I posted a month or two ago about how I decided to start a herb garden for a homemade fertility tea. The ingredients are as follows:

• German Chamomile
  
• Nettle Leaf
• Red Raspberry Leaf
  
• Peppermint Leaf
• Red Clover Leaf (actually already have this growing everywhere!)
• Green Tea
• Chaste Berry

For more information and detail about the fertility tea please see this guest post where Earon shares her journey and experience with herbs!

I ordered my plants and seeds and jumped right in as soon as they arrived! I ordered a number of duplicate seed packs and plants for fear that they wouldn't make the trip from Oregon to Ohio, and my extreme lack of prior knowledge with herbs. I was pretty convinced that if they showed up alive after 3 days with no water in a box with no sunlight, me transplanting them would likely kill them. Imagine my delight when I opened the box and they were in great shape. They were packaged superbly and looked like I had just picked them up from a green house up the road. I unwrapped them and marveled at the fact that 3 days ago, they lived on the other side of the country!
I transplanted all of the plants, Chaste Berry (Vitex) and Chinese Tea, into my containers that I had already filled with garden and potting soil. I used miracle grow thinking that I was going to be nursing close to dead plants back to health. In hindsight, I may have opted for organic potting soil.

A day or two later, I filled my Jiffy Strips with the same miracle grow potting soil and planted my Stinging Nettle , and Peppermint seeds. I was so excited that my Stinging Nettle (left) popped up about a week or so later! My peppermint didn't ever sprout. I was thankful that I had bought a second packet of seeds and tried again. Just a day or two ago, I noticed for the first time that we had little sprouts (right)!

The German Chamomile seeds were planted in a new flower bed in front of what will be Gavin's play area (once the grass is ready to go and we build the play equipment). I checked daily for any sign of life and I am ready to throw in the towel on the Chamomile. I had bought two packs but used both to cover the whole area. I will need to order more soon. I think our mistake was that we packed the dirt down (lightly) after distributing the seeds over the loose earth. The more I have read, the more I think our best bet is to gently brush the dirt around to lightly cover the seeds. Next time.
The clover is growing around us everywhere. I read that the best time to harvest the blossoms is when they are a deep purple, first thing in the morning before the sun burns off the dew. I went out last weekend to harvest the clover and was disappointed in how faded the blossoms looked. I picked some anyway just to experiment but plan to try again after this extreme heat subdues. Perhaps that is contributing to the less than vibrant blooms.
The Red Raspberry canes will be coming from my wonderful father in law who has offered to let us transplant some of his at our house. I love the fact that we will soon have plants that existed and fed my husband as a child. How wonderful is that? I look forward to bringing them to our house in the the fall. Granted, I won't be able to use the leaves of the plant until next year but, it is worth the wait!






















For a first timer, I must say that I am pretty proud of myself! I am learning so much and even if I don't have a drop of tea to drink, I am enjoying learning about all of the medicinal qualities of these herbs and others. I will continue to post updates and herb info as I learn more and more! Thanks for joining me on this neat little garden activity! As always, I love feedback as well as tips, support, and advice!

Gavin started playing soccer yesterday in the 97 degree heat. We were all so sweaty and hot when we got home that I was perfectly content just sitting in the air conditioning drinking ice water. Gavin, on the other hand was hungry despite having eaten dinner prior to practice. Tonight, it is supposed to be even hotter still. Since I know that I can anticipate Gavin's wanting a snack when we get home, I am planning ahead!

Gavin (3) making conversation while going potty:

For those of you who are following my TTC journey, we decided to go for it despite the nurse's statement about Doug's meds. We both figured that if God wanted us to get pregnant than He would see to it that it happened. If I miscarry or have a child with an issue, that won't make that baby any less wanted, loved, or gifted to me from God. So while we technically have a shot at being pregnant, I am not feeling hopeful. One would think that given that information, I wouldn't be excited to start testing, right? Oh, how excited I am!

A very awesome company has sent me a variety of pregnancy tests (and ovulations tests) to use and review! The only thing more exciting than free pee sticks is being able to host a giveaway of free pee sticks for YOU! So, in the next few days, I will start busting out my pee cup, dipping like mad, and sharing all of my thoughts with all of you! I hope very much to share a positive test with you but, if not, that doesn't mean you guys shouldn't get a shot to turn both lines pink!!! Be watching in the coming days for this amazing pee fest and opportunity for you to join in the fun! If you don't follow me on facebook and twitter, you should! You will get the earliest updates for this and upcoming giveaways!

Have you ever felt like you should know God better than you do? For a long time, I used to feel a little ashamed. I felt like I should already know Him by this point in my life. I was afraid to admit to people how very little I knew of God. I didn't want to ask questions for fear of not understanding the answers or being looked down on for being so immature in my knowledge of Him. So, I decided to fake it. Pretending, as best I could, to appear as if I knew God was how I moved through life. I put it on a list of things to do but for the reasons I already listed, that kept getting postponed. Then, God, in His mysterious ways, made it apparent that the time to get to know Him was upon me.

I know that getting to know God may seem daunting. It doesn't have to be. Here are 5 simple things you should do to start, continue, and strengthen your relationship with God.

Pray. If you were dropping off a gift at a friends house, you wouldn't just look at the address, climb into your car, and drive around aimlessly, right? You would consult a map, get directions, or use a GPS. God is the ultimate GPS system, so ask Him for directions.

Listen. Asking God is only half of the equation. You have to be listening for His response. Be open to hearing His directions to guide you along the way. There may be a variety of alternate routes all leading to the same destination, but some may have rougher roads. His voice, if you are really tuned in, will always take you down the path He has chosen for you.

