YUMM

I've been baking

2011-09-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

I have been baking. Really I have I just haven't had much time to post lately.

We've been doing donuts on Saturday mornings for the football team. 4 dozen each week. We're getting better with the process. It takes us about 3 hours from start to finish. We end up with more than 4 dozen when it's all said and done, but we only have a set request from the football team so we share the rest with others. Others that live close, sorry for all you out of town friends. I wish we could share with you too.

I've also been making homemade pasta and pizza. I know it's not the same type of baking but I'm a big fan now of fresh pasta and my first attempt at pizza turned out pretty good. The crust was pretty thin so next time I'll double the recipe to get a thicker crust and fold over the edges after I put cheese in there. Next time I'll take a picture to share.

I made a batch of Kolatche's for a birthday here at work. They turned out really well. The dough was perfect. Bacon, Sausage, Egg and Cheese were the filling this time. I also made a peach cobbler. I tried a new recipe. It tasted OK but I didn't like the look. I will have to find a different recipe next time.

Last but not least we baked our third annual birthday cake in August. The pig and dog theme were used again. I think it was one of the better cakes we've done. Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. The idea for decorations came from Bob. I thought it was pretty clever and it was well received so I guess it was a good choice.

Where have you been?

2011-08-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

No I did not fall off the face of the earth. I wish I had a good reason for not baking these last few months but really all I have is excuses.

"No one ever excused his way to success."~Dave Del Dotto

On that note, I want you to know that I will be baking again soon. I just got a new really cool book on bread baking.

Bread and I have a love/hate relationship. Sometimes my loaves of bread come out great, other times not so good. That will soon change. I plan to make bread until I figure it out. I'm not going to say that I'll be an expert, but I've come to realize that as you bake you start to notice things about your dough or batter that effect how your baked goods turn out. I want to gain that understanding with bread. At least then I'll know if my loaf is going to turn out the way I want it.

"When I was young, I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. So I did ten times more work." ~George Bernard Shaw

If I make ten times more bread there will be loaves to share. Keep an eye out, I might be sending some your way.

Sticking To It

2011-04-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

"This one step - choosing a goal and sticking to it - changes everything." ~Scott Reed

I love goals. I could set 100 goals no problem. My struggle is sticking to it. There have been many times during baking projects that I have wanted to give up on my goal to open a bakery. In fact I'm pretty sure that while we were working on the wedding cake a couple of weeks ago I decided to quit baking.

It was late and I was tired and things were not going well. I remember thinking "why am I doing this?" Of course I couldn't quit right then I had a cake that needed to be finished and delivered so I decided that after it was finished and delivered, I was done baking. I even told Bob this was it, I'm done after this cake. He just looked at me and said nothing.

He knows me all too well. Once the cake was done and I had gotten some sleep, the idea of quitting was gone. We've had a lot of challenges over the last couple of years as we've decorated cakes, learned about donuts and worked to learn the "tricks of the trade."

We've gone from our first cake:

To our most recent:

The best part is that I feel we've made some improvement and while there's still lots to learn and overcome, I plan to stick with it.

Wedding Cake

2011-04-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I posted but I have been baking. Mostly its been practicing for a wedding cake we made last weekend so there weren't really any pictures to share. But now the cake is done and delivered so I can post some pictures of it. I think it turned out pretty good but boy was it heavy. I'm glad Bob was around to help me deliver it or they might not have gotten their cake.

The bottom tier was vanilla cake with strawberry buttercream, the middle was lemon cake with white chocolate buttercream and the top was red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Everything was edible except for the ribbon. I cheated and bought that.

Bob made the stand the cake is sitting on so now I have something to put cakes on that I don't have to try to cover and make look nice. One less thing to worry about.

Overall it went well but there are still lots of things to work on.

Samples and Scouts

2011-02-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

Since last Saturday I've baked 9 cakes. Not huge cakes but still 9 cakes. All for good reasons but that's a lot of cake.

The first round - 4 cakes, were for my son and his fiance. They wanted to pick out the flavor of their wedding cake. I made red velvet, chocolate, vanilla and lemon. I frosted the red velvet with cream cheese frosting. I didn't do anything else cause I don't know of any other frosting that goes with red velvet, but the other three I cut in half to have more cake to frost. I made chocolate with chocolate frosting and peanut butter frosting. The vanilla cake was frosted with chocolate and strawberry icing. The lemon with white chocolate and vanilla frosting. I'm glad I didn't have to choose cause I liked them all.

The next batch - 3 cakes was for another couple that I'm making a wedding cake for. I had to make up a sample platter so it could be picked up and taken to the groom to be for his input. I had a small amount of red velvet cake left so I included that too. I made the same flavors as before.

As I get better at this I want to try a few more "fancy" flavors. Like cookies and cream (chocolate cake with Oreo frosting) or dreamsicle (orange cake with vanilla frosting).

The last two cakes were made for the blue and gold banquet. Each year in February the cub scouts celebrate scouting. I made a cake for them last year. It was 100 years of scouting so I had a pretty good idea what I wanted to do for the cake. This year I had no idea. I searched the Internet for inspiration and with Bob's help decided on a camping scene. Our cub scouts don't camp over night but still it was cute and was fun to make.

I still struggle with people, that's a work in progress but the cake covered pretty well. Better than some of my other projects which was nice. We just keep learning as we go. I hope someday it will be as easy as it looks on TV. That may be asking too much.

Twisted Pigs

2011-02-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

I had someone call and order some donuts and cinnamon rolls (thank you Norene). I wasn't too worried about making them but Bob thought we should practice. Just in case.

I really hate it when he's right.

I didn't realize how much you forget when you don't do something for a few months.

We started on Sunday and made donuts. Everything came out OK,

but there were some glitches.

Then we made some more on Tuesday.

I tried making a batch of cinnamon rolls and having them rise overnight in the fridge.

I didn't like how that worked. I decided to get up early and make the dough the morning I needed it. I know that will work.

We've been trying to figure out an alternative to maple bars. We don't have a bar cutter,

(it's expensive so it's not a priority to purchase right now).

We decided to try maple twists.

Not with the chocolate dough just the plain and we left the sugar out of the middle.

Anyway, those turned out OK. Still need to work on them some but they are coming along. Tuesday in our test run we made maple twists with bacon. Bob, who feels the need to name the donuts decided to call them "Twisted Pigs". He liked the name so much he thinks we should use it for the name of the bakery. Please feel free to comment on that idea!!

So today was the big day to make two dozen cinnamon rolls and two dozen donuts. I made three batches of cinnamon roll dough and two batches of donut dough. We ended up with about 2 1/2 dozen cinnamon rolls and 5 dozen donuts.

Not having industrial size equipment is a challenge when you have to have more than a dozen or two of something. But since we don't make several dozen donuts a day it's hard to justify buying industrial equipment right now. We'll get there.

