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Life  / 

28 Things–My 28th Birthday

by Jennifer Preston
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Read at your own risk.

As I sit here in my dusty ole’ painting clothes and baseball cap–my usual attire when I do work on our fixer-upper house–I can’t help but feel like 28 has given me more thoughts than ever before. Have I really become not only older…but wiser overnight? Are all of these thoughts swirling around in my head little symbols of sudden maturity and tidbits of wisdom dying to be shared? Nah, it’s just my usual anxiety and typical character that keeps everything bottled up inside…(what can I say? I’m an Enneagram type 9.)

In lieu (sigh, I never get the spelling of that word right the first time…) of turning 28 today, I thought I’d share 28 things that are on my mind today/things that have been on my mind since turning 27. So, before you start reading, grab that hot cup of coffee and a fluffy sweet piece of cake–because it’s my birthday, and everyone gets cake!!

  • Yep, this mug is talkin’ to you!
  • (Not my birthday cake–this is actually a cake I baked last year. Read below!)

28 Things.

1. I decided I was going bake my own birthday cake this year, and I had BIG plans for this cake too. It was going to be my favourite flavour, Lemon Blueberry with Cream Cheese Buttercream, with an ombre effect of whites, pinks, and peach. And my signature pink flowers piped out of buttercream. Long story short, I made the frosting way too soft and the cake would have collapsed had I not put it the freezer. I didn’t even attempt buttercream flowers because I was too frustrated. I knew better. It’s moments like these when I wonder how I even call myself a baker?! Thank goodness the cake still takes like heaven! (To save a collapsing cake, place the whole thing in the freezer for a couple of hours. After frozen, cut it into slices and plastic-wrap each slice, then stick them back in the freezer in a freezer bag. Remove each slice to thaw when desired!)

2. Moving back home to Canada last year was the best decision. Sure, the fuzzy-warm feelings have worn off a little, but I feel like I’ve never been happier. And I love spending time with my parents again.

3. I watched the first half of Bird Box by myself the other night, who AM I? I don’t even like to watch Harry Potter alone.

4. I never want to buy a fixer-upper house ever again. Renovations just take longer than you project they will, the walls are all crooked (makes installing flooring and trim super fun), the construction dust is never ending, and Jarryd and I had too many spats over the whole thing. Thankfully, the hard part is almost over and the fun part of decorating is about to begin!

5. I get so overwhelmed by peoples’ kindness. The other day our new neighbour snowblowed our driveway for us. She must’ve felt extreme pain watching an out-of-shape 27 year-old attempt to shovel her own driveway, haha!

6. I’m only on point number 6 and I’m ready to change this post to DRAFT and forget about it forever, but no. I need to challenge myself, I’m 28 years old for crying out loud! Must keep going… (Did I just waste a number here?)

7. I’m really loving Marie Kondo’s Netflix show “Tidying Up”, but who isn’t?! I FINALLY know how to fold clothes the proper way (something Jarryd makes fun of me/gets irritated at me for not knowing). I purged EVERYTHING before our big move to Canada so I don’t know what to do with all of this tidying-up inspiration. I have nothing left to purge!

8. I really don’t like it when people say they’re “obsessed” with something (e.g- I’m so obsessed with these shoes right now). It grosses me out. Not even I would say I’m obsessed with Taylor Swift–I mean, I am, but I’d never phrase it like that. Haha!

9. I know I’m a baker and believe in all-things homemade, but can we just talk about how amazing McCain Deep n’ Delicious Cake is?! Like what is in that frosting?

10. One of my “resolutions” for Flour & Floral is to have more pink in my photos. My brand should reflect ME, right? And pink is my favourite colour, so why not?

11. Speaking of, you may notice pink fabric in some of my recent photos. That my friends, is a pillowcase. 😉

12. Jarryd and I bought our first dining table set last week. We’ve never bought one before. It’s not my dream table or anything, but it was a super good deal off of VarageSale—and we love it. It seats 6, so come on down!!

13. I can’t even believe I got to work with Wilton Cakes last year, and even got featured on their blog! That was very encouraging for little ole’ me.

