Tag Archive | cake

The Days that Time Worked in my Favor

Jun18

At the beginning of any extended vacation time  from work, there is a spring in my step, an unrealistic to-do list of Pinterest projects to try, and a feeling that the world is at my feet because time is on my side. I can easily organize the responsibilities of laundry, cooking, and cleaning with a lighthearted attitude.  I am so sorry  for those that  have not been able to feel that luxury of ‘time’ every once in a while because the opportunity to refresh is so important for one’s health.FullSizeRender (3)

This weekend, my husband surprised me with a road-trip for my birthday and our anniversary. Our definition of road-trip is: get in the car and drive to some undetermined destination.

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We spent two days driving to small towns, roaming around, talking, and laughing. Letting go is good and we both know that we have got to take these mini-vacations more often. We have decided however, that Siri will always travel with us in case we need assistance with gas station locations, hotel choices, and restaurant recommendations (that is a whole other story and one that we will laugh about together for years to come).

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With Love,

Penny

 

 

Cropping…The Greatest Invention Since Sliced Bread

Jun5

Seriously, whenever I take a picture, I look at it afterwards and wonder how I could even hit ‘click’ (or push that little circular doodaddy when I am using my phone because I don’t even own a real camera anymore) without seeing all of the distractor factors that take away from the image that I want people to really focus on. I get so frustrated with myself for not being more observant beforehand. For example, yesterday I stepped outside to take a picture of our American flag hanging alongside my father-in-law’s  flag (as he was a Vietnam Vet). Even though I see  the front of my house at least four times a day, I  guess that I have been oblivious to the few remaining Christmas light hooks on the gutters or the poison ivy vines struggling to stretch across to a high traffic area where they can wreak havoc on  ‘people with sensitive skin’until I witnessed it through the eye of the camera lens.So, of course, I have to take my frustrations to a whole other level because I just can’t let sleeping dogs lie (or is it lay?).

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My dog, Reeses enjoying a nap on my Bandana Wreath Project

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could ‘crop’ out the the parts of our lives that have been awkward or embarrassing to us? We could just go home each day and view all of the events, then tweak them by cropping the visuals or clicking on delete for spoken words that spill out without careful thought! That’s right, just crop out those distractor factors or daily regrets. I know that I would certainly feel better if I didn’t have to spend time at the end of each day reflecting about its events.

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2016 High School Graduation Cake – Sweet Girl is Baylor Bound in the fall 

This morning, I delivered my final graduation cake for the spring of 2016. I can’t lie, it felt wonderful to wash the icing residue out of my hair and off my face before I drove off to deliver it. #2jobsrenoughjobs!

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Graduation Celebration following Church Services

Now it is time to wrap up my last week at school for the summer. Phew! I have so many unfinished projects around the house that I know my next couple of weeks off will fly.

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Cupcakes for a Cutie! Senior 2016

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This responsible young lady ordered her own cake and was so appreciative when I delivered it to her. I love working with such gracious, thoughtful young adults.

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Fortunately, I didn’t have to make any of my deliveries by boat this year. 2016 will go down in the books as the year of Flash Floods in Texas!

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 Whoo – hoo! It’s time to put my handy-dandy mixer away for a week, and celebrate a clean kitchen.

For the remainder of the afternoon, I will be kicking my feet up, relaxing with my slippers on (even in Texas during the month of June, my feet get cold), and watching the Hallmark Movie Channel!

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With Love,

sunflower

It’s All About That Cake (’bout that cake)

May18

If you were to look up the definition of  ‘Nervous Wreck’ in the dictionary, I am quite certain that you would see my picture as a visual representation and it would probably even have an unflattering caption underneath about my physical responses to stress. I  really can’t explain why – I grew up surrounded by a loving and supportive family. I did well in school and got along fine with my peers. But, in spite of it all, I can remember as far back as third grade and attempting to hide my anxiousness that was so extreme, it made me sick to my stomach. I have tried every remedy known to man to relieve my stress to no avail; so for me, it continues to be a daily struggle.

 

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Go figure – instead of avoiding situations that cause anxiety, I seem to select hobbies that have the word ‘stressful’ written all over them; for example, cake decorating. The challenge of taking on new cake designs is like an obsession for me. This past weekend, I had multiple cake orders  and each one had a special meaning to me!

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I  managed to survive and get all of the cakes completed and delivered to their correct locations with time to spare, but going back to ‘work’ on Monday was a killer.

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I really did feel like I had just played in a ballgame that had gone into extra innings! Then Tuesday rolled around, my kitchen was clean, and I had already started thinking about the orders that I have for the upcoming weekend.

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 Welcome back, stress! Good-bye clean kitchen!

With Love,

sunflower

Cakin’ It!

Apr28

Wow! It has been two weeks since I have posted. This is a crazy, crazy time of the year in the life of a Texas teacher because of state mandated testing. Lately, even on the weekends, I don’t get a break  because it is ‘cake season’….

Ironically, I can go for weeks on end without having a single cake order; but for some reason, during the spring months, everyone seems to be in a celebratory mood! There are new mommas to shower, brides-to-be, weddings to celebrate, birthday parties revolving around themes, graduations, baptisms, and first communions. All of these joyful occasions must have a cake in order to make the festivities complete.

This past weekend, I was able to make a cake for a young boy’s First Communion. I was pleased with the way that it turned out. Hopefully, he was pleased with the way that it tasted because it was triple chocolate with white buttercream icing!

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A couple of weeks ago, my cake partner in crime and I made a rather unusual wedding cake. How did it go? My lips are sealed – I will just let you judge for yourself!

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Yes – those are little green army men all over the cake……like I said, “unusual”!

Have a great week and may your sweet tooth always be satisfied!

sunflower

 

 

Spring Has Sprung (inside…..)

Mar15

Alas, my spring break is coming to an end. My seemingly endless to do list will be left incomplete for a couple of reasons:

  1. The weather  just refuses to cooperate with my plans.
  2. Last Friday, when my vacation began, it  seemed like I had plenty of time; so I didn’t really start my vacation with sense of urgency…..after all, a list is a list, and what isn’t done today will always be there tomorrow.

I did get my headboard redone and it looks AWESOME!!! I will publish pictures in my next post! There is something satisfying about morphing a piece of furniture that is over twenty years old into something that is functional and stylish.

Today, I want to share a celebration with you! One of my favorite little first graders is turning SEVEN YEARS OLD!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Haylee!

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I wish that this picture had turned out just a bit better….. Anyway, her theme is Lego Friends! Yep, now Legos come in pink, purple, teal, and yellow! I am getting ready to deliver her cake – along with a couple of little Lego sets to set up around it.

Boys and Girls, raise your hands if you wish that your parents or grandparents had bought stock in the Lego Company when it first started!

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With Love,

sunflower