Bye bye cookie business (sniff) - Page 5

Oh, that's hysterical! LOVE it! Now I want to go back and re-live my life so I can fill that in on the forms.

Oh, Melvira - I love those! I once said "Domestic Engineer" and got a very quizzical look. Gotta go with the 'goddess' idea! Thanks for the laugh you always bring to the table!

Gemini - Good point, as always. This has been a really good thread. I hope SweetDreams sees this and realizes how cathartic this has been for many of us.

i've been thinking of moving out of my kitchen for a long time. it has been a real headache. it's 40 minutes away form my house. i work at the bakery during the day when the kids are at school, which only leaves the evenings and nights to do cookies. it seems like there has been one problem or another with the kitchen. Two weeks ago was just the last straw. i had a huge wedding order to be shipped out. i gave myself just enough time to go to the kitchen and get everything baked off. that would leave me the next night to get everything decorated. the kitchen i rent from is an off site ktichen for a bakery. i decided i should run to the bakery to pay rent first. while there, one of the guys told me that last week the coolers had gone down. they had no clue how long they had been down, but the cooler was 70 degrees by the time they got in. i had 10 double batches of dough in the cooler, not to mention eggs and butter. i never got a phone call nor had the secretary mentioned it when i handed her my check. had i not been asking the pastry chef how things had been, i would have never known. i would have gone to the kitchen and used the dough. the money is so secondary compared to my time. i was so upset that i threw everything away and left. i cried the whole way home. i called the secretary and told her someone should have informed me! so not only did i not have the dough i was counting on using, but i had to go buy more supplies and start from scratch. of course, knowing there was no way i could make that much dough, i opted to work out of the house. so, i spent the next 2 days yelling at my children to get out of the kitchen. the order got out, but was it worth it?

anyways, sorry, i didn't realize that was going to be so long. i don't want to give up on cookies completely. i love decorating. i'm looking at a building near my house right now. i'm not sure it's going to be worth it for me to rent a building to put so much labor into it(plumbing, venelation, wall coverings, electrical). if the owner decides to not rent to me after a year, i could be out as much 20K. i'm just tired of throwing good money after bad(did i say that right?). i just need to find that balance that everyone keeps mentioning. maybe this just wasn't the right time. who knows? something will happen some day! i will own my own shop! i will have it all! but no matter what, my kids have to come first. i think it was jackie o who said "if you fail with your kids, nothing else matters".

Oh my......I was just taking a break from housework and sat here with tears, joy, understanding, and empathy after reading this thread. Wow......you all are the best.

First off, SweetDreamsAT......you are making the absolute most right decision. Your family is so important. All THINGS fade away, but RELATIONSHIPS are what God made us for. There is NO important job than a mother's. The world tells us differently, but we must fight to hold onto the truth. You will NEVER regret giving your all to your family. And oh the sweet the memories you'll make along the way that wouldn't have been possible if you'd been in stuck in a kitchen decorating because of that next order......

Your talent will not disappear.....it will only be refined with time. And I am certain that you'll be making cookies once a week or every few weeks for fun.....and your abilities will continue to move above and beyond the amazing place you've already achieved. Who knows where that will take you in the future. There is most likely an amazing opportunity around the corner that will allow you to do what you love AND care for your family in the best way.

I have spent the last twenty-two years being "Momma" to five amazing individuals. We've homeschooled all of them and next year, the remaining two will graduate high school. It has been a very rewarding time to pour myself into my kids. We are beginning to see the benefits of all that love, time, energy, and sacrifice. And I'm so excited for all them......and glad that I could give them my full attention. Oh the memories we will always have. It has been worth it all. (And I've gotten to make lots of cookies and other goodies along the way......just for them. )))

And now God has opened up the opportunity for me to do something (like all of you) that brings such joy to my heart.......lovingly baking and decorating cookies to share joy with others. I don't know if a business will come about with it, but if not, that's fine. I don't have to be paid to do this in order for it to have a profound effect on me, my family, and others. Once again, it is about the relationships. And when I lose sight of that.....I'm reminded of what really matters.

