Wow. I cannot believe it’s been EIGHT YEARS. Insane! Yes, I know, it’s unbelievable but this past Saturday, September 12th, was Cupcake Rehab‘s 8th birthday. Eight. 8. Ocho. I’m kinda in shock. It really does seem just like yesterday that I started this blog over at WordPress.com, way back in 2007. Since then, so many things have changed.

Jay and I adopted Indy. Jay got me a KitchenAid mixer which I named Lola (the Cook For the Cure pink one, of course) and a much better camera (Canon EOS Rebel t4i). We bought a house. We got married. We lost our Arwyn just a few weeks ago. And my mom- one of the main impetus for me even starting to bake & cook at all, and back then when I started this blog was still undergoing treatment- is now a NINE YEAR SURVIVOR of breast cancer, and a volunteer with the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Program.

I’d like to think my photography has gotten a lot better. And I think my recipe development has too. I’ve grown in both my cooking and my baking, and I’ve started canning and preserving as well. I’ve matured, and so has the blog. It’s shaped me, just as I’ve shaped it.

And the people I’ve met? Oh wow. From fellow bloggers to the people who “like” Cupcake Rehab on Facebook, to my Instagram and Twitter followers. They are all AMAZING. I’ve made some fantastic friends through having this blog. I’ve been exposed to things I never thought possible. I’ve made contacts and networked and enjoyed every single minute of it.

Every single day has been fun & exciting.

I’m not the best baker ever. I am most assuredly not the best blogger ever. I’m definitely not the best photographer, let alone food photographer. And lets face it, I’m no Hemingway, Fitzgerald or Wilde, but I can be funny (I hope). I’m not striving for perfect, I’m striving for normal… and of course, happy.

Some people have said, “EIGHT YEARS!? Oh my god I haven’t been able to keep my blog going for 8 days! How do you DO it?” And to that I say: I enjoy it. It makes me HAPPY. It’s not about the “hits” or the free stuff or the money (I don’t make much, if any) for me; its about having fun. I don’t care about being a famous blogger. I love cooking and baking and I love photography and writing. Creativity helps me not be bored. It’s just a culmination of  hobbies that I like to share with the world. The bonus is all those awesome people I mentioned above.

And to think it was all really an accident. I never liked baking or cooking much; of course I baked with my mother every Christmas, and I knew how to make the basic things, pasta, grilled cheese, etc. But I never had a passion for it. My idea of a meal would be to throw some pizza rolls in the oven and maybe top it off with a bag of popcorn. Or maybe make a box of Velveeta macaroni & cheese. Not until my mom got sick and I started doing it almost every night to take the pressure off her. And then it was like magic! A whole new world opened up for me. And now it’s 8 years later and I can’t imagine my life without food- both the creation and the enjoyment of food.

To celebrate this event, I made How Sweet It Is’ recipe for Cupcakes for Two. I piped on some glossy chocolate frosting and slathered ’em with sprinkles. I used this chocolate frosting recipe (scaled down quite a bit) because IT IS SO GOOD.

I promise, this coming year I will post more desserts. More cakes. More cupcakes.

VANILLA CUPCAKES FOR TWO (from How Sweet It Is)

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 heaping teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Line a muffin pan with 2 liners.
2. In a bowl, add egg white and sugar and whisk until combined. Add in vanilla and melted butter and stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until smooth. Stir in milk. Divide batter equally between the 2 cupcake liners.
3. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until cake is set. Let cool completely, then frost as desired.

I don’t know what the future of the blog is. Maybe there will come a day I no longer love it. Maybe there will come a day I don’t have time for it, or it becomes too complicated. Life throws you curveballs and just like the curveball it threw me when I started the blog, another one could come at me causing me to end it. I don’t know. I don’t live in the future- or the past. I live right now, and right now, I love it. And I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon, and a lot of that is because of all of you.

If I could make you all a cupcake, I would.

Or… I’d buy you each one. ‘Cause making that many cupcakes is a lot of work. Or you could just make them yourself. Because the entire point of my blog has always been to show you all that you can do it, too. Baking and cooking (and canning too!) is not out of your reach. Whether you do it once a month, once a year or once a week- you can do it! Please, at least give it a shot. if you hate it then you never have to do it again. But maybe, like me, you’ll start to love it. And maybe… just maybe… a new world will be opened up to you, too.

Thank you all for helping me enjoy this as much as I do. ♥ Here’s to another 8 (or more).

Soundtrack: The Beatles – “Birthday”

Sources & Credits: Pastel measuring spoons; Pier1 Imports, striped rainbow tea towel; Ikea, round rainbow sprinkles; Sweet Estelle’s Baking Supply, pale pink & darker pink cupcake liners; Sweet Estelle’s Baking Supply, rainbow jimmies and birthday candles courtesy of my local supermarket, cake stand; unknown maker, large open star pastry tip #828; Layer Cake Shop.