Home Sweet Home

Pat and I made it home from vacation! We had a wonderful time, so relaxing. However, I was a total failure at taking pictures. I did not take one picture the whole trip!
The good news is when we got home we were greeted by these pretties! While we were gone my delphinium plants bloomed so I cut some and and put them in the kitchen! I think they are so beautiful!

Also before we left my dad's house in Louisville I spied an amazingly huge lavender bush I had never seen before! So I cut this group out, didn't even make a dent in the plant... Its huge! Anyone who knows me knows that Lavender is my absolute favorite!

After all the traveling I cant tell you how good it feels to be at home with the dogs and my husband! We are relaxed, rejuvenated, and ready to start another cycle. This week my old friend AF came to visit. Although we did not take any hormones this past cycle I was still praying that we would be one of those couples that magically get pregnant on their month off. Well not so much. So Monday I started, and yesterday I went in for a baseline ultrasound. This measures my ovaries to ensure they are not hyper-stimulated. My ovaries were tiny so we are all set to go. This morning was the first pills of the month and Friday we will begin our injection cycle again!

I am trying to remain positive, but stay relaxed. In the months past I woke up every morning at the same time to take my temperature. This would show a temperature spike at ovulation and then fluctuate, then rise to stay steadily high for a few weeks. While doing this I analyzed every little fluctuation, every time it dropped a degree I freaked out. And the worse part is that every morning I woke up with a reminder that I am still not pregnant. This cycle is different. Forget the thermometer I'm flying blind, well as blind as I can with scheduled injections, ultrasounds, and IUI.

This month I am also not going to do any ovulation kits. While doing the injections and having an HCG trigger shot I will ovulate so I am not gonna freak myself out I'm just going to try and relax! Easier said than done!
God Bless,

Cassie R.

Were off!

Pat and I are leaving for VACATION tomorrow!! I am so excited were starting this weekend with a wedding, Pats sister is getting married and then the whole family is taking off to Dale Hollow for a little House Boating action!! Fishing, Swimming, Sliding, beer, and relaxation!! Plus the ultimate NO CELL SERVICE! I am gonna take tons of pictures and hopefully have some good memories to share!

God Bless,
Cassie R,

Im going Sew Crazy!

I made my first quilt! I was so excited, Sunday I bought some cheap fabric and made a quilt! It only took me 2 days and I love it!

I had so much nervous/anxious energy I had to put it out there! I cant wait to make some more!

Cassie R.

I used to be a door...

SO as you could probably infer from my absence we are not pregnant. After all of last months efforts and trying we were still unsuccessful, and I know that a couple posts ago I was all empowered and defining my own successful behavior, but it still hurts. It really hurts. Last Tuesday my period started and I hit the couch for a marathon of wallowing. For two days I did not eat, shower, cook, clean, or move. This was a hard one my friends. Every month it gets harder. I was even more hurt when the nurse told me that their protocol for injectable treatments is one month on, one month off. So this month we are NOT taking any drugs. We are gonna let nature run its course and see what happens and after my couch coma last month I think my husband is happy to get his wife back! So of course what do I do, make a project for my husband and I!

On our back patio we have a high kinda pub table thing. It is really nice, it is a hand me down from my dads girlfriend but I still love it. However, we cant have people over for dinner because it only seats two people. So this weekend my husband and I set out with one goal in mind... patio furniture. First let me give you a bit of back story. Last Spring my friend Allison and I drove all the way to IKEA in Cincinnati and when we got there I fell in love with some patio furniture. It was classic black with benches and a table. So I bought it... or at least I thought I did. When we got home (4 hours away in Jasper) I opened the boxes to find I had bought 3 benches instead of 2 benches and a table. We could never find the time to go back and return it so we were stuck with 3 benches. We assembled 2 and put them, around our fire pit. I still wanted a table! In keeping with my whole recycling theme the hubs and I hit our local antique store for an old door that we could turn into a table. After just a little hard work and 2 days we have a new unique patio table for under 40.00!

We Started with this very old door. It is tongue and grove and kind of important not paneled so it is a flat surface

We then added support with some left over molding and removed the doors old support

Then my handsome husband and I made a mitered box frame to support the table and add bracing for the legs. We attached it with simple inexpensive L brackets and wood screws.We used inexpensive deck spindles for the legs 2.97 each. I spray painted them black ahead of time to distress them later!

We attached all the legs with our nail gun to the frame.

When we flipped over the table we realized how high it really was, so we cut down all the legs so the table would be 30 inches. Voila! A table!

Now I gave the whole thing a coat of antique white paint.

Then I mixed a polyurethane and stain glaze with black walnut stain. I distressed the legs a little but on the top I used the glaze hitting the high spots, filling in lines, and using a little bit of dry brushing, then I used the rest of the clear poly to cover the whole table to protect it outdoors.

Then we put the original hardware back on, the key hole, and knob hole.

Here you have it outside with our weathered benches. I can't wait to eat out here! And I keep telling Pat that if our next house has a formal dining room and an eat-in kitchen then we are using this as a table! He says no but I don't care, we will totally use it!I keep thinking that if this table could talk it would say... "I used to be a door, thanks for giving me a new job." Who doesnt love new job?

I am so excited to hang out with the girls tonight and watch Glee! I hope everyone has a wonderful short week!

Cassie R.