Resting up for the New Year!!!!!!!!!!!

Not much to report............still relaxing until Wednesday hits.

I have been enjoying some much needed away time with my hubby. We celebrated our Anniversary by going to a wine and chocolate tasting at the Marble Hill Chocolate Lounge on Friday in downtown Cincy. The atmosphere was romantic and the 3 chocolates that we sampled were decent but I was not really please with the customer service. We were served by the owner and I was really excited that he was present (always ready to network). I read an article about him in Black Enterprise (one of my fav. mags) earlier this year and had been dying to get in and sample his chocolates and scope out the decor. He was not personable at all and almost came across as a bit pretentious. I left kinda disappointed b/c I was hoping to do a girls night out there later next month but I think we will take our business elsewhere. Maybe he was having an off night but when you run a business (especially a young business) you can not afford to have an off night or day. I am all for 2nd chances but I think it will be along time before we go back. My hubby even agreed with me b/c I can be very critical at times. For now, I will stick to Godiva (owned by Campbell Soup Co. - just a fun food fact) next time I have a chocolate jones.

Lesson learned for Harmony : Customer service can make or break you.
Your decor could be perfect and you goods decadent but if your service sucks, folks will not return. And you can pretty much guarantee that they will tell someone else who will tell someone else and so on and on....

The weekend got better though. On Saturday we headed to Indianapolis for the night. We stayed in the heart of downtown near Monument Circle and the City Circle Mall at the Hilton. I cashed in some om my point for a FREE night stay (all the traveling I did at Heinz was good for something). It was a wonderful relaxing time. It was also nice to be somewhere we could walk every where. We had the most amazing hot chocolate at the Chocolate Cafe while we walked around the circle and looked at all of the xmas lights. We had a wonderful dinner and planned on going to see Chris Rock for some laughs. The tickets were a bit steep (and of course we are on a tight budget) so we opted to see the Great Debaters. Awesome movie- go see it!!!

Anywho, all good things must come to an end. I am going to enjoy the rest of my time with my hubby and continue resting up for the rest of the week.

Up later this week:
Agreeing on the LOI for our location and moving forward - it's a biggy but I am ready.
Tour a few daycare centers for Z-man- he will have to go somewhere once Harmony opens.
Spend some time with Chaka's mom before she leaves us on Sunday
Hang out with the kids and organize a few more play dates before school starts again on the 7th.

Oh, I almost forgot........Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!

The pleasure's all mine cuz we have seen good times, It's our ANNIVERSARY!!!

A little Tony, Toni, Tone to start this wonderful day off.

Seven years ago today I married the love of my life, Chaka! We decided to head to Vegas and jump the broom while visiting his parents during the holidays. It was a short and sweet ceremony with my brother (who was 13 at the time) as our witness. Probably the most impulsive thing that I will ever do in my life and by far the best thing (besides having my kiddies).

Ya know how some people say they just know when they have met the love of their life, that was me, I knew. After our first date back at "the"Ohio State University (GO BUCKS!), I called my mom and said that I had met my husband. She remembers the call and jokes about it to this day because the conversation was followed by a lecture about birth control. (I love that my mom is so direct)

Chaka and I have shared such an awesome journey and we have come so far since those days back in Columbus. He truly is my best friend and provides great balance (and comic relief) to my otherwise very serious persona. Today is a day for me and my boo! CHEERS! to us for making it this far, Lord knows it wasn't easy;-) I really look forward to growing old with you and lotionin' your ashy feet when you can not reach them (WINK WINK, SMILE SMILE)

Love ya !!!!

Happy Birthday to ya, Happy Birthday!!!!

I must start by sending warm birthday wishes to mi papa!!! Without his support and generosity, Harmony would still be a dream deferred. I wish I could be with you today to celebrate but I know that we will see you soon. We send you lots of hugs and kisses and most of all peace on your special day. Love ya much Dad.

I am still up b/c I had a diet coke after 1 pm. I know better but I really needed a kick this afternoon. I was dragging and knew that I needed a small jolt to get everything done today with the kids home. Now I am paying the price. It never fails. If I drink anything with caffeine after 1pm, I am up all night. This came in really handy during my college years and especially in the R&D world when I had to do production test runs on new products. These usually occur in the middle of the night when food manufacturing slows down because it doesn't cost the plant much to run a test if a production line is not being used. I can honestly say that the one thing that I miss the most about my former job is testing new product formulations. Watching a product being made in a food plant has always fascinated me. I remember my first internship at the Nabisco Philadelphia Bakery back in the 90's. I was in charge of the fudge covered Oreo line and loved every min. of that summer. Think of the show Unwrapped, I got to make America's favorite cookie and cover it in fudge! I always thought that it was so cool that a food scientist actually got paid to test their formulas in a food plant. Some R&D folks hate going to plants, but for me there will always be a thrill in taking something from the lab and scaling it up in a manufacturing plant. I get the same thrill when I create a new cupcake flavor. My kitchen is my lab and I suppose that Harmony's kitchen will be like the plants that I made so many products in over the years, but MUCH better (and cleaner). Don't get me started about food plant sanitation and GMP's (good manufacturing practices); after all that I have seen, it's a wonder that I still eat.

Well, I guess the caffeine will come in handy when I am working true bakers hours.

I am going to try and get some sleep. We meet with the architect at our location tomorrow morning and I want to make a good impression.

Sweet dreams.

Kwanzaa - A celebration of family, culture and community

I grew up celebrating Kwanzaa in the late 70's. We were one of the first families (in Philly) to incorporate this celebration into our holiday tradition every year. Each child in the family was given one of the 7 principles of Kwanzaa to recite and understand its meaning. One of my fondest memories is hearing our family on a local radio station reciting the 7 principles. I think that this celebration is one of the reasons why I was able to stay grounded while being educated at some of the most elite institutions in the Philadelphia area. I thank my mom for taking the time to celebrate this part of my culture that really helped to build my self-esteem.

As an adult, I have been able to teach my children the importance of valuing their ancestors while celebrating their diverse background by celebrating Kwanzaa.

I will share with you the Nguzo Saba - the 7 principles of Kwanzaa- as the celebration continues through the 1st of the year.

Habari gani? (the greeting)

Umoja (Unity)- The first principal of Kwanzaa.

To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Tomorrow is Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), my principle growing up and by far my favorite. More to come tomorrow.....

Check out www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org if you would like to learn more about Kwanzaa.

Peace.

It was a Wonderful day in the city......

Well, Christmas has come and gone. The kids were very excited and enjoyed Christmas morning. We made lots of memories and ate lots of treats. Family was greatly missed this year though. This is the first year that we have not spent the holidays with our parents. It was different just like this past year. Great things are brewing for '08 though. I can't wait to see how everything unfolds.

I am out for now, my Mamacita (Chaka's mom) is coming from Cali tomorrow and I must prepare for her visit.

More to come............

Happy Kwanzaa!!!!!!!!!

This Christmas will be a very special Christmas for YOU and ME!!!!

Well, Fans of Harmony, I just wanted to take a moment and wish you all a blessed holiday season and a prosperous new year full of happiness, health, and most of all Harmony!!!!

