The Olympic Flames 2012

Let's celebrate the Olympians of this year with this bouquet of raspberry flowers bursting amidst a vanilla cheesecake. Go champions!

A Burst of Sunshine

Dark chocolate-orange cupcakes filled with coffee flavored chocolate pudding and topped with fondant/royal icing decor.  Happy Summer everyone!

Red.White.Blue

A 10th wedding anniversary cake made out of simple white vanilla cake and fondant decor.  The cake was served with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream.  Here's to another 10 years of fireworks to brighten your lives.

Father's Day 2012

Banana-raisin-almond muffins with a touch of extra-dark chocolate chips.

Sweet Expectations

Here's a basic truth of life my sister taught me: "Experience everything and expect nothing".  With her birthday drawing near I have been thinking of her lately.  She is about to start a new job in a new city and the apprehension of the unknown probably has her stressed a bit.  What should she expect out of her new work? Of the new city?  Of her new co-workers?  She told me that she found it best to keep expectations at an all time low to avoid disappointment.  Such a profound truth in the reality of life...

Often times we are more disappointed because our expectations are not met or that we set them too high.  A broken friendship, a failed relationship or a less than satisfactory job role are common nuances of setting high expectations.  But you could also argue that those who have low expectations and goals rarely surge ahead.  Having lower than ideal aspirations in life means low self esteem, lack of self respect and soon you become a door mat.  So we need to find the fine balance of the right expectations without setting ourselves up for disappointment.  This balance is as subtle as ensuring there's the right pinch of salt or sugar in a dish.  The dominant trait of the dish comes from what you add more of.

In short, we need to have some basic expectations out of life, people, family and friends.  When we don't see them being met, we need to take it with a grain of 'salt' (no pun intended) and change our thought process accordingly.  We then need to focus on the sweeter deals and those that satisfy our sweet expectations a lot better.

Terrific Jungle Friends

A pineapple flavored cake with two layers of pineapple and apricot spread was covered in melon flavored fondant.  Figurines are made from fondant, tree from RKT.  Here's wishing a good start to the terrific two's for the little girl.

Little Bites of Americana

These petit fours were made to honor the teachers and staff of Carden Cascade Academy.  The tremendous effort towards putting up this year's Spring Performance titled "Americana" with "cracker-jacks" and "Take me to the ball game" could only be rewarded by little bites of strawberry cake dressed in bright red, white and blue.  Here's to a rocking Summer ahead!

Sweet Reunion

The month of May is zooming by very fast for me this year.  There's no time to appreciate the flowers or the sunshine much less bake...Some of my friends and colleagues call me an overachiever.  It must be so and the fact that I am a workaholic by nature.  The busier I am the happier I feel. Sounds strange, doesn't it?  Yes, there are moments I wish I could just vegetate on the couch and take a snooze, but then I feel like sleep is way over-rated.  Life is so short and there's so much to do with so little time...

With all the traveling, work and a super busy schedule I must say I have been very blessed to have a supportive spouse and the most wonderful kids on this planet.  They pick up after me, help me and support me in ways that even they don't know of.  Nothing but the best orange blueberry bundt bread will do when it comes to thanking such an awesome family.  The taste of sweet reunion...

Delightful Raspberry Bars

April brings two things to my home every year: another special birthday and the 'special of the season' virus party.  It is uncanny how every April the whole household goes through this utopia of germ fest and seasonal allergies.  Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest takes new meaning altogether.  

Let's talk about the happier aspect: the special birthday.  This recognition goes to my significant other.  Typically I bake cakes for celebrating life (not just a birthday) as I see it.  However, this year I am seriously delinquent in baking for the two mothers in my life (whose birthdays fall in March).  So I decided no ordinary cake would suffice in celebrating so many special people in my life.  Thus instead of the regular cake, I baked a pan of red raspberry shortbread bars with sliced almonds.  This egg-less treat turned out to be a very addictive, sweet, chewy and soul satisfying indulgence. Moms: here's an ode to your sweetness, warmth and soul satisfying comfort that you provide even when you are miles away.   It goes without saying that my significant other has enjoyed his share and yours too (in case you have any doubts). 


