Having Your Cake and Eating It Too | Blog Turns Four

We did it!!

This week Blue Ribbon Kitchen

officially turned four.

Happy Birthday to us!!

This week we quietly turned the corner

into the next year of 
this blogging adventure.

I have a few gifts for YOU too... keep reading!

Are you ready to celebrate??

I am...

Four years doesn't seem like that long ago...

In fact, if feels like yesterday.

I can remember how nervous I was to hit

the "publish" button... 

I was terrified...totally unsure

of the blogging world and what 

I might be getting myself into.

I had soooo many questions 
and worries about

starting this blog... 
those worries seem silly now... 

I was so unsure, 
I almost talked myself out of blogging,

before I ever began.

My biggest concerns were:

What if no one reads the blog...at all...?
~
and maybe worse...
What if people do read it ?? ...and then hate it?
~
Is this the right time to do this??
~
Can I do this and everything else too??
~
Could I transform all this
(the baking and creating)
 into something
tangible and useful for others??
~
Could I really have my cake and eat it too??
...provided I bake the cake also??
~
Should I tell my friends about this??
~
Do I dare post this to Facebook??
~
What if I fail...
(this was probably my biggest worry of all...)

After four years of blogging

here's what I've discovered...

I fail all the time...

mostly in small ways... 

I'm not perfect...not even close.

I make lots of mistakes...

The key is:  I don't ever give up.

As long as I am not giving up,

all the mistakes...

those moments...
—they become 

learning experiences and lessons.

It's the good stuff that helps us grow.

It's all part of the journey. 

Here's the thing about blogging... 

You have to share it, to make it work.

Doing it...

... small things... big things...anything...

the "doing" requires taking a chance...

Being vulnerable and

having the courage to fail (even publicly)

...this is an experience like no other...

So, four years ago...

 I was scared.

But, I got over it.

I got excited...

I got motivated and 

I decided to go for it... 

Because... why not?

To celebrate four fabulous years 

of blogging... lessons learned and life... 

I am sharing four of my favorite quotes 

that have guided me 

on this journey...so far...

And...

I'm also giving away a copy of

one of my new

favorite books: 

Celebrate Everything by Darcy Miller.

If you are a party planner, 

holiday enthusiast or 

fan of celebrating anything 

and everything at all, 

you will not only LOVE 

this book...you will be inspired 

by all the amazing and truly

beautiful ideas packed inside... 

It's cover to cover inspiration!!

I KNOW you will love it and one

 lucky reader will win a copy too!!

Yay!!!

Find the RaffleCopter Sign Up after the

quotes at the bottom of this post!


...Quotes...my favorite.

I love quotes...

LOVE them so much...
I have an entire board on Pinterest
 devoted to "Wise Words"
Somehow great words restore me
when I am tired... or losing my way...
other times, they help me to gain a new
 perspective...or have a much-needed laugh.

This.  This quote has been so helpful to me.

 "Comparison it the thief of joy"... could not

be more true...especially when you are new...
new at anything... and 

feeling all those unsure feelings.

It's easy to want to compare...

I know I did at first...and now I don't, 

and I find that I am so much happier.

I'm not sure the exact job title

of my current position...

I certainly wear a lot of 

different hats day to day...

and there probably

are not too many

"Baker-Mother-Wife-Professor-TV Recipe Maker-Blogger"

types 

out there...

So, I just make it 

a point to do my very best —always.

I wouldn't want to give

 "our profession" 

a bad name... ha.

I believe in always doing more...whenever possible...

Some say less is more...I say extra is extraordinary.

Finally...

To all my worries 

at the beginning...

If I had listened to those "what ifs" 

I wouldn't be celebrating 

this wonderful

four year milestone with you today...

I can't imagine missing any

of the amazing 

moments over the past four years.
I would not trade one of those
experiences...

—not one single moment.

It's been worth every stumble...
like the time I accidentally erased all 
the photos from the blog during year-one...
and worth all the magic...
the wow-moments on live TV,
or blue ribbon wins... it's all part of
getting out there and 
doing it...

So yes...

What if I fall??

But Darling,

What if you Fly??

P.S.

You can in fact have your 

cake and eat it too...

I know this to be true.

I'm doing it...

—I happen to have some great recipes

 for cake...in case you like to bake.

Happy fourth birthday little blog... 

Make a wish!

This...was a little bit of
 how we celebrated our blog-birthday...
a night out...Opening night
 seeing Waitress here in town...

Celebrate a little bit everyday!!

Win the Book!!
Sign up below until Sat. 1-20-18.
Contest ends: 1-20-18 9PM EST
Visit and Follow our Pinterest
page for an extra entry.

Be sure to 
leave a comment on the blog
 for your chance to win!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway