How Sweet It Is...

 

OK, confession...this was mostly written on Wednesday, but then life got in the way. So pretend it's today, even though now it's the weekend and not the day the events below happened... :)

 

Today was a bizarre day. It is my last week with ninth graders before finals, and I think they really want to make an impression on me. Example: I now know that a Clif Bar (didn't see what kind but it had nuts) can be molded into a wholly realistic sculpture of a bowel movement. I didn't know this before today. I treated myself to a pedicure because it was a day that just needed something sweet at the end. I know pedicures aren't tasty, but they make my feet feel loved and I can enjoy looking at the sparkly orange-red color I picked (yes, because I am a freakshow and can't escape the orange thing going into a cycle...orange is the Creation Color, the color of your reproductive chakra, yadda yadda yadda. Orange-y toes can't hurt...) all day long for some time. What I really wanted was a gluten free ice cream cone from a place called Read's, but I am trying to not be a monster going into this cycle and ice cream is my summer weakness. I've been way too exhausted from the drugs to exercise with any oomph and so I need ice cream to be a sweet treat that's not quite so frequent!

Another sweet moment in my day that took away the woes of high-protein, high performance crap on one of my chairs was a nomination from Lindsey at Operation Baby Gage for the Super Sweet Blogger Award. I met Lindsey through NIAW, and she is a beacon of hope for me--she just completed her first DE IVF and is PREGNANT! She is funny, and truthful, and has such a great attitude towards this whole process. I am so grateful to NIAW for bringing Lindsey into my life! Thank you, pregnant lady, for bestowing this honor upon me. And it is NOT creepy to call me your DE soul sister, because I feel the same! :) Go check out Lindsey's blog, it's awesome.

So, this Super Sweet Blogging Award comes with some requirements! After thanking the fabulous Lindsey, I need to include the Super Sweet blogging image in my blog, answer some questions, and then nominate other bloggers who are also super sweet. I have noticed that this is making the rounds, so I won't nominate people twice!

Super Sweet Questions:

1) Cookies or cake?
Um, CAKE. Hands-down. I am a gluten-free person, not by choice or to aid in my fertility (although it totally does because Celiac sucks and impacts your fertility) but because I have Celiac Disease. And gluten-free cookies, I'm sorry, generally are NOT as good as the original versions. However, gluten-free cake can be completely 100% delicious! There is a bakery here that does a great job of cupcakes, Dolce Cupcakery, and they get my business quite a lot. But I also have an arsenal of great cakes at my disposal thanks to Anne Byrn's The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free. My favorite cake of hers is the Hot Lemon Poke Cake. Sounds dirty, but tastes delicious. It's a spongey moist square cake with a lemon glaze that you pour over it when it's hot and has been skewered so the glaze soaks right into the cake. I bet you could make this cake alcoholic, but I love it straight up. SO GOOD. If interested, I will put the recipe in the comments.

2) Chocolate or Vanilla?
Well, that depends. Candy? Chocolate. Ice cream? Vanilla. Cake? Either, really. I haven't met a cake I didn't like. Chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting are the best.

3) Favorite Sweet Treat?
Do I have to pick a favorite? Cupcakes, or ice cream cones, strawberry shortcake in the late spring, sea salt caramel chocolates. Mmmmm, sea salt caramel.

4) When do you crave sweet things the most?
This would be after lunch, and after I get home from school. That is the witching hour, because I eat lunch at the ridiculous time of 10:30 am, and so when I get home I am STARVING but it's not quite dinner time. So I crave a little sweet treat... and try really hard to make it healthy. Like strawberries, or a Larabar, or something like that. Sometimes chocolate with caramel. Or a peppermint patty. Mmmmm, peppermint patty.

5) Sweet Nickname?
Sweetheart. Occasionally Bryce calls me Sweetheart, but otherwise we're Babe. Which is sweet, but not in the name itself.

Blog Roll of Super Sweet Bloggers:
My Journey Through Infertility:
A new friend I met through NIAW who is embarking on the donor egg IVF journey--she is headed towards her retrieval/transfer out of state so wish her luck!
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Infertility :
This lady has raw emotion and insight into infertility, especially multiple miscarriage. She's trying to find answers to her latest devastating loss...send her some love.
Surviving Infertility and More:
Shannon speaks openly and honestly about her journey through infertility and her experience losing twins in the second trimester. She has some cautiously optimistic good news...keep her in your thoughts!
Our Journey to the School Bus:
Suzi has been struggling with where her journey is leading. Reading her blog is like chatting like a girlfriend! Go check her out and send some encouragement.
Que Sera Sera:
Peg's blog is her outlet for dealing with infertility and the discovery of  health issues that have put her journey on temporary hold...but not her refreshingly honest posts about how infertility affects her day-to-day. She's had a rough week (stupid Facebook), but things are looking up health-wise!
A Boy, A Girl, and A Cat :
I met Aimee through NIAW, and she has an inspiring story of infertility and weight loss. Aimee's last post was a poignant remembrance of her embryos from her last transfer--it's a beautiful read. I hope you're moving through the pain, Aimee! Send her some love, please!

There it is, all the sweet requirements met and sharing out of some very sweet ladies with very honest and compelling blogs. Thank you, Lindsey for sharing the love!