Most Frustrating Relaxation

Well, of course I’m busy, but I don’t know how to say no to people a HUGE majority of the time (until my back is against a wall). The one thing I have a hard time saying no to – is making cakes.  Even when my schedule is booked to the last hour of the day, I manage to squeeze in a request.

I love making cakes, but I frustrate myself when designing and decorating due to my urge for perfection.  Even with all the oohs and aaws, I can see the flaws.  Stressing myself out through the whole process to be sure it is exactly what people ask for.  And it doesn’t help when people say, “whatever you come up with”, or “just do you, I trust you”.  Talk about pressure!

Part of my passion comes from when I was younger and with having six siblings, my mother would make our birthday cakes to mimic whatever our fad or favorite thing was at the time. Especially since our birthdays began in October and ended in January, with the exception of my youngest sister in June (just had to get the attention to herself).  That was six birthdays in four months, around all the holidays, so this was the way she made it special.  She would make special character cakes similar to the ones I first began doing for my kids.  My favorite cake she made me was a grand piano.  Yes, 3D, white grand piano – Beautiful!  I will never forget it!

My first character cake I made was for my oldest son, and it was no trophy cake, but it was a HUGE Power Ranger (good thing I don’t have a scanned copy of it), but I was so proud of it. 

Then my sister and I began experimenting on our own, making for family, then friends, then it started escalating to friends of family and then their friends.  Although we may complain sometimes and see who’s going to do which order, we love the end results, patting ourselves on the back.  It’s just a fulfilling sense of accomplishment that seems all worth the straining thought process and perfection anxieties. 

We created business cards for Sweet T’s Specialty Cakes (both our names begin with the letter T). And people constantly tell us we should go into business, but if they only knew what we put ourselves through to get those ending moments of pride in our work.  And since we both work full time jobs with families, for now, this will just be a hobby of ours…the most Frustrating Relaxation ever!

Do me a favor...comment below on what frustrates you the most and what relaxes you the most.  I may be the only one who can combine these two opposites!