14. I’m in this strange stage of life where I’m definitely in the minority when it comes to babies–as in it seems like everyone around me has kids. I’m constantly reminding myself that everyone’s life is different and God’s timing is perfect. Jarryd and I moving to Canada was essentially us starting over again, and even though we’ve been married going on 5 years, this move makes me feel “behind” in life, almost like we are newlyweds again. But let me repeat, everyone’s lives are different and God’s timing is perfect!

15. Speaking of babies, just a few years ago the thought of having a baby terrified me, but now…it would be just wonderful! Especially with living so close to my huge loveable family now! I’ve come such a long way.

16. I’m 28 years old and have no idea what I’m doing, what I’m supposed to do career-wise, and how I’m supposed to afford life/high speed internet. Trying not to stress over here…

17. I’m an Enneagram 9w1: as in, I’m a non-confrontational stress-avoiding peacemaker who likes a plan. But so many aspects of a 4 really nudge me. They enjoy the dwelling in sadness (sad movies, sad songs), feels like a black sheep, always stuck in their thoughts, and is super creative!

18. Jarryd and I teach Grade 2 Sunday School at church and the class is ALL BOYS. Talk about brand new territory for me. I’m outnumbered by people who actually enjoy wrestling and physically fighting with their friends. So weird.

19. Just THINKING about my old job (being a chef) gives me anxiety. And I have this fear that I’m going to wake up one day and realize that quitting that job and moving to Canada was all just a dream.

20. Other than home, I think my favourite place to be on earth is on a beach somewhere. Not a lake beach, but an ocean beach. It’s so soothing and I could spend hours in that salty ocean, until I see a fever of stingrays that is–then I BOOK it outta there! (True story, happened in South Carolina.)

21. Current Netflix show: Life in Pieces. It’s like a quirky, comedic version of Parenthood. So fun!

22. Current Spotify tunes: Carly Pearce. Oh and Alan Jackson hymns of course!

23. Is it weird how much I love being alone? Having the whole house to myself is like wrapping myself in a big blanket of ultimate-comfort-zone. I also love shopping alone, especially at IKEA, because I could spend 4 hours there just dreaming up my house that I can’t afford.

24. Do you ever wonder what you’d do if you won the lottery? I’d pay off our loan and mortgage, and I’d definitely buy the best Canon camera and lens out there. I’d also bring all my friends with me for luxurious spa weekends and get the most expensive spa packages, and then use the rest for traveling the world, home decor items, and melt-in-your-mouth steak dinners. (You can see I’ve thought alot about this.)

25. The kitchen in our house has soft-close drawers and cabinets. It’s pretty much my favourite thing ever.

26. I’ve also been spray painting all of our outlet covers, registers, floor grilles, and bathroom fan covers. Honestly, why spend all of this money on new ones when you can just spray paint the old ones? They look brand new, guys!!

27. I really love to keep things clean and clutter-free but my biggest downfall is not putting my clothes away after I wear them. I have a huge pile of clothes on our bedroom floor right now. Sigh.

28. WOW, I actually made it to 28!! (28 is too much, don’t you think?) I should probably make the last point a super deep one: I wonder how much money I spend on chips every year. Let’s see…I buy at least 2 bags a week, each bag costs let’s say $3.00. $3.00 x 2 bags = $6.00. $6.00 x 52 weeks in a year = $312. Hmm, ok. Not as bad as I was predicting it’d be. Phew.

There, I did it.

In case you didn’t know, that wasn’t easy for me. In fact, it took too long and I wanted to chicken-out half way through because I feel weird talking about myself. But I did it for my birthday, now I can move on and go wash some dishes or something.

Thanks to my like…2 fans out there who care about my personal life–for taking the time to read my 28 almost-useless thoughts. (This post doesn’t include a delicious recipe so I doubt it’ll get much traffic.) But that’s alright, y’all!! I’m glad I can say I did it and I hope you enjoyed it.

I think you should share at least one of your thoughts in the comments below. Please? Do it for my birthday. I’ll give you some cake. 🙂 Thanks for letting me share my birthday with you!!

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6 comments

  • Number One Fan

    It’s me!!! Your number one fan!!

    Reply
  • Hanna Forst

    Happy birthday! I feel like I always have random things like these floating around in my head, but it never quite makes it down on paper. It also takes me far too long to write things that other people will see.. so go you for making it happen!