Sooner rather than later I hope!

Here are some pictures of today's creations.

Please feel free to weigh in on the "Twisted Pig" idea.

Weekend Baking

2011-02-04T20:48:00.000-08:00

I had a couple of baking projects to take care of and last weekend was quiet enough to get them done. I was asked to make my marbled caramel slice. I usually make it at Christmas but a friend of ours had me make a batch at Christmas but gave most of it away so she wanted another one. The topping is milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate with some white chocolate swirled in. That's the marbled part. This time I melted chips instead of blocks of chocolate. I think it worked better cause I could control the amount of melted chocolate a little better.

The second project was a thank you project. I had a lot of helping getting a proposal out at work and I felt I should say thank you to all those that made sure it got done. Since I got such rave reviews for my chocolate cake and peanut butter frosting I decided to make it again. This time it was cupcakes instead of cake but the same peanut butter buttercream.

Once again it was a success.

I didn't take pictures this time. I'm not sure why but my next project

I will make sure to take pictures.

Princess Cake

2011-01-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

I have been baking over this last month even though I haven't posted anything. Just know that there was lots of chocolate and sugar involved.

The new year began and I had my first request for a cake. Actually the request came before the new year but it was for an activity in 2011. The Young Women's group at church had a kick off activity to start the new year off right. The theme was "Princess and Happily Ever After" and they asked me to bake a cake.

I don't know why but my first thought was Chocolate and Peanut Butter. So, I made chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream. I really like this new buttercream recipe and have added it to my ever growing recipe collection.

I wasn't sure at first what to do to decorate the cake but as I thought about princesses Walt Disney movies kept popping in my head. I thought about Cinderella and found some pictures of pillow cakes and decided that was the way to go.

After the cakes were baked they went into the freezer so we could carve them. I say we, but really it's Bob. He doesn't trust me with a knife and I don't trust myself enough to cut a cake. Anyway, we carved the sides to give it a curved edge instead of straight. It was covered in pink fondant and decorated to look like it was quilted. Trim was added along the bottom and the words "Happily Ever After" were piped on the top. We added a crown which was the only thing not edible on the cake.

I was really happy with the way it turned out. What do you think?

Christmas Baking - Round One

2010-12-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

Friday kicked of the beginning of the Christmas Baking at the Dohrman's. It will continue until Christmas Eve.

The first project was for Bob's basketball team. He coaches a sixth grade boys team, not that we have a sixth grade child, he just loves to coach.

There are nine kids on the team and each one received a plate of goodies.

I started by making chocolate baskets. I have a mold so these are pretty easy to do. I filled each one with chocolate covered pretzels.

Next I made salted caramels. Which are really good by the way. New this year to the list, but definitely a keeper.

Cookies were next, chocolate chunk and sugar cookies.

Finally, I made my Danish Puff recipe.

I finished up about 2:30 Saturday morning. Crazy I know, but I just had to give the guys something for Christmas. Here's the finished product.

Christmas Baking Ideas

2010-12-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

I've come up with quite a list for my Christmas baking. Since it's so ambitious I'm not sure I will be able to make everything. Some of the items are too labor intensive so that should help. Plus there is always time to work on other items while things are baking.

Here's the list.

1. Marbled Caramel Slice - shortbread with caramel and chocolate

2. Danish Puff - an almond flavored puff pastry

3. Salted Caramels

4. Cream Cheese Pound Cake

5. Sugar Cookies

6. Truffles

7. Oatmeal Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

8. Fudge - Traditional and Peanut Butter

9. Chocolate Covered Pretzels

10. Banana Bread

Did I miss anything?

Unknown Struggles

2010-12-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

"The dream you have inside is not there by accident. There's a reason it's calling to you." ~Kim Luret

I'm not sure why but this quote hit me hard this morning when I read it. I guess maybe it's because I've been struggling the last few weeks with my dream.

I haven't been told that I'm crazy for wanting to start a bakery in a town of 3,000 people, but comments have been made that it would be very hard to make it work. "There's not a big market" "Would people really support a bakery in Goldendale?" Things like that.

I thought I had blown the comments off but I guess they've still been in the back of my mind all this time.

My goal isn't to be a millionaire. My goal really isn't about the money. Of course we have to have money otherwise we'd live naked on the street, and no one wants to see that.

"Each of us has what I call a 'Unique Package'; that singular combination of our unique inner and outer selves. And through that package comes our gifts. Discovering what our gifts are and then expressing and sharing them is what we're all here for. There are no 'better' sets of gifts and talents. They are all needed. We are all needed." ~Kim Luret

I've learned that we need to share the gifts and talents that we have been given. Whatever they may be. I often wonder about this desire I have to bake. I don't know if it's a talent. I do know that I'll never learn the lessons I need to learn if I don't keep moving forward.

"It is no accident that you are YOU and that you're alive at this time. There is a divine purpose and calling for your life."

Where did November go?

2010-12-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's December first. Where did the time go? I've been making donuts and baking, but just didn't get around to posting. I know, lame excuse.

We've been getting up on Saturday and making donuts since it's easier than trying to get up early enough to make the donuts and be to work on time. Some day when the shop is open, that won't be an issue. I hope anyway.

I made pies and cheesecake for Thanksgiving. My cheesecake cracked. I guess I need a food processor so it doesn't get as much air in the filling. I also had the bright idea to make a big batch of crust for my pies. That didn't work so well. I made it work, but I fought with it the whole time. Next time it's back to one pie at a time. I know it takes longer, but I can control the consistency better. At least I'm not starting out mass producing pies. I'll perfect the large batches of crust before that happens.

Here are a few pictures of the donuts we've been making. I will be doing a lot of baking in December. Christmas is the best time to bake. I've got some new recipes to try plus some old faithfuls. I'll do better this month on keeping you posted.

Cake Donuts

2010-10-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

I made cake donuts this weekend.

First time with my new recipe.

I'm not really a fan of cake donuts, I'm not really sure why. Maybe because cake donuts are heavier. Bob keeps reminding me that it's not about what I like.

Cake donuts were described to me as "donuts you can break a piece off of, you have to take bites out of raised donuts". Interesting comparison. I know that a lot of people like to dunk cake donuts in coffee.

But they are much easier to make. No proofing time. I think from start to finish we were done in about an hour.

We shared with others and they were very well received. The vote was "superior" by the judges.

I have some varieties of this recipe to try, but all in all it's a keeper.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

2010-10-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Does that sound good to you?

It did to me.

The recipe reminded me of pumpkin pie and it had great reviews so I was really excited to try it.

It didn't turn out the way I had hoped. I blame it on my cinnamon roll recipe. Since I've been making dough with that recipe, it has raised my expectations. The Pumpkin rolls were dry and heavy. Not light like my cinnamon rolls. The spices were a little strong as well.

