I know it has been just SO long since I have posted…I apologize.
I truly thought that over the course of our August vacation I would be able to write a few blog posts, catch you up on the more pressing matters, and return to the American shores free of any guilt that I was carrying in regards to my blog and inconsistent posts.
Apparently that was not the case!
Two days into the vacation, we discovered that spending three minutes on the internet cost as much as a creamy cannoli and a cappuccino. Forgetaboutit (I’m throwing my fist up in the air here, as I was taught by my Italian/Australian tour guide).
Anyway, please, PLEASE forgive me, both for my lack of vacation posting and my lack of general posting. Let’s take a look at where we’ve been over the last few weeks…
OUR FIRST MARKET!
We went to our first few markets at the beginning of August and were extremely successful! We spent Tuesdays at Canterbury Village in Lake Orion, and Wednesdays at Silverbell & Bald Mountain (for all of you who are familiar with the area). Our display turned out great, the customers were very happy, and I was ecstatic to learn that people actually liked what I was making!
I couldn’t have done it without my trusty assistant Sammy who, for those of you who don’t know, is really great at scooping cookie dough, cutting labels, stamping bags, and making change! My mom has been extremely helpful as well–she spent several hours cutting out shortbread cookies, insistent that they be just perfect. Not exactly efficient, but I do so appreciate the perfectionist in her. We are set for more market in the upcoming weeks, and I DO plan on updating my blog more frequently, so you’ll be hearing all about them!
CAKES & THINGS
We had a lot of orders for great cakes during the end of July and beginning of August, and though I spent the better part of two weeks guzzling coffee, running around and cheering like a maniac, then almost instantly sleeping mouth open on the counter only to arise to the sound of a timer buzzing in my ear (that might be a dramatization), the cakes turned out great! My biggest challenge, I would say, was the Toy Story cake–mainly because it needed to be transported 300 miles to Chicago after being assembled. It made it without any problems whatsoever, and everyone (especially me) was very pleased.
EUROPA
As I mentioned earlier, we spent a few weeks in Europe with my family and had a wonderful time. Two weeks in Tuscany will do nothing for you if not make you gain a few pounds and make you insistent upon learning Italian. A few of my favorite experiences from the trip are documented below.
We took a Red Eye flight from Detroit to Rome, and neither Sammy nor I slept too much on the plane, but by the time we arrived in Rome it was mid-day. We were (I was) insistent upon staying up all day so that we could adjust to the time change, so we spent the day at the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon. My family came and went, and Sammy and I were still going strong. We decided to head to a little cafe for a Peroni and a cappuccino. Sitting directly outside of the Pantheon, admiring the people and the views, was picturesque and surreal, and made me remember what I love so much about the European culture and being.
Heading to Barcelona was exciting for me, because I hadn’t been to Spain since I lived there three years ago. We took a bus tour of the city because it was the most efficient way to see all of the highlights. To be honest with you, seeing La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s Masterpiece Cathedral, wasn’t a top priority to me. I had seen it countless times when I was living in Spain, and I knew exactly what it looked like. If I didn’t, I could look at one of the seven books I purchased over the course of my time there, close my eyes, and remember being there. They have been building that church for over 100 years, and it was impossible that they had made any changes over the last three years. I would have rather gone to get tapas. Well, I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Driving up to the Cathedral, even seeing it from a few blocks away, it took my breath away. The size, the detail, the massive arches and buttresses and flying grapes (yes, flying grapes, in all colors and sizes)…it’s simply jaw dropping. The line wrapped around the entire building, and again I said “well, I’ve seen it…but I’ll definitely wait if everyone else wants to.” And again, I was wrong. Walking into the Cathedral, I was stopped in my tracks. the sheer size of the structure is enough to shock you, but the architecture is exquisite, the details are stunning, and around every corner you find another hidden something that you can’t believe was part of Gaudi’s design. The colors, and lack of colors, the contrast of styles. It’s just amazing. The most interesting thing to me was actually being able to see the changes that had occurred over the last three years. Here are two pictures–one from August 2008, and one from August 2011. The last time I visited in 2008, the inside of the Cathedral was full of scaffolding. There was no dome, no color, barely anything! It was incredible.
Tunisia was a totally different experience for me. I’ve never been to Africa, and I don’t think I’ve ever been to a country that recently overthrew their government. When we got off the boat, we were greeted by camels, and offered a ride, which we politely declined (until a few hours later…). I won’t bore you with the details, because I think I just did so with La Sagrada Familia, but basically we were taken to these Roman Baths that were uncovered in the 1970s and were from around 40AD. They were so well built and the structure was just remarkable. We learned about the baths being used and the fluidity of the baths and wow…they were pretty intelligent. I wish it hadn’t been 95 degrees, and I wish the people on the boat hadn’t told us that we needed to wear pants and closed toed shoes. I probably would have been able to pay better attention. I think I was suffering from heat stroke.
So, that’s what has been going on in my neck of the woods! The next two weeks are ALL about getting the website up and running (and of course, baking and Farmer’s Markets), so hopefully it won’t be too long now!
Have a great weekend everyone!
(By the way, for those of you who are avid Teaspoon readers and know the troubles I have been having with finding my way around Michigan, I still haven’t gotten a haircut and never went back to the gym that I impulsively joined two months ago. Oops.)
Teaspoon of Vanilla 