Hey, It's Okay Tuesday

I got this idea from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock at a Time.  They have a section in Glamour magazine called Hey, Its Okay and will list a bunch of things to be okay about.  You're welcome to join in and do something like this on your blog. Doesn't have to be on Tuesday either. Just make sure you link up and that the post you link us is a Hey, It's Okay Post.

- To hit snooze a few times before getting out of bed - I never said I was a morning person 

- To be jealous but still ridiculously happy for your husband who is winning and winning and winning scratch off after scratch off. On another note, I must quit making plans for his winnings. 

- To do absolutely nothing after work with the exception of a long hot bath and a whole lot of lumping with your pup. I mean - look at him!

- To be ridiculously pissed off when you receive a bill from your RI for $77 and find out that the bill is for "letter writing". I'm sorry but the thousands you have already paid are not enough? Just ugh. What maddens me most is that this was never disclosed to me or even mentioned. Ugh, who am I kidding it all maddens me equally. 

- To buy all of the .40 Valentine's Day socks at Target

Goodbye July

July can be summed up as BUSY, but then again what summer month is not busy? I can hardly believe its over, it really feels like it just began. 

We started the month with a very laid back 4th of July. We went out for a nice al fresco dinner and caught some fireworks on an evening bike ride. The mosquitoes were out of control and it was much more difficult for them to munch on us if we were on the move. 
 

The theme of July was weddings - we attended three including my younger brothers. I must say they were all delightful and full of love; wonderful food, company and venues. However, I am welcoming a break from the high heels and full face of makeup. 
  

Cafe Brauer

I also witnessed this little ladies adoption.

Barbara Mae AKA Babs

I have never rescued a dog and the experience left my eyes welled up with tears. I had been following Babs through Tiffany since she was rescued from a puppy mill.  Babs has had a rough life, and she is only believed to be about 2 1/2.  You can read more about Babs here. Babs will always have a special place in my heart. Love you Babs!

Our garden is in full swing. Although, I must say its a bit less kept than last year. We have already received a bounty of peppers (green and yellow), yellow squash, green zucchini and a couple of tomato varieties. The ridiculous start-up cost from last year is paying off. As always, zucchini recipes needed! Look at this perfect little eggplant! It was delicious grilled up and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

We ended July with a trip to Michigan.  It was just what our busy July needed, a relaxing ending.  We stayed at my husband's Aunt and Uncle's cottage on the lake with my sister-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew. The weekend was full of catching up, fishing (for the guys), a day trip to Saugatuck and relaxing "off the grid." I will post more about how much I appreciated this "off the grid" getaway in a separate blog post. It was just what both of us needed.

South Haven, Michigan

 

Goodbye June

June has been a month without injections and endless doctor's appointments. A month to unwind, relax and reconnect with a normal-ish schedule. 

Our vegetable garden is in full swing. The soil is rich and the rain water is plenty. This year we have planted zucchini, variety of peppers, watermelon, various herbs, eggplant and a variety of tomatoes. I cannot wait until we can begin reaping the rewards. There is nothing better than a dinner compliments of your backyard garden.

Green Pepper - Tomato - Squash

My father-in-law has placed an offer on a short sale down the street from us. It will be nice to have another family member in our vicinity.  Baci is sure to miss him dearly, but I am pretty sure he will be missed just as much if not more.  I see lots of mid-afternoon visits for Baci.

I spent a glorious Sunday with my sister-in-law (have I mentioned how awesome it is to have her in my life?) full of chit-chatting about genetics and MTHFR. We then lunched at Dukes Alehouse and Kitchen. They specialize in local and organic cuisine. The chorizo tacos I had were both dairy and gluten free. I know, tacos again? These were different yet delicious. Definitely a place to check out if you are in the Crystal Lake area.

I cleaned our severely neglected closets.  We donated almost 8 bags of clothing. It feels good, so good. We also deep cleaned for the summer, so things are spic and span around here and I love it. How long? Who knows, as my husband has to remind me we live in our house. I am attempting to keep a closer handle on things and attempting to follow some of FlyLady's routines.

My husband has family in from Sicily so we did some entertaining. I must say the day turned out perfect.  When my husband and I put our minds together and work together wonderful things happen. The menu consisted of BBQ ribs, Sicilian sausage, shrimp pasta, caprese salad, salad, cauliflower with green beans and balsamic glaze and of course "Maria's" famous foccacia. The day turned out to be beautiful. Lots of catching up, espresso and bocce ball. We also made a promise to visit them in the next 3 years.  Ciao Sicilian seaside! We need to make it happen.

We have continued with our evening bike rides and exploring our surroundings.

We happened upon this neat sausage and brat shop in Naperville this past weekend. We haven't put the sausages on the grill yet, but the establishment itself is so neat and historical.  You can also dine-in.

Kreger's Brat & Sausage Haus

After a few friend's recommendations we also checked out Peter Rubi - not exactly in our neighborhood but close enough and we will definitely be coming back for locally grown produce and excellent homemade baba ghanoush.

As June wraps up, we begin to look forward to July.  July is full to the brim with weddings, 4th of July and a long weekend trip to Michigan.

July also brings the beginning of our second IVF cycle with an estimated egg retrieval the middle-ish of August.

Bring it on July!

A Male Skintervention

Over the last 5-6 years I have slowly adopted a more clean (sans as many bad chemicals as possible) personal care routine. I have slowly traded these products with more natural or even homemade alternatives. My husband on the other hand has taken a bit longer to come around, but he has made major strides in the last year or so. Believe it or not he is extremely brand loyal when it comes to personal care products and persuading him to make the switch has not always been that easy. I always give the personal advice of "time and space" for women hoping to revamp their male companions personal care regimen into something a bit more natural.

Here are a few of my husband's natural must haves.  As I said he is quite particular so I have faith that the new products exceeded his expectations and most importantly have much less chemicals and fragrances.

• My husband once swore by Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub, and now uses Burt's Bees Peach and Willowbark Scrub. The switch was gradual until the day the Burt's Bees ran out and I told him he should still have some Biore in the closet.  This is when he confessed he prefers to use the Burt's Bees.
• Right Guard Deodorant Clear Fresh Scent has been replaced by homemade coconut oil based deodorant scented with one of his favorite essential oil scents Frankincense. He would bathe in Frankincense if given the chance.  So when my sister-in-law forwarded to me her favorite coconut oil deodorant recipe I decided to add something to entice him which was the Frankincense essential oil.  It worked! I will definitely share the recipe in a future post.
• Body Wash (the more chemically fragrance laden the better) has been replaced by Valor scented bar soap and Every Man Jack Body Wash.  In the near future, I hope to make a homemade Valor body wash with hopes of a more affordable alternative.
• Cologne has been replaced by his all time favorite essential oil Valor. I really thought I would miss Issey Miyake, but there came a point when him wearing the fragrance actually made me itch!  I love the smell of Valor and the extra benefits it offers makes it an even better choice.
• His Aveeno Shaving Cream has been replaced by Shea Moisture Three Butter Utility Soap and the Valor scented bar soap I mentioned above.  
• His Got2B hair gel has been replaced by Garnier Fructis Style Pure Clean Gel. Is it the absolute best alternative? No, as it does contain Benzyl Alcohol but it's definitely an improvement.   

My advice let your male counterparts observe the differences in you and then slowly introduce them to their own more natural alternatives.

A great resource for researching skincare products is EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic's Database.