Has it really been that long?

Well, to my faithful 2 or 3 readers, Hello. I'm sorry I have been away so long. Three kids will do that to a person.

So golly, it's been 8 months. Nothing too exciting has happened in these last 8 months. I haven't catered at all. London started preschool. Porter turned 1 back in September. London turned 5 just a few weeks ago. Adelaide will be 3 in a few weeks. I actually started watching our friends' baby last month. She just turned 4 months old. I watch her 4 days a week. Adelaide adores her and is my big helper. Porter didn't like her being here all that much when she first started coming over. She's growing on him though. He's a lot more tolerant of her now. It's crazy with 4 kids.. Just slightly crazier than with 3. I'll be watching her till mid-June. We love having her here with us. She just loves watching the three crazies cause a raucus. The sights and sounds amaze her. I'm sure it's a lot different than her normal world that only contains two barking dogs. Well, maybe a little different.. :)

London is your typical 5-year old. He started preschool in September and he really likes it. He enjoys the independence and freedom from this house. He is doing quite well and is definitely ready for Kindergarten in the fall. He's active, mouthy, sometimes a little rough with his sister, loves to "rough house" with his dad, is pretty well-mannered and loves Ninja Warrior. He is going to be a rock star someday. He has quite a musical knack and we are looking into getting him started with piano lessons (as soon as his Uncle Del moves to Davis!!). He still loves the accordion, but his favorite is the guitar (what, with the 50 we have in the house...).

Adelaide is your typical almost 3-year old going on 16. She's become a little bit sassy, but underneath it really is a sweet girl. She loves to help me with whatever I need help with (dishes, laundry, toy clean-up, etc). She simply adores her brothers and is quite good at keeping up with London, no matter what he does. She wants to be a ballerina when she grows up. We are hoping to start her in ballet classes soon.

Porter. What can I say? He's the craziest of the crazies. He loves pulling all my cookbooks off the bookshelf (several times a day). He has an odd infatuation with his sister's shoes. He loves climbing on anyone and anything. He screeches at animals. His favorite person is Elmo (though his Babcia runs a close second). He has some nappy hair; it's the curliest of all three and boy, it gets nappy. He has also discovered a love for the harmonica. He's quite good too (for an 18-month old!). We figure he'll take to the drums because he likes things to be as loud as possible. He is definitely our loudest. Boy, he's loud. Seriously, have I mentioned how loud he is?

Gabe is still keeping busy being the Worship Director for our church and teaching guitar lessons. God is definitely using him in great ways at our church and I just love the worship experience. He has over 40 guitar students, which is pretty much a full schedule. He's also plugging away with his two bands, For Steven and The Black Tie Riot (that's a new one). For Steven just recently had a show after a pretty long hiatus. It was great to see them perform again. My husband is such a rock star!

And me? I'm just trying to keep up with the husband, the kids and the house. I recently started on Jr. High staff at our church. Going back to my roots. I am quite enjoying it. The students are super cool. Mostly my days are spent focused on my children. I am referee when London and Adelaide decide to argue (which is almost constant). I am the maid when the kids make a mess too big to clean up themselves. I keep the chef in me alive preparing peanut butter-jelly-and-fluff sandwiches, concocting different ways to make grilled cheese sandwiches (there aren't many, trust me) and creating different ways to present food that makes "gross" things more appealing. I am a fitness instructor with our daily walks and outdoor playtime. One of my most tiring jobs is definitely night watchman. Porter continues to not sleep through the night and has now taken to waking two times a night, before his 6am wake up time. I am tired, folks. But I know there will come a time, all too soon, that the kids will sleep through the night, they won't want me to interject so much and they just plain won't want me around. So I'm milking this stage of life for all I can. Through all the arguing and yelling and crying and night-time bottles, I am enjoying my children while they still need me.

We're hoping to hit up Disneyland at the end of April. Iowa's most likely a bust again this year. We'll see if things change, though. We might be able to pull off a July visit. Good thing is my brother and his family will be here in July, so at least we'll get to see them then.

