Top of the morning to you! That's what my dear grandma would say today, this St. Patty's day and also her birthday. This is the first year that she'll be dancing and celebrating, and eating birthday cake in Heaven with my papa, the love of her life. I miss her with a depth of longing that cannot be explained, but I sure do feel her by my side each and everyday, and that is the sweetness of life that helps me always feel a connection to Heaven above. Sometimes I can feel a whisper of what she'd say to me in certain situations. Like yesterday, before my IVF doctor's appointment, I started to get a little nervous as I was making the bed and all of sudden she came to my mind, or heart, or soul (whatever you'd call it) and I could feel her saying 'she's with me', and all of sudden I felt calm and peaceful again. I've always had a strong connection to her, I have many bizarre stories of moments when we've read each other minds or strange coincidences that have occurred, but the best part of it all is that our connection to one another hasn't changed since her soul went to Heaven and her body left this earth.
Yesterday morning I had an ultrasound to check my ovaries and uterine lining, and blood work to check my estrogen levels. The nurse practitioner - such a sweet lady - could see the eggs growing and she called me back to say my estrogen levels have definitely gone up. She was happy with all that she checked and said to continue on with our injection protocol as planned. My doctor aka Ry is doing a great job preparing the injections every night and then giving them to me. He was hesitant about giving me the shots, but decided to do them the first night, and I'm so happy he did. I really don't think I could stick myself, I thought I could but when the moment came, I had a change of heart! He accidentally stuck himself in the finger the other night and I thought he was going to have a heart attack. OMG I was laughing so hard as he panicked from the pain and then he started saying that he didn't want to get pregnant. He's good about making me laugh, all the time. He's also been singing the Dr. Feelgood song and wants me to refer to him as Dr. Feelgood from now on. I love him so!
After my doctor's appointment yesterday I stopped at the store for some fruit and the ingredients to make the cutest Easter dessert, and of course I had to pick up some fresh flowers. As you can imagine with all of this IVF stuff, EGGS have been on my mind 24/7, and with Easter being the weekend after our egg retrieval I have made this year's Easter celebrations extra special in my mind. EGGS, EGGS, EGGS, baby bunnies, pastel colors, bible scriptures, Easter lilies, fresh flowers, spring scented candles, you name it and I love it! When I took Mrs. out to go potty last night I heard some rustling around in the leaves, and peeked over on the side of our front porch, and there was an itty-bitty baby bunny! Cutest little thing ever.
The Easter Egg Nest Brownie Bites are equally cute and delicious. They are so cute I have a hard time eating them. Although I did have one with my strawberries and blueberries for breakfast this morning!
The recipe for the Easter Egg Nest Brownie Bites is below. You should definitely make some for the family. They are super easy to make!
Ok, so the recipe I found on Pinterest said to make the brownies from scratch, and sometimes I like to do that, but not this time. I cheated and bought a box of Ghirardelli, and I only bought one and we had to go back to the store last night for a second box. If you don't want to waste the yummy coconut pecan nest, buy two boxes of the brownie mix.
Ingredients for the coconut frosting:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla (I always use more than called for)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup pecans
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 package cadbury mini eggs*
*be prepared, these baby eggs cost $6.49/bag at Target, I didn't realize they were so expensive, but if you have Cartwheel they are 10% off
Directions:
Prepare the brownie mix per the box directions. You'll need a muffin pan(s) or mini-muffin pan(s). I used the regular size muffin pan. Spray the pan with a non-stick spray. Fill muffin tin about 1/3 full or 2/3 full if you are using the mini-muffin pan. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until just set, taking care not to over bake them. Once cooled use a small knife to trace around each brownie bite to loosen it from the pan. Prepare the coconut frosting.
Coconut Frosting:
In a medium saucepan, mix the first five ingredients together. Stir constantly over medium heat until it comes to a slow boil. Cook, stirring constantly until it thickens, this will take about 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in coconut and pecans. Allow frosting to cool. Place a spoonful of cooled coconut frosting on each brownie bite to form the nest. Add two or three Cadbury mini eggs to each brownie bite nest.
