The dude abides

Hubs and I have decided that henceforth, Thursday night is officially Bowling Night. One might assume that since we have committed so enthusiastically to Bowling Night that we are avid bowlers, perhaps members of a league who own our own shoes and monogrammed balls. That assumption, however, would be completely wrong. In fact, I kind of suck at it, and Aaron is about average. But we have fond memories from way back in our early days of dating, of partaking in $2 a game bowling night at the slightly seedier of the two alleys in town. And in our effort to come out of IF-induced hibernation (at least on my part), we thought it was a good idea to create a fun, active routine. And they still do $2 night, so my frugal sensibilities tell me to go for it.

So last night we met up with two other couples at the ol' Bowling Center and played a couple games. As usual I did terrible on the first game, but I almost beat everyone on the second. I scored 123 and then one of our friends came out from behind and beat me by ONE stinkin' point! Oh well! I'm still proud of me for breaking 100!

Of course as we played we'd quote The Bi.g Le.bo.wsk.i, and at one point someone bought everyone a round of White Russians. YUMMY! I hadn't had one since my 21st birthday, when my big brother took me out and bought me one of just about everything, and I forgot how good they are! We decided that we'll order a round of them every Bowling Night, in honor of the Dude.

Hmm... I guess this begs the question: What do you do to keep your mind off IF?

The first first date

Yesterday (or possibly last Tuesday) was the 7th anniversary of hubs' and my first first date! We never celebrate it so we can never remember what day it's on, and actually it didn't even occur to either of us until I thought about it today.

So in honor of this occasion, I give you Our Story (and by default also the explanation behind "first first date").

Aaron and I have technically known each other since I was 5 and he was 6. We went to the same elementary, middle and high schools, and furthermore our younger brothers were BFFs in elementary school. But did we ever speak to each other, even one time, in those 13 years? NOPE. That was fine by me because I thought he was a punk, and he thought I was weird. Well, turns out we were both right, but that's neither here nor there. ;)

One fine evening when I was 22 years old I was out with some friends (at a bar, naturally) and in walks Aaron, his right arm in a cast. Just the way I remembered him from school! That kid had more broken bones than anyone I know, and the one he walked into the bar with was the 5th for that arm. He pointed at me from the doorway and said, "I know you!" Yep, that was his sexy pickup line, and I was hooked. He couldn't remember my name, but he knew who I was and he was hot, so that was enough for me! We went on our first first date one week later - a movie and drinks. ...And some making out. Yeah, I know I'm classy.

Although neither of us was looking for a relationship we found one anyway. Unfortunately, Aaron wasn't quite over the damage his long-term ex GF left him with and after a year of dating we broke up. He still wanted to see me "casually" and I said NO WAY. I considered us over and I moved on, dated someone else for a while, and never looked back.

At least, not until the day we ran into each other in a department store almost a year later. I remember immediately breaking into a cold sweat and thinking, "Damn, he's still cute!" We chatted awkwardly about who knows what for a few minutes and then parted ways. I was still dating the other guy at the time, though things were beginning to get rocky.

Then Aaron started sending me emails from time to time. Nothing much, usually just funny jokes and pictures. We worked up to exchanging short notes every couple of weeks or so. Then he asked me out to lunch, as "friends." Little did I know he was getting advice from a female friend on how to win me back! So I agreed, thinking it was harmless, and we went out to lunch a couple times. The second time being just days after breaking up with the other guy. As soon as I told him the other guy was out of the picture, Aaron jumped at the chance and asked if he could see me again. Our second first date was on May 23rd, 2005. He took me to a Dodger game, and we got on the JumboTron!

And we now have a total of three aniversaries: The first first date, the second first date, and the wedding. So in case we forget one or two, we always have a backup any given year ;)

Farewell, wicked witch!

AF's reign of terror has ended, for this month anyway. Hooray!! Although she started out with a vengeance, she tapered off pretty quickly. And, remember how I mentioned my period lasts 7 days every month, but the past few months I stop bleeding on CD4, only for it to pick up again on CD5? Well this month there was no "pause." Not sure if that's due to the raspberry leaf tea or the exercise I've been making sure I put in every other day, but either way, I'm happy! "Normal" is a good thing.

So the BD fest has started once again. I think I'll do OPKs this month so I can determine when to cut back on the raspberry leaf tea. I'm not really afraid it's that bad for pregnancy, not to mention I'm not particularly hopeful that I'll even get pregnant, but I guess you can't be too careful right?