I am signing off for a few day to spend time with family and friends. Enjoy the mini cupcakes that we delivered this morning to our neighbors.

Peace, Joy and Cupcakes!!!!

Smells like Cupcake spirit.....

Howdy Fans of Harmony! Today was a good day. Chaka and took in a movie at 10AM this morning. It was so fun and we only shared the theater with one other person. We saw I am Legend! Good movie, amazing acting by my hometown Philly boy Will Smith. Can you tell I love my "peeps" from Philly? Will Smith, Boyz to Men, Jill Scott, Patti Patti (LaBelle), Grover Washington Jr. have all helped to put Philly on the map.

The naked cupcakes were a huge hit and so where the xmas minis for Nalah-B's gymnastic team's holiday party. All the moms and dads raved about them. Getting these affirmations really confirm that the world is ready to embrace Harmony. I can not wait. I can feel it, smell it and taste the success.

Well, I have an action packed next couple of days. Lots of fun with family and friends.


I am out for today..............

Just fine, fine, fine,fine, fine, WHOOO!

Sorry for the late post, it has been a full day.

The title is from a song on Mary J. Blige's album "Growing Pains" that came out on Tuesday. The CD is decent.

The day was action packed. I spoke with our architect and we are scheduled to meet at the space next Thursday. She is going to help us access the space and talk about the preliminary design. She is also going to look at the structure and make sure we do not have any issues. I also talked to the realtor today and let her know that we are interested in moving forward once the architect accesses the space. Every time I road by "our space" (yes I am claiming it), I got butterflies in my belly. As I sat at the light to get on the expressway, I could see our location!!!!
I can't wait to tell you more.....

All else was nice today. I went to Amari's holiday party and had a great time with the kids. His class is really full of high energy cool kids. Amari's teacher has great control over the class. In a nutshell, she does not play. She has been teaching for over 30 years and you can tell. I am very pleased that Amari has her this year.

Tonight was also holiday girlz night and I had a blast. It is so nice to have such good friends. Who would have thought that 3.5 years ago that we would call this place home. I am so grareful for Heinz for bringing us hear. We had been searching for a "home" for so long and we finally found it here. I also knew that when I accepted the job with Heinz, it would be my last job in corporate America. I don't know why I said it, but I told Chaka when I got the offer that this was it. We are truly blessed that we were both able to follow our dreams in the Nasty Nati. Chaka has his dream job and I am working towards Harmony.

Well, my buzzer just went off. I am in the process of baking 72 naked I got da blues. I know odd request but hey, the customers asks and I aim to please!

Up for tomorrow, spend some quiet time with my boo. He has the day off and the kids are at school so we are going to get some things done and enjoy a moment together (with Z-man of course).

Anywho, have a great night....

The train is moving.......Progress is GOLDEN!!!

Chaka and I had a busy day. Not only did he work from home today (YEAH an adult to talk to!) but we were able to look at 4 possible locations for Harmony. I think we may have found the "Golden" spot and the owner is VERY motivated to fill the space, so this means that we have tons of room to negotiate a good deal. I am elated and I have had butterflies in my belly since we left the location.

I needed a day like today b/c I was starting to think that we would never find a place for Harmony. I will share more with you once Chaka and I make decisions about our spot and things are more final. We are planning on make a decision before the end of the week, so stay tuned. It looks like we are on target to meet or maybe even exceed my target grand opening date of April 2008.

It has been a long day. Between viewing the spaces, volunteering at my daughter's holiday party at school (1st graders are so full of energy) and doing some last min. stocking stuffer shopping, I am pooped. I am out for tonight.

Up for tomorrow, more baking, shipping the last round of cookie tins, and xmas dinner with the "girlz". Life is good. Nite.

Cute as Cupcakes

So I really just wanted to post a pictures of Nalah-B's new cupcake sweater from Gymboree (on sale for $15) but with 3 little ones, I always have to be fair. The Left is our Jr. Harmony Cupcake Chef and above is Nalah-B modeling her sweater and the top is my secret ingredient, a Z-man pot of "hunny".

Enjoy!

The Cupcakes are back!!!!

I have been completely consumed with cookies all month that I have not shared many cupcake pictures. I just wrapped up an order for a Christmas party. It was a very simple order, Harmony vanilla minis with red sprinkles and Over the rainbow (full size) in xmas colors. Cupcakes are so much fun to bake and the sky is the limit when it comes to creativity.

Anywho, I have also been on the horn all day. There are several updates to share.

Update #1

The pot of gold that Chaka stumbled upon last weekend turned out to be a bag of coal.

Long story short- a pizza place went out of business in a very sought after strip mall - great location for Harmony Cupcakes, so we thought- the strip mall had restrictions on having a bakery.

Update #2

Harmony is officially looking for a new location. Our old proposed location is just not going to work out - the build out is going to cost over 6 figures (YIKES). We are looking at 4 locations this week and I am somewhat optimistic that one of them will work out. All of them are still in my target area so stay tuned........ Oh, if you know of any vacant retail spots in Mason, West Chester or Liberty Township, OH, leave me a comment.

I am out..........

Oh the weather outside is frightful........

What is worse than snow, ICE! We woke up this AM to a thick sheet of ice on the ground. Driving in the snow is really no big deal to me but ice is a different story. We are expecting more snow this AM so I will have to see how the day's plans shape up.

Nothing to really talk about this AM. I am in a very mellow mood so I am not going to try and think of anything to say..........

Out for now, maybe more later......

Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat.

So Fans of Harmony, I took a much needed break over the last few days. I did not think about Harmony Cupcakes or about trying to start a business. I really needed to get my head focused again and remember that when starting a business, patience, planning and perseverance really wins the game.

Lessons Learned: Humility and Diligence

I have always been a driven woman who conceived ideas and put them into action in a timely matter. By nature I am an overachiever with a classic type A personality. This is why I climbed the corporate ladder so quickly (maybe too quickly). In my less than 10 years in corporate America I achieved more than some do in an entire career. I have closed million dollar deals, developed products for several major food companies (that I pass by on the grocery store shelves every time I food shop), developed items for some major fast food chains and worn those golden corporate handcuffs. But none of this really matters now that I am starting a business. I was so used to hearing the phrase, "Claire, no problem, we will get right on that", but over the past 6 months I have been told no more than an infant learning to explore the world. No from the bank, no from management companies and no from contractors. I have to say that this has been really HARD on my ego and sometimes my family. But these "NO's" have also motivated me to keep going and keep fighting. Anything worth having is worth fighting for. Harmony is my baby!!! I have dreamt about owning a bakery since I was a little girl tagging along with my mom to pick up danish and donuts on a Sunday morning in Philly. When you dream about something this long, it has to come true, RIGHT???

So, I share all this to say that I am still fighting, it isn't easy (but who said starting a business would be). The ego may be bruised and I may have no idea where we are going to open but I do know that we will be open by April of 2008. That is my target that I set back in May and I am working to make it happen, so please say tuned.