It has been so good to read about how my cookie friends have had the same thoughts as me, and how you are working through them. What a joy to be amongst all of you VERY talented individuals and watch you develop.....but also to see your hearts. I'm grateful to know you all.

I can't think of a more important topic on this cookie forum than this one. The cookies are fun and all.......but it boils down to what's most important in life.

Very well said Melvira!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been following this thread mainly because I care about CC Pals, but also because I have the same feelings... funny how I've felt the same about titles, too...

I've always helped my husband run his company and Restaurant... I stopped going to the office when my second child was born (a premie girl)... when my children invited friends to our home or I made their birthday cakes, people asked if I could sell them cakes and COOKIES...

so I started an at home bakery (I call it aficionado LOL)... but continued helping my husband, and had the 2 older children in pre-school, and first grades, and the youngest girl at home... the time came when I was exhausted! Office work, 3 small children, and aficionado bakery was more than I could handle... so I stopped taking orders... whenever I came across old customers, they would ask if I will ever bake to sell again... I knew the time will come, but wasn't sure when...

5 years ago, I started taking orders again a little at a time... I try to balance things now... I keep Friday afternoons, Saturday and Sunday for my children... this way I work on mornings, balancing DH's business/Bea's business/housework...

During special ocassions (Christmas, Valentine's Day) I have more work, and work in the afternoon, and sometimes go to bed late, but I treat my children with something fun or eating at their special Restaurant...

I'm so glad to have read the latest posts. Being an at-home mom, I've been going through a slight depression having to do the same things over and over every single day. Then the kids come home and it gets all crazy with dinner and homework, baths, and bedtime. By the time they're all in bed, i'm ready to go to bed myself!

Then i read how some of you with older kids already miss the chaos and craziness you had when your kids were younger. I know that one day i too will miss it. My entire life is about my kids, physically and mentally. Everything i do is for them. I know that one day, i too, will miss the life i have right now. Thanks for all your comments.

Wow, Dawn, you have my sympathy for having to throw out all that dough! And to have to start all over...major bummer. What a rotten thing to have happen. That was one pretty big "last straw". If I lived nearby, I'd have been there in a heartbeat to help you out.

Me too. Not that i'm an expert or anything but i would've loved to have helped.

Oh, my goodness, Dawn! I am so sorry about what happened! I can't even imagine the stress that put you under. Now I see more clearly why you are moving away from that kitchen.




You nailed it with that one!

PSneed - Two things - first, congrats on your possibility! Secondly, how on earth have you managed to homeschool and come up with so many incredible cookies? It sounds as though you have been able to find that sought after balance. Kudos to you! I look forward to hearing of your possible new venture!

Alagoas - Nice job on finding your balance! I like your idea to keep weekends/afternoons free for your family. That is what I am striving for. I appreciate you sharing what is working for you.

Well, ladies, I think we have been able to get to know each other bit more, support one another and take some pressure off of ourselves to 'do it all'. I sincerely appreciate what everyone has shared.

if you guys lived close by it probably wouldn't have been an issue. i would have you guys on the books already...THANKS!!