Given the condition of the household health, my spouse asked me not to worry about the extra effort to bake this week.  It is funny how I don't view this as an additional effort at all...I guess love and appreciation far exceeds physical fatigue and allows one to do marvelous things. There is some truth to the phrase: "delight your heart and you will have no regrets".  :)

Hammer, Nails and Building Blocks

Today, after many days, I have found a few moments to pen some thoughts down again.  This afternoon my children attended a  party at a local hardware store.  It was quite a unique setting.  There were a real hammer, real nails and pieces of real wood involved- so all in all the excitement was understandable.   As they spent some quality time under the warm sun; hammering nails into blocks of wood to build a sail boat and a bird house I watched and reminisced my engineering-school days.  How times have changed...  

The first time I held a real hammer and nail and had the liberty to work on pieces of wood all on my own was in my late teens.  My children are fortunate to have the same experience at a much earlier age thanks to the creative minds of Home Depot. From Lego pieces to carpentry, my children are starting to grasp the concept of how things are built.  This concept could easily have been taught to them through books and other media.  But would they have ever understood what it felt to hit a finger instead of the head of the nail? Or for that matter would they have ever appreciated the effort that goes into hand-made objects? Or the pride that comes from building something by hand? I doubt it.  

Experience counts ten times more than any chapter in any given book.  It helps build a foundation stronger than any cement block.  It makes us who we are and helps us understand a situation better than anyone else.  And with the experience comes the understanding and the appreciation of a task/situation without any preconceived judgement. In life, we must thus strive to experience everything but expect nothing...

Easter Eggcitement

Vanilla cake layered with cream cheese frosting and topped with royal icing decor.  Have a great egg hunting experience this Easter!

Many Happy Rings of the Year

Egg-less vanilla cake with pineapple/apricot preserve filling and a light cream cheese frosting.  May Saturn ring in another year of good health, happiness and cheer.

Of Stars, Jedis and Dark Knights...

Dark chocolate cake layered with chocolate ganache and topped with fondant decor in Star Wars theme.  May the force be with you...

Spring Lady

Every year I get all teary eyed and nostalgic around early March.  The occasion is marked by my daughter's birthday.  This year she turned seven and at first I thought to myself: we don't need a big party to celebrate...she is past the years for parties, cakes and gifts.  Then I looked around and found myself thinking twice. 

I am a volunteer baker for a non-profit organization called Icing Smiles.  Their mission is to deliver birthday cakes to families with critically ill children.  They celebrate life, not just a birthday!  Some of these kids don't even make it through a half dozen years and the celebration of each year of life is so well understood and so much more meaningful.  Life is very precious and equally unpredictable and there is no right or wrong when it comes to celebrating another year of life...

So here we are this year with an all fondant three tiered cake.  The cake was a mix of  strawberry and vanilla.  Apricot/pineapple preserve and strawberry preserve were used as the fillings in alternate layers.  The actual event was more in accordance to M's wishes.  The cake flavor, the venue, the guest list and the food were chosen by her.  I let her dictate a part of the planning.  Simply because I wanted her to feel that as she is growing up, she can make some decisions that will be respected. It's a small step in letting her build her own confidence towards decision making and feeling empowered.  For, prepare her I must, for the world that's ahead of her in the years to come.  Spring ahead, my little lady and may you be happy and succeed each step of the way.

Berry Blue

Today, I completed 10 years officially in the US workforce (yes, my day job). The congratulatory note and all verbiage associated with this event thanked me/recognized me for my service towards the growth of the company.  It's funny how viewpoints differ. All along I have been viewing this as my journey towards personal satisfaction/fame/money and recognition .  I never ever viewed this as a service I was providing...

Given that there have been days of frustration, thoughts of quitting and never quite imagining I would survive to see this day, it is in itself an amazing fact and I am proud to have made it this far.  There are so many unfortunate people in the world who have so little and are just trying to survive. The feeling that I have achieved A LOT in comparison to many souls out there is slowly starting to sink in! 

I have parents and family members to thank for their support on the way.  I have managers and colleagues to thank; for teaching me something in their own small ways...I have friends to thank for being there when I needed to re-charge/rejuvenate with some laughter and good food.  Last but not the least, I have my competitors and critiques to thank because their  opinions and feedback have kept me honest/integral and helped me constantly strive to do more.  Thank you everyone for being part of my journey.

Folks associate the color blue with feelings of depression, sadness and a melancholy mood...To me, it's my favorite color and I am proud to be part of the white and blue (logo)!  Cheers to all with a blueberry bread.