I also want to say Thank you to 2 of my biggest cheerleader (Sexy Man(don't worry, that is what I call Chaka) and Sista Rita). If I did not have the 2 of you to talk to EVERY day, I would have called all the recruiters back by now.

I am out for now...........
Mark your calender to Bring Harmony into your Life (April 2008)

Oh, Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Well, Fans of Harmony, I spent yesterday quietly baking and spending time outside enjoying the 60 degree weather. Yes, I said 60 degrees and yes it did just snowed last week. Anyone who does not believe that global warming is real is so in denial. Today it is 40 and I am hoping that winter is here to stay. The idea of it being 60 degrees in December in Ohio is crazy.

I WANT SNOW DARN IT!!!

(oops, my bad, I know that it is not that serious)

There is nothing like having a white Christmas, it is so magical. I remember my first xmas with Chaka's family in Cali. It was close to 80 on xmas day and it just felt wrong.

Anywho, I have more baking to do and Z-man is still cranky and now screaming............

Enjoy the pics of my Christmas tree cookies. The kids really enjoyed making these yesterday. They are super easy. Once the dough was made I turned it over to the kids to roll the balls and make the trees. They are such awesome little bakers.

Have a great Wednesday!

Another one bites the dust

Here is a photo of Hungarian shortbread before it is packaged and shipped. I love sharing these tummy yummies. Coming up next in the 24 cookies of xmas:

plum turnover cookies
mint melt aways
more chocolate chips
more ginger thins

Bake to baking......

Sugar Plum Fairies Dance in My Head

Happy Monday!

I had to take a break yesterday b/c this weekend was really action packed. I had a girl's night out with the 2 princess' (Nalah-B and my Goddaughter). We went to see the Nutcracker on Saturday night and it was a lot of fun! The girls enjoyed watching the entire show. One of Nalah-B's friend's was a fairy so it was extra special for us to see. I really cherish these moments. The girls and I did a little craft shopping after the show and then headed home to enjoy dinner with the boyz. The kids laughed and played until we had to send them to bed @ 10.

Sunday was an odd day. I just couldn't seem to get myself together, perhaps it was the rain. I just really wanted to stay in bed with a good book but I couldn't. I did steal a little me time, actually Chaka insisted that I go out and do something for myself. I decided to catch a movie. This is something I pretty much never get to do. I am that person that does not see movies until they have been out on DVD for about a year. Sitting for 2-3 hours just does not seem productive to me. There is just too much to do. I did enjoy the movie though. I say This Christmas. It was entertaining.

Anywho, I am waiting by the phone to see if we have struck gold. I fell like a teenage girl waiting for a boy to call. More to come later.

There may be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...

I have not had a chance to write today b/c Chaka stumbled upon a pot of gold (last night) that may get Harmony's doors open sooner. Unfortunately it was after business hours so we have to wait until Monday morning to investigate further. I am not talking about money here, but what Chaka has discovered is truly Golden!!!! I will tell you more after we confirm a few things. If what he has stumbled upon is truly the pot of gold that we think it is, I could be "Living my life like it's Golden" just like Jill Scott's song.

I know that the suspense is killing you.....

I will give you one hint....

it could be worth more than a pot of gold to me!!!

This is going to be the longest weekend ever........

Stay tuned, more to come, trust me, you will be almost the first to know if we have struck gold!!!

Looking good, feeling great, so much to do, I can't be late

My morning has been off. The kids had a 1 hour school delay which means school did not start until 10:30AM (their schools are late start schools). What a difference an hour makes. I have my neighbors son in the AM so they busied themselves reading, then they played hide and seek followed by "don't let the balloon touch the floor". They were so restless that they actually went out to the bus stop 10 min early to wait in the cold/ play in the snow. Z-man did not get his nap until after 10 so he is still asleep. I fear that I will have to wake him up b/c Chaka and I have a lunch date today, yeah!

Z-man is still at the age where Chaka and I can bring him along for a nice quiet lunch or dinner, not for much longer though. Date night is coming up soon and so is our anniversary. Not sure what we are going to do but I know we will be childless.

Anywho, my hair looks great, I have my favorite red sweater on and I am signing off so I am not late for my lunch date. Maybe I can convince Chaka to hang out the rest of the afternoon (shhhhhh don't tell his boss).

Stay warm , out til later.

I'm Baked

Well I have been baking since this AM and I am pooped/ baked, whatever you want to call a tired baker. The first cookie tin is being delivered tonight to my hair stylist, Amy. She is really awesome and I am glad that I found her about a year ago. It has been about 3 months since I had time with her and boy am I long over due. Enjoy the pics of her tin above- it consists of chocolate-chip cookies, gallon of milk brownie and a new additional this year, toffee chip brownie. I also did a peppermint candy cane brownie that was just ho hum, so no one will get that one. I may crumble it up and put it into my candy cane cupcakes that I have not made yet. The eggnog ones where made and never frosted- boy did they smell good. What can I say, a mothers work is never done and the cupcakes took a back seat to Z-man's teething.

On the Harmony front, it looks like we may have an architect. I had a wonderful conversation with a woman that one of my friends referred me to. Her fees are super reasonable and she has lots of experience with Butler County codes. We will see how it goes. WE are making progress, it's slow but at least we are still moving forward.

Anywho, I am off to see Amy.

Later, Buckeye Bakers.

Oh the weather outside is frightful......But the fire is so delightful....but since we have no place to go....Let it Snow...Let it Snow...Let it Snow

Well folks, the "BIG ONE" has come and gone. I am not sure what the total tally is but it can't be more than 2 inches. After a 1 hour school delay, school was canceled at 7:15AM. The roads must be pretty bad even though there is not even enough snow on the ground to build a snow man or have a decent snow ball fight. Check out the picture of the kid's swing set above. This was taken an hour ago and the storm has pretty much passed. Needless to say the kids are excited and hoping to go out and play in a bit.

On the agenda today:

Talk to my business coach

Bake some cookies!!!!!!!

Have fun with the kids!!!!!!

We are going to play with one of Chaka's b-day gifts. Nalah-B gave him Battleship and we can't wait to play it.

Stay warm and be careful out there.

THE BIG ONE IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must vent for just a moment so bare with me.

Every year there is mass hysteria when the first snow storm is forecasted in southern Ohio. There is utter panic even if we are only expecting 1' of precipitation. Teachers prepare their students, the school district's automated emergency communication system is tested, people leave work early so they can clean the grocery store shelves of bread, milk, and soup. Folks just go plane crazy.

We are expecting 1-4" which in my opinion is manageable, especially for a city in the Midwest. School might be delayed by an hour but nothing major, right? WRONG! The school closings will start coming in before the first snow flake appears. The kids will start celebrating before they even go to bed. I just don't get it.

As an east coast girl I grew up dealing with a huge amount of snow. I remember waiting for the bus to come while standing on top of a 5 ft. mound of snow. We did not get snow days unless there were several inches of ice and close to a foot of snow on the ground. OK, I do remember in 12th grade, school was cancelled for 2 days in a row and the snow never came. In fact it was 60 and sunny both days.
Anywho, stop the panic, the big one is not coming and it seldom does. I am done preaching for now.