Work sucks, let's plan a party

I'm having one of those "I am so utterly bored by my job that I'm considering skipping through the cube farms singing 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' just so everyone doesn't think I'm as boring as my job makes me seem" moments.

Oh wait, that's every day.

Can you tell my job isn't a good fit for me?

Every few months since I started here I go through a period of absolute dread. I browse the internet for a new job, my motivation goes from miniscule to nonexistent, I daydream about starting my own business (which hubs and I will do... once we figure out what...), and I forget to be grateful that I'm making 25% more money here than I was at the job I loved but was laid off from over 2 years ago. I hate being like this, and I honestly wish I did enjoy my job, but I just can't.

So the job search coming up empty as it always does, my mind goes to 1. trying to come up with a great idea for a small business, and 2. planning stuff. I truly love making plans! Last year's big plan was for the road trip and this year it's going to be for my 30th birthday. It's in July, and I would LOVE to have a smashingly fabulous outdoor cocktail party.

Of course, this will not be possible at my house, because my backyard is not what you would call "smashing" or "fabulous." Or even "cocktail-y" for that matter. (Although it is perfect for beer fest! Which I also have to start planning.) Lucky for me, I happen to know of a wonderful backyard that's gorgeously landscaped, with three levels of decks that go up an embankment much taller than the house and offer lovely views of the ocean. It sports built-in seating and serving areas, outdoor speakers, and even twinkle lights that look like fireflies! It is the perfect backyard for a cocktail party, and it never gets used as such... at least not since my brother and SIL's wedding rehearsal dinner two years ago. Yep that's right, it's my parents' backyard!

Of course, I haven't actually asked them if I can use their house for a party, but I'm pretty sure they'll acquiesce. It will be the party of the decade, and they'll be invited, after all!

Mmm... back to daydreaming my day away...

Testing...testing...1, 2...

Oh thank HEAVEN it is finally Friday. I'm soooo ready for the weekend! Not that I have anything planned, of course, I just don't want to work!

Today I scheduled an appointment with my gyno to talk about (and hopefully order) more IF testing. I hadn't really been in any hurry to get the ball rolling, but then hubs did our taxes last night and unfortunately didn't get the results we'd hoped for. So we decided we want our little tax deduction ASAP!! ;) I couldn't get in until Feb 5th, which will be CD17, so I'm not sure I'll be able to get any testing done this C, but at least I'll be ready for the next.

Other than that, nothing new to report. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Thursday schmursday

Thanks for all your comforting words yesterday ladies, you're the best :)

I'm feeling less sorry for myself today, which is a good thing because I need the energy to deal with this headache I've had for the past 2 days, along with the unusually heavy AF. You ladies weren't kidding when you said the first couple C's after the lap tend to be heavier! Yuck. I'm sure that's why I have the headache too.

Today I added raspberry leaf tea to my infertility regimen. Well, the word "regimen" may be a bit strong for what I actually do. I just drink 2 cups of green tea every day and try to remember to take my vitamins! Anyway, the tea is not bad, kind of like a mellower version of black tea with a little earthy sweetness to it. I haven't quite decided how often and when to drink it. Maybe every other day until O? Does anyone else drink it?

Well, not much else to say. Let's hope the afternoon goes by more smoothly than this morning did (I got blood on the bathmat, hit my head on a cabinet door, and almost got side-swiped on the freeway). At least I get to leave work early, I'm getting that x-ray for my neck so I can FINALLY go see my chiropractor. I'm dyin' here!

You're invited...

To my PITY PARTY.

Yeah that's right, I'm feeling sorry for myself, so if you're not up for it, better turn back now!

Today marks the first day of C24 and I am none too thrilled about it. Two dozen cycles TTC under my belt, and two dozen failures to match.

I know it was only the first full C after my lap, but I am tired of this. When I think ahead to the coming months, I'm overwhelmed. I don't know how I'm going to make it through another year of TTC, much less two (the amount we allotted before throwing in the towel). I don't know how you ladies who have been trying for 3, 4 and 5 or more years keep it up. Yes, I try to be hopeful and enthusiastic about TTC, but in reality I am lost, drained, and beyond frustrated. I couldn't even work up enough energy to cry this morning when I saw AF had arrived. Why bother? It's not like it was a surprise, and it's not like the tears make any difference.

As if to rub my IF in my face just a little bit more, yesterday this local story (big trigs) was all over the news. Sigh... It's useless to lament the unfairness of life, but sometimes I just want to scream. Why??? And why not me? Why not all of us??

