...stamping!

Awaiting my over-9-month-pregnant sister to give birth to my first niece, I needed something to keep me occupied. I had the grand idea to start jewelry making (one of the crafts on my list of 'Crafts To Do'). 

I don't want to make just any type of jewelry... I wanted to go all out and try the metal-stamping necklaces that are becoming popular. So, off to Micheal's Craft Store I go!

... just a few supplies :) 

Of course my favorite is the hammer and the anvil, so naturally I started with the stamping! 

It took a couple tries before I got the hang of it!
 

The ones i ruined :)

 
My girlfriend/hair colorist recently had a beautiful baby girl named Harper Maxine born on March,23 2011... Hence the date and letter. 


I want to add some kind of 'frosting' to this necklace to livin' it up a bit so, I got an Aquamarine bead, her birthstone, and turned it into a charm.

 The necklace still needed one more charm, but I didn't want it to look cluttered so I needed something small, but not smaller then the bead. With all the metal strands I got I took this...

 

 And turned it into this...

I'm still learning so it's not perfect. 
I dont think it's too shabby when you put them all on the chain!

VOILA!
Not too shabby if I do say so myself! 
SUPER easy and a lot of fun!

While I was working on the 'stamping', my mom started on a different necklace for my over-9-month-pregnant sister (my idea, but she made it beautifully!)

She made the birds' nest and everything! The number of eggs is supposed to represent how many children you have and it just turned out that the pearl is my nieces birthstone as well. 


Well... That took up a couple hours. 
Back to waiting for my niece to arrive... 

 

Summer Treats.

I know we are all partial to the foods we grew up on. For me, my grandma's cooking is a staple. Living with her while my mom was on her trips made me a huge fan of the cooking. I don't get to see her very often- she is 98 and lives in Rochester. You would never guess she was a day over 75! She grew up cooking on a farm with a Swedish and German background. Mmm, now I am thinking of her Swedish pancakes... besides the point. Anyways, I would love her recipes, and since I can't get them very often, I have to research what recipe I like best, and what is the most similar.

At one point she made this rhubarb meringue dessert with pie crust, and oh how I have been wanting it so bad for years! So last night, Lindsay and I made a different version of that summer favorite. A mix of different recipes, if you will. Strawberry Rhubarb Meringue Crostata. Oh yes.

Now I have a thing for crusts. Its hard to find the perfect crust- and I believe this recipe I have is the one. I found it in middle school and never let it go.

Here is to the beginning of summer treats! I think another slice is calling my name...

{S}

The Craft List

Sara's been annoying me lately and I've had too much time on my hands... Because of this I have found many craft ideas I have been inspired to do. (whether or not I will do them is a different story)

This for starters... My niece will reap the rewards of my craftiness!

The Instructions look SUPER easy!

My mother and I have been wanting to get into making jewelry, so searching around I've found a few I'd like to make.

Just to give you an idea.

Being best friends with Sara makes it very difficult to make my crafts look good when compared to her craftiness cause it just comes natural to her...and not so much to me. Sara is an amazing knittist :) but i'm attempting at it, I have knit about 4 rows of this pattern so far...

I started it with black and got a green, pink, purple, blue and cream. :)

we'll see how it turns out... I'll keep you posted.

hm... ok... more crafts...

My favorite craft is getting different pieces of furniture like a desk, dresser, table, chair off craigslist or at a garage sale and paint it, stain it, add hardware, fabric... I'l have to keep my eyes open for that and blog about it :)

But...for now... this blanket will have to do!

Heres to having relentless best friends (love you sara)

{L}

This Old House

It's official. We have been in our house for a year. Being homeowners is more of a journey than anything else that it could be. We started looking a year and a half ago starting with very low priced town homes. Let me tell you, I'm not sure I will ever be going after a short sale again. After waiting and waiting and waiting on the town home we were interested in, we decided to move on before the tax credit expired. One night over coffee at Uncommon Grounds in Uptown, we found our home online. We drove past it that night and thought, no no no, this neighborhood is not right for us. We still decided to go look at it. It was a humble little home with lots of potential. A Little 1,100 sq ft home built in 1900. I got one look at the backyard and I was hooked.

 It's a funny skinny thing. Lots of character. Perfect first home. 

It was move-in ready with a few cosmetic fixes needed- and then some. Most rooms were just paint, but the kitchen and bathroom were another story. 

I am very proud of our work on our kitchen. We went from

This

 

To this. Don't look too closely to the unfinished details!

