Finishing Strong

Therefore, comfort yourselves together and edify one another, even as also ye do. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

t is easy to start out strong on a task or adventure. Finishing is a different story. The 4th quarter of the year is always our busiest! It is more than I can accomplish on my own. There is a lyric in the song, Beyond Me, by Toby Mac that resonates and comforts me. The line says, “In over my head keeps me counting on you.” I am thankful for my prayer warriors and cheerleaders this time of year! Prayers for you that no matter what your “4th quarter” in life looks like that you will press on and finish strong.

Where in the World is Cindy’s Bits and Pieces?

Petals of Macon

We have been blessed to meet incredible retailers and be a part of some unique and charming stores. Our first stop is the store where we began our brick-and- mortar experience, Petals of Macon, formerly 7th St Salvage. We restock each week and test the market with various sizes and new products here. The staff is amazing as well as the consistent local supporters. Petals is owned by Lynn Stevens and is a florist and gift store that also houses 20 creative artist/vendors. The charm of this local store is its history and the preservation of it. It was originally a Sinclair Gas Station built in 1916. Brent and Catherine Meyer revitalized the old building keeping much of her old glory in 2019. The store is now a vital part of the heartbeat of Macon. Stay tuned to find out where else we are next month.

Gingerbread Shortbread and Holiday Prep!

Gingerbread Shortbread Cookies are here!

While I have found my niche with cheese wafers, shortbread cookies, and brittles, I have missed some of the flavors of my big cookies. This new shortbread flavor was a quest to find a shortbread that I could combine the rich flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Enjoy the benefits of the ginger in this crunchy spiced cookie now available on our website!

Christmas Packaging is now available to order in our shop. See our Holiday preview video below!!

Pecan Salty Sweet Potato Souffle

For the holidays, try this recipe or your own sweet potato dish by adding pecan salty shortbread cookies instead of marshmallow toppings

  • 3 lbs of sweet potatoes

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

  • 2/3 cup of butter

  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/3 cup brown sugar

  • Pecan salty shortbread cookies on top

Mission Impossible: Blueberries and Shortbread Cookies

What do blueberries and shortbread cookies have to do with each other, you might ask? One of the resources we use on our Georgia Grown products is blueberries. They are sourced very local from our own blueberry patch. The patch is more like a garden 80 bushes deep. The Blueberry Blessing is the shortbread cookies created as a result of these heavenly blue jewels that grow in our neck of the woods in May through July. For more on the original blueberry story scroll down on the blog page to Blueberry blessing, March 23.

Our story begins in April of this year when I first realized we were going to have an enormous crop. I recall telling a custom about the crop and how I did not know how we could possibly harvest it this year given the growth of the business. The sweet customer responded politely by pointing to the sign I always have placed on my booth which reads “All things are possible with God” Matthew 19:26. In that moment it was as if I had been gently busted by God. For you see, that sign has been on the front of my booth since the beginning of my business. A sweet lady gave it to me not knowing my need for it. It came as a small voice to say “take the leap, I have got you on this one”. For at that time, I was about to jump out the boat and into the water and start a business. And so it is, that God begins at the impossible. It’s late July and we have harvested 150 gallons with that many more on the ground or left unpicked. It is the most we have ever picked. God showed out with those beautiful shades of greens, pinks and blues. They looked like clusters of grapes with their branches wearily dragging the ground.

No, we were not able to pick the entire crop, but we picked much more than we ever dreamed we could. We were gratefully blessed with dozens of friends who came to pick at just the right time. God’s ways are not our ways but He begins at the impossible. Blueberry Blessings {shortbread cookies} will fade from our website at the end of August but will return next spring. Get yours while you can. Thank you for following our journey!

Blueberry Pie Recipe

  • Graham or Shortbread Crust

  • 1 tub of Cool Whip

  • 1 block of Cream Cheese

  • 1 cup of Powdered Sugar

  • 1 cup of fresh Blueberries

Fold blueberries into the mixture of cream cheese, powdered sugar and cool whip. Pour into crust and refrigerate. Enjoy!

