Why do I bake?

• To remind me of my childhood.

• To take me back to a moment in time.

• To remind me of my mom.

• To make something for someone I love.

• To form memories with my kids.

• To escape from long to-do lists.

• To make my house smell warm and delicious.

• To get creative.

• To relieve any stress.

• To make something with my hands.

• To make something for a party or gathering.

When I really think about why I started this blog 14 years ago and why I bake, it was never about the food. It was always about the feelings and memories surrounding the baked good. It was always about a whole lot more that just the cookie at the end. And still is!

This month is a special one because my blog celebrates 14 years! Hard to believe. My life has changed a lot since I wrote my first blog post in 2010. I was a senior in college at IU (Go Hoosiers!) about to finish out the year. I would then go on to law school, and I continued blogging through that time. Then, I moved to St. Louis and started working at a firm and exploring the new city and continued to bake and blog. I then married Chad and we have had three kids, moved from our apartment to a house and I have continued blogging. As our family grew, my posts went from not just baking, but also about motherhood and clean living. A lot of my recipes made with toddlers helping by my side.

I always think of my blog as my diary of sorts. It’s always been there through much of my life. And it’s always here when I want to escape from any of my to-do lists or life stressors, and I know it’s here. I turn to it often, as a creative outlet for a passion I’ve always had, and as a space I can share whatever the heck I want to share. I always encourage anyone who has a hobby or has a passion to start a blog. It’s just so fun and there is so much creative freedom that comes with it. You truly do with it what you want!

Now, as you do anything in life, it’s so easy to start to compare ourselves to others, and I do that often in the blogging space because there are a lot of amazing blogs out there, and I often feel like I am not doing enough to grow it. But then, before I go down the rabbit hole of comparing myself to others, I remind myself that my blog is exactly who I am as a person. Not too fancy, pretty simple but full of life, relatable, not perfect, and always trying. And that to me is what is important.

All of my readers who have followed along on this journey, I wouldn’t be here without you! You are a big reason I love blogging. Connecting with you is a very important piece of the puzzle. Thank you! For being here and for supporting this space.

My cookie e-book I launched last fall has been a compilation of my top ten recipes I have grown up making. These are the recipes I turn to the most when I want to back a cookie. I just made the chocolate chip cookies from this book this week! I printed the pdf and I keep it in my kitchen and use it often.

For the month of May, I am offering my cookie book to my readers for $5 off, so you can get it for $10!

Just go through this link, here, or click the button below.

Eat to live. Bake to love.

xx,

Anna