Pumpkin spice lattes, Mom life, 12 years of Pinch of Yum, a skin cancer PSA, and more! Let’s talk about life and other happenings!
Fall Coffee Date
Well hello! I’ve got a coffee in my hand and a smile on my face and it’s time to chat like real people!
These days I’m drinking regular coffee with cream, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt in my little Keep Cup thing (affiliate link), which is my go-to in the fall. Or if it’s evening and I’m sitting in front of the TV, I’ve definitely got my hands wrapped around a mug of Good Earth sweet and spicy tea.
But please note that I’m also averaging at least 2 if not 3 Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes per week at this point in time, and the budget committee would like to have a word with me about that.
If you’re not a PSL person, try my PSL order: medium, decaf (anxious person problems), oat milk, 3 pumps instead of 4, hold the whip. It’s decadent but in a rich coffee-decadent way. And it has to be from Starbucks. Caribou has its time and place, and I know everywhere else has their own knockoff, but I’m a big believer in sticking with the OG on this one. It’s also approximately $15, hence the budget committee. Moving on.
Let’s talk about life. ♡
Mom Life In a Nutshell
The thing that takes up the majority of my time, energy, money, sleep, and general headspace these days is these two little people.
They are so beautiful and weird and funny and we are so lucky.
I really love being a mom.
Fall highlights in the Family Life category include:
- Excitement and routine with starting some new school programs this fall
- The magic of watching new skills and interests develop (friends, dance, swimming, art)
- Getting outside in our beautiful fall weather: apple orchard, petting zoo, walks in the double jogger
- Taking a family trip up north with good friends, and having an ACTUALLY FUN, AMAZING TIME! What is life!
- Solvi’s heart is healthy, and Lena is sleeping like a normal baby after a year of struggles! Gratitudes all around.
Some fall NON-highlights that deserve their spot in this recap as well:
- Runny noses and coughs and fevers
- A highly anticipated mom-and-dad-only trip needing to be canceled at the last minute due to kid sickness, which may go down as the heartbreak of the year
- An untimely broken dishwasher (is it ever timely?)
- And a toddler obsession with Sage’s fish oil pills, featuring one incident in particular that included squeezing the softgel oil all over herself, tracking it around our home on hands and feet, and intermingling the fish scent and oils with furniture and clean laundry
Life generally feels like this:
But it also feels like this.
And it is exhausting, but the love is just simple and so pure.
It is really, really wonderful.
I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
New Chapters
Which, I guess, brings me to work.
We’ve been working on Pinch of Yum for 12 years now. (And no, this photo is not our studio OR our home – I wish! it’s a workspace we rented for some projects.)
I was going to say that the majority of the last 12 years have been a straight line, with clear objectives and the direction of things feeling settled and set. But when I look back a little more closely, the truth is there hasn’t really been any season that didn’t have some type of transition woven into it.
Change has maybe been the only constant.
So it’s not that unusual to say that I feel the winds of change blowing again. As they always do. As life always does. And so much of that has to do with being a mom.
As an Enneagram 6, I’m constantly second-guessing myself – did I really want to do that? what about that other thing? what does so-and-so think? is there a better way? – and so, as cliche as it sounds, this is a season where I’m really trying to get honest and real with myself. I’m trying to drown out the noise, the assumptions, the expectations, even my own ego, and just focus on my own answer to the theme question from Emily Freeman’s podcast: what is the next right thing?
I remain in love, possibly more in love than ever before, with sharing recipes and spreading ideas out into the world that make people’s real lives better with the joy of a good meal. It is a joy and a privilege to do this and get to call it work.
I’m also hoping that as the winds of change blow, I’ll be able to build the next iteration of that work gracefully and confidently, chasing my own definition of success, and being okay if that looks different than what someone else’s might look like.
Life is so good at keeping us on our toes, right?
Skin Cancer PSA and My Upcoming Plastic Surgery
Yes, I said plastic surgery.
At a routine dermatologist appointment earlier this year, I had a mole right on my hairline biopsied that came back as severely atypical. That means it’s at the highest risk for turning into melanoma, and that also means it requires further, more extensive removal.
