Here is the first "igloo and penguin" cake I've made. The cake is a vanilla sponge with powdered sugar surrounded by coconut buttercream "snow" and the penguins are marzipan. The trees are from molded candy. It was certainly a hit at the elementary school!

where did all the time go?!

I cannot believe it is January already--I haven't been to my spot in forever, it seems! Sorry for the long delay. I have no excuses except busy-ness! I have been baking quite a bit and have a new cake to show! Sure was fun taking it to my daughter's first grade class. I will hopefully have many more pictures to show soon. Thanks for your patience....

I finally have a brochure done that I can hopefully post in a couple of places to drum up some special orders! I have a couple of teddy bear fund-raisers in the works...very exciting! I sure hope they pan out...they are for groups I would really like to help. Made a tray of mini-delights for an order. I love the tiny things! I am all for many tastes of several different things...so I love desserts buffets and appetizer meals...such a chick thing, I know.

so far, so good

I am heading in the right direction with organization, prioritizing ? spelling on that? and getting the job done...hooray! Even had time to crank out a new recipe...creme de menthe brownies..holy schmolies...they are the reason I will never EVER be thin...too delicious for words! In fact, they sold out instantly and I do not have enough stuff on hand to make more..need to go on a supply run and soon! Business has been fabulous...lots, probably too many things in the works--at least in my head. I've got to start getting those things done! I'm still trying to figure out how to get time to make loaves of bread. Time and oven space, really. I wish money did not flow thru my fingers like water thru a sieve...but alas, I AM a spendthrift, to be sure. Rolls and cakes to finish now....ciao!

the rewards

Cathy from over at the Bistro sent me an email last night with a message that made me feel so good. She had given me an order for a teddy bear bread decorated for a birthday. The bread was for a local man from his daughter as a birthday gift. His wife died a couple of weeks ago and she was known for her "bear hugs"....that is why I keep plugging away! Love really IS what makes the world go 'round. This WILL work, I promise....

busy with cakes--hooray!

Hi! A lovely busy Wednesday of all days and I am loving it...I've been hard at work crunching numbers trying to figure out how to get into a bigger facility and still pay the bills....because if I have a bigger facility, I can bake more and hire some help and bake more and you know how it goes! So my baby is one now...I almost didn't have time to bake HIS cake! Horrors...he got his very own ginormous cupcake and the rest of the party shared a vanilla/buttercream cake. Then I had an order for a sheet cake for a bridge club-I sure like the way it turned out. Now I am turning my attention to teddy bear bread and the upcoming Batman cake--I am so excited about the Batman cake...I am going to try and make it look totally awesome! I have got to get some cake brochures put together and ready to hand out...and post in strategic spots...drum up some more of that business. And like I said, get a bigger facility!

I took a few days off to visit my parents in Denver while my sister and her kids were up from Florida. Nice to check out the bakery scene there, too, but we did not have much time. I worked frantically to get the case stocked for the 3 days I was gone, well 5 if you count driving time! And it is 5 days more home and I am still catching up! May not be able to do that again until I have employees to take up the slack while I'm away...yikes! No new pics to display...my regular style, as in not fancy decorated, layer cakes have been selling really well by the slice at the Bistro--hooray! I am going to approach Cindy at the library about teddy bear fund-raising--it would be ideal as she is there every day, etc...I'll have to see what she thinks. THAT is what I really wanted to do originally--sell my teddy bear bread and help a fabulous cause--a new library--does it get any better than that?! I will take one over for her on Tuesday. Possible Batman cake coming up...not sure how I want to do that one...kind of want to do a big torso of him with a swirling cape, etc...but that may be too costly of an experiment...although, I need to practice and at least this way the cake doesn't just go to waste! I'm still thinking about it...otherwise, it would have to be a Batman chocolate drawing and that would really be tough. Then there is the squirrel cake...I am looking forward to that one, to be sure. I especially want to try the spun sugar for a big fluffy tail...how totally cool would that be? Okay, bread pudding in the oven, rolls to frost and wrap, pie crust to make, scones and cookies and more oh my!! busy person!! Oh, and the competition has moved into town--did I tell you that already? They are just doing some sweet rolls and muffins, a few cookies at the U-Stop gas station. And the bakery down the highway has been doing her stuff already, she just got a new sign, I guess, so I think we will be okay...at least so far so good....gotta fly!