It’s hard to believe I’ve now had this food account for one whole year! So this story is about to get a little long-winded and sentimental, but I wanted to take a minute to explain why I share all of my family’s favorite recipes…
About 10 years ago I was sinking under the weight of caring for 5 young kids. Every day was a continuous stream of dirty diapers, breakdowns (by my kids and me), and messes. Don’t get me wrong, I knew I was lucky to be surrounded by all those little people and their smiles and hugs, but it was also very hard. The mental and physical exhaustion were real! My husband was in the middle of a difficult graduate school program, and we lived far from all of our family. A stranger once said it best, “You’re too busy right now to know how blessed you are.”
But it was during this time that I learned how much joy food could bring into my life. I learned that no matter what the day threw at me, I could look forward to a slice of the pie I was making for dessert. I learned that it was okay to take some time for myself and to do something I loved, even if it meant the kids watched another cartoon.
So I emptied a cabinet in my kitchen, filled it with toys to keep my one year old busy, and got to work learning how to make all of my favorite foods. I hesitated for a while, thinking I should wait until they were older and I had more time. But with all the celebrations, memories, and family dinners we’ve enjoyed over the years I can honestly say that not putting it off was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Lately life has felt a little like all those years – where life is the same day in and day out. I’m guessing that I’m not the only one who feels that way. And I want to be sure you know that behind all of the carefully photographed food, my life is anything but perfect. In the past year our family has had sickness, surgery, kitchen disasters, and disappointment…but food has continued to be a constant source of joy in our lives. I can count on dinner when sometimes I can’t count on anything else. Do you know what I mean?
So thank you for supporting me and reading my posts and making my recipes – and also sharing your favorites! My only goal when creating this account was to spread some happiness and joy, from my kitchen to yours. I hope you’re able to make something special for yourself and the people you love soon, you deserve it! ❤️
Just for fun, I looked at my stats and found the top four posts from the first year (apparantly I’m not the only one with a sweet tooth 😂):
Here are the links to all of the recipes!
All your recipes look delicious!
Thanks so much, I really appreciate that!