Out of the Dark

     I started this blog some time ago because I love what I do and wanted to share with as many people as I could.  It is the greatest feeling on earth to see what joy your creation brings to someone.  I started many years ago, (I hate to admit that because I don't feel the least bit old) when my children were very little.  I did my best to make their birthdays extra special.  I read all the books and taught myself how to decorate a cake, starting with the "Wilton Star Method".  You know, those shaped pans that all you had to know how to do is squeeze the bag and stop.  Squeeze the bag and stop.  Squeeze the bag and stop.  You get the idea.  All the little stars connected together to form the decoration.  It was so easy and the kids were so impressed!  They really thought their mother was amazing.  With four children in the house I was always the center of someone's world.  It's so easy to let yourself go and just be "mom" because it truly is the most rewarding job on the planet.  
     And then they grow up.  I don't really know when this happened and I certainly don't remember it, but it did.  They grow up, leave home to explore the world, one by one.  That is the difficult part because you start believing there is still another left at home.  Until one day.  The first one leaves, finds love, gets married and starts a family of their own.  The next in line stays awhile, but eventually he is off to discover who he is, falls in love, gets married, starts his own family.  