A Milestone Birthday

Do you know where you were a decade ago this month? I do. I was at a local Saturday morning market with 50 bags of peanut brittle to sell. It was a sell out! This was not the first time I had peddled products. As a child of about 8 years old, I sold catalpa worms to fishermen. I picked blueberries by the millions to sell and helped my husband split and stack firewood to sell. But on this first market, I was hooked on the dream of entrepreneurship.

Today, we still sell approximately 50 bags of brittle per month. But what has become our niche is cheese wafers and shortbread cookies. We sell an average of 1600 boxes of cheese wafers per month making this one product over fifty percent of our business. We recently hit 500 online orders thanks to you, our followers. We still enjoy going to a few shows a year. The shows give us a chance to be with “our people”. It is the best part of the job! You encourage me! God continues to show us His carriers of Jesus are a mighty multitude among us.

20 Percent of businesses fail in the first year. 50 percent fail in the first five years. Our business survival credit goes to God’s favor, slow growth, and failures. The failures paved the way to our version of success. Even though this business was started ten years ago in 2014, our exponential grow did not occur until 2020 with the coming of covid. I began full time with the business that year and David joined me in 2021. We continue to grow and enjoy this adventure step by step one failure at a time. God continues to shower His blessings on us. Thank you for following the journey!

What is your “Why?”

What is your why behind what you do? Sometimes knowing why you are doing something whether it be a career or a business or many other pursuits, encourages us when we are knee deep in and overwhelmed. Sometimes your why challenges you to hit the Reset Button in our lives as we change and grow.

When I began Bits and Pieces almost a decade ago, my why was to fill the empty nest void and to have money to get my hair done. Just writing this makes me smile. It was a pretty simple why but important for that phase of life I was in. A little further down the line, as I began to have more faith than fear, my why changed. The business was growing enough that I began to believe I could get out of the dental field all together and be my own boss. Also, I began to realize that I could share my faith simply by telling others my story. Today my why is to know Him and to make Him known. Financially, it is to save some, give beyond my tithe, and spend

some on grandbabies. It is a pretty simple why and yet so vast at the same time. I can see how God is shaping, correcting, guiding and refining me. I cannot always see how He uses what I do to make Him known, but I am convinced that He does.

I hope sharing my journey makes you pause and question your why. Maybe you are like me and need to hit your own reset button and ask the question, “What is your why?” Thank you for following our journey!

Is There Anyone Else Out There Like Me?

My latest journey through the Bible has been in Exodus. I can get frustrated with the Israelites as they quickly forgot God’s deliverance and miracles and begin to complain and grumble. For you see, the entire nation had been released from the Egyptian Pharaoh. It took 10 plagues to convince Pharaoh but he finally relented and allowed the people to go. God’s children had also just crossed on dry ground through the Red Sea. Now they were discontented in the wilderness. It was not the promised land. There was nothing happening.

After a quick read of disgust, I realize that I behave in the same way. It seems that no matter how blessed I am, I am always looking for the next great thing. It isn’t because of a lack of gratitude, I developed a robust daily practice of gratitude years ago. This was my healing balm for anxiety. The practice begins each morning by thinking of 5 mundane things I am thankful for. The idea is that they should be different each day. My list looks something like this… hot bath, electricity, indoor plumbing, coffee and clean sheets. This practice turned into a daily rapport with God. What does your list look like?

