a productive week/weekend

it has been a super busy week for sure--and i have been baking like crazy! going in to the week i knew that i had a pie order to make on tuesday night, and then a pot luck on friday to make stuff for too, as well as cake class and a cheesecake order for the weekend. on monday one of my dear co-workers called me and asked if i could do a last minute order for a strawberry cake for her sister's birthday. of course i said yes! and i think it turned out pretty well! i made it from scratch of course and made the cream-cheese strawberry icing, but all the strawberry puree made the icing more of a glaze consistency. i kept adding more and more powdered sugar to try to get it to thicken up, but it was NOT happening! i ended up using about 1 1/2 bags!! i finally just decided to do thinner "dirty icing" type coatings (to quote the cake boss) and then let them harden in between. then i did some extra on the top and let it drip a little down the sides. yum.

another co-worker ordered a fudge pie & lemon meringue pie for her mom's birthday, and they were also a hit! so much so that she has put in pre-orders for thanksgiving and christmas!!!

i was kinda worn out by mid-week and decided to skip my final cake class and have a night free of baking. i was kinda bummed to miss it, but decided that i could probably pick up the stuff we learned from looking at the book. also, the next night was my mom's birthday and we were thinking of doing something (but ended up not). i used my extra time on thursday night to get some grocery shopping and make my food for the pot luck--a baked chicken alfredo pasta, and tiramisu! the tiramisu was pretty easy to make actually and turned out okay, but if i make it again i will just brush the espresso onto the ladyfingers rather than dunking them as my recipe instructed, b/c they got too soggy. this is not my kind of dessert b/c i don't like coffee, but it was fun to make!

then today i made my banana cake for my first Tuesdays with Dorie challenge (will post on Tuesady) and a pumpkin cheesecake for another order. i had some extra cheesecake batter so i poured a little into custard cups so i could have some too and it is so so so yummy! it's good for me that i am sending most of my goodies to other people, but sometimes i just want them to stay! ;)

baby pumpkin cheesecakes

butchy longingly watching me whip up deliciousness!

i had to work extra this week for our month end close-down so i didn't get the normal time off that i have on fridays, but i still got a LOT done. i finally switched out my bookcases so i would have more room for my cookbooks (i am, for the moment at least, organizing them by author/company. that may change eventually) i also deep-cleaned the kitchen, and worked hard on the floors in our formal living room...the cleaner we had used in there has left a coating that for some reason has practically glued the fur butch has shed to the floor, so i am pretty much having to scrub it off...it's very time consuming and tiring. after over an hour, i had only got about one square foot of the floor done! i'm going to have to spread this over several weekends.

i know what you're thinking...this girl is supposed to have chronic fatigue syndrome and fibormyalgia, right? exactly. but i was shocked to wake up fairly early this morning--and not in any pain!! (i did hurt some last night though...and of course woke up at noon the day before...) now, i don't want to get over-excited or make things out to be more than they are, but i think that maybe my hormone implant may be kicking in...i really have felt very energized all day, and also awake..and have been sleeping a little better without my meds, so maybe?? i still have to be careful not to overdo it, but i'm hopeful. it's also kinda scary though. hubs & i were talking about it today, and while i obviously want my health to improve, i have been living with this illness for the past 2 years and have gotten used to a different pace of life (for the most part). i am scared that i may not ever be completely like i was before i got sick, and if i do start to improve will i know how to pace myself and find a good balance? i'm also scared of people's expectations. i like that i have learned to rest and not be "doing" all the time and i don't want to forget that. i don't know...it's overwhelming, but exciting at the same time. stay tuned!