Why I’ve Stopped Blogging + A Tour of My New Kitchen
I’ve been putting off writing this post for a while.
Back in October I decided to stop blogging and focus on other areas of my life—like my family, my health, and simply enjoying my new kitchen! (without feeling the need to photograph everything I create in it 😉).
Almost 5 years ago…
I hit publish on my first blog post in March of 2014. Sharing the things I’d learned about natural wellness filled me up and got me through a lot of personal lows.
I’m so grateful for you if you’re reading this, because Reclaiming Yesterday has brought me so much joy over the past (almost) five years. But it’s also taken A LOT of hard work.
Blogging takes so much time and energy, and there’s a lot of (not so glamorous) behind the scenes activity that goes into it. I realized recently that I almost never take time to relax, and relaxing is an important part of being alive. 💙
I also realized that creating in the kitchen was once something that was pure therapy for me. I found the chopping, stirring, and tasting like a meditation.
I’m so thankful I was able to channel that passion into something I could share with others, but as the blog grew and it became more like a job, cooking started to lose of little of its magic for me.
I always want cooking to be magic.
I want to make a mess, lose track of time, and connect with the food that nourishes my body—and I want to do it without the pressure to record the exact measurements or video myself making it or take a picture before the perfect daylight is gone.
I love you all!
Thank you so much for supporting me here. I cherished every message, comment, email, and kind-words-in-real-life that I got from you guys.
The one thing that’s certain about the future is that none of us really know what will happen, so maybe I’ll be back in this space someday.
In the meantime I’m going to be enjoying my new kitchen which I LOVE. (I love it even more after the ridiculously eventful experience we had renovating it 😜)
I’ll take you guys on a quick little virtual tour. But FIRST, a photographic reminder of what we started out with when we moved into the new house…
YIKES. That’s a lot of cabinets.
After 2+ months of renovations and admittedly lots of frustration, the new kitchen feels like a breath of fresh air. Check it out!
After lots of thought and back and forth, I went with a mix of open shelving and closed cabinets. The cabinets are from IKEA and I love the clean, modern look they give the space.
The shelving is made of Peruvian walnut that I purchased at The Hardwood Store in Gibsonville, NC. I think it’s magical and love the earthy element it adds to the kitchen.
The window cutout to the dining area was fortunately already here when moved in. It’s so great to be in the kitchen and still be able to talk to K in the living room. Also super convenient for transferring food from kitchen to eating area 👍
And probably my favorite part of the kitchen is this nifty little spice rack! I used to hate how my spices were always getting pushed around and lost in the cabinets in my old kitchen.
This sits right next to the stove and is super handy. I bought a slide-out spice rack and had a carpenter cover it with the same wood that I used for the kitchen shelves.
The renovation experience showed me just how much the kitchen really is the heart and hub of a house. It’s my favorite room and I’m so excited to make lots of yummy memories in it for years and years. ❤️
14 responses to “Why I’ve Stopped Blogging + A Tour of My New Kitchen”
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I love your new kitchen, too! It cry’s out, Come and cook with me!”
I also, had the same epiphany as you this year. If I’m always too busy working I have lost that joy of “forgetting the clock and getting lost in my cooking!” I used to do that when my four boys were young and I was cooking for them. Now that they are all grown, I still need to ‘schedule’ a day off to cook!! 😋
Thank you! And yes it feels so nice to create in the kitchen without any pressure. I hope you find some time in the new year to let loose and just cook from your soul 🙂
I have loved hearing from you thru your blog and sharing your gifts of memories and recipes. I look forward to hearing what comes next.
Thank you for following along, love you!
Love your new kitchen and don’t blame you at all for wanting to cut back and enjoy your life. But is there some way that I can see some of your older posts? I haven’t been on your blog for very long, and wish I had been for a longer time.
You are so sweet! Thank you, and you can access all of my old posts from my blog. If you check at the top there is a navigation that allows you to see older posts and recipes. 🙂 Wishing you a fabulous 2019!
It was great to follow your health jeourney. I will certainly miss the Instagram posts. Hope you will be back one day. Even if once a week. You gave hope to so many. And presious knowledge. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Bella! ❤️
Your new kitchen is wonderful! I love all the drawers, I never have enough of those. The recipes, tips and ideas you sent out in your newsletters and blog will be sorely missed but I applaud that you recognize the time to step back. Your blog will still be a treasure and I will visit there often
Hi Cody 👋🏼 the deep drawers are the best! Thanks so much and happy new year!
I am glad I found your Blog. Your recipes look amazing! Just printed 2 to try! I wish you all the best and if you ever come back to posting I will be there 🙂
Thank you so much!! ❤️
Awesome kitchen…who is the carpenter…I am in the process of bidding out my kitchen…my kitchen is too dark…look the white…
Thanks! We got a lot of quotes that were way higher than our budget so we ended up doing a lot of it DIY. IKEA has a great kitchen design team and we found someone local who could install cabinets and backsplash. The granite is from Lowe’s!