My Cake Journey

The last 6 months have been very challenging for me as a mother, a wife, and a woman. When I had Scarlett, my feelings weren't normal. They were scary honestly. I didn't feel that instant love that I felt when I had Lydia. It made me feel alone, afraid of myself, it made me depressed, and I didn't trust myself alone with her. In order to take my mind off these thoughts, I kept busy around the house. I cleaned, scrubbed, and organized to my heart's content. I tackled projects that I had put off for years. 

Then it hit me, I'm gonna bake.

I went out and bought a couple of boxes of cake mix and piping tips. 

Yes, this is the cake that started it all. I got so much feedback on Facebook about it. People were raving about how pretty it was. I started to do another, and another, eventually I found a homemade cake recipe and perfected it to my liking. 

Then I got asked how much I'd charge to do a cake like that. I. Had. No. Idea. What. I. Was. Doing. 

But I did it. 

Here it is, the first cake I ever sold! 

As time went on, I started selling all KINDS of cakes. 

You get the point, right? 

This is where things got really serious.

 Yep! Those are indeed Starbucks Frappachino flavored cupcakes with homemade caramel drizzle on top. 

My niece's cake. 

First sculpted cake. NIGHTMARE, I made this cake twice because the first one MELTED in my car. 

This past weekend was by far my most successful weekend. 

I am so proud of myself. 

My very first wedding cake.

Ahhh! So pretty, right??

I also did multiple different cakes including Easter cupcakes, carrot cake, cherry cheese pie, 2 mini cakes, AND remade that anchor cake on top of having Easter with my kids. Super Mom? I think yes. 

I am so proud of my nonstop progress. I am still not where I want to be emotionally, but my postpartum depression HAS subsided. I don't know where I would be right now if it weren't for cake. I know I'm not the greatest, but it's a real personal achievement to see my progression. I love cake, I love making people happy. I love Cake Me With You. 

I don't know what the future holds, but I'm so glad I took this plunge. 

Until next time,

Leanna

New Beginnings

<center>I know this is an odd transition.
I don't know if we're truly ready for this.
It has been a while since we talked, and I'm sorry about that.
I hope you've all had a wonderful year. 
I have great news for my readers.

Not only is this going to be a blog, this is also going to be a business website! 
Yes, you heard right.
I have started making cakes, and selling them.
I find that I truly enjoy it. 
It's been such a blessing to have so much local support. 
If you are one of those people, thank you so much for being so kind to me.
Over the next couple of days, you will see little posts about cakes I'm doing. Then eventually, I will separate my "portfolio" from my blog. Please excuse the mess. At least you'll get to look at pretty pictures!

Nothing Pretty

I remember it all so well. I remember standing in my living room fussing over how tall and wide our couch was, with a broom in my hand. 

Mom told Tyler, my husband, that she was coming over. I didn't know what for, the kids weren't there and let's face it! They only come over to see my kids. I was so awkward, leaning against the couch, dad moved some folded up laundry over and sat down. Mom remained standing in front of me. "The doctor said it's cancer." Tears filled her tired eyes. I could tell she was worried, but I tried to remain calm. I just stood there. I didn't know what to ask, I didn't know what to say, think or feel. Dad kept saying, "It's go'n be alright." 

Unfortunately, there is no written manual on "how to deal with your mom having cancer". I was sitting in the car with one of my dear friends and I said, "Nobody knows what cancer is until it happens to them." 

How I envy that ignorance. I wish I could be one of those people.

Unfortunately, my family knows it all too well. In fact, it's been five years since my sister Tabitha left this world because of cancer. 

Chemotherapy failed. Doctors failed. Medicine failed...I failed. 

The only one who didn't fail, was my mom. Who held herself together through to the very end. Who didn't have to be there, but did it anyway. When everyone else fell short, mom made up for it. 

The one woman on the planet who could handle Tabitha, now has been weakened by the very same disease that she watched take over and deteriorate her own daughter's life and body.

Meanwhile I get on Facebook and people complain about their lackluster lunches, their overflowing bathtubs, their baby throwing a temper tantrum in a restaurant. Do these things really matter to these people? Did they used to matter to me?  They just don't anymore.

If you're looking for a point made during this post, you won't find one. Except that life sucks sometimes. That's about it. 

I don't have any pretty lyrics or a happy ending.