Well, now what am I going to obsess over?

After a bit of moping around, Nick and I decided we would wait until the spring to implant the frozen embryos.  Two back to back IVF cycles has not been easy on my body or either of our spirits.  I think it's time for a bit of a break.  We want to give the next try our absolute best and to do that...well, we need some space.  It's not you, IVF, it's us.  :)

However, that leaves a LOT of time on my hands.  And I was briefly at a loss with what to do with it.  But it didn't take long for me to find new (mostly healthy) things to obsess over.  In no particular order...

1. Crafting...I've been 'pinning' crafts and DIY projects for months but have yet to actually make one.  I tend to use Pinterest mostly for recipes (in fact our menus for the last several weeks have been almost entirely Pinterest derived).  So, to start I finally finished up the yarn and felt wreath I've been working on.  I've got several more in the works, but after a marathon of crafting yesterday (and some uncomfortable glue gun burns), I might have to take a break.  Already.  Yeah, I know.  
2. Decorating for Christmas...our house could use a little cheer, so I decided to break my own No Christmas Trees Before Thanksgiving rule.  I also figured I would need to leave the undecorated trees up for a few days while I 'train' Ernie the new cat not to climb the tree.  This involves an elaborate ritual of me spraying the tree with a solution that is SUPPOSED to be distasteful to cats but in fact, seems to only intruige them more.  Then, as soon as I think we're in the clear and sit down, Ernie is, in a flash, trying to climb the tree.  So, I break out the spray bottle of water, which is apparently the MOST FUN toy ever to Ernie.  (I thought cats hated water in the face?)  Repeat ad nauseum.  
3. Giving up Sugar!  I've been thinking about this for some time...I have PCOS which is a condition that makes me insulin resistant...when my hormones aren't regulated (i.e. I'm off the pill), I gain weight.  So, over the past two years, I've, for the most part, cut out the bad sugars (soda, pastries, white flour, etc) (well, except for the occasional splurge...I am human, after all).  After doing a lot of research and reading, I want to try and cut out the good sugars (fruit, honey, etc), too.   It might seem crazy to do this over the holidays, but I'm up for the challenge.  (Luckily, I found out that wine is still okay in moderation...so I'll just spend the entire holidays drunk!)

Separate posts on the crafting and going sugar-free coming soon...I know, you're excited, right?!

A Funny Thing Happened...

Well, folks...not much new in IVF: The Sequel.  Oh, well...except my big box o' expensive fertility meds arrived...to a lot less fanfare than the first time around.  Luckily, I had one box of Follistim left over from the first cycle, which saved me about $600 this time around.  A small dent, but a dent nonetheless.

Instead, I'd thought I would recount one of my favorite When Sarah Does Stupid Things stories.  The impetus for sharing this story is because I drove past the Wal-marts tonight.  I haven't been in a Wal-mart in probably two years...just a personal preference for Target.  And something about the florescent lighting makes me ill.  Anywho...when driving by, I recalled this particular story that as you might have guessed, takes place at Walmart.

It was about nine years ago when Nick and I were in school at Mizzou...we had been dating for about six months and Nick was accompanying me on a trip to the Wal-marts to pick up some photos I'd had developed (this was in the days when we developed FILM and had envelope upon envelope of random pictures around...not like today when all of my photos are just sitting in files on my laptop...again, I digress).

So, I pick up the photos from the counter and Nick and I walk out to my car.  It's important that you know at this point that I had been experiencing difficulty with my 1994 Saturn SL1's ignition and locks.  So, when I put my key in the door lock (oh, yeah - no keyless entry...old school, baby!) and it wouldn't move, I was a little perplexed but not entirely surprised.  I continued to try and force the key to open the car, but to no avail.  I tried the passenger side...no luck.  Nick and I alternately jimmy, pound and smack the door, window and locks hoping to get in.  But again...no luck.

As luck would have it (or so I thought) the driver side window was slightly cracked.  So, no problem...Nick tells me...why don't we just go into the Wal-marts and get ourselves a wire hanger (soon, I will be bringing new meaning to No More Wire HANGERS!) and jimmy the lock open.  He said it with such authority and confidence, I had no choice but to believe him.  (Also, as you'll recall, this was 6 months into our relationship and I wasn't really at the point yet where I doubted all of his ideas.  That came later.  You understand.)  I rejoiced and thanked my lucky stars for such a genius boyfriend. 

