I know, not a very original title. But seriously-- how often do you get to write 10-10-10?? I submit to you...not very often. In fact, the ONE TIME I had a chance to (physically) write it today, while writing a check, I messed up and thought it was the 11th. So...here I'm trying to make up for my earlier shortcomings.
Plus, as luck would have it, I'm stuck waiting another hour for Amazing Race to actually start. It seems to always get pushed back since football lasts longer than they think it will, and then they still feel the need to air 60 Minutes...although...seriously, is anyone watching that show?? I'm thinking not.
So this is me killing time. And writing 10-10-10.
This just in: I was sitting in the guest room/office to write this blog. Matt was watching some sport and I am sportsed-out. But then I heard the familiar sounds of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and I said "Mattie, what are you watching??" He answered "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" like that was totally normal. So I came in here to join him. I don't know why he's watching it, but I will not question it. It's obviously an improvement over sports!
Anyway...so I was checking out my Google Analytics today. I think it's time to share some of the fun and funny discoveries.
First of all...let me introduce some of you guys to the idea of a "bookmark." It will save you some time. I get that you may not want to actually "follow" me or something, or maybe you don't know how, but...it is pretty funny that you actually Google "erkia b**** athens vineyard". Ok, but you do type out my last name. And you do misspell my first name. EVERY TIME!!! ALMOST EVERY DAY! It's hilarious. So, let's just be friends, okay? You obviously know me. Ditto to the people who come here every day by Googling "mattyerika" and "mattyerika blogspot". I mean...by the time you typed all that, you may as well have just typed the dot com and been done with it!
Okay, now let's just move on to the funny ones. How about...
* "erika body paint contest winner/atlanta". Yup, that's obviously me.
*"how to make a baby." Well...it was the title of a recent post...but I'm afraid whoever came here looking for that probably didn't find what they were looking for.
*"i need to find a new way to waste my life." Um...really? Who Googles stuff like that?! I hope spending 10 minutes here was a sufficient waste of their time.
*"something beautiful i could say to my daughter" Now that's just sweet. I bet it was a lonely man in his 40s or something who has a strained relationship with his teen or 20-something daughter. But that's just my guess.
How's this for cool: Since August 1, I've had visitors from 21 countries!!! That's awesome, especially since I probably couldn't even name 21 countries. ::long pause:: OK, maybe I could. But still. I think it's cool. And I still wonder...if you read this blog in another country...is it still in English? I'm always confused about stuff like that.
Well, I think I've wasted sufficient time regaling yall with riveting stories of Google Analytics. Time to take a shower and then maybe Amazing Race will finally be on! And then bed...because unlike some lucky people (aka my husband)...I actually don't get to celebrate Columbus Day tomorrow. I have to work. BOO!
PS. If any of you are feeling like you want to de-lurk yourselves (that means, tell me who you are and that you read)...feel free! I promise I really do not judge you for your Google-ing ways. I do it too. Frequently.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
three??!
Haha, tricked you. You thought I was referring to babies or something, didn't ya?? You must think I have a one track mind.
Maybe I do.
But tonight I'm talking about recipes.
I used three new recipes this week-- what what! I'm not sure what came over me. I haven't felt like cooking in months. And then all of a sudden...three times in a week??
On Tuesday night I made Party Chicken. It was the "Apron Simple Meal" recipe that came in the weekly Publix ad thing. I looked at it and lo and behold, I already had every single ingredient the recipe called for. One point for couponing!!! Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I did not actually have the can of cream of chicken. I had, for some reason, cream of celery. But I was planning to just use that because seriously...whatevs. But then my neighbor walked over and we were chatting and I happened to ask if she had a spare can of cream of chicken and she did so whatever, I used the real thing. Anyway, the Party Chicken was delicious.
