My last post was getting too long, so I cut out all the baking talk and pictures. Soo, that’s mostly what this post is about! As soon as the cut-off date for orders arriving before Christmas hit, my Etsy shop slowed down. Which was much needed! I kept selling out of chocolate covered Oreos and was falling behind on my household duties.
As soon as Etsy orders slowed down… local orders ramped up since we’re getting closer to Christmas! Local orders feel a lot more relaxed because I don’t have to ship the baked goods. Instead, I get to give them to people I know and love!
Some of the things ordered the past week have been:
- Challah knots
- Brownies
- Cookies
- Chocolate covered Oreos
- Biscotti
- Cupcakes
So, I’ve been a happily busy baker! How about some pictures?
Every single on of our counters was covered! Cinnamon rolls, cookie dough, buttercream frosting, and the start of truffles are all in the above picture.
It felt like forever since I made challah knots. They’re so easy, they just take time. Like all good things 😊
Some simple Christmas cookies! I made two batches of these and the kids enjoyed helping out the second round.
Can you tell this was the batch the kids helped with?! All the sprinkles all over the place might be the giveaway 😉
They’re messy but they sure are cute!
They came out well!
I had a customer order cupcakes and told me to just make whatever I wanted, so that was fun! When I was placing them in the tray, they reminded me of Neapolitan ice cream!
I made chocolate cupcakes with peppermint buttercream, vanilla with chocolate peanut butter buttercream, and strawberry with vanilla buttercream. So fun to get creative!
This was my first time making truffles! It was easier than I thought. Might be a new addiction?!
I have one more order to do before Christmas (chocolate peppermint cupcakes!), and then I’ll be thinking of 2025 and what life and business will look like with a new baby!
We woke up to some snow on Friday so the kids and I decided to film a vlog. Once again, I love having the memory of this day to look back on. I wish I vlogged even more… but I think my heart is in blogging/writing/photography way more than video production haha. It’s nice to have a mixture of both for memory keeping, though!
My favorite parts of the vlog:
- Sadie making a mini snowman that was unintentionally scary
- Mordecai wanting to mop the floors for me
- Luring Jimmy home from work quickly with Starbucks
- Hanging out at my in-laws to celebrate Christmas with them
In case you’re not into watching videos (I can’t believe the vlog is 20 minutes long 🙈), I’ll share some pictures here.
Our little snow pup! She is happiest romping around in the snow. She had the zoomies in the vlog and I think she was running at 20 miles-per-hour.
The kids were thrilled with the snow and kept making snow angels 👼
Spontaneous snow angel!
The kids warmed up by snuggling and watching Christmas movies!
We headed to my in-law’s that evening and the kids were spoiled with gifts and attention! It was such a fun evening with good food and good company ❤️
Now we’re just days away from Christmas and I am so excited! I finally got all my gifts wrapped (Jimmy hasn’t even started 🤣), made cookie trays for our neighbors (because they put up with us haha) and I’m just working on cleaning up the house and prepping for all the fun festivities and celebrating Christ’s birth!
Living My Full Life 
Wow! All the baked good look awesome! What a little boutique bakery Braid Bakery has become!
I vlog and pics are awesome as usual!
Love ❤️ You!
Dad
🙂
Aw, shucks! Thank you!! I love you!
Those challah knots look tasty! I’ve never heard of them before, so I really want to try them! I’m trying to find some last-minute activities/recipes for my kids while I wait for the cabinet painters to finish up, so I’ll have to look into some challah knots (unless you have a great recipe)! Thanks for sharing!
Your etsy shop was ON FIRE (not literally) this Christmas season! You were non-stop with both local and out of state orders! You work so hard, and the quality and busyness of your shop are proof of great products!!
The vlog was so adorable! The kids love the littlest bit of snow, and always have fun even though its an inch deep. lol
I was not a last minute shopper this Christmas – and it felt really good! I did my wrapping in segments – which works best for me. With 3 kids and their spouses and 8 grandchildren – the stock pile of gifts adds up quickly. I just put on some good music and wrap away :)))
Love you,
Madre