As we turned to walk in the Wal-marts, for some reason I thought...Wow...this envelope of photos is really annoying.  I do not want to carry it any longer.  I shall wedge it into the open car window and leave it in the car.  Brilliant!  Now my hands are free and I can proceed with the task.  Five minutes later, we have returned with a wire hanger and Nick expertly MacGyvers the sh*t out of said hanger into what we hoped would be our salvation. 

I bet you're wondering...well, this doesn't sound stupid at all.  In fact, it sounds like a totally reasonable and effective way to deal with the situation.  You should be applauded for your ability to behave like a rational, calm adult in the face of adversity. 

And you'd be right...if the car that we were trying to break into WAS ACTUALLY MINE.

I happened to look inside the car and notice...that the interior was not the same color as the interior of my car.

As it turns out, there was another gray 1994 Saturn SL1 in the parking lot and for reason only God knows, the driver of said car did not walk outside to the parking lot of the Wal-Marts to find two college kids trying to break into the car in BROAD DAYLIGHT. 

My reaction is exactly what you'd expect...I ran like my life depended on it to my ACTUAL car which was one row over and further back in the lot.  Once safely ensconced in my car, I started giggling...and then laughing...and then Nick got in the car and we both lost it in complete hysterics.  You see, at this point we were too stupid to realize my fatal mistake...

The pictures I had shoved through a one inch opening in the other car's window, which were now sitting in that car's driver seat.  Nick insisted that I wait and just explain the situation to the owner and request the photos.  And I said...hells no.  There is no scenario in which I do not sound like a crazy person in this situation. 

So, we left, tears streaming down our face and me red-faced both of embarrassment and from laughing.  The next week, I returned and instead of asking the attendant if anyone had turned in the photos (so that I didn't have to pay for them again), I quietly inquired about whether there were any photos ready for me and when the attendant put the familiar looking envelope in front of me, I felt no shame in buying them...again.

It still makes me giggle to think of the owner of the other Saturn opening their car and finding a mysterious packet of photos...like, I wonder if they thought they had a secret admirer? Or a stalker?  Maybe who takes a lot of pictures with her friends where they appear to be drunk (but obviously they weren't because that wouldn't be responsible)?  What's the thought process here?  One of life's great mysteries...

Shake what your momma gave you...

Somebody reminded me recently that I had promised to talk about my infamous morning smoothies.  And since Nick and I have nothing to do but wait...and apparently there's an audience of at least one person just dying to know more about what I eat for breakfast (which, by the way, you people must be hard up for entertainment).  And who am I to deny you that pleasure?  Someone who couldn't go back to sleep after her 5:45 am progesterone shot in the butt.

About two years or so ago, I was trying to figure out a way to get more fruits and veggie servings in my diet.  I read about Green Monsters here and decided to give them a try.  The first recipe I tried was very simple...


Basic Green Monster
1 banana (my recommendation is to let the bananas get pretty brown, cut them in half and then freeze them...I typically stick them in a microwave for a few seconds to defrost before dumping them in the blender)
2 cups of spinach (organic, preferably...spinach is on the Dirty Dozen List)
1 cup of milk (cow's, almond, soy, coconut, goat's, whatever)
A few ice cubes
1 tablespoon of flax seed (flax seed is great for digestion and Omega 3s)

Blend and behold the green-ness!

It was indeed...green.  But it tasted surprisingly good and I got three servings of fruits and vegetables in right of the bat in the morning.  Over time, I started playing around with the recipe and got to my current normal shake.

Sarah's Slightly Scary Looking But Incredibly Good For You Breakfast Shake
4-6 oz water
4-6 oz plain lowfat kefir (kefir is kind of a fizzy yogurt milk...I know that sounds awful, but it's got a lot of probiotics in it.  It also comes in a range of flavors which can be a good place to start)
1 banana (they don't need to be organic...bananas are pretty low on the 'dirty' list)
1-2 cups organic kale
1-2 cups organic spinach
2 cups of organic berries (I typically by the frozen ones and skip using ice cubes)

Then, I dump in a packet of add-ins that I make once a month in batches, assembly-line style (I have to thank my mother in law, Rose, for this brilliant idea).

Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1-2 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds (if you're not using chia seeds, start.  They provide energy, aid digestion and again, have a lot of Omega 3s, 6s, and 9s.  They also make your skin look great)
1/2 cup of dried oatmeal
1-2 packets of stevia (Stevia is an all natural sweetener that doesn't affect your blood sugar.  In fact, I think it's the only sweetener that doesn't affect your blood sugar)

Those are the standards.  I never really make a batch of packets the same way...other things I've included are:
Amazing Grass
Bran
Miralax
Hemp seeds

Throw everything in the blender and blend for 30-45 seconds.  Et voila! (I tried to find a little cocktail umbrella or even a strawberry to make this look slightly more tempting, but sadly we were missing both.)

I've grown to enjoy the taste of these every morning and it feels great to get that many servings of fruits and vegetables in to start the day.  I have to admit, the picture above belies how much this recipe actually makes.  I'd say it's about 28-32 ounces, which I basically nurse all morning, but I'm rarely hungry before lunch anymore (whereas before I would sometimes start to eat my lunch at TEN AM because I was starving).  But, as you can see from the picture, it ain't pretty.  It gets even less pretty as the morning progresses and the raspberry coloring loses out to the spinach and kale.

But, on a good day...I'm getting seven servings of fruits and vegetables!  Before I started doing this, I'd be lucky to get that in during an entire day without feeling like a rabbit.  I wasn't able to eat these for about a week between the egg retrieval and starting back to work...my stomach was pretty upset.  But I've been drinking them for a few days again and I've lost 5 lbs of all the water weight I gained during IVF and that is with a trip to Stroud's.  (Sidenote: I had a trip to Stroud's for fried chicken and all the fixins planned on Friday for lunch with two beloved co-workers.  The timing wasn't great given my recent massively inflated belly, but really, I have Stroud's about once every 3-5 years, so I decided to go for it.  Nick and I went to see Horrible Bosses that evening and during the movie, he leaned down to kiss my forehead, gave me a strange look and then moved away.  Later, I asked him what that was all about and he said my hair smelled like chicken.  These are the things you have to suffer through for fried chicken.)

So, there you have it...my manifesto on breakfast shakes.  I understand if you don't share my passion for smoothies...I mean, we probably won't be able to be friends anymore, but I understand.  Actually, I'm lucky to have two people in my life that love talking about smoothies as much as I do, if not more - my best friend Jenni and my mother in law.  And my shakes look tame in comparison to theirs.  I envy how horrible theirs look.  Someday, (shakes fist), someday!

And now for something completely different!

We really have nothing but time on our hands right now and since you all haven't heard much from Nick, I asked him to write a review of Pappy's BBQ...which is allegedly the best BBQ in St. Louis (but if you ask me, St. Louisians must be desperate for BBQ because it's mediocre at best)  I've added my own color commentary in italics.  As most of you all know, Nick's three great loves in life are: me (duh!), mountain biking and BBQ.  I'm not positive that I actually hold the #1 spot in his heart but I'm working on it.  And now...without further adieu, I present...Nick.

My wife and I recently visited St. Louis and decided to stop by Pappy’s BBQ restaurant after hearing numerous rave reviews from friends and family here in town.  Needless to say I was really looking forward to trying out this place as I love BBQ and St. Louis has needed a decent restaurant for a long time.  Unfortunately, Pappy’s was unable to live up to its hype.  In fact, and I hate to say it, the BBQ was terrible.  Yes, I know, I can be picky of people’s BBQ after the recent success of our BBQ team, but I also know not to compare restaurant food made for the masses to that of properly prepared BBQ for competition.  Even still, as good as what I heard Pappy’s was, I still expected it to compare to Jack’s Stack (I was in no way expecting it to live up to Jack Stack...hello, cheesy corn!) and Oklahoma Joe’s of Kansas City, or Corky’s and Rendezvous of Memphis.  Not even remotely in the same league as these four excellent BBQ restaurants.  So, what made it so bad?  Please, read on. (Okay, let's!)

