I’m the baker behind Life Lately Bakery. It’s a small kitchen, a lot of experimenting, and an ever-growing list of things I want to bake next. What started simply as something I enjoyed doing has slowly turned into something I’m excited to share with other people. Around here, recipes get tested, tweaked, shared with family and friends, and sometimes sent right back to the kitchen for another round. That’s part of the fun. ♡ 

I really wasn’t trying to start a bakery. I was just trying to make a really good chocolate chip cookie.

My family isn’t huge on sweets, so the goal was pretty simple. We wanted that perfectly balanced cookie you could sit down with at night, pour a glass of milk, and actually enjoy without it being too much.

Eventually I got it to the point where, by our family’s standards, it was great. I pretty much thought, “Well, that’s that.” 😂

Then we started giving some away.

People kept telling us it was one of the best chocolate chip cookies they’d had. Then we gave more away... and heard the same thing. Again and again. That little cookie eventually became Chip Happens, and I kept tweaking it as I learned more from other bakers, read their tips and tricks, and figured out what worked for me.

And honestly, that’s pretty much how Life Lately happened. It wasn’t planned. One cookie turned into more cookies, then came turnovers, then snack packs, and suddenly I was giving this whole bakery thing a real shot.

I guess sometimes “shit happens” really does turn into a pretty happy accident. ♡ 

Of course I want to grow Life Lately. Business is business, and I can't turn this little bakery into everything I hope it can become unless I do the work to get it there. Part of that is marketing, and really, what better way to market treats than to let people actually eat them? 😂

But sharing what I make has never felt like just marketing to me. 

There's something really special about knowing someone is sitting down somewhere, opening something I made, taking that first bite, and maybe thinking of me for a second. Not in a "look what I made" kind of way. More like we got to share a tiny piece of happiness, even if we weren't in the same room.

And the more Life Lately grows, the more I'd love to be able to share that feeling with people who might need it a little more.

Someday, I'd love to use some of what the bakery earns, along with donations when possible, to put together treat boxes or even meals for people who could use a little extra kindness. Maybe that's cookies for someone going through cancer treatment, treats for a retirement community, something for children and families in foster care, or one of my baked ziti kits going to a family who could really use dinner taken off their plate.

I don't know exactly what that will look like yet, and I'm okay with that. Right now I'm still building this thing, getting my name out there, handing out treats, listening to feedback, and figuring it out as I go.

But if doing what I have to do to grow Life Lately eventually gives me the ability to do more of what I want to do with it, that's a pretty good reason to keep going. ♡