Still, no matter how gracious God is to me, I continue to seek the next underserved reward. I find that I am a lot like the Israelites. I can’t see the promised land nor all the gifts along the way. Perhaps if I could see clearly, I would not be able to handle it. I am not prepared yet. Looking backwards on my past blessings is another practice I cherish. To this, I list milestones that I know could not have appeared but by the grace and favor of God. My list looks like this: my education, perfect partner for me, 2 healthy successful daughters, homeschool journey, building a home, restored relationships and starting a business. What does your list look like? My life and business tend to mirror each other. I am going to add a looking backwards exercise to the business also. For I know who and where the business successes come from. Perhaps desiring more out of life is a natural thing. God is able to give us more than we ever dreamed.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Failures, Setbacks and Weakness

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, for them who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Most of us post pictures of ourselves and our stories on social media. We present to our viewers the best of ourselves. We often hide the pain, weaknesses, failures, setbacks, tears and even the wrinkles. It is wonderful to share our joys and Praise the Lord for all He has done for us. We are all so very blessed!

I have been wondering lately if sharing the opposite side of the coin would not be more value to our readers. For it is in our pain that we grow stronger and become the person we are meant to be. I don’t know about you, but I am a lot like the Biblical characters, Moses, Gideon and David. I am full of flaws! Thank goodness God likes to make something out of nothing.

In my own life I Have never had a lot of confidence as a result of various weaknesses that maybe I will begin to learn to share. But in spite of my self-doubt, I have seen God move mountains, so I trust in Him alone.

The same is true for Cindy’s Bits and Pieces. So today I will share a recent set back in our business. While it is most definably not a tragedy, it is a learning experience and a learning process.

While at the Georgia Wine Conference this year, I was encouraged to enter the Flavor of Georgia Contest. Awards have never meant much to me, but I decided that I would give it a try. I entered the Rosemary Sea Salt Short Bread cookie. You may be wondering why I did not enter the Cheese Wafer with Pecans or the Pecan Salty since pecans are as big crop in Georgia. My thinking was that our Rosemary Sea Salt Short Bread cookies is our number one shortbread cookie. It is cultivated in droves and processed in house for this one purpose. The flavor is unique that it satisfies the high palate of the gourmet foodie and the everyday snacker. You can find cheese crackers and pecan shortbread often but seldom rosemary Sea salt short bread. The outcome was that my entry was not even a candidate to make it to the next round. What a Bummer! Truth is we are already winners with our products in wineries, gourmet stores, small grocery stores and with our most prized customers, YOU our followers!!

Thank you God for unanswered prayers, and closed doors! I can’t wait to see what is next!!

What's Next


Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. Hebrews 11: 1


It a treat to be able to focus, plan, dream and work in the slower months! I plan, but God is likely to stir the pot and change my direction. The reward is to watch Him steal my show and make something out of nothing! Is a fantastic personal journey to be on. I just need to be present!
We are making plans in the coming year to continue boxes/baskets and add a subscription box. Making baskets of this or that has been a thing since way before Cindy’s Bits and Pieces! The curation of everything and anything looks special in a basket. 
All products look good all dressed up in a basket! Our baskets are filled with old fashioned food art sure to please! 
Our experience with custom and corporate orders has a long history and is a growing business for us. Back in my dentistry days I was gifted the job of taking care of our office gifts.
Nowadays, we do anything from 100s of miniatures, customized selections of various size products, gable boxes, medium and large gift baskets to gourmet baskets. We enjoy helping universities to small medical/dental offices to even larger corporations fill their special gift needs. 
If you don’t see what you are looking for on our website, don’t hesitate to reach out by phone or email. Catering and customizing to our customers is one of my favorite parts of the job! 
We would love for you to take the subscription box journey with us. Lots of education is underway! Would you be interested in a subscription box for yourself or one as a gift? Do you like surprises? What would you like to receive in a box? Let us know below!

Just because I can, doesn't mean I should

“Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should” would have been a good lesson to have learned earlier on in life. My altruistic personality trait has often worn me down.

I finally learned in my 40s to pick what I love and strive for the best results.  In my case, it was saying “no” to groups, committees, and the like. I chose to teach 3rd and 4th grade Sunday school and did so for over 20 years!  I enjoyed studying the simple messages to present to the children.  I got to work with some talented teachers, one that would become a lifelong mentor and friend.

