Sponsors? Ad Swaps? Guest Posts?

Do you have a blog? Do you have a button? Wanna swap ads? I'm trying to increase traffic to my blog and I am interested in participating in some ad swaps. The coding to my 200x200 add in the column to the right, and if you click on the Buttons and Disclaimers button above you can find different size buttons as well. Right now, I'm offered free advertising space, as long as you return the favor and post my button on your blog.

Also, if you have something you would like to contribute to My Life, With a Touch of Purple, such as a guest post or even a give away, I am all ears.

If you are interested in either the ad swap or a guest post please either comment to this post or send me an email.

Apple Crisp

Apple crisp is one of those things that is a fall staple, especially after apple picking. Simple slice up a pile of apples, mix together a few ingredients to form the crisp, and pop it in the oven. Within half an hour the house smells of apple cinnamon awesomeness and you are risking third degree burns for a bite of awesome.

I grew up with my mom making apple crisp every September; however, surprisingly, we do not have a tried and true family recipe. So I opted to consult the ultimate cookbook, I Googled it. My one requirement was that the crisp needed to have oatmeal in it, otherwise, it just doesn't get crispy enough. As a geeky sidenote, Kindle Fire has a really nifty app that lets you save all of the recipes you find online in one big electronic cookbook. Just in case I didn't need another reason to love my Kindle. Anyways, on with the recipe.

I decided to use a Betty Crocker recipe because let's face it, good ol' Betty taught me how to bake back when I was in fifth grade and she has never done me wrong.

Ingredients:
Enough sliced apples to measure 4 cups, I used about 5 McIntosh apples
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats, from the canister, not the instant kind
1/3 cup butter, softened but not melted
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

I almost got a picture before the first piece was stolen

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Spray an 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray, I used a round casserole dish for variety

3. Dump the apples into the baking dish/ casserole

4. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. I use a pastry blender. The goal is to cut the flour into the dry ingredients until you end up with a mix with the texture of sand that holds its shape... like wet sand.

5. Dump the butter mixture on top of the apples.

6. Place the baking/casserole dish into the oven, and wait for 30 minutes.

7. Allow apple crisp to cool, at least for half an hour, or risk burning your mouth. I know, I know, it smells awesome, give it time, it's worth it, I promise.

Friday's Letters

Dear Self: Yes, this IVF stuff is scary and stressful, but the end result is totally going to be worth it. Let's try to find some healthy ways to relax and release the stress rather than just snapping at the hubby.

Dear Tom: I'm sorry I've been so snippity lately. You are an incredibly supportive husband, and I am so blessed to have you in my life.

Dear Acupuncturist: You and I can seriously become good friends, I am looking forward to my appointment next week.

Dear Tom's Bone Doctor: Thank you for the most anti-climatic doctor's appointment, ever. Tom and I were seriously concerned that surgery was going to be on the table. Physical therapy has done wonders!

Dear Chicago Bears: Please play a good game against the Cowboys on Monday. Tom gets really grumpy when you play poorly.

Dear NFL: Thank you for bringing the real officials back! Seriously, especially after last weekend... what was that? 

Dear Readers: Thank you for your support!

It's Apple Season!

I noticed that our recipe section is looking a bit empty. Never to fear, Tom and I made our annual trip to the apple orchard yesterday and picked a bushel of McIntosh apples. I even made a caramel pie to share with you as a recipe but it turned into an awesome breakfast disappeared during the overnight hours. I have an apple crisp in the oven now, which I will try to snap a couple of pictures of before the vultures my husband finds it so that I can share the recipe. Don't worry, I'll be making another apple caramel pie too, and apple fritters, and applesauce, oh yeah don't forget apple butter. I'm sensing a theme here.

My First Experience with Acupuncture

During our doctor's appointment last week, our nurse recommended that I try acupuncture as a treatment for my anxiety and infertility. Scientific research has determined that acupuncture is an effective method of treatment for infertility in that it can increase blood to the uterus, it also eases the egg retrieval process, and works in conjunction with embryo transfer. Acupuncture is also known for it's ability to relax the patent and calm symptoms of anxiety. One less that I have learned in life is that it is important to give everything a try, at least once. With that, I booked my first acupuncture appointment.

I brought Tom along for support. I'm not afraid of needles, it was just something new and I wanted him to be there. The appointment started out with the acupuncturist asking me questions about our fertility journey, as well as some questions about my anxiety. She then had me get up on the table for an introductory session. This was when she stuck the first needle in. Do you know the feeling when you get a tattoo of the needles almost tickling your skin? This was far far less intense than even that (I giggled while getting my tattoo). The acupuncturist put about six needles, between my wrist and elbow. Another four or five in each ankle, and then four or five in each ear. Then she left me be, with classical music playing, a heat lamp to keep me cozy, and the lights turned off.

I fell asleep.

That's right, needles stuck in, I felt as though my arms and feet were literally melting into the bed and I fell asleep. I just lay there and relaxed, and before I knew it, it was time to take the needles out. I have had many treatments for my anxiety, from massages to medications, this was by far the most relaxed I have ever felt. Tom brought me home, got me to the couch, and I haven't moved since. This is only an introductory treatment? Sign me up. My acupuncturist wants to see me on a weekly basis, initially to treat my anxiety, but she will also work in treatments to coincide with my IVF cycle. Aside from the obvious goal of pregnancy, we also set the goal to manage my anxiety with acupuncture, so that I can completely go off of my medication during pregnancy. That would be best for our baby.

The moral of the story? If you have a condition that can be treated with acupuncture, give it a try. It is no where near as painful as you would expect it to be, and the end result is just... amazing.