Since the mole is on my face, that extensive removal needs to be done by a plastic surgeon.
What I found out at my consult with him isn’t super thrilling: they’ll have to shave a bit of my hair down to do the removal, and when this is all said and done, I’ll end up with a 2-inch scar on my face. I’ll also end up having a slightly lopsided face for a while as my skin on one side will be pulled tighter with the stitches – like a facelift, but… not a good one.
And you know what? It’s not a HUGE huge thing, but I’m sad about it. I’m sad to have a big scar on my face and possibly a strange-looking asymmetrical look going on for a while. I’m sad to have my hair shaved off in a weird pattern. I’m also sad that one of my favorite things – being in, soaking in, laying in the sun – won’t really be a part of my life in the future.
What you can learn from my mistakes: wear sunscreen and go to the dermatologist for regular skin checks.
I had been going to the dermatologist for annual checks for a while, but I fell off the wagon after Lena was born so I’ve missed the last two years. But I’m so glad I went this year because without me realizing, something changed with that hairline mole that we had been watching. And while this is all really a bummer and not something I’m looking forward to, I will hopefully be able to avoid a full-blown melanoma because of it.
My dermatologist told me “there’s no such thing as a safe tan.” Outside of a few burns as a teenager, I have always avoided getting burned and almost always wear sunscreen. And since I tan really easily, I never thought that I’d be a person at high risk of skin cancer (unlike my fair-skinned husband). But alas, here I am.
Schedule the skin check! And if you’ve had anything like this done, you know I’d take a positive, encouraging story from you.
A Vote In Favor Of The CSA
Today is literally our last CSA pick-up of the summer! It’s been another amazing season of fruits and veggies. The fall produce (squash, in particular) was some of my favorite! And the beets! OMG the beets. I’ve never heard Bjork rave about a vegetable more than he raved about those plain steamed CSA beets this summer. They were so buttery and perfect.
One of the best perks of doing our CSA this summer has been watching the girls start to fall in love with veggies.
I say that with a little side eye because, of course, what they love changes by the minute and tends to be centered on variations of dairy and cheese. But the “unboxing” process every week with a new carton of veggies each week is undeniably exciting. And I absolutely feel like it has helped educate and expose the girls to new vegetables that I otherwise wouldn’t have thought to try. I hugely credit any interest in veggies, no matter how fickle or fleeting, to being connected to our community agriculture!
We’ve done Little Big Sky Farm for the last two years and they’re wonderful! Highly recommend.
Foods That Are Bringing Me Joy This Fall
This lunch salad is delicious and should probably get its own post at some point, but for now, this will have to do: it’s spring / salad mix, cranberries, spicy-sweet pecans, bleu cheese crumbles, baked salmon, and a spicy white truffle dressing made with mayo, white truffle oil, sriracha, vinegar, salt, and garlic powder. Oof! I don’t know if bleu cheese normally goes with salmon but I’m digging this combo of everything. She’s a real fall beauty.
Other things I’ve made and loved this fall:
- Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
- Pumpkin Muffins with Maple Glaze
- Sunday Chili
- Sarah’s White Chicken Chili
- Butternut Squash Mac (a riff on this old one)
- Pumpkin Energy Bites
Thank you for being here! ♡ For one week or for 12 years. I’m glad to share this space, this food, and this little bit of life with you.
Filed Under: Life Motherhood
October 14, 2022
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
Leave a Reply
42 Comments
Comments could not be loaded. Please try again.
I LOVE this post. Very interesting info! Perfect just what I was looking. Nice PICS. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thank You !!!
Not quite the same but I had a LARGE cyst removed from my neck and the incision looked really Frankensteiny right afterwards. Now, a year and a half later, I can’t see it at all. And that was just in the dermatologist’s office, not a plastic surgeon! So hang in there and remember it should heal a lot better than how it looks at first.
Pro tip: make sure you know about any lifting restrictions because of stitches well ahead of time. I didn’t know till I was in the office being numbed up and with an active cuddly toddler I could have used more notice!
Hope it goes as smoothly as possible!
