Super Sweet & Sugar Bowls

It’s been a busy couple weeks. Between confronting fears, greeting Aunt Flo, and working on assembling my online portfolio to enhance my job prospects, I have been a little bit AWOL in the ALI blogosphere.

In fact, I only just noticed that both the lovely Egg Timer and Ana from In My Garden Grow each nominated me for the Super Sweet Blogging Award.  I’m chuffed! Thanks, ladies!

Super Sweet Blogging Award Rules

Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you.
Answer 5 super sweet questions.

Include the Super Sweet Blogging award image in the blog post .

Nominate 12 other bloggers
Now for the Super Sweet Questions:

1. Cookies or cake?

Cake can be exquisite, but I find most cakes disappointing — especially in America.  But a good cupcake or brownie is a thing worth savouring.  But DH’s chocolate chip cookies are my favourite!

2. Chocolate or vanilla?

I appreciate both for different reasons.  I love that vanilla pods are actually orchid seeds.  I love the perfumed sensation of tasting vanilla.  It’s a wonderful and fragrant addition to a whiskey cocktail.  A good vanilla ice cream (one with black flecks) is an experience unto its own, whether enjoyed alone or à la mode.  But I couldn’t live without chocolate. I enjoy a couple of squares of dark chocolate almost every day.  Some days I eat even more.  I savour its fruity bitterness, the velvety sensation of it melting in my mouth. Right now I’m really into Trader Joes 85% cacao from the Tumaco Region of Colombia.  Also, XOXO’s almond and cherry, and orange peel chocolates…

3. Favourite sweet treat?

Chocolate… obviously!

4. When do you crave sweet things the most?

With my afternoon cup of Earl Grey, and after dinner.

5. Sweet nickname?

My dad calls me Lolly; my mum calls me Pops. Good friends call me Lol. And one friend and I call each other Sweetie–a tongue-in-cheek nod to Ab Fab, because I sound a bit yah posho!

Here are my 12 nominations:

• Even if she hadn’t nominated me first, I’d pick Ana at In My Garden Grow. I came across her moving post Good Days and Bad Days and have been reading her beautiful blog, filled with colourful sketches, ever since. Her strength and resilience is inspiring.
• Ditto for My Egg Timer. Here’s a woman who is generous with her wisdom and writes thoughtfully.  She is currently about 8-9 weeks pregnant with ‘Shmily’ — go cheer them on!
• Sadie at My Invincible Spring writes beautifully about life after the loss of her son, S., during her second trimester.  Her posts are filled with bright hope, colourful travels, and food.  And, like me, she is married to a foreigner and lives in a different country.
• Celeste at Running Nekkid is sensitive, zany, and writes from the heart. She is an excellent writer, and her blog is filled with her thoughts on love, loss, and life, as well as autobiographical and fictional short stories. Her posts on losing her son, Christopher Robin, have brought tears to my eyes.
• Rain Before Rainbow writes openly about the difficult emotions that go along with pregnancy loss.  I’ve particularly appreciated her thoughts on coping with unsupportive friends / family, and how to deal with pregnant loved ones in the wake of miscarriage.
• Pam at Two Adults, One Child recently made the difficult decision to not try for another baby.  She is a shining example of how to stay positive during difficult times.
• Mama, Interrupted is another blogger who, like me, is exploring mindfulness and thinks more people ought to speak up about their losses.
• After a miscarriage in January last year, Elizabeth at Bébé Suisse gave birth to her daughter last week! Congratulations, lady! Journeys like hers encourage me to try again.
• Not When, but IF is an eye-opening blog on the emotional roller coaster ride that is infertility.  She has Hashi’s, PCOS, Endometriosis, MTHFR A1298C, and Raynaud’s, so is also an unofficial expert on all things fertility-related.
• I just discovered The Infertile Chemist — a terrific resource for learning about the science of reproduction at a molecular level.
• I have to give a shoutout to Dana at Hypothyroid Mom.  Although I haven’t yet been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, she has helped me distil thyroid data and begin to understand why it’s important to make sure your thyroid is happy during pregnancy.
• Evelyn at Momsicle is one of my best friends in real life.  She blogs about raising her two little boys, K-Pants and Baby Woww (who I love fiercely), with a healthy dose of snarky humour and tons of love.  In real life, as well as online, Evelyn is funny, loving, and no-nonsense, and I aspire to one day be the kind of mother she is.

♥

I’ll leave you with a saucy little tune — something to sweeten your baby-making or gettin’ your love on with your other half. Take it away, Nina!