It's Been Way Too Long...

I can't believe that it's been almost 2 weeks since I've written. I have to say, though, that it's been due to being incredibly busy. I took my chorus students to River Dance. Planning and executing the trip took a lot of time and energy but it was all very well worth the effort. My students had the experience of a life time. I would do it all again in a heart beat! The show was more than amazing. Every student said thank you to me and the other adults that went on the trip. We had dinner and then went to the show. The bus trip down was great! We had a brand new bus and the kids were as wonderful as always. Everyone enjoyed dinner at Babe's and then we walked to Friendly's for dessert. Everyone was amazed with the Stanley Theater and it's beauty. It was completely renovated a few years ago and it is not only beautiful but charming too.

Today, I'm baking. I have a couple of large orders I need to fill and I'm getting ready for the craft fair April 24th. I think it will be fun! I'm especially excited because my cousin may be coming up to go with me. As long as things go along as usual, we're hoping she can come up a couple of days before the craft fair and go along. We did craft fairs together years ago but since I moved to New York we haven't had the opportunity. I'm looking forward to it. Well that's all for now. I'm getting back to the baking but I still have a lot to share so I'll get back to it in a bit.

Oh the Baking....

I know it's been a few days since you've heard from me but believe me, it's been for good reason. I opened another shop on Etsy. I debated about it for a while and then took the plunge. I'm not sure I want to keep the gift shop on Etsy open as it doesn't seem that I've been selling enough to suit me. I'm not sure about this one either but I'm doing it anyway. My new shop is called Baker Road Bakery. Since I'm baking for 2 coffee shops and people love my baked goods, I thought it would be a good idea to put them on Etsy as well. I can reach more people that way. If the baked goods don't begin to sell then I will know it's not the right thing to do. I certainly have put my time in on the gift shop part. I figure, you don't know if you don't try. I can't afford the time though if it isn't going to pan out. I've been at it a year and I'm about to give up on it.

Anyway I wanted to share some of my latest creations. These are Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopee Pies.

They are very yummy indeed. When I delivered more baked goods tonight, I was so surprised to see how many things were left from my original order. This was the first batch and I took another one tonight.

My chocolate chip scones were a hit as well. These delicious scones have buttermilk in them which gives them a most wonderful taste.  I'm pleased that they are a hit and can't wait to make more.

These raspberry squares went really fast!

And last but certainly not least, sour cream coffee cake. I hope you enjoy seeing some of the things I've been baking. Every day I am planning on making soap and then another order comes in. It's OK. I don't mind! Well that's about all for today. 7AM rehearsal so I'm done for the day.Hopefully, I'll be able to write again tomorrow.

It's Official...

Yup, Baker Road Bakery. That's what we're called,well, for the baking part anyway. Our baked goods will be part of what we offer at the upcoming craft show on April 24th in Canton. This morning has been crazy! For whatever reason, even though I need to go to work, I decided to change the look of the blog. I don't like it as much as what was here before but I can't seem to find my way back to what I had originally. Rather than miss being able to post, I decided to just go with this and work on it another time. I really wanted to say more about Baker Road Bakery but time does not permit. I'm hoping to be on Etsy, we'll see....At any rate, the clock it ticking and I need to go to work. More will follow regarding Baker Road Bakery, North Fork B&B and the gift shop. It's Friday!! Gotta love that! Check back for updates.

More Baking....and more thoughts of Jane

I've been doing more baking. Molasses cookies, chocolate chip, sour cream coffee cake, raspberry squares. It has been keeping me busy. I find myself wondering, how many of us do what we have to do and not what we want to do? I know, we all have things we have to do. That's a given but what about the things we want to do? How do we fit that in? Our recent loss of my sister-in-law Jane has had a profound affect. She was very strong and had her opinions about things. She has made a lasting impression on so many people. I am one of those people. I think about her every day. I think about how much she loves her children and her husband and family. She ate good food, bought locally as much as possible. That applied to food and products. She wanted to support local businesses as much as possible. She cared about the earth and recycled. She loved to grow flowers and vegetables. She loved to preserve food for winter and make jams and jellies and canned pickles. I think that love and joy is what hit me the most. Jane loved each new day. Even when she was very sick, she made the most of that day how ever she could. So, I find myself thinking, quite often, about making the most of each day and being happy going through it. Not every day can be happy. We all have things. The way that I want to proceed in life is with joy. I want to be doing things because I want to do them not because I feel I have to. And, I think a less stressful existence would be a good idea. When I find myself really stressed, I long to get rid of it by doing something enjoyable. Sometimes there is too much work. Even when the work is what you love and it's something you don't mind, it can be stressful. Maybe you have to do too much or do that task so many times that the joy is lost. My goal is to go for the joy! I guess this has little to do with baking or the bed and breakfast or the gift shop. That really doesn't matter to me today. I have found joy in sharing these thoughts and that's good enough for me.

Upcoming Craft Fair

I'm hoping to be working on new products and making soap after work today. Yesterday I spent my time baking. I got another pretty large order for a coffee shop so my time was spent filling that. My plan for today is get cracking on getting ready for the annual craft fair and Antique Show in Canton on April 24th. All week I've been designing this new soap in my mind and I can't wait to put it together. Here's hoping it'll be today. I have some awesome new molds and fabulous colors. I'm also planning to put together some new spa bags too. As soon as I can manage to get these things going I'll be taking photos to share. Check back and hopefully, I'll have some brand new products for you to see. That's the plan...

Baking,Baking and more Baking....

If there's one thing that I have always loved to do, it's bake! I'm not sure exactly how it all started but I remember wanting to make special cookies at Christmas time for family and guests. Each year I would begin baking cookies in the fall a couple of times a week. Sometimes I would just practice and other times I would freeze some. By the time the holidays arrived, I had enough cookies for gifts and for family and guests. This past summer I baked and sold bread and cookies at the local farmer's market. Now I'm baking for a couple of local coffee shops. This weekend I made some cookies and muffins. I also made a cake and a couple of different kinds of scones but neglected to take pictures to share. This has kept me quite busy! Music teacher by day and weekend baking warrior!

This is a chocolate chip muffin. Looks pretty tastey even if I do say so myself. I'm very lucky, my husband taste tests for me!

This is an Apple Cinnamon Muffin and the topping has walnuts in it. Wonderfully delicious!

Chocolate chip cookies that go really well with coffee!! The perfect combination....

The last but not least.....my shortbreads. My sister-in-law loves these cookies! I usually make them bite size but decided to try making some rather large ones to see how it would go. They came out well and tasted fine even in the larger size. My experiment proved to be a success.

Changes on the horizon

We've made some big changes at http://www.northforkgifts.com/ Take a look.... Sent out a hand painted candle to one of our online customers. Updates to the site make it possible to purchase various gifts from our shop. We're planning to add products from our bakery as well. Many pressed flower design candles were added as well. Soon we'll be out gathering lots of things to press. Pressed flowers are so beautiful and so much fun to work with. We are working on making more dried flower arrangements and decorative wreaths. These are always a great way to spruce up our home as we await the first spring flowers.