Oh well I guess you live and learn. I am going to try to adapt my cinnamon roll recipe to become a pumpkin roll recipe. I think if I modify it in the right way, I won't lose the lightness of the dough but will get the pumpkin pie flavor I was hoping for.

I'll fill you in on how they turn out when I get around to making them. Wish me luck :)

Donut Flavors

2010-10-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

Once again I need some help. Most of the donuts we make are donuts I like, but it's really not about what I like it's about what others like and will buy at the shop. So this is where I need your help.

What kind of donuts do you buy?

Rings: Chocolate? glazed? nuts? coconut? sprinkles?

Bars: Maple? Chocolate?

Bear Claws: Cherry? Strawberry? with cream cheese? without?

Bismarks: Chocolate? with nuts? custard filling?

Jelly Filled: Just the center or filled inside like a Bismark?

Twists: Glazed? Sugar coated?

Fritters: Apple? Cherry? Lemon?

What else? I'm sure I've missed so many. Please share your favorites. I need variety.

Equipment Part II

2010-10-05T07:30:00.000-07:00

I know that I posted before about equipment but as we were making donuts the other morning I thought I'd share what we are working towards and why.

Mixers: This is a 20 quart mixer. I think I'd like a 30 quart but I haven't made a final decision.

My mixer is 5 quarts. I can make 2 1/2 pounds of dough with it. I have to make my dough in two batches to get enough to make 4 dozen donuts. If I do the math, with a 20 quart mixer I could make 10 pounds of dough or enough to make 8 dozen donuts. The 30 quart would get me 15 pounds of dough or 10 dozen donuts. Now I know I need the 30 quart for sure.

Proofers: This proofer would hold between 10-12 trays of donuts. My rubbermade tub holds one. If each tray holds a dozen donuts I could proof my 10 dozen donuts all at one time. Of course it does take some time to roll them out, but it would be much faster than the way I do it now. It takes between an hour and an hour and a half to proof my 4 dozen donuts depending on how long they need to rise.

Fryer: This fryer can fry 2 dozen donuts at a time. My fryers, plural because I now have two to help with my frying time, can fry 6 donuts at a time.

The last time Bob and I made donuts it took us 3 hours. Start to finish. 4 dozen donuts. Obviously with the right equipment we could make many more donuts in 3 hours, but right now I don't know what I would do with them. Here are some pictures.

We made twists, rings, bear claws, bismarcks, and bars. I thought they turned out pretty well considering we have scaled down equipment.

There's another auction in Portland in a couple of weeks. I'm excited to go and see if they have the equipment we need.

Donuts

2010-09-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

We have been practicing donuts. I think we have found the recipe to use. It's light and cooks well. I've had a few problems though.

My proofer right now is a Rubbermaid tub with water in the bottom and a fish tank heater to warm it up and make condensation. I know that's kind of hard to follow but the idea of a proofer is a warm, moist place for your donuts to rise. The tub does the same thing, just not as well and it's not a controlled environment. But it does help speed the process some.

My fryer is a fryer you would find in any home. Not one you would find in a bakery. Right now we can fry two donuts at a time. I made 4 dozen this morning. It takes a while.

There are other glitches we are working through but the proofer and fryer issue are a real challenge. But, the donuts tasted good, really good. So even with the challenges, we made good tasting donuts. We will get there and some day look back and laugh at the Rubbermaid tub proofer and the 2 donut capacity fryer.

Equipment

2010-08-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to a restaurant equipment auction. The idea was we would go and watch and see how it works so when we are ready to buy equipment, we'll know what to expect.

They had a donut fryer, a proofer and several mixers along with lots and lots of other equipment, dishes, tables and so on. It was pretty exciting to see the equipment I will be using up close. The prices listed on the items was scary.

Then the auction started. I didn't realize how much below the listed price the auctioneer started the bidding. When it came to the fryer, I bid. If I had been really ready to buy I probably would have won. But I wasn't so it went to someone else.

When we got to the proofer, Bob and I had more of a plan. He did the bidding and once again we were so close, but we had a limit and once the price went over the limit, we quit bidding.

It was fun even if we didn't end up buying anything. But next time we go, we will have a plan and money (a really key part). I think that we might be able to get a proofer, mixer and fryer for between $2,000 and $2,500. It's a lot of money for sure, but much less than what I thought it would cost. I figured if we could find everything for $7,000 I'd be lucky.

One Year Ago Last Week

2010-08-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

It was one year ago last week that Bob and I made our first cake. Well our first cake that we made for someone else. As I look at the pictures I'm surprised how well some of the items turned out. We didn't have any equipment to work with really. There are lots of things I don't really like, but it was our first cake.

Here we were on Friday, delivering a cake to the same birthday boy one year later. Oh how much we have learned. I've learned that the type of cake you bake makes a huge difference. I've learned that Corkey dogs and people are still hard to make. I've learned that the right tools help out a lot, but they don't solve every issue. And most important I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

(I'm also including some pictures of a cake and cupcakes we made for a going away party. I hadn't had time to post them before).

Cinnamon Rolls

2010-08-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I made cinnamon rolls for a friend at work. They were the best I had made. I'm not talking about taste but the way the dough turned out and the size and shape. She did say they tasted good though which is important.

This weekend we went to the Oregon Coast where my Sister and Brother in-law were staying. I decided to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I didn't take my Kitchen aid but I was able to still make a pretty good dough the old fashioned way. They turned out the way I wanted again and where a big hit. So much so, I was asked to make them again this morning before we left.

The pictures aren't the best but you can see the size. These have been eaten on a bit but you get the idea.

So I need your help. How much do you pay for Cinnamon Rolls when you buy them? I have a hard time with pricing. I want it to be priced fair, but I still have to be profitable. Any input would be great.

New Favorite

2010-07-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

I made some cupcakes this weekend.

(I know it's been a while. This new healthy eating plan does not include sweets so it's hard to bake when you know you can't eat any of it.)

Anyway, I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Oh they were so good. I only ate one so I did OK, but I wanted more. Bob found these cupcake papers that are my new favorites. They are really tall so not only is the cupcake covered by the paper, but the frosting as well. It allows you to put so much more frosting on your cupcakes. Which I did.

I think they were a big hit since there are none left out of the 36 I made.

PS: I found a picture of my cupcakes - here it is...

Baby Shower Cupcakes

2010-06-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

The latest project was cupcakes for a baby shower. Not too bad really except that I was out of town for three days last week so I had no time to work on the fondant decorations I planned to put on top. Made for a very late night when I got home.

I decided on brown sugar pound cake for the cupcakes and the frosting is brown sugar cream cheese. I've decided any cream cheese frosting is my favorite. They tasted great together.

I made two dozen cupcakes. Twelve had the cute little foot prints on them. Thanks to Bob these got done and looked great.

These were the last twelve. I really enjoyed making them. I had hoped to make a patchwork blanket but there just wasn't enough time so they got solid blankets.