I am off to make Chaka's b-day dinner. I am making steamed broccoli, seafood and chicken in a garlic cream sauce over whole wheat pasta, mmmmm good!

Enjoy the evening and just in case the big one hits make sure you have gas in your snow plow, so I can borrow it.

Peace.

Happy, Happy, Birthday, Baby!!!!!!!!!

Well, Chaka's Sweet Potato Cheescake turned out nice, not my best and not my worse looking. This has become my specialty over the years. I have had a love affair with sweet potatoes for several years now but the cheesecake is by far my favorite to make. It is so easy and folks are always pleased. I also make an awesome sweet potato pound cake and a mean sweet potato cupcake (Southern Sweet Pot). It is filled with caramel and is by far my favorite least ordered cupcake. Folks give the sweet potato some love next time you place an order.

Well, I am out for now. Lots to do today and Z-man has been a cranky spanky for 3 days now. He is teething and I wish that I could give him some relief. I have tried everything, any ideas?

More cupcake pics to come.............

Candy Cane Lane and Egg Nog Spiked with Rum

Today I am making candy cane and eggnog cupcakes. I can't wait to taste them. I simply love candy canes, especially the red, green and white kind. You know the kind that I am talking about. They taste so much better than the red and white kind, at least to me. The candy cane is sweet with a milder minty flavor. My mom started buying these (the green and white and red candy cane) when I was a little girl and I was instantly hooked. For several years I have not been able to find them but this year my supermarket has stocked more of them than the red ones. I just hope that they taste the same. I am going to crush up some of them and add them to my cupcake batter. I am also going to make a round of eggnog cupcakes. I am not a huge fan of the drink (it is too thick) but I think that it would make a "mean" cupcake. It is also one of my holiday varieties so I better practice it. I also need to pick a cookie to bake today. I am thinking about a triple chocolate chunk. My first round of cookies should be ready for baking a shipping by Wednesday (I made lots of dough over the weekend and decide not to bake all of the cookies).

Oh, I almost forgot, tomorrow is Chaka's b-day (the big 32!!!!!!!!!!) He has requested a sweet potato cheesecake as his b-day cake. I better get baking............

...And as we trim the tree How much fun it's gonna be together....This Christmas

The title is from my favorite Christmas song by Donny Hathaway, This Christmas. The tree is done and I am officially in the spirit. Enjoy the picture above, the kids had a blast!

I am headed to relax before a new week begins. Good night.

Where's the tree?????

So the tree is still not up. The goal for today is to get it up and decorate it, I hope. If my 7-year old son asks me one more time if we are going to have a Christmas tree, I may just have to sell him to the elves.

We got completely side tracked with cookies and watching our neighbor (Z-man's Godfather) hang his Xmas lights. It was so comical, sorry JT. The funny thing about JT is that his intentions are always so genuine. All he wanted to do was hang a few lights to make his wife happy (good trained man, just kidding, not really). He started by trying to hang the lights from his gutter with clips, that did not work so he proceeded to outline the door archway and the window that is near it. He dragged out the 2 deer he purchased last year and situated them next to the tree that is in the middle of his lawn, then he stopped. I really hope that he is not done, even though Chaka says that JT is done and will add on next year. I am not mad at him though, b/c our house is lights free, at least he made an attempt. He will truly be the one house on our cul de sac that shines and shows the spirit that we all share. I will take a picture if he says it is ok.

As for our house, someday we will put up lights. When Harmony is open and Chaka is not working long hours it will be done (when I hire someone to do it). For the now, the spirit of Xmas is starting to flourish inside our house. Cookies are coming and the tree box is being located as we speak. I will be sure to post our progress later this evening.

Until later, be blessed, bake more and bring Harmony into your life.

24 days of cookies!!!!!!!!!

Well friends of Harmony, today officially begins my 24 days of baking cookies. I usually begin my holiday baking on Dec. 1st and bake at least one cookie a day until Xmas eve. Today I am gearing up the stove and thawing out the butter. I usually bake cookies for our neighbors and ship cookies back east to my family and close friends. This year I will be able to bake more since I am no longer slaving for a major corporation. I will spend today and tomorrow baking round one of cookies to be shipped to family in Philly. So check your mailbox, mom, dad, Matt, aunties and uncles. Claire's famous cookies are on there way!

On the baking menu for today:

sugar cookies, ginger thins, chocolate chips and Hungarian shortbread

I will be sure to post pictures of everything before they ship.

My friend Shay is headed back to the ATL and we had a blast. We are getting old, we couldn't hang past midnight or I guess I should say I couldn't hang past midnight. We hung out most of yesterday and laughed and joked about our college days and how far we have come. She came with me for Nalah's gymnastics practice and then we dropped the kiddies at home with Chaka and hit a few stores, had dinner, missed our movie and came home. It was nice to sit up and chat with someone over the age of 7. She is such a supporter of Harmony and can't wait until she can come and audit me :-)

Well, I am off to help Chaka pull the tree out, we are a week off schedule but we still will be able to enjoy the tree for an entire month if it gets up tonight.

Oh, the kids xmas pj's came yesterday. They are soooooooo cute. I ordered them from Disney this year and I can't wait until xmas eve for them to put them on.

Stay warm, it is finally HOT COCOA season, yeah!!!!!!!!!

Sneak Peak

Extra...Extra...... Read All About It...............

My hubby has been working diligently on my new logo and my new website. Here is a preview of what the new logo is going to look like, I told you to think sweet honey, cherry and chocolate (you will have to wait to see the chocolate). I will also let you know when the new website launches.

Nite for good this time.

Shay Shay is coming!!!!!!!!

One of my dearest buddies from college is coming to visit tomorrow. I am so excited to see her. She currently lives in Hotlanta and she is making a detour after a business trip to see me. She is also going to help me evaluate my HACCP( Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) plan before Harmony opens its doors. She is an auditor for the AIB (American Institute of Baking) and she works with some major players in the food industry.

Shay Shay an I met in an African-American studies class and I recruited her to Agr. Campus and convinced her to change her major to Food Science. Back then, I was the biggest cheerleader for Agr. Campus and used to introduce myself to folks at the campus bus stop and give them my 10 min. spiel of all that Agr. Campus had to offer. I think back to those days and completely laugh. If I had a dollar for every student that I talked to about Agr. campus, Harmony would have a huge contingency fund.

Shay and I did some crazy stuff back then. Her apartment was also conveniently located across the street from the house that Chaka shared with 4 other guys. We were not really into the drinking and partying scene (at least I wasn't) but boy did we do our share of things that will keep us from running for a political office. I will give you one example:
Shay and I answered an ad in the school paper for a company looking for students to talk on the phone. The gig was paying $15+ per hour (red flag #1) but what college student wouldn't inquire???? We called and the woman said that I would be a perfect fit b/c I sounded like a naughty school girl (red flag # 2), she continued to explain the job and let's just say that we would have been girl 6 and girl 7 if we took the jobs. Shay and I never went to the interviews but we laughed for days about the whole situation.

Anywho, I am extremely excited to see her. It has been about a year and a half so we have a bit to catch up on. If I don't write tomorrow its b/c Shay and I are laughing about our college days.

More news to come about Harmony.......next week will be Architect interview/ planning week. Hopefully we can get this ball rolling again by Xmas, at this point I have nothing but time on my side.

Have sweet dream. Peace in the middle east............

Completely Scatter brained

I woke up this AM and I was completely scatter brained. I figured that things would improve as the day went on but they have not. I ventured out to buy some baking ingredients so I could start prepare for my first xmas orders (I have a few folks that have already placed orders for the week before xmas). I packed the baby bag and got everything ready so when the kids buses came I could hop in the car and run my errands. I had my list in tow so I would not forget anything.

Drop videos off (check)
Return car seat cover to Babies R Us (check)
Return shirt that I could not fit (b/c of my Sheera arms) to New York and Co. (check)
buy hat and gloves for Amari and Nalah since every year they seem to loose a set (check)

I made it home by 12:30 and was completely elated until I realized that I forgot to stop and pick up my ingredients. I was suppose to hit GFS to get more baking cups (I have gone through 1500 cups in the last couple of months) and hit Walmart b/c butter is on sale.

Where was my head?????

So I guess I will have to run out once Chaka gets home from work. I can't believe that I forgot the ingredients. I so wanted to make my apricot brandy cupcakes tonight to take to the teachers at Nalah's old Montessori school tomorrow. They have been great taste testers in the past and they don't sugar coat their comments. Well perhaps next week. I am not going to sweat it. It happens. It just seems to be happening more and more as I get older. I can deal with my metabolism slowing down but not my brain.............

Well, I am off to exercise. I have got to get the extra baby and cupcake weight off. Enjoy the above picture of a custom order I did last year. I figured I should post a cupcake picture since I have not posted any in a bit.

Enjoy the day and remember to exercise your brain!

BEWARE...........I don't have any Secret :-)

So my nasty swollen armpit is finally starting to feel better. After 2 trips to the Dr's and almost a week of drainage, I can actually see my armpit again. There is a hole in my armpit that you can see straight through to my soul. The doctor informed me Monday that this is a good thing and will allow for all of the infection to drain. The human body has amazing healing powers. I can't wait until my brother, future Dr. Matt, deals with these gross anatomy issues on a daily basis. The bad news is that I have been told not to wear deodorant again b/c this will happen again. I am not sure how I am going to get away with this for the rest of my life but for now I am Secret free.

Just thought I would share...........

Searching for an Architect

The search is still on for an architect to complete our designs. I tell you, this process is really taking MUCH longer that we anticipated. I have had 2 successful conversations so far. Now I need to set up the meetings and get ready to sit down with them. Chaka also had a brilliant idea to contact the Architect firm that did the plans for the current occupant. We shall see.

I am off to make more phone calls............

I think I can...........I think I can

I am back after a little hiatus. My dad was visiting and I wanted to make the best of the visit.

I pretty much had to take a few days to get myself together. Harmony has had a few setbacks where I wanted to pull my hair out, but I am back on track now plowing away. It looks like things are going to be delayed further but I know that this is all apart of the journey.

Here is the Harmony Update:

We still do not have a contractor and we have not signed a lease on our location. Pretty much, we are taking a moment to re-group from our bidding process before we change our course slightly. I will fill you in when we have made all of our decisions.

I am out for today. I have lots to catch up on.

Peace

JUST FINE........It feels SO GOOD doing the things that YOU want to do

I just got finished listening to Mary J. Blige's song "Just Fine" (hence the title). I heard it about a month ago and it has officially become my song for 2008. Check it out when you get a chance. Mary has delayed the release of her CD until the 18th of December, so perhaps someone will stuff my stocking with it. I always seem to find a song to kick off the new year.

Today was a lazy day. Chaka worked early and has turned in for the night. We all stayed in our PJ's until it was almost time for Nalah-B to go to gymnastics practice. My dad spent lots of time with Z-man who in turn decided not to sleep b/c he was afraid that he would miss time playing with my dad. There is NOTHING worse than a sleepy 7 month old.

Oh, well, I am going to enjoy this weekend and spend some quality time with mi papa, mi hubby and the kiddies. I think we are going to bowl tomorrow and perhaps trim the tree. We will see.
I think I am going to close down shop and join my hubby.

Stay warm, I 'm out.

It's all about family

Happy Turkey Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was truly a blessed day. The bird came out great and so did all Ms. Patti's sides (thanx Patti Patti). I did not use her dressing recipe but the dressing turned out pretty well. My sweet potato cheesecake did not turn out so great. I could not find the bottom to my 2nd spring form pan so I used a smaller pan. The cheesecake was higher but not entirely done in the middle. I also got a little impatient last night while baking it. Hey it happens once in a blue moon. I hope that Z-man's godmothers turned out ok.

We were surrounded by our Cincy family and it was really nice. Great conversation and good food. Who could ask for more. I am truly blessed to have such a supportive Cincy family. We may not share the same blood but you would never know it.

Anywho, I am off to sleepy land. No shopping for me at 4AM or midnight but to Eb's mom, stay safe and stay warm tonight while you fight the early AM crowds.

Peace, Harmony and most of all thanks.

I'm a baker not a fighter!!!!!!!!

I am preparing to pull off my first Turkey Day dinner without my mommy. She is back east spending time with friends and loved ones. We will see her next month but boy do I wish that I had her culinary skill for tomorrow's feast. As I have said a million times, I can bake up a storm but I am only an OK cook. If I could get by with feeding the kids cupcakes for dinner I would b/c I do not enjoy cooking at all. I love to read about all the latest food trends and come up with new and innovative ideas for menus but the actual cooking is so for the birds.......... or the research chefs.

Tomorrow is a day that I seriously wish that I had a cook or personal chef. I am just not down with the whole raw meat thing. I am not a vegetarian by any means, I just don't care for touching the cold, slimy flesh of an animal. Honestly, I never really have but this feeling intensified when the only class I could take to meet one of my major requirements was a Slaughter class in college. I was completely traumatized for an entire quarter while I was asked to kill, skin and fabricate a lamb (I know I will have to answer for that one), a pig, and a full grown cow. It was tough looking in the animals eyes right before they died. I cried just about every time. They also smelled bad too b/c they were covered in there own fecal matter.
I got a B is the class and I swore that I would never be apart of the slaughtering process again.

Anyway, back to the feast. Chaka is taking care of the bird and I am making most of the traditional southern sides to go along with it. I can promise that everything will be made with love and if it doesn't taste good, blame Ms. Patti LaBelle (the ultimate Philly diva, singer, and cook) b/c I am using her recipes! I love me some Patti and boy can she throw down. I hope to bring cupcakes to her someday in Philly- hey it's all about visualizing right!. I also loved her son's name so much that I named my son the same ( I just used the Swahili spelling). Now that I think about it I would love to bring cupcakes to the following famous people (just indulge me for a moment):
Stevie Wonder (I have loved Stevie since I was in my mama's womb, can I get some tickets Chaka?)
Jill Scott
India Arie
Bill Clinton (I worked on his campaign back in the day)
Gwenn Stephanie (she is the fliest mama around)
Drew Barrymore (my favorite actress)
Taye Diggs (my 2nd husband :-)
Ben Carson (author and surgeon - read his book Gifted Hands and Think Big, they are great)

Well, I better take my baking booty to bed. My hubby and I have an early day and he has fallen asleep in "da chair"(the one that everyone gets in and falls asleep in).

