... bring May Cakes.

April showers/snow/boring-ness... brings May CAKES! Wedding, Graduation, Bachelorette and more! Kickoff start of May. More to come!

I am enjoying everyday work - which can often be seen as quick work, but these little things really can bring comfort. This simplicity brings a smile to my face. To feel your medium.. to feel the coziness of something as simple as a buttercream rose and putting together a whole. Enjoy simple pleasures everyday. I demand you to.

 

A Happy Life - 
 

To live with purpose.
To say the courageous thing.
To celebrate the simple gift.
To follow your dreams.

This is a happy life.

No use crying over spilt milk...

When you can always eat some Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Remember being a child and being able to sit down with a glass of milk and dip a fresh from the oven cookie, while being full of joy? I believe Cookies can do just that. Simple from scratch chewy cookies, tasting the gooey chocolate and letting the cookie fall apart as you take a bite. No matter how you were raised, I think most of us at some point had these moments. There is nothing like the combination of milk and cookies. PURE COMFORT. It is wonderful the comfort that such a simple thing can bring within ones day. So, why not endulge occasionally and let this simple pleasure bring us bliss and a peaceful, relaxed feeling.

"be present in the moment, quiet your mind, and stay grounded. allow your life to become uncomplicated. in simplicity you will find harmony, clarity, and joy." ... really cookies can help do just that. 

Joy, comfort and peace to the world... with cookies.

  
Stranger Than Fiction
written by Zach Helm  

Harold Crick: Well, goodnight.
Ana: Want a cookie?
Harold: Oh, no.
Ana: Oh c'mon. They're warm and gooey and fresh out of the oven.
Harold: No, I don't like cookies.
Ana: You don't like cookies. What's wrong with you?
Harold: I don't know.
Ana: Everybody likes cookies.
Harold: No, I know.
Ana: After a really awful no-good day, didn't your mama ever make you milk and cookies?
Harold: No. My mother didn't bake. The only cookies I ever had were store bought.
Ana: Hm. Okay. Sit down.
Harold: No, I'm --
Ana: No. Sit down. Now -- eat a cookie.
(She places a glass of milk and a plate with a cookie in front of Harold.)
Harold: I really can't...
Ana: Mr. Crick, it was a really awful day. I know, I made sure of it. So pick up the cookie, dip it in the milk and eat it.
(Harold does so.)
Harold: Mmm. Oh. That's a really really good cookie. Mm. ... When did you decide to become a baker?
Ana: Um, in college.
Harold: Oh, like a cooking college?
Ana: I went to Harvard Law actually.
Harold: Oh, oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed it was --
Ana: No. No. It's fine. I didn't finish.
Harold: Something happen?
Ana: No. I was barely accepted. I mean, barely. The only reason they let me come was because of my essay. How I was going to make the world a better place with my degree. And anyway, we would have to participate in these study sessions, my classmates and I, sometimes all night long. And so I baked so no one would go hungry while we worked. Sometimes I'd bake all afternoon in the kitchen, in the dorm, and then I'd bring my little treats to the study groups and people loved them. (puts more cookies on the table) Eat. I made oatmeal cookies... peanut butter bars...dark chocolate macadamia nut wedges, and everyone would eat and stay happy and study harder and do better on the test and more and more people started coming to the study groups and I'd bring more snacks and I was always looking for better and better recipes until soon it was ricotta cheese and apricot croissants and mocha bars with a almond glaze and lemon chiffon cake with zesty peach icing. And at the end of the semester I had twenty seven study partners, eight Mead journals filled with recipes and a D average. So I dropped out. I just figured if I was going to make the world a better place I would do it with cookies ....

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

 April is just around the corner, therefor this post and this Chocolate Caramel Coffee Mousse Cake is for all my ladies and those who are caring human beings. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).

As Sexual Assault is often looked at as “How do we prevent this from happening?” We tend to focus on the women. Often women are taught that it is unsafe to go out in the dark late at night, that it is not safe to wander in the dark alone, that we should all carry a can of mace, or not wear clothing that is too revealing. We are taught that we should learn self-defense and know what one can do in such a situation.

But the term prevention is not really prevention. Instead, it is risk reduction. All of these things focus on how women can reduce chances of being assaulted. But if a woman has done everything in her power to avoid such a situation, then a man, who is prone to commit such abuse or has the need for power/control, will only move on to another woman or target. And the truth is, there are many of these men out there. This crime is all about the abuser and his/her needs to assert his power. So if you prevent yourself from being in the situation, it doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen. Our culture produces violent men. We all need to step back and understand what really needs to be prevented and how all evil starts.

Of course I will continue to tell my lady friends or any woman, that you should not walk alone at night and carry pepper spray, but I think it is also important to take time to think about the fact that all people are the way they are because of things they have been through, where they were raised, and how they were raised. In my learning I have come to terms and my eyes have been opened up to a lot of bad things that happen in the world. From domestic abuse situations, random shootings, school shootings, and etcetera, a lot of it stems from how a child is raised. Or it seems that people have been hurt and they let anger and pain build up, they never get the help they need, so later they need to seek power that they have previously had taken away from them. It is a fact that often the abuser in a domestic violence situation also experienced abuse in their childhood. Or those who use violence or molestation towards children, they grew up also being violated or being abused by an alcoholic parent with anger, or another unhealthy living situations. Often in abuse situations, the abuser has to somehow in their head regain control, or they have so much built up, or maybe they don’t know what the difference between right and wrong is. But often abusers tend to come from unstable family situations, abusive pasts, having lacked attention, etc. So maybe instead of developing anger, or wondering how we cannot be abused, maybe we can develop an understanding. What is the root of the issue? How can we really prevent?