Upon arriving at Pappy’s you are greeted with some nice smells coming from the smoker which is located outside in front of the restaurant.  Nice touch.  They use a mixture of cherry and apple woods for their smoke and it shows when you arrive.  Once inside you run into the massive line to get into the dining area.  You actually have to wait in line first before entering the dining area and waiting in a second line to get to the counter.  (Want to watch my head explode?  Make me stand in an un-airconditioned hallway for 35 minutes...let me into the dining room finally...and then make me wait for another 35 minutes.  Steam. Coming. Out. My. Ears.) Total time waited until ordering our food at 2:30PM was 1 hour 10 minutes.  I was really expecting this food to be great considering how many people were there.  The atmosphere is pretty cool with the standard red checkered table cloths over picnic tables, music, and walls adorned with BBQ pictures and awards.  In fact, somewhere along the line someone involved with the restaurant won some big time awards from Memphis in May  BBQfest, but I’ve come to the conclusion these trophies were either lent to the restaurant or bought off someone.  No way these recipes did this well at BBQfest. 

So, after the 1 hour 10 minute wait, Sarah and I ordered our food.  She got the pulled pork sandwich, fried corn on the cob (how can you not order fried corn on the cob?  I've never heard of such a thing and had to try it.  I thought it was impossible to ruin something by frying it, but it is.  Fried corn on the cob is rubbery, tasteless and you still get corn in your teeth.  No bueno), and potato salad.  I got a half slab of their ‘famous’ ribs, a few slices of brisket, fried corn on the cob and baked beans.  All of this for a whopping $31.  I thought I was going out for BBQ?  So we get our food and take a seat at some bar stools.  Let me tell you the main theme of all the food here: Bland City.  I read all about how they were touting their great, Memphis style dry rub while I waited in line…. So where is it? 

There is NO rub used at all on the pulled pork, ribs, or brisket.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  I know restaurants are going to skimp from their competition team recipes to save some time and money, but comon’, you can’t just smoke the meat and call it amazing BBQ.  The ribs were ok at best.  The texture and done-ness were pretty much on target.  The smoke ring was very deep in pinkish-red color but I expected that considering they were using cherry and apple woods.  If you wanted to taste anything besides cooked pork, you better load on one of their sub-par BBQ sauces to give it any flavor.  As for the pulled pork, it was their best dish.  It at least had some of the sweet pork flavor to it, but again, no rubs or sauces used during the cooking process so it too was a little bit bland, but it was cooked properly at least. 

The biggest let down by far and away was their disgusting brisket.  I know they are touting themselves as a Memphis style BBQ, but if you are going to put brisket on the menu, you better know what you are doing.  Texture and done-ness were completely wrong.  Even the beef flavor didn’t taste right.  At least they tried to season it somewhat by using salt and pepper as a dry rub, but that didn’t help.  It was terrible.  I don’t even want to talk about their sides.    All of their sides were store bought and then put into little cups.  Ridiculous.  Again, I don’t expect this BBQ to be on the level of competition BBQ, but the other restaurants I mentioned put out a much better flavorful product and they don’t charge out the ass for their food.  This place was underwhelming to say the least.

In conclusion, I feel it is necessary that I provide proper tasting BBQ to all of my friends and family from St. Louis that have been fooled by Pappy’s as to what good BBQ tastes like.  I have a feeling that most people from St. Louis, including myself, were raised on tough, rubber-like ribs and Pappy’s can provide you with ribs that are properly cooked so it seems like they are putting out some great food.  The only thing that Pappy’s has done right is the fact that they have marketed themselves properly and have broken into a market that has no idea what good BBQ is like so they have gotten off scott-free with doing a sub-par job and charging way too much for their food.  In that regard, I’m jealous of them for thinking of opening up a BBQ joint in St. Louis first! (Yeah!  What he said!  Now, all of you are invited to come over for some real BBQ! :::Nick drags Sarah away from the computer:::)