Christmas Cookies

Christmas Cookies

Ingredients:

                                         2 1/2 cups flour

                                         1 tsp baking soda

                                         1 tsp salt

                                         1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)

                                         1 cup packed brown sugar (or 1/2 cup packed splenda brown sugar)

                                         1/2 cup granulated sugar (do NOT substitute splenda)

                                         2 eggs

                                         2 tsp vanilla

                                         1 package (12 oz.) m&ms (or chocolate chips)

Directions:

(Preheat oven to 350 degrees.)

1.  Beat butter, brown sugar, & granulated sugar in a large bowl until light & fluffy. 

Beat in eggs & vanilla.

2. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, & salt. Add flour mixture gradually to butter mixture and beat until well blended.

3. Stir in m&ms (or chocolate chips).

4. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned.

5. Cool & enjoy!

Cookies turn out best when this is your view from the kitchen and you play Christmas music while baking.

Do you have any special Christmas treat recipes? Post a link in the comments if you're willing to share. :) Happy baking!

Movie Review: Wreck-It Ralph

On a scale from 1 to Tangled (10) I give it...

Family Friendliness: Tangled (10)

Humor: 9

Scariness: 1.5

Good Ending: Tangled (10)

Overall: 9.5

This movie is great!!

I saw it in theaters twice and that rarely happens for me. I believe the only other Disney movie I saw in theaters twice was my perfect 10, Tangled. 

Disney has done it once again. Wreck-It Ralph is an instant classic in my book and will be joining our family collection ASAP. I laughed. A lot. I didn't predict what was going to happen in the end and was genuinely entertained. Nothing but solid, good-hearted fun.

Ralph is a bad guy who just wants to get some credit. At the end of his game he is thrown off a building and he lives in a dump, unlike Felix, who is the hero of their game and ends each turn receiving a big, shiny medal from the townspeople. It's easy to see why Ralph is jealous.  I mean who could blame the guy? Not a fun life.

When Ralph decides to prove his worth and earn a medal himself things take a turn for chaotic. The crazy events he sets in motion will have you laughing and guessing all the way. You'll find yourself rooting for Ralph & Vanellope until the end. The characters are absolutely lovable. I had a particular soft spot for King Candy & his lisp. Jane Lynch is perfect as Calhoun and Felix is now one of the most quoted cartoons at my house.

Whether you're a kid, have kids, or are a kid at heart (and even if you aren't) go see this movie. You'll have a great time, I promise.

Light in the Tunnel

Well today is the final post in the "Ectopic Pregnancy Scare" series, but definitely not the last post in the fertility journey. This was all just one little part of our journey. You can catch up here with part 1 and part 2.

I had an appointment with my doctor today and it was overall very good. This was my first time to meet the doctor (I had previously met with the PA) and I really liked him. I am so thankful Crockett was off and got to go with me. First we found out that I do in fact have the 2 blood disorders that I was tested for a week ago. I will meet with a hematologist sometime next week to discuss the life implications of these disorders, but because almost all the women in my family, including a nurse and my sister, has already tested positive I pretty much know what it means for me. I won't bore you with details, but basically I have a genetic mutation. If you are really curious you can read more about them here: Factor 5 Leiden and MTHFR mutation.

More importantly we found out about this supposed ectopic pregnancy they were worried I had. It has been determined I am NOT pregnant. Thank you, Jesus, for keeping me safe! What I do have, however, is a cyst on one of my ovaries and the doctor believes the cyst had released blood which is what the "blockage" was. At first this scared me because a good friend of mine had cysts on her ovaries and had to have painful surgery to remove them. Apparently the kind I have is normal and the doctor isn't worried about it.

So the scary part is over and now we are back on our original fertility journey. I have been prescribed a fertility drug so now we begin the process of starting that. I'm a little nervous because I know that fertility drugs increase the chances of multiples. (Funny side story: When I was picking up my prescription the pharmacist said, "That drug gave me twins. Be careful." Awesome. Way to scare me to death.) But let's be honest, I was totally freaked about getting pregnant before this. If you don't know this about me, I am a total wimp. And I'm not exaggerating. I'm the biggest baby when it comes to pain that you've ever met. I cry every time I vomit or even feel nauseous. So as much as I want to be a mom and feel deeply called to motherhood, I am pretty much terrified of pregnancy. And also of caring for a newborn alone. (Hubs is gone a lot with his job and everyone I know lives across the country.)

BUT GOD. (Ephesians 1) But God has redeemed me and I am a daughter of Christ. I have the Spirit who will get me through this. All the things I'm terrified of, all the things I know will be difficult, I know I will endure and I will be just fine. God is my rock and my strength when I am weak. I know it won't be easy, but I am prepared to be all that I can be in whatever role God calls me to. If he calls me to be the mom of one or none or six I will do it with all that I have for the glory of the King. So right now I'm nervous and I'm scared, but I'm praying for peace because ultimately I have nothing to fear. I am safe in the hands of my Creator who loves me and so are my babies (however many of them there may be!).

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.- Psalm 139:13

Pregnant? Who the Heck Knows?

Today I woke up feeling like last night was a bizarre dream and wondering what would be next for me. (You can catch up on last night's craziness by clicking here.) I called my doctor's office to see if they had received my ultrasound pictures from the ER yet and just to make sure they knew what was going on. The receptionist told me that there were no doctors in the office today and they wouldn't be able to read anything until tomorrow (Friday). I wished that wasn't the case, but what could I do. So I got up and poured myself some cereal and watched a little On Demand until I got a phone call from my doctor's office about an hour later. It was a different lady and she said the radiologist reviewed my pictures and still thinks the blockage is an ectopic pregnancy. 

