Oh boy guys, I’ve had this week on my calendar for almost a year now! This week marked my TENTH anniversary of starting this little ‘ol blog. I’ve sat down to write about a dozen variations of blog posts to commemorate the occasion, but funny enough, I’ve been at a loss for words to explain it. Partly because it feels like any other week — after a decade of working on this site, it’s one of the most steady parts of my routine and life. And partly because it also feels SO monumental.
Hitting ‘publish‘ on that first post 10-years ago was terrifying and daunting, but I had no idea how much opportunity and adventure and change that decision would bring. I feel so lucky to get do something that I love for work, and most days I feel straight up baffled that people actually come here to read what I have to say! So I just wanted to say thank you for stopping by — if you’re a brand new reader or an OG (Hi Mom!) — you are what makes this site possible! And with that, I once again have lots of random thoughts to share with you about what I’m up to lately:
A Decade of Blogging. After 10-years on this site, I get asked a LOT of questions about blogging from people that are just starting out, or friends and family that don’t quite understand how this is a job. I wrote a big “ask me anything” post last year that answered the most frequent questions I get about blogging, photography, and how I made this my career! I thought I’d share the Q+A post again since so much of it is still relevant if you have similar questions!
Upcoming Book Events. I have a few fun book events coming up that I’d love to see you at if you’re local! I’ll be sharing Valentine’s Day treats and signing books at the Wenham Museum tonight. You can find me speaking at my local library in Scituate on Sunday, February 10th to hear about how I went from blogger to book author. And I’m popping up at the Sweetbay Shop in Wakefield on Saturday, March 16th for a book signing and a tasting of recipes with a St. Patrick’s Day twist! (PS: If you’re looking for a fun Valentine’s Day gift for your foodie sweetheart, you can always find copies of the book on Amazon or send me an email to order a signed copy!).
Valentine’s Day. We’re one week out from Valentine’s Day! I have a new post about how to create a beautiful grazing board to celebrate the holiday with your sweetheart or best buds — it’s a drool-worthy display! I’m so excited for the holiday this year because Jane has her first Valentine’s Day party at school. We’re making cupcakes with Trader Joe’s X and O candies on top, decorating valentines with cute stickers, and my friends at June and January sent her the coziest pink jumper to wear with a cardigan and her pink heart sunglasses. I can barely handle the cuteness. (PS: one of my all-time favorite Valentine’s Day recipes are these loaded-candy-cookies!).
Reading List. I’m keeping pace with reading goal and got through about 2.5 books in January. The last one I read was Ghosted, which was recommended by so many people for me to try out. It was one of those books that has such a good twist at the end you jump up out of your seat and want to tell everyone what’s happening (I won’t ruin it, give it a read!). I’m halfway through When Life Gives You LuluLemons which is a spinoff of The Devil Wears Prada; it focuses on Emily Blunt’s sassy character from the movie and I hope and pray they make this one into a movie too because it’s funny. Leave me a note in the comments if you have other book suggestions for me, I’m almost ready for my next one!
New Recipes. My goal of creating more Instant Pot recipes this year is going well — I just added a new one for Green Chili Beef Tacos! You can find all of my Instant Pot recipes in this new Instant Pot recipe section, and if you don’t have one yet be sure to head over to my instagram page where I’m giving one away to celebrate my blog anniversary! Also new on the blog this week: Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cookies if you’re looking to indulge, and an easy One-Pan Italian Sausage and Veggies dish if you’re looking for something healthy!
SHOP THE POST
