Maggots: A Life Lesson Learned the Hard Way

Today I was sitting at work when my cell phone started ringing.  I saw the call was from Zac, and I wondered what randomness he was going to have to tell me this time.  His phone calls to me usually consist of his latest purchase, telling me he needs a haircut, help styling his hair, etc.  So, you know, I was a little taken back when the conversation when like this:

Me:  Hello?
Zac: My kitchen is infested with maggots!  What do I do?
Me: ummm.... excuse me???
Zac:  My kitchen!  It has maggots all over it!!!


Yeah, folks, this is real, not a crazy dream or a scene from a horror movie.  I tried to figure out what was going on as calmly as I could from my desk in Lindon while both my teenage brothers were freaking out in Provo.  It took a while to get the story straight because the conversation kept being interrupted by outbursts of, "AH!  There's a ton under this rug!" or, "I think I'm going to barf!!!"  but in the end this is what I discovered:

Matt got up this morning, took the dog out, and decided to eat some yogurt.  He pulled the lid off and was going to throw it away in the garbage.  When he opened the garbage lid, there was a sudden outpouring of maggots accompanied by hissing.  Apparently maggots don't take to kindly to you intruding in their personal [ie: garbage can] space.  A bunch had come out of the can, and made there way to the underside of all the rugs in the kitchen.  Matt freaked out, Zac saw what was happening and he freaked out, they tried to call my parents, but they're in Seattle at a wedding and their phones were off, so I was the next on the list.  At first I suggested they spray the maggots with some kind cleaning spray to kill them, and Zac tried but he claimed it just gave them "super speed" and made them go even faster to the rugs.  I probably told him 10 times to take the garbage can outside before it finally happened.  Naturally, neither of them wanted to actually pick up the source of the problem!  In the end, I told them to put shoes on and stomp on the rugs (as soon as they lifted the rugs the maggots would scatter) and then they could sweep up all the dead maggots from underneath, clean off the underside of the rugs and wash them.  I then left work, went to Wal-Mart for a new garbage can and some bug spray, and headed to the crime scene.  I came into the kitchen and saw my two brothers shirtless (they had taken off their shirts and turned out their pockets so the maggots couldn't secretly get on them without them knowing) sweeping and mopping the floor.  Apparently my stomp-them-out method did the trick.  The garbage can is currently on the curb, waiting for DJ to take it to a dumpster.

Here are the lessons we can learn from this experience:

#1-  It's fly season, people!  Get yourself a fly swatter so the flies can't make a home in your garbage.
#2- Make sure the fly is ACTUALLY DEAD before throwing it away.
#3- EMPTY YOUR FREAKING GARBAGE!  I'm seriously going to empty mine like every other day now.                No maggots in this house, thank you very much!
#4-  Even if you JUST took out the trash, if you decide to cut up a watermelon and get rid of the rinds, throw away rotten/moldy/old food, or anything else that will potentially be yucky and stinky, TAKE IT OUT AGAIN!  It's not worth letting flies hatch their nasty babies in there.  It's worth the price of a garbage bag to have peace of mind.

A couple last items:

1- Both my brothers have sworn off rice, probably forever.  Think about it.

2- I'm willing to bet 99% of you empty your garbage after reading this.

BYU Baby

This morning, I decided to make my baby's first blanket.  Naturally, I thought a BYU blanket would be the best option!  It will work for either a boy or a girl, so I decided to go for it.  I had made a BYU blanket for our queen size bed a little less than a year ago (you can see a picture of it HERE) so I decided to do a similar one for the baby, only cuter!  I made the pattern, DJ and I cut it out, and then I sewed it!  It only took like 2 hours, and here's how it came out:

Do you love it?  I'm so in love.  I have a normal sized crib that's going to go in the baby's room, but I bought an adorable cradle to keep in our room so I can have the baby close at first.  The tiny BYU blanket is for the cradle:

Oh my goodness I'm so excited to put a baby in that cute little bed!!!  Since I was already on a roll, I helped Matty finish a quilt I had started for him almost a year ago:

He's just about the biggest Michigan fan ever, so I decided this would be the perfect quilt for him.  It was so nice to have energy to do things that I love today!  I'm hoping to find more energy in the coming weeks.  Yay for the second trimester!!!

