Valentine's Day = All Kinds of Love

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays.  While my husband claims it to be a "Hallmark holiday", I think it is very real and stirs very real emotions. Of course, it always makes me want to bake up lots of sweet, beautiful, chocolatey, sugary treats. I actually would rather give someone a special homemade, hand decorated cookie valentine than a store bought card.  I guess I express my love in unique ways :) 

 This is what my home kitchen looks like at this time, every year. Cookies, cake bites, decorations, mixer and flowers, of course! Yes, I buy my own.  Ladies, let's face it, if you like having flowers around, especially the lovely colors that are available right now, then go buy them for yourself and put them out.  Even if your kitchen is a mess... or they didn't get delivered in a beautiful vase... or there wasn't anyone around to say how lucky you are someone sent them to you... you can still enjoy them! Right?

So I won't be posting a bunch of sweet things to eat, instead I will post a bunch of sweet pictures of love.  Some old, some new... all make my heart melt. Enjoy.

Brand New Puppy love

Locks of Love love

Life Long Friends love

Blessing a Renewed love

Wonderful Sissy love

Packer Backer love

Nani love

Papa love

Professional Taste Tester love

So Elfin' Cute love

Luckiest love

Mommy love

Daddy love

The Best Kind of "Crazy" Family love

Deeper Than The Ocean love

 My Everything love

I wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day. 

Hope it is filled with your own kind of special love.

To my Teh, Lou, Peaches and Bubby. xo.

We met Bakerella!

How many of you have heard of Bakerella? Show of hands. Okay, how many of you have heard of, made, seen or been lucky enough to eat a cake pop? Well, the lovely lady that I first heard of them from was Bakerella.  She has a blog/website, I have link to it on my page, and it is just pure fun and happiness.  I started following her years ago and then saw her on Martha Stewart making cake pops.  I think it took me about 10 seconds to run to the kitchen and try them.  It is amazing how creative you can be with them and how much everyone loves them.  To learn more, see her website, buy her book, check out some of my past blogs...just do something because you need to be in the know!

My girls are obsessed with her and the site as well.  Not to mention cake pops.  I think they have consumed more than their fair share on any given occasion.  They came with me to Williams Sonoma to go to Bakerella's book signing.

Livi listening intently, trying to see through the barrage of Coach purses.

Aha, there she is and her book is right in front.  You think the cover is cute, wait until you open it up!

Bakerella started off with a little background info on herself and then she answered questions. I know this is weird to some people, but I do feel like I know her after reading her posts for so long.  We are really like, friends actually.  She may not be aware of that, but I think she feels it too.

She recently had to have a kidney transplant and her mom was the one who donated her kidney.  She is so approachable and kind. She is just like a cake pop. Sweet, adorable, unique, and fun.

Here I caught her beautiful smile on the way to the table to greet guests.  

When it came close to our turn, we got to meet Angie's (Bakerella) mother.  She was the most delightful, warm person.  I told her I was so happy that she and Angie were both well and what an amazing gift that was.  She was so humble and said that as long as her little girl was going to be okay, nothing else mattered and she would do anything to keep her healthy.  What a fantastic mom! She talked with my girls too and they showed her pictures of some of the pops we have done.

Getting our time with Bakerella.

When we sat down with Bakerella, her mom called over to her and told her to look at how good our pictures were. So cute of her! Bakerella told me (ahem, yes, me!), that I had great technique and then mentioned that one the pops I did, she had just done- we thought it was kismet. Well, I did anyway. Whatever kismet is.

Do you want to know the best part about all of this? The fact that my girls and I share a love for something and it provides us joyful time together.
I didn't have to beg them to go.
I didn't have to check my watch and make sure we weren't late to run to the next activity or pick someone up.
I didn't think about laundry, cleaning, or bills.
The girls didn't have to think about homework, schedules or school.
The girls didn't care if we looked like giggling school girls.
In the end, it was just the three of us having a fun day, sharing our time together.  That's what memories are made of.

I have become too aware of how quickly they are growing up.  So, I consider our Bakerella day a gift that I will always look back on and smile.  And I know they will too.

Let's get caught up

Only one more catch up post, I promise.  You may notice I am including more than just sweets now.  Well, my life has been a bit more balanced the latter half of this year.  Sweets, while wonderful in many respects, began to rule all things and all time in my life.  It was time to slow down and step back from things a bit, business wise.  The kids who were so supportive and patient with their sleep deprived, overworked, sugar crusted and well, cranky mom- deserved more.  When I told them I was pulling back on work, they all high fived each other and gave me huge hugs. Some people say there are "signs" in life that show us where to go and what is important.  Well, this was a huge sign that slapped me right in the face. Family has always been first for me and always will be.  However, I reserve the right to continue to create (and eat) sweets with the hope of maybe someday, entering back into the business side of it all.

I have no idea why I feel the need to put disclaimers or explain everything I do. 

