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Happy Sunday, friends!
It’s with mixed feelings and a somewhat heavy heart that I am letting you know this is the final Scattered Sundays.
This decision was not made lightly, but once it was made, I instantly felt like it was the right one to make. And sometimes, that gut feeling is all we have to know if we’re heading down the right path.
The decision to end these was twofold. First, the kids are getting older, and don’t need their lives shared. Given that I am raising two boys, the concept of consent is constantly being drilled into their heads. And in this case, it’s felt a bit squishy lately.
Second, life is not getting any less chaotic, no matter how much I want it to be. There is a theory that I believe is attributed to Nora Roberts, that basically says when you’re juggling too many balls at once (pause for joke), you have to decide which are glass and which are plastic.
Try as I might, the number of glass balls that have been added to my physical and mental load is frankly overwhelming. And choosing to publish one less blog post a week is a plastic ball that I can gently set down. I don’t even have to drop it.
I thank you for your kindness and support, and please know that it’s not you, it’s me. 🙂 I’ll still be sharing snippets of life over on Instagram stories.
Instagram doesn’t require much effort from me, and the things you share are only available for 24 hours. It’s a good mix of fun, with nothing being permanent.
What I’m reading this week
I finished The Couple Next Door and found the ending kinda meh. I know it was fiction but it was all a bit far-fetched to me. They tried to shove a ton of plot into about 45 pages.
I’m currently reading The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn, who also wrote The Rose Code and The Alice Network, two books I really enjoyed. I’m not complicated – give me a WWII plot with a strong female lead, some spying, some smuggling, and I’m happy.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO THIS WEEK
Years ago, I discovered the podcast, Crooked City. It’s back for their third season, and naturally, they have hooked me. About the show:
This is a story about a woman who came to be known as The Horse Queen. She owned hundreds of champion quarter horses on her ranch outside the small city of Dixon, Illinois. And she was also Dixon’s treasurer/comptroller. Yet no one ever thought to ask how she could afford all of those horses on the salary of a civil servant… until the FBI raided City Hall in 2012 and Rita was arrested. For twenty years, Rita Crundwell worked hard to become the world’s largest and most successful quarter horse breeder… while also becoming America’s most prolific municipal embezzler. (source)
READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK
Bobby left this five-star review on our Air Fryer Potatoes {Pin this recipe}:
These were delicious! Made as per the recipe. I used a 1 1/2 lb bag of small gold potatoes, quartered or halved depending upon the size and it only cooked about 20 minutes total. Only problem with this recipe is that it is almost impossible to stop snacking on them!
ON SUSTAINABLE COOKS THIS WEEK
Air Fryer Frozen Onion Rings – These Frozen Onion Rings in the Air Fryer are so deliciously crispy. Baked, not fried, this easy air fryer appetizer is simple to make and cooks in only 11 minutes. {Pin this recipe}
Roasted Garlic Potatoes – Crispy and perfect, these Roasted Garlic Potatoes are a delicious side dish. You’ll love that these garlic parmesan potatoes are packed with so much flavor! {Pin this recipe}
THE FIVE MOST POPULAR POSTS THIS WEEK
First time in a few months that a non-canning/gardening post has been in the top five.
Late to the party, but life frequently intervenes . . .
When my now 34-year old daughter was in second grade, she would learn/practice/cement learning of a new Word of the Week over breakfast each day. One of the words I decided she needed to know was “ambivalent”/”ambivalence”. On the last day of second grade, her teacher asked all of her students to write one final journal entry about the end of the school year/summer, etc. My daughter wrote, “I have ambivalent feelings right now. On one hand, I am so excited to have the whole summer to do fun things every single day. On the other hand, I will miss my teacher and all of my friends who I won’t see over summer.” Yes, she is a writer. At any rate, I have the same ambivalent feelings . . . so sad because I love Scattered Sundays and your unique slice of life. But so glad for you that you are taking something off your plate so you can do more of what you want/love and so happy I already follow you on Instagram. So Cheers to you (with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face)!
Awww, I love that story! Thank you for sharing it, and for your years of support.
Aww, I’m gonna miss your Scattered Sunday posts and menu plans! Â That was a definite draw for me each week.
Thanks for your support over the years! It’s been a good run – 13 years, but I’m ready to move forward with a different path.
I’m late to this (yay for a fall break both away from home and off-line), but want to echo what others have said. I really enjoyed Scattered Saturdays, but also understand the need to step away. Great job saying “Not now”. 🙂 I’m glad you’re still on IG, I enjoy following you there!
I’ll definitely see you on the ‘gram, Tina! And yes to an offline break when needed. Good for you!
Giving yourself the grace (and intestinal fortitude) to say no is good. It’s something I’m learning to be comfortable with and not guilty for saying no. I sure will miss your Scattered Sundays posts nonetheless. You are hand’s down the best blogger for your candidness, humor, and totally awesome recipes. I look forward to your future recipe (and hopefully Confessions) posts.
Thank you, Monica, and best of luck to YOU with the practice of saying “no”.
oooo nooooo I love Scattered Sundays!!!!
13 years was a pretty good run. 🙂
I have always enjoyed your Scattered Sundays posts. Â Thank you for sharing your family with us for as long as you have. Â Like others have mentioned, I too, feel like you are an “internet friend” Â (also like others have said, knowing fully that it is pretty much one sided! LOL) Â Luckily I already follow you in IG. Â
I completely understand your choice, and applaud it, and I am glad that you are cutting out that post instead of packing it in completely! Â
All of us readers will still be able to ‘chat’ with you in all of your other posts. Â
I am sure I am not the only one who has your page open on a tab whenever the browser is opened.
I will be looking forward to ALLLL your future posts.
Thank you so much for all your support over the years, Ange!
I have, of late, fallen into the trap of not saying no enough, and when I finally did say no on Friday, the person asking thanked me for saying no.
This is what I often do when I hear a no from someone else, but had never been on the receiving end of the thank you. It felt validating.
 So, I say to you, fellow Sarah, thank you for taking care of yourself and your time, so we can all continue to enjoy you phenomenal content. You are literally the best food blogger!Â
SarahÂ
I think “no” should be all of our words for 2024. It’s hard to start saying it, but it gets addictive the more you do it.
Good job on setting your own boundaries, and lots of look keeping that going.
Oh, congratulations, and good for you! I’ll be sad not to read about you & your family every week, but admire what you’re doing! <3 I hope you can enjoy a little free time!
Thank you, Sydnie!
I salute you.
I began our family blog 12 years ago when our family was unexpectedly uprooted and sent overseas; my career was thus over; and I then had to manage our school-age children in a foreign country and basically toss my graduate degree out the door and become a HausFrau. I wrote mostly as a chronology to include the big, the bad, and the ugly as we navigated foreign spaces with a then-budding MS student and a rising Grade 11 HS student (they’re now 22 and 27).
Ours was a wild rodeo. We’re all back in America now, so my blogging is mostly commentary on empty-nester life back in our former stomping grounds. Talk about the big, the bad, and the ugly. 🤣
I totally understand and respect the need to evolve.Â
Yep, as life evolves, so must we. It’s good to have those memories but there is a naturally ending point for such things.
Kudos to you!
Like everyone else, I will miss your Sunday posts. Blog on, girlie! 😊
Thanks lady. 🙂