Where it all began....

This is where it all begins....my grandma Keffer's kitchen. This is a three generation picture and on the far right is my grandma Keffer. Next to her is her mother and next to her mother is her daughter, Aunt Doris.

My grandma Keffer LOVED to make wedding cakes in her little kitchen in Ohio. People would travel all over Ohio to hope to have her make their wedding cake.

 We would not be able to travel to Ohio to visit grandma very often since we lived in Kansas or Texas and the drive with five children was quite the adventure. We always had to train like you would for a marathon before going to visit my grandma Keffer. She loved to cook for family and listen to them "ooh and awwe" over her cooking. If you did not have at least three helpings of her food she would have a fit! I am not talking about a simple "Hmmm" comment. I am talking a full blown drop the platter of food on the table, put one hand on her hip and the other hand with the little chubby finger pointed right your way saying "You don't like my cooking do you?" Four hours would pass and your craving for a snack would set in and if you think for one minute that she would just graciously offer something for you to eat....you had another thing coming! That kink in her heart that you made during dinner was still ever so fresh in her mind. "If you would have eaten more of my food at dinner, you wouldn't want a snack right now" I can very clearly recall her saying to me. Though it was a sad feeling at the time for a 12 year old little girl, I treasure her words more so today than I would have ever thought. 

My grandma has since passed and she has taken up residency in my heart and soul. What comfort! I have always been afraid to decorate a cake for fear of crumbling the cake as I did a simple coat of icing. I have always seen how prefect all these cakes were iced and defeated myself without even trying by saying "I could never do something like that" Well, I finally gained some "balls" and decided to just do it! With a lot of encouragement from my patient mother, I went above and beyond what I ever thought I could ever do! My love for cake decorating took off like a malfunctioning firework, flying out of control and not knowing what the outcome was going to be. 

 This is the third cake I have ever made and decorated. See....who knew right? I made this for my son and his other five senior friends at senior night. My son was the only senior that ran cross country so I sculpted a running shoe just like his. I represented not only the sports, but the pep band that made all the home games so much fun! One of the senior boys was an amazing drummer.
Personalizing cakes for people is very enjoyable for me. I love to see the reaction on their face as they see their own edible piece of art laid out before them. I always knew I loved to play with my food!