And Here’s Where We’ll Close This Chapter

Friends, good morning! My parents are coming to Texas next week, and I’m counting down the days. The last time they were here (last Thanksgiving, to be exact), I’d roped them into helping me pull off a surprise wedding before the big family dinner which was, as you’d imagine, no small feat. The time before that, they spent days unpacking boxes with me in the summer heat, making this big old Victorian house feel like home.

This visit, I promised to be more chill… but who are we kidding? Chill has never really been my brand. They’re coming to help me put the almost-finishing touches on the pop-up garage bakery, which I’m hoping to soft-launch later this month. I’ll have more official details on The Bakehouse here on the blog very soon.

Before the flurry begins, a few fine links for your Sunday.

• Trending news from the front lines of The Internet:  having a boyfriend is… embarrassing now? The internet has turned soft-launching your partner into a full on gymnastics routine all in the name of not losing cool points. Maybe it’s age or maybe it’s peace, but I’ve officially reached the phase of life where other people’s opinions on who I love and whether I post them is completely moot but – this is a very interesting/spot-on read:  Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrassing Now? (Vogue)

•  We fell back an hour which sounds dreamy until our bodies decides 4 a.m. is the new 7. Turns out, our circadian rhythms don’t get the daylight savings memo. Think: jet lag without the vacation.  Apparently a little prep (and maybe less scrolling before bed) can save our sleep this week: How To Keep This Weekend’s Time Change From Wrecking Your Sleep (Self)

•  I can’t tell you how many creative ruts I’ve dragged my ass through over the years. I very much related to The creative’s slump and can attest to the fact that creative whimsy does return. If you’re feeling in a rut, may I suggest taking on a little holiday gift craft or open a bakery in your backyard (that’s what I’m going for, lol).(Substack)

•  Fear is a shapeshifter.  In How to Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, playwright Bess Wohl shares how courage is only ever 51% stronger than fear (and the great news is – that’s enough). I can attest: learning to ride a motorcycle, and honestly, every big move I’ve ever made, required just that tiny edge of bravery over doubt. That’s the secret! (Substack)

•  I need a hambone stat: Navy Bean Soup (The Kitchn)

•  I’ve been loving Nicole Svenson’s content on spending $300 on groceries per month. How she shops only once a month, cooks, gardens, makes bread, sneaks lentils into ground meat, andcouldn’t care less about the haters (because truly why?). (TikTok)

•  The slight chill in the air has me insisting on a flavored coffee creamer where my regular splash of 2% milk simply will not do.  I don’t love the store-bought stuff so this Homemade Pumpkin Coffee Creamer has become a strong contender for what to make with my extra hour this Sunday.  (Sally’s Baking Addiction)

•  Speaking of pumpkin things – this pot of Chicken and Pumpkin Dumplings seems like the move this week. (Joy the Baker)

•  My favorite listen of the week was Kate McKinnon on Good Hang with Amy Poehler as I too would want to last a long weekend’s length of the apocalypse.  (Apple Podcasts)

•  I absolutely need to schedule an ear-piercing friend date because I’ve wanted a second hole in my ears for years now.  Actually, I wonder if my mom wants to do this with me. Actually, I wonder if my mom could actually just pierce my ears. Too far?   From Platonic Love: 10 Friend Dates You’ll Remember (Substack)

And that’s where we’ll close this chapter.

For the past ten years (since 2015) I’ve written a Let It Be Sunday post nearly every week, sharing links and thoughts that stretch far beyond the world of butter and cookies. If we’re doing the math, that’s a decade of Sundays – a decade that has held it all: divisive politics, a global pandemic, elections, shutdowns, Olympics, fires, cross-country moves, weddings, new homes… truly, all of life in its complications and grace.

I’m so thankful you’ve welcomed me as part of your Sunday routine, or maybe your Monday morning scroll before the workday begins. You’ve expanded me in heart and mind. After ten years of these Sunday posts alone (and eighteen years of blogging total!), I think it’s time to gently close this Let It Be Sunday chapter to make room for what’s next.

I’m working diligently on opening The Bakehouse Texas, a monthly pop-up bakery that’s slowly coming to life in my Bellville backyard (we’re hoping to soft open November 22nd, yay!/yikes!). I also want to create space for something new to take the Sunday post’s place.  To figure out what that will be, I have to let this long and lovely tradition conclude.

I want to thank Amy, Toby, Kim, Abby, and Karlee for lending their hearts and voices to Let It Be Sunday over the past few years, and thank you for welcoming them as friends. You can click their names above to follow them across their own creative corners of the internet.

I’ll still be right here on the blog with new recipes and updates, and I’ll also be sharing loads of free newsletters and more personal writing with paid subscribers over on my Baked In Substack, where paid subscribers also get ad-free access to joythebaker.com (a sweet bonus).

From my whole heart – thank you for spending your Sundays with me for all these years. More from me soon.

My love to you.

xo Joy