Birthday Cake

2010-06-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have a good friend who is a huge Yankees fan. Her birthday is today so I decided to make her a cake. It was a lot of fun and I was able to get it completed in one day. It was a last minute decision to make the cake so I am pleased I got it done in time.

This is a picture of the cake after I covered it. The cake is vanilla sponge with chocolate cream cheese frosting. I ended up with one additional layer so I frosted it for my family to taste. It was a big hit.

This is the finished product. I need to find a better way to paint on the fondant. Right now I'm using watered down coloring paste. It works OK, but it's not as clean as I would like it. I also need to invest in some X-Acto knives so my cuts are neater.

I'm learning more and more with each project I do. Having the right tools is really important. I got a fondant rolling pin and that helps a bunch.

I have a few more cakes in mind for over the summer. I am also going to work on making some pastries as well. I just have to figure out how to fit it all in.

Graduation

2010-06-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

I was asked by a coworker to make a cake for her daughter's graduation party. I had a few books I gave her to look through to come up with some ideas for what she wanted on the cake. She decided on a couple different cakes combined into one. I've posted some pictures below.

The writing was done by Bob, I just can't seem to figure that out yet. The fondant came out the best ever and my new cake recipe worked out awesome. I was finally able to move the cake without fear it would break apart in my hands. So much less stress this time, even though I had to be out of town one night during the week.

Cake/Cupcakes

2010-05-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't been baking much lately. Mostly I've been putting in tons of hours at work. "This too shall pass." I hope to be back to the fun stuff soon. I can't believe how relaxing baking is for me. I do get stressed but it's not the same. Crazy I know, but I think I've established the fact that I'm crazy long ago.

Here's some pictures of a couple of projects I did lately. Sorry the pictures aren't better. I will admit that they were taken last minute cause I forgot to do it earlier and we were heading out to deliver them.

60th Birthday cake for a coworker's sister:

Cupcakes for a church activity:

Not much activity on the shop. Still pricing equipment. You don't realize how much equipment you need until you start doing research. I have lots of work to do.

Stuff

2010-04-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

I couldn't think of a better title. I'd like to thank everyone for all their support. It really means a lot and helps me to keep moving forward.

I've been thinking about what to sell when we first start out. I'm going to have to start on a smaller scale and work my way up to bigger things. First of all the space isn't really big (if we chose it) and the bigger the equipment the bigger the price tag.

I'm thinking of donuts, kolaches, cinnamon rolls and muffins first thing in the morning. Then as the day moves along fresh bread, cupcakes and cookies. I figured I could do cakes and pies as special order items to begin with. Do you think I've got enough variety?

We're going to take a look at the space today. I'm nervous. I don't really know why, I'm not committing to anything. Oh well, we'll see how this goes and we'll move forward from there.

Progress

2010-04-13T16:15:00.001-07:00

I made a big step yesterday. After lots of talk I called about leasing a place for my bakery. Very, very scary to say the least. They want $700 a month and a five, yes five, year lease. But, I was told that both the price and lease term could be negotiated.

The place is empty, completely empty. That means I will need a lot of stuff before we can open. Oh and this morning I woke with the bright idea that we should open on Community Days weekend. For those of you who don't live in Goldendale, that's in July.

Not sure if that's going to happen but I've always heard you need a goal so big that it scares you and this one really does. We're getting closer to opening the bakery, I can't believe it.

Pictures

2010-03-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

I found some pictures of earlier projects we've done. I was so excited!! They were on Bob's phone and I had forgotten all about them. So, here are some of our work.

This was the first cake we ever did with fondant. I say we cause Bob helped so much with this. He helped me get the right proportions for the guy and his dog.

This is a football player we made for a friend to put on her son's birthday cake. Again, Bob did a lot of the work to get him to look right.

Here's a couple of pictures of one of the cakes I made for our church's nativity activity at Christmas time.

Please feel free to let me know what you think. Still working on perfecting technique but it's so much fun.

Blue and Gold Banquet

2010-02-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

I'm back. It's been a while and I've missed baking. Odd I know, but even under a deadline, baking is relaxing for me.

I was asked to bake a cake for our Cub Scout Pack's blue and gold banquet. It's a celebration of scouting held once a year. I had no idea what design I should make so I did what I also do, I used google. Once I found an idea, I started working on how I would make it.

The design had some pieces that I was worried would be difficult to make. I've had issues with my fondant not holding it's shape. But I was able to find a great product that helped a lot. It's Gum Tex. It makes fondant stiff so it holds it shape while you work with it. What a life saver.

I think it turned out pretty good. Attached are some pictures. Tell me what you think, I'd love the feedback.

Kolaches

2010-01-06T10:46:00.001-08:00

I received a suggestion that I should have Kolaches in my bakery. (Thank You Chuck) I had never heard of them, to be honest, I had to google them just so I knew what they were. They sounded quite good and a nice alternative to a fried donut. I searched for a recipe I thought I could use and Monday I found one.

Yesterday I got up and made a batch. I filled them with bacon, egg and cheese. They were very well received. In fact I was asked not to bring them back because people felt they had eaten too many.

Bob loved them. He asked me to make them again but this time with sausage (he's not really a bacon fan). So this morning I doubled the recipe and made them with sausage, egg and cheese and a cream cheese filling. I drizzled a powdered sugar glaze over the cream cheese ones.

I loved the Kolaches with cream cheese. Very, very good. All were again well received. I think this is definitely something I will put on the bakery menu.

Again, thanks for the suggestion Chuck. I appreciate it.

Menu - Part Two

2010-01-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

I first want to say thank you to everyone who shared their opinions regarding the "necessary" items in a bakery.

The feedback I got made me start to ask a few more questions, so once again I am asking for help.

First question: What about cinnamon rolls, scones, biscuits or brownies? Should those be available too?

Second question: Items like cookies and cupcakes, should they be pre-packaged or sold individually? Or maybe a combination? Do you have a preference?

I'm working on creating a menu of what I'd like to sell in the bakery on a daily basis. Some things are so easy, like donuts. Definitely have to have donuts, but what else? I'm looking online for ideas, but I can see that there are no hard and fast rules. Each bakery is different.

I know that I'd like to sell bread, but haven't figured out what kinds. Some places sell certain types of breads on certain days. I like the idea, then you only make certain loaves each day.

What do you think are must have items? Things you would expect to be able to purchase if you walked into your favorite bakery. I'm kind of at a loss and would love some ideas.

New Beginnings

2009-12-18T13:46:00.000-08:00

I watched Julie and Julia over the weekend and I became inspired. No, I'm not going to cook my way through a cookbook, but I did decide that I should blog more about baking than I have in the past.

I have a goal to open a bakery. I know that the economy is rough and that I live in a very small town but I know that it will work.

I still have many skills to work on, so I thought I would use this blog to share my success and to beg for help when I fail. Tips from others would be greatly appreciated.

