Since that last update my little flower adventure turned into a business where I sold flower subscriptions for Spring and Summer, as well as hosted fun events like Pick Your Own Parties, Mother’s Day bouquet making classes, winter wreath decorating classes and I even hosted a home school group a couple times to teach them about flowers. It has been quite the adventure that I didn’t see coming.

I have enjoyed this new chapter but all along I knew it was temporary. I started my business in 2021, when my daughter was in 8th grade. From the beginning I felt like it was something I was given to do until she graduated and went off to college.

Five years later here we are and she’s getting ready to graduate high school and head off to University in the fall (wow time sure flies!). Ask Anna has been running peacefully in the background of my life, by my awesome VA, for the last handful of years, and I always wondered if I’d come back to it.

I started Ask Anna when my daughter was 2 years old and it really has been a great adventure. There were highs and lows, in business, family, adoption, houses–basically all the things, and I loved sharing them here with my followers. I loved the incredible brands I got to work with, I loved the people I got to meet, I loved being challenged by reader’s questions to create, design and organize. I also loved being able to Google myself any time someone asked me a question!

So while Ask Anna has ran peacefully in the background of my life for the last 15 years, I got a very clear answer from the Lord this month, that it’s time for this chapter to close as well. It brings tears to my eyes as I type those words because this great adventure has meant so much to me, and has been such a big part of my life. But I feel this is an opportunity for obedience, to listen to that same voice that planted the ideas of Ask Anna in my mind all those years ago.

I don’t think I ever shared the story of how this all began, but I’ll never forget, Matt and I were watching a football game while Malea was napping, and I decided to lay down and close my eyes as well. When I woke up from my nap, the Lord had given me a vision of what this blog would be. In the years that followed it became more than I could ever have imagined!

I feel that same sense of confidence now that it’s time to close this chapter–and while I have no idea what lies ahead, I confidently feel this is something I need to lay down in order for the next thing to begin.

It has been so long since I’ve posted I d0n’t even know if there’s anyone still out there reading this but before I say goodbye to anyone who is still reading, I want to look back at just a few things this blog gave me.

In no particular order here’s a look down Memory Lane…

To this day this is still my favorite Christmas tree, and the way it was decorated. I love that Ask Anna challenged me to go beyond traditional and to think outside the box. This tree is very “me”, all the teal!

This was the first time I ever shared our family of four after our adoption. So much had happened leading up to this point, and I had shared every step of our journey, but this was the first time I showed our adopted daughter’s face. It felt like a really big moment for us at the time.

I loved this outdoor living space so much! This couch was for a sponsored post and we still have it and use it to this day. It’s one of my favorite things I got from a sponsorship.

Um, and then there was that one time I got to go to BH&G and meet these people in real life! I still pinch myself that it really happened! Every time I open a BH&G magazine and see the Editor’s photo, I think to myself, “I met him in real life and talked to him at a party they threw for us bloggers!”.

This face! I just can’t with how little she is! Now she’s 17 and off to University in a few months! (Cue all the tears).

This was one of my favorite organizing posts. I still use this to this day. That’s one of my favorite things about this blog is that it challenged me with my cleaning, organizing and decorating and it forever changed the way I do things and the brands I use. Ask Anna might be going away but it has forever changed me.

Oh my word, and that time I got to speak at a blogging conference (what!?). I was SO nervous and couldn’t believe someone trusted me with a microphone but it went well and all the ladies told me I did great.

Still one of my favorite organizing hacks for small spaces and large bulky items. This is a throw back to the very beginning!

By far my most popular post ever! Written either my first or second year, it’s still my most viewed post– How to Clean Between the Oven Glass. And this was a collaborative post, a lot of this was my husband’s idea! He often joked that he should start a competing blog called, “Ask Matt” (Ha-ha).

The 1st time I hit over a million views! Look at that platform, I was still on Blogger (super old school)!

One of the many magazines I had the privilege of being published in. I still sometimes can’t even believe this all happened!It feels like a lifetime ago.