I am so sorry about your scare with skin cancer, thank goodness they discovered it in time. I want to assure you that it will be okay with time. My own scare happened about 5 years ago and the pre-cancer was on the tip of my nose. I had mohs surgery at my dermatologist where they took off a huge chunk of my nose (at least it seemed that way when I looked at myself, tears streaming down my face). The next day I saw a plastic surgeon who repaired the damage. Now you can hardly tell, there is only a small scar. Plastic surgery has come so far in the past few years, we are lucky to be able to take advantage of the advancements. I am sorry you have to go through this, I know you are extremely busy and your life is full of obligations. This must seem like yet one more hurdle and you have had many. I have never commented before although I read your blog, I am sending healing wishes from my heart.
Even if the work future only had you publishing 1 recipe per year, I would gratefully and eagerly wait for it. You have given so much to others as you’ve created this amazing recipe haven for us to nourish our families and souls. If that little voice is tugging you in a different direction, you’ve got to listen to it. Life is too short to not try and make the most of it while you can. Ps if I can have one vote/wish…PLEASE keep posting the coffee updates. I can’t tell you how much they uplift my soul for the better. I love your optimistic truthfulness about life and wish more people would speak so honestly and friendly
Where is Lindsay’s orange waffle sweater from? It screams comfort.
Also, sending you warm wishes on your procedure with the plastic surgeon.
Love the real look at being a Mom. It’s a good reminder on embracing the simple pure joy with raising two little ones. Your team and you bring joy to so many!
Wrote a longer post but think it might have “disappeared”.
Buy scar tape and use nightly after scar has closed up. It can be cut to shape and washed and reused for about a weeek.
Makes a HUGE difference. My 3″ scar and 1 1/2″ scar, both
on same side of my face are no longer visible to others.
You are prefect in God’s eyes and that’s all that counts. Wear that scar proudly as it fades. And someone might ask you about it and the conversation makes them go get a skin check. Win win! Those who love you now will not change. The rest don’t count❤️
Thanks for the skin cancer PSA! I had a small cancerous spot on my face under my eye removed a few years ago, even as a diligent sunscreen wearer. The stitches went all the way up to my bottom eyelid!! It healed perfectly and you can’t even tell. It is scary at first and might be weird looking for a little while, but you’ve totally got this.
Loved the other updates as well, and now I’m looking for a local CSA to jump in on!
Thank you for posting about your skin cancer scare. I’ve been there – basal skin cancer on my scalp. I’ve learned to completely embrace hats – if the sun is out, there’s a hat on my head. I’m sure your surgeon will give you recommendations for minimizing the scar – silicone sheets have worked well for me. Best of luck!
Dear Lindsay,
By sheer coincidence this is me only a month or so later. I have just had a skin cancer removed from my face only two weeks ago. I had a dry patch under my eye that changed and I just ‘knew’.
My dermatologist was wonderful but would not touch it. She referred me to a plastic surgeon too. I was full of trepidation, but as he said, it had to be removed. I was a little sad, a little scared, but I wanted it gone.
The scar is thin, but a little longer than I expected. I understand this is so they create less of a circle.
It was delicate so I had a General so they could get on with it.
I had almost no pain the night afterwards. I took 3 days off work & was kind to myself. And as I look at it now, it’s okay. It had to be done. It isn’t too bad. Aligned with my smile lines! Perhaps a slight droop to my eye. But they got it all and I am grateful it is so treatable.
Take good care, cook in advance, plan to rest and look forward to buying great hats. It feels better afterwards than beforehand. xxx
Thank you for sharing this with us Lindsay, and remember we are rooting for you! To honor how you feel: The surgery does sound intimidating, and it makes complete sense that you’d be sad… Besides the hassle of logistics, surgeries are a lot to process emotionally. We look forward to hearing how it goes when you are ready.
Piping in to say I also had a severely atypical pre-melanoma removed on my hairline (Moh’s). I found out when I was pregnant and had to wait an agonizing 8 months to get it removed 😭it healed quickly and the scar was not near as bad as we had thought! Hoping you have the same experience with scarring. I was super nervous but it was relatively painless and quick.