Sweet Hearts

This weekend my daughter and I took a trip to Boston to meet one of my cousins, an aunt and an uncle after a span of almost 15 years. I was a bit anxious and apprehensive about the meet but the occasion was extra special to warrant the cross country trip. We were about to meet my 4 week old niece for the first time on her first month's birthday!  No ordinary treat would suffice for this occasion but the long trip did not allow for an elaborate cake.  Thus, I had to settle on some home made sugar cookies dressed pretty in fondant decor.  Shaped like hearts and stars to signify the new sweet heart in our lives and the fact that a star has been born, the treats were simple and elegant and I think a perfect touch for the occasion besides other tangible baby gifts.

Little did I know that my entire weekend's experience would bring forth a flood of warm memories, loads of yummy delights and the reiteration in my mind that after all said and done, family time is so important in life.  Every single member of the family made a conscious effort to make us feel right at home from the time we arrived till the time we left.  There were stories of past years shared, warm hugs, a few tears and some good laughs.  In a mere 48 hours time I had re-lived my entire childhood and revisited the entire journey of my own motherhood.  What was most amazing was how despite not having met any one before my daughter merged right in and by the end of it all she had earned a place in everyone's heart.  She has now nurtured a bond with family members whom she had never known to exist.  

I call this a necessary step in growing up; getting to know your roots and keeping in touch with distant family members.  In this day and age of technology, isolation seems to have become a norm.  We are lonelier than ever before despite the best efforts of creating virtual reality and a sense of community through online media and devices.  What we all need and perhaps crave for is that personal touch, that meaningful hug and the warmth and assurance that comes straight from the heart.

Stars, Moons and Magic Dust

Celebrating a terrific two-some birthday with the most magical character of the planet? It can only be done with sugar cookies, mickey ears and a sprinkle of stars, moons and sugary dust...Many happy returns to a boy with a magical smile!

A Special 5th...

Valentine's day and a special fifth anniversary at the same time-frame calls for a celebration in chocolate and strawberries...Sugar filigree hearts with sugar pearls to add an elegant touch to the celebration. Congratulations to a special couple.

Da Love Log

Red velvet roll cake filled with cream cheese mousse and covered with dark chocolate ganache...Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

A Splash of One-derful Fun

A wonderful birthday is wished for a special little boy turning one! May his years be full of good health and cheer. The cake had a layer of red velvet and pineapple flavored cakes on each stack with cream cheese pudding in between. Rohan, hope you having a 'splashing' year ahead; go ahead and make waves...

Going on Twelve...

Eleven years of walking side by side, laughing together, sharing tears and watching each other 'grow' in many ways ... As we continue on this journey of life together I know not what the future holds for us. I can only hope and pray that the next year holds as much promise, love, trust and happiness as those gone by...

Dark Comfort

Today, I am another year older and another step closer to the dreaded 'over the hill' mark, as they call it.  The years are moving along and this time I am inclined to feel a little wiser.  That is, if wiser can be equated with being more informed from life's lessons.  

I have learnt a lot this past year.  

1. I have learnt that I have been blessed with an amazing family of loved ones, well wishers and friends.
2. I have learnt that fretting over anything only makes it ten times worse.
3.  I have learnt that doing the right thing does matter.  
4. I have learnt that patience and humility are immense virtues when it comes to raising children.
5. I have learnt that results are more amazing when the work comes from the heart and soul and not just the head.
6. I have learnt that you can never tell someone you love that you love them enough number of times. 
7. I have learnt that compromise and trust are the foundation blocks to a marriage. 
8. I have learnt that talking to and spending time with aging parents is the best gift you can give them.
9. I have learnt that the best way to teach your children something is to let them make a mistake first (only when it's not life threatening of course). 
10. And, above all I have  learnt that holding a grudge in life is more detrimental to health than this six layer chocolate truffle cake that I call 'dark comfort'.  

So for this coming year I am going to try really hard not to focus on the 'sour grapes' but to indulge in the juicy red ones (sometimes a glass of the fermented variety also ;) ).  I think I will do wonders for my heart and soul that way and you know what?  When I am happier the people around me are happier too; and that means the world to me!

Terrific Two with Elmo

A stacked cake frosted in buttercream and dressed in fondant decorations.  Each stack consisted of a layer of red velvet and a layer of pineapple cake with a cream cheese mousse filling in between.  Happy Terrific Two!

The Kilimanjaro Treat

Upside down mini red velvet cupcakes dressed with white frosting and sugar pearls to mimic the South African volcanic mountain that exhibits a snow capped peak.

Mini Delights, Big Hearts

Here's wishing everyone a very delectably delicious and an absolutely sweet new year 2012.

