a letter for you

Hello lovely readers,

This post is just for you. In some ways, all of the things I share here are for you, but this one is especially for you. Let me explain. You see, I love the way that blogging provides me with a way of recording the moments in life that I want to remember. It's a brilliant tool for storing recipes and creative ideas, and it's a way of documenting the beauty that I see around me every day. But the thing is with writing a blog, is that everything I write is out there for all the world to see, and from the blogs that I follow, I have seen how wonderful the impact of sharing a little bit of life online can be. Blogging can foster community, and I think that this makes the process and time that goes into blogging seem so much more worthwhile - when a blog becomes a space where conversations happen, where inspiration is found and where encouragement is given. In my sidebar, there is a picture of a chair, and the words,

 'come sit a while and have a little read...'

I suppose my hope for this blog has been that you, dear readers, would come and visit the space I have created here, sit a while with a mug of your favourite hot beverage in hand, and feel like you're sharing a little bit of life with a friend. But can I be honest with you? When I look at the content of my posts, I don't feel like this is a place where I would come and sit with a big mug of coffee, because for the most part, I write about baking with a sprinkling of life thrown in between. And I feel that's all I'm really giving you - the sprinkles on top of a cake instead of the beauty of the cake as a whole - with a perfect sponge to sink your teeth into, topped with just the right amount of frosting. For the most part, you, my readers, are a quiet bunch, and in all honesty, if I were to write from my heart, and put a lot of time and energy into sharing life in a little more depth, to speak to silent onlookers feels a little disheartening. And I feel that this contributes to the nature of my blogging being just about giving you the sprinkles on a cake, rather than the whole cake experience, to continue with that analogy.

As I begin live out this new season in my life of motherhood, and as a new year approaches, I have been thinking about the things I blog about, and what direction I should take in blogging over the next year. I would love to have a little bit of input from you, my readers. I have grown to love taking photos of food, and the more I have taken photos of my baked goods, the more I have enjoyed styling the photos to make them just a little bit more exciting. You see, I love to bake and cannot imagine that changing any time soon. I am aware that food and baking are the things that I blog about most frequently. And there is a part of me that feels there is value in keeping a visual and written record of what I make and bake, even if no-one who reads this blog ever feels inspired to make what I share, because I will always enjoy looking back at what I have baked each year, and challenging myself to vary the way that I style and photograph food.

So the way I see it, I could continue blogging about food, and leave it at that. But I can't help but wonder what you would like to read about when you visit my blog, and what it is that keeps you coming back. Would you like for me to continue sharing what I bake here? Would you be interested in me writing about other topics, like motherhood, or my faith, or experience in Early Years education? Perhaps there are a number of you who read this blog who had no idea that, for the last ten years, my studying and employment has been in Early Years Education. I have rarely talked about it here, as I have needed to protect the privacy of the families whom I have worked with. Now that I am taking a year long break from teaching, and am not directly involved in teaching any children, I feel that I could talk about Early Years Education without compromising my integrity as a teacher, if that might be of interest to you.

Can I invite you to join me in a little conversation in the comments section of this blog? If you have followed along with me here for a long time, but never commented, I would love to hear from you and what you are interested in. For those of you who do kindly take the time to comment here on a regular basis, can I say a huge Thank you? I really do value your generosity and encouragement offered through your words.

With kindness,

Hannah