One day I will be the proud owner of a bakery, but for now, it's time to perfect the craft.

"God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow in them." ~Author Unknown

Please join my on my journey.

I'm Back

2009-10-05T04:48:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a long while. No excuses, just explainations. This summer has been a rough one. There were three deaths in the family in four months. Lots of travel and lots of tears.

Through these rough times, I've come to realize that I have some areas I need to focus on. I don't know how much time I have on this earth, but I'm planning on it being quite a bit more so I have some things I'd like to accomplish.

1. My pastry/bakery. My goal is to create enough business, that I have to find an actual location to run it out of. Complete with equipment and maybe an employee or two.

2. Preparedness. Over the last few weeks I've really felt impressed to get some things in order. I feel that I need to start canning and building up a food storage.

3. Power Hour. Spending time everyday focusing one hour on exercise, meditation, journal writing, scripture study and personal development. I plan to use this time to keep my blog more current.

This is just the beginning of my list. I'll post more as they come to me.

"Life's up and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine your values and goals. Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want." ~Marsha Sinetar

Direction

2009-08-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long. I've found that I get pulled in lots of different directions these days.

“Our achievements of today are but the sum total of our thoughts of yesterday. You are today where the thoughts of yesterday have brought you and you will be tomorrow where the thoughts of today take you.” ~Blaise Pascal

I feel very torn about this quote, because I hate to believe that some of the situations I'm in right now are directly a result of my thoughts. So basically I've caused this. But on the other hand it means that I can create the situation I want by controlling my thoughts.

It sounds so easy, till you really try to do it. I know where I want to be, that's easy. I have lots of dreams. Now for the hard part, pushing aside the reality of today.

It's hard to see myself owning a pastry shop when I know that I need to work where I'm at right now. Plus there's always someone who tries to help by telling you how crazy it would be to quit a steady job for something that is unknown.

I know this works, I've seen it in action. When I applied for my current job, I took time and visualized myself sitting at the desk, doing the job, anything I could think of related to this position. Doubt crept in a lot, but I pushed it aside and focused on what I wanted. And I got the job. That was two years ago. It's not exactly how I pictured it, but it's pretty close.

If it worked once, it will work again. Not just for me, anybody can do it if you try hard enough and never give up.

"Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."

~Harriet Beecher Stowe

I would hate to wake up tomorrow and realize I was just one small step away from reaching my goal, but I had already given up.

Struggle

2009-07-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started out pretty rough for me. Got up early to bake (working on those skills) and after two hours of making cinnamon rolls, they were over cooked. I have an old oven. I work really hard to adapt the recipes to make sure they cook but aren't over cooked. Well my adjustments didn't work. I was so frustrated and angry. Made me even wonder if my idea was still a good one.

Fast forward a few hours, I'm at work reading an e-mail that came in. Every Friday I get a inspirational story sent to me. Yesterday's hit home. It was about a 62 year old man who competed in a 350 mile race across the arctic ice. He described it as toughest thing he'd ever done. He even thought about quitting. But the thing about this race is that because of the cold he couldn't quit. Because if he did, he would die.

What he learned was that "We are capable of much more than we believe we are capable of."

It's so easy to give up, quit. But we are capable of so much more. My idea is still a good one. I have to keep going.

Faith

2009-07-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be gone so long. Still no computer.

I am starting a new adventure. I want to open a pastry shop. Not sure where or when, but over the last few weeks I've been cooking up a storm. Donuts, bread, muffins, cobbler, all the good things that are so bad for you. Mostly family and co-workers are my taste testers but I'm branching out a bit to some other friends.

It's been difficult to stay positive about my adventure. I fight off the voice that tells me that this is probably the most terrible time to start a business. But I am ignoring it. I have learned that my thoughts are powerful and if I want this to work I need to see it succeeding and to push out those negative thoughts. It's a daily battle, but one I plan to win.

I'll keep you posted.

Blessings

2009-06-25T14:08:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for a bit, I broke my computer. Not great, but we are managing.

As I thought about what to write today, gratitude came to mind. We are very blessed and sometimes I guess I forget it. Both my husband and I have jobs. We have a place to live, food on the table, vehicles to drive, gas money, insurance, electricity, I could go on and on and on.

Sometimes it gets easy to focus on whats missing and forget to see what's good about life. I know that I need to spend a bit more time being thankful.

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a
present and not giving it."~William Arthur Ward

The Pursuit of Happiness

2009-06-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

I just watched the Will Smith movie The Pursuit of Happiness. It's one inspirational movie I have a hard time watching. It's not that it's a bad movie, it's just that the movie tells the story of a man who is trying to do better for his family. He feels that working for Dean Witter will get him where he wants to be, but the only way to get his shot with the company is to take an unpaid internship. Six months with no income. He and his son live in a homeless shelter, he sells medical equipment on the side, sells his plasma, and whatever else he can find that might give him a few dollars to survive a few more days.

I struggle with the movie because I tend to be a quitter. When the going gets tough, I quit. I love my comfort zone and I know that success takes place out side that zone.

"Periods of tranquility are seldom prolific of creative achievement. Mankind has to be stirred up." ~Alfred North Whitehead

I know that if I want to succeed I have to do something. I often wish success would walk up and knock on my door, but it's not going to happen that way. I don't have to do it all at once, but I do need to do a little. Everyday I do a little more towards my dreams takes me that much closer to where I want to be.

I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday. ~Author Unknown

Yesterday's Post

2009-06-04T11:31:00.002-07:00

So why all the fuss about inspiration?

I think that all of us have inside of us dreams that we have forgotten about, given up on or maybe failed to achieve. I also believe that we all can accomplish anything that we put our mind to. Seriously put our mind to, not just consider. That's where inspiration comes in.

It's hard to put your self out on a limb to try something new or to try something that you might have previously failed to accomplish. There are lots of people who have experienced the same thing but have picked themselves up or stuck their neck out and succeeded. That's why I wanted to read your stories.

I don't know about anyone else, but I struggle, struggle a lot with putting myself out there to fail. I hate failure. My motto has been, don't try it if you don't think you are good at it. But as I read and watch inspirational stories I realized that failure is part of the game. I also realized that sometimes you learn more from your failures than you could ever learn any other way.

Failure is a detour, not a dead end street. ~Zig
Ziglar

Inspiration

2009-06-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

I have tried to write this post several times. I start and then delete it because I worry about how it will sound or what someone might think. This explains the large gap between now and my last post. I figured I better just write it down or I would never post again.

I love inspirational stories. My movie shelf is full of movies that are inspiring. Same with my bookshelf. You are probably wondering why this was so hard for me to write about. What I have been struggling with is the fact that all of us do exceptional things in our lives. Maybe not to the degree that will get Disney to make it into a movie or will be put into a best selling book, but its still something that could inspire someone else.

