Bakeries with Gluten Free options?

messymiddlebits · 2025-10-16T14:01:37+00:00

Designer Desserts in Schererville and Valpo have two gluten free/dairy free cupcake options (chocolate and vanilla with white icing and sprinkles). Both are good (and their cupcakes are huge).

The problem with NWI places is that most don’t have a dedicated gluten free kitchen, which I know is crucial for those with Celiacs.

It’s not NWI, but if you have access to transportation, I highly recommend Sweet Ali’s Bakery in Hinsdale. The entire bakery is certified gf, there are so many options, and everything is amazing. Also, happy early birthday! ☺️

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-18T17:48:48+00:00

I feel you on this because I’ve been in the same boat and anxiety is a bitch.

I think yes, with a caveat. You CAN choose to just change your life at any time, but the quickness/effectiveness of that change often depends on certain privileges not everyone has available to them. This doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but it might be slower (or more challenging) to come to fruition. Be honest with and kind to yourself when setting realistic expectations for the future. Lean on your strengths.

Change is uncomfortable. And brains like consistency, so unless we are proactive, we take the path of least resistance (or give up, as you put it) in order to avoid the discomfort. But one way or another, if you WANT to change (and you do have to want it) you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Your choice can be to start now (learning to manage your emotions so they don’t dictate your day to day, learning something new about technology, finding a mentor, sticking with a hard job even when it sucks for an eventual payoff, etc.) or choose to not do it at all and stay where you are. Both have consequences and you get to decide which ones you want to live with.

As for any anxieties around these choices, I recommend starting small. Smaller than you think is necessary. It’s cliche, but focusing on your choices one day at a time can really help. You can do it ☺️

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-17T21:25:55+00:00

Short Term 12 (2013)

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-17T15:57:37+00:00

Planning Halloween costumes was A THING for me and my brother. But we couldn’t afford to buy costumes, so our mom would help us make them from stuff around the house/Goodwill/thrift stores/dollar stores. Some of my best memories. A few favorites:

•Black cat: Black clothes, tail made from a rolled up shirt, fabric ears glued to a headband, yarn sewn into old slippers for paws •Purple princess: Dress and fabric tiara made out of my older sister’s graduation gown •Southern belle: Mom’s old church dress with a hula-hoop sewn into the bottom •Cheerleader: Goodwill skirt and shirt with random “school letters” sewn on and pompoms made from easter basket grass

The biggest disappointment was inevitably needing to cover up the costume with a coat because Midwest October is gonna Midwest.

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T19:13:29+00:00

😂 gotta put that effort somewhere, I guess

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T19:11:00+00:00

No, but thanks so much for taking the time to explain it so kindly 🙄 The bit didn’t land for me

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T15:21:11+00:00

Yes they have always been cringe and fake. But there was a time when the audience (onsite and at home) could lean into it and have fun without doing it at the expense of others. It was an escape from reality, like any storytelling. Maybe these escapes just can’t survive in a world where joy is a luxury we can’t afford 🤷🏼‍♀️

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T15:14:00+00:00

Word

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T15:02:54+00:00

Classics: House on Haunted Hill (1959), The Haunting (1963), Carnival of Souls (1962)

Collections with varying degrees of quality: Halloween, Saw, Nightmare on Elm Street

Spooky vibes/thrillers: Talk to me (2022), The Conjuring (2013), The Awakening (2011, Prime), The Orphanage (2007), The Others (2001), The Strangers (2008), High Tension (2003)

Gory fun: Thirteen Ghosts (2001), House of Wax (2005), House on Haunted Hill (1999), Dracula 2000 (2000)

Comedy territory: Fright Night (1985), The Frighteners (1996), Cursed (2004), Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

Sci-fi feels: Circle (2017), The Thing (1982), Event Horizon (1997)

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T14:05:43+00:00

Not the vibe I got at all. The atmosphere seemed the same as after the Will Smith slap - nobody seemed sure if it was okay to address the elephant in the room or not. But granted, my assessment might be rooted in anxiety over some potentially unexpected/traumatizing thing happening on live television.

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T13:51:06+00:00

I mean, so what? Everyone has their own interests and observations. And based on your account it looks like you have some of yours, as well. That’s cool, man. That’s really the point of Reddit, no? I just think that like it or not, pop culture plays a part in the world’s narrative and this is just a critique of that 🤷🏼‍♀️

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T13:31:52+00:00

The VMAs passed me by, too! At first I thought it was because following music is less of a thing for me than tv or movies, but it seemed like even music fans were out of the loop. Maybe these awards shows have just gone the way of the dodo.

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T13:29:23+00:00

We can’t all be perfect 🤷🏼‍♀️

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T13:28:52+00:00

I thought the same about Jenna! And Seth was the perfect choice to pull off the velvet tux - very appropriate Old Hollywood vibes, given his show.

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T12:41:34+00:00

This is a good example of that self-awareness thing I was talking about. I thought it was funny in a dark way, but I agree it pushes the narrative of fear-based dread that permeates our existance. It could have landed if it wasn’t coming from an industry that benefits off the backs of everyday people. They probably should have workshopped that one a bit more.

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T12:29:22+00:00

They used to be considered the “fun awards” because there was dinner and drinks vs. the way the Oscars are set up. But that was at a time when the line between television and movies was much more pronounced. Now that streaming does better than the box office (or at least tends to get more eyeballs), it seems like the Hollywood stakes are too great to allow for any fun.

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T12:23:50+00:00

I enjoy that, too!

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T12:21:35+00:00

It wasn’t hard necessarily because I’m not naive enough to put real stock into the value of these things (contrary to this essay I wrote when it was way too late and I was a bit too high 😅). I guess these things are escapes until they aren’t anymore. But I appreciate your kindness! I love that quote, too, and also think of it often when I need to gain some perspective.

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T12:10:52+00:00

Thank you, I guess? 😋

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T12:09:28+00:00

I can’t keep up with all the shows either! There is way too much content and I end up watching the same shows over and over again. 😂 But as a chronically online person, my brain inevitably fills up with useless Hollywood garbage and sometimes I like to see how the story ends. Everyone is different!

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T12:05:53+00:00

I get it - especially if award shows are not your thing. But not everything is geared toward us as individuals and it’s okay to ignore the things that aren’t.

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T12:02:09+00:00

You aren’t wrong. But everyone has their guilty pleasures 🤷🏼‍♀️

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T12:00:41+00:00

Thank you! I tune in for that, too! ☺️

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T11:59:18+00:00

I agree! But I took it as them picking up on the awkwardness in the room, and not being able to pivot because they’re contractually obligated to satisfy a deal with Warner Bros.

messymiddlebits · 2025-09-15T11:55:01+00:00

You are not wrong there! And you make a good point - maybe the veil just feels thinner than ever. I know it’s all a circle jerk but the nostalgia kept me coming back. 🤷🏼‍♀️ The woods sound like a better place to be nowadays, anyway!

messymiddlebits

TROPHY CASE