New Chapters
I’m embarrassed to admit that it’s been more than a year since I penned my last blog post. And I find myself, once again, recovering from an amazing year of baking, new friendships, and sheer exhaustion—though maybe not in that order! Brian and I are presently installed in our small, but cozy, rental unit in Sarasota, and are relearning how to relax and do nothing. It’s difficult.
I was reminded to restart the next chapter of my blog by our daughter, Jamie, who is poised to take on a more visible role in the bakery in late spring, when she herself begins the next phase in her life, after she returns from Spain.
So here I am, breathing in the warm, tropical evening air from the lanai—the Hawaiian word for veranda—which, in Florida, you can’t live without, while comfortably sitting in my short-sleeves and capris.

Rather than delve into a topic that involves baking, I’m going to write about something that’s silly and ridiculous. It is a known fact— as Brian will confirm, without hesitation— that I am a sucker for chachkas, or things that are advertised (“as seen on TV!”) as proven timesavers: gadgets that will clean the house in less than an hour or items that will infinitely improve my life. Now that I have time on my hands, I’m not expected to be anywhere, at any specific time, and I can happily stroll down the aisles of the local Publix/Staples/Bed Bath & Beyond.
This time, I spot, out of the corner of my eye, the latest and greatest timesaver of them all: a miniature vacuum cleaner in the shape of a bee (or turtle or ladybug). Called the “Crumby,” I read that this tiny vacuum, with a 12,000 rpm micro-vortex motor (it runs on two double-A batteries—not included), crumb-busting brush bristles, and even a teeny fusion-mesh air filter, will miraculously vac up any particles or crumbs left on my table/kitchen drawer/glove compartment/office/diaper bag.
Thankfully, I am no longer in need of a diaper bag, but a little lightbulb suddenly goes off in my head: this will be the perfect tool for vacuuming up all the sesame seeds and bread crumbs that get stuck in the backseat of our car when we’re out on deliveries! I am sold. So this blog did have to do with baking, after all.