Much love and thanks..........Peace.

Cupcakes Everywhere

I am so excited that the holiday season is upon us. I was just checking out Gymboree's site and they have a new cupcake line for little girls. It is too cute. There are sweaters and purses and tights and dresses, all in cupcakes. I guess I will have to save my pennies for when this line goes on sale.

More later...

Raise your hand if you're sure

I woke up this AM with a swollen armpit. I know, pretty gross. I was going to rest and see if it went down but my hubby insisted that I go to urgent care (love having this service, it beats waiting for the Dr. on Monday or going to the emergency room). So I listened to the man and went to Liberty Urgent Care. I am glad I did b/c it hurt to even drive to the Dr.
It turns out that my glands were just swollen from using cream deodorant. Since we moved to Cincy 3 years ago, my skin goes through a horrid change every fall. My acne becomes flared up, my armpits get irritated and my allergies go haywire. I keep saying that I am going to get acupuncture but always just suffer through it. All is all I am fine. A little rest, antibiotics and not using deodorant for a little while will get me raising my arm again.

This week will be busy. I plan on baking beginning tomorrow. I have 2 sweet potato cheesecakes to make for Turkey day. The flavors mellow as the cake ages so I will make these on Tuesday. I also have to make Apple Cobbler cupcakes. If I have time I will play around with a few of my winter recipes. I am really excited about the apricot brandy cupcake. It is really a wonderful cake and the topping is really stunning (no butter cream, just apricot preserves and an apricot half). I will be sure to post pictures.

Well, I am off to rest. My arm is still not fully functional.

Happy Turkey Week.

My Man Langston

"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." - Langston Hughes



I leave you with my favorite quote by my favorite poet. My mom used to say this to me frequently and it always pops in my head when I am working overtime towards a dream.

Nite for real this time.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

These are the results of my 1st annual Holiday Crafts for Kids workshop. OK, it was completely impromptu b/c both my kids had play dates today so I came up with the brilliant idea of doing holiday crafts with them to keep them busy. We started the afternoon decorating wooden ornaments with markers and glitter glue (I bought a kit at Michael's that had everything in it for $5) then we decorated Xmas bulbs followed by my first attempt at candy making. I would say that the kids and I did a great job. My 7 year old son's friend even said, "this is better than playing video games". All in all the activities lasted @ 2 hours and the kids had a blast. They all were sent home with 3 wooden ornaments, 2 bulbs, 2 lollipops and 2 pieces of chocolate.

I think next month we may just do cupcake decorating. I will keep you posted.

These are the important memories that I truly cherish. I spent the last 3 years traveling for work, and working 50-60 hours a week and really missed creating memories with my little ones.

(thanx Chaka for supporting my 6 figure corporate dream)

I am grateful that my job brought us to this area after living in Columbus, OH, Buffalo, NY and Philadelphia, PA. I know that the moving, working and growing my career has lead me to this opportunity to pursue Harmony. I no longer live for the corporate high 5's and seeing my products on some other restaurant's menu. All my passion is now poured into every batch of cupcakes for my own menu. My kids motivated me to take this leap of faith b/c I missed being their mom. Harmony has brought me back into the home as the "head mamacita" who is creating a legacy for my children to follow.

This is getting a little heavy so I am going to head upstairs and kiss my babies goodnight.

Bring Harmony into your life.......

Nite

The cupcakes are attacking!!!!!!!!!!

Her are pictures of the cupcakes that I made for my old employer's Turkey day lunch and for Chaka's job. Thanks Mo for the order!

The cupcakes are listed in order:

76 Dalmatian

Over the Rainbow

Princess Nalah

Apple Cobbler (from our Autumn menu but they may become permanent based on all of the reviews)

Nalah-B also took cupcakes this morning to her teacher. She is the best marketing and PR person. She has been telling all of her teachers about Harmony Cupcakes. I will have to make some cupcakes for the Wyandot staff again.

Anywho, I am off to make a few calls. We got another bid last night and another one coming this afternoon. More news to come this weekend.....................

This is where the journey is all about patience and perseverance and I have both.

TGIF!

Dat...dat...dat...dat...dat don't kill me can only make me stronger

I received an e-mail from one of our prospective contractors after I followed up to see when we will have pricing for our space. I explained to him that our timeline is very tight and that by the end of the day we will have 2 bids and would like to make a decision before a new week starts.

His response to me was as follows:

"I did not realize that you had two other bidders. It would seem like you are covered with regards to bids. I have been waiting for our electrical price-the service size will need to be increased. I would not typically price against two other bidders for a project of this size. Please make your choice from the two bids you have in hand. I wish you suggest in your new venture."

I am completely baffled. Don't most people shop around for the best deal, products and service. I am sure that this company does great work but wouldn't we be fools to rely on one company. I know that we are not a multi-million dollar project but money is money right. I suppose this is another lesson learned during this part of my journey.

So it looks like we are going to have to make a decision with only 3 bids or its back to the drawing board. I have a good felling about our meeting tonight. The company has been very professional and attentive. I also got a warm and fuzzy feeling when I met with them 2 weeks ago. I hope that counts for something.

Anywho, my timer just went off.

Oh, the title is courtesy of Kanye West's song Stronger. I have been listening to this song all morning. Keep him in your thoughts, he lost his Mama last weekend.

Sometimes it snows in November...

I just saw our first snow flake of the season. Nothing stuck but it means that winter is officially here. I love this time of year. The air is cold and crisp, hot cocoa and tea become my drinks of choice and I get busy baking my holiday cookies and sweet potato cheesecake. I can not believe that Turkey day is next week. This year will be the true test b/c my mom is not coming for dinner so Chaka and I are on our own making all of the fixings and the turkey. I usually cover the desserts but this year I have to make all of the sides while Chaka covers the bird. It should be fun!

I am off to make Apple cobbler cupcakes, I can't wait to fill the house with the smell of apples, honey and cinnamon, mmmmmmmm.

Oh, I almost forgot, we got one bid in yesterday and all I can say is it was higher than we expected. We have another meeting set for this evening. I will have more news later tonight.

Enjoy the day.

Nothing but Bids..............

Today we meet with 2 contractors to receive bids for Harmony. I am excited, anxious and nervous but mostly excited. I will let you know tonight what the deal is.

Short and sweet this AM, I have tons to get done before my 1st meeting at noon.

Peace.

No one no one can get in the way of what I am feellin'............

My title not only speaks to how excited I fell today but I am also paying tribute to Alicia Keys album coming out today, yeh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't wait to stop and pick it up. I have not heard the entire album but I love her first song, No One and the title As I am speaks to where I am in this part of my journey. Her song Superwoman is also da bomb and oh so empowering. Check out her album at

http://www.mtv.com/music/the_leak/alicia_keys/as_i_am/#

then go and buy it. Alicia is a TRUE musician. She writes her own music and tickles the old ivory like no bodies business.

