Coffee Break

It’s been a minute! And I’m thrilled to finally check in with another life update today.

Above: working on sprucing up my Piping Tips 101 post!

Baby on the Way!

First, thank you so so so much for the incredibly sweet and kind responses to our very happy news! Kevin and I are over the moon excited to welcome another baby into the world this summer. We know the sex and are keeping it to just family and a few close friends.

I’m 21 weeks along already! I’m feeling pretty good now, but had a difficult first trimester. I was constantly nauseous and utterly exhausted– mentally, emotionally, and physically. I chalk it up to it being my busiest time of year (holiday season) and having a rambunctious 2 year old. I rested as much as I could. Pregnancy feels much different this time because Noelle keeps me on my toes, but it’s mentally different as well. I feel more confident because I understand (mostly) what’s going on and what’s about to happen.

Like some mothers reading this, I experienced postpartum depression after my 1st was born. I know it can hit again this time, but I feel like I’m in a new headspace. I understand the magnitude of what’s to come and I know how to deal with it– if that makes sense? Of course, the transition from 1 to 2 will be tough, but we are ready for the challenge.

Parents, any advice going from 1 to 2?

Jude’s clearly excited for ANOTHER human sibling. ?

Update on Jude

It’s been 6 months since we learned about Jude’s cancer. Jude is our nearly 12 year old German shepherd/rottie rescue. Being in excellent health otherwise, Jude had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor this past August. We went through 5 rounds of canine chemo through an IV and while the tumor has not returned, we learned in January that the cancer is still prevalent in his lymph nodes.

We understand we can’t control it. But by the advice of our vet team, we switched to an oral chemo medication. (Obviously taking extra precaution where necessary as advised by my Dr and our vet since I’m pregnant.) And I’m thrilled to report that Jude’s doing great and his bloodwork has been consistently healthy!

Are we just prolonging the inevitable? We look at it this way: Jude is not acting sick. He’s happy, eating, sleeping, playing with his bones, barking at the mailman, going on walks, excitedly trotting around the house, etc. If Jude looked sick and was showing signs of severe pain, our journey would be different right now. As long as he’s full of life, we will do anything for our Jude. He turns 12 at the end of March!

Thank you for all the kind words of encouragement these past 6 months. You know how much our dogs mean to us.

By the way, it’s Franklin’s 4th birthday next week!

Remember when we adopted little Frank?

Phoenix Video Shoot

Did I tell you that I was in Phoenix last month? We organized a video shoot with our favorite video team. (Remember my Sprinkled series? Same talented crew!) We were itching for more video material and wanted it done before the baby comes. It won’t really be a “season 2” of Sprinkled, but the videos will feel similar. We filmed them at one of my assistant’s, Hilari’s, parents house over 3 days. The house is simply beautiful, the shoot was so much fun, and the experience was unforgettable. Palm trees, sunshine, and short sleeves in the middle of January weren’t so bad either!

I can’t wait to share the videos over the coming months. ?

We used the trip as a SBA team retreat, too. ?

Here we have Trina, Lexi, me, Hilari, and Stephanie. We live all over the country. I hired each of these girls off the internet before I even met them in real life. Ha! Sounds odd, doesn’t it?

My team helps me with social media, Pinterest, email support, baking challenge organization, graphic design, videos, recipe testing, backend linking/website support, and all the other little things that go into this online business. Running Sally’s Baking Addiction is more work than anyone could ever imagine (it really is!) and I’m lucky that I have a wonderfully positive, supportive, and hardworking team to help manage it all. This is a power group of dedicated women!

I plan to introduce each of them in a separate post in the coming months. Love them all!!!

Recipe Updates

I’ve updated some favorites on Sally’s Baking Addiction recently. My reasoning is simply this: I have over 1,200 recipes under my belt with new readers popping in daily. Why not show off the recipes I make the most often on a regular basis? This also gives me a chance to take updated photos, republish the recipe if I want, film a video tutorial, and optimize the post with more helpful instructions. A win-win-win! Along with all the new recipes you see here, you’ll find that I updated the following posts in the past couple months:

By the way, I added lots of extra tips for the Breakfast Cookies, including how I turned them into lactation cookies when I was nursing. It’s obviously been on my mind again recently and I know many new moms will appreciate it too. They taste AWESOME with those additions. (And without!)

February Sally’s Baking Challenge

February Baking Challenge recipe: Swiss Meringue Buttercream

We only have 1 week left in the February Sally’s Baking Challenge and I am LOVING how you’re using this SMBC in your creations. One reader, Kaitlin, says:

“This is the perfect frosting if you want something lighter than traditional buttercream! I was scared to attempt this recipe since there are so many steps that could go wrong, but Sally made it so easy to follow and my first attempt turned out great!”

This challenge ends on February 28th 2020 at 5pm ET. The winner will be selected at random and posted in the March Baking Challenge blog post on February 29th 2020. Need help understanding my monthly baking challenges and/or don’t want to miss any in the future? Sign up for the Sally’s Baking Challenge emails. The welcome email explains it all! ?

That’s all for now. Have a great weekend!

PS: I’m going on maternity leave after our babe is born. While you’ll continue to see Sally’s Baking Addiction in action on social media, in your inbox, and here on the website, the blog posts won’t be as frequent. (Who knows, maybe I’ll get a lot prepped and they will be!) Sally’s Baking Challenge will continue, of course. I’ll be checking in periodically, everything will be scheduled, and my team is here to assist. Thank you for sharing this exciting time with me!

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