There are people in this world who are going through very difficult times. Sometimes those people are our neighbors or even our friends. A story of triumph over adversity just might be what they need to push through their hardship.

(Here's where I quit and delete) A few years back I was asked to be the administrator of our local nursing home. I thought it was a great opportunity but there was a small problem. I needed a four year degree. I had attended a community college for two years but never quite finished my transfer degree. After much discussion with my husband, the plan was to finish up the class I needed for my transfer degree then attend a four year school. Since we don't live near a four year school the plan was to take the classes on line. Oh and the best part was I needed to be done as fast as possible. I finished up the transfer degree in about three months and then proceeded to start on my four year degree. I figured out how I could get this done in a little over a year. I didn't quit my job or stop being a mother (housework did suffer greatly I will admit).

Fast forward one year. I just about met my goal but I had one class to finish. I was about 1/2 way through it when the owners of the nursing home came to visit. They gathered everyone together and explained that they were closing the doors. Talk about devastating. I didn't want to finish up my class, I just wanted to quit. After a lot of encouragement from my husband, I went ahead and finished the class and got my degree. The nursing home closed and I found other work and eventually ended up where I am now in a much better job.

Why share this story? I don't know if it is inspiring, that's something you will have to decide. The point was to show that we all overcome things in our lives. Some small like me and others are huge. I would like to ask that you share with me your inspiring story. Yes I really want to hear it. You don't have to give names or any details you don't want to give.

"The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities."

It's how you tell the story

2009-05-22T05:16:00.000-07:00

Everyday I get e-mails with positive quotes or uplifting stories in them. Today I got a story about golf. It talked about these great things this golfer did. Then, he said this.

"What I didn't talk about were all the balls that landed in the woods and didn't bounce out. I didn't mention the trophy I won for the most lost balls in one round. Jim doesn't know I lost the hole-in-one ball in the woods on my next shot, and he doesn't know that the day I got four birdies, my final score was twenty-two over par."
He didn't share all the negative when he talked about his golf game, he shared the positive. We all have positive and negative things in our lives. Where is our focus?
I quit watching the news because out of 30-40 minutes of news, you get 5 minutes of positive and all the rest is the negative, nasty things in this world. But what do we talk about when we get the chance? Are we sharing the positive in our lives or are we dumping our negative experiences on our friends, family, co-workers?

"Life is hard - life is good. It's how you tell the story." ~Michael T. Smith

Opinion

2009-05-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

"Every man is a fool in some man's opinion” ~Spanish Proverb

I read something this morning that got me thinking about opinions. I've spent a lot of time in my life worrying about other people's opinions. Family, friends, even strangers sometimes. How do I look? Am I doing what I'm suppose to be doing? What do they think of me? Finally, I've come to realize that the person's opinion I need to worry about is my own. Is what I'm doing in line with my beliefs? Are my actions moving me in the direction I want to go or taking me down another path? Will this lead me closer to living my soul purpose?

I've decided that the things that I want to do in my life probably won't be looked at by others as "normal" or "right'" but that's ok. I know that there are things that I have been put on this earth to do and when it's all said and done I will have to answer for my actions. I don't think the excuse "people didn't think it was a good idea" is really going to fly. When I am gone from this earth I want to be remembered as someone who made a difference.

The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all. ~Leo Rosten

Gratitude

2009-05-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

As I was pondering this morning I realized that there were many years of my life when I was very ungrateful. I wanted something more, which is OK really, but I wanted these things to the point that I would forget about all the blessings I had in my life.'

I realized today that I still want things. I could probably list 15 or 20 things off the top of my head, but I am very grateful for what I have right now. That list might take me a little longer to come up with, but I bet it would be longer than my list of wants.

God has truly blessed me in this life and while I want to do better and have more, I know that I need to stop and remember and be thankful for all that he has given me. Right now, today.

The Dream Giver

2009-05-11T07:34:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading the book The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. He also wrote The Prayer of Jabez. I loved the book. What a great story. It really put things into perspective for me.

So many times I've wanted to pursue a dream. In the early years, I let people talk me out of it. You know, your friends and family who only have your best interests at heart, but they steal your dream. Sounds harsh I know, but it really is true. Unless your dream is to be the world's biggest drug dealer (or something along those lines) what harm is there in going after it.

As I got older and read more, I got to a place where what people thought of my dream didn't matter, but I still gave up because it was hard. Things didn't work out right away, or I failed. What I didn't understand is that there is some learning involved before you get to live your dream. As much as I wanted to believe I had it all figured out, there is so much more to know.

Now, I understand about learning but there's still more. There comes a point where you have to go all in. Are you willing to do whatever needs to be done, make the sacrifices that need to be made and have faith it will work out.

This is where I'm at. I'm standing on the edge, trying to decide if I am willing to give all I can to make my dream work. After struggling all these years, it's hard to put yourself out there one more time. It's hard to push away the doubts and the negative and focus on the big picture. I know it will be worth it, but sometimes I just wish it was easy.

Time

2009-05-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

"The only thing even in this world are the number of hours in a day. The difference in winning or losing is what you do with those hours."
Woody Hayes

I sometimes feel like other people must have so much more time that I do because they are able to do so much. But we all have the same number of hours in a day, it comes down to how we choose to use them. I find myself focusing on what I can't seem to get done rather than focusing on doing the best I can. I have also realized that sometimes you have to get up off the couch even when you don't feel like it. It's so easy for me to come home from work tired and use that as an excuse to not do anything. Then I'm kicking myself for not getting things done. Usually a few focused minutes will go along way.

I've got too many things that I need to accomplish that I will use my time productively. I'll get my relaxing time, I always do. This way, I can relax without feeling like I've let myself down.

Stress

2009-05-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had something weighing on your mind? The last week and a half have been really difficult. We had an issue to resolve at work and boy was it hard. Nothing I can go into here, but lets just say I have been under some stress.

What I didn't realize is how much it effected me outside of work. I caught a cold, I felt tired all the time even after eight hours of sleep, I just really did not want to do anything or be around anyone. (not so good when you have a family)

Now that the situation has past, I look back and realize that I felt the stress because I wanted things to work out one way and there was really no way that was going to happen. I find myself trying to fix things and sometimes you just have to accept things the way they are. It doesn't mean you've failed it just means that you can't control the situation.

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are
challenged to change ourselves. ~Victor Frankl

I now have my challenge. It's me that needs to change. Each day needs to have some time set aside to focus on personal growth. Not always easy to do, but I think that it's got to feel way better than how I've been feeling these last few days!!

Negative

2009-05-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

"There is a basic law that like attracts like. Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results. Conversely, if a person habitually thinks optimistically and hopefully his positive thinking sets in motion creative forces - and success instead of eluding him flows toward him."

