Best Birthday EVER!!!

Birthdays always seem to leave a mark for me.  Whether it's because something crazy good or otherwise - they always seem to be memorable for one reason or another and this year was no exception. 

I wacked the crap out of the snooze button and missed my morning bus - but hubby drove me to work so I was still on time.  When I got to the office, I was met by the best birthday cake EVER!!!!  LOL

I'm blessed to have the best boss in the world - Truly he's terrific and I couldn't ask for better.  I walked in and had THIS on my counter. :)  LOL

How Awesome is THAT??!!  It was hilarious!!!  I laughed so hard - it was exactly what I needed. :)  God love him...the heat melted the frosting off and he tried to fix it. LOL

After the cake, I had to clean up my inbox.  I was frozen - I had too many e-mails to be able to send cuz a ton of peeps sent me Happy Birthday e-mails that jammed it up. lol   Overall - it was a great day:)  I got some nice cards and a couple of presents from friends at work, went for a great walk on my lunch break and at the end of the day, boss gave me a lift home cuz appearantly you're not allowed to take the bus home on your birthday. :)

When I got home, Hubby had balloons all over the front step and decorated for my birthday and kiddo worked along with him all day to tidy up the house and bake me a very yummy chocolate cake! :)  Soph was so proud of herself, and I was proud of her too. :)  At Dinner time, Hubby took Soph and I out to the blue canoe for dinner.  I ordered fish and chips from the seniors menu.  Why does everything on the seniors menu come with peas??  lol 

After Dinner, I had an upset stomach so no movie for us...(we went today instead. :)  Madagascar 3 - great Movie but I would have enjoyed it more if it didn't bash Canadians. grrr! )

I spent the rest of the night in my jammies watching TV with hubby - which was still a nice way to spend the evening (even if I didn't feel so great.)

Anyway - after all that, it's official...I'm 38! :)  Here's to another great year. :)

Violin Recital

This year marks my kiddo's 5th year taking violin lessons, but the first year that she has actually enjoyed practicing.  She took her time completing the 1st book (3 years to be exact) but has finally moved on to book 2 - is breezing through it and playing "real" songs. :)  This is her performance from tonights recital!  We are crazy proud of her and thought we'd share...And unless blogger rotates the video, you might have to tilt your head to the left to see it.  Sorry! :) 

Finally!!

What a crazy weekend!!  I had 3 orders in total.  1 for a Mickey Mouse cake, 1 for 50 Graduation cake-pops and 1 for a "Mama-Mia inspired cake".  Normally, that would have been hectic enough - but...I hurt my hip on Wednesday and coudln't even walk Wednesday night. :(  Anyone who says that bursitis is not painful, has never had it before because -Dang!!  Anyway - I had tried to plan the orders well enough that I wouldn't have ot work on anything today - but - the loss of Wednesday and most of thursday - really threw me for a loop. 

The Mickey Mouse cake was due on Friday morning, and was delivered on schedule.  I'm told, though, that his hand fell off when he got to Miramichi. :(  Ugh.  The other "ugh" is that I totally forgot to get pictures of it. :(  Hopefully the birthday momma will send me one. :) (*Update - Thanks Birthday Momma for sending me a pic...now if only I could figure out how to rotate it :(  *)

The Cake pops (all 50 of them) were due today at noon.  they came together pretty well and we still have enough of the filling for kiddo to make them for her class. :)  I was up, though, until after 1am working on all of it.  I had all the baking done - it was just a matter of pulling it all together.

The Mama-Mia inspired cake was the last on the list for delivery and I just got home from dropping it off.  The birthday girl was happy with it - so it was a success. :)  I'm happy with how it turned out.  I wish, though, that the shell mold that I bought for it - actually worked.  What a waste!  I made the church out of rice krispie squares and really like how it turned out. 

I think the flipflops are super cute too.  Overall - I really like this one. :)  Oh - the sand is graham crumbs and brown sugar. :)



After all that, I'm tired and sore and reely need a shower...but first I have to clean the kitchen, then mow the lawn and then - if I'm really lucky - I'll get to go for my walk for the first time since Wednesday!! YAY! :)

Releasing the skinny Baker

I've never posted about my weight before, but it's time. 

It's ironic - really - my Nan used to tell me that nobody trusts a skinny baker...but I've never been a skinny baker.  I've struggled with my weight my entire life. I've been on every diet plan known to man - from weight watchers to Nutri-system but because it never addressed the cause of the weight gain...it never stuck and the weight came piling back.

My first "real" weight loss was in grade 11 when I transformed form the fat girl who everyone liked but no boys wanted to date...then i dropped from 210lbs to 169lbs and suddenly boys wanted my number.  After high school, my weight climbed slowly and by 1998 I weighed 230lbs.  The day before baby #1 was born, I weighed in at 350lbs (I only lost 40lbs when I had her - she weighed 12lbs 8oz).  I worked off a bunch of the baby weight but was stuck at 220lbs until 2000 when I began to lose again.  By June of 2001, I dropped back to 160lbs for the first time since I was 18!!   I was newly divorced and newly in love - living off of soup, cigarets and Lust...I'm not complaining ;)  It had its good points - but even though I was skinny, I wasn't healthy.  I was squishy and had zero muscle tone - smoked a half a pack a day and ate terribly.  

A couple years later, I quit smoking when I found out that baby number 2 was on the way - which eliminated the need for all skinny clothes. (I kept the Hooters tank top for old time sake though. ;) By February 2004 I was back to my "go to" weight.  The weight that - no matter how hard I try, I can't get passed.  It's a weight my body clings to and won't go lower than...It's the weight I would be "stuck" at for the next 6 years...190lbs. (OMG - Did I just post that number on my blog! ) I hate that number...but my bodly clings to it and I can't ever get below that number. 