Every year brings with it new hopes, new desires and holds the promise of a fresh start.  Why is that so important? It's because as human beings, we are programmed to seek perfection in all we do.  We want to get it right and be right and failing that to some extent every year we find ourselves eagerly looking forward to the start of each new year.  What we perhaps need to understand is that a little bit of imperfection is just fine or the fact that every next moment can be a new start.  Nature in all its glory is asymmetrical and imperfect and yet holds captivating beauty and potential. 

People tend to make resolutions around health, fitness, money, travel, home and relationships.  I have long stopped making such resolutions. I try to wish for new beginnings and new adventures on a daily basis now.  A whole year is too long for me to envision.   To me, a new year is a milestone to explore new horizons, new ideas and be bolder than I have ever been in the past.  And if I must make a resolution this year, it will be to have a big heart in all I do and to strive and find inner peace (*I have a lot of water bubbles and fire balls to catch in my palms I guess...).

The above mini treats were made for my daughter and son's classmates to wish them a very happy new 2012 and may their big smiles and big hearts teach me to live life anew.

*Ref: Kung Fu Panda 2

Soul Mates...

The ways of the human heart are very strange.  We look for riches amidst scarcity, we yearn for fame at the most in-opportune time frames and we strive to prove we are invincible during our most vulnerable moments in life.  And the most amazing aspect about the human heart is that despite all odds it can thrive on a thing called love- the type that is eternal and soul satisfying and not merely related to physical attractiveness or monetary gains.  A love that is pure and holds true for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health and for better or worse...These words are repeated during every marriage vow to spell out to new couples the secret recipe for success, and if they are able to follow them, they may, in time perhaps realize that they have indeed found their true soul mates.  For, there is not a gift more special at a wedding than finding a soul mate to carry one through this journey called life.

Here's wishing all my family members, friends and supporters a very merry Christmas and a lucky new year ahead.  This was a white bridal shower cake depicting the first set of gifts exchanged by the young couple in fondant artwork (an iPhone and a tool kit).  May they find themselves to be blessed for the rest of their lives.

Bugga Bugga Baby

A mellow lemon cake layered with apricot-pineapple preserve and topped with butter-cream frosting/fondant decor. 

Warm Monkey Delight

I am a wee bit late this year, but typically December is the month I bake my 'appreciation' for my family, friends and colleagues.  This year's spread starts with this delightful monkey bread.  It's an American favorite cinnamon-bread that's sweet, sticky, gooey  and pulls apart in small bite sized pieces.  I created my own version by layering the bread with nuts and raisins soaked in Jamaican rum.  I haven't the faintest clue why this delightful treat is called monkey bread and honestly I don't care. All I know is that even if you called this a hippo bread it would make you salivate and go for that cup of hot coffee on a cold and frosty morning.  

This one I baked for my colleagues.  Thanks for your help and support all year long and for making it fun going into work even though it often seemed like the sky was falling...Cheers to the team!

WINning Cookies

I would like to mention a few words about a group of women I know and a particularly wonderful person amongst them... Her name is Georgina.  Come to think of it, I actually know very little about her.  But what amazes me is that despite our short acquaintance as colleagues,  I find her to be an amazing woman!  I am in awe of her positive attitude, willingness to jump in and help everyone and her larger-than-life heart.  Her smile can light up your day and make you feel like you have an instant friend.  Her generosity is only paralleled by her incredible party-hosting ability.  Thanks to her altruism and spirit, a group of women from work spent an incredible lunch hour sharing some fun stories, decorating some holiday cookies and then taking them home to enjoy with their families. All the women in question, including myself, are board members of a voluntary organization that strives towards the professional and personal development of women at the workplace.  It goes without saying that I am incredibly proud to be part of such a noble cause.

But for me, the charm of the event didn't end there.  It lay in the fact that it wasn't just these self-decorated cookies  I brought back home with me.  Having spent a good hour with such incredible women this afternoon I carried back with me a sense of community, a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of doing good unto others and a feeling of gratitude towards many things in life. These cookies are more than just sweet cheer- they are the portrayal of a winning combination of confidence, camaraderie and the will to do good. Let's WIN and have fun!

Banana Nut Crunch

The holiday season is knocking on our doors again and it's that time of the year when many of us become nostalgic about the year gone by or start making plans for the new year ahead.  It can be a stressful time too if you are entertaining guests or taking a trip somewhere.  Whatever be your disposition this year, it is important to put everything in perspective.  The goal is to have a good time and enjoy ourselves.  To put aside differences and act in a good spirit; to find time for family and friends and relax a little before another year takes a start. 

