Cycle Update, et al

Hey Humble Readers...

Not much to tell today except that it's been a bit of a trying day. Nothing that could be classified as galactic badness, just a collection of irritants that, when taken together, are more than a little aggravating.

In terms of my cycle, not a whole lot to report either. I'm pretty sure that I'm 5dpo (temps indicate it, mostly, but the extra two days of ewcm is throwing me a bit), and the phantom symptoms are making themselves known. The 'girls' are sore, I'm pooped, and there is a hint of cranky stomach (but as previously stated, that could just be ibs).

I'm just trying to get through...

And that's why I'm so thankful that ICLW is almost here! If you don't know what it is, check out the link to the left. It will help keep me occupied for the next week.

Winter Hazards and the Hobbit

Good Evening Humble Readers...

Yes, I live in Canada... on the flatland... so winter is unavoidable. (beware, whining ahead)

I have posted previously about how clutzy I am, and how snow and ice are not my friends. I have planned ahead this year though, and have purchased some of those stretchy things that you can put over your shoes that have extra little grips on them. (do you all have any idea what I'm talking about?)

But honestly, I would give just about anything right now for it to snow. Anything to add a little moisture to the air. My skin is drier than dry and I'm breaking out constantly.

However, I could live with dry skin. I could. Lotion can help, and being smart about not letting my showers get too hot (which is really hard, I love love love hot steamy showers) would help too.

The thing that I can live without is the nosebleeds. Two today. Twelve in the last two weeks. And I'm not talking about just a little trickle... I'm talking gushers. Fifteen or twenty minutes at a time. It just sucks!

I know I need to get a humdifier. That should help some. I don't do nasal sprays well, so I'm hesitant to try a neti pot or saline spray.

This has never happened before. I grew up on the prairies. This is my third winter back here... I should be able to handle this.

Do any of you wonderful souls out there have any other suggestions?

Show & Tell: My New Favourite Commercial

Good afternoon, Humble Readers...

Ok, so this is a rather lame Show & Tell, but this commercial makes me laugh so hard (we're talking snorts here)... It brightens my day just seeing it.



I love when 'she' says pothole.

Do you have a favourite tv commercial? One that makes you laugh so hard you could spray milk out of your nose?

Now don't forget to stop by Mel's place to check out what the rest of the class is showing!

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Blathering On & On

Good Evening Humble Readers...

In an effort to meet my NABLOPOMO commitment, I have to post something today, but there really isn't much to tell... so you are just going to get some EXTREME randomness.

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In case you were wondering, dealing with IBS isn't fun. And dealing with it when you are an infertile is just obnoxious. Twinges that I feel in general vacinity of my ovaries might signify ovulation, or it might just be gas. Nausea in my tww could be a legitimate symptom of pregnancy or it could just be that trigger food that I really shouldn't have eaten. Oh, and that ache in my lower abdomen might be AF showing up early or it might be killer constipation. Gah!

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Ok... CM question for all my sisters out there who still chart. How many of you have had EWCM after you O'd? I am very certain that I o'd two days ago (confirmed by two days of very clear increase in temps), but I woke up this morning with some serious EWCM (more than I had before O actually).

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I confess that I am a huge fan of Dancing With The Stars. I have only missed a couple of episodes this season. I have been pulling for Kelly Osborne the whole time. They are 15 minutes away from announcing if she's in the finals next week, and I'm going nuts! And really, why would they have the BeeGees on tonight? Those dudes are just scary all the way around.

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Have any of you heard Sting's version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlmen"? That song has always been my favourite Christmas carol, but his version is absolutely outstanding! I may actually have to buy the cd... and I rarely buy cds any more.

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Yahoooooooo! Kelly's in the finals! (I need to get a life!)

The Two Week Wait

Good Evening Humble Readers...

It's that time again.

The two week wait.

Stretched out ahead of me like the Canadian prairie in the middle of winter. (it's not even a full two weeks. My lp is only 13 days usually, and today was 1dpo) Just going on forever, and rather bleak.

I know that this tww should not be any more challenging than any other, but I'm feeling very apprehensive. It was in November last year that we conceived Olivia, and I can't help but feel that crazy mix of hope for a sticky bfp (third time's the charm, right?) and dreading that even if we are pregnant at the end of this month, we won't be by the new year.

That fear is there every cycle, but it's just so much more in my face this month. It's like the shadow that is always there on the edge of my line of sight is twice it's normal size and flexing it's muscles.

Thank heaven it's a busy time at work. For at least eight hours a day I will have something to distract me.

Shout Out Sunday: Of Computers & Movies & Monsters

This is my second week joining in on Full Circle's Shout Out Sunday... a really cool way to recognize those fantastic people on your blogroll and spread the love!

Here's how Shout Out Sunday works:

Choose a blog that has moved you. A daily must read. One you stalk. One that makes you laugh, cry or scream at the monitor. A new blog you would like to give exposure to. Someone you would like to introduce to your readers and send a warm fuzzy while you're at it.

My Shout Out this week goes to If Optomist for many reasons. She is funny, thoughtful, and supportive. She is a computer tech who understands the world of technology in a way that I can only dream of. She works on movies, which sounds incredibly fun (but is probably like all jobs, with good days and bad). She has had a long IF road, and has gone through countless procedures in the last few years to get her to where she is now... pregnant with two little 'monsters'! She lives up to her name, sharing her optomism and contented outlook on life with her readers. I almost always walk away from reading one of her posts with a smile. And even when she's having a bad day, her love of life and happiness is present. She inspires me to see the world through 'glass-half-full' eyes.

Don't forget to check out the SOS list, and stop by If Optomit's corner of the internet and say hi. (She's had a rough weekend, and can use some words of bloggy love!)