    Reply
  • Esther

    Happy birthday!! I loved reading your *28* things!! I think it’s awesome your teaching all boys for Sunday school! Oh to be a fly on that wall! Haha!!

    Reply
  • Gladys Kehler

    Happy Birthday Jennifer! I enjoyed your 28 thoughts, and I so relate to some of those to the point I think we could be twins. 😂 I’m in a “major minority” (lol) with the baby thing too, all of my friends have kids now but I remind myself that, like you said, it is God’s timing, not mine. Sometimes I’m not even entirely sure if we’ll have kids; we will see what the future holds.

    Also, yes to hanging out at home like it’s a big fuzzy blanket – loved that description! Home and the beach, the best!

    And IKEA. I could spend HOURS in there as well. Just roamimg and taking my sweet time. I love shopping alone. 😂

    Lovely post – enjoy the rest of your special day!

    Reply
  • Stacey

    Loved reading your post. The timing part, spot on. Not baby-wise, but after being with someone for 18 years before getting married (less than 4 months ago!) I’ve heard every variation of questioning when it would happen. Your faith in trusting it to happen when it’s supposed to is refreshing. We don’t all have to follow a standard timeline.

    Reply
  • Kayla

    Haven’t checked in on here in a while and was delighted to read this blog post! Guess what? I’m 28, married five years, no kids, NO CLUE what I want to do for a career ( kind of working a dead end job & checking online jobs everyday!) So girl…you are SO not alone. (However I should mention that I can watch Harry Potter all alone just fine….)

    Reply

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Recipe Rating




Jennifer Preston Flour & Floral food photographer cake decorator (1)

Hi! I’m Jennifer and I LOVE to bake, style, and photograph beautiful desserts–I also have an eternal weakness for pastels, berries, and silky buttercreams.

What brings me even more joy is sharing my love of baking with others. Whether that is through recipe development, decorating how-tos, or food photography tips, I want to share everything I have learned with YOU!

I believe in creating food with high quality ingredients and making it look GORGEOUS. I also believe that every dessert deserves a photoshoot, and that food is meant to be shared.

And butter; I believe in lots of butter.

Flour and Floral about me

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Follow My Baking Adventures On Instagram

Who else is SO excited for heart shaped desserts?! Who else is SO excited for heart shaped desserts?! Valentines Day desserts are seriously my favourite. 🥰

There’s a full (photo + video) tutorial on my site so you can make these strawberry pies too! 🍓✨
I don’t know about you, but I am all for meal id I don’t know about you, but I am all for meal ideas that are quick, super simple to make, delicious, AND healthy. 🙌🏻

Yes, I said healthy. And that doesn’t have to mean chomping on celery sticks for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 😝Healthy is a balanced meal that gives you energy and nutrients; a meal that you actually ENJOY eating.

Like this delicious Greek Chicken Naan! 😍 You guys HAVE to check out my stories to see just how easy it is to make! It’s an amazing meal that I’m so excited to share with you guys! I’ve never bought Tzatziki Sauce in my life, but after this, I’m hooked. I wanna put it on everything.

Go to the @SaveOnFoods website and check out the “Ready, Set, Refresh” guide—providing you with 31 quick and easy dinner solutions (This Greek Chicken Naan being one of them!) 👏🏻 And you can add the exact items you need into your cart. It’s so easy!

@SaveOnFoods is where you can get great value on amazing ingredients that are fresh, colourful, inspiring (and often local) to help you make this fresh start inspiring to your family, and others! ❤️

Greek Chicken Naan Recipe

Ingredients:
Bake Shop Greek Style Pita Shells - 5.5 inch
Red Peppers
Tomatoes
Red Onion
WF Frozen Chicken Breast 3kg box
WF Tzatziki Sauce

Instructions:
Lay chicken breast on sheet pan and bake. Once cooked, then slice.
Dice red peppers and tomatoes. And thinly slice red onion.
Optional: Heat non stick sautée pan and lay pita on and flip until nicely warmed and colored.
Fill pita with desired amount of above ingredients and add dollops of Tzatziki sauce to it. Enjoy!