If there are gripes about the year gone by, feel free to vent to family and friends.  But do keep in mind that many things happen that are outside our control.  While the folks who love us always have the best intentions at heart, the outcome of their gestures sometimes may not have yielded the desired results.  That doesn't necessarily lessen the value of the kind act and we need to still appreciate such acts of love and kindness as difficult as it may seem...

To those on the receiving end of the venting and endless complaining, just remember that the person venting is not looking for advice or direction, but just a pair of ears who will listen to their woes and thus lighten their hearts. So hold off the judgement and advices.  Often times silent compassion speaks more than words.  A warm hug can mean more than the best gifts under a tree.
If we could somehow learn to share each others sorrows and multiply our joys then the world could become warm enough to melt away all the frigidity... So, let's strive to ring in the holidays this year with warmth in our hearts, compassion in our acts and forgiveness in our souls.  Just like the soul satisfying comfort and warmth provided by these cereal crusted delectable banana/walnut muffins. 

Lil' Pumpkin

Dark chocolate fudge cupcake for a baby shower to honor a special couple's very own first little pumpkin...Decorations in butter-cream frosting and sugar.

Happy Notes

I read somewhere that life does not consist of the number of breaths you take but of the number of moments that take your breath away.  A range of emotions from cries of joy to painful sighs fill our days and years and in the end if we have been able to bank the laughter more than the tears we feel life has been worth it.  The hard work is to figure out a way to bank the giggles so that we may use them at times that call for tears. 

Worry, anxiety, stress, ego or depression appear to have become a daily agenda item.  It's no small wonder that we now struggle to feel relaxed and enjoy the fun things life has to offer.  My significant other often says that "it's not a big deal if you don't want it to be"...there's so much wisdom in that train of thought.  Is it really a big deal if my son spills his yogurt on his clothes at the breakfast table just before school or is the fact that he is self feeding and self reliant a bigger deal?  Clearly the latter, yet I tend to focus on the former and spend the next couple of minutes in a high decibel exchange of words that leaves both me and my child feeling so much more worse.   Is it really a big deal that my daughter can't get one task right for the 100th time but does 500 other tasks flawlessly?  I don't know about you but if life is a song, I have been focusing on the wrong notes all along and that would explain why  humming the right tune is so elusive...

"play on rajnish" was a mellow lemon cake with lemon custard filling and frosted with butter-cream icing.  The edible rose/petal decor was done using fondant and sugar pearls were used to mimic drops of rain to shower good health, fortune and happy notes to the birthday boy.

Building Blocks of Fun (LEGO)

Eggless cupcakes with butter-cream frosting, sprinkles and fondant shaped all edible LEGO pieces.

For the Love of Cricket

A mild pineapple cake filled with two layers of apricot & pineapple spread; covered in an all fondant decor was created to showcase a child's love of the British sport on his seventh birthday.

Dreaming of a Donut

What are dreams and why do we have them when we sleep?  Leading dream researchers have embarked on a variety of neurological and psychological experiments to investigate the world of sleep and dreams. Delving deep into the thoughts and brains of a variety of people, scientists are asking important questions about the purpose of this mysterious realm we escape to at night. But a definitive answer still eludes their study.  

I like to think of dreams as portrayals of our deepest desires, fantasies and creative feats that the heart and mind yearns for but the soul has yet to achieve.  They take us to a happy time, allow us to fly and escape into a world of superfluous being where there are no bars to what one can achieve. Nightmares on the other hand are the ones which bring to forefront our fears and apprehensions.  Then there are those "dreams" which show us glimpses of the future and make us wonder how this paranormal phenomenon occurs.  Let's leave the scientific studies over the debate about dreams and paranormal activity to the neurologists and experts.  Let's focus on the enjoyable factor of a dream.

While our concept of a 'sweet' dream may not literally look like that as envisioned by a certain Simpson family member, you have to admit that the sugar-glazed donut with sprinkles along with a few beer cans symbolize guilty pleasures.  Anything good in life is either illegal, immoral or fattening and causes cancer in lab mice.  So why not enjoy the various treats of life that our happy dreams have to offer.  It's the best way to indulge without the after-effects mentioned.  So if you are dreaming of a vacation, a slice of pie, to meet that someone special or winning a medal, I say dream BIG.  For, dreams are what gives us the feeling of being on cloud nine and inspires us to reach out and achieve our goals.

A mild pineapple egg-less cake (top stack in the shape of a donut) with banana and vanilla custard filling was the "sweet-dream" choice of the birthday celebration.

