2014 All Wrapped Up

Oh what a year...

For baking...
This year there were 26 office birthday desserts; here are a handful.

There were challenges...making a giant Reese's cup; there were classics...carrot cake; and there were boozy cakes...an Old Fashioned Cake with bourbon and all.

  

This year I got to bake for friends...pies and cakes, including a pig grooms cake and bumble bee cupcakes for a baby shower; plus 103 cupcakes and one salted caramel cake for a wedding.

This year I have learned what it is to be completely exhausted from baking.  I did it again just last week.  8 cakes with 7 frosting and two fillings in two days.  I might have had to sit down in a chair to prepare brunch for the next day after baking all of these cakes.

I have had a cake fall apart when coming out of a bundt pan; I have had a layer of a cake break into pieces when I was trying to put it on a cake stand; cookies that came out to thin from too much butter; lumpy frosting; and other "disasters" in the kitchen, but I have tried to learn from it all.

Overall this year has just been much busier, which has slowed down my blogging here.  My goal/resolution for next year though is start blogging more like I used to.  My goal is to try new things, to expand my baking horizons and I am excited for it!

And for 2014 in my everyday life...

1.  Planning a wedding is fun, and exciting, but try to never forget why you are really planning it to start with, and just keep reminding yourself of this.  It really is all about getting to spend the rest of your life with the person you love, your best friend and the one who accepts you for who your truly are. Remembering this will make everything else go a bit more smoothly.

2.  We all have our ways of clearing our head.  Figure yours out, do it often and sometimes just take a moment to breathe.  Running is my thing, long or short distances, it's my way of clearing my head, having a little alone time and thinking on life.  Sometimes you just have to take a moment to think.  Think about today, think about the future, think of things that make you happy, think of what and how to make your goals and dreams come true.

3.  Go on adventures and be spontaneous.  Whether it's just randomly stopping with your spouse/friend/family to ride go karts, play mini golf or even laser tag.  Whether it's planning out a Southern adventure all about food.  Whether it's as simple as calling up a friend and having drinks that night and just not planning it weeks in advance.  Go for it.  Enjoy life and all of the small things that happen in it!

Happy 2015!