I wasn't sure why they were so sure that's what it was when my blood test was negative for pregnancy, but the lady asked if I could come back to the hospital today for another blood test. She said the doctor believes I am not very far in the pregnancy and the hormone just wasn't detected yet. So she sent my lab request to the hospital and told me I would also need to come in to the doctor's office tomorrow to speak with him about options.

I called Crockett to update him and quickly got dressed. I headed back down to the hospital and when I got to the parking lot my phone rang again. This time it was an ultrasound tech calling to ask me if I could come in today to do another ultrasound. The radiologist who looked at my pictures last night wanted another look. Thankfully I was already at the hospital and wouldn't have to make a second trip into town.

I registered in outpatient and then had my blood drawn for the third time in 7 days. (You should see the lovely shades of blue and purple my arms are.) The lab tech told me she was personally going to go to the back and test my blood and that the doctor should have the results this afternoon. (She could see on my form the concern was ectopic pregnancy and she could tell I was anxious for answers.) Next I headed back to ultrasound thinking I'm going to have the layout of this place down really quick.

There was a new ultrasound tech today and a med student with her. They did another ultrasound and told me my uterus is tilted to the back which can make it difficult to conceive and carry a baby. Before she let me leave she asked the radiologist to look at my scans to make sure he didn't need any more. She came back in and told me that the doctor actually believes there is no blockage and that last night what appeared to be a baby in my Fallopian tube was actually fluid in my intestines. Say what?? Talk about confusing. So she had the scans sent over to my doctor and tomorrow I have an appointment to go talk through all of this. Right now I'm thinking no one knows what exactly is going on. I'm not even worried anymore because it's all so crazy. Hopefully we'll have some answers tomorrow and thankfully Crockett is off this weekend. No more calling the station and feeling like a crazy obsessive wife. He's got a job to do for cryin out loud! Silly doctors and techs gettin me all worked up.

Here's what I do know, however. Jesus loves me. I know saying it like that sounds juvenile, but the God who created all life not only knows me; he deeply loves and cares for me. And that is everything I need in life so it really doesn't matter how this turns out. Pregnant, not pregnant, unable to ever become pregnant... The God of the universe loves me. What else do I need? 

Nothing.

"Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

I will praise the Lord all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes,

in human beings, who cannot save.

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord their God."

Psalm 146:1-5

A Side Journey

I think it's time for an update on the Thompsons. I'm gunna share a bit about our infertility struggles and if you think that's too personal you can read my reasons for sharing at the bottom.*

Hubs and I have been trying to start our family for over a year and now that we have settled into a place we're going to be for a bit I've started seeing a doctor to begin figuring out what is going on. One of the things my doctor ordered was an ultrasound to determine if anything was out of the ordinary. 

Tonight I went to the hospital (where my ultrasound was scheduled to be) and began to have my procedure. I knew something was odd when the tech left in the middle of the ultrasound and said, "I'll be back. I want to check your chart." She was gone for about 15 minutes. When she came back she went on with the ultrasound and when she was done told me to sit tight while she checked with the doctor to make sure she got all the pictures he needed before I left. I sat with my things waiting to leave for about 20-30 minutes. When she finally came back she said, "Go ahead and grab your things. Come with me we're going to go over to the the ER." 

I was startled and when I asked why she said she couldn't tell me. She walked me across the hall and when I asked her if I needed to call my husband she said I could if I wanted him to be there. Thank goodness Crockett was able to come! He was there in minutes because the station isn't too far from the hospital. After we got into the ER the ultrasound tech told me to have a seat on the nearest bed. She then walked to the nurses station where I watched her say something to the group of women and then they all looked at me and began talking. The tech then left the ER and on her way out said to me, "Have a good night." I was stunned.

A few minutes (which felt like an eternity) went by and a nurse came over to me. She asked me why I was in the ER today. I could only tell her I had no idea. She asked me where my pain was and she looked dumbfounded when I told her I wasn't in any. At this point I was incredibly anxious. My hands were shaking. My heart was racing. I had no idea what to expect, and all I knew was that I hate pain. The nurse took my vitals and had me change into a gown. Crockett got there around this time and was able to hold my hand while the nurse got the IV in my arm. 

Finally the doctor came in and told us that the ultrasound tech had seen what she believed to be an ectopic pregnancy on the ultrasound. My heart sank. But then my brain caught up and the timing just didn't make sense. If I was pregnant I was only 5 days pregnant and the tech had told me that it would be way too early to see a pregnancy that early. The doctor told us that a tubal pregnancy would need surgery and that he'd run a blood test and get back to us. So for close to an hour we waited and all the while I was trying not to grieve the loss of the baby that may or may not exist. It was an incredibly complicated thing. It was hard to convince myself not to be sad about something we don't know for sure when it was such a sad and devastating thing. 

The doctor came back in eventually and told us that my blood test came back negative for pregnancy. So whatever is in my tube, it isn't a baby. Praise Jesus! I am so thankful that I serve the God of the universe who knows all things and is in all things. He's already in the future knitting together my children. He already knows how all this will play out and I'm so thankful for that. I praise him for keeping me safe and I trust him with the unknown. 

Now we wait to meet with my doctor to find out what is going on and how we can fix it. Hopefully this is just one step closer to finally getting our baby. :)

*I've decided to share my stories about struggling to get pregnant because I believe God works through everything. "And they have conquered him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony..." Rev 12:11 I know that God will use my story as a greater part of His story and I am honored to be used. Also, I am willing to publicly share my struggle because I'm excited to publicly share my praise and give Him glory when our little baby finally arrives.