Rain, rain, go away!

So it has rained pretty much for a week straight here, so I thought this new layout was fitting!  The news reported 7 inches of rain for the month of June, with yet another storm rolling through as I type!  We've been forced to turn on the air conditioning as we can't have the windows open reliably due to all of this rain!  We went over to Saylorville the other day to look for some driftwood for my mom and weren't able to access the lake at several points due to high water.  The beaches are pretty much non-existent because the water levels are so high, though there were several families attempting to enjoy the hot and humid day.  This rain has put into effect Flash Flood Watches that will last until further notice.  No end date and time...just "until further notice."  That's saying something!
Lately, we've had some time to start researching and pricing all of the things that we "need" to get ready for our family expansion in December.  Figuring out which crib will be the safest and how much you really need to spend for a quality crib has been exhausting!  Did you know that you can spend anywhere from $150 to $800 for a bed!!!  That doesn't even include the mattress!  I was shocked!  So after adding up the cost of a crib, mattress, car seat, stroller, play yard, breast pump, clothes, diapers, the list goes on and on and on....we were SHOCKED and began to realize that we need to start saving now!  While we knew that children were expensive, it made it easy to see how so many families go into debt when they have children.  The "Baby Industry" is driven to guilt you into buying the "best" for your child and in order to get the "best" you need to spend more, more, more.  Thankfully we have another 26 weeks to continue our research and ask lots of questions of my friends with children to find out what is really worth the money and what is not.  I haven't even started talking about finding day care yet.  Another day, another blog.  For now, enjoy the rain.

News

I finally got around to filling the bird feeder this Spring and I feel it was just in time.  We now have finches enjoying the seed and the cats enjoying the view.  Most days, I don't even notice the birds out on the feeder until I start hearing Coda chirping and flicking his tail around spastically.  A quick glance out the window and sure enough, there is a gold finch.  While I hate the mess that gets made with all the seed, I love watching the birds.  I always say that if I could be any other animal, I'd want to be a bird.  Can you imagine being able to fly?  Really, that's my only ambition for life as a bird, to fly.  I would want to still have the same intelligence as I do now, just able to fly.  Maybe technology will make this a reality for me in this lifetime.

In other news, Ben and I are expecting an addition to our family in December!  We are excited and nervous and can't wait to see how our lives will change.  This blog may change focus as the focus of our family changes, but I'm hoping that I get back to posting delicious recipes, which is why I started this thing in the first place!

While we are excited, we continue to think of our friends who are struggling and frustrated with fertility challenges.  We are thinking of you!  Know that we are here to support you and help in any way that we can!

Updates on the Hayletts

So Spring has sprung and I have some hyacinth out front.  I also planted a couple of other flowers last fall that are coming up but I can't remember what they are, so once they bloom, you will all have to help me identify what they are!  I'm absolutely loving this weather lately and can't wait to have the windows open for some GREAT sleeping weather before it gets too hot!  April has been very busy for Ben and I.  We traveled to Muscatine twice to visit Connie and Mike, Ben's mom and step dad, to LeMars over the Easter weekend to visit my parents and to the Quad Cities to visit Lyle and Gail, Ben's dad and step mom who were in town from Nashville.  This coming weekend, Nick and Beth are visiting and I am excited!  Beth is an amazing and talented artist and will be painting us a backsplash.  I know what you are thinking, paint?  Yep, but it looks like actual tile at less than half the cost.  And I am glad to be able to put a donation to help our friends get one step closer to their IVF goal.  :)  I plan to post the excellent pictures next week, if I don't forget!  Coming up in May, Ben and I are running/walking a 5K to raise money for ChildServe.  ChildServe is where I work and helps kids who have special needs by providing case management, SCL, respite, therapy and also have care units for kids to live when they are unable to live at home.  I'm excited to help out the agency and if you are free on May 8th, sign up!  http://tiny.cc/rvomu 
Hope you all are well!

Congratulations Dad!

My dad is officially retiring from the military and it honestly couldn't have come at a better time!  He was to be deployed to Afghanistan later in the Fall and now that he is retiring, he will thankfully not be going to the Middle East!  After going to a brain injury training that addressed the injuries that soldiers had received from IEDs, I could not be happier!  Its scary to think of all the things that could happen to a soldier in such an unstable area.  So here's to you dad!  CONGRATULATIONS!  I am so proud of you!  You served us well!