Ugh. I'll get over this soon, but today I'm letting myself have a down day. At least with this massive storm we have going on the weather matches my mood - angry and depressing.

Send good vibes please!

Hubs is in an interview right now for a new job. His current job is the PITS and he's been really unhappy there for over a year. So please cross your fingers and send up prayers and good vibes for an awesome interview!!

Fare thee well, long weekend...

Another busy three-day weekend has come and gone, and now I'm approaching the "long haul" - the three months between Presidents Day and Memorial Day where there are no paid holidays. Just one more three-day weekend to go before the drought and I dread it every year. I know I'm lucky to work in an industry that still pays for holidays, but when you have a job you really dislike, those holidays are some of the only things that get you through!

This weekend was a full one; hubs and I only spent one afternoon on the couch (heavenly!) and the rest of the time we were going, going, going. We had dinner out twice, breakfast out twice, a photo shoot with my SIL (for which I proudly sported a donut-shaped doggie chew toy on my head), saw Avatar in 3D on Imax, went to church, did the grocery shopping and even made time for love. And still it doesn't seem like 3 days was long enough!

I also started the 100 Pushups, 200 Squats, and 200 Situps programs on Sunday. I'm excited; BIL has been doing them for a few weeks now and is already showing a noticeable difference, and hubs started his last week so I thought, why not? All I've done so far are the initial tests where you see how many of each you can do in a row to determine what level you're at. The real work starts today. I have a feeling it's going to be brutal, but worth it if I can stick to it! If you're my friend on FB, feel free to hold me accountable. My progress will be tracked on there and I should be doing it every other day (or 3 days a week, I think).

I almost forgot - My doctor's appointment on Saturday was a success, although my NP wants me to get an X-ray for my neck before I go back to the chiro. Oy. But she is going to give me the referral to see the acupuncturist! I just have to call the provider to find out how to best word it so that it goes through without a hitch. She said any IF tests can be done through the gyno, and that there's even an NP there that specializes in infertility! Nice! My only concern is the cost, we still have to pay 50% and I don't know what kind of testing they'll do or how much it will run. I imagine they'll start with some more blood tests, any idea how much those are? Does it depend on what they're testing for? AF is due any day so maybe I'll just call when she shows up and ask my questions then.

Speaking of AF, yes, today is CD28. I am guessing my least favorite aunt will be here tomorrow, uninvited and unwanted as usual. It's depressing me a little, but there's nothing I can do to stop her, so I might as well keep on trucking and hope for better luck next time.

Happy NOT MONDAY!

Follow up to Lunchtime!

I was a little nervous to check the comments on yesterday's post, and I am so relieved to see that I'm not the only one who thinks The P.ump Sta.tion is a bit weird, distasteful and icky. I couldn't get it out of my head last night and I talked about it with a friend as well as my SIL (who has a child), both who tend to be rather open-minded, and both know what kind of people live in the town I work in. And they agreed that it's strange, to say the least. Whew!

Thank you everyone for your comments!! I have a couple responses:

MotherHen - I can definitely see your point about some new moms preferring the company of fellow nursing moms. I personally don't think I would be one of them. I think I'd be more likely to go back to the car (and tinted windows!), but I'm a slightly anti-social, more private type person. There are certainly women that would prefer having more company though.

Tanya - In both my conversations with SIL and my friend, we talked about what a great idea it would be to have a separate room, similar to a restroom, for breastfeeding in malls and that kind of thing. I think that would be totally appropriate!

I guess what it comes down to for me is the weirdness of turning it into a business, and that I would be way too uncomfortable to take part in it.

Lunchtime!

Okay all you wanna-be moms and soon-to-be moms and new moms. I am dying to know your thoughts on this. (Possible trigs)

Today I went to lunch at ye olde Su.bway, which I frequent on a weekly basis, and noticed a new shop right next door. It was a business called The P.ump St.ation and Nur.tury. Yes, you read that right, and no, I didn't misspell it. The windows were covered in cutesy, froo-froo pastel logos, and inside I could see various designer-looking baby related paraphrenalia and clothing.

All I could do was stare open-mouthed, with a look of mild disgust mixed with confusion plastered to my face as I walked by. Seriously. The place is called The P.ump St.ation?? I am sorry, but, "ew," was the first thought that crossed my mind.

When I got back to work I asked my new-mom underling what she thought of it, and to my great relief, the look on her face matched the look on mine! She said she'd gone in there once, and that it's exactly what the name implies. The local (wealthy and well-dressed) breastfeeding moms can take their babies in there, sit around together and feed. While shopping, naturally, because that is the thing the local SAHM's do in this town. Upon further research (i.e. googling) I discover that the other locations are in similarly hoity-toity neighborhoods in Southern California. Hmm... Honestly I can't imagine such a business doing well in the town I live in, or in most any other area for that matter.