On Thursday night I made Southwestern Bean Chowder. This recipe I'd flagged a few months ago in a Taste of Home magazine, but I just now got around to buying the stuff to make it. Also, I wanted to wait until it wasn't 389291 degrees outside...for some reason, I don't really enjoy soup in that kind of weather. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, this chowder turned out really good and it wasn't too hard either. And the leftovers are plentiful and delicious. So, A+ for this one.
Finally, this evening I made a Pecan Sweet Potato Salad. It's from the same Taste of Home magazine as the bean chowder, but for some reason I can't find the recipe or a picture of it online, so you won't be able to see how it seduced me into making it. I haven't actually eaten it yet (other than a few taste-tests) because it needed to chill overnight. It's basically a potato salad, only using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. I'm pretty excited to eat it up tomorrow. Hopefully it will distract me from the less-than-stellar football.
So anyway...just wanted to brag about all my Susie Homemaker skillz this week. If you have any good recipes, I think you should share...I need some good ideas!
Also, I must confess that the Homemaker Skillz aren't permeating the rest of my life. I may have cooked actual food this week, but I literally fear for my life when I get in our shower. I swear that thing hasn't been cleaned in months. I always mean to clean it...but then I forget about it. Until the next time I take a shower. Oops. Truly, there are few things I loathe more than scrubbing the shower.
Anyway. Time to wrap this party up so I can get some sleep so I can get up and eat sweet potato salad! Yay for weekend!
Maybe I do.
But tonight I'm talking about recipes.
I used three new recipes this week-- what what! I'm not sure what came over me. I haven't felt like cooking in months. And then all of a sudden...three times in a week??
On Tuesday night I made Party Chicken. It was the "Apron Simple Meal" recipe that came in the weekly Publix ad thing. I looked at it and lo and behold, I already had every single ingredient the recipe called for. One point for couponing!!! Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I will admit that I did not actually have the can of cream of chicken. I had, for some reason, cream of celery. But I was planning to just use that because seriously...whatevs. But then my neighbor walked over and we were chatting and I happened to ask if she had a spare can of cream of chicken and she did so whatever, I used the real thing. Anyway, the Party Chicken was delicious.
On Thursday night I made Southwestern Bean Chowder. This recipe I'd flagged a few months ago in a Taste of Home magazine, but I just now got around to buying the stuff to make it. Also, I wanted to wait until it wasn't 389291 degrees outside...for some reason, I don't really enjoy soup in that kind of weather. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, this chowder turned out really good and it wasn't too hard either. And the leftovers are plentiful and delicious. So, A+ for this one.Finally, this evening I made a Pecan Sweet Potato Salad. It's from the same Taste of Home magazine as the bean chowder, but for some reason I can't find the recipe or a picture of it online, so you won't be able to see how it seduced me into making it. I haven't actually eaten it yet (other than a few taste-tests) because it needed to chill overnight. It's basically a potato salad, only using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. I'm pretty excited to eat it up tomorrow. Hopefully it will distract me from the less-than-stellar football.
So anyway...just wanted to brag about all my Susie Homemaker skillz this week. If you have any good recipes, I think you should share...I need some good ideas!
Also, I must confess that the Homemaker Skillz aren't permeating the rest of my life. I may have cooked actual food this week, but I literally fear for my life when I get in our shower. I swear that thing hasn't been cleaned in months. I always mean to clean it...but then I forget about it. Until the next time I take a shower. Oops. Truly, there are few things I loathe more than scrubbing the shower.
Anyway. Time to wrap this party up so I can get some sleep so I can get up and eat sweet potato salad! Yay for weekend!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
how to make a baby
It used to seem so simple, right?? Haha. Little did you know. I've heard (through the infertility grapevine) that there are actually a ton of children's books now that cover all the "alternate" ways that babies are made. You know...explaining how mommy and daddy adopted you as an embryo, or how you grew in someone else's tummy. I can't wait to see which of those books I get to pick out for my kid. I hope it's super awkward. Ha!