Hi to all my cookie friends
Ive been away for a short while and came back to read this amazing thread. First off, Ive been in awe of so many of you since I found this site last summer. Your cookies have inspired me, everyone has been so helpful and ready to give advice when needed, and most of all you are all such NICE people.
SweetdreamsAT: Im sure it must be hard to close your business, but your young family will benefit from your tough decision. You are such a talented baker and decorator, and that will never go away. You will still be able to use that talent, but will get "paid" in a different way Ive been a Domestic Goddess (thanks for the title, Melvira!) since I started my family 21 years ago and have no regrets. Im proud that I wore out the knees of my jeans while crawling around with my boys, became a master Lego builder, and can build a mean fort with any objects in my house. Now my oldest boy is entering his last year in college and my little boy is going to be a Junior in high school. Im at a point in my life where I have a lot more time to myself, which is why I was thrilled to find this new hobby when my son went back to school last fall. As soon as I figured out how to put royal icing on a cookie, I was hooked. Shortly after that, it became an obsession I remember thinking, I wish I knew how to do this when my boys were little. It would have been so cool to make favors for their birthday parties, teachers, etc. But looking back, it would have been really tough for me to balance a hobby like this and take care of my boys (including my husband) because I tend to be a little obsessive sometimes. I find myself feeling a little guilty now and then when I'm sneaking into bed 3 hours after my husband has fallen asleep just because I was trying out an awesome tip that TracyLH has posted My kitchen can look like a war zone for days at a time, and for that matter my entire house is neglected when I'm "in the zone". Recently I developed some back issues and am now requiring some Physical Therapy to help the problem. Most likely, the thing that led to this was all of the sitting down, hunching over while decorating or looking at endless pictures of beautiful cookies or reading the posts of all of my new-found friends Just a little bit of advice to any of you out there who are doing the same as I did - make sure that about every 20 minutes or so you stand up tall and stretch back for a minute before sitting back down. It can help prevent future problems. I wish I would have known this last fall
So, like many of you have said, the key word is balance. If you can balance your work life and personal life, then go for it. Just keep focus on the important things in your life and youll never go wrong.
Have fun with your family, and go wear out the knees in your jeans!
Your cookie friend, Tricia (aka Pebbles13)

Tricia, I don't even want to think how much my family has invested in Legos! Bins and bins of little plastic bricks. My sons are turning 21 next month, and STILL get out the Legos. I have a "Calvin" and a "Hobbes" lego sculpture sitting on my mantle, and two very large lego dragons sitting on my living room end table. The boys are now trying to think of ways to market their own lego designs...seriously.

I hope your back gets better, and I'm glad to see you back on the site!

Oh, SweetDreams, I am glad you saw this! It was important that you saw what you began as I think it has really helped a lot of us to at least see that there are others feeling the same way. I think it takes the pressure off a bit from trying to be 'Superwoman', thinking everyone else is pulling it off with ease when, in actuality, that is not neccessarily the case.

I have to thank you as this thread has helped me make a change. I now say one design a week (as best I can hold to that ), with weeks of no cookies interspersed and am really pushing to make sure I am not doing too many late nights. My DH has actually been surprised that this past week I have been going to bed at the same time he has, so it appears to be working thus far. I have also learned to say, "I am sorry, but I won't be able to do those for you" when before this thread, I would have pushed and pushed to pull it off. I also like how Alagaos does it with working certain days and not the others, so I am using her idea and wouldn't have thought to do so had you not started this thread. In order to try to find balance, I am also making a change that is really helping in that I take time to do my design work in advance of the actual cookie-ing. I always did the design prior, but now I do the design and bake up prototype cookies with leftover dough. I then use these to work out the steps/final color decisions/tip size so when I actually do the cookies, I am much faster. I just did it on some lobsters and it made a phenomenal difference and I was able to avoid those normal late nights. I wouldn't have thought of this had it not been for this thread.

So, you have helped me make a change and I thank you for helping me find balance! Tonight is pizza/movie night in our house and as I have already worked out the prototype for my soccer cookies for my daughter's team, I am actually watching the movie for a change! There will still be late nights in the future, but I am seeing how to reduce them and pull back a bit. Thanks for helping to gently shake me by the shoulders so I could see what I needed to do.

As for you, my very talented cookie friend, I see big things in your future and I applaud you for what you are doing. My kidlets are older than yours and there is no way on earth I could have done cookies of just about any sort when they were at the age yours are.

Thanks again for getting this conversation going, for helping me to make some very neccessary changes and we look forward to seeing your 'for the fun of it' cookies. They will be fabulous... as always!