Norman Vincent Peale

It's a long quote but it really sums up my thoughts today. I've been fighting the negativity all week. It's so easy to get caught up in those thoughts. I wish I was always positive. Looking at the bright side or seeing the glass half full. But no, I tend to find the down side or list 100 reasons why it just won't work.

Today I decided enough is enough. No more negative. From now on when I have a choice, I will choose to be positive. I know I can do it, I just have to focus a bit more and make sure I don't always default to that negative attitude.

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
Norman Vincent Peale

Patience

2009-04-29T11:23:00.000-07:00

I used to think I was a patient person. And I guess in some ways I am but there are some times when I get so frustrated because things are not happening like I want them to. Or they aren't happening when I want them to. I think that is the most frustrating one. I want it to happen right now, actually yesterday would be better.

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.”

What a wake up call. Right now things are stressful at work. It seems like my focus is everywhere but on the things I really want to do. I have all these ideas that I want to put into place, but I haven't been able to. Boo, Woo; Boo Woo.

I just need to keep going. Small steps in the right direction are better than no steps at all. Sometimes I just have to get a reality check to get myself back on track.

Poor Me

2009-04-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Some days I just want to have a pity party. I don't know why but I'm just feeling sorry for myself today.

When I get this way I've found that the best way to get past it is to count my blessings. It seems like when I focus on all the good things in my life, I tend to be less focused on what I think is lacking or not exactly the way I want it.

So, today I am grateful for my family; my husband and kids, my home, my job, my health, my opportunities to learn, my challenges (more chances to learn), my seminary class, my cars, my clothes, my freedom, my friends, and my faith

How can I feel sorry for myself when I have so much. I am blessed with so much I have no reason to complain.

Failure

2009-04-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"

~Dr. Robert Schuller

I know that there are so many things that I want to do but I never get around to doing them. Sometimes it's because I decide that it wasn't really something I was interested in after all, but most of the time, I walk away because I'm scared I will fail.

Most of my life I have chosen the things I want to do based on one criteria. "Can I do it?" If I didn't think I could, I never tried it. Play it safe was my motto. Do only those things you know you will succeed at. There were still failures but I could justify them with the thought of how much worse it could have been.

Over the past 15 years or so I've read a lot of books. They've taught me different things, but I never changed how I looked at the things I wanted to try. This year has changed all that. I have been introduced to a new way of thinking. I have met people who have made decisions to do what they love and are successful at it. I've learned that sometimes the hardest step to take is the first one.

So far my steps have been very small. But little by little I know I will work my way down the path to the goal I'm working towards. Sure there maybe some failure along the way, but I'll never know what I can do if I never get out there and try.

"You are probably only one step away from greatness." ~Bob Proctor

Copies

2009-04-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

"You were born an original. Don't die a copy."~John Mason

I really liked this quote, it made me think back to high school. I wanted so bad to fit in. I was different, I guess now maybe I would say an original, but I so wanted to be a copy. I know now that I will never be like everyone else, because I have been given my own unique talents, gifts and abilities. Rather than fight it, hide them away and pretend that they don't exist, I've decided to embrace them, grow them and do my best to share them with others around me. Everyday I am able to benefit from the talents, gifts and abilities of those I come in contact with. I just hope that I am able to give something back in return.

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. ~Gotama Buddha

Habits

2009-04-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

I read that psychological studies have shown that it takes about 30 days to form or break a habit.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."~Aristotle

I started this blog to record the things I have learned and share how the principle has helped me. I hoped to blog every day. That hasn't happened, but I see now that it's because I haven't made it a habit. I haven't repeatedly done it. By working on this I not only will blog everyday but I will also study and learn everyday so I have something to write about.

How much better will I be if I am learning and applying new principles on a daily basis, rather than once a week or twice a month.

"The true road to personal improvement is not miraculous; it is slow and calls for a great deal of perseverance, but it is indeed possible to progress along this road, and your effort will be amply repaid." ~David Fischman

Last Week

2009-04-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

Last week I was just in a funk. Not sad really, but not necessarily happy either. I wasn't really able to figure out what was going on at first, then it hit me.

"Happiness doesn't depend on outward conditions. It depends on inner conditions." Dale Carnegie

I needed to look inside me. I was focusing on everything around me without focusing on myself. Last week I took a break and didn't read and study like I should. It's amazing how letting personal development slide just a few days really effects all aspects of your life. Last week was an eye opener for me. It reinforced to me, the fact that I to take time each day to focus on positive things. I don't want another week like the last one.

Intentions

2009-04-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

I am always planning, making lists, deciding I'm going to get something done and then the day ends and I haven't even started. Like this blog. I always intend to post something every single day. But I find myself looking for just the right quote or reading books to find just the right idea. Then I read this quote.

Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned. ~Peter Marshall

Wow, did that hit home. I need to quit planning to do big things and just focus on getting something done. I did take my own advice and posted today. My goal is to continue on through the day and see what I get done. I think it will feel better to know I've gotten a few small things finished than the feeling of failure I have when nothing I've planned to do is done.

Thoughts

2009-04-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
Norman Vincent Peale"

Over the last four months I have been working to study more, to focus more and to be more positive. I will admit there have been many days that I have failed horribly. But, what I have noticed is a change. Most of the time I see things more positively. I am trying to look for the good rather than becoming upset or frustrated.

I had noticed some differences in how I felt about my life but I really hadn't noticed a change until I read this quote and took the time to think about it. What I've been doing isn't hard, it just takes some time and willingness to change.

How to Win Friends and Influence People

2009-04-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

I am reading Dale Carnegie's book "How to Win Friends and Influence People." You are asked to read the book in a certain way. Read a chapter through, then return and re-read the chapter, this time marking ideas that strike you.

I read through chapter one yesterday and started through the second time this morning. The principle in this chapter is "Don't criticize, condemn or complain." Carnegie shares stories from Lincoln and Teddie Roosevelt explaining how they made mistakes in dealing with other people. Since I've read this book before this wasn't new to me. I don't really see myself doing this to other people. I don't get in some one's face and list all the things they've done wrong or tell them how awful they are.

Then I had a thought, there was a person that I did do that to; on a regular basis, without mercy. MYSELF. I expect perfection from me, when I don't hold anyone else in my life to that same standard. Why?

I realized that I needed to treat myself like I treat other people. I should value myself as much as I value someone else.

The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others. ~Sonya Friedman

Who am I?

2009-03-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

Most of the time I refer to myself in relation to another person or thing. "I'm Bob's wife, their mom, his sister, their daughter, I work for..., I work with..." etc. But, who am I? Just me, not in relation to someone or something else.

I use to do everything I could to avoid thinking about it. I usually didn't have anything really nice to say about myself so it was better to not say anything at all. Then we were heading to Salt Lake and I had an assignment. "Look yourself in the eyes in an actual mirrror. Ask yourself what it is that is great. Not physical appearance, but what you perceive about yourself on a deeper level." The second part was to list what wasn't so great.

