With All That's Going on in the World

 March 9, 2022

You might have noticed my blog has been quieter than normal lately. I usually try to post every few days but frankly, with all that's going on in the world today, I haven't been up to it. It seems tone deaf and/or frivolous to post about cookies and baking and my First World problems with what's happening in Ukraine and elsewhere. I haven't had the heart to post like there's nothing going on outside of my baking and my kitchen.

But, in times like these, when I get into that downward spiral, I have to catch myself. Yes, things often suck and yes, I feel that sense of rage and helplessness as I watch people bombed out of their homes and driven out of their country. I have the "luxury" of scrolling past heartbreaking stories while they have no choice but to live them. I'm not going to put lipstick on a pig and pretend all's right with the world when it's not.

But I'm also not going to think there's "nothing I can do". There's always something. It's a choice to do something and a choice to do nothing. I choose to do something. Beyond monetary donations and pledges of support, I'm a believer in actions speaking louder than words. It's not enough to post your outrage on social media. That's not activism, that's typing. We all have a choice to do something. It doesn't have to be big, bold and daring like the journalists reporting on the ground or the power moves of politicians and government officials or direct aid of humanitarian organizations. It can be but if that's not something you can do, find something. Every positive action, no matter how small, is something. 

My little something today is two somethings: I want to tell you (again) about a small business that's female and veteran-owned called Kitchen Vixen. They make cookie molds and springerle molds. They're based in Savannah, GA but I recently met the husband and wife couple behind Kitchen Vixen when they came to Reno for CookieCon. Yes, a cookie convention focused on cookie art is a thing. Perhaps I'll blog about it when I'm in a more positive frame of mind because it deserves all the love and positivity beautifully artistic cookies can command. But that's for another day. 

Jen and Mike of Kitchen Vixen are the couple in the middle

Today, Mike and Jen, the wonderful couple behind Kitchen Vixen, has the business I want to amplify and tell you about. I'd post the link to their Etsy shop but they're traveling and not back until March 19 so please go to Etsy then and do a search for their store, Kitchen Vixen. You can read about the first cookie mold I got from Kitchen Vixen here. I wrote that post before I'd ever met them and I was feeling pretty positive about them already. I'm doubly so after having met them. Even though their Etsy shop is closed for another 10 days, you can check out their Facebook page here.

Mike and Jen had a booth set up at Cookie Con to sell their wares. After the event was over, a friend and I helped them take their booth done and put away all of their wonderful stock. In the generous spirit I've come to associate with them, they insisted my friend Kim and I each pick a cookie mold of our choice. That was completely unnecessary but they insisted we choose. They are truly generous giving people. The one I coveted the most is the mold you see here for the US Air Force. Immediately I thought of the stamped cookies I could send to service members in the Air Force in the care packages I send every month as a volunteer with Soldiers Angels.

Which leads me to the second something I want to amplify: with the increased troop deployments to the NATO countries, it's more important than ever for our troops to get support from back home. I'm not one for a lot of flag waving and "loud" patriotism that speaks a lot of words. It's not enough to just talk "patriot". I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves. That means baking, packaging up the baked goods and mailing them out to the troops. Which I did. It's a small thing. But it's something.

I used the stamped cookie recipe from Nordic Ware because I like the flavor but in hindsight, it didn't hold the impression of the finer details of the cookie mold very well. I had to include in the letter to the members of the Air Force I sent these to that they might have to squint to see the full design but they're there. Ah well, I'll have to try a different recipe for the next Air Force packages going out. 

I'm not so naive as to think a couple packages of cookies to the troops and a shout out to a small business is going to fix things or even make a huge difference. But even if it just makes a tiny difference, it's better than doing nothing. No matter what's going on in the world, do something positive for it. It's the only way I know how to feel better.