Don't get me wrong - I think breastfeeding is AWESOME. I plan to do it if I have a biological child myself. And maybe I'm old-fashioned or closed-minded, but it seems a tad distasteful to me to turn it into a business opportunity. (Even more so a business opportunity with floor-to-ceiling windows lining the entire face of the store.)

Am I wrong? I promise not to judge you if you completely disagree with me (at least not publicly ;). But I would love to hear your opinions.

Blessing in disguise?

This morning I found out that my new insurance requires a referral to see my chiropractor, whom I've been going to for a year. Great. I've been putting off going for WEEKS until today when my tweaked neck evolved into back and chest pain too. And now I can't go until I see my GP - yes, I actually have to go in for an office visit to get the referral. LAMENESS abounds.

I did manage to get an appt with my GP on Saturday morning, thank goodness. But normally I could call my chiro in the morning and stop in for my adjustment on my way home from work the same day. Instead I get to be in pain for who knows how much longer. Sigh...

BUT!! There is a silver lining - I'm going to take advantage of the visit with my GP to get a referral for acupuncture too. Hah! Take that, insurance!

Updated to add: (On a totally unrelated note) This morning I ignored Atticus ENTIRELY, kept my eyes closed, and was as still as humanly possible, and he went away and didn't come back until the alarm went off!! Ahh... sweet sleepy bliss...

I love him, but...

I think I'm going to have to kill Atticus.

For the past few (several??) weeks, he's been waking up about an hour before my alarm goes off, ready to eat. I do my best to ignore him, but let me paint you a little picture of my mornings lately:

Hubs and I are sound asleep, enjoying our last precious minutes of dreamtime. It is 5:00 a.m. I am suddenly awakened by the sound of loud purring and the sensation of kitty breath on my face. My eyes start to open and I see two giant green eyes staring back at me in the darkness. It occurs to me that the alarm has yet to go off, so I close my eyes quickly hoping that Atticus didn't notice I'm actually awake. He did. He sniffs my face and I roll over, hoping to knock him back to the floor in the process. He walks over me. I choose to ignore this. He creeps up to my face again and crouches down with his nose inches from mine. I squeeze my eyes shut and try not to move. Eventually he gives up and jumps back down to the floor, where he lets out a couple parting meows that echo off the wood floors and plaster walls.

Two minutes later, just as I'm beginning to doze off again, Atticus starts the routine all over again. He jumps up on the bed, sticks his nose in my face with a loud purr, waits for me to ignore him and jumps back down. This goes on for the next 45 minutes until the alarm goes off. Occasionally he takes a break to play with a stray piece of carpet on the rug, a string, or just to tear around the house for a few minutes.

The key is for us humans to be as still as possible and under no circumstances talk to him. Once Atticus is SURE one of us is awake, he doubles his efforts to get us out of bed. If we pretend well enough that we are actually asleep, sometimes, once in a great while, he'll give up altogether and go back to sleep until the alarm goes off.

That didn't happen today and I got not a wink of sleep after the initial wake-up call.

I don't know how to fix this behavior! If I leave the bedroom door closed he will scratch at it incessantly until we let him in (he MUST have free access to all rooms that we are occupying. He's a people person). It's not only horribly irritating but it damages the paint too. If I give him a self-feeding food dish, he will eat all day and night and we'll have to rename him Porky. I am taking suggestions!

My train of thought jumped the tracks

Today is another day of not much interesting to talk about. And yes, I will regale you with all the mundane details anyway.

(How's that for an attention-grabbing opener? Take that, Freshman AP English!)

A little wave of melancholy went over me a few minutes ago. I've been slightly on edge all day and AF is due in a week, so I guess it's not too surprising, but it did catch me off guard. Interesting. I guess that means I've been doing pretty well lately in the depression department. It's really, really easy to let these feelings linger, and deepen, and not bother trying to stop them though.

Sidenote - One of the underlings just gave me something called a Mel.ty.ble.nd and it is pure delicious! It's a little chocolatey-hazelnutty morsel of melt-in-your-mouth creamy heaven that she got in a Japanese market in Little Tokyo. Makes me want to drive down to L.A. and pick up a whole case!

I think that snapped the melancholy right out of me. Nice :) All of the pick-me-up, none of the effort. Thanks, Japan!

