Pyrex

I'm not much of a tchotchkes kind of person and I have no real collections to speak of.  But I've always wanted the need to collect things. The desire to seek out and find something that I just had to have has always been there. Like a giant treasure hunt. However, I just never had anything to collect. I wanted to be sure that if I were going to collect something, that it would be something I could use, not just something I had to dust.

That's when I remembered pyrex...

My mom used to have a few pieces of pyrex for daily use. They were brown rectangular glass food storage containers in a few different sizes that I just never thought much of. We used them, they were always there and had some kind of left overs in them in the fridge. But just thinking of them brings back fond memories of thanksgivings and Christmases past and even just of having a family meal around the table (which, lucky for me, happened nearly every night).

I was blog hopping around a few weeks ago when I found a blog that had a tab devoted exclusively to vintage pyrex. I clicked over because I didn't know the that name off the top of my head, even though I own a few pieces of clear glass casserole dishes that have that exact name printed on them, make that engraved on them. She had a few pieces of vintage pyrex that she had displayed in her kitchen and they just looked fabulous. I found myself pinteresting and googling to see what else I could find.

I discovered several websites devoted exclusively to vintage pyrex.

Then I decided that I must have some.

Before I got very far, I found myself bidding on some on e-bay. I purchased a few things that just got here today (one is smashed and I think my heart broke a little along with it). But the other set of bowls got here just fine.

In the mean time, since I first ordered the items, I found out that a true pyrex collector trolls local shops, antique stores, thrift stores and garage sales to find the items, rather than buying them on e-bay. So I did just that. I went to most of the places I could think of in town and I had a blast searching for items I wanted. I expected things to be harder to find then they were and ended up with many items. Shopping this way means that you always have holes in your collection, missing pieces especially lids. Therefore, there is always something to continue to look for.

My husband was also up in Colorado this weekend to get a car serviced and he picked up some stuff I arranged for in Denver. While he was there, he mentioned to his step-mom what I was doing and she went out and got me several pieces too.

I went from a few pieces of clear modern pyrex to probably around 40 pieces in a matter of days! And I've only spent about $150 on it.

So today, I spent my morning dusting, washing, removing price tags and stains from all the pyrex.

Then I had to clear out some space to display them. My husband refuses to get me a bookshelf or anything so the pantry had to do. I rearranged and crammed food into cabinets and made room for my pyrex. And after all my work, I ended up with one full shelf full of my new love and one empty shelf for any future purchases.

What do you all collect? Anything? or are collections just something to dust? Did your parents have and use pyrex? What do you think of my collection so far?

I think I'm back now

Summer is winding down now, the school year has started back up, as evidenced by the 15 mph school zone I have to drive through daily on my way to work.  I wasn't particularly busy this summer and I only took one extended trip away from home, but it was nice to have a summer vacation away from this space. I'm not sure why, but I think I really needed it. A post every two weeks or so felt very relaxing.

It had been hard to post anything besides maybe weekly updates on various things which became stale and boring. When I see those weekly bumpdates/memorable moments/weigh-ins in my reader, I invariably click over and read the post. I do it because I care about the people who are posting them, but I have very little motivation to comment. Don't get me wrong, I love to see what my bloggy friends are up to, especially when pictures are involved. But their lack of "substance" has left me a little lackadaisical. I know myself and that I need comments for motivation to actually come here and write, and weekly updates weren't cutting it for me as they rarely draw comments.

Josie recently posted about words with substance which I've been thinking about ever since. While her post is more about how our words can affect others and that we should perhaps be careful about what we include in our writing on our blogs, it still struck a chord with me about writing posts that actually have some substance to them.

I'm more of that kind of writer (if you can call my ramblings writing). I feel better about posting an update about what is really going on with me and my life and TTC than the rote weekly updates. I know that weekly updates are better than nothing at all, but when I re-read my own posts, I do realize how little emotion and substance that I actually include. It's not that I don't feel comfortable expressing my emotions here, it's that I'm not an overtly emotional person. Just more of a go with the flow, it is what it is, kind of girl.

