep, but I'm not completely conscious either. Even looking out the window at all the lights in the darkness is somewhat of a re-set. I get to turn my brain off and enjoy the scenery. It's quite pretty at night. This is what I was hoping would happen. I've essentially lost 2 hours each day of the stress that came from my commute.

What I don't love:
-The late shuttle(s). This could be huge. I don't know if this is a normal thing, but I hope it turns out to be more reliable. I had the luxury of being able to hop in my car, but most of us depend on it to be on time for work. I'm sure most employers are just as strict as mine about being on time- late shuttle or not.

05 November 2013

public transportation

This is what I felt like taking the shuttle yesterday morning.


Hardly an exaggeration. I was terrified in this creaky, bumpy shuttle tearing over bridges, taking high-speed turns, and rattling loudly around. The driver was running late because of the rain and was trying to make up for lost time. To his credit, I made it to work alive-- somewhat rattled, but on time.

The ride home was not much better, but at least I knew what to expect. Of course this was after I chased after the first shuttle waving my arms, and had to wait around for the next one.

This morning I was prepared, and simply shut my eyes the whole ride, not worrying about why the driver just slammed on the breaks, or wondering if we were going to topple off the overpass. These are professional drivers. These are professional drivers. These are professional drivers.

Anyway, I'm going to keep doing it, just to see how I like it. I already like not having to fill up my gas tank this week, and I think I'll get used to the ride.

02 November 2013

My Craft Room

Some of the things I was most excited about when I moved out of my parents' garage:

1. Dishwasher
2. Bathtub
3. Craft Room

Granted, this is a guest room/craft room, but really since we don't have guests over frequently it's primarily my craft room.

I wanted everything to be accessible, but still have a place. I'm not completely finished, but I have mostly gotten everything where I want it.

I figured taking pictures mid-project instead of cleaned up was fitting. I can make as much mess as I want!
Also the cat perched on the windowsill is pretty typical. It gets tons of daylight, too.


A little tour:

-For the desk, I chose the longest one I could find for maximum workspace. There's nothing more frustrating than having a project dangle off the side when you're trying to work with it. I chose Ikea Linnimon/Alex, with only one side of shelves for maximum maneuverability. Of course, hubby was super wonderful and built the whole thing for me, because I don't believe it would be stable if it were up to me. :o)

-For the same reason I chose this armless Office Max task chair. (It was on sale) Although, full disclosure, when I sit on it with no pants the mesh kinda hurts the backs of my legs. Hence the towel. I'll probably fashion some sort of cover one of these days.


-To solve the accessibility problem, and work vertically instead of using precious desk space, I opted for open cubby-type shelves. They only take up a small amount of desk space, and since they're positioned right over the drawers I don't even miss it. These Closet Maid organizers were found at Target on clearance for $10 each. Yeah, they're an ugly color, but they're really handy. I figured I'd change it, but it turns out the color doesn't really bother me.


Everything is placed in jars or containers so that I didn't have to dig around to find things. Everything is right where I need it, and I have space to spare. My sister has provided me with plenty of empty baby food jars, which happen to hold sequins perfectly.

And old jewelry box holds snaps and fasteners that would otherwise be lost in a drawer, and the same goes for the ice cream glass that holds the hot glue sticks. The glassware that I didn't already have was purchased at Goodwill for pennies.



- The drawers:
The top drawer holds thread and bobbins. These are craft organizers I found at either Hobby Lobby or Walmart. Come to think of it, I think I found these years ago in the Fishing/Tackle box area at Walmart.


The next drawer holds elastic, zippers, velcro, scissors, and other notions. The silverware organizer was from the dollar store and corrals these type of things nicely.


The next drawer contains ribbons. This drawer needs some work; they're currently semi-organized by color in ziplock baggies.


-Fabric is stored in such a genius way. I can't take credit for this idea. I found it on Pinterest.
It works fabulously. All of my fabric is neatly filed, and I can see at a glance what I've got instead of digging through piles. It also helps me keep it in check- I can't buy more until I use what I've got to make space for it.


-On top of the cubby holes are painting supplies in a hat box and ribbon-by-the-roll stacked on a tiered stand.


-A peek inside the hat box:


In the back corner of the room, I installed an ironing board holder. Chris thinks I should have installed it in the closet, but there's no room in there and I love how accessible it is.


Inside the closet, I used a shoe organizer to store larger pieces of fabric that won't fit into the filing system.Wrapping paper is stored on the shelf above it.


-The corner of the closet holds scrapbooking items, which I don't use often. I put one of those stick-up LED push lights because, well, it's the corner of the closet that doesn't get much light.


The rug was purchased from Garden Ridge for $40. I didn't want to spend a ton of money because I'm sure it will eventually get destroyed with craft-ness. There is a floor mat over it, to help the chair roll easily.

The curtains were made by me for $12, but of course inspired by a pin.

I purchased a plastic placemat from the dollar store to minimize hot glue/ paint damage to the desktop.

I also got a small fan that clips onto the edge of the desktop, rather than taking up precious space, and it can be pointed in practically any direction.

So there you have it, a peek inside my very own craft room.

deep breath

It's nearly noon and I'm enjoying my first cup of coffee- coconut mocha - and some double chocolate waffles. The windows are open, inviting in this glorious cool air.

Pumpkin is running amok freely, indoors and out.

Our little house is peaceful.

Not a bad start to a Saturday.

All we need is the man of the house and we'd be golden. 26 days, 9 hours