There was a time last year when I couldn’t bake for weeks on end. And boy did I HATE it! There’s just something about baking that relaxes me… whether it’s quickly whipping up an old family recipe that I know inside out, or trying a new creative idea that make or may not work!

I’ve had a few serious health issues in my life (major spine surgery, and life-saving bowel surgery are just a couple). During these times, I’ve been unable to bake, sometimes for many weeks on end. (I guess on the upside I also avoided cleaning the bathrooms and cooking dinners …). Being able to get back on my feet and back to baking for my kids, was a wonderful feeling each time.

This latest baking drought however was nothing to do with ill-health, but something far more exciting! My husband Alex and I had dreamt about doing major renovations to our home for many years. While we loved our cute little house, we wanted to transform it into a large family home. Which is exactly what we did…  while being filmed every step of the way for a new TV show! Yep, start to finish with cameras in our faces!

You know those renovation shows where the (foolish) family insists they’ll stay on-budget, and are dead-set on living on site no matter HOW disruptive the building work… Yep, that’s US! Without giving too much away, it was stressful, exciting, chaotic, full-on, hard-work, fun and unforgettable. Fortunately our good friend Hamish Dodd (My House My Castle, The Cafe) helped guide us through the process, and was a huge help. Although he may get a big head if he reads this!

I did manage to do SOME baking before the kitchen became a total no-go-zone… you may spot a few One Handed Baker recipes pop up throughout the series. I’d love you to follow our journey – the 100 Day Renovation starts Saturday 9 March at 6pm on Prime TV in NZ.