Explosion

You know those biscuits that come in a roll?  And you have to peel back the cardboard and wait for that big POP?  I've always loved those biscuits, but I've always HATED opening them.  It makes me jump every single time.  Well, a few days ago, I decided to be a good wife and make dinner (which has happened probably a total of 4 times since I've been pregnant-- 2 of those times in the last week!).  I planned on making mini-pizzas with those biscuits for the crust.  Well, I started to open them, bracing myself for that pop.  Instead, there was more of a BOOM and I shrieked and closed my eyes.  Upon opening them, I saw my kitchen covered in biscuit dough shrapnel.  Those darn little things literally exploded all over my kitchen!  DJ came over laughing his head off and helped me clean it all up while I muttered again about how much I hate those biscuits.

We ordered pizza from Dominos that night.

Genes and stuff.

Okay so I just made a Lily Pie pregnancy tracker for my blog... see it over there on the right hand side?  It makes me so happy :)  I just had to share... the funniest part when making it was when I was choosing which baby to put on it as the "ticker,"  my immediate reaction was to pick the very light-skinned, very blonde baby.  Then I remembered once again that my husband is very dark-olive skinned, and has black hair and dark brown eyes.  So, I changed my baby ticker to one that looks like him.  It made me a little huffy, because I really do want kids that look like me too!  But, let's be serious, he has the dominant genes!  I tease him a lot, cause I always swore I was going to marry a blonde man so we could keep the blonde gene alive (Aryan Race, anyone?  I'm sure that was precisely why Heavenly Father lead me to this dark man who is now my husband...).  I think about this all the time... who will our baby look like? DJ has the dominant genes, but maybe we'll get some of me in there :)  My brother married a beautiful olive-skinned, brown-haired, brown-eyed girl, and all their children are blondies.  So we'll see I guess!  oooooh man I'm too excited!!!

Days 26-30: Disney (and an explanation)

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little burned out from all these hairstyles.  SO... today I did 5 different hairstyles, and I'm just doing them all in this post!  haha!  Don't you judge me!  Since the "Tangled" hairstyle went over so well, I decided to take inspiration from other Disney characters for the remainder of my hairstyles.  First off, we have Jessie:

A simple braid in the back, and it allows this little lady to have lots of adventures without ruining her hair :)

I did a couple small braids in the front before I did the main braid:

And then I pulled everything back and did one fat braid down the back:

Super easy!  It took about 2 minutes.


Okay, next up, we have Tiana:

Her hairstyle is soooo simple!  Just pull your hair in a high bun:

And then pull pieces loose like so:

If you want it to be fancier, like Tiana's, just curl those loose strands.  This took about 2 minutes.

Now we've got Belle:

I started by pulling my hair half-up, and securing that top section into a big poofy bun.  Then I took small sections and bobby pinned each section up in the back:

That leaves all the long hair hanging out to one side:

Now just curl all that hair on the side, and you've got the Belle look!

And from the back:

The Belle style took about 7-8 minutes.

And now for my personal fave, Aurora:

Oooh, I always loved her long blonde locks that curled perfectly at the ends!

For this look, I left the top of my hair straight, and just curled the ends:

I started my curls at about my chin:

But if my hair was longer I would have just curled the bottom 3-4 inches and called it good :)

Last, but most definitely not least, my runner-up for favorite princess,  Cinderella:

Such a fun little up-do!  Pull your hair into a high pony and don't pull it all the way through:

Oh yeah, I also decided to give myself straight-across bangs.  haha!  To finish the look, just bobby pin the sides of your un-pulled-through pony down to secure it:

My sister and I used to do this to our Barbies.  We called it "The Peacock."  Who knew I'd use it on myself someday???

And there you go!  Pop in a headband and you're a dead ringer for good old Cindy herself!


I just want to say thanks for all the support you all have given me for this fun adventure of hairstyles!  It really has been a blast!  Oh, and I do have another giveaway to do, so stay posted for that.  It's a pretty awesome one, with multiple winners :)  Thanks guys!!!

Day 25: Straight

That's it.  Straightened hair.  Do you know how long it's been since I didn't add anything fancy to my hair and just let it be down and straight?  I'll give you a hint... it's been more than 25 days!  