Well, my friend didn't call me last night like she was supposed to, to tell me where spin class is (and you know I wasn't about to call her and find out!), so I'm off the hook tonight! It's kind of a relief actually. Now I'm going bridesmaid dress shopping with Tracy instead. I think she's actually close to coming to a decision, so it should be fun.

Hmm... it just occurred to me that there is a very small possibility of me being rather pregnant at Tracy's wedding. It's in August. Of course, I know better than to hope it will actually happen though.

I guess that's about it. You lucked out, not too many mundane details after all. ;)

Just the weekend

It's CD20 and UGH. Is this the worst part of the month or what? More than a week until AF is due and of course no sign of nothin' yet. Did I mention patience isn't my strong suit?

Hubs and I had a fun, but too-short, weekend together. We went to happy hour with some friends and then saw Sherlock Holmes with BIL and SIL on Saturday. Sunday we were pretty mellow, we mostly hung around the house and then had dinner with BIL and SIL. I managed to clean the office from top to bottom on Saturday morning. It was in DIRE need of organizing, so I took it one step further and cleaned out my closet (which is in the office) and all the cabinets as well. I dusted everything, got rid of a bunch of old stuff (shoes, some clothes, etc.), the whole shebang! It looks amazing now if I do say so myself! Now if I could just get the rest of the house to clean itself...

At happy hour on Saturday I managed to get myself invited to spinning class with the girls tomorrow after work. No idea WTH I was thinking! I used to go to a spin class at the gym but that was 4 years ago and I'm considerably more out of shape now than I was when I started that class. I am planning on going - I pretty much have to because I was adamant at the time that I would - but I'll be lucky if I survive!!

Seems like whenever I drink (and it doesn't have to be a lot) I get these delusions of grandeur. At least this time it's exercise and won't cost me much money! Usually we (the girls) end up planning trips we can't afford, but that we won't actually end up taking anyway. But while we're drinking we are "DEFINITELY going to do it!!" The guys make fun of us for it all the time, "What are you doing? Planning a cruise to Germany with a stop in Puerto Vallarta and Seattle on the way back?" But it's entertaining, and there are worse things we could do.

Well as you can see I don't have much to talk about! I just don't want to get back to work. I always think about how most of you ladies are in different time zones and are about to go home, and I'm just thinking about having lunch. Ah well, it's all the same really. The good news is we have cake today for one of my underlings' birthdays, AND a three day weekend this week!

Hope your Monday is zooming by :)

Sounds promising...

I've mentioned a few times that I'm interested in trying acupuncture for IF, but I've never actually gone because it's expensive and we just don't have the extra cash right now.

Well, today I checked out my new insurance benefits and found out that acupuncture is COVERED. I have to have a referral from my primary doctor and it has to be determined to be "medically necessary" though. I'm not sure what that means for me. I know my doctor will give me a referral if I ask for it, but how can acupuncture ever really be "medically necessary"? And what actually counts as medically necessary?

I guess I will just have to go to the doctor and ask her my questions. At least I have a little hope that I can try it.

Game night!

I'm so glad I asked everyone for their appetizer ideas. Now I have a few new tricks up my sleeve for the future, thanks ladies! I ended up using MotherHen's suggestion of a package of cream cheese with salsa and shrimp on top, minus the shrimp since SIL is a vegetarian, and served it with tortilla chips. YUM! I completely forgot that my mom uses the same "recipe" sometimes too (also without shrimp; I will definitely be trying it your way sometime, A), so thanks for the reminder. :) It's definitely a crowd-pleaser!

Hubs, both of my brothers, SIL and little niecey all had a great time last night. So much so that we decided to do "family game night" every week from now on! Just like the cheesy Hasbro commercials, but way cooler since we're so awesome of course. We played Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart on the Wii, and I don't mind tooting my own horn - I friggin' rocked the socks off of Mario Kart. With the exception of the first one (I was still getting the hang of the controllers) I won every race. I usually suck at video games, but like I said, Mario Kart has always been my favorite! My driver of choice was Luigi, but I cracked up at Allison's comment about how Princess Peach flashes her undies on the jumps! I'm going to have to check that out! ...Wow, how pervy did that sound?

After game night hubs and I managed to squeeze in a BD sesh, and not a moment too soon! I did see some EWCM yesterday as anticipated, so I'm thinking last night was probably our best shot for this C. We'll keep on it for a few more days just in case though. I've gotten my hopefulness down to the "cautiously optimistic" level, and am just trying not to think about it too much. So far so good, but we'll see what happens when the 2ww really kicks in! I think I'm gonna need to pick up a new sewing project... new covers for the throw pillows perhaps?

