Baking

Ever since I was little I have loved baking. I loved every Sunday afternoon when my momma and me would make cookies or other fantastic baked goods.  I loved the smell of her fresh baked breads and the Viennabrood (Danish Pastry) that she would make that would be gone nearly instantaneously.

Today I still try to find time to bake things.  Sunday afternoons are filled with making sugar cookies or other tasty delights, which, I think our neighbors quite love, as we always give them a plate of whatever I've made.

For the last several weeks there has been a re-occuring baking theme in my life - cakes.

• My friend, Christie, and I decided we wanted to take a cake decorating class together.
• My aunt emailed us all to let us know that my cousin, Chef Tess, is coming to teach some classes at Gygi's (one of which is making cake flowers) in June.
• One of the girls I work with just took a cake decorating class at Gygi's - with fondant.
• My brother got married and there was the focus of the beautiful wedding cake.
• My friend, Heidi, is making the groom's cake for her sister's wedding and has brought in sample cupcakes and told me about making marshmellow fondant last night.
• My aunt taught a few of us cousins how to make marshmellow fondant tonight.

See!  Lot's of cake!

Is the Universe trying to tell me something?  Are cakes in my future?

Yes.  Yes they are.

I've always wanted to learn to make and decorate fantastic cakes (though for birthdays I have always preferred birthday brownies as I have always preferred them over cake), and now I think that I will have to actually learn to be fantastic at this art.

I have some of the fondant that we made tonight.  I plan to make a cake for when Husband's family comes in town.  And I will have to try to be fancy.

Mark my words, in the near future, I will take a class.  I will make a fantastically delicious cake.  And I will be a cake lady.  Wait.  Scratch the "cake lady" part.  I'll just be famous for my amazing cakes.

*Grin*

Book Club

Barefoot and I decided that we wanted to have a book club, so we invited friends to join us! I've never been in a book club before, so I was pretty excited!

Our first book was The Virgin Queen's Daughter by Ella March Chase. Its an historical fiction about a girl who is possibly Elizabeth I's daughter .

I had a difficult time getting into the book at first. The author likes to get carried away describing things and at times and I got bored and stopped paying attention to what I was reading.

Also, there weren't specific breaks in the paragraph etc. that would "hint" that she was changing the topic, or that it took place a little later. Sometimes the sentence would end with a period during one event, and begin with a different event with the next sentence. I had to learn to recognize the change in conversation/what was happening so I wouldn't get confused and bored.

I also got confused about some of the characters in the book, but I don't think that was her fault, historically its confusing which monarch ruled when or how, who the succeeded, killed whom, and gave birth to what child.

After re-reading the first few pages several times, I started to get into it and really enjoy it . It was woven with interesting factual tidbits and the fictitious story that had a basis of rumors from back in the day. I had a hard time putting the book down after a little while. And when I finished the book, I was glad to know what had happened, but I was sad that the story was over.

That happens to me a lot with books. Sometimes I start to feel like I get to know the characters so well and then the story ends, and I miss them. Does that happen to you?

We met as a book club this past Saturday and met for tea downtown and talked about the book and just had fun! I loved my first book club meeting!

Our next book, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. I hope its good!