Read. Have you ever played a game without reading the directions. You play for years and years and then one day, you sit down with someone you have never played with before and they have a whole different set of rules they play by. It is really hard to figure out the real way. Life is the same way. So many people just start playing the game of life without ever cracking open the instruction book. It isn't too late to get a handle on the real rules of the game. You might think it will dull the game but, I promise, the intricacies and beauty that you never knew existed will be exhilarating! God provided us with all of the instructions in the Bible. Take a peek!

Share. One you start your relationship with God, share it with your friends, family, and neighbors! If you had the best recipe for apple crumb cake, you wouldn't keep that special treat all to yourself. You would take it to parties, make it as a gift, share the recipe over coffee. Do the same with God!

Think. Think about Him. Invite thoughts of God and His word into your heart, mind, body, and soul.

Don't put it off for another day. If you are reading this, it might be one of God's mysterious ways of saying, "Now is the time. Know Me."

In honor of Joey's first birthday I thought I would share with you all (in some cases-again) the birth story of my Joseph. I knew he was going to be big but that wasn't enough to convince me to not do this the natural way. Well as natural as possible considering I had to have an IV of pitocin to induce labor, was attached to monitors for 12 hours, had my bag of water artificially ruptured, and was told not to push when I needed to push. But, even with all of those things, going through with labor and delivery without an epidural was, perhaps, one of my most proud and defining moments of my life.

When I was at my OB's office for a annual pap a few months ago, I had the opportunity to ask her what the biggest baby she ever delivered was. She said she had delivered and 11+ pounder before but it was by c-section. She admitted that the largest baby she ever delivered vaginally was my Joseph at 10 pounds 3 ounces! I will take that badge of honor and run with it! I love my big 'ole baby!

Joey's Birth Story complete with high quality labor and delivery pictures compliments of Just Us Two photography.

Anyone that watches TV has probably seen the ad campaign for a certain male... uh... assistance medication that says that the medication allows you to be ready for action whenever the mood strikes instead of taking a pill and being ready in an hour or however long it takes to have its effect. The commercials make me laugh every single time. I have decided to do a commercial vs. real life situation when it comes to getting frisky.

Commercial: Couple outside raking leaves. A leaf falls into the hair of the woman. Man gently plucks said leaf from her hair. There is a twinkle in her eye. Then the look that insinuates that they are going to have some private time and just as we are starting to feel like voyeurs, the deep voice warns us of all of the possible side effect including heart attack and stroke. Then, we see a very satisfied and happy couple walking hand in hand. Awww how fantastic!

Real version: Couple is outside raking leaves. Leaf falls into the woman's hair. Guy doesn't notice. Woman brushes said leaf from her own hair. Then after both are hot and sweaty from their yard work, the guy gives the woman a little playful pat on the butt. The woman demands to know why he just did that since she assumes that he is probably saving her from a mosquito or some other creepy crawly bug. When the man gives her the little nod and grin move, the woman, who feels incredibly grimy and dirty says, "Are you serious? Now? I feel disgusting. And you don't exactly smell yummy either. Maybe after we get cleaned up. Plus, I am really hungry. Lets get cleaned up and have some dinner. Maybe later tonight I'll feel more up to it. Plus, don't we have to go to the hardware store to get paint?"

Commercial: Man and woman are painting the interior of a house. After a little playful painting of each others noses, their eyes shine and without a doubt we know what they are planning on doing. The guy's voice warns us of the side effects as they show the couple heading to another off to another room. Sure makes painting look like a lot of fun!

Real version: Man and woman are painting the interior of a house. They paint all night long until they just can't take the fumes any longer. They shower, eat some carry out dinner and then complain about how badly their necks hurt from looking up at the walls. The woman reluctantly gives the man a back massage as they discuss their upcoming camping trip. They retire to their bedroom and fall asleep quickly.

Commercial: Man and woman are on a nature hike. They are walking hand in hand and flirting playfully. They reach a quaint clearing in the woods and then... the twinkle... the side effect guy... then the content smiles.

Real version: Man and woman are enjoying a nature hike. They come to a clearing in the woods and the man suggests that they have a bit of fun in the middle of nowhere. The woman says, "If by fun you mean you want to give me a once over checking me for ticks then that would be great. Not to mention, I am pretty sure that is poison ivy over there. Plus, between your bad back on this rough terrain and me not having the opportunity for a shower for another 24 hours, I'm not sure that would be a good idea. Plus, the campfire beans we had for lunch aren't exactly sitting well and I am a little preoccupied with finding a place to dig a hole. Maybe when we get home?"

Commercial: Man and woman are cleaning up after dinner. Woman is standing at the sink doing the dishes and the man saunters up behind her. She looks over her shoulder, makes eye contact, and manages to turn off the water while romantically kissing him. Voice over guy is again warning of the 200 side effects and then the satisfied smiles.

Real version: Woman is cleaning up after dinner. Man saunters up behind her. Without looking up from the baked on food she is scrubbing from the crockpot, she hands him a towel. The kids start asking what is for dessert, and reporting that they are still hungry despite refusing to eat a bite of their dinners. There is a pile of laundry taunting them from the corner of the room. They do the team approach and get the laundry done just in time to get the kids into the bathtub and into bed. Then, they wait for an hour or so to make sure the kids are asleep. By the time they are tiptoeing to their bedroom, the baby starts stirring. They agree that instead of risking waking the baby tonight, tomorrow might be a better day for getting frisky. Plus, they were both still recuperating from their camping trip last weekend.

Now, keep in mind that if the woman is ovulating and trying to conceive, any of these scenarios are completely likely. She will probably be willing to get frisky at any time, any place, without a shower, with GI distress, with a sink full of dishes, and with a baby crying. Maybe these drug companies should team up with the makers of ovulation tests. Now there is a commercial!