Well, folks, my shift of personal trainer is about to begin. The weather has been absolutely beautiful here and it is time to go outside to burn off some energy. Or as DJ Lance from Yo Gabba Gabba would say, "Let's get the sillies out!".. That's about it. I've felt bad for not updating this blog as much as I should, I'll try harder. I can't promise anything, but I will try.

Peace out.

Celebrate good times, come on

It's over!! I have successfully made it through another job. The fact that I made it through a job of this caliber is quite a feat. I had some amazing help, without whom I wouldn't have come through this experience so sane. The food turned out great, the wedding cake was tremendous. The best experience for me was the wedding cake. Everyone loved it, it was so nice to get such amazing compliments. I will post pictures as soon as I get them from the photographer. Unfortunately I had not one spare moment to take pictures of anything myself. But I watched the photographer get many, many, many pictures of everything. I know she got some shots of the cake.

It was thrilling for me to make that cake. I was up till 4am one of the mornings working on getting one of the layers just so. This was my first wedding cake (heck, my first any sort of occasion cake) so I was quite nervous about my ability to pull it off. I absolutely LOVED working on that cake.. From baking the layers, to the filling, to assembling the layers and then frosting and assembling the cake. It has solidified my goal.. To open a bakery. I don't want to cater forever, but it's good for right now and it's fun and I love the experience and knowledge I gain from all the different jobs. But make no mistake, my heart belongs to my future bakery. Whether it takes 5 years or 10, I will open that bakery.

Now I have another job for the end of September. Same sort of buffet menu and I'll be inquiring on whether they want a birthday cake too. It's for good friends of ours, celebrating a 40th birthday. I love being a part of our friends lives like this. Rock on.

Gag me with a spoon

I thought it pertinent to mention that the wedding I am catering is taking place on 7/7/07 at 7pm.

Yikes.

Wedding Bonanza

Over a month ago I agreed to make the wedding cake for a friend's wedding in July. At the time I'm all, "Sure, I can make it. I'd be honored." Now I think, "Why the heck do I agree to do these sorts of things? Oh right, because I LOVE IT." Just a few weeks ago the caterer for the wedding ended up bidding DOUBLE the price they said it would be for the food for the wedding. Said friend approached me about catering the wedding. Again I found myself saying "Sure, I can do the food. I'd be honored." And I'm still left thinking the same thing as always. I was okay with doing the cake, I'd be okay with only doing the food.. But doing the cake AND the food? This time I think I'm in over my head. Luckily I love a challenge. Now I just need to be super organized and add in some hours to the day!

This is my biggest challenge yet. Not only attempting a 3-tiered square wedding cake (with chocolate ganache and raspberry filling) covered in white chocolate shavings, but catering a wedding (A WEDDING!) for 125 guests. I think that means I'm moving up in this catering business of mine. This is by far my biggest gig and the highest paying. It's definitely a good thing. Now I just need to execute it and please the bride and groom.

My wonderful husband has also been working on my new website. I have a whole new name now. Sweet Girl Catering. Named after my precious little sweet girl, Adelaide. Check out the site, www.sweetgirlcatering.com. I've also registered my fictitous business name, so I'm becoming more legit. The website is still being worked on, but it's got a front page with the info. It will blow up into something wonderful, so check back often. I'll even put pictures of the wedding cake and the food on there.

Take it easy my friends.

I have this friend

So I have this friend, let's call her Shmebie. She is a good friend. Problem is, Shmebie, she disappeared on me a little while ago. I call her, even leave messages for her but she never answers her phone, never returns my calls. She doesn't even email me. I miss her dearly. I want to know how she is. I want her to know that I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without her. I know she was right, believing for so long. If only she could see me now, see what I've become. I know she'd never leave me again.

Shmebie, if you're out there.. Please email me, please call me. I think of you often. I miss you. I want to hear your voice. I need to know you're okay.

Sincerely,
Gekkha-Kahn