The same is true for business. Over the years I have begun to refine my list of offerings.  Like teaching children’s Sunday school, I found my niche in baking. There are many products on my website that are hidden from the customer.  Not visibly seen are my favorite to die for oatmeal raisin cookie and the chocolate chip butterscotch walnut cookie a friend gave me the recipe for.  Some call it a party in your mouth. Which brings me to our next departing product. This product will become seasonal! Our peanut butter protein bites will be offered in January and February ONLY going forward.  These wonderful bites are created with plant-based protein powder and Macca root powder.  They are extremely healthy and have a fabulous shelf life. They are also gluten free! We like to take them to our shows so that when there isn’t time to go get something to eat, we have a healthy bite to keep us going. They keep well in the freezer, and I like to keep them cold so that the peanut butter oil doesn’t absorb into the oats sprinkled on top.   

Stock up on these favorites in the New Year before they’re gone!

The Holidays Are Here!

From mid-October, our holiday preparations begin here at the Little House. Although we have done well at creating a balance of life in 2023, the heat gets turned up at notch this month.
Our wholesale friends begin placing orders to fill their shelves. Holiday corporate orders begin to come in along with a few personal Christmas orders from the early birds. Holiday shows come in to play. Every show we went to this season was a near sell out. By mid-November I have worn out my Christmas music playlist on Spotify.

This month, I thought that I would take you on a tour of the happenings. If you’ve been following us, you already know our kitchen is only 800 square feet packed with ovens, freezers, and workstations.

All of our shipping is done out of a bedroom/office space at our home or as we like to call it “corporate”. The dining room table my husband built me to enjoy when the growing family comes home becomes a temporary holding for order to go out.
During the holidays we use whatever other space is available for packing and last-minute touches on our gift boxes and baskets.

This month we had the honor of being in the Southwest Georgia magazine gift guide. We are overwhelmed with where God has taken us! I get to listen to so much good information via podcasts while I cook. Dave Ramsey has a quote that I like. He says, “Focused intensity, over time, multiplied by God, equals unstoppable momentum.” I believe this is the blessing we are seeing!
We are so blessed! Thank you for being a part of it!

New Product Alert - Pecan Salty Shortbread

Although I cannot paint or dress myself, my favorite thing is still is to create! If I could keep up with the production of the new items, our customers would have multitudes to choose from. Perhaps creating makes me feel closer to the Great Creator!

This product has been in my head for over 6 months!  It occurred to me that I use one of Georgia’s most wonderful products all the time in my cheese wafers (pecans) yet I do not have a short bread with pecans in it. Because our sweet and salty products are so popular, I wanted to try my hand at a pecan version shortbread that has both the sweet and salty taste!  Fall is the harvest time for Georgia Pecans!  Time to fill the freezers!  Happy Fall!

Welcome the Pecan Salty Shortbread to the line up!

Find us this month at the Georgia National Fairgrounds Georgia Grown store and at the Deep Roots festival!

The Crew

Find the crew on Saint Simons Island this month at Golden Isle Olive Oil Culinary Center 9/20 from 12-3 and at the Glynn Visual Arts Show 9/23-9/24.

We have often been asked about our crew. This question is where this month’s blog post was inspired. Over our 9 year span we have been blessed to have some helpers for a season just when we needed an extra hand. However, our day in and day out crew is comprised of just 2. I could not do what I do currently do without my knight in shining armor!

My husband, David, and I are opposites. He is the actual factual partner. He is the chef of the brittles, the extruder, the shipper and the packer. He keeps all our paperwork top notch and more.

He thought he had retired. He says he is simply cheap labor. He loves to tell how he has worked since age 13 and done many manly jobs. He has operated heavy equipment, balanced motors, drove a truck, fought fire, paved roads, and now he sells cookies! I love the dry humor he brings day by day!

Our near perfect marriage has not always been so. It has been refined by trials, failures, forgiveness and most importantly our love for Jesus! Happy anniversary to us!