Since my hair was so boring, I decided to post a few pictures for your enjoyment.  I already posted these on Facebook, but here they are on the blog too.  On Wednesday, we had Nikki and Keesha over for dinner and a movie.  I told the girls I wanted to take some pictures, and in the first picture, DJ told us all to "say cheese."

Then he said, "Say 'Ash is pregnant!'" and we got these awesome results:

So fun!!!

I Lied

Over the past few weeks, I've gotten very well acquainted with this guy:

But I really have no reason to complain, because I happen to be carrying one of these:

Woohoo!  I'm 9 weeks pregnant!  (By the way, that ultrasound isn't actually mine.  But that's what my baby looks like right now).

Remember how I went in for an HSG in June?  Well that was a lie.  I was supposed to go in, but I never started my period so I never had to pay that $400!  So yes, I lied and said that I did it, but the thing is, I've been so open about everything that if I didn't pretend that I had done an HSG then everyone would ask about it, and I didn't really want to tell the world I was pregnant at like 4 weeks.  So, please accept my sincere apologies for lying to you.  Haha!

I wrote all about the experience of finding out I was pregnant and keeping it a secret, so I'm just going to post that now:

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Tuesday, June 7:  I waited til DJ left for work in the morning before getting up and taking a pregnancy test.  I didn't want him to worry about me all day when it came back negative.  And I wasn't really looking forward to feeling rejected once again.  So... I took the test, set it on the counter, and got ready to get in the shower.  I glanced over to the counter at the test... and saw two lines.  TWO LINES!!!  According to the instruction book and what was printed on the actual test, I was pregnant.  I really wish someone had recorded my reaction.  I picked up the test and must have stared at it for at least 30 seconds.  I was just so confused.  Then I started laughing and crying.  Then I started praying.  And you know what the first thing I said was?

"Thank you for allowing me to experience the last 20 months."

 And then I stopped and thought about what I had just said.  Really?  Thanks for the most excruciating time of my life?  For the nights I cried so hard I threw up?  For feeling so inadequate and that there must be something wrong with me cause I wasn't blessed with a baby yet?  For the days I wanted to strangle anyone who mentioned the word "baby" around me?  The words of my prayer had just popped out, without me really considering what I was saying.  It just felt like the right thing to say.  And then I realized  I actually MEANT those words!!!  I had the opportunity to grow so close to my husband and my Savior.  I got to learn so much about myself.  The hardest things in life really are the best.  They ground you and your testimony WAY more than any of the good times can.  So I really am so grateful for the last 20 months.

The rest of the day, I continued to be in shock.  I couldn't really wrap my mind around the fact that I was indeed pregnant.  I've conditioned myself for 20 months not to expect it, not to really ever think it was going to happen.  Not really.  Cause then you get excited, and the letdown is terrible.  So my mind was still in denial.

I went to work, and while I was there I started looking online for fun ways to tell your husband you're pregnant.  That made me start to get weepy, then really excited (blasted hormones!)!  The worst part then was that DJ was working until 9:30 that night and I had to wait 13 hours from the time I found out til the time  I could tell him.  I decided to get some BYU baby clothes and wrap them up, then write a note that said, "For the newest little Cougar fan, arriving just in time for March Madness!"  I went to Wal-Mart to find some stuff but they didn't have anything good.  I did, however, get another pregnancy test of a different brand (have I mentioned I was skeptical of actually being pregnant?  Funny how trying for so long really does that to you!).  I literally took that pregnancy test in the bathroom at work.  I was too anxious to wait another hour before I got off to take it.  It immediately showed I was pregnant and I was a little more confident after 2 positive results.  After work I went to the BYU Bookstore (I was so worried I'd see DJ on campus at work and he'd question why I was there!) and I bought a newborn BYU beanie and 2 sets of BYU Booties... one for a boy and one for a girl.  (Wouldn't it be awesome if I actually needed both?  HA!)  I had them wrap it for me and I put in a note that said, "For the newest little Cougar fan, arriving just in time for March Madness 2012!"  When DJ got home, I started shaking.  I was so nervous and excited to tell him!  I got the present out of my bedroom and handed it to him.  He reached in and pulled out one of the sets of booties, then exclaimed, "Are you PREGNANT?!?!!?!"  I just nodded and he grabbed me in a big hug.  He kept saying, "That's so cool!"  I proceeded to tell him the events of my day.  He told me that he wasn't really surprised, because he had thought that I was pregnant but he didn't want to say anything and get my hopes up.  All in all, one of the best days of my life.

