Tag Archives: bloggy love

I'm in love with another woman

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Cookie Dough Oatmeal Cake, by Chocolate-Covered Katie

Cookie Dough Oatmeal Cake, by Chocolate-Covered Katie

Mike just can’t satisfy me the way she can. Meet Chocolate-Covered Katie, a woman who invented Cookie Dough Oatmeal Cake. Cookie dough. That you can eat for breakfast. Mike may have gone to more than one gas station to get me cookie dough ice cream, but Katie has made it okay for me to have cookie dough for breakfast. She’s also created a Healthy Cake Batter Milkshake.

I’m not vegan, or trying to cut out sugar, or going organic, but I am hypoglycemic, and have been working on developing healthier eating habits. I’m also glad to find a site with recipes using alternatives to milk; my mom recently suggested I might be lactose intolerant instead of suffering from IBS or IBD, and even though I hate the idea of leaving dairy products behind, I’m loving that Katie has created so many treats that use almond milk.

Plus? They’re healthy! I love sweet foods, and while I crave fresh fruit on a regular basis, sometimes I just need something sweet and baked (or sweet and unbaked, like that cake batter milkshake).

So yes, I’m in love with another woman, but don’t worry — Mike has nothing to worry about. It’s more like my taste buds are in love with her inventions. I hope she puts out a recipe book sometime soon, because I will be there, first in line.

What are you waiting for? Go check out Chocolate-Covered Katie now!

PS: Hat tip to Nessie, who blogged about Chocolate-Covered Katie a couple of days ago. You should also check out Nessie’s blog, lipstick, perfume and too many pills. She’s a sicky, like me, but she’s a journalist who spends her days running from meeting to meeting and writing. Nessie loves red lipstick like I do, and of course there’s that writing thing. I love anyone who loves to write. I think you’ll love her, too.

Image Credit: Cookie Dough Oatmeal Cake, by Chocolate-Covered Katie

Someone more "Sarcastica" than me?

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Since today is Bloggy Love Sunday and Mother’s Day, I thought I’d give some Bloggy Love to a certain new mommy.

I met Sarcastica when I first left LiveJournal, bought this domain, and started blogging outside of my familiar little LJ ecosystem. I didn’t really know anyone with a real blog (I don’t believe a LiveJournal is a real blog, but that’s another post for another day). I remember stumbling upon the Bloggies while at work and seeing that someone called Sarcastica had won best teen blog.

I liked her right away. Witty, smart, and not just another dough head (as Faiqa likes to say), Sarcastica writes about everything from boyfriends to childhood to coping with MHE. I learned a lot from her, and I don’t think she even knows it. Reading her blog has helped me learn to be my own medical advocate, instead of waiting for doctors to come to me. She’s taught me to be strong even when I don’t feel strong.

She may live quite far from me — Canada! Holy COW! — but I feel that she is a relatively close friend. She’s a great listener, and she replies to comments. (We all know how big a deal that is to me!)

One of my favorite posts is the one about the honesty spell. One of the things I love about Sarcastica’s blog is that she sometimes goes back and writes about her childhood. It was cool to read about her and her friends’ creepy experiences with Ouija boards and spells, partially because I dabbled with the occult myself as a young teenager.

I couldn’t imagine the blogosphere without Sarcastica. She is truly a great friend and an awesome blogger. Sarcastica recently gave birth to a healthy, beautiful little boy, so go say hi and shower her with Mother’s Day gifts!

How religion is helping me, even though I'm not religious

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I’m not religious. I was baptized and raised Protestant, but never really “got” it, no matter how much I tried. After years of not fitting in at church — and trying to figure out new ways to get out of going to church — I finally realized that I didn’t have to be religious to be a good person.

That said, I have friends and family from all different faiths and beliefs. It’s always interesting for me to learn about others’ religions. When I worked at the fruit basket place, most of my co-workers were Muslim. Those who weren’t Muslim were Christian. They all passed the work time talking about their beliefs, and I would pass the work time listening to them and soaking it all up. I don’t knock any religion — unless you’re a scientologist; as mean as it sounds, I just don’t get it and I don’t think I’ll ever even try to.

I am a little wary when it comes to discussing religion though. I tend to stick out like a sore thumb because I am not religious, and it actually makes me a little uncomfortable sometimes. My coworkers at the fruit basket place didn’t try to hide the fact that they were baffled by my religion-less lifestyle, and I’m pretty sure that when my boss fired me it was because I don’t believe in a higher power. As interested as I was in what they had to say, I felt a little alienated by their remarks. “How can you not believe in anything?” The way they said it, you’d think I’d just told them I ate babies. “That’s so weird,” they would say.

So I was a little on the defense when I first commented on Fruitful Words, a blog mostly about chronic pain and chronic pain management, focused entirely on women — and Christianity. I didn’t want to admit that I don’t practice Catholicism or even Buddhism, because I was terrified that the blog’s author, Susan, wouldn’t talk to me. I was terrified that the blog’s community would reject me.

I was wrong.

From the very first post I read about what to do and not to do for a woman with chronic pain, I was hooked. From my very first comment, I was accepted with open arms. No one seems to mind that I’m not religious, even though Susan specializes in women’s pastoral chronic pain management. Her advice is sound, and her words are uplifting and encouraging. I have been reading Fruitful Words almost daily since I found it a couple of days ago, because it is really helping to carry me through.

It is with gratitude and pleasure that I pass on some Bloggy Love to Susan.

Bloggy Love

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How many blogs do you read and say to yourself, “everyone should be reading this”? How many times have you stumbled upon an awesome blog, buried under the radar, wishing you could parade it to all of the internet?

I’ve been doing this blogging thing for years — if you can tell me my original Diaryland username, I’ll give you a cookie; not even I remember it — and I’ve noticed one big thing: It’s a very clique-y digital world, my friends. Not that that’s a bad thing. Whenever someone in the blogosphere needs help, their blog clique is to their rescue. These groups of bloggers are very close-knit and, usually, if you read one of them you read all (or most) of them.

But what about the rest of the blogosphere? How many other awesome blogs are out there that we (usually) miss, because we’re too busy shoving our faces into our feed readers instead of out there looking for new blogs?

It is time, my friends, to break out of the cliques. It’s time to share the Bloggy Love.

Every Sunday (or whenever), I’m asking you to write a quickie post about one of your favorite blogs. In that post, you should:

  • link to that blog
  • link to your favorite post from that blog
  • and then link back to this post

You should also comment on that person’s blog to let them know that you love them, that way they can participate too. Because everyone loves badges, below is a badge that you can stick on your Bloggy Love posts. I only ask that you link it to this post, and that you don’t direct link (just right/ctrl-click and choose save). (You can also snag it if your blog has been selected.)

Ideally, we will have a constantly growing list of blogs that we can all refer to when we’re looking for something new to read. This is also a great way to spread the love and introduce a new or shy blogger to the community.

One of my favorite blogs is And Cinderella Lost Her Shoe, by Larissa. Don’t let her age fool you; this girl has some serious talent, and her wit and sense of humor will keep you coming back for more. Her honest and in-your-face style is sometimes heartbreaking, but I think pretty much anyone can relate to Larissa and her experiences.

I was trying to find one of her posts that has always stuck with me and happened upon the bra post. I think this post sums her humorous side best. (I will add that other post here as soon as I find it.)

So go forth, my fellow bloggers, and spread the Bloggy Love!