2010 April « gimme dem cupcakes

Archive for April, 2010

Breaking up is hard to do

April 21, 2010 · Filed under business, local color, My Kitchen, philanthropy, Philosophy, travel · Tagged business, friends, mobility, My Kitchen, sharing, supply and demand

Hey friends- Sorry for the incredible lag in posting, it’s not for a lack of ideas, promise. My laptop finally died and I have been sleeping more (… on the couch with Cocoa Bean while watching Netflix on my Wii). I actually was attempting to use the WordPress App on my new Droid last night but conked out to Arrested Development instead. I hope during this radio silence, my Tweets and incessant picture posting (thx Droid!!!) have kept your taste buds salivating. I’m hoping the gardening will contribute to some new savory summer cupcake projects too, so be on the look-out!

So let’s talk heart break. I’ve been putting off a break-up with one of my recurring customers… Remember Safeway Al? He’s a sweetheart, but his orders have been a lesson in professionalism. He’s pretty much wanted weekly orders the past month or so and he only pays about half the time. It was too good to be true. He is a friendly night stocker who made regular orders, an easy stop at one of the best supplied baking ailes in town, accessible for drop-off after a late shift at Artie’s… But erratic payment and moderate flirtation fizzled my patience, and when I tried to be more strict about order confirmation, we played phone tag. So now, I’ve decided to cut him off and it feels weird. New/reaffirmed rules:

It’s ok to sell to people you know, but always set a policy of prepayment.
Set firm pick-up/drop-off times and confirm them the day before.
Only do night deliveries to public places or homes of those you know.
I shouldn’t shop at overpriced grocery stores just because they have better hours. It’s not cost effective.

But all is not sadface, we have some other great news. For those who haven’t followed the other Gimme Dem/kt new media feeds:

I made a really extra cute baby shower order:

tax day was met with success and celebrated with Joyous and George Bluth inspired cupcakes.

Saturday, Gimme Dem is donating 150 cupcakes the Radio CPR Record Sale! (If you have an event you’d like Gimme Dem Cupcakes to donate to, please email me!)

I’ve nailed down dates for the most substantial of my vacation plans, so I will not be taking orders July 1-7 (GA bound with the BF), and I likely won’t be taking orders the last weekend of June (Annual AmeriCorps Almuni reunion!)

Come see me Saturday and you can look like this too!

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I hope this Easter melts your heart, but not your face

April 2, 2010 · Filed under nuts, other sweets, Philosophy · Tagged chocolate, favorite, My Kitchen, other sweets, Philosophy

Today, I went to work feeling exhausted which has kind of been happening too frequently. The fatigue has been slowing down my productivity at the office and it isn’t really helping me smile at the restaurant. Everything is ok. Everything is routine, I just know I’m not operating at my best. What could be wrong when I’m pursuing the righteous path of the cupcake calling?

Well, Easter quickly approaches and I’m feeling disappointed in my efforts this Lent. My Lenten promise was very modest this year (15 minutes of time dedicated to reflection or prayer), but in actuality I really flat-out failed. Most days I bolted from bed to get ready for whatever each day was packed with. Especially compared to more successful efforts in the past, I kind of know I missed the boat. Lent’s a time of reflection and worship, and I feel as if I’ve enjoyed so many other opportunities without taking responsibility for my spiritual health. I’ve missed church almost every Sunday since winter started. I don’t feel obliged to participate in the Catholic faith just because of my membership; I chose it because I believe in it. I like having a place and a community and the routine and comfort of ritual. But lately I haven’t chosen it as often as I’d like. I feel good about my relationship with God, I know He knows I care and that He cares for me. It’s more that His house and the rituals offer me the mental switches to recalibrate; and I haven’t. So I feel a bit out of tune. Some might say I’ve very liberally cherry-picked what are morally right and wrong traditions to follow, especially in the eyes of the Catholic church; and it’s true. I think there are many ways to seek truth. Maybe I lack the inner divinity to be at peace any old where. But I like being Catholic and the ways I celebrate my faith. I like the sense of belonging and peace I have even when I go to the 8:30 mass and fight the heaviness in my eyes or struggle to understand the accent of my Haitian priest when it’s his turn to lead mass. I like the social justice activism, the bilingual newsletter, and shaking hands with relative strangers, and how it all fills me with a sense of renewed love for the world around me.

So what am I going to do about it? How will I refocus my efforts? Well, tonight, after a nice late supper on the balcony talking with my dad, I made banana bread for my bestie and my Nana. My sister, Lars and I will take an overnight trip to my Nana’ for a whirlwind pizza/canasta night and then an early mass at their church. So in advance, I apologize for the lack of Easter dinner for my family, but I’m so glad I will be able to carve out some time to be with them on such a special day. After that, I think I might have some new mass options. A friend at Artie’s goes to a GMU mass at 10pm which’ll be way better than the 7:30AM at St. Leo I’ve yet to make it to. And in May, hopefully, I’ll have rearranged my sched so I can have time for church and Bible study, and a whole day off. Ambitious yes, but a well centered cupcaker probably makes more satisfying cupcakes. I love you all and wish you a wonderful Easter.