Middle child thing maybe.

My birthday, blah blah blah. Highlight, no cake to make for myself! Izzy's ice cream did the trick. Ignore the size of my cone please.  My hubbie said it would make me sick to eat it all. Sad fact, he really doesn't know me after all these years.

Cute as a button cake. Even cuter cupcake pops went with it, too bad I didn't get a picture of those, huh?

My oldest started high school. Walked to the bus (for the first time) and off she went.  Every day I beg her to stop.  I don't want her to go to high school because then I will blink and she will be leaving for college.  Blink again and she will be moving away with her husband even further from me.  Nope not having it.
Yet she gets up every morning and off she goes. I really need to get a grip huh?

I had a request for a coconut cake from Magnolia bakery from a customer.  She and the recipient travel to NYC and always stop at Magnolia Bakery.  To surprise her friend, we decided to claim she made it.  The friend/recipient of the cake called me within a day to tell me she knew it was me :)

Boiling sugar to make candy.  I'm so strange, but I think this is sooo pretty.  No need to comment on that.  Those of us with a sugar addiction are very aware of our problem. Thank you.

Okay, that should do it.  Now on to a post about a super exciting day for me.  I met one of my blog idols! Bakerella!
I hope you all (again the three of you that may read this) are well and have either had or shared something sweet in your life.  All my best, mps

I'm back, did you miss me?

Well, I'm back anyway! It seems crazy to me that the last time I posted was in December, but apparently, it's true.  I intend on posting more often.  I realize that my absence did not truly affect any of you, but I just thought you'd like to know...I'm back! Anyway, where to start? Pictures always work, right?!
How about a year (well almost) in review~

First of all, we had a ton of snow!

A cousin combo birthday for my fave customers. A baseball player, dancer, soccer enthusiast all with piano playing in common. Viola- a cake for all!

Valentine's day, my favorite holiday.

Cupcakes aren't enough, right? V-Day needs cookies too.

A special bridal shower for a soon to be Wild hockey player wife.

Wondering who? Hint, his initials are PMB :)

A very sweet 16 for a fellow cheerleader. My daughter's fellow cheerleader, of course.  Although I was a cheerleader, it was a little while ago. Or like a century now. Something like that.
Isn't the colored sugar in the pops vases extra fun? Can't get too sweet for me.

By oldest turned 14 and wanted "chocolate, ooey, goodness".  So there.

Yes, it's April.  Yes, that's snow. Seriously people.

Traveled to see mom in NM.  Went to a Pow Wow.  Check that one off the list. 

My cutie pie nephew, Everett, visited. Such fun! He loves to sit with a blanket and our pooch loves to sit with him. Maybe they were watching Home Alone? 

My not-so-little-boy went on his first "guys" annual fishing trip to Hayward.
It was very hard to hold my breath all weekend. I let out a huge sigh of relief when he came home in one piece.
Letting go is an issue for me. Hard to tell probably.

Not snow this time, Spring had finally sprung. Yes, it was late May, but we take it any time it comes around here.

Made a confirmation cake for a lovely girl and beautiful dancer.

Bridal showers were raining down in June!

My helper is always on hand to try something new, especially when that has to do with two things. Dough and chocolate chips. She really works at it though! The other two, they get more involve on the tasting side of things. 

Livi's final product that day, or should I say evening~
(We tend to get carried away when we are in the kitchen together and there is dough and chocolate!)
Chocolate chip cookie dough-chocolate covered-sprinkle enhanced bites. Or as she calls them, MINE!
Can I just mention how much I love that she is 12 and still wears pjs with ice cream sundaes on them and a Disney robe she got from Santa like 5 years ago. 

One of my other cutie pie nephews came to visit in June. Yes, I only have cutie pie nephews. From age 19-1, all perfect! This one is Jasper or Jazzy Boo as we like to call him. I could eat him up every time I see him. 

My husband turned another year older, now he's really old!
Unfortunately for me, he is and will always be 10 months less old than me.

Livi, my purple girl, saw a pillow the she wanted me to copy in cake form for her birthday. Mission accomplished :)
 It tasted better than the pillow too.

Got to visit some dear old friends in Missouri and also fawn over the Biebs! I am probably a bigger fan than the girls. They think it's weird. 

My "Mini Baking Beauty" was at it again last summer.  She and her sister, were so excited for the release of the final HP movie . In honor of the series, she decorated 8 cupcakes, one symbolizing each movie. Creative girl, that one.
Oh yeah, feathers in the hair were big for the kids this summer.  Anyone else notice that?

GP Christmas in July in DeForest. We all have a very hard time lightening up.
A highlight of the year, every year.  Has been since I was a kid.  The group keeps growing!
My parents and my Aunt and Uncle (in the center) started this years ago.
God love 'em.

A 70th birthday for a german chocolate cake lover, with a wife who likes something lighter. 

Part two coming up next. Didn't want this to be the world's longest post.  Oops.