I was suppose to list 20 items for each. I tore through the not so great part. I had to stop myself at 20. Then came the great part. I struggled. At first I couldn't think of anything. But slowly I found one thing; then another. It was so hard but I finally came up with about 15 things.

What I realized is that I have unique gifts and talents, given to me by my Heavenly Father. I can choose to focus on what talents I wasn't given but what kind of servant does that make me. In the parable of the talents, three servants are given talents. Two of them work with their talents and increase them while the third hides his until the master returns. The two that did something with their talents are praised and rewarded while the third is rebuked and his talent taken from him. Which servant was I?

I know now that I need to do something with my talent and increase them, not focus on what I wasn't given. Each day I strive to increase my talents by using them, learning more about them or sharing them.

"If you had a friend who talked to you like you sometimes talk to yourself, would you continue to hang around with that person?" ~Rob Bremer

Blessings

2009-03-29T08:21:00.001-07:00

"Count your Blessings name them one by one,

and it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

I have a journal that I bought several years ago, and off and on I would write in it. Things that were going on, struggles, etc. There were maybe eight entries each year. I haven't been very good at keeping up on it.

At the beginning of 2009 I decided to try something different. I have been writing down the blessings I have in my life and why I am thankful for them. At first it was really easy; family, friends, job, health. The first few weeks I had no trouble filling the pages. Lately, I've had to work a little harder at it. But, I still have things to write about. Some days, it's the weather. "I'm thankful for not having snow." Other times, I've gone back to my family and looked deeper at my blessings.

As I spend a few minutes each day being thankful for what I have been given, it opens my eyes to all the things the Lord has put in my life that I take for granted. I have been blessed with so much and I know that I need to remember to take the time to be thankful for all that I have been blessed with

In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy. ~Albert Clarke

Daily Effort

2009-03-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

Every year, high in the San Bernardino mountain range of Southern California, five acres of beautiful daffodils burst into bloom. Amazingly, this special spot, known as "The Daffodil Garden," was planted by one person, one bulb at a time, over a period of thirty-five years.

Every so often I receive an e-mail with this story in it. Today it was in my inbox. I'm not one to believe in chance. I needed to read this story again.

From the story: "The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principle of celebration: learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time - often just one baby-step at a time - learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time.
When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world."

Daily effort. That is so hard some times. There is always something to do, but does that effort lead you to your goal. I know that I need to be more focused each day, doing the small things, that will move me closer to my goal. I know what I want to do, now I just need to get busy!

Character

2009-03-26T05:36:00.000-07:00

"Character builds slowly, but it can be torn down within incredible swiftness." ~Faith Baldwin

The first definition of character I always think of is "moral or ethical quality." But another is "the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing." We are all special in our own way with gifts and talents. It took me such a long time to figure that out. I think it's probably been just over the last ten years that I really started to understand this idea.

This brings me to my idea of working with kids and their self-esteem. I can see how easily character can be torn down, even when someone doesn't mean too. But if you know who you are and understand your gifts and talents, how much harder would it be to tear down your character.

I've had it described to me this way. "Standing in Power." I truly want to help kids feel that they can stand in power and not be torn down. What a world we would live in if everyone understood how great they really are and worked to help others succeed.

"You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love & affection." ~Buddha

Happiness

2009-03-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. ~Abraham Lincoln

I can decide whether I'm happy or sad. I know that so many times I find myself blaming others for my unhappiness. "If they hadn't said that, I wouldn't be upset." Maybe that person shouldn't have made that comment, but I control how I react, not them.
This is something I have to think about all the time. I have found that if I stop and take a minute before reacting to a situation or comment, I tend to have a better attitude.

Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response.
~Mildred Barthel

It's all up to me.

People

2009-03-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

Eighty percent of humans are more unhappy, more poor than rich, more sick than healthy, and more fearful than confident. ~Steve D'Annunzio

I came across this in a book that I am reading right now and it made me very sad. This means that only twenty percent of humans are happy, more rich than poor, more healthy than sick, and more confident than fearful.
The 2008 estimate of the world's population is 6,679,493,900. That means that 1,335,898,780 people are in the happy category and that over 5,000,000,000 are not.
WOW! My hope and prayer is to be able to reach just a few of those 5 billion people and help them to see that they are special. All of us have God given talents and abilities that make us unique. The hard part sometimes is knowing what we've been given and how to utilize them.

A great point was brought to my attention that I need to share. "Think what kind of difference the 1,335,898,780 happy people could make in this world." I owe that great insight to my hubby.

Pure Love of Christ

2009-03-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 13:3 - And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

I love the opportunity I get to teach the New Testament this year. We are in 1 Corinthians, studying charity. Charity is defined as the highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ. I posted this verse because as I read it, I realized that there are many times that I have done things for others more out of obligation rather than charity.

Thanks to this lesson, I know I need to focus more on that pure love of Christ rather than serving others because that’s what you are suppose to do.

Light

2009-03-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. ~Marianne Williamson

What an amazing world we would live in if everyone knew this and truly understood it. I discovered my light while in Salt Lake and I know that I need to help others discover theirs. I will be asking for input to help me understand what is needed and how my ideas can be put to the best use.

Fear

2009-03-11T07:35:00.000-07:00

"Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong." ~Peter T. Mcintyre

Fear can be a crippling emotion. I know that I have past up opportunites because I was afraid I would make a mistake.

"Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic."~Unknown

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to take the first step. I have decided that I will not allow fear to keep me from doing something I feel is a good idea. One foot in front of the other will get you started walking out the door.

Staying Positive

2009-03-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

“The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.” ~ William James

Attitude: According to dictionary.com, attitude is defined as "a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state." This says to me that I can change my life by changing the feelings or emotions I have towards something. Sounds pretty easy, but then there's reality.

Some days are rough, like this morning. I had gathered up my clothes that I planned to wear today, but by the time I got to my room to get dressed, I had lost part of them. I was already a little late, so I looked around quickly and went and found something else. At lunch I found my lost clothes. I had stopped by our office to grab something and had dropped my clothes in there.

This morning I had a very strong feeling towards my day and it was not very positive. In fact I was in a bad mood for a while. Finally I stepped back and started to look for the positive. I started to look for things that would help me to change my emotions and feelings towards my day. This is the list I came up with to change my emotions:

I have clothes - even though I couldn't find what I wanted to wear, I did have something to put on.
I have a job - in today's economy that's a very, very good thing
I have a roof over my head - The house I live in isn't my dream home, but I'm dry and warm.

Sometimes it is really easy to focus on the negative feelings. I've found that I have to put positive things around me all the time to fight off those negative emotions. I read a lot of positive quotes and books. I've also stopped watching the news. I know that I want to change my life so I've started taking steps to change that attitude. It would be easier if it was a one time thing, but unfortunately I've learned that its a daily, even moment by moment process.