SueBee Homemaker: Ten Years Strong
We’re marking ten years of SueBee Homemaker – a milestone filled with good food, sweet memories, and plenty of growth. Come celebrate the journey and what’s ahead!
How It Started
After years as a stay‑at‑home mom – and realizing my 17‑year‑old didn’t exactly need me hovering anymore – I started thinking hard about what my next chapter might look like. I wasn’t excited about heading back into corporate life, so I found myself weighing my options.
At the same time, I was making frequent trips home to Iowa to visit my aging parents. My mom was deep in her Alzheimer’s journey, her memories slipping away, and that played a huge role in my decision. A big part of why I started this blog was to preserve her recipes so they’d live on long after she couldn’t share them herself.
And with my 50th birthday approaching, I had one of those clarity moments on a bike ride — where I do most of my best thinking – and decided to launch on October 18, 2016. My birthday felt like the perfect fresh start.
Mom passed away on Holy Thursday, April 18, 2019, from complications of Alzheimer’s – a cruel disease that slowly took her from us. I wrote a post during that time to honor her memory and the pieces of her I never wanted to lose. Norma Jean’s Kitchen is where you can find some of her recipes that I cherish.
My dad also passed away during this last decade (in 2021), after spending years in a nursing home. I miss them both so much.
How It’s Going
Here we are, a full ten years down the road. I truly can’t believe it. So much has unfolded – both here on the blog and in our everyday lives – that putting it into words feels like a tall order. Still, I’m going to try.
On the blog side of things, I’m genuinely proud of how much I’ve learned and how far this space has come. Those first two years of working for free feel like a lifetime ago, and earning ad income for the first time was such a milestone.
BTW, my very first paycheck was $141.97. Proof that this whole thing is a marathon, not a sprint.
To date, I’ve shared well over 800 recipes (and about 36 from Norma Jean), which still feels wild to say out loud. Over the years, I’ve gone back and refreshed quite a few of them as I’ve honed my craft and grown into a better creator. And through it all, my priority has stayed the same – helping you find something truly delicious to make for your family, with instructions that feel clear, doable, and easy to follow.
I’m pretty proud of how far I’ve come, and since photography is usually the first thing people notice, I thought it would be fun to share a few progress photos. The difference is remarkable… and honestly, a little hilarious.
The SueBee Logo
The tandem bike logo came naturally. We were loving our rides – around the neighborhood and on trips – and one bright, sunny day, after borrowing a bike from a friend, Zach snapped some photos that captured us perfectly.
We couldn’t resist putting our sweet dog, Theo, in a basket on the front of the bike. He would’ve never tolerated an actual ride, but it made us laugh and fit our soon-to-be empty‑nest season so well.
My Cheering Section
Anytime you start a new adventure, it’s helpful to have a cheering section supporting you. From the get-go, Mike and the boys (and their girls – Tiffany and Kirsten) were excited for me and cheered me on every step of the way. My sisters, Jackie and Shari, were also in my corner and were two of the first to know what I was working on. I think I told them what I was thinking of doing after that bike ride!
I wasn’t the most creative cook when I first started this adventure, but I quickly learned to dream big. Other creators inspired me to try new things, and whenever we traveled, I found myself experimenting in the kitchen to recreate dishes we’d fallen in love with near and far.
Somewhere along the way, I realized our boys were really enjoying their time in the kitchen – cooking for themselves, cooking for their families, and genuinely loving the whole process. Their creativity amazes me, and whenever they’re home, they pretty much take over. It’s so fun to watch… even if they leave a massive mess behind.
Top Ten Recipes:
My analytics tell me these are my all‑time top ten recipes, the ones that have carried the business side of things. I adore them, of course, but there are countless others I wish people would discover because they’re every bit as delicious. That’s just how content creation works.
Here are my all-time top ten recipes (three of which are my mother’s recipes):
Some of my Favorite Recipes:
Like I mentioned above, I’d love for some of the following recipes got more attention because they are some of my personal favorites!
Travel Posts
Yup, this little corner of the internet has given me a fun way to capture our travels over the years. I especially love being able to revisit those memories and share the guides with friends and family when they’re headed to the same destination.
Back when the boys were growing up, our travel mostly meant driving to Iowa to visit family. Christmas in Iowa was a tradition, and summers at Lake Okoboji were always a highlight.
It wasn’t until our 25th wedding anniversary, with the boys in high school, that Mike and I took our first real trip alone. We chose San Francisco, and honestly, that’s where our love for travel really began.
Whenever we travel, we make a point to try fun and interesting foods – and I always come home with a ton of recipe inspiration. Some examples include my Spanish Seafood Paella and Cranberry Apple Sangria from our time in Spain, Irish Seafood Chowder from our 35th anniversary trip to Ireland, Key Lime Pie from Turks and Caicos, Meatball Pizza from NYC, Blueberry Ice Cream from Bar Harbor, and of course, Hawaiian Mai Tais from our favorite place on this earth.
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The Messy in the Middle
As much as I’ve highlighted the fun parts of this journey – the progress, the inspiration, the recipes, and the travel – the truth is that the middle has been pretty complicated. Mike and I have both had our own health struggles, each unfolding in totally different ways.
Mike was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer back in 2007, long before this blog ever existed. He’s been battling for almost 19 years with pure bravery, enduring multiple surgeries and treatments along the way. I’m so proud of his mindset and often wish I could navigate my own struggles with the same steadiness. He’s my constant in life, and I’m endlessly grateful we found each other so early on.
My health journey has been complicated. I’ve dealt with chronic foot pain from the young age of 23 – with peaks and valleys since then. It’s been difficult and I’m currently dealing with another valley. The medical profession hasn’t had many answers and so I’m taking it a day at a time. My people have been constantly supportive and I’m forever grateful.
To make life a little easier at home, we remodeled the kitchen in 2018, during one of my tougher stretches. We added a rolling office chair with smooth roller‑blade wheels, and now I can move around the whole kitchen without needing to stand. It’s been such a helpful way for me to keep cooking and keep the business going. Having a kitchen I can navigate comfortably has given me a sense of independence that means a lot.
What’s Ahead
What lies ahead for me is a real focus on easy, tasty dinner recipes. I’ve realized my true love is figuring out what a busy family needs on a regular weeknight. Tex‑Mex and pizza are two of my forever favorites, so you’ll definitely be seeing more of those, too. Plus more ice cream!
When I get feeling better, expect more travel too. I can’t wait to get out with Mike and see our big beautiful world – and still come home to time with family and our grandkids, which is its own kind of joy.
I also want to thank each and every one of you who made it this far in this post. And a big, giant hug to those of you who continue to try my recipes. It means so much to me when you leave a review and share what you think – it truly makes my day.
Love you, love the blog!! Can’t wait to see what else is coming!! 🥰
Thanks sis! Love you too!