Food for the Soul

I am fully convinced Grandparents are one of God's greatest gifts. Especially mine. I was blessed with the most wonderful grandparents, and I got to spend time with 2 of them this past weekend. Gramps and Nanny are my Dad's parents. Gramps LOVES to fish, and his birthday is coming up, so obviously it was only acceptable to make him a fishing cake.

The McGuffins all got together last weekend at my Aunt and Uncle's cabin in Young Harris, GA. It is always such a joyous time with these people. We don't get to see each other too often, so the time we have together is cherished. Despite the 14 people, 1 baby, and 3 dogs crammed in the tiny house, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Y'all know I love fall, so the fact that my weekend was filled will all things fall related was just icing on the cake. We took TWO trips to Mercier's Orchard, ate pumpkin cupcakes, made smores, looked at the stars, and enjoyed the first cool, crisp air of the season. Also, some of us hiked (or should I say climbed) up a mountain to an incredible view of North Georgia on one side and the mountains of North Carolina on the other. The hike was absolutely killer, but the view was so so worth it. Funny story from the hike- at the beginning, a random dog decided to join us and lead us up the mountain. He stayed with us the entire way up and even led us back down. The only name on his tag was what we figured to be his owner's name, Dorothy, but we called him that anyway. Dorothy was a really nice addition to our day. This was the view from the top...

And this was the view from the house in the morning...

Sometimes, it is so refreshing to just get away. Whether it's across the country or just up the interstate, a weekend trip is good for the soul. 

So about that cake. My Gramps is turning 86 this year, so we surprised him with a birthday "party" this weekend. Meet my grandparents. Are they not the sweetest looking people in the world?

So there you have it. Hope your weekend was as rejuvenating and restful as mine!

Sweet eats,
Kristen

Peaceful Pursuit

Warning. This is going to be one of those posts where I go on a random tangent about life and school and the future and other nonsense that doesn't relate to baking. But hey, that's okay. You all want to read about my personal struggles, right? Thought so ;)

Growing up, no one told me how hard it would be to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. Well, maybe they did, but I didn't listen. I was too set on being a vet or a teacher or a journalist. It changed pretty often, but at the time, I was always so sure of what I wanted to spend years of my life invested in. Entering my freshman year at UGA, I was absolutely positive I would be a journalist. And still, my farthest reaching fantasy is to be Erin Andrews. I would love love love love to get paid (the big bucks, too) to go to sporting events and watch from the sidelines, interviewing players and coaches in the process. But, that being said, something didn't feel right about being a journalism major. It just didn't fit my personality, and getting all up in someone's business to write a juicy story wasn't something I felt comfortable doing. So I became a Marketing major, and that is where I stand today. What I want to do with that major, I still don't know. Obviously I would love to own my own storefront one day, but in my case, it's not realistic to do that right out of college. I sit in my Finance and Econ classes at school and wonder what in the heck I am doing as a business major, but then I'm reminded of the One who placed me where I am. The Great I Am has been orchestrating my life from the very beginning, so why start worrying now? I have no idea where life will lead me when I graduate. No. Idea. But I know Someone who does, and He provides peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Today, I am so grateful for that peace. I'm not entirely sure of my point in sharing this rambling, but it was something I wanted to get off my chest. Maybe someone else out there needed to hear about the Lord's provision today? 

Now to awkwardly transition into baking...here is cake that I am quite proud of. 

Baking and cake decorating is stressful. I'm producing a good for someone, and they expect it to be perfect. They have placed their trust in me, and I have to deliver. If you saw me in the kitchen while I was working on a big project, you would think I was crazy. I often have flour and icing all over me-- in my hair, on my face, ALL over my clothes. You do NOT want to try to talk to me while I'm working. My parents know that first hand. I'm not pleasant when I'm stressed. But despite all of that, I still love what I do. It is my passion and talent. Seeing a successfully finished cake makes all of the stress and worry worth it. That scenario was definitely the case with this 60th anniversary cake. Lots of things kept going wrong, but somehow, everything came together to create something I hope was thoroughly enjoyed. I would want want to spend my busy, often worrisome hours doing anything else. 

Wedding Bliss

I ab.so.lute.ly. LOVE weddings. I just think they are the greatest things to ever meet the weekend. Besides college football, maybe. I love the food, the dancing, the love, the joy, the friends and family...all of it.

I had the privilege of making my first wedding cake for my sweet friend last weekend, and let me tell you. That wedding was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I'm pretty sure 95% of my Pinterest wedding board came to fruition at that wedding. The venue was a gorgeous farm in Southside, Alabama called J&D Farms.

The ceremony was under some canopy trees so guests were in the shade, as it was an absolutely perfectly sunny day. We sat in old white church pews, and there were lights strung in the trees above us. Can you say "swoon"? The reception (here comes the cake) was in a barn just up the hill from where the ceremony took place. There were flowers and burlap and string lights and Coke and everything elegant and southern that you can think of.

Then there was the dessert table. I'm still in shock that I actually made this cake. I have never ever ever been more nervous about something. A girl dreams of her wedding day for years, and I did not want to be the one to mess it up. Praise the Lord that He guided my hands and helped everything go smoothly. The cake was vanilla, and the cupcakes were chocolate with cream cheese, chocolate with chocolate, pumpkin with cinnamon cream cheese, and vanilla.

I can't take any credit for the beautiful table set up or the adorable flags in the cupcakes. The bride made all of the flags, and I absolutely LOVED them. All I did was stick them in the cupcakes and set the cupcakes on the pre-arranged, super cute, super hipster dessert table.