While I have encountered tons of support during this journey thus far, I have also experienced my share of folks that think I am super crazy to be following my dream. Do they matter, not really, but it does hurt a bit to know that folks have called me weak for not wanting to deal with corporate any longer. But hey, folks are always going to what they want, but no one can take away the joy that I feel right now.

Harmony is coming together and I am pretty sure that we are going to be signing our lease before Turkey Day hits. I am also super excited b/c my Dad is flying in for Thanksgiving. He has not met Z-man yet. The kids are also counting the days until we pick up Pop-Pop from the airport.

It is hard at time being 10 hours away from family but this is the path that we have chosen. Besides, Philly and I just do not agree.

Anywho, I need to run to a meeting.

Have a peaceful day!

More Equipment Shopping

Today turned out to be a day of shopping restaurant supply places. It seems like once I think I have my equipment figured out, someone comes along and tells me something more. Chaka and I visited 2 more equipment places and I think that I have settled on my convection oven. I also met Jon at Cincinnati Restaurant Supply and he was so helpful. His prices were also really competitive for small wares. I also liked the customer service that we received. We may just have a winner. We still have to see where our contractors come in. We asked all of the "one stop shop" construction and design firms to include bids with and without equipment. I can not wait to see where we stand when all the bids come in. I am hoping by this time next week we will have our lease signed and a contractor selected. I will keep praying.

All in all it was a productive day. Tomorrow I am off to talk to the folks at the Greater Cincy Microenterprise Initiative about extra funding. You can never have enough. They were so helpful last week and asked me to come in for a quick meeting.

Anywho, I need to get din din figured out.

Later Buckeyes.

Just another Rainy Sunday........

It's raining, damp and cold.........

We spent some quality time as a family. We went to a b-day party yesterday but today was pretty mellow. I cleaned out the kids toy boxes (boy did they have a lot of junk) and got lots ready for a Goodwill drop. I also headed out to find the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine Van and 5 Scooby Doo figurines for my 7 year old. We only allow our kids to put 3 things on their wish list for the holidays so usually they really want what they ask for. I can not find this anywhere. I have hit every toy and discount store in the Cincy/ Dayton area. I also looked last weekend when we were in Columbus. I spent this past week looking online but every place is out of stock. As a last resort I checked e-bay and folks are selling this item for $49.00 + S&H and it only costs $19.00 for the van and $14.00 for the figurines. My son may have to add something else to his wish list. I give it one more week, because I do not shop after Turkey day, the crowds are tooooo crazy. I am sure I will come up with something.

Chaka is home tomorrow so we will be hitting the phones hard. I am hoping to find a local dairy to buy from. I hope we can steal a moment away and spend some time together since the kiddies have school.

Cupcakes to come this week : Apple Cobbler, Apricot Brandy, Over the Rainbow and Southern Sweet Pot.

I am out for tonight. It is the perfect night to get the kids in the bed, make some ginger peach tea (hmmmmmm that may make a good cupcake) and curl up with a good book.

I will leave you with a quote from Buddah to start the week....
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”

Bring Harmony into your life......... until tomorrow, peace.

No news to report

Still no bids.
We have spoken to 2 of the contractors and we should have something on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Pretty much I have been going like a madwoman since Thursday. I hit Dayton on Friday for some much needed girl time with Sherritta and her sister. This has also been my first baking free weekend in a while, I kinda missed baking though. I am going to wind down and do some Harmony furniture research.

Peace and Wisdom until tomorrow.

The anticipation is NOT killing me

Ya know, we have not received any bids yet but surprisingly I am OK. Maybe I am learning to be patient. Instead of worrying about numbers, I find myself dreaming about making cupcakes in my new location. I can not wait to test out the oven and the mixers when everything is done.

I can not believe that I am going to own a HOBART mixer!!!!!!! While most people dream about the day they will own BMW or Mercedes or Porches, I have dreamed of having a Hobart. I don't care if it is used or new, my life will be complete when I get that Hobart. I love my 2 kitchenaides, yep, I have 2 (one my parents gave me back in the 90's and my hubby gave me an upgrade last year) but there is nothing like the prrrrrrr of a HOBART. I am also looking forward to getting additional Kitchenaides in Harmony colors. Think sweet honey, chocolate and cherry. I know, everything is food related, even colors.

Folks, I can feel Harmony coming. I wake up every morning like a kid on xmas morning. I can not imagine what it will be like once we get keys for the location. I will definitely take pics to share. That should happen before the 1st of December. I have to send a special shout out to Mr. G aka (Touched by an angel) for being so patient. He has also shared a great deal of knowledge with Chaka and I too.

Anywho, Z-man is taking his morning nap, so I better get on the horn and make some calls.

I also want to start experimenting with some winter flavors since we will be open just in time for January snow.

Until later, I am out!

Still waiting...........

Just a quick update.

No bids yet.

Maybe tomorrow.

I know for sure that we will have one on Saturday and hopefully 2 more before that.

Baked all day and Nalah-B was home with a cough. I enjoyed her company.

Out for now, Peace.

Brrrrr, It's cold in here........

Today has been a LONG day. The kids were home since it is election day(who know?) and old man winter has finally arrived. Today was the first day that we have had in the 40's since April. Boy was it cold. The kids pretty much relaxed all day while I made more phone calls and baked. Z-man is starting to get on all fours and rock, so I tried to get the downstairs in order before he officially becomes a human vacuum cleaner. Amari had a lot of work to review for school, so we spent much of the afternoon working on that.

All in all the day was pretty much un-eventful.

Chaka met with another contractor and we hope to have the first round of numbers in tomorrow. It is amazing how different each company has been. One particular company has been very attentive and thorough with their assessment of our space. They have also sent several follow up e-mails. It is nice to know that professionalism is not totally dead in corporate America.

Well, I am out for tonight. I have more baking to get done and Nalah-B went to bed with a bad cough so I bet she will be home tomorrow. I made her drink some throat tea before bed and gave her some herbs for kids, so I hope they work their magic so she feels better in the AM.

Until mañana, paz.

Contractors, equipment, Health department, finances, OH MY!

I am really wiped. This weekend was TOO action packed. We met with another contractor on Saturday morning and I really got a warm and fuzzy feeling after the meeting. They seemed to truly get what we are looking for. They were informative and had a lot of insight to share that the other contractors did not even inquire about. My friend Jess referred them to us and I can tell that they are awesome people. Will they be OUR contractors, only the numbers will tell. But it really felt good to meet with people that GOT what I was looking for. We will start getting bids on Wednesday and hopefully by this time next week, we will be leaning towards someone. We still have another meeting this afternoon and another one tomorrow. I am trying to get at least 5 bids so we have some choices. The one thing that they all said is that we do not have a lot of work that needs to be done. We shall see, that statement is all about your perspective. I have heard the horror stories about contractors but I can not let that scare me off. I know that the universe has been preparing me for the last 15 years to live this dream.