Just some stuff

I know it's old news to everyone else, but I finally saw Up for the first time last night. Oh. My. Gosh. I cried like 4 or 5 times throughout the movie, not just that part near the beginning. I was actually so emotional that I was unable to "perform" last night! Granted it was also past my bedtime when we finished the movie. Oops... So much for every day this week! I haven't noticed any EWCM yet, but I have a feeling it will be here today, so tonight is a MUST. No sadness or stress allowed today!

After work tonight hubs and I are reconnecting with some more old friends - my older brother and SIL! They got married 5 months after hubs and I, and the four of us would hang out all the time during our respective engagements. SIL got pregnant right after their wedding and I got a temp job at the wine club where she worked after I got laid off, so we still hung out quite a bit until my niece was born. Of course once she arrived that changed things and we don't see each other nearly as much anymore, which is a shame! So tonight we are, naturally, playing Wii at their house. Since we have one now we're bringing our remotes over so that we can all four play Mario Kart, which is one of my FAVORITE games ever. Should be some good times!

Any suggestions for SUPER EASY yet somewhat healthy snacks to bring along? I was just going to get some pre-cut veggies and maybe some cheese or something along those lines. I am talking RIDICULOUSLY easy - pick it up at the supermarket and throw it on a platter easy. But it would be nice if it was something a little more creative than a veggie platter... unfortunately my brain is fried today from staring at excel for hours on end.

CD14

We are at that stage of my cycle that my friend/self-designated "conception coach" (she just wants to have a title), Katherine, calls POSITIVE OVULATION!! And yes, it has to be in all caps, with multiple exclamation points.

I was going to use OPKs this C, but then I sorta forgot. Or just didn't. Oops. No matter, we've been DTD every other day-ish until yesterday, when I decreed that we will now do it every day until Saturday, as I usually O around CD16 or 17. I have a feeling I'm going to be SORE. One day down, 5 to go; just thinking about it wears me out!

My New Year's resolution seems to be working so far, five whole days into 2010! The Wii has gotten some use, although I did slack last night. But for good reason - I was catching up with a friend on the phone until hubs got home, and then the two of us were out running errands until 8:30. I can already feel myself coming out of my fog a little. I'm making a point to think about things other than TTC, spending less time sitting on my butt, making a conscious effort to call up my friends and schedule time to see them, and doing things I actually enjoy (like making kitchen curtains!). I knew I was depressed, but now that I'm starting to see the light I realize that I miss my old self! I'm not unrealistic; I know it's not going to be easy to maintain a happier disposition, but it's like I finally have the desire and energy to try.

So tonight - no slacking allowed! I'm going to jump on the Wii Fit as soon as I get home and do at least 30 minutes of exercise. I wanna do the hula hoop one until I forget what it is I'm keeping my mind off of!

My productive weekend

Well I had a very productive weekend! It's awesome to start off the new year finishing up a bunch of projects that we've been meaning to do for oh... a year and a halfish... So here's our weekend in photos:

First off, we finally got a new curtain rod and sheers, and re-hung our new curtains for our front window! It's amazing how much more finished the window looks. Plus now we can get some sunlight in during the day and still retain a little privacy. (Oh yeah, we also cleaned this window inside and out, but you obviously can't tell in this pic.)

Wow that is one bright photo! This is our kitchen, and I made these cafe curtains today. This was one of our "fishbowl" rooms, as the window on the right faces directly into one of our neighbor's windows. The kitchen is yellow and white with black accents, but the walls are such a stark white (which actually looks a lot less intense in person) that I wanted to break it up with some dark, bold curtains. There are two panels for each window so they can open up down the middle. I think they turned out pretty nice!

Here's a close-up of the fabric.

Our blinds for our bedroom and office arrived on Thursday (they match the ones in the living room), so hubs put all four sets up today as well. I'll have to take off some of those extra slats to give them a more "custom" look, but aren't they nice? JCPenney ROCKS. We got these for 50% off!

And finally, I made this little drawstring bag for my Wii Fit Balance Board. Hubs had told me they sell covers for like $20, but I figured I could whip something up myself for a lot cheaper than that, and I did! I just bought a yard of flannel (way more than I actually needed) and knocked this sucker out in about 30 minutes.

Ahh... I feel so accomplished now! The inside of our house feels so much more complete with all the window treatments finished, and I'm sure our neighbors appreciate it too. :)