This is ME, all dressed up, which isn’t normal, but here we are. lol. You’ll usually find me in yoga pants, a bu-cee’s t-shirt, with my naturally curly hair on top of my head in a cheetah scrunchie walking out to my chicken coop to visit my chickens and collect eggs. That’s the truth. Any other time of day you’ll find me with an apron on creating in my kitchen. I love my kitchen and all that I create in that magical space. I started this blog with a different name years ago as a lifestyle blogger, but most of my content is cooking or baking related, so at the end of 2023 I decided to start fresh with a new name and blog called The Bluebonnet Kitchen. Here’s a picture of my current kitchen that my husband and I have been working on this last year. We moved back to my home state of Texas after 13 years in Utah and started a full home RENO on our almost 4 acre homestead.
Although the majority of the content here on my blog will be directly from my kitchen feel free to follow me on Instagram where l share not only recipes but all the things I love to do like travel, sing, constant home reno projects and of course my homestead animals…my chickens. I will also be posting video tutorials from time to time, for those who are interested, over on my Youtube channel.
This is my Ilve stove I named STELLA ISABELLA. She works hard for me and is my dream oven. When we were designing our reno in 2022 and my new kitchen this was what I designed everything around. I’m very happy with this beauty of a stove and oven. I’ve had so many different types of ovens over the years and this one WINS. From Saturday morning pancakes on the stovetop griddle to the rotisserie feature and the many baking functions and settings. It is my best friend in the kitchen.
Something interesting you may not know about me is that I was a professional Country Music Artist for 6 years in the great state of Texas, WAY back in the day when my kids were in elementary school. But after really considering my life at a major crossroads through that journey, I chose what I like to think of as “the higher road”, to be a stay-at-home mom and raise my three young kids. Music was my second dream…they were my first. Looking back I still don’t regret that very difficult and hard decision to stop my singing career so many years ago. They are still my world and my heart so many years later. Now I’m a “Yah Yah” to 4, soon to be 5, grandkids and I couldn’t be happier with the choice I made to be present in my kids and grandkids life. I do continue to sing and inspire others through music at home and at church. You can hear me sing on my YouTube channel because I literally dedicated a YEAR of singing there every Sunday for my mama who has always been my inspiration. I’ve also music directed many community and high school musicals and taught personal voice lessons but now just enjoy sitting at my piano to unwind. I happen to have two of my three kids in the “industry”. My son, Wade and my youngest daughter, Krista are both professional actors/singers and my middle child, Leanna, is a a professional photographer and multi-media artist. So, you could say, it’s really never left me… I just use that part of my life in a different way. Family is everything to me. I’m one proud mama, and yah yah. So, welcome to my blog and I hope you’ll always feel inspired and that you will fall in love with cooking and baking just like me.
FACTS: I love all things DISNEY. I prefer WDW over DL but I’ll go to either any day. My favorite food is a great steak and potato or Fajita and chips/queso. I also love sweets. You’ll never find a sweeter sweet tooth in the world. Chocolate over vanilla and I love the TX brand Bluebell ice cream. I love dogs over cats, (mostly because I’m allergic) but don’t have any pets at the moment except my 17 chickens I raised from a few days old.
My favorite place to travel to is PARIS FRANCE. The most beautiful place I’ve traveled besides France was New Zealand. My husband and I love to travel to Puerto Rico once a year (if our schedules allow) and we aren’t fond of cruising. I’m obsessed with my grandkids and love living down the road from my mama and sister.
I am the oldest of 8 (6 girls, 2 boys). All of us live in Texas except 1. Since 2020 I’ve been making sourdough bread and now teach others how to begin their sourdough journey. It’s really changed the way I bake and see home cooked food. When I was first married (almost 35 years ago in 1989) I couldn’t even make an egg correctly. It’s true. My mother-in-law was an exceptional cook so I wanted to learn. I had a strong desire to get in the kitchen and provide amazing meals for my husband and future family. It became a journey and a hobby. I loved everything about it. So, now after years of trial, failing, and success in my kitchen I’m sharing all I’ve learned. So THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. You are now family to me.