Getting Healthy

I wanted to give a quick update on my getting healthy goal.  In the past year and half, I have lost 27 pounds(6 just since January!), worked out for more hours than I care to keep track of, and changed my eating habits significantly.  In addition to all of these physical changes, I've started thinking differently as well.  You know, it's not fair that I have to bust my ass in the gym or that I have to keep track of every single calorie that goes on my plate and into my mouth.  However, that is my life if I want to be at a healthy weight, feel better, participate in activities that I enjoy and be generally happy with where I'm at in my life.  Additionally, working out has turned into a routine and really helped me manage the stress of taking 3 classes, working full time and working two part-time jobs.  I start to think about what the hell I'm going to do with my life once school is over and I only have one job.  Is that really going to be possible for me?  How will I be able to handle free time?  I guess I'll just have to wait and see.  I'm starting to think more positively about our future.  I still worry about what might happen or if we are able to conceive, but all we can do is think positively and hope for the best.  Anyway, tomorrow is another Monday so it's time for me to sleep and rejuvenate my brain and body!  Hope this finds you all well!

Where did January go?

Today is the last day of January and I'm not sure where the first day went!  This month has brought a lot:  one last Christmas celebration, newly assessed tax payments (boo), our highest electricity bill yet (double boo), the realization that I had at least 5 jobs last year (there may be more W2s coming), interestingly, we are willing to pay more for a specific food so the cat poop stinks less, the start of LiveHealthy Iowa and hopefulness of weight loss, running routine, lots and lots of laundry and delicious new recipes!  The hope is that these new recipes coincide with the LiveHealthy Iowa goal...we shall see.  School has also started again for both of us.  I'm in my 2nd year of graduate school and Ben, we thought, was in his final semester.  Turns out, he miscalculated one class and will be 3 credits short.  He is likely to graduate this semester but have 1 class left to finish!  I insanely signed up for 3 classes and am hoping that I don't drown between that and free time and work...
This year, I'm at three jobs, so hopefully we stick with that and I will remain employed throughout 2010.  With the weather as crazy as it has been this past month, it will be interesting to see how next month goes.  We can only hope for cheaper bills, but have accepted the fact that we do not have as much control over this as we would like.  As far as kitty poop goes, we made a joint decision that we are willing to pay more for cat food to save our noses from the awful stench that eeks out of Coda in particular.  I guess we know where our priorities lie.
LiveHealthy Iowa is off to a good start.  I'm on a team with my coworkers at ChildServe and I am serving as team leader.  I've lost 3 pounds and am motivated to help out my team.  We are competing in both weight loss and minutes of activity category and we want to WIN!  Somedays I just don't want to do any exercise, but knowing that my team is counting on me and I'm their "leader" is helping guilt me into doing something!  On a side note, I'm up to running a 10 minute mile!  This is huge considering I'd been at 12 minute miles for about a year!  Currently, I'm planning to compete with some friends in Dam to Dam later this Spring!  It's 12 miles from Saylorville to downtown Des Moines and if I finished the half marathon, I can finish this!  I think.
New recipes have been pretty successful this month.  We've made a meatball casserole, which was even better as a leftover, I've successfully made my own Chicken Tortilla Soup in the crockpot and I have a couple more on the back burner.  One of which is Chocolate Mint Cookies.  Ben is chomping at the bit for me to get these made, however, there just isn't enough time in the day some days.
So there it is, update for the month.  Hope you all are well, whomever you are!  Welcome February, I'm ready!

Christmas is Over

Ok, it's official.  Christmas is over and we are already almost a month in 2010.  We celebrated three separate family gatherings from Thanksgiving through the 2nd week of January.  I have to say, it was a great Christmas, spending time with family and pretty great gifts.  This year, I received a Kindle e-reader, Kitchen-Aide stand mixer and a Viking Sewing Machine.  Honestly, I can't think of anything better!  I've gotten plenty of use out of the Kindle and mixer and am now planning my first sewing project.  I'm thinking of making myself a tree skirt for the next holiday season!  I'm also hoping to be able to get good enough to alter my own clothing.  This will especially be important as I'm back on track with my "Get Healthy" goal.  I've been back in the gym for the past month and have signed up for Live Healthy Iowa.  I've been tracking my calories and exercise and in one week have lost 1.5 pounds!!!  For those of you who know me, losing weight and eating healthy aren't exactly my favorite things to do.  However, I know that it is something that I need to do for me.  My goal is to lose 19 pounds and I'm one step closer.  Ben has been amazing and supportive and I love him more every day.  Knowing that he is there and cheering me on is great motivation!
Any nutritious and delicious recipes, exercise tips or support are greatly appreciated!  Also, any book recommendations or sewing projects are being entertained as well!  Gotta be sure I use all of my new gadgets and gizmos from Christmas!