The Dishes Can Wait, Right?

Yesterday, after picking up my oldest daughter from dance class, my one year old was pretty tired by the time we got home. I was able to effortlessly lay her down for a nap in her crib (that's a big deal in my house). Soon after, my mind was swarming with things I could accomplish while she was sleep. I could do the dishes maybe get a load of laundry folded and put away. The cleaning possibilities were endless but I suddenly remembered that my oldest received a jewelry making kit for Christmas that she had been asking me to help her with.

I wish I could say my decision was easy but I'd be lying if I did. I just told myself that the dishes and laundry would still be there and it would get done eventually. So I pulled out the jewelry kit and brought it out to my four year old. Of course the moment her face lit up, I immediately forgot about the pending housework.  Afterall, the smile on her face says it all.

The dishes did eventually get done. As for the laundry . . .eh.

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Learning to Embrace the "B" Word . . . Balance!

This past Monday was the first time I've finished a new cake creation since November. At that point two months ago I was on the verge of burn out. I knew I needed to step back and take a breather and that's exactly what I did. I completed my last custom orders, put my Etsy shop on vacation and closed the door to my craft room.

I couldn't have imagined how much FavorCakes would take off in 2010 but it did and it's been great. Orders were coming in left and right and my creative juices were flowing with new cake designs. My biggest struggle however was balancing my time between family and a growing business. During the day I was taking care of my two girls, ages four and one, and at night I was working on orders. I discovered what an amazing support system I have with my husband, my mother, and good friends who willingly stepped in to help when I needed it. I also learned to function on very few hours of sleep for about a year before it started catching up with me.

After a while, I felt like I was living in my craft room and spending less time with my family. At one point my four year old said to me, "Mom, you need to start having fun." I guess that was her way of saying I was working an awful lot. Of course that was no one's fault but my own. I just wasn't maintaining a balance between work and family. I mean, how exactly do you do that? I haven't figured out the answer yet but I have learned that if I want balance I have to set boundaries, for myself, for my family, and for my business.

I'm still a work in progress but I'm working on getting more organized, saying no to rush orders, even setting an earlier bedtime for my girls and for myself. As for having more fun, we just bought tickets to go see that big purple dinosaur that my girls love so much.

Oh and lastly, here's a picture of the latest FavorCake I made for a boy's baby shower. Ahh, it feels good to create again.

Happy New Year!

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A Fast Food Fast for the NON-Cook

So a new year has begun and I refuse to utter those three words. You know those words that describe what you plan on losing, quitting, giving up, taking up, not spending, saving, doing, or not doing. Yeah, those things that statistics show many of us only stick to for about a week or two at most.

I do however have a plan for me and my family to practice for the next 30 days. My husband and I agree that we've spent way too much on eating out. How much is too much? How about $3000 or rather $3148.26 to be exact? To some  that may seem like a drop in the bucket, others may think "Holy Cow!".  That was actually my reaction. Tallying up how much we've spent in one year's time at McDonalds, Sonic, Subway, Taco Bell, Taco Cabana, Popeyes, KFC, Whataburger, Jack in the Box, Wendy's, Pizza Hut, Mr. Gattis and many other places was a shock to the system. Kind of brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "It really adds up". Hell, that money could have made for a nice family vacation somewhere.

As a result my husband and I have come up with a simple idea, a fast food fast for one month. I just hope executing that plan will be simple too. We're keeping the house stocked with as many snacks and easy to prepare meals as possible to keep the temptation of eating out at bay, even if that means making several trips to the grocery store right now.

So why am I sharing this? I don't know. Maybe to keep myself accountable, to elicit some mental support and positive energy from my social network, or maybe even inspire another family who is experiencing the same thing as mine. And what happens after the 30 days? I don't know that either, my goal is to take it one day at a time and to accept store bought cheese enchiladas instead of the ones at the Mexican restaurant down the street, at least for the time being.

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Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

Often while I'm creating a custom design for a client, I get a glimpse into their lives as they share with me the reasons behind their celebration. I recently completed this colorful FavorCake for a lovely couple planning their baby shower.

The enthusiasm from the mom-to-be was so contagious. I could feel her excitement through her emails as she shared a little bit about herself and why this pregnancy was such a miracle for her and her husband.

I was thrilled when she revealed her baby shower colors and inspired when she needed ideas on what to fill the boxes with.  With such a bright color combination and the fact that she was having a girl, I immediately thought of "Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice". So besides making this FavorCake look as sweet as possible we literally added a little sugar, spice, and everything nice into each box with colored sugar, a cinnamon stick, dried flowers, and lemonade flavored candy.

Our congratulations to the expecting couple and their precious baby girl on the way!

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Besame Mucho!

Every since I completed this FavorCake I have been itching to post it on my blog but it was created as a surprise for someone so I've been waiting . . . until today. Yay!

I was excited about creating this particular design for a couple of reasons. One because it was to be given as a romantic birthday surprise so hey, score one for romance, and this was my first International order traveling from my small Texas town all the way to Spain.

Seriously, the whole time I worked on this cake, I was humming the tune of ♫ Besame Mucho :-)

Kisses!

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{Fresh Out of the Oven} Circus/Carnival Theme FavorCake

First I must apologize to my blog (kiss kiss, hug hug) for not posting in a while. Things have been a bit hectic lately often leaving me to wonder if the circus is in town or is it just at my house :-) Speaking of the circus, I'm so excited about this latest FavorCake although I must admit, it is not an original design by me (Gasp!). It's actually a replica of one of the many amazing cakes from The Pink Cake Box owned by the talented Anne Heap.

I came across their website recently and was simply blown away by their cakes. Talk about color, imagination, uniqueness, and just plain "Wow!". While looking through their gallery something about their Carnival First Birthday Cake inspired me. I had to see if I could "reincarnate" it in the form of a FavorCake.

So I contacted them to ask about recreating their carnival cake not knowing if they would respond back let alone give me their blessing but they were so kind and gracious to do both. Thank you Pink Cake Box! I just hope I've done your wonderful cake design justice :-)

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All I Need is Some Wine and Cheese

I just wanted to add a quick post today. Both of my girls have been under the weather all week, thanks to those awful Texas allergies. So outside of cake orders, I haven't been able to do a craft for Party Favor Friday.

I was recently asked by a local charity I volunteer with to donate a FavorCake as a silent auction item for an upcoming fundraiser. The charity event is a wine tasting so I had wine and cheese on the brain when I created this. It kind of has a vintage Italian feel to it and would not only make a fitting centerpiece for a wine tasting but an elegant dinner party as well.

I picture it being filled with gourmet chocolates, mixed nuts or even lists of wine and recipe pairings. Okay, all this talk of food is making me hungry :-) Have a fabulous weekend!

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