The Gift of Rosemary

The secret to my abundance of rosemary is the gentleman pictured below. This master gardener is my dad. He roots, pots and cares for our crop. At 84 this month, he is still on the move! We are blessed. Enjoy a tour of the rosemary garden/paradise!

I am grateful that rosemary is a plant that produces all year long. Rosemary is an antioxidant, but you will never think about that when you taste these yummies! Rosemary is naturally a lemony-pine flavor. It’s a great combination with the sea salt in this shortbread cookie. Mixed with the best butter and just the right amount of salt, keeps this cookie as our top seller!

Happy 9th Birthday Cindy's Bits and Pieces!

The practice of being grateful everyday reminds me of how far God has brought me in life and in this business ‘Often times, pictures do the same.’ Grateful for your walk with me! It is better with you in it! Thank you! Pictured below is our label evolution.

New Product Alert - Baker's Miniature Collection

The Baker’s Miniature Collection box includes 8 miniatures presented neatly in our Gable box. The box always includes 6 of our classics (Spicy Cheese, Rosemary Sea Salt, Almond Biscotti, Lemon Drops, Chocolate Sea Salt, and Blue Cheese) and 2 additional flavors are selected according to season and availability.

Baker's Miniature Collection
Baker's Miniature Collection
Quantity:
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The Little House

Long before Cindy’s Bits and Pieces, our building served as a play place for me as a child. The inoperable wood cooking stove stood in the middle of the room. The stove was one of many of my daddy’s buy and sell items. This portion of the building with the wood stove is currently 62 years old. Later, this little building received a lean- to making it a small dwelling for grandparents.

Today, our 800 square foot establishment houses Cindy’s Bits and Pieces. Our commercial kitchen is unlike the beautiful kitchens of today. However, it’s a powerhouse for producing tons of our best products. It’s a place to work for sure, but its charm instills peace. From the tin roof of the tiny house, the rain sounds good! There is a window that overlooks a pond! It’s also my favorite spot to spy on my bluebirds. Nestled in behind a dwarf Japanese maple, the house is tucked away to most who pass by. It is as though it is a well kept secret

We moved in just before Christmas in 2016 with a commercial stove top to cook peanut brittle. That is the only product we made at the time. Over time, I made it a cute little house with lots of metal cabinets and an old ice box refrigerator for storing flour. Many of those little charming pieces have now been replaced with lots of stainless steel for the ease and speed of production! It is a forever changing little space as our needs change and we grow.

I never would have dreamed that this little building would do so much! I just had a hunch or some may say a God-wink that this was where I was meant to be. Now you know the story of the Little House!  Thank you for being part of our journey ! We are so very blessed!

If you keep having an idea that seems impossible or out of the question, do not keep disregarding it. Listen to His voice, dream big, start little by little. You might find yourself in your Little House or your Happy Place one day!

Blueberry Blessings

Long before Cindy’s Bits and Pieces, there was a girl picking and peddling organic blueberries.   For me, there has always been lots of good therapy picking berries.  Whether I was chatting with a friend, solving life’s issues or picking in solitude listening to the birds tell you those berries are theirs. Feeling the warm summer sunshine on your back or enjoying a cooler evening picking after the sun has gone down is a pleasure. I have always enjoyed working with my hands. We are now up to 80 plus plants harvesting 115 plus gallons picked by hand each year, because there was never a vision for machines to come in and pick. This year’s crop is only about one handful due to a late freeze. Since we never know about Mother Nature, we always freeze as many as possible. We can also freeze-dry the berries which allows us to use them for years! What a revolutionary preservation of one of nature’s best antioxidants. 

Cindy’s Bits and Pieces has been trying to figure out a shelf stable way to use them for years . Last year, I was able to create a shortbread cookie with the organic berries! The learning curve was finding just the right amount of freeze-dried crushed berries it would take to truly taste those berries in the cookie.  It turned out it was about 10 times the amount I thought!  Since the berries have been a blessing to me in so many ways , I named our shortbread cookie, Blueberry Blessings. We hope you will enjoy eating them as much as we enjoy making them!