Wednesday, June 15:  I had real morning sickness today.  I've been queasy some other times, but today, I threw up twice before work.  So gross.  I almost kinda loved that it happened.  Not while it was happening, of course, but afterwards, it kinda made me excited.  haha.  such a nerd!

Sunday, June 19:  Note to self: a "jelly bean party" at 6 weeks pregnant is a bad idea.  I almost lost it.  Too many flavors all mixing together.  I had to quit early.

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The part where I said I liked throwing up cracks me up now, cause the last 2 weeks I was so sick that I wasn't able to eat.  I was throwing up like 5 times a day.  I lost weight, I was miserable... It was just bad.  I got a prescription from my doctor and it controls the nausea, it just makes me really tired.  I'd much rather be tired than sick though!  I don't think I have any reason to complain, no matter how sick I get, because I prayed for this for 20 months!  I asked for it, and I got it.  I am 100% convinced that I'm pregnant right now because the time is right.  I wasn't on any fertility treatments, I didn't have an HSG, I just got pregnant.  Obviously, Heavenly Father knows what's best, and obviously I wasn't supposed to have baby before now.  I'm due February 12 (2/12/12...how cool is that?!?!) so DJ will only have a couple months left of school after the baby is born, which is so awesome!

I went to the doctor yesterday and had my first ultrasound, and heard the baby's heartbeat.  I'm convinced I'm having a girl.  I've always thought I'd have a girl first, and the heartbeat was 168 beats per minute!  We'll see what happens in about 8 more weeks :) 

The one thing I've been worried about is how this news will affect all my good friends who I know are aching for babies too.  I know how it feels to want a baby and how it feels when your friend gets one and you don't. I know that no matter how happy you are for them, there's still a nagging feeling of "when will it be my turn?"  I just want you girls to know how much I love you!  Please still keep me posted on how things are going with you.  I know that you know that you'll get that baby when the timing is right, but that doesn't make it easier right now.  Just keep pushing through, and when you get that baby you'll appreciate it so much!  I just love you so so much and I want you to know I'm rooting for you!!!

Day 24: Embrace the Crazy

Ever wondered what happens if you do yesterday's hairstyle with wet hair and take it out once it's dry?  It's a little something like this:

Love that ridiculousness!  I decided the texture was actually pretty cool, with some kinky parts from the braids, and the ends were a little curly.  So I decided to embrace the craziness today.  I pulled it half-up, into a messy bun, like so:

Not too bad right?

Sometimes you wake up with crazy hair.  Sometimes it's best just to play with that, instead of trying to fight it.

Day 23: Tangled

Please tell me you've seen the movie "Tangled."  If you haven't, (cough *Meggin* cough cough...) you are really, really missing out.  Today's hair style reminds me a little of when Rapunzel gets her hair all braided up in the village.  You know?  It looks like this:

Not the best picture, but utterly romantic, none the less :)

Here's my take on a Rapunzel-esque style!

First, braid lots of little braids all over your head:

A little reminiscent of a Girls' Camp do (shudder).

Now, just take each of those little braids, and pin it up, criss-crossing and spinning as you go.  I left the ends of my braids out as little tails, cause I like the character they add:

Voila!  Pretty great, right?  It took me 10-15 minutes.  The braids are just a little time consuming.  I did this with my hair wet, but you could absolutely do it with dry hair as well!  

Day 22: Baby, You're a Firework

I decided since it was a holiday I'd do a hairstyle that wasn't quite like my usual stuff.  This is, after all, a free country!

I started with the ever-popular braided back bangs-high pony combo:

Then ratted the heck out of that pony (so fun!):

Then I pinned the ratted mess so it became a wide bun:

Now for the fun part:  I pulled out small strands of hair from the bun, hairsprayed them, and then flat-ironed them so they would become stiff:

Unfortunately, my hair is too long for the firework-ey explosion effect I was going for.  If it was short, you'd better believe I'd have firework hair, sticking straight up!  But this has to do for today:

This took about 5 minutes.

Happy Independence Day!!!