07/12/2026
I think it’s time for a little behind the scenes chat….
When I first started baking as a side business and not just for my family, I did something that actually is nothing like me at all. I usually take pride in doing things my own way. But, I also take pride in doing things well. I wanted happy customers, decent sales. So, I tried to learn from those who went before me. Instead of reaching out and making connections, I went to social media. And I saw big, decadent, overloaded fun statement desserts. Candy pieces. Bright sprinkles. Cookies within a cookie. It seemed like the standard, so I tried my best to fall in line.
But something kept bothering me. And if you’ve looked at our website or visited the stand, you may have seen it for yourself.
I sell homemade soaps that I make by hand with no fragrance or dyes. I make my own lip balm. Our dog treats rarely have more than four ingredients. The syrups and jams? Mostly just fruit and sugar. Fruit that we usually pick ourselves from a local farm, if possible.
The truth is Oreos, Nutter Butters, Butterfingers, and Reddi-Whip - those aren’t foods my own family usually eats. I try to fill our pantry with ingredients we actually recognize and can pronounce. That doesn’t mean we never enjoy dessert. We absolutely do. And it definitely doesn’t mean I never grab a candy bar at the grocery store or that I don’t love an ice cold Coke on a hot day or, most importantly, that I would ever judge anyone else’s food choices. That’s 100% not happening. Not at all.
But if I’m asking my neighbors to spend their hard-earned money at à la mode, I have to feel completely confident serving those same treats to the people I love most.
From my porch view, I’ve watched the neighborhood kids grow up - even in the short five years we’ve been here. The kids I saw toddling around their yard our first summer here now zoom by on their bikes without training wheels. The shy elementary school kids I met our first week here are now confident teenage athletes. I’ve watched kids learn to drive and I’ve heard the pride in revving the first engine that actually belonged to them.
And I’m sorry - but I can’t sell these kids something that I wouldn’t serve my own family.
So I’m making a small change that’s actually a really big deal to me.
Going forward, you’ll only see things made from simple, recognizable ingredients. Real butter. Real vanilla. Good chocolate. Fresh fruit. Spices. Flour. Sugar. Eggs. The kinds of ingredients my grandmothers taught me to use. The kind that you see when I’m preparing food for my own table. The kind I was already sharing with you, but just without the extra fluff.
That means saying goodbye to a few of the new things I’ve been trying out, and even to a few cookies I’ve been making for years. But I just look at it as making more room for the good stuff.
This isn’t about being “healthy.” A lot of my treats are far from what most people would describe as healthy. I’m not sugar-free, gluten-free or vegan, even though I have so much respect for those who are. So it’s certainly not about judging anyone else’s choices. It’s simply about staying true to my values. This inconsistency has really been bothering me. And finally, I decided that if it’s bothering me this much, I need to make a change.
Basically, it comes down to this: If it isn’t something I’d happily put on my own family’s table, my name doesn’t belong on it.
If you actually read all that, thank you. I don’t know why it sounds so ChatGPT - I swear it isn’t. I appreciate all of you for making this so much fun, for stopping to chat, asking questions and giving us a try! ❤️