Happiness Is...

... an actual weekend off to spend with my Beloved!

It's been over a month since my Beloved and I had a day off at the same time. He works in an office and I work retail, so our days off rarely match up. My 'weekend' is usually Tuesday and Wednesday. Normally it's not so long between my real weekends off, but taking two weeks off in September threw things out of whack.

This weekend, though, is about us just hanging out.

Today we spent the day Christmas shopping at a new huge mall, about an hour south of here. It was fun exploring new stores and hinting at what I would love to see under the tree. We had lunch at a great burger place in the mall... who knew that goat cheese on a burger would be so darn good?!? We spent a couple of hours going our separate ways to actually buy presents for the other... and I can't tell you what I got him (because he reads my blog) but I will tell you that I'm pretty sure he's going to love it!

Of course, I also found a few things for myself. Ever the bargain shopper, I am proud to say that I found two work appropriate tops (in a rather high end plus size store) for less than $70 combined. Now I know that some of my friends south of the border are probably raising their eyebrows at that, but things are a titch more expensive here... and did I mention that it was in a plus size store (yes, the bigger ladies get burned all the time with the cost of our clothes!!!)?

But my best find of the day (other than my Beloved's gift) was this beautiful new handbag....

I know it's not a great picture, but it is a truly awesome handbag! I got it from Fos.sil. It has multiple interior pockets (I hate the bottomless abyss purses), it's red (officially the colour is strawberry), leather trim, and because of a tiny little defect on the front I saved $90!!!!! Woohoo!

Tomorrow is church, and a quiet afternoon at home. I might put the Christmas lights out on our balconey... if I feel motivated.

Humble Readers, I hope you are all having a great weekend!

Blessed Chaos

Good Evening Humble Readers...

I hope that you all had a good day. For me, it was a pretty good day. It was crazy busy at work, which is always fun, and all is well with Petey the PT Cruiser. Yay!

After work tonight, I told my Beloved that he was taking me out for dinner. I was feeling done-in. We went to a rather popular italian chain restaurant that likes to think it captures the New York style and ambiance (not a chance... lol). I do love their italian wedding soup, though.

I was expecting that it was going to be busy, so I wasn't surprised when we found our table for two was wedged in between two larger family groups. On one side was a group of adults, mostly middle aged or older. On the other side was a multi-generational group including grandparents, aunts and uncles, parents, two preschoolers and a toddler.

After a long busy day in the store, going out to this type of restaurant was probably not the best idea. It was very loud, so loud that my Beloved and I didn't actually try to talk through most of our meal. One of the preschoolers was fussing to get out of her high chair, the toddler was just plain old unhappy, and two of the uncles were being overly enthusiastic in trying to keep the little ones entertained. The little boy was was making car noises as he drove his hot wheels car around the table, and when their ice cream arrived there was a great debate between the little girl and her mom about whether or not the cherry on top had contaminated the dessert. Spoons were dropped on the floor, and there was mild shreiking when grandma tried to wipe a little face.

The family group on the other side of our table were very obviously put out at the noise and the crowding in the restaurant. I overheard several comments about how it was 'too loud to think' and how parents 'shouldn't bring little ones out this late' (it was only 6pm). I swear they even broke out that old chestnut, 'children should be seen and not heard'.

In all honesty, I was initially irritated by the noise. I just wanted a mellow dinner and maybe a walk through the Pi.er 1 store next door.

But as I watched the family with the small children interact, I recognized that I wasn't so much irritated with the noise as I was with that prickle of envy I was feeling. You know the one. That little zing that feels like a tug at your uterus and you heart at the same time.

The family with the little ones finished and left shortly before my Beloved and I finished our dinner. The grandmother, on her way past apologized for the noise and made a comment about how we could now enjoy our dinner in peace.

One lady from the group on the other side of our table muttered something about how we would finally have some 'blessed peace' as the little ones and their entourage made their way out.

And seriously, all I could think of was how quiet our lives are right now, and how I would give my left b00b for just a tiny measure of that chaos.

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Navel Gazing

Good Evening Humble Readers!

Tonight's post is just a little bit of odds and ends. Nothing too earth-shattering...

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We've finally decided on what to get my Beloved's mom for Christmas. There is this teeny tiny little town south of here that is home to an incredible dinner theater. When I say teeny tiny, I mean super-dooper teeny. As in, the theater arts school, staff and resident theater company are the bulk of the population. As in, there isn't a gas station in the town. That's TEENY! Anyway, we are going to take Mom C to one of the shows there in the spring. Now if I could just convince my Beloved that we need to go to their Christmas production this year (A Child's Christmas in Wales)...

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Today was a bit of a bummer for me at work. One of my favourite staff members told me that she's going to have to give her two-week notice. She's just landed a great new job, and on a personal level I'm really happy for her. It's just going to suck losing her... especially at this time of year.

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Ok, so I've been drinking the grapefruit juice... and liking it a lot actually. The thing is, I haven't noticed any change in my cm, except perhaps for it's absence. Hmmmm....

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Why is it that when you have a canker sore or an achy tooth you can't help but tease it all the time? I burned the roof of my mouth the other day on some pizza, and that little piece of skin between my two front teeth is driving me insane!

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I think that it is a statistical improbability for me to have a pair of socks for more than a month without putting a hole in at least one. I am so sick of trying to match up socks that aren't air conditioned.

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I think the "paycheck vacuum" (courtesy of Alana) may be headed our way. The check engine light came on in the car yesterday. Here's hoping that it's just that the gas cap wasn't put on tight enough or something.

Remembrance Day - In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Thank you to all who serve and have served our country in our armed forces. Your sacrifices will never be forgotten.