There is an unending list of "to-do" in this house. However, it becomes a sad day when time escapes, and funds are low. Right now we are in the middle of a project that has been delayed- our bathroom. My husband was fixing a leak that extended from our bathtub into our kitchen. Good news? He fixed it. Bad news? It looks like this:

 

Notice: outdated faucet, large hole, wave-like imprint on window blocks, and classy plastic. 

Now I have the pleasure of showering surrounded by plastic. Funny thing is, I don't mind, for now. This fall, we will take down that monster of bathroom or should I say, closet that includes toilet, bathtub, and sink. We just need to put in the vanity we bought LAST SUMMER, some tile, and key lime sorbet paint. This is my taste for now, I can almost guarantee that will change by fall. 

It is always fun to see progress, but difficult to be at a stand still. At least I can always dream. I love decorating, but sometimes feel overwhelmed by it. If only there were more money, if I had more resources, if I had time...

Since its warming up outside, and who would want to be stuck indoors on a nice day, we have been making progress on our backyard. The most recent project? A pond. Unfortunately its a lot more difficult than I originally intended. I have the type of personality that has big hopes, and if my work doesn't meet my expectations, I take it down, start again, then get bored and stop. I am trying so hard to take this pond one day at a time. But I just can't seem to get each rock in the right place...

Well it's a work in progress. At least she likes it, that's all the counts, right? 

I'm proud of my house. I pay for it. I work on it. I clean it. Its my life with my husband. Its a beautiful thing, this old house.


{S}

... In a Frenzy

 I go thru stages of genres of music I listen too.

I listen to anything from Kings of Leon, Jay-Z, Adele, James Vincent Mcmorrow, Hillsongs, (anything but country)... 

The list goes on and on

This week, my current addiction is A Fine Frenzy

I love love LOVE A Fine Frenzy!! 

She's whimsical, girly, easily singable when driving in the car with the windows rolled down and snapping my fingers... yes, snapping my fingers. 

I could listen to 'What I Wouldn't Do' on repeat hour after hour if i could...

A Fine Frenzy

I dare you, try it out... I dare you NOT to snap your fingers

What's your favorite this week?

{L}

Two.

Today is my anniversary. Here's to two years under our belt! It's flown by, yet I feel like we have been married forever. I hate to imagine life before we were married. I love looking back on the details of our big day. I am still amazed how smoothly everything went.

Reflecting on the last two years, I don't know if I could even feel more blessed than I am. It been two years of growing, learning, and laughing. There has been a lot of changes for us even in the last year. New house, new job, house projects, vacations, and a puppy.

Just after closing on our new house from my mobile.

I get excited waking up every morning knowing that I'm not alone in life. That there is someone just like me who accepts my imperfections and makes me stronger. There is something about laughing together that can make any problem melt away.

Can't not smile looking at this picture.

I have learned respect and true love over the last couple years. I believe that respect is the secret to good and healthy marriage. Always fight fair. It's more of "how can I make myself a better spouse" rather than "how can my spouse change for me".

Most important, I have learned a 3 cord strand is not easily broken. Its not just Kyle and I, its one other that makes this relationship successful. Our relationship was built on a rock.

My wedding gift to Kyle- engraving his ring. "On This Rock"

Tonight we get to eat at Fogo de Chao. I'm excited to say that this has become a tradition for our anniversary. Got to say, its my favorite of all time.

Then a night at the blue hill with my husband and our puppy. What a great day to celebrate. Yes, I am blessed for this life I have been given, and for the best friend I get to spend it with.

Now, I am off to get ready for our special night!

{S}

Mayo Clinic

After two months of no answers, I received a diagnosis. I have had an urgent care visit, an ER visit, and hospital appointments with two different cardio-vascular surgeons. I have had an x-ray, ultrasounds, a CT scan, and lastly, a lymphoscintography test. Its been quite the ride. And it all comes down to this: I have Lymphedema.

I have had swelling in my left foot since March 11th with no relief in sight. I rushed off to the Urgent Care 5 days after my symptoms began. Being quite confident in what she believed it to be, my doctor immediately sent me over to the hospital to receive an ultrasound. At that point, it was believed to be a bloodclot. Being sent to the hospital was the longest ride I have ever had; it was the most anxious I have ever felt. My grandfather died of a bloodclot lodging in his lung in his 40's- I couldn't take my mind off of it. I finally got in to see the technician. She checked one area of my leg. "Good." She checked another. "Good." She check another. Silence. Fear then began to sweep through my mind. I am going to die. It sounds so dramatic reflecting back on that moment, but it was the scariest moment I have ever experienced. The technician finally finished. "Alright, everything looks clear." Breathe. After uttering repeated prayers, joy again returned. Thankfully my best friend was there that night to encourage me and stand by my side, Thanks Lindsay.