Okay, last story. I’ll never forget the morning my husband came home from work for something and I was doing this photo shoot for the Moscow Mules. He thought for sure he had caught me drinking at 10:30am but really it was just water in the cups! He still jokes about it to this day, and maybe there were a couple cocktails I couldn’t “fake” for pictures but this wasn’t one of them (ha-ha). Sure looks real doesn’t it?

These are just a few of the countless memories I have from writing Ask Anna for all those years. It would take me hours to tell you all the stories of how the Lord used this blog to change my life forever, and how He used it to impact our family in ways we could have never imagined.

And that is why I must lay it down and walk away. Just as clearly as I knew I was to start it, I know it’s time to end this chapter of my life. I know that whatever is coming next is going to be just as great, or even more, as I begin a completely new chapter of my life.

Thank you to anyone still out there reading this. Thank you for years of loyalty, support and for trusting me to teach you what I know. I might not have Ask Anna any more but I will always have lots of tips, tricks and ways to help you around your home, with your kids and life in general! Cheers to an amazing 15+ years!

Anna

The post The End of an Era appeared first on Ask Anna.

Hi! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower, and I’m back this month on Ask Anna to share with you a brand new mocktail perfect for Dry January.

Apple Cider Lime Soda Mocktail

So many things have been happening lately. Our days have been filled with prepping for the arrival of our baby boy. It’s exciting but also overwhelming as we try to navigate this new part of our lives. Plus, trying to recuperate from the holidays. So much has been going on that we’ve lost track of time, and now a new year is already here!

I’ve been working on some new mocktails so today I want to share this apple cider lime soda. It’s simple, it’s delicious, and it’s perfect year round, or for Dry January. I mean, how can you resist? Just the warm flavors of apple cider, the hint of citrus, the bubbliness of the club soda makes this drink perfect for cold January evenings.

I like to top the drink with mint leaves and a cinnamon stick. Other options are star anise and lime wedges. Just for a little bit more festivity. While this version is made to serve one, you can easily scale the recipe up to share with others.

To make this drink, add apple cider to a glass, add fresh squeezed lime juice. Add crushed ice to the drink. Top with club soda. Garnish with star anise, cinnamon sticks, mint leaves, or lime wedges. Serve the apple cider lime soda immediately cold.

Enjoy!

Andrea

Cooking with a Wallflower

Apple Cider Lime Soda

 

Print

Apple cider and lime juice topped with sparkling club soda. This apple cider lime soda is simple, delicious, and perfect for fall.

Author: Andrea Giang

Recipe type: Beverage

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• Juice of one lime (2 tablespoons)
• ¾ cup apple cider
• ½ cup club soda
• Crushed ice
• Mint leaves
• Cinnamon stick

Instructions

1. Add apple cider to a glass, add fresh squeezed lime juice. Add crushed ice to the drink. Top with club soda.
2. Garnish with star anise, cinnamon sticks, mint leaves, or lime wedges.
3. Serve the apple cider lime soda immediately cold.

3.5.3251

Here are some other fun Mocktails to try!

Sparkling Pomegranate Apple Lemonade

Sparkling Cherry Limeade

The post Apple Cider Lime Soda Mocktail appeared first on Ask Anna.

Pantry Organization Ideas for Oddly Shaped Pantries

Last fall a friend of mine, who is a real estate agent, called me up and asked me to help her friend who had recently purchased a house. They had a decent sized walk-in kitchen pantry, but it was an oddly shaped pantry, with narrow shelves, and the owner needed help organizing it. I always love an organizing challenge so I headed over to her house to see how I could help her with pantry organization ideas. My friend was right, it was a great space but the shelves were so narrow, and some were so oddly shaped that the space was limited and challenged to store their pantry items.

