Father's Day - June 21, 2026
I haven't posted in a few months. My last post was made April 15. My dad died on April 16, almost 6 months to the day since my mom died. I will admit it's been a hard slog for the past 7+ months. Grief is not linear. Some days I'm okay, some days I'm really not. But I am coping. Even when days like Mother's Day and Father's Day are difficult, especially in the "year of firsts" when they're no longer here.
I'm still baking off and on and trying out a few recipes here and there. But not like I used to. Baking used to be my stress relief and my happy place. Sometimes it still is. But the baking, taking pictures, blogging and all that no longer brings me the joy it used to. Instead it has become a chore of trying to put on a fake-happy facade so I don't sound like a downer all the time. I've decided that's not the right thing for me to do anymore.
These days, now more than ever, it's important to find joy where you can and hang onto it as much as you can. That means letting go of the things that you do just out of habit or because you don't know what else to do. It's making conscious choices on things that bring meaning and purpose. It's okay if what those things are changes over time. I've had a good 17-year run with this blog. I don't think I will ever give up baking entirely but I'm okay taking a (perhaps permanent) step back from blogging about it. Or just doing a write up every once in awhile when the muse and mood move me.
In the meantime, I'm making conscious choices of what does bring me joy and/or gives me purpose. I've started volunteering again, helping out at a local food pantry whenever my schedule permits. I went to a theatrical play last week. I have tickets to a concert next week and to a musical in August. I still workout 6-7 days a week. I bought myself a long arm quilting machine so I can take my quilting to the next level and start donating quilts to children in need. Those things make me happy and give me purpose.
I'll close this post with a very sincere thank you to everyone who's ever read or commented on any of my posts and tried out the recipes I've discovered. I started my blog as a repository of recipes I've tried and wanted to share. I will still keep it online so I can access 17 years of recipes. Now, almost 5 million views and over 2600 posts later, thank you, thank you, thank you. Onward.