Restaurant Review- The Loft Portland's Burger House

Source

After a more than stressful doctor's appointment, Tom decided to take me out for lunch. Neither of us had eaten yet and we definitely needed some downtime to process everything. We decided to try The Loft, which is a restaurant that specializes in burgers right around the corner from our apartment. Tom and I may consider ourselves foodies, but we also cannot turn down a good burger.

From the moment we stepped into the restaurant, we knew we were in the right place. The decor is based off of dark woods and exposed beams, almost barnlike, but polished. Definitely the kind of place you want to go to grab a burger, or a beer, or hang with a group of friends and play trivia.

The service was excellent. Within minutes of walking through the door we were seated with menus and our drink order was taken. They serve Pepsi products as well, which is definitely a plus in my book. Everything was going smoothly until we looked at the menu, and our choice of thirty, yes thirty, 3-0 different burgers, all of which sounded absolutely amazing. It was almost daunting to choose one. Oh and if burgers are not your cup of tea, you can have any of their burgers made up with ground turkey or chicken breast. After much thought and consideration, I ordered the Apple Bacon Burger and Tom chose the Aloha Burger, only he swapped the swiss cheese out for cheddar. That's another thing, they are more than willing to customize any of their burgers, more points. We each ordered sweet potatoes fries as a side, after our wait staff highly recommended them.

The buns are very obviously handmade, not the fluffy mass produced buns you get at most restaurants. The burger itself was perfectly cooked and juicy. Tom absolutely loved his Aloha burger, I wanted to try a bite of it, but it was long gone before I had a chance to ask. My Apple Bacon Burger was divine. I love apples, especially in savory applications. The sweet of the apple perfectly balanced the bacon and just created love. Tom was skeptical of fruit on a burger, but after a couple bites, he was convinced. As for the fries, I understand why the waitstaff recommended them, they were definitely made in house, perfectly cooked, and balanced sweet and salty.

Overall, we were highly impressed, and will be definitely be going back, so we can try some of the other burgers on their list. If you are in the Portland area and looking for a quick bite to eat in a nice relaxed atmosphere, give them a try. They are located right on Forest Avenue, across the street from Baxter Woods Park. The prices are in the low to moderate range, between $8.99 and $10.99 for a burger, but definitely worth it. Their menu, including all thirty burgers, is included on their website.

Where did Jenny go? My Journey through Infertility and the beginning of IVF.

As you may, or likely may not have noticed, I haven't been around much in the blogging world for the last week or so. Did you ever have one of those experiences that just rocks you to the core? That was last week. Let's back up a bit, and get a little more personal. 

Tom and I want to have a baby. We have wanted to have a baby for a very long time. I was diagnosed with PCOS during my early twenties, so I knew that having a baby was going to be difficult. As a result, when I first moved in with Tom back in 2009, I threw out my pack of birth control pills. Our mantra for the next two years was when the time is right, we will get pregnant. Fast forward to August of 2011, a month before our wedding. At this point we had been informally trying for two years. The average couple is able to conceive within one year. My doctor referred us to an ob/gyn that specializes in infertility. To spare you the details, we tried everything, including surgery. No dice, still no baby. Tom and I are very fortunate in that we work for a company that provides insurance coverage for IVF. It was because of this that about a month after my surgery, Tom, myself, and my ob/gyn made the decision that if we were not pregnant by August of 2012, we were going to seek the IVF route. August has come and gone, still no baby. Our ob/gyn referred us to a reproductive endocrinologist. Our first consult was completely harmless, about a half hour talk about what we have tried and an order for blood work. Then we went in, and the pulled eight viles of blood from me. To the average person, this may seem like a lot, for someone that has been going through infertility for over a year, I don't even feel the pin prick anymore. Then comes our second consultation, which occurred on Monday of last week. Pardon my French, shit just got real. 

The appointment started out with reviewing the results of our bloodwork. Tom is completely normal, so the problem is with me, but we will probably never know exactly what the problem is. The doctor recommended IVF and is highly optimistic that it will be successful because everything in me appears normal, there just seems to be a problem with the sperm meeting the egg. We then started discussing actual plans, as in, how many embryos to transfer, what day to transfer them. If that wasn't enough, then we got to meet with the nurse. The nurse greeted us with a mountain of consent forms, a time line, and videos to watch. The videos? They were about how to give myself shots. That's right, injections, with a needle, two a night, for about a week. Then I get to have surgery, then my eggs are combined with Tom's sperm, and then two little embryos will be transferred back into me. Hopefully, to make themselves at home. 

It was a lot to take in. Infertility is a lot to take in. It seems like some women simply need to look at a man, and then get pregnant. It is the most basic female thing, to carry a child. I cannot do it. I would not be able to do it without help. I fail. It is a very lonely journey. I try not to talk about it much, but people ask. Friends, family, and co-workers know that we are trying to start a family, and everyone wants to be the first to know. People give me advice, like "you need to relax" or "you are young, it will happen," I know these people are trying to be nice, but no offense, especially if you already have children, you have no idea what I am going through. I've also been asked if we have considered adoption. Yes, we have, but as an ultimate last resort. We want a baby that is OUR baby, not someone else's. I want to experience pregnancy, I want the baby belly, I want the intimacy that is breast feeding. I want to look at our child and see Tom's eyes, or my nose. 

Anyways, yeah, that is my excuse, that is my reason for being away for the last week. I'm trying to process everything, to adjust to what will soon become our new normal. I don't want my blog to become an infertility blog, the journey is just a bit too personal for that. I will occasionally give updates, especially if everything goes as planned and we successfully become pregnant in November. This is a lifestyle blog, however, and this is my life right now.