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The walk-in pantry was a good size but it lacked any sort of organization. The pantry shelving were all odd sizes and shapes. It’s hard to see in the pictures but the back shelves are actually shaped like a triangle. The left wall had long narrow, tall shelves that also end in a triangle shape, and then on the right were even more narrow shelves. This left the homeowner completely stumped on what to do with the pantry space. It’s such a strange design, and definitely wasn’t thought out well by the builder.

My first step was to take measurements of all the shelves and then go home and find storage containers that would fit her shelf space. I searched the internet for any helpful posts on oddly shaped pantries, but couldn’t find any helpful information, which is why I decided I needed to write this post!

After failing to find anything helpful on the internet, I turned to Amazon to try to find organization items to fit all my odd measurements. I was delightfully surprised to find exactly what I needed. I sent this list to the homeowner, telling her how many of each to order:

Clear containers with lids, for stacking items on tall, narrow shelves

Stackable wire baskets

Corner organizing bins

Large stackable food storage containers

Adjustable height 2-tier lazy susan

After all of the products had arrived I went back over to her house to put the pantry back together.

Here are my top 3 rules for organizing any space:

1. First remove everything from the space.

Removing everything from the space makes it clutter-free, and makes it easier to visualize how to organize the space because it isn’t already cluttered with items.

2. Use organization bins to plan your layout.

Using the organization bins, baskets, glass jars, whatever it is you’re using, start adding pieces back into the space–in this case the pantry–to get a feel for the layout you want to use.

Because this pantry is so oddly shaped, it took a little trail and error before I figured out exactly how I wanted to use all the organization bins we had purchased.

3. Organize items in groupings.

Whether I’m organizing a closet or a pantry, I always put like items together. In this case I asked the homeowner how often, and who used each thing, before I put it back into the space. Snack foods for the kids were all put together, on shelves they could reach. Dinner items, like pasta, rice, and dried beans, were all grouped together, baking items, like flour, sugar, etc, were grouped together, breakfast cereals were placed where the kids could reach them, you get the idea.

Because the homeowner decided to relocate the small appliances that had also been stored in the pantry, we ended up having lots of extra space! It was exciting to see how everything got put back together, and how well all the organization bins from Amazon, fit the narrow awkward shelves.

I always love it when there are extra storage bins left over, after an organization project, because that means there is extra storage space left for additional items when the homeowner gets back from the grocery store.

I hope that these few tips will help you organize your pantry shelves this year! Whether you have a regular shaped pantry, or an oddly shaped pantry, there is always a solution to create organized pantry storage. If you ever have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask, like I said, I love an organization challenge!

The post Walk-in Pantry Organization Ideas for Oddly Shaped Pantries appeared first on Ask Anna.

Hi! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower. I’m back this month on Ask Anna to share with you a brand new recipe perfect for the summer.

We don’t have that many hot days in San Francisco. But when we do, during warm summer days, I really prefer meals that don’t require much cooking. The simpler the meal, the better. Mostly because a hot kitchen on already hot days is not my favorite place to be. For this month, I wanted to share with you this honey garlic soy avocado cucumber salad.

This salad is sweet and tangy and even a little spicy. You can easily customize the sweetness, tanginess, and spiciness to your level of comfort. It has all the ingredients that you probably have on hands. And it’s super easy to make.

Is there any particular dish that you like to go to when it’s hot out and you prefer not to have to turn on the stove or the oven?

In a small bowl, add minced garlic, Thai chili, scallions, lemon juice, soy sauce, water, honey, red onions, and black pepper. Stir to mix all the ingredients together. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes.

In either a Tupperware or a medium sized bowl, add sliced avocado and cucumbers.

Pour the spicy honey garlic soy sauce mixture over the avocado and cucumbers. Allow the avocado and cucumbers to soak in all the flavor.

Best served cold so I would either use avocados and cucumbers that came from the fridge. Or refrigerate the avocado cucumber salad for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Serve the honey garlic soy avocado cucumber salad cold with rice or noodles.

Enjoy!

