new blog design*

As you may have noticed, I have a pretty new blog design! I want to give a huge, huge shout out to Shay, over at Dumplin Design Studio who whipped this thing up for me. She was so fabulous during the whole process [and hey, I'm easy to please so hopefully I wasn't a difficult customer!] and really listened to what I wanted.

She is super duper affordable, and you must go check her out for all your blogging and business needs. Her style is everything that I love about blog design, & I will definitely be using her in the future.

Thank you, Shay, so much!

Christmas in NC

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. I love sitting on the couch, bundled under blankets and furbabies, husband by my side with a fire going in the fireplace.

I love the tree, and the decorations, and always end up going through Christmas decoration withdrawls after I take everything down.

This year, Marshall & I opted to stay here in North Carolina for the holidays. It is the first time that we haven't travelled somewhere for Christmas since we have been married and honestly, I'm really looking forward to it. We haven't had a chance to set our own traditions, or do our own things. So this year will be a first for us.

The gifts are also something that are sort of new to us. We have always given each other one gift, but because we are not travelling anywhere this year, we are financially able to do a little more for one another. Which means the Christmas tree is looking very full underneath!

I don't really know what we are going to do on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day for that matter. But I do know that it will be very relaxing, with lots of wine, Christmas music, and I'm pretty sure I will stay in my sweats all day. :)

How about you? What are your plans for this weekend?

Themed Birthday Party!

In about three weeks, I turn 30.

Yikes.

I'm not really prepared for that milestone, & I sort of am all at the same time. My 20's were so wonderously fabulous to me, that saying goodbye to them is like saying goodbye to an old friend. [Which, that is another post for another day]. But I feel like so many great things will happen in my 30's, that I am looking forward to the future.

But in the mean time, in order to ring in the new year and celebrate in style, I'm throwing myself a huge birthday bash. We are doing an Alice in Wonderland themed costume party, & to say that it is getting out of control is most definitely underestimating the situation.

My crafty side is taking over. I have found so many great things that I want to do for decoration purposes to really bring out the theme! I'm looking forward to my 10 day vacation from work to really get some of these things banged out.

For instance!

How adorable is that? [via The Long Thread] Since I [naturally] am going as the Queen of Hearts, this is a perfect garnish of sorts for around the house. Ideally, I would like to find some jumbo cards, but I'll take whatever I can find!


This heart garland is also a perfect addition to around the house. Originally meant for a Valentine's Day decoration, I still think it will work wonderfully for a Queen of Hearts garden!


And YUM. Cakes in a jar! I think this would be the perfect giveaway for the party, or at the very least, an easy way to serve dessert.

I have a whole board over on Pinterest [which is the greatest website ever if you are not a member!] dedicated to this party, and am looking for some more great decoration ideas. Alice in Wonderland has always been a favorite of mine, and I am looking forward to bringing some of the vintage style of the story to the party as well.

About Damn Time

Well, I finally got my HSG test scheduled today.

Can we get a big fat HOORAY for that one??!

Today is technically what I was expecting to be CD1, but no confirmation yet. Although, I have a good feeling that if it doesn't happen today, it will happen tomorrow. Because we are Army, the clinics are not open on the weekends to make appointments, which means I would have had to wait until Monday to schedule anything. Last time that happened [last month] there were no more appointments available in my time frame.

Waiting really, really sucks.

Fearing that AF would come tomorrow, I made the executive decision to call and schedule it. Luckily, my current appointment date is December 22nd. Which, if CD1 comes today, that would put me at CD13 on appointment date. If it doesn't happen today, then i have some wiggle room. Wiggle room is good.

I'm glad it worked out this way, but more than anything I am so damn ready to start this process. My nurse has told me that assuming everything comes back clear, they would get me started on chlomid for that next cycle. So, by mid-January, we will be full blown on the infertility band wagon.

I'm somewhat nervous about the HSG test. I've heard many different versions of what it feels like, and am sort of preparing for the worst. I'm sure it will be nothing [if anything just uncomfortable]. I'd be ok with that.

So here goes nothing!

Mac & Cheese -- Veggie Style

I've recently made the decision that I want to go back to my vegetarian ways. I was a vegetarian for a few years in high school & college, but missed chicken & turkey too much so went back. I never started eating red meat again [ick], but do love me some chicken from time to time.


However, with starting the fertility process, I wanted to really start eating WELL. I have [more than] a few pounds to lose, which I know will aid in the whole thing, but also just want to be healthier as a whole, regardless of what the baby situation decides to be.

So, I'm going to attempt the vegetarian route again for a while. I'm going to give myself 30 days to try it out, and see where I am after that. I've reached out to a couple of friends who are vegetarians, and was offered some really great sites with some fabulous recipes.

The first one I can't wait to try this weekend? Mac & Cheese .... without any cheese :) I'll let you know how it turns out, but from what I've heard [& read in the comments!] it's FABULOUS.

What You Need:

• 4 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 8 ounces macaroni
• 4 slices of bread, torn into large pieces
• 2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
• 2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

What You Do:

• In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until al dente. In a colander, drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
• In a food processor, make breadcrumbs by pulverizing the bread and 2 tablespoons margarine to a medium-fine texture. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.
• In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine, mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.
• In a large bowl, toss the cooked pasta and blended cheese sauce until completely coated. Spread mixture into a 9 x 12 casserole dish, sprinkle with prepared breadcrumbs, and dust with paprika.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.