"Celebrate we will! Cause life is short, but sweet for certain...”

--Dave Matthews Band

 

I'm Emily, a self-taught baker from Michigan. I am obsessed with macarons, reading, and traveling. And sour candy. And croissants.

I am married to my high school sweetheart, Tim. We've been together for 16 years, married for seven. Tim works in IT, but his passions are drumming and video games. He's currently working on writing his first solo album! Together, we love road trips, riding our Yamaha FZ8, eating, and binge watching shows.

We have two children, Sweet Pea and Pudsy. Sweet Pea loves laying on my head when I'm sleeping, doing yoga with me, and sampling all of my food. Her favorites are fish sticks, scones, and pretzel buns. Seriously.

icecreamkitty
beekitty
bookkitty
potterkitty
piratekitty
starwars
thanksgivingkitty
christmaskitty

Yes, we are those parents. The cool ones.

Pudsy was found outside Tim's work in a puddle (hence the name), just days from death. He was about three weeks old, only 1/2 a pound and was extremely sick. Tim brought him home to "just take him to the vet because he's so sick", and obviously I took one look at him and he's been a part of our family ever since. Pudsy loves racing around the house, testing the nerves of his big sis, and cuddling. He purrs 90% of the time and is so lovable. He sleeps next to me all day long as I work and is in every Zoom meeting. He also loves watching me cook. Even if something has onions in it, he sits near me, squinting. It's absolutely adorable ♥︎

babypuds
crossedpuds
gryffindorpudsy
holdingpuds
christmas
halloweenpuds
daddyandpudsy
christmaspuds

My love of baking truly started in the last few years. As I am currently unable to go to pastry school, I thought it would be a great learning experience to pick a recipe book and make every recipe in it, from cover to cover, blogging about my successes as well as my failed attempts along the way.

I've started this blog not only for accountability, but also because I needed to push myself out of my comfort zone. This has given me something to look forward to because I know I'll always be baking and learning something new and will be able to look back on here to see how far I've come! My hope is that I challenge myself and grow as a baker as well as hopefully inspire someone else to get out of their comfort zone.

*I want to note that I won't be able to write out every single recipe in the book I'm baking from because that could take away profits from the author. My plan is to write what I've learned from each recipe and show what I can through photos.

To learn more about me and my journey, start at the beginning HERE.

10 random facts about me:

  1. I'm an enneagram 9.
  2. I would choose vanilla over chocolate any day. Or candy over chocolate any day. That being said, I can't get enough of Reese's shapes or Cadbury mini eggs during every holiday season. We pretty much always have a bowl of chocolates in our home.
  3. I love cheez-its, sour candy, and chips. Crunchy and chewy things are my favorite, and I'm probably going to have to replace all my teeth the older I get...
  4. I live to travel. London is my favorite place in the world, I've never felt more at home anywhere else. A couple other bucket list travel locations include Japan with my husband, and England with my bestie (visiting all the castles!). And Scotland. And Switzerland, South Korea, Ireland, Iceland, Greece, and Italy. I don't think the urge to explore new places will ever stop!
  5. I'm a HUGE nerd. I absolutely love Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and basically any sci-fi/fantasy there is. Oppositely, I love period dramas (think Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife, Outlander, North and South, etc.), romantic comedies, murder mysteries, and thrillers. I love playing video games, and I love watching anime (specifically Attack on Titan), anything by Studio Ghibli, and am obsessed with K-Dramas. The first K-Drama I ever watched was Crash Landing on You, and I bawled during countless episodes. It affected me for weeks lol. We will more than likely become friends if you like any of these shows 🙂
  6. I read 72 books last year. I love reading! Favorite book of all time: A Court of Wings and Ruin, by Sarah J. Maas, favorite series is either ACOTAR or Harry Potter.
  7. My freezer is always full of cookie dough, homemade soft pretzels, and scones. I work for Handle the Heat, and part of my job is testing recipes before they're published. It's one of my favorite parts of my job, and being able to enjoy what I test is the best.
  8. Growing up I wanted to be either a librarian, an English teacher, or a baker. Weirdly enough, my current position contains a little bit of each job!
  9. My favorite season is fall. As much as I am obsessed with Christmas and love everything about it, there's something about the changing of weather from summer to fall that makes me feel alive again. The cooler temps, the warmer colors, the changing leaves, the smells. I'm so happy when I'm able to decorate with our spooky decor and pumpkins, bring out my warmer clothes, and feel the need to start hibernating. I love soups and breads and desserts, and fall is the best time for that 🙂
  10. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm an introvert. While I love being around close friends and family as well as getting to know new people and exploring new places, spending time at home reading, cozy under a blanket with candles lit and a cup of tea and snacks will always be my favorite place to be. And of course with my cats sleeping next to me ♥︎