I made a chocolate cake...

For a friend.  She asked for a chocolate heart shaped cake.  I chose to hand shape/cut the heart as opposed to using a heart shaped cake pan.  I threw the pieces of cake in one of the pans and continued on with my project.  A little later I came into the kitchen to continue on with the cake and this is what I found....

Lucky enough for her and for me, she had just bellied up to the scraps and not the whole cake.

Kyah the Baker

This last weekend we initiated Kyah into the world of baking.  Jaxon had already fallen asleep for the night and Kyah had just received a new mini baking set, so of course we had to use it. 

She is so independent, she had to do everything all by herself.  "No, I do!"

At first, the control freak/OCD side of me was having a fit.  What about the MESS?!?!?!

But, I decided to set all that aside and let her go at it and boy did she.  She was so content and happy just to work alongside me with her own piece of dough.  I really should let them "help me" more often.

She rolled out, cut, placed and baked (with help from Mom) her own pan of cookies.  After they cooled she frosted, sprinkled and ATE them herself.

What a joy!

"YAY!  I did it!"

Stress Baking

This is my kitchen.

(No, it is not usually this clean - this was taken for the house flyer)

This is the room I spend a good portion (at least 75%) of my waking hours in. This also happens to be the room where I take out my anxiety and frustrations. I call it Stress Baking.

Last night as luck would have it I was running late at the office (which is midly frustrating on its own), but beyond that the elevator I got in to take me down 21 floors almost killed me. Truly - I am not making this up, it was shaking violently and making awful sounds. It turns out this morning that the motor had caught on fire and the building had to be evacuated. Then to add to the anxiety ball that was my stomach a Grandma tried to side swap me while turning a corner.

Needless to say by the time I got home last night I was wound up pretty tight!

So, I stress baked. I made a delicous apple cake with a carmel sauce and 6 dozen sugar cookies. Baking is therapy!