Enjoy!
As always, thank you for reading my blog, and a huge thank you for all the love, support, and prayers as we embark on this IVF journey to our babies. Wishing you and yours a lucky, happy, and safe St. Patricks Day. Cheers to a Happy Easter full of bunny rabbits, Easter eggs, flowers, family, love, and may God Bless!
xo Wen
Yesterday morning I had an ultrasound to check my ovaries and uterine lining, and blood work to check my estrogen levels. The nurse practitioner - such a sweet lady - could see the eggs growing and she called me back to say my estrogen levels have definitely gone up. She was happy with all that she checked and said to continue on with our injection protocol as planned. My doctor aka Ry is doing a great job preparing the injections every night and then giving them to me. He was hesitant about giving me the shots, but decided to do them the first night, and I'm so happy he did. I really don't think I could stick myself, I thought I could but when the moment came, I had a change of heart! He accidentally stuck himself in the finger the other night and I thought he was going to have a heart attack. OMG I was laughing so hard as he panicked from the pain and then he started saying that he didn't want to get pregnant. He's good about making me laugh, all the time. He's also been singing the Dr. Feelgood song and wants me to refer to him as Dr. Feelgood from now on. I love him so!
After my doctor's appointment yesterday I stopped at the store for some fruit and the ingredients to make the cutest Easter dessert, and of course I had to pick up some fresh flowers. As you can imagine with all of this IVF stuff, EGGS have been on my mind 24/7, and with Easter being the weekend after our egg retrieval I have made this year's Easter celebrations extra special in my mind. EGGS, EGGS, EGGS, baby bunnies, pastel colors, bible scriptures, Easter lilies, fresh flowers, spring scented candles, you name it and I love it! When I took Mrs. out to go potty last night I heard some rustling around in the leaves, and peeked over on the side of our front porch, and there was an itty-bitty baby bunny! Cutest little thing ever.
The Easter Egg Nest Brownie Bites are equally cute and delicious. They are so cute I have a hard time eating them. Although I did have one with my strawberries and blueberries for breakfast this morning!
The recipe for the Easter Egg Nest Brownie Bites is below. You should definitely make some for the family. They are super easy to make!
Ok, so the recipe I found on Pinterest said to make the brownies from scratch, and sometimes I like to do that, but not this time. I cheated and bought a box of Ghirardelli, and I only bought one and we had to go back to the store last night for a second box. If you don't want to waste the yummy coconut pecan nest, buy two boxes of the brownie mix.
Ingredients for the coconut frosting:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla (I always use more than called for)
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup pecans
1 1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 package cadbury mini eggs*
*be prepared, these baby eggs cost $6.49/bag at Target, I didn't realize they were so expensive, but if you have Cartwheel they are 10% off
Directions:
Prepare the brownie mix per the box directions. You'll need a muffin pan(s) or mini-muffin pan(s). I used the regular size muffin pan. Spray the pan with a non-stick spray. Fill muffin tin about 1/3 full or 2/3 full if you are using the mini-muffin pan. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until just set, taking care not to over bake them. Once cooled use a small knife to trace around each brownie bite to loosen it from the pan. Prepare the coconut frosting.
Coconut Frosting:
In a medium saucepan, mix the first five ingredients together. Stir constantly over medium heat until it comes to a slow boil. Cook, stirring constantly until it thickens, this will take about 10 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in coconut and pecans. Allow frosting to cool. Place a spoonful of cooled coconut frosting on each brownie bite to form the nest. Add two or three Cadbury mini eggs to each brownie bite nest.
Enjoy!
As always, thank you for reading my blog, and a huge thank you for all the love, support, and prayers as we embark on this IVF journey to our babies. Wishing you and yours a lucky, happy, and safe St. Patricks Day. Cheers to a Happy Easter full of bunny rabbits, Easter eggs, flowers, family, love, and may God Bless!
xo Wen
Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:31