Andrea

Cooking with a Wallflower

Honey Garlic Soy Avocado Cucumber Salad

 

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Avocado, cucumbers, and red onions tossed in a sweet and tangy garlic sauce. This honey garlic soy avocado cucumber salad is simple, delicious, and refreshing, perfect with rice or noodles.

Author: Andrea Giang

Recipe type: Side

Serves: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Thai chili, thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sesame seed
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
• 1 large avocado, sliced

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, add minced garlic, Thai chili, scallions, lemon juice, soy sauce, water, honey, red onions, sesame seeds, and black pepper. Stir to mix all the ingredients together. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes.
2. In either a Tupperware or a medium sized bowl, add sliced avocado and cucumbers.
3. Pour the spicy honey garlic soy sauce mixture over the avocado and cucumbers. Allow the avocado and cucumbers to soak in all the flavor.
4. Best served cold so I would either use avocados and cucumbers that came from the fridge. Or refrigerate the avocado cucumber salad for at least 20 minutes before serving.
5. Serve the honey garlic soy avocado cucumber salad cold with rice or noodles.

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Here are some other easy summer recipes!

Sweat Tea Popsicles

Summer Caprese Tart

Peach Glazed Shrimp Skewers

The post Honey Garlic Soy Avocado Cucumber Salad appeared first on Ask Anna.

Hi! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower, and this month I’m back to share with you an amazing dish. Especially if you love cheese. I’m always looking for appetizers and snacks that can be served for all purposes. And this one is seriously delish.

If you’re a fan of brie, this salted honey pistachio brie puff pastry will be the perfect appetizer and snack for you. You can serve it on Game Day. You can serve it as part of a date night in. It’s great as part of your wine and cheese night.

To make this dish, preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside for now.

Slice off as much of the rind on the brie as much as possible. Or if you like it, you can keep the rind on. Cut the brie into cubes. You can either use a round brie or a wedge of brie. Either works.

Place the brie in the center of a puff pastry sheet. Take each corner of the puff pastry sheet and pull it to the center to cover the brie.

Whisk together an egg and milk to create an eggwash. Brush the egg wash over the puff pastry. This helps the pastry to brown evenly.

Sprinkle coarse sugar over the puff pastry.

Bake the brie puff pastry for about 20 minutes until the puff pastry has browned and the cheese has melted.

Drizzle honey on top. Add crushed pistachio and then sprinkle a pinch of salt on top.

Serve the salted honey pistachio brie puff pastry immediately while the cheese is warm and melted.

Enjoy!

Andrea

Cooking with a Wallflower

Salted Honey Pistachio Brie Puff Pastry

 

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Melted brie wrapped in puff pastry and topped with honey, pistachio and sea salt. This salted honey pistachio brie puff pastry is simple, delicious, and perfect for get togethers.

Author: Andrea Giang

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 1 puff pastry, thawed
• 1 brie triangle, cubed

Eggwash

• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk

Toppings

• Coarse sugar
• Honey
• Crushed pistachio

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside for now.
2. Slice off as much of the rind on the brie as much as possible. Or if you like it, you can keep the rind on. Cut the brie into cubes. You can either use a round brie or a wedge of brie. Either works.
3. Place the brie in the center of a puff pastry sheet. Take each corner of the puff pastry sheet and pull it to the center to cover the brie.
4. Whisk together an egg and milk to create an eggwash. Brush the egg wash over the puff pastry. This helps the pastry to brown evenly.
5. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the puff pastry.
6. Bake the brie puff pastry for about 20 minutes until the puff pastry has browned and the cheese has melted.
7. Drizzle honey on top. Add crushed pistachio and then sprinkle a pinch of salt on top.
8. Serve the salted honey pistachio brie puff pastry immediately while the cheese is warm and melted.

3.5.3251

Here are some other great Puff Pastry recipes!

Baked Brie with Honey and Walnuts

Sun Dried Tomato Puffed Pastry

The post Salted Honey Pistachio Brie Puff Pastry appeared first on Ask Anna.