First of all, what is “elevenses,” anyway?

Elevenses, which is sometimes pronounced “elevensies” (either one is fine by me), is a small meal eaten at eleven o’clock, best enjoyed with tea and friends. But more about this later.

My name is Jaime M. Kirby—- home baker, podcaster, and writer. Elevenses Society is a community of people who have beautiful goals and want to celebrate together as their dreams unfold.

As much as I love how the internet puts us in contact with the whole world, I believe that when people get together in real life—face-to-face—magic can happen.

I named my company Elevenses Society, based on these little get-togethers my friend Brooke Lark and I would have over tea about when our kids were little. We would meet up every-other Thursday at around eleven o’clock. It was just she and myself (with probably half a dozen kids running around), but we would sit at the table with mismatched teacups in our hands, discussing our dreams of getting published, sharing what we knew about photography, and exchanging notes on how we were going to turn our budding blogs into money-making machines.

At the time, we didn’t realize two things: 1) that having cake or scones with tea around eleven o’clock is actually a thing. It’s an occasional meal they have in Britain, and it’s called “elevenses” (you may have heard a Hobbit mention it. And a big thank you to my friend Shelley who made me aware of it!). And 2) that meeting up and chatting about how we were going to improve in our businesses is a thing, too. It’s called a Mastermind.

Within a couple of years, Brooke and I each got published, improved our writing and photography skills, and went on to become successful bloggers and entrepreneurs. (Some of you may remember me as Sophistimom).

Those wonderful years of blogging allowed me stay at home with my kids, create something everyday, and put me in contact with people all over the world—all while being a single mom.

But back in 2013, when I got remarried, I started to focus less on my blog. I needed a break after running at full speed for so long, but I also wanted to focus on my marriage, and realign with the new person I was becoming. Not long into that break, someone hacked Sophistimom.com, so I took it down and fully embraced my hiatus. I took a huge step back from social media, and spent more time being in the now. I spent more time with my kids, traveled, ate at more restaurants, ate food at home without photographing it (!). And I gave myself the gift of finishing a book I had started writing twelve years earlier. Also, I tried to get out of the house and talk to actual people.

But after five years of going cyber-silent, I realized I missed this digital kind of connection, too. I missed the gratification of seeing my photos and words up on the screen and ready for the world to see, just minutes after creating them. I missed comments from fans and friends, and collaborations with other companies. In truth, as much as I wish I could escape into a Jane Austen novel, this world—the one with smart phones and streaming and social media—is the one we live in now.* I am learning that the fullest life (for me, for now) strikes a balance between consciously connecting with people online, and then intentionally making time to connect with friends in person.

So, this is what Elevenses Society is all about. We’re going to have a virtual tea time right here. I’ll share what I know about cooking, writing, running a snail mail club, and throwing the perfect tea party. Then I would love to get to know you. Leave a comment on a blog post, subscribe to my email, or reach out on the Contact page. Please tell me what you’d like to see more of. Ask me questions. Share your stories.

Then, when you’re ready for a break from your screens and all of this, call a friend. Invite them to elevenses at your place. Turn it into a thing. Dream big. Make plans. Eat cake.

I’ll do it, too. As we all start coming together, online and in real life, we’re going to accomplish incredible things.

*On the subject of embracing the “world we live in now,” I’ll take a moment to address the AI world. I accept that this is the way we’re heading, but I don’t believe in using AI to write personal essays or blog posts or recipes (or novels or poetry or songs or lyrics, etc). So you’ll never find anything on this page written by AI, just FYI.

How to become a member of Elevenses Society?

Right now, the best way to become part of Elevenses Society is to sign up for my snail mail club. This will keep you connected to me with a physical piece of mail every month. Each letter is lovingly hand-packed and comes with an invitation to our monthly virtual tea party.