Thursday, September 29, 2011

The very first time!

When I was in high school we had the option to go to vo-tech. I joined the Food Prep program in our vo-tech. I knew then I wanted to be a chef.  Unfortunately, as the story goes, I ended vo-tech after my junior year because of pregnancy and joined the general education program at the high school.  Anyway, Food Prep is where I learned a great many many skills that I still use to this day.  I learned how to debone chicken breasts, (without a knife) as well as how to decorate cakes.

When I moved out of my mother's home at 18 I started my first (of several) home based baking business.  I don't have pictures of many of the cakes I did, but I do have a few.  I've always tried to make my children's' birthday cakes, with a rare exception here and there I succeeded.

Okay, I am going to give a warning, the early cakes were not that good.  But at $8 a cake who's complaining?

This was done for Merissa's Baptism.  Mind you, I was 17 here.  God what awful hand writing!
I wasn't going to confess this, but I suppose I should.  When I made this cake a few weeks after Merissa was born, I misspelled her name on the cake.  That's really why her name is written so poorly.  I
originally spelled it Merrisa.  My brother asked me if that was spelled right.  Oops!  I should also point
out that the icing was the pre-made stuff in the decorating containers.  There's a story behind that one too!
Obviously for a baby shower, unfortunately this may have been for my own,
I can't be certain.  I don't think it was but you never know. 
Well this is pretty self explanatory.  
Someone ordered a Halloween cake.
and a Christmas cake
Someone ordered a cake for their son
Another order

Merissa's 3rd Birthday

Merissa's 4th Birthday

An order for people at work

Gentry's 1st Birthday (my oldest son)

Merissa's 5th Birthday

Tyler's 1st Birthday (my youngest son)

I don't have a picture handy of Avery's 1st birthday cake.  I will find it and post it.  Hopefully you can see the improvement of the cakes as the years go by.  Character cakes were extremely popular in the mid 80's.  The only real way to decorate them (at that time) was to use the star tip method.  

I am in the process of developing film that has sat undeveloped for many years.  If I come across more of my work I will certainly post them.  

To give you an idea to how long ago the cakes were done, Merissa will be 29 in December.  Gentry is 24, Tyler is 17 and Avery is 9.  

I was going to say its embarrassing to post the pictures of stuff I've done so long ago, but I'm not really.  I improved and still love doing it.  Its interesting, thinking about this just now.  I would tell those people that knew when they were younger what they wanted to be when they grew up that I envied them.  I thought I never knew what I wanted to be.  I became a nurse out of fear (thats another story) and while there are certain aspects of it that I enjoy, I don't like being a nurse as a whole.  I never wanted to be a nurse.  I knew that.  I have believed for more than 20 years that God puts you on a path.  If you make decisions that veer you from that path He will eventually put you back on that path.  God put me on the path of chef/baker/cake decorator whatever you want to call it, when I was 13.  I am 46 now.  It has taken me 33 freaking years to get put back on that path.  Either I'm slower than I realize or He's extremely busy!  Seriously, this just proves that He won't forget to guide you, even if you forget.

2 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this post. It was honest and well, honest. :-) Great job! Even when you were 17 your cakes are better than mine at 29!! Course, I don't do that.. bake... that's what you are for right? And I'm really hoping that Avery takes some of those skills so that she can carry on your talents (or at least some of them)!
    Awesome post! Thanks for sharing all those pictures and memories. <3 you!

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  2. How sweet... I love your cakes. They were adorable.

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