However, I also realize after reading Mel's recent posts on deleting blogs and discontinuing writing on blogs, that you, my readers, are invested in me and my story. And you know what? For me, that is exactly why I come here. I need the connection, I need to commiserate, I need to know that someone else gets it. I don't come here to get my feelings out, we've already determined that I may or may not actually have feelings/emotions. This is the equivalent of group therapy for me rather than individual visits with a psychologist. If I need to write more posts with substance for my group therapy to be effective, I'm prepared. If I need to post more pictures to tell my story, I can do that. If I need to join back in the weekly updates so that you all have some reason to stop by, I'm ready

So, as perhaps I've promised in the past, again I'm going to try to come back and reconnect with you all in this space.

I'm done with starting over

Well, at least I'm done with Starting Over cycle 1.

I felt refreshed after surgery, well at least as much as you can after being sliced and diced, or at least after a few weeks I felt refreshed.

But alas, as it turns out, I'm not one of "those girls" who gets pregnant immediately after remedying a medical problem. It didn't happen after my Hashimoto's was discovered, it didn't happen after the husband's varicocelectomy, and it didn't happen after my laparoscopy for endometriosis.

But three strikes does not count me out.

You hear that Mother Nature?!?! What else do you have in store for me?!?

I had my moment of being down this morning for about 5 minutes (while I was blowdrying my hair) but I'm over it now.

Onward and upward, today is Starting Over Cycle 2 CD 2.

Side note: Tomorrow I'm meeting my first invisible friend from the computer (blogger) in real life!!!
I really am so excited to meet her. She's traveling and visiting with family so I think that she is unlikely to read this, and I was hesitant to post how excited I actually am in case things fell through. But it looks like Donor Diva and I are really on for lunch tomorrow.

Less focused?

So I just realized that it had been two weeks since I last posted. And I figured it was about time for another update.

I'm still in "starting over" cycle 1, but am nearing the very end. I haven't caved and bought a pregnancy test (where this new self control came from, I don't know) and have decided to wait until 17 dpo if I should feel the need to go get one and test. That will be this weekend if it (hopefully) comes to that.

There was a brief scare where I was afraid that AF had showed yesterday. You see, I am expecting her as I have for the last 2.5 years of TTC, but yesterday's timing would have been really bad. I had traveled with one of my graduate students 2.5 hours away to a border patrol training facility to make a million custom ear plugs (OK, it was only 20 people, but it took all morning) and when we first arrived, we were informed that there was no running water due to a septic system problem but that port-o-potties were available should the need arise. No Problem! I went before we left :). However, around mid-morning, I found myself over-heated and also feeling as though AF had come. I was not about to use an outdoor toilet for the mess I was expecting. So when we were done, we drove to the nearest public restroom (Wal.mart) and I was extremely surprised to find that she had not shown, however, I did take the necessary precautions for the 2.5 hour drive back home. Today will be a much better day as I am back in the main office

I have found recently that TTC is not at the forefront of my mind anymore, it's not that something else has replaced it, I just feel somewhat...less focused...more hopeful...less pessimistic...I'm not sure the phrase I'm looking for, but I'm simply able to concentrate more on other things. I'm hoping that this means that I'm more relaxed and it will just happen, but perhaps I'm just finally at the point of acceptance of our IF.

The mind space that letting this go a bit has freed up leaves me feeling fantastic. Exercise seems like less of a chore, heck chores seem like less of a chore. I have more time for friends and more time for the husband and more time for myself. My work gets done at work instead of bringing it home. I have more energy and feel more positive. I think that sometimes we try to force ourselves to feel positive when TTC and from my experience that is just not possible.

Side note: Our garden is flourishing this summer and we've had tons of zucchini and tomatoes already
Second Side note: The husband was being extra nice to me a few weeks ago on my birthday and I commented on it. He said he was being nice for my birthday. I asked if he could be that nice every day and he said that he would try, and you know what? He really has been trying. Much less arguing between us and it makes me try to be nicer as well. Our relationship has really improved and I hope this continues. I wonder if this is part of why my mindset on TTC has changed