I thought that not being able to get below 190lbs was the worst thing until about 2 years ago. Christmas 2010 I put on 20lbs...and kept it on.  I started 2011 weighing 210lbs but by Christmas 2011 I was back up to 225lbs.  I was miserable and felt tight in my own skin. Having to buy plus size 18 jeans...just so I could breath was like a punch to the stomach.  None of my work clothes fit and even my "fat clothes" which I dug from the back of my closet were tight...but I didn't change anything.  Christmas passed and I managed to drop back to 220 but that was only because I wasn't eating 3 full course turkey dinners and entier boxes of chocolate every day.  The size 18 jeans stopped cutting off my circulation, though, so I still didn't change anything and lived in my 220lb body.   

I don't know what flipped my switch but, in April, something did. I'm 37 (darn close to 38) in a life that is jammed full of challenges and chaos that pretty much exceed the average household. That's not a complaint - it's my norm and I've accepted it - but...I finally accepted responsability for myself and realize that I MUST do something to take care of me...so that I can continue to take care of my loved ones. I started to look back on my life and realized that I have never ever done anything that was just for me alone.  I have never done anything to take care of myself - something that was good for me and that I was protective of.  I saw myself following in my Moms footsteps and knew I had to do something about it...and I have.  I started walking on my lunch break. 1 hour of just me and the trail. The first few days were rough - and the shin splints were torture...but I loved every minute of the sweaty exhausting journey!  I turned up my music and carried on - rain or shine! :)  And that's how I started my journey towards releasing the skinny baker within, :)

In the last 2 months, here's what I've done...

1. I walk every day for 1 hour (Either on the trail or treadmill).
2. I have increased from 4km in 1 hour to 8km in 50 minutes
3. I have only missed 5 days of walking since I started, but (except for 1 day) replaced my walk with many hours of physical labour (my yard was a mess! :)
4. I stopped eating after 7pm (mostly).
5. I replaced late night snacks with tea, lemon water or vegetables.
6. I watch serving sizes and stick to them.
7. I cut back on portions (but haven't missed it at all because I don't have the appetite for it.)
8.  I cut out junk (mostly...I'm still human after all)

I haven't been following a scripted diet and I'm really bad at knowing what to eat so I've kept it simple.  I fit in more fruit and veggies, make sure I eat breakfast, cut out junk, drink more water and don't eat late...and if I fall off the wagon and have a cheat day (which I've done 3 times so far)...i drink extra water the next day and try to fit in some extra exercise...but I don't stress over it.  It was all really easy to implement and yes, I've had to look will-power in the face a bunch of times but it has been good and I'm proud of what I've accomplished. :)  Oh right - I forgot to mention...

I'VE LOST 30LBS!!!!!!! :) 

Yup!  It's true!!  I've had to replace my walking clothes cuz the old ones are all too big - I have brand new baby muscles showing up and I'm down to 189lbs!!!!!

I'm not done yet either...Honestly - at this point I don't really look at it as having lost weight because I "broke even". I'm back to my "go to" weight and I know I'll have to work for the rest...but I have to. I want to. I'm sick of looking in the mirror and noticing what's wrong. I'm proud of the progress I've made and it wasn't hard...I really have enjoyed all of it and feel "rusty" if I don't go for a walk. For thei first time in my life, I'm doing something for me because I need to...because ...My life is full of challenges that are not my own.  To face them I must be strong...so I will walk.  I will be healthy and fit for my girls...because they need me...because the challenges that I have to face are theirs too.

I'm doing this for me because I want my girls to be proud when somebody says "You're just like your Mother" :)

More Cake-ventures

Anyone who follows my blog knows that the absence of posting doesn't mean the absence of chaos, happenings or cake-ing.  I'm behind on my posting for a couple of reasons.  1 - hubby has taken over my computer by hooking it up to the television - yay netflix!  But...when you add the PC/TV connection to his most recent hobby (remote control airplanes) it means that its always in use for the purpose of watching RC airplane videos (insert face of disgust here) 

*note to hubby - sorry shmoopy if you read this -you know I love you madly and deeply...it's your hobby that needs its own place - hehe*

2nd is the introduction of a tablet.  I got one for Christmas and have a love/hate relationship with it.  It's Android - which I'm stll learning.  And although my typing speed is close to 90wpm...on a tablet - with a touch screen - and 1 finger typing...I'm much much slower. :(  I also lack a USB port on the silly thing - so zero options to upload pics - it's a drag!  Anyway - in order for me to post, I need a PC.  Posting form work is a bit of a career-limiting-move...so I'm reduced to using the kids computer.  If you have ever tried to convince a 9 year old that blogging is more important than the hourly activity on Webkinz world, you know exactly what I'm talking about. :S

3rd - I've just been too darn busy!  lol  Time has been wizzing by and I just now realized that I haven't posted in over a month! :( 

So - Here's what's been going on...

I've made a few cakes which I still need to post.  (I'll do that soon.)  and have more coming up.  I'm trying to find a way to add a cake calendar to my blog so that I can keep track of the orders comign up and link them to posts. :)  I can't wait for you to see the Spa cake I did for Kate! :)  I've also done a lego cake, a Penguins Jersey - Crosby 87 cake, and in the next couple weeks I have to do a Mickey mouse cake, 50 grad cake pops, 3 dozen sunflower cupcakes for the school + a Mama Mia cake and at the end of the month...a soooper cool Grooms cake which I still need to sketch out -Oy!  And...in July i have a WICKED space cake taht I'm crazy excited about. :)

Ok - that's my cake rant.  I'll catch up on the pics eventually and fill you in on the other happenings in my next post. :)

Hollee (the soon-to-be skinny Baker ;)