You are my Sunshine, My only sunshine

Well, fans of Harmony, this post will be short and sweet. It is 60 degrees and sunny with a high of 67 today, so Z-man and I have been out walking this morning enjoying the weather.

The kids are back in school so I am going to open the windows and air out the house. This is the perfect day for a little cleaning and organizing. Besides it will keep my mind off of the waiting game that we are playing.

I also need to spend the day deciding what my Valentines day flavors are going to be. I am also working on a cupcake bouquet for folks to give to loved ones. Here are the flavors that I have worked up and tested on folks:

Chocolate covered strawberry ( strawberry cake topped with dark chocolate ganache garnished with strawberry cream cheese frosting and a dark chocolate drizzle)

Amarischino Cherry (named after my prince Amari) - Cherry infused cake with maraschino cherry bits, vanilla butter cream with a cherry on top

Pretty in Pink Strawberry- Strawberry cake, strawberry cream cheese frosting, pink fairy dust

The last 2 are from my existing menu so I decided to feature them for the day of love. If you have any other ideas, drop me a comment.

Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.

I am out.

Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight ....whoa

I have felt like dancing all day, hence the title. I am such a lover of music from the 70's and 80's. My hubby pokes fun at me all of the time b/c I am probably the only black woman out there with less rhythm than Oprah. But hey the beat is in your head and you gotta move to that beat, right?

Today has been low key. Ran some errands and hung out with the family. Chaka's mom left early this AM and has arrived in LA safely. She will be back, I hope for the opening of Harmony and definitely this summer.

Well, our website launch party has been officially delayed until later this week. Chaka injured his shoulder at the gym and had to go for an emergency massage this afternoon. I hope it helps b/c he was in PAIN.

The kids go back to school tomorrow so its back to the grind. Hope to get an update on the LOI tomorrow. Cross your fingers.

I am out.

Flippin' and Floppin'

No Harmony news to report.



Spent the day running errands and taking Nalah-B to gymnastics practice. She is training so hard and really excited about her first real competition coming up soon... She is so dedicated, I really admire her work ethic. She is only 6 and is so serious about learning her craft. She claims that we will see her in the Olympics someday but who knows. She trains 6 hours a week and loves every min. of it. I hope she continues to live her life with so much passion. Her road to success will be so much easier if she does.

Anywho, I am going to enjoy the last few hours that I have with mi mamacita. She flies out tomorrow at the crack of dawn. I have truly enjoyed her company and hate to see her go. It is times like these that I wish we lived closer to both sides of the family. Such is life.....

Enjoy your night and remember to cherish the time you have with your loved ones.

Peace and Harmony, I'm out.

I got da "no news" Blues

No news yet on the LOI changes. Not really blue just anxious b/c we are going into a weekend and I wanted to try to wrap things up this week to feel a sense of accomplishment. The day is young so perhaps I will get the call or e-mail that I am waiting for.

Up for today:

Convince Mamacita (Chaka's mom) to leave the house- she is from Southern Cali is not used to this bitter cold. We ventured out on Wednesday but yesterday she stayed put. I don't blame her. I had to go out for a cake flour run and I nearly turned into an ice sculpture in our garage. The good news is, the snow and ice will melt this weekend. We are expecting a heatwave - high of 50+.

Go over all the changes that Chaka has made to my website and logo. I love what he has done. It has taken him a while but hey it's FREE!!! We are going to have a website launch party, break out a little sparkling cider and celebrate with the kids after we hit the publish button. I will let you know when we go live. Probably sometime Sunday since Mamacita flies out in the early AM.

Not too many calls to make today. I need to follow up about a call I got about doing a cocktail party for 500+ people in March. Harmony is hitting the "big time" and I really need a larger kitchen to work out of. My ingredients and packaging are taking over our home.

Most important for today, HANG OUT WITH THE KIDS! It's their last Friday of vacation and I want to have a little more fun with them. Perhaps we will go to the Children's Museum or bowling (my son's favorite pastime) or I may surprise them and see Enchanted, if it is still playing anywhere. They have been dying to see it since it came out in November.

Well, I need to get to getting.

I will keep you posted about the LOI............

TGIF

The Cupcakes are Flying with A Red Velvet Elvis

I almost forgot to tell you that Chaka and I visited The Flying Cupcake Bakery during our anniversary trip to Indianapolis. It was very nice. The decor reminded me of Holly Hobby's cottage (if she had one). Lots of pink and floral prints. The bakery had a nice amount of seating. If I remember correctly, they had about 4-5 tables. We arrived in the late afternoon so there were only a few cupcake varieties to choose from. Chaka and I each tried one and took 4 back to Chaka's mom and the kids. I went for the Red Velvet Elvis- a red velvet cake with chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting b/c I still don't understand the obsession that people have with Red Velvet cake or cupcakes. Perhaps it is b/c I am not from the south and my grandma never baked it. All in all the cupcake was good but I still don't understand Red Velvet cake. I will have my interpretation of Red Velvet on my menu. Ironically, the most asked question that I get when I tell people that I am opening a cupcake bakery is, "Are you going to have Red Velvet?" I guess that I have to please the masses in order to succeed.

Have a fabulous night.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

It is so frigid outside that we are officially hibernating. The high today is 23F so we are not going anywhere unless we have to. Poor Chaka was up and out this morning while the temp was in single digits. I love winter but this kind of cold is just not easy to manage.

Up for today:
Wait to hear back about our lease negotiation. YES! we are moving forward with our location. The LOI has been prepared but we have requested a few changes and now we are waiting to hear something. Once that is finalized, the lease will be prepared, the lawyer will review it and we will have the keys on Feb 1st. Simple right? You know better..... something will come up, it always does. I am keep in the faith though.

Just a word about leases to those who may be thinking about following this path, negotiation is key. Everything is fair game- from the price you pay per sq. ft. to T/I (tenant improvement) allowances. T/I can really help save you money in the long run. This is an allowance that your landlord pays you for the permanent improvements you will make to a space. These are things like improving the floors, bathrooms, light fixtures. Basically things that will be left behind if you choose to move locations. Some places will even let you use the allowance to pay future rent or purchase signage. A lot of places do not advertise a T/I allowance but it is always worth asking if any is available.

Well, I am out for now. The kids have play dates and I have a few calls to make before I have a house full of kids. I also have b-day cupcakes to make.

Bundle up and bring me some sunshine ;-)

Bring Harmony intt your life in 2008!

Happy New Year Fans of Harmony!!!

May this year be filled with peace, love, blessings and plenty of cupcakes and mini treats.

2008 will be the year that Harmony is brought into your life.

Stay warm.......