Anyway. In case you hadn't figured it out, here's my Monthly Infertility Recap. Feel free to not read if you don't want to know some nitty-gritty details. (The reason I want to write everything down here is not only so that I can keep straight what I did and when, but because I find it extremely helpful to look at other girls' blogs (about infertility) and see what protocols they follow)
In summary: today was my IUI. It went much better than last time!
This month I did the 50mg Clomid on days 5-9. As I already mentioned, I didn't notice many side effects, which is apparently fine. I had a follicle study ultrasound on Monday. It was AWESOME! It was my first ultrasound and I can truly say it did not disappoint. Even though there wasn't a cute baby to be looking at...it was exciting enough to see all my little follicles growing and getting ready to release eggs upon ovulation! Anyway, in case you're not all in the know about follicles and how they turn into babies (haha)...follicles grow at a rate of about 2mm per day. They need to be 20mm in order to release an egg. Once you ovulate, the follicle releases the egg. Normally your body grows several follicles every month, but only one will grow big enough to release an egg upon ovulation. The others are re-absorbed. Clomid stimulates you so that you make more follicles and hopefully get more eggs. So on Monday, I had one follicle that was 24mm (so, already ready), one that was 18, one 17, and then several in the 13ish range. So they basically consider that two, potentially three eggs that will be released, just depending on how much those other follicles grew before I ovulated. Oh, and the follicles were on both sides, which is extra good. My endometrium was the perfect thickness and everything else looked normal (I had 1 cyst, which is pretty normal).My doctors said this study looked great, my body did exactly what it was supposed to, and they felt very encouraged that it would help us out a lot this round if I have extra eggs.
Tuesday I went for a HCG trigger shot (in the booty, ow!). Even though I ovulate on my own, they wanted to trigger me so that they'd know exactly when I'd ovulate so they can time the IUI better. Also, since my follicles looked so good, they wanted to go ahead and have me ovulate so we can catch them in their prime. You don't want them getting too big, apparently that's not as good as catching them in the 20mm range.
So today we did the IUI at 9am. You may recall that last month we were only able to get one sperm. And that they weren't even able to get past my cervix. So basically, it sucked!
Today they were able to see FIVE viable sperm (WAHOOOOO!!!!) AND the doctor was able to work with my punk-ass cervix and get it to submit to her tools! Meaning, they were able to successfully complete the IUI WITH a much better sperm-wash!!! Um, can I get a halleluia?! I was so excited. Also I was in so much pain, but that is completely beside the point. Every time I'm there and they're getting all up in my business and causing me pain, I try to remind myself that this is nothing compared to childbirth...and that is the goal...so man up, Erika!!
So anyway. It looks like the whole cycle went as good as it could have. I'm just laying here praying that at least one of those 5 spermies is a good enough swimmer to find one of my (maybe THREE??) eggs...and THEN...there could be a baby! Or...three! Um, but probably just one. :)
Anyway. In case you hadn't figured it out, here's my Monthly Infertility Recap. Feel free to not read if you don't want to know some nitty-gritty details. (The reason I want to write everything down here is not only so that I can keep straight what I did and when, but because I find it extremely helpful to look at other girls' blogs (about infertility) and see what protocols they follow)
In summary: today was my IUI. It went much better than last time!
This month I did the 50mg Clomid on days 5-9. As I already mentioned, I didn't notice many side effects, which is apparently fine. I had a follicle study ultrasound on Monday. It was AWESOME! It was my first ultrasound and I can truly say it did not disappoint. Even though there wasn't a cute baby to be looking at...it was exciting enough to see all my little follicles growing and getting ready to release eggs upon ovulation! Anyway, in case you're not all in the know about follicles and how they turn into babies (haha)...follicles grow at a rate of about 2mm per day. They need to be 20mm in order to release an egg. Once you ovulate, the follicle releases the egg. Normally your body grows several follicles every month, but only one will grow big enough to release an egg upon ovulation. The others are re-absorbed. Clomid stimulates you so that you make more follicles and hopefully get more eggs. So on Monday, I had one follicle that was 24mm (so, already ready), one that was 18, one 17, and then several in the 13ish range. So they basically consider that two, potentially three eggs that will be released, just depending on how much those other follicles grew before I ovulated. Oh, and the follicles were on both sides, which is extra good. My endometrium was the perfect thickness and everything else looked normal (I had 1 cyst, which is pretty normal).My doctors said this study looked great, my body did exactly what it was supposed to, and they felt very encouraged that it would help us out a lot this round if I have extra eggs.