And there you have it. A day in the life of a wedding cake baker. That's me! Despite the nerves, sweat, and tears (no blood) it took to accomplish this, I had so much fun and am so honored I was asked to help. What an experience!

Sunday Sweets and Sunshine

If you haven't noticed, I like alliteration. 25% because I'm OCD and I like things to match. 75% because I'm not creative enough to come up with other witty titles.

In weather news, THE SUN SHONE IN THE SKY THIS WEEKEND. Seriously. If you live in the Atlanta area, before Friday, when was the last time you saw the sun? I'm a fan of rainy days, but there have been far too many of those this summer.

Continuing with the weather topic, I could not be more excited for fall. Pumpkin desserts are calling my name, and college football is SIX DAYS AWAY. I think this week may just be the slowest one I've had in a while. Can you say Go Dawgs?

Onto the cakes. My 21st birthday is coming up in October. I feel like I just turned 16 and got my driver's license. It is SO hard to believe that was almost 5 years ago. Speaking of which, here's a cake I did for a Sweet 16 this weekend. How fun is her masquerade theme?!

Apparently Minecraft is the game of choice for boys these days. I thought (um...think) Mario was (um...is) the jam, but apparently I am completely behind the times. I also didn't know what Yo Gabba Gabba was when I got an order for cupcakes. I need a child assistant to educate me on all the new fads. Anyway, here's the Minecraft cake...

The next cupcakes are some of my favorites from the past couple of weeks. I did baby shower cupcakes, and the theme of the baby's nursery was Noah's Ark. How kind do those animals look? I have a feeling the alligators on the ark probably had more teeth than my innocent little fondant alligators, but for nursery purposes, I like this kind better.

Where my chocoholics at?! THIS CAKE IS FOR YOU. I REPEAT. THIS CAKE IS FOR YOU. Chocolate cake. Chocolate chips in the chocolate cake. Chocolate icing. Chocolate shavings on top. I practically entered a chocolate coma just looking at the thing. Just kidding, I am chocolate's #1 fan. Picture a 13 year old girl at a One Direction concert. No. Picture a 13 year old girl at a One Direction meet and greet. THAT IS ME when it comes to chocolate.

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Let's pray for more sunshine and cool weather!

Summer in Review

Gosh, time just gets away from you, doesn't it?

I cannot believe how long it has been and how much has happened since I've last blogged.

For all four of you who care what I've been up to, here you go...

I wrote a little bit about my summer job as a counselor at Camp All American in my last post. If you didn't read it, go check it out. There's a link in that post to the CAA website. If you live anywhere near the Johns Creek area, I HIGHLY recommend you send your kids there during the summer. The kids have SO much fun, and the Gospel is so intricately interwoven into everything we do at camp. I think I can speak for every other counselor when I say that each and every one of us love Jesus, love our job, and love the kids. At the start of the summer, I did expect God to work through me in the lives of the kids, but I didn't realize how much God would change MY heart through camp. I am so thankful for the work He did this summer, and I know I will be seeing fruit because of it for months and even years to come. Not to mention, I met some seriously awesome sisters and lifelong friends. God is good!

Camp ended last week, and since then, I have been spending as much time as possible with friends before they all head back to their respective schools. Why does that day have to come?! Can't we just all stay together, not work, and have fun forever? We went to the lake together last weekend, and I can't even explain the joy that weekend brought me. Jesus has seriously blessed me with these friends!

School starts in a couple of weeks, and as much as I am dreading the studying, presentations, and sometimes painfully boring lectures, I am excited to get back into the swing of things.

As for the blog, I've probably said this before, but I REALLY want to get better about updating. Not only with pictures of cakes, but with recipes. STAY TUNED.

Now, let them eat cake.

Until next time...

New Seasons

School has been out for me for a little less than a month, and I have had one heck of a month. I've spent LOTS of time with friends who are home from various colleges, baked numerous graduation cakes, and simply rested as much as possible. One of my favorite parts of the month of May was the camping trip I took to Cloudland Canyon with some of my absolute FAVORITE people.

However, seasons come and seasons go, and my season of rest and relaxation has unfortunately had to come to an end for a while.

I started my summer job as a camp counselor at Camp All American last week, and what an experience it has been so far. If you've never heard of CAA, I highly recommend looking into it! It is an outreach of Perimeter Church in Johns Creek, GA. The heartbeat of the camp is 100% Jesus. It's unreal how much The Lord has already been moving in the lives of the kids, parents, and even staff over the past two weeks. In my opinion, children's ministry is one of the most important areas a church can focus on. These kids just soak in almost everything you tell them- especially when it's paired with summer, friends, and lots of fun in the sun. Camp is the perfect environment for introducing children, many of whom don't attend church anywhere, to the love of Jesus, and I LOVE being a part of it!

For those of you who have asked, here's what a typical day looks like for me: I have a group of eight 3rd-5th grade girls that I am in charge of for the week. Camp takes place at the church. My group and I travel around the church campus to different activities including assembly, pool, tennis, human foosball, capture the flag, Bible time, etc. during the day. My goal each day is to love on the girls and show them Jesus with my words and actions. 

SO, because camp is so time consuming, the amount of orders I'm able to take this summer is pretty limited. I do have a few weeks off here and there, so if you want to place an order, feel free to shoot me a message or give me a call and I will let you know if I'm free or not! Here's a recap of what the month of May has looked like for me in terms of cakes.