On to equipment, we met with an equipment guy on Saturday too and he opened up a can of worms that I was not ready for. I have had my equipment list ready (brands and model numbers) picked out since July. I was completely set on a gas convention oven and a gas range which both require a hood and exhaust system. The equipment guy asked if we were interested in using an electric convection oven and perhaps using a commercial french style 2 burner hot plate (kinda looks like a half range without an oven but it can sit on a counter top) since I was really only getting the gas range to make ganache. He said that I could achieve the same results for my product and may not need a hood since we would not be dealing with noxious gasses. My hubby got a little excited b/c not having to have a hood would save us thousands of dollars. I was a little sceptical, so I have spend this morning on the phone with convection oven folks. I talked to reps at Moffat, Blodgett and Southbend and they all said that I could use an electric convection oven and achieve the same results as a gas oven. So now I am going to call the health department to ask more questions. I will let you know what I find out. If this works out, we are talking about saving $$$.

All of the weekends baking went well. I even got an inquiry about wedding cupcakes for the spring. I only have one order for Wednesday this week, so I should be able to make some headway with Harmony background business.

I will leave you with a quote from the Buddha "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (I found this one in a red envelope catalogue that came on Saturday). These days, it seems like everything speaks to me about this journey.

Happy Monday, Peace.

The Baking Machine.........

I am done baking and all orders are filled. My Over the rainbow cupcakes are quickly becoming my favorite cupcake. The cake is delicate and light with a hint of almond. The vanilla butter cream really balances out the almond notes. I will have to cut one open tomorrow so you can see how pretty they look on the inside. I posted some naked ones above so you could see the rainbow specs.

I am headed to beddie bye. We have an extremely early morning tomorrow and an action packed weekend. I will post more pics tomorrow.

Nite nite.

Cheers it's Friday!

Hmmmmmmmmm, that title gets me thinking about cocktail cupcakes. I am not much of a drinker but there are many drinks that would make fabulous cupcakes. I have a huge list of "happy hour" cupcakes that are just waiting to be created. Off of the top of my head I can think of the follow cupcakes that I would like to develop at some point:

Kahlua

Margarita

Mojito

Sour Apple

Hurricane

Pina Colada

What would you like to see?????

Onto Harmony business. Pretty much I am baking and filing orders for the weekend. I already made chocolate chip cookie minis(see pics above) but I still have Over the Rainbow, Harmony Chocolate, and Cookies n' cream to bake. I will post pics of everything as they are made.

Happy Friday.

C is for Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

The Chocolate Chip Cookie minis came out fabulous. I just had to post a picture of them while they were cooling. I will post the finished product sometime tomorrow morning before I drop them off. I also made a few Over the Rainbow with the left over batter that I had. There is more baking tomorrow and then hopefully I will have time to catch up on some laundry and sleep.

Until tomorrow, this is Claire the Baking Scientist signing off.

More contractors........

Met with another contractor today and have another meeting set up for Saturday morning. We are hoping to meet with at least 5 companies to make sure we have plenty of options. Things are progressing. We should have 2 bids by next week so the wait is on. I hope they are reasonable bids. I have many orders to fill for this weekend and one for tomorrow so I am cutting this short. Enjoy the pictures of the cookies that my goddaughter and I baked on Monday. I will post more pics when my next batch of cupcakes come out of the oven.

Contractor week is here!

Contractor week is here. We met with one set of contractors today and they were cool. We have a meeting tomorrow morning and another one set for Saturday sometime. I have Mo working on getting another name too. Hopefully, someone will come in at a price that we can afford. We enphasizes that we are looking to get this shop off of the ground with the least amount of $$$$. We can get fancy with location # 2 (again, I am Thinking Big- thanks Ben Carson). I so wish money grew on trees or that I played the lottery. I am so close to Harmony that I can taste it.

I also met with a wonderful lady at the Cincy Urban League. She gave me a lot of valuable pointers about getting Harmony up and running. I love that there are so many FREE resources out there for entrepreneurs.

Onto Harmony business. The buzz is continuing to grow. I have 2 more orders for this weekend from people that I do not know. I love the Internet. People are actually finding us through Google. My friends are also doing a fabulous job of spreading the work, Thanks Eb!

Well, I am out for now. I will better about posting, it has just been really crazy and last night I got home too late to even think about writing.

Peace, love and SOUL.......

Kids Kreations

I could not help but share the cupcakes that my kids decorated on Saturday. I only wish that my location was going to be big enough to host decorating parties. Perhaps location # 2! (yes I am dreaming and THINKING BIG)

The ones up top are Amari's (age 7) and the ones on the bottom are Nalah-B's (age 6)

New product development

Here are pics of the Chocolate covered pretzel and the nameless M&M. The chocolate covered pretzel was pretty but really a bust b/c the pretzel lost its crunch, like I expected. I love chocolate covered pretzels so I am going to have to do more work on this one. The whole sweet and salty concept is a big winner. I have a few others up my sleeves too, so check back often. I will also be unveiling my holiday limited edition varieties in the next week or so............

It's just another Manic Monday!

Good-day Fans of Harmony!

I am back and feeling better. I had to take a day and a half of rest. I think between the baking and catching Z-man's cold, I was pretty much out for the count after 2pm of Saturday. I am kinda mad b/c I missed our neighbor's annual harvest costume party. I had planned on surprising her with some Apple Cobbler cupcakes but instead I was dead to the word. Chaka and the boyz went and had a good time. I hope my neighbors don't think that I am too anti-social (even though I kinda am). I just really cherish our weekends and family time.

Nalah-B and I had a girls afternoon out yesterday. We went to see the Children's Theater production of High School Musical at the Taft Theater with her gymnastics buddy and her family. The girls had a blast. They knew every word to every song and danced and sang in the aisles throughout the entire play. They were TOO cute. Afterwards they waited outside the stage entrance and got several of the casts autographs. It was really a night to remember.

Today, I am pretty much chillin' and hanging out with my goddaughter who is on fall break. Who ever heard of a fall break that lasted a week and a day. I could understand in we still had to harvest our crops in the fall but a full week off wreaks havoc on a mom's schedule. We have done a few arts and crafts, played with play-dough and next we are going to bake some cookies for her to take home.

As for Harmony business, Chaka is helping me out today by taking care of all of our phone calls. I should have more new to share by the end of the week.

Life is good b/c I am still following my bliss.

Today, bring some Harmony into your life!

Peace.

Competely exhausted!

I guess I am truly getting a taste of what is to come. I am like a zombie walking today. I was up last night baking until midnight and then up again at 5AM to finish off my orders. I even had time to do some creative product development this AM. After my orders where completed I worked on creating a chocolate covered pretzel variety and a variety that I am not sure what to name. It is a chocolate cupcake with chocolate butter cream dipped in mini- M&M's. Maybe we can call it chocolate covered rainbow? I will post pictures later. Well, I am off to do my Saturday chores, deliver cupcakes, spend some quality time with the family and attend a neighbor's costume party. I hope to get a nap in at some point.

Have a happy Saturday!