Tuesday I went for a HCG trigger shot (in the booty, ow!). Even though I ovulate on my own, they wanted to trigger me so that they'd know exactly when I'd ovulate so they can time the IUI better. Also, since my follicles looked so good, they wanted to go ahead and have me ovulate so we can catch them in their prime. You don't want them getting too big, apparently that's not as good as catching them in the 20mm range.
So today we did the IUI at 9am. You may recall that last month we were only able to get one sperm. And that they weren't even able to get past my cervix. So basically, it sucked!
Today they were able to see FIVE viable sperm (WAHOOOOO!!!!) AND the doctor was able to work with my punk-ass cervix and get it to submit to her tools! Meaning, they were able to successfully complete the IUI WITH a much better sperm-wash!!! Um, can I get a halleluia?! I was so excited. Also I was in so much pain, but that is completely beside the point. Every time I'm there and they're getting all up in my business and causing me pain, I try to remind myself that this is nothing compared to childbirth...and that is the goal...so man up, Erika!!
So anyway. It looks like the whole cycle went as good as it could have. I'm just laying here praying that at least one of those 5 spermies is a good enough swimmer to find one of my (maybe THREE??) eggs...and THEN...there could be a baby! Or...three! Um, but probably just one. :)
with a bang
I would have to say that October has started off with a bang. First of all, the weather is delicious. It's hard to believe we went straight from tank tops to scarves and boots in a week flat...but I'm definitely enjoying the scarves and boots. And I always look forward to the month or so of cheaper power bills...you know, when the weather is kind enough that you can go without AC or running the heat...well, that just makes the budget smile. And our budget needs all the smiles it can get, trust me.
We went to Augusta last weekend and had such a good time. My dad and mom each had a goal to accomplish with us for the weekend. It's been my dad's mission to get me to watch Avatar with him...since apparently Matt and I are the only humans left on earth who hadn't seen Avatar. Sorry, we don't get out much. Anyway, approximately 15 minutes after we arrived in Augusta, we were all plopped down in the living room settling in for the long haul. I don't watch many movies these days...they're just too long. My attention span is about 44 minutes long (the amount of actual "show" there is in a one-hour TV show)...so movies just do me in. And Avatar is like 4 hours long or something. Ummm..recipe for disaster. Or sleep. Either way. Anyway, I managed to stay awake for almost the whole thing (fell asleep for about 30 minutes 2/3 of the way through) and I thought it was great. So...glad I could join the rest of the culture, even if it is a year late.
With Mom, it was all about the Wedding Preparation. And first and foremost was Shopping. Mom needed her Mother of the Bride dress, I needed my Maid of Honor dress, Mom needed jewelry, shoes, and everything else...so we were at the mall on Saturday BEFORE IT OPENED. Well, it was technically open...for mall walkers. And us. So, yeah.
Anyway, we were highly successful, finding everything we wanted and needed very quickly. I actually got a GREAT deal on my dress (the 4 bridesmaids are just wearing long black dresses...whatever we like and whatever "makes you feel fabulous" were the directives from the bride). I was NOT excited about purchasing a full-length black dress...something about it just screams boring to my head...but I actually found one I really really liked (it's tiered/ ruffled...all the way down...and sparkly...and Calvin Klein...and probably mis-sized, because the size is so small it practically made me giddy to see the tag, but it DEFINITELY sealed the deal!) and I got an AWESOME deal on it! We're talking: originally $250, marked down multiple times to be $75, which is what I thought it would be...but when I checked out, found out it was 40% off of THAT, making it...practically free. Basically. So that was thrilling and meant that I had money left over to go a little nutty at Forever 21...let's just say I have all the accessories my heart has ever desired now. Well, not all. But my birthday is just around the corner...