I then began a series of appointments and testing with no answers. I finally saw a cardiovascular surgeon at Park Nicollet Methodist. He sent me in for one last ultrasound that was once again clear. In parting, he mentioned that I might have lymphedema. He said not to worry, that it would just be a nuisance especially for a 23 year-old and I may have problems with swelling when I become pregnant and that was it. This was the first I had heard of it, and didn't think much of it. He ordered a prescription for compression socks, said to make an appointment in two weeks if my condition didn't improve, and sent me off. Three weeks later I found myself at the ER at Mayo Clinic.

Before my appointment, I decided to research lymphedema. I had no idea what it was. Have you ever heard of elephantitis? How about the elephant man? He had a severe, untreated case of lymphedema. Terrifying. I had no idea this could actually happen. No Cure. The pictures were even scarier. But my symptoms aren't this bad...

My mom is a medical secretary for a few doctors that work in the Mayo Clinic ER. There was one specific doctor that was following my case. He agreed to see me. He ordered some blood work, he was convinced I had DVT in the lower part of leg (bloodclots). These would be less serious and would just need to be monitered. My bloodwork came back negative. Still not convinced, he referred me to a cardiovascular specialist at Mayo. In two weeks I would be able to get in.

It had now been 8 weeks of slippers, uncertainty, and swelling. I prayed the doctor would be able to look at my leg and just know what was wrong. He did and he was confident- finally someone was. He was still going to order a test to confirm, but he just knew. Answered prayer. We talked as though it was already confirmed. "Are you worried about self-image with the swelling?" I was having trouble blinking back my tears. "A little..."

I spent that night beside myself. There was so much uncertainty, so many questions. They ran through my head a million miles a minute. Finally morning came.

I walked into my testing not knowing what to expect. I laid on the paper covered table and glanced at the counter with the cup of syringes. He explained what he was going to do: inject radio-active tracer between my big toe and the next toe over. On both feet. I laughed out loud. I passionately hate needles. The other technician said "This will hurt a lot, the tracer burns when being injected." Great. Thanks for the words of encouragement. She then went on to hold down my leg. They did my right leg first. Pin prick, burn, okay not so bad. They then did the left leg, my swollen side. That was a terrible moment. Thanks to that, I felt real pain.

I then sat still for an hour and half while a machine took pictures of the tracer moving up my lymph system. I laid there stiff. Thoughts were running through my head. Yesterday the doctor had said "Its not like we are saying you can never be pregnant..." What will my leg look like then? What if its both? Will I be able to ever be pregnant? If I do, will this be passed on to my children? Will the swelling ever go away? Can I ever wear normal shoes? Will I ever feel or look normal again... After finishing the first portion of my test, I was so distracted I forgot to push the button on the elevator. I had to come back twice that day for return scans only lasting 15 minutes each.

Immediately following my last scan, I went in to see a lymphedema therapist. Thankfully, she was one of the sweetest, most encouraging ladies I have ever met. She saw and she knew. At this point, I was wondering why I didn't go to Mayo in the first place. She showed me a massage technique to reverse my changing skin texture (like wrinkles) and fit me for a wrapping boot. She showed me how to wrap. She got me an even better compression sock. "Wrap day and night for two weeks and the swelling should go down, yours will be easily controlled." Best news yet. "I have lymphedema and I have been able to control it and have no need to wear support garments" Also great news. I then finished my day with a follow up appointment with my doctor.

"It's confirmed, you have stage 1 lymphedema". Okay now what... Between listening to my therapist and the Doctor, I have a new view, Everything's going to be okay. One of my favorite lines from that appointment was "So if you are out mountain biking and you get a scratch on your leg..." Whoa. Wait. Mountain Biking? MOUNTAIN BIKING? I am going to be normal.

Lymphedema is a chronic condition that may always stick around or it may go down and never show up again. There is no rhyme, no reason. There is no reason why mine decided to show. I had no indicators for it beside my symptoms. Normally, it is hereditary or from injury or following surgery. I take from it that my "channels" in my lymph system weren't fully developed at birth. The lymph fluid has a difficult time mkaing it through my leg and gets "stuck", hence the swelling. I'm just thankful there is treatment. But since it is sticking around forever, I have to be careful. No cuts to that leg due to risk of infection, I constantly have to moisturize, and will be stuck wearing a compression garment the rest of my life. Oh yea, and there will be swelling.

I am thankful for my situation. Sure, at times I will be self-conscious, but I am thankful its nothing worse. I am so thankful for everyone that supported me and prayed for me. This process would have been a lot more difficult without you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Thank you for always being faithful and never leaving my side. 

{S}