May Goal Update

Remember this post? Well, it's been a month, dear readers. We thought we'd let you know how we fared. SPOILER ALERT: Extremely well.

Carrie:
I've made more progress this month than I ever could have imagined. Not only did I perfect my pie crust recipe, but I got a blog going, received my first order (fulfilled, with a happy customer and word-of-mouth referrals to boot!), received my second order, have experimented with many new recipes, and have begun getting to know other food bloggers. I also worked at the Underground Market in San Francisco and now all my co-workers know me as "the girl who bakes". I'm even taking on a giant work bake sale next month! So, yes, I accomplished my goal... but I did even more than I had set out to do. Just setting my intentions in the right place and having concrete benchmarks to reach made it happen.

Here's an idea of what I've been working on:

Pecan Cookies

Success! Mini Pecan Pie 

Pie Success + View from My SF Kitchen

My All-Local Ingredients

Epic Fail, but still yummy

My Logo

Learn more about my project on my blog: www.southxsanfrancisco.com

[Friday Link Round-Up] Father's Day, Blog Marketing, Japanese Cheesecake, Kris Atomic

1. Such a cute little Father's Day idea. I, for one, am making my dad sugar-free chocolate chip cookies.

2. I'm loving the "21 Days to a Better Business Blog" Challenge on Blogging for Branding. 

3. I've never heard of Japanese cheesecake before, but you better believe I'm going to try it now. It looks so much lighter than American cheesecake, which I find cloyingly sweet and dense. Cheers to Green Cilantro for the recipe. 

4. I found a new favorite blogger and illustrator this week, Kris Atomic. Her work is so adorable and relatable. If I ever wrote a children's book, you better BELIEVE I'd be contacting her to illustrate it. Hmmm, new life plan? Hahah, I'm scatterbrained enough as it is without a book on my plate...

[Friday Link Round-Up]

1. Try upcycling your own furniture. For inspiration, check out this re-nest Furniture Facelift: One IKEA Dresser, Three Ways (not that I condone IKEA furniture. You could find something of much better quality to upcycle). Or check out this idea for creating your own picnic basket from an old suitcase.

2. Get scooting on that business idea you've kept on the backburner for so long with great articles from this week's Design*Sponge and paper n stitch. Check out this post on the difference between PR and marketing (a vital difference indeed). Or read the 3-part series on how to become influential and likable in business. I sort of take issue with the idea that women have to be "likable" to be successful in business, but the ideas in these posts are still totally legit even if gender relations aren't.

3. San Francisco just passed a law allowing people to sell their homegrown produce to restaurants, stores, and so on. This is a huge step for urban farmers. 

Photo via Michael Macor, The Chronicle

4. Today is Earth Day! Stage a rain dance! Kiss a tree! Roll in some grass! Or just look at pretty photos of how majestic the world can be.

Havasu Falls, AZ via here

[Green Thursdays] I Can Haz Sustainability?

My co-workers created these images to support our effort to get a shuttle to/from our office, which is 4 miles from the nearest public transportation option. How awesome are the people I work with? I'm currently doing some research on public transport for corporations and writing up a proposal. No seriously.

Bay Area Book Expo Starts Tonight!

And by tonight, I mean tomorrow night.