So instead of developing our own anger, maybe instead we can understand and do our best to care for others. Maybe to focus more on the children. The children who are not as fortunate as you and me. The children who do not have healthy families, good living situations, with good morals and an understanding of respect and what is right or wrong. Maybe to get to the root of the problem, it is important to understand others pain and care for others. To know that everyone is the way they are because of their own experiences. Everyone has pain and difficulties and we can all understand that sometimes things really hurt and have an effect on the way we are day to day or the way we continue with our lives. Sometimes we all need help. And some of us are more fortunate than others – having money to seek counseling or having a good stable family that is there for you. Maybe to get to the root and redirect things, we can all build an understanding of the importance of helping others. There are many children that are on a list for the Big Brother Big Sister Program, and having a mentor, a positive influence in their lives can really help redirect them and keep them out of being connected with crime. So maybe the real prevention is making sure the help is there, counseling is available to all of those who need it, and by us doing our part. We can help care for these children that are unfortunate, care for children that are already starting to build up anger, and give them hope and belief that the world is good and that people CAN be good. Because we cannot make anything better by having the same conscience as what started such evil. Prevention is stopping things from the beginning. Building a positive, respectful community. To help these children have a good understanding of right and wrong, to let them know people care about them, instead of letting the anger build up and the feeling of NEEDING power. We need to address the underlying causes of sexual violence. We need to create healthy norms and healthy communities. We need to teach people about respect and healthy relationships, as they are young. We need to not laugh at sexist jokes, to call out friends when they are treating their girlfriend or boyfriend inappropriately. We need to support and teach our children that men do not have more rights than women. We need to change the current idea that men do have more power into the belief that we are all equal.

“ Mary explained that Sex Offenders (SOs) are very angry young men who sexually assault those that are weaker than them, in order to dominate and control. These young men have learned to be sexually aggressive, either because they have been socialized to it or because they have been victims themselves.

The structure of our society breeds aggressiveness and dominance in males and silence and submissiveness in females. This is the perfect combination that makes rape possible. It is also very evident at this facility that it is our culture's allowance of aggressive tendencies in men that perpetuate sexual assault. If our society had no tolerance for violent behavior, young men would not be able to develop such traits.”

“What they learn as boys, they do as men. That's why we need to teach our sons and other boys in our lives that violence against women is wrong. Now, when they need to hear it most,” says a print ad, which shows boys in baseball uniforms.

Maybe we can all just again, remember to repeatedly tell our children if we have children, how to be respectful, treat others, and stand up for what is right.

It is also important to always remember that we all have the opportunity to choose the right attitude, in any given set of circumstances. When we face our own life troubles, or have bad things come our way, we can always create good out of the bad. Choosing the right attitude will either allow us to enjoy life to the fullest, or not. You can choose better decisions to live a happy life, or you can bring out hurt onto others. Lets remember to keep the circle positive. Create your own happiness. Choose good thoughts, choose the right thoughts. Treat others well, take time to understand people, and care for all.

This article is aimed at men, which is not always the case, but it raises some good points.  http://voices.yahoo.com/the-root-cause-rape-male-dominated-society-254626.html?cat=7

Dare to be Remarkable - Jane Gentry or Seth Godin

 

" 'Remarkable' means something that someone is making a remark about.
But what makes something remarkable?

The nicest thing anyone told me was that it was, "ridiculous."

We can view the term ridiculous as an insult from the keeper of normal, a put-down from the person who seeks to maintain the status quo and avoid even the contemplation of failure. Or we embrace ridiculous as the sign that maybe, just maybe, we're being generous, daring, creative and silly. You know, remarkable.

Two more thoughts on this:
Ridiculous isn't safe. If you do something ridiculous and you fail, people get to say, "you idiot, of course you failed, what you were doing was ridiculous." Which is precisely why it's so rare. Not because we are unable to imagine being ridiculous, but because we're afraid to be.
And second...
Don't be ridiculous because it's a clever marketing strategy. No, be ridiculous because while the effectiveness allows you to be, the real intent is to be generous or thrilling or to touch some stars. Because you can. "

-Seth Godin

St. Patties Day Treats - Chocolate/Mint Cookies!

 

Bartering cookies for getting hair done. YES PLEASE! 

I will share cookies for anything!

Art of Puff Pastry

"The deepest secret is that life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation. You are not discovering yourself but creating yourself anew. Seek, therefore, not to find out who you are, seek to determine what you want to be”

Goat Cheese, Pomegranate, Cranberry, Cardamom Puffs

Pear & Ginger Tarts

 

The cool thing about these pastries is that they are completely egg free. Just brush the Goat Cheese Puffs with some olive oil and sprinkle with Sea Salt after baking!

I want to be creative and to stay true to what I believe in, true to my creative style. I want to be kind. I want to be a person who shares with friends for no special occasion. I want to be a person who treats all people with kindness, even if I don't receive kindness first. A person that ignores those who don't treat me the way I want, but do so gracefully and politely. But know how to stand up also. A person with a compassionate heart, that reaches a hand out to those in need. I want to never stop dreaming.