I had a atypical not quite cancer spot removed on my face in July. It was the tiniest of little black moles but came back not good. They did a slo-moh procedure which meant that they started taking a dime size spot around the mole in a quadrant sample size. Then pack up the open wound to test in house the fresh sample. The next day they called and they liked all the surrounding tissue and sewed up the wound. If they hadn’t liked the sample they would have taken more from the quadrant they didn’t like if that makes sense. When they sewed up my face, I thought it was pretty scary as my surgeon pulled pretty hard, which I assume was necessary. I had 5 stitches in the muscle and 6 on the skin on top. When I got the bandage off I had a scar that was about an inch and a half long and saw 3 distinct lumps or maybe puckers and I was a little upset about it. They told me to get some 100%
Silicone gel to put on it to help with preventing scarring. You have to wait to use this until the incision is completely healed. I did this and I also rubbed the incision gently everyday. After a few weeks one of the bumps felt like a clump of skin was coming off, and it did come off and the skin was smooth after that in that spot. That happened eventually with both other bumps on my scar. Now three months later I can barely tell it is there, it does need to be protected from sun, so I do that. I understand how scary and stressful this can be as I was just there. Don’t judge your scare by the first few weeks, time does help. Sorry for going on but I wanted you to have a first hand very recent telling.
I chuckled to myself reading your parenting section bc we’ve had a combined weekend of GI bug, runny noses, fevers with our three kids under 7; a broken dishwasher; and a cancelled mom and dad date that also felt like the heartbreak of the year bc we get like…2 dates a year. But oh the snuggles! Also I have a long history of skin cancer issues, and I had a mole on my hairline removed with plastic surgery. Totally get your feelings. I will say that although the acute phase of course is tricky with bandages, you can hardly notice the scar in time. Hoping it’s smooth sailing for you!
Best of luck with your surgery. Fingers crossed that everything will go fine.
Lindsay, thank you for sharing your work with us. Your recipes are undoubtedly my #1 go-to each week and I don’t think I’ve ever made a recipe I haven’t loved.
I am a frequent flyer of the dermatologist— and have had what you are having done twice (not in the same location, though). I’ve also had basal cell carcinoma which required a plastic surgeon as well – but that was right next to my eye (and I was 23 at the time). All that to say, it’s scary but you WILL feel better once it’s done. And I yell from the rooftops to go to the dermatologist so I echo that PSA! Hope everything goes as smoothly as it possibly can.
Thanks for the PSA. It’s been too long since I’ve had a skin check
You writing about your skin cancer scare reminded me to make an appointment with my derm for a check, so thank you! I also fell off the regular routine after having a baby, but this freckly girl can’t deny the need for getting checked over.
Wishing you well with the procedure!
My dad had skin cancer on his nose. When it was removed his face did appear tighter (my mom joked he was actually just getting plastic surgery) but it settled within a few months and he looked back to himself. You’ll be in my thoughts!
See if you qualify for Mohs surgery for your mole! I was just diagnosed with borderline stage 1 melanoma on my cheekbone and go in next week for it. It’s less invasive than a wide margin excision. I am also nervous as it’s near my eye and I am not looking forward to the scar. Fingers crossed for you!
I had missed the coffee dates! I have been following your work for years and love everything about POY!
Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing such personal stories with this communities, it means a lot!
Sending you only positive energy for your surgery ♥️
My sister recently had Mohs on the end of her nose. She found a great plastic surgeon to do the Mohs and reconstruction at the same time, and it turned out GREAT. Let me know if you want the name—she’s in the Twin Cities. Find some great sun hats (I like Wallaroo), SPF, and a therapist to talk through your super valid feelings about this change in your life.
Do you have any recommendations for supplements that are effective for arthritic dogs? I have an 11 year old golden who is getting stiffer everyday.
I am sorry to hear that you are going through a bit of a scare. The good thing is, you are being proactive! I have been through a similar situation and have skin cancer on both sides of my family. I never wore sunscreen and I tanned all summer, although I didn’t burn too much. I had some suspicious moles (one being on my hairline as well) removed by a plastic surgeon, and I followed their care instructions afterwards, to a t. The scars are pretty much unnoticeable now. If you do end up with scars, they will be a part of your beauty and a story to tell. Be strong and let us know how it goes!