Long Time, No See...

Hey y'all! It's been quite some time since I have been able to log on and make a post. I just wanted to take a moment to explain what's been going on and that I am so sorry I have been so absent. It has been a crazy past few weeks, and almost everything has taken a hit from it. So, let's start from the top...

A few weeks ago, when we had that very nice warm weather, the family got together to grill, hang out, and enjoy one another's company, along with the gorgeous weather we were having. I baked some brownies, we grilled chicken and shrimp fajitas, sat on the porch, drank coffee, and talked it up until the sun went down. It was a wonderful day! One that I will not soon forget, for many reasons. As I was on the trek home, I got so sleepy and started to have some stomach cramps. I assumed it was from the enormous amount of delicious food I ate and the coffee at such a late hour. I didn't think anything of it until late that night when I woke up in a cold sweat, darting for the bathroom. The next day, I was going from freezing cold to insane hot flashes, constantly in and out of the bathroom, and body aches/stomach cramps out of this world. To spare many more details of hospital and doctor's visits, which honestly didn't have any results, I determined I have a shrimp intolerance. I was down for over a week, almost two full weeks, hardly able to move or eat, take care of myself, my daughter, nothing. It was horrible. I had to reach out to customers to let them know what was going on, delay orders, and I even offered discounts for the inconvenience. It was an awful time. It's safe to say, unfortunately, I will no longer be eating shrimp!

Fast forward to finally feeling better, a.k.a last week, I took the time to focus on my daughter. I had been so sick that I was hardly able to take care of her. I can never say this enough, I am SO very thankful for my mama. She helped me out so much, not just with the baby, but with me as well. Hauling all of us to and from hospitals, doctors' offices, making sure I was at least drinking fluids, and trying to get me to eat. I honestly don't know where I would be without her, and her love and support, in my life. Mom, if you're reading this, I love you, and words cannot express how grateful I am for you. Needless to say, I had some major bonding to make up for with my daughter. We have been going through the transition of directly breastfeeding to pumped milk in a bottle. She was taking so much from me when I was sick, and I honestly didn't have the energy to continuously breastfeed at the time. We had to dip into the little bit of milk I had saved in the freezer for emergencies, such as what happened. Patting past me on the back for thinking of that! She was also comfort feeding around the clock, and I wasn't sure how else to break her of that. And she finally got a tooth, so all of my breastfeeding mamas out there, I know you know! So, I took that first week of feeling better to really spend some time with her. The mom guilt was killing me when I was sick.

I have always made her own baby food, but as she's getting older, she is completely over pureed food and living table food. I took the time to research and develop some baby/toddler food and snacks. Let me tell you, she has loved every single one of them! And although she isn't too fond of purees, she really enjoys the applesauce pouches! I have some of the reusable ones, so I have made so many of those in the last couple of weeks, as well as teething biscuits, yogurt melts, healthy pancakes, and so much more! I've been thinking about starting a baby food/snack series for all my mamas out there. What do y'all think about that?

Speaking of social media, I finally made a TikTok account! I will be posting even more exclusive content, as TikTok offers a wider range of tools and greater audience reach, given that nearly everyone is on TikTok. I added my account in the footer below, as well as right here! Give me a follow and check out exclusive videos from the floral cookie cake I made! Let me know what you think!

To conclude, life has been crazy lately, and I wanted to take the time to explain: being sick sucks, I'm getting back into the swing of things again- posting regularly, and baking my little heart out- and I am never eating shrimp again... As sad as that is to say, I never want to go through that again. I think I can do without shrimp in my life, so I don't get terribly sick again. Stay tuned for regular posts, content, and delicious bakes and recipes!

I have finally gotten back into the swing of things, baking-wise, as well as finally developing a pumping schedule. I unfortunately had an order for this week canceled on me, but it freed up time to be creative and jump on the floral basket designs I've been seeing! I made a chocolate chip cookie cake, along with a few cookies, and piped a gorgeous design on the cake. I was so happy with how it turned out, especially for being my first time ever piping the basket look. I finally got a hold of some luster dust, and I am obsessed with it! Ugh, I love it.

The cancellation also gave me time to work on some recipes and experiments for some upcoming, big bakes. I have a birthday cake to make for a very special little girl that I am so excited to decorate! I have a big cake to make in May for another birthday party that I may be even more excited for. I don't want to give too much away, but it's something I've never done before. You'll have to keep a lookout on social media for videos when I get around to practicing recipes and designs!