Once we got home we (and by "we" I mean I) got the invitations addressed and ready to mail. That was the other goal for the weekend. And we watched some crappy football. That was the low point, for sure.
So the weekend was a great success. Sunday morning we had time for a few pictures...I'm trying to get a good one so I can get our Christmas cards made! But I don't think any of these are going to be it...but they're still not bad.
Me and my mama. And my new necklace.
Sunday afternoon we celebrated the birthday of my favorite one-year-old. Please note the sparkly headband and earrings. Hudson likes sparkly things. So do I. Thanks, Forever 21!
And that brings us to this week, which could actually be called Week of the Doctor's Office. I feel like I've been living there. Actually, since this post is already getting long, I think I may just make it a separate post.
With that said...Happy October!
We went to Augusta last weekend and had such a good time. My dad and mom each had a goal to accomplish with us for the weekend. It's been my dad's mission to get me to watch Avatar with him...since apparently Matt and I are the only humans left on earth who hadn't seen Avatar. Sorry, we don't get out much. Anyway, approximately 15 minutes after we arrived in Augusta, we were all plopped down in the living room settling in for the long haul. I don't watch many movies these days...they're just too long. My attention span is about 44 minutes long (the amount of actual "show" there is in a one-hour TV show)...so movies just do me in. And Avatar is like 4 hours long or something. Ummm..recipe for disaster. Or sleep. Either way. Anyway, I managed to stay awake for almost the whole thing (fell asleep for about 30 minutes 2/3 of the way through) and I thought it was great. So...glad I could join the rest of the culture, even if it is a year late.
With Mom, it was all about the Wedding Preparation. And first and foremost was Shopping. Mom needed her Mother of the Bride dress, I needed my Maid of Honor dress, Mom needed jewelry, shoes, and everything else...so we were at the mall on Saturday BEFORE IT OPENED. Well, it was technically open...for mall walkers. And us. So, yeah.
Anyway, we were highly successful, finding everything we wanted and needed very quickly. I actually got a GREAT deal on my dress (the 4 bridesmaids are just wearing long black dresses...whatever we like and whatever "makes you feel fabulous" were the directives from the bride). I was NOT excited about purchasing a full-length black dress...something about it just screams boring to my head...but I actually found one I really really liked (it's tiered/ ruffled...all the way down...and sparkly...and Calvin Klein...and probably mis-sized, because the size is so small it practically made me giddy to see the tag, but it DEFINITELY sealed the deal!) and I got an AWESOME deal on it! We're talking: originally $250, marked down multiple times to be $75, which is what I thought it would be...but when I checked out, found out it was 40% off of THAT, making it...practically free. Basically. So that was thrilling and meant that I had money left over to go a little nutty at Forever 21...let's just say I have all the accessories my heart has ever desired now. Well, not all. But my birthday is just around the corner...
Once we got home we (and by "we" I mean I) got the invitations addressed and ready to mail. That was the other goal for the weekend. And we watched some crappy football. That was the low point, for sure.
So the weekend was a great success. Sunday morning we had time for a few pictures...I'm trying to get a good one so I can get our Christmas cards made! But I don't think any of these are going to be it...but they're still not bad.
Me and my mama. And my new necklace.Sunday afternoon we celebrated the birthday of my favorite one-year-old. Please note the sparkly headband and earrings. Hudson likes sparkly things. So do I. Thanks, Forever 21!
And that brings us to this week, which could actually be called Week of the Doctor's Office. I feel like I've been living there. Actually, since this post is already getting long, I think I may just make it a separate post.
With that said...Happy October!
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