Who are you? Where are you located?

[parrolet313]

I am curious about the general statistics of the members on this board - care to share general information??? For me, I am located in Southern California and have been only baking cakes as a business for about the last six months. I have a full time job and do this in my (spare?) time. I am also the mommy to two (almost) three year old boy/girl twins. Anyone else?????

[2sdae]

33 year old stay at home mom of 3 girls, 2, 3 and 15 next wed!
I have 3 dogs, 1 cat and a hubby. We are in louisville, kentucky.
I have been decorating cakes for a 1 1/2 and have been selling them for about 9 months.
I went to school to be an Registered Nurse but decided to stay home when I was pregnant with my 3 year old, 1 year after she was born we adopted our new born niece so we have a 2 year old to cuddle now too.
My hubby owns his own business so that helps with bills and gives me a chance to be a secretary too, I HATE DOING PAYROLL THOUGH!
I am currently trying to loose 11 pounds after going from 250 down to 136. So I have come a long way but darn those last few pounds.....
I am addicted to baking, making and decorating. Weather it be books on it, stores specializing in it, cruising the flea markets or hardware stores for new cake toys. You name it I can use it to decorate or help me decorate a cake by golly!

My fav saying is : Make, Bake, Decorate, what else do you need?
My business name is Cake Dreams & Icing Wishes....

NEXT............

[k_anncookies]

ooh me!

Ok, I just turned 27, and i am married to a hunky Marine helicopter pilot. I am originally from a small town (Colo) in Iowa. My husband is a farm boy from iowa as well. We have been married for almost 5 years and we have been stationed here in hawaii, on the island of Oahu for just over 4 years. I have a 10 year old daughter, a 3 1/2 y.o. son, and a new baby girl born december 7, so she'll be 4 months next week!

I grew up watching my grandmother bake cakes. She was the cake lady for our surrounding area! She baked EVERYBODY'S cake! And she never missed a birthday or special event of ours!!!! She recently passed away and I was lucky enough to inherit all her baking supplies (well, the things i wanted) So that triggered my interest in really baking cakes. I also do cookies and some candy/goodie items. So i have been doing it mostly just for friends (and friends of friends) for the past 1 1/2 years. And i look forward to continuing for as long as i can stand it.

I too, am struggling to lose my baby weight. I have a good 15 to go...but trying out all these new recipes just isn't helping. Well, what really doesn't help is that i gained nealry 50 during my pregnancy (my husband was in Iraq up until my last 6 weeks, so can you say COMFORT FOOD?!) Plus, my husband is gone NOW doing training in Arizona for 7 weeks, so instead of working out in the evenings after the kids go to bed, i either go to bed myself because i'm so exhausted, or recently, check out the forum here at Into The Oven!

But anyways, I LOVE LOVE baking, and hope to someday have my own little shop of sorts! ok, next...

[k_anncookies]

And by the way...2sdae...YOU GO GIRL!

[2sdae]

Thanks...It took 2 years to get here so it' a long, long road, and so worth it for yourself.
And let me say thank you to you and your hubby for your sacrifices you guys go through for all of us in this country.....the wives and families sacrifice just as much as our soldiers...My family on 1 side is all marine's <<<oooooh, rah!
and the other is army special corps. and navy seals....so we've got a lot of experience with these issues.

[k_anncookies]

Oh, thank you so much! You are too sweet. It's always extra special when people recognize the sacrifices of the spouses and families! They are the ones who get left behind...but yes, OOH RAH! Here's to our men and women in the service!

[2sdae]

AMEN TO THAT!!!!

[cupcakeshoppe]

I'm 27 years old. I live in the Philippines, not even in the big city but in a small province, making it difficult to get supplies.

I'm engaged to a great guy and we hope to be married this year.

I started baking (for real) just six months ago when I bought my oven. It's small but it works. I've always been interested in cooking though. My grandma and my mama both love to cook. I used to bake "ghetto cakes" using our oven toaster hehe.

I'm still in the process of ironing things out before I start selling cupcakes for real. I've had a few orders but i'm still not "confident" enough to really do this fulltime.

I'm a medical transcriptionist by day and I bake at night.

[thecakerator]

I want to say thanks for all the men and women in service as well!!

I am 28 years old and just coming up on my five year anniversary. We don't have any kids but we do have two very spoiled cats. I don't work outside of the home, I am lucky enough that my dh can support both of us with his job, so that means extra caking time for me!! I got into the cake mode about two years ago when I saw the professional caddy kit at Michaels and just fell in love with it, it was so cute!! LOL I had already tried the scrapbooking, sewing, crafting hobbies and none of them took with me .. So low and behold my dh bought me the kit for my birthday thinking it was another passing hobby and I just kept at it and really love making birthday cakes and special occasion cakes .. I am not thrilled about wedding cakes but seem to have been suckered into two of them!! Sorry so long!!

Next??

[Amanda]

I am 32 and a stay at home mom of three boys, 6,5 & 19mos. I've been married for almost 9 years. My DH and I met in college. We were both musicians and we actually met the first time when we were 15 and 17 and summer jazz band camp. Later on we both ended up at Western Illinois University (Go Leathernecks!!) and we started dating after being sat next to each other in concert band. Even though we are both musicians I was a music major and he was a biology major/chemistry minor.
We got married the weekend after we graduated. We then moved to Memphis, TN so that he could go to the Southern College of Optometry. I taught high school band and choir to help put him through school. My job was in the inner city....and I mean the INNER city!!! Ohhh, the stories I have!!! I had my first two babies while we were still there, but when we left Memphis I decided I'd had enough teaching, and let my certificate expire. But 5 years later, I'm still badly jaded, and I think about that time in my life every single day. I never in a million years would have imagined the things that those kids had to put up with on a daily basis, or the disgusting things that parents will to to their children. It completely changed me.
I suffered from some serious depression after leaving teaching. I felt like I was abandoning all those kids, and I'd failed them. For some of them school was a safe haven, or the only place they'd get to eat, or the only place they get unconditional affection, and I was leaving. Just as they were getting used to me, I was leaving them. I'd failed as a teacher. And now, I was depressed and failing as a mom. It was a pretty bad time. But, I got on some meds, sought conseling and........took a cake decorating class.
Currently, my children drive me crazy and I am dreading summer vacation. I love them dearly, but I'm not one of those "every moment is a gift" moms. I admire them, but I just don't have that in me. I do my best, but I like all day kindergarten. My husband is an optometrist in a small family practice, and still plays music in a jazz combo that gigs around this area. Most people have no idea that I have any musical talent at all, let alone a degree in music education.
Right now I'm looking for a kitchen to rent. I'm waiting for my contact at church to let me know when to submit my business plan to the church council. Waiting is hard! I'd love to open a shop someday, but optometry school costs $$$$$$! It's just not a possibility. But someday I will make it happen!


So, that's my story.....Oh, I'm fat and no longer trying to lose weight. Every single time I've lost weight I've gained more back. 2sdae, I wish I had your persistence!