Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Being financially strapped is no fun. Every purchase incited buyer's remorse, regardless of need. For the past few months I've been nannying one day a week and using the small bit of savings I have left to live. I had too much free time and was wasting it away doing...well, I'm not sure exactly. Much of that time was quite possibly spent working on my new food blog, so I won't count it as a total loss. I was scouring the domestic gigs and childcare listings on Craigslist, only to come up with a couple random babysitting jobs. A whole lot of ads I'd e-mailed myself, which means a whole lot of ads to which I didn't bother responding. Basically, I hadn't been helping my cause. The defeatist attitude hadn't helped.

One day while I was searching Craigslist, Dallas suggested that I apply for a part-time position in which I'd actually be interested. Though I love children, I've been yearning to increase my vocabulary and communication skills rather than teach toddlers how to speak. Kara's Cupcakes were looking to hire a part-time Cupcake Ambassador and Karavan driver, and I immediately jumped at the opportunity to send in my resume.

So what if it's not in social work? I'll be happy being surrounded by baked goods...for the time being. I'm graduating in less than a month (let the heart-attacks begin) and grad school is a mere sparkle of a thought in the distance. There are plenty of opportunities available to me, and these last couple years I've come to realize that life is short, so why not enjoy it! An ex-boyfriend of mine was always telling me this and he's always truly practiced this. If only I weren't so stubborn I would have learned this lesson several years ago. Well, the past is the past and I'm just happy I started to embody this trite saying. There are plenty of people who go about each day working a miserable 9-5 job, never having experienced...life.

Getting back to Kara's, after two interviews (the second being with Kara herself!) I've been hired as Kara's Cupcakes newest employee. I'm pretty sure my nearly-overbearing enthusiasm for baked goods and open availability post-graduation helped me land the position. Yay retail experience! Yay no more babies! Yay cupcakes!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

I have started a new blog called so.fancy.free at Wordpress. It is a fresh start for my entrance into the food blog world, and I think it's going pretty well so far. Please let me know what you think! This blog at Blogspot will remain active for general thoughts and photographs I come across that tickle my fancy.

My mom is getting married in September to her high school sweetheart (total Lifetime flick material) and I've offered to make the wedding cake. Being that the land of tiered cakes is new to me, this is going to take a lot of research and practice. Martha Stewart's wedding section on her website is a helpful reference, but The Knot and Once Wedare even better. The color scheme is green and brown, and she wants fresh figs on the cake. Luckily she is open to suggestions with regard to the style, type, and other specifications of the cake. I love new baking challenges!


Sunday, March 21, 2010

Perhaps my new blog focus will be baking, crafts, and kitties.


My new kitchen. Plants and fresh flowers (thank you, Dallas!) make me so happy - and want to bake even more...if that's possible.


Fresh flowers every week. Lovely.


I found these porcelain canisters at my favorite thrift store in Redwood City. Don't think I'll disclose the name as I'd hate for this little gem to be tainted by an influx in customers.


Dallas and I have become obsessed with these ice cream bars, and it doesn't help that our local corner store has an entire freezer case devoted to them. So far my favorite is the strawberry, though that is really TBD until I've finished all these.
Lately I've become inspired by the many fantastic food (esp baking) blogs I follow. Lovely photos, annotated recipes, and life updates. I do like my blog, don't get me wrong. It's just a little unorganized, and being that I've a type A personality, I'd like to focus in on a couple interests: baking and kitties. Pretty things too, but that's a given. Haven't decided if I will start anew, but I'll keep you (the whole handful of you who actually read my blog) updated. Love you, supportive friends!



Margot is 10 months old this March!


Monster hunting.


Margot is quite the Nosy Nelly from her new apartment window. Birds a plenty!

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Dear Allyson,

Allocate more time for creative endeavors.

Love,
Your secret admirer






PS - Please cook more delicious meals.


PPS - Good girl.