A Festive Rangoli

"Rang" means color.  Rangoli refers to a dance of colors symbolizing joy and happiness, and a blend of cultures and traditions in celebrating various Hindu festivals.  These intricate folk art decorations are typically hand drawn with colored rice powder at the doorstep or in the courtyard of homes.  They are considered sacred and auspicious in bringing good fortune to our lives.  With the various festivals like Navratri, Durga Puja, Dusshera and Diwali knocking on our doors this month, I chose this as means of bringing good wishes to the birthday girl.
An eggless mild pineapple flavored cake with banana and vanilla custard filling was the calling of the day.

It is a fact that the sense of smell can trigger human memory.  What I did not know was that certain words or phrases can do the same as well.  Just recently I came across a mention of "shiuli phool"(parijaat flower) in an online post.  It immediately brought back a flood of memories from my childhood.  Wet autumn mornings, my grandmother's home, a courtyard showered with tiny white and orange flowers and myself in the middle of it, stooping down with delight to pick up as many as I could to fill my tiny bowl.  Then there was that occasional prickly caterpillar that would sometimes cause a nuisance...Ohhh...how I wish life could be that simple and sweet again...Why is it that I could find heavenly bliss in a simple act as that and have to conscientiously strive to be happy now?  What do we lose when we grow up?  What is it that takes up the place of simple delights, small pleasures and mundane happiness to make us so stressed in our lives today? 

Our genes don't change and since cognitive studies claim that happiness is halfway genetic in nature it means that we have a 50-50 chance of taking glee in the fun things of life again, like: walking barefeet on the grass, picking flowers from our garden, throwing a ball in a field and wanting to savor the festivals as they come without worrying about the tasks left un-done.  So, if you feel the way I do, I say, let's join hands to welcome celebrations be it now or at another time, be it Diwali or Christmas...let's just pick up where we left glee behind and grin away.  Always.

A Chocolate Delight

A chocolate lover's delight:  Devil's food cake with dark chocolate ganache and dressed in chocolate curls with cherries on top. 

Say Cheese with the Packers 2011

One of the things I love to do on my cakes is to address the occasion with subtle humor or some hidden innuendos.  I feel it makes my art a little different than what commercial stores sell and also puts a touch of customization to it.  When I received this cake order I was told that the gentleman was an avid Packers' fan and also loved cheese.  As such I couldn't resist putting down "say cheese joyjit" instead of the usual 'happy birthday'.  If you also think about it, Green Bay Packers hail from Wisconsin...is it just a mere coincidence that the place is also famous for its cheese??? Talking of coincidences...what do you say when you further learn that this year his birthday kicks off with NFL 2011!

This was a red velvet cake with two layers of dark chocolate fudge and topped with butter-cream frosting and an edible American football.  May you enjoy this NFL season to the fullest as you enjoy another year of life.

The Candyland Prince

Mellow lemon and plain white vanilla flavored cakes were stacked up to make this candy themed cake.  The white cake was tinted blue to add a layer of color inside.  Filling of choice was raspberry mousse and the frosting was butter-cream.  Chocolate coated raisins, m&m's, fondant lollipops and gumballs and an all edible crown was created to wish the little boy a very happy birthday.

Basket of Joy

There's a funny thing about chores around the house.  They 'multiply' very quickly with the 'addition' of new members in the household- be it guests or babies.  This type of math is something I haven't quite figured out yet.  It's a good thing no one ever highlights this fact to the parents of a single child.  Those of us with more than one child knows how it works.  There's double of everything in need except for laundry...somehow that explodes into quadruples or more loads.  Pray tell me how does the youngest member of the household get the say in the amount of clothes that need to be laundered?  

Parents have this notion that they are in control.  I say: "bull", there's no one in more control of a household than the youngest and most helpless member of the human family.  A tiny cry and we wake up, a smile and we swoon with delight, a whimper and we wait with baited breath for the cry to follow, a howl and we drop everything to get food ready, a small cut or bruise and we are ready to visit the ER...now this is what I call 'being in control'!  The power to twist fingers to do whatever I demand without moving a limb of my own.  Amazing.  Sarcasm aside babies are the most dear thing to all of us.  No matter how many loads of laundry they bring with them, they are all definitely baskets of joy.

A mellow lemon cake filled with raspberry mousse was the choice for this baby shower cake to enjoy the tastes of the last few days of summer.  The color of the decorations were matched to the lemon and raspberry for the berry sweet little baby girl on the way.