Tags
blogiversary, cakes, crystallized flowers, dessert, edible flowers, momofuku-style cake, tiered cake
It seems only yesterday that I started blogging and in what feels like a heartbeat, a blink of an eye, a flash, two shakes of a lamb’s tail, a New York minute, it’s now roughly, just about, approximately, one year later, and I’m still alive. Time flies when you’re having fun, ain’t that the truth?
So what is this supposed to mean? Am I now no longer considered a beginner, a learner, a novice, a newbie? Wait, go back, go back, to that “novice” part. Therein lies the problem. My blog name is The Novice Gardener. I’m forever a novice. I will never be a master. Might as well. I don’t even know what CSS, RSS, or ASS stands for. Oh, wait, I do know about the ASS part. Acute Silliness Syndrome, isn’t it?
The Novice Gardener – Acutely Silly DenFooDenDo Blog. You’ll have to read Part I to find out what that stands for. It has nothing to do with being cute, I’m afraid. Get it? Acutely? A…Cute…Ly? Oh, never mind!
In that Part I, I mentioned having a hard time completing Blogging 201 assignments. All stemming from the fact, I believe, that I have an accidental blog, and not a purposeful one. It’d be so much easier if I had a purposeful blog. Then I can envision what it is that I want this blog to grow up to be.
Sadly, however, that wouldn’t solve all my branding problems. At the root of my problems lies a fickle mind. I can never stick to a course of action. That’s why it’s a DenFooDenDo blog.
It is somewhat a surprise to me that I’m able to stick with this blogging thing for this long. I attribute my doggedness solely to the friendships I’ve forged through the blog. Only because I’ve found a blogging community, made easy by WordPress, I’ve been able to continue. (I wonder how it is at Blogger? Should I find out?)
Some may pooh-pooh the idea of virtual friendship. A non-virtual friend happened to deride the value of virtual friendship openly recently. In an attempt to be snarky, I’m sure. I’ve just got a question for those espousing this viewpoint. Ever heard of pen pals?
So, we’ve established the fact that this is a blog without a purpose. Judging from the response from you, that doesn’t seem to matter all that much. The more important question, rather, is what will I do with it?
I can tell you now that this blog will continue to be a jumble of thoughts and ideas, and although I’ve been accused of this, it will never be one of those blogs that aspires to inspire. Of course, if any of my posts happens to inspire you, that’s an added bonus, the icing on the cake, the cherry on top, as well as music to my ears. See, I can’t even stick to one phrase. Do you see a pattern?
As a matter of fact, everything seems to work in reverse with me and this blog. This blog, started accidentally, has inspired me to write better, cook better, garden better, photograph better, decorate better, and so on. This blog, started accidentally, has taught me so much about what motivates and moves me, what I like and don’t like to do, and most importantly, what I can and cannot do.
This blog, started accidentally, more or less a year ago, has taught me so much about myself, in the most unimaginably fun way. This has been a year filled with excitement, fun, laughter, and most of all, discoveries.
Who knew when I started, accidentally, that I could make pretty things like these:
Who knew when I started, accidentally, that I had stories like these inside of me, waiting to be told:
A Pomegranate Tree Inside Of Me
Peacemaker
Lamb Shank Curry Quest
Who knew when I started, accidentally, that I harbored so many opinions about so many different things:
Bruno Mars WAS the right choice
The art of being interesting (Scandalous Sandwich)
Quayles and Potatoes
And the most meaningful discovery of all, who knew when I started, accidentally, that I would meet wonderful online friends, such as all of you.
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That is just a partial list, consisting of my Fiesta Friday and Fiesta Friday Challenge co-hosts. I’ve met many more friends than this list shows, of course. Many, many more. Wonderfully talented and incredibly creative blogging friends, who are caring, supportive, kind, and gracious. Virtual friends for now, but you’ll never know.
To celebrate all these discoveries, and my belated 1st Blogiversary, whether it’s in March or in April (both went unnoticed), I made this cake, not accidentally, but inspired quite entirely, by Momofuku’s naked cakes. My fickle mind couldn’t decide on crystallized or fresh flowers for decoration, so I present to you both.
This post is long enough, so recipes will have to wait, maybe in Part III. Nah…there’s no Part III, just teasing. But there will be Fiesta Friday #15.
The Novice Gardener 
I am so glad to finally meet you. I can’t wait to see more of you through your blog 😀
Likewise, Pang. So glad our paths crossed, even if just online! 🙂
Congrats Angie!! Your blog is beautiful and I’m so glad you ‘accidentally’ started it!! You have helped me meet so many other amazing bloggers through your fiesta Fridays. I also have a few friends who are not convinced about virtual friendships and me blogging in general but I like to think it just motivates me more!! Keep it up x
Thank you, Frankie! That was great to hear, that you’ve met many friends through FF. Stay away from those nay-sayers. Do what you enjoy doing. That’s more important, don’t you think?
Couldn’t agree more!!
Big congrats (though belated,) on your first blogiversary. I happen to love a jumble of thoughts and delicious ideas. In fact, I dare say that is what blogging is about. Such a stunner of a cake, with light and fluffy sponge layers and that beautiful smear of frosting/crema in all the right places.
Big congrats again!
Thanks, Alice! Never thought I would last this long. Although I’m feeling a little bored about the way my blog looks these days. These free themes don’t really let you do much. I wish I had the courage to go self-hosted, but since I’m clueless, I don’t. But I can dream that one day my blog will look like yours. 🙂
Lol, I know exactly what you mean! If anything, I wish I had moved my blog to self hosting much earlier. It was costly, there’s no doubt and I hired a team to do it. They had stressed through, that if I’d left it longer, it would have cost more to transfer many more additional pages and posts etc, it’s well worth every cent.
Feel free to email me if you have any additional questions! I’m happy to help where I can 🙂
Thanks, Alice. I might take you up on that! ❤
Please do!!!
Happy One Year Anniversary! I’m sorry a little later but I am really behind on my readings! The cakes look so lovely and you have such an artistic touch when you aim your camera and take your photos. Every detail around the food always looks so lovely! You are a professional in all you produce here on wordpress! Take care, Robin
I don’t know how I missed this sweet note you left me, Robin. Thank you! I, too, am way behind on keeping updated with everybody’s post. We need more than 24 hrs in a day if we want to get everything done. 🙂
Love your blog! Keep going! Congratulations!
Thanks, Katja! So sweet of you to say. 🙂
That cake looks…um…wow. Sorry about this delayed comment – I am desperately trying to catch up on commenting. I am glad you are my virtual friend. You have more personality than some real-life people. And I should point out that I do realize you are a real person. But you get my drift. I always wanted a pen pal. There was this program in middle school that supposedly set you up with one but I wrote him three times and never got a response. This is way better.
We’re already sort of pen pals, aren’t we? Wait a minute, I thought we were sisters? Didn’t I join the Noony clan a while ago? 🙂
You make very good points, my dear. 🙂