I enjoy telling people that I am a baker. Invariably the response is very animated and excited; people find it to be fascinating. I think with TV and Netflix being awash with cooking shows glamorizing food service careers, people tend to have a rosy view of my profession. Without fail, if I get into a …
Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence Sunscreen Review
Hello friends! I’m back with a review for an amazing summertime product that I recently discovered: Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ sunscreen!
Tosowoong Powder Cleanser Review
The time has come: I’m finally letting out my inner skincare nerd and writing up a review! I thought I might start with something fairly simple, so this wonderful cleanser from Tosowoong is going to be my introductory review. I was gifted a small amount of this by a friend to try out, and after …
Making Macarons the Hard Way
I’ve been making macarons professionally for 5 years now, and I feel accomplished to have made it through such a sustained period of macaron production with my mental health (mostly) intact. That’s not to say that it hasn’t been shredded to bits during times of extreme frustration, because there have been tears shed and many …
For the Love of Crafts and Environmental Awareness
At one time, I was a hardcore crafter. You name it, I did it: painting, crochet, scrapbooking, ceramics, quilling, leather work, Ukrainian eggs, basket weaving, calligraphy, and more. Crafts were the ultimate destination for my creativity! But I also had significantly more free time on my hands than I do now! I miss those days …
Kitesurfing in Tarifa
You might have been led by the title of this piece to believe that this post is about my harrowing and adventure-filled experience kitesurfing off of the coast of Tarifa, but I must inform you that I have somewhat deceived you. Or, perhaps you simply took the title as a straightforward description of the picture …
The Sound of Water
This photo was taken in my old neighborhood. There was a sidewalk that circled the houses that was about a mile long, perfect for short jaunts in the fresh air. This creek ran through it, creating movement in an otherwise still area. I had set out with my boyfriend that winter day to photograph the …
Fall Tradition
Each year in October my family makes the pilgrimage to Baldwin City, Kansas, for the Maple Leaf Festival. As the name suggests, the maple trees sprinkled throughout the city are beginning to wear their warm fall colors, and the bright leaves stand in contrast to the gray sky. The narrow streets of the city become …
Two Weeks in Budapest
This summer I had the privilege of exploring Budapest with a dear friend who is a native of the city. I spent two weeks hitting the streets with her and taking in all of the sites! We also went to several villages surrounding Budapest, as well as Lake Balaton, which is the largest lake in …
5 Spectacular Talents That You Gain as a Baker
I’ll start off by saying that this could be more accurately titled “5 Otherwise Useless Talents That You Can’t Use Unless You Spend Vast Amounts of Time in a Kitchen”. I decided that seemed a tad clunky, and it also could be a strong turn off to potential readers. You might now be thinking, “Melanie, …