#SaveOnFoods
#ReadySetRefresh
@SaveOnFoods
#MyWesternFamily and @WesternFamilyCA
Today, I turn 30! THIRTY. 😱 I’ve officially e Today, I turn 30! THIRTY. 😱 I’ve officially entered into a whole new decade. As eventful and exciting as my 20s were, I’m actually OK with saying goodbye to them. But before I say adios, I just wanted to do a fun recap what happened in my 20s:

I turned 20 while at Bible school in Germany. It was where I met my husband and was probably the best year of my life.

We then started our long distance relationship.

I got my associates degree in Social Sciences (yeahhh, not using that at all today haha!)

Got engaged! 💍 

Went to culinary school (that was so fun) near Niagara Falls.

Got married, had a big outdoor wedding and my bridesmaids wore pastels.

Moved to the USA and honeymooned at DisneyWorld.

Worked 3 different chef jobs, (never getting that bakery job I always wanted).

Got a digital camera for Christmas and started taking photos of my baking just for fun.

Started selling my baking/even made wedding cakes! 

Launched my food blog and got paid by brands to content create for them.

Ate out at the most incredible restaurants and had soo much brunch and southern cuisine. 🤤

Explored and fell in love with some amazing places in the US like Charleston, NYC, and Alys Beach.

Moved back to my hometown in Canada.

Bought a 1970s house.

Gave birth to a baby boy. 🥰

Celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary!

And oh yes, backed our van into our garage door. 💁🏼‍♀️

Hello 30!! 💕
I think it’s safe to say that 2020 has been toug I think it’s safe to say that 2020 has been tough on everyone. ❤️ So I say that this month we give ourselves grace in the kitchen. At this point any delicious homemade treat, no matter how easy/simple the recipe may be, is such a WIN and should be celebrated! 

My recipe for Puppy Chow is my favourite treat to make this time of year and it’s SO EASY. (And before we go any further—it’s for humans, not doggos!😅) 

Let’s take the time to celebrate any and everything we whip up in the kitchen and enjoy indulging in these delicious treats with our families. 

And your kiddos will love participating in making the Puppy Chow! (And let’s be honest, any situation that involves powdered sugar and kids is always a recipe for a mess, but it’ll be a beautiful mess!)

With just 6 everyday ingredients and one pot, this might be the easiest recipe EVER. 🙌🏻 I documented the whole thing in my stories for you to watch just how simple it is!

I’m so happy for this partnership with @SaveOnFoods and for the great reminder to celebrate all the little wins and beautiful messes despite the exhausting year we’ve had! 💕

Are you gonna make this? 🥰

RECIPE:

3/4 cup Butter
1 1/2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup Peanut Butter
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 box Crispix Cereal (or Chex)
2 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

In a large pot melt the first 4 ingredients together until smooth.
Remove from heat, pour in cereal and gently stir until evenly coated.
Dump in powdered sugar and with the lid securely on the pot, shake shake shake!
Once cooled, store in containers or baggies at room temp, fridge, or freezer. (They taste really good chilled!) Enjoy!!

#SaveOnFoods #MyWesternFamily @WesternFamilyCA #LetTheHolidaysBegin
I baked these vanilla bean sugar cookies a year ag I baked these vanilla bean sugar cookies a year ago and I’m still in love with them. 😍 Those vanilla bean specks in the cookies and that pastel pink colour palette is what my sugar cookie dreams are made of. 💕

I’d totally eat these for breakfast. Would you??

If you’re looking for a sugar cookie recipe with buttercream frosting, head to my site! You’ll find it under Recipes! Happy baking!! 🥰
Is there a certain dish/dessert that just intimida Is there a certain dish/dessert that just intimidates you like crazy? One that makes you think “oh I could NEVER make that!”?

One of those desserts for me was cream puffs (choux pastry). But with 2020 being such a strange year with more time spent at home than ever, I’m proud to say that I’ve conquered cream puffs TWICE this year! 🥰

Even though they’re definitely not perfect looking, they taste amazing!! And also, I feel super proud of myself for taking on this challenge and learning something new!

Baking is such a great activity at home with family and I really encourage it! Don’t take it too seriously and just have fun with experimenting. ❤️ Head to @SaveOnFoods to pick up the quality ingredients you need to tackle that certain dessert you’ve been too intimidated to try!

Have you ever made cream puffs/choux pastry before? Check out my stories to see the process!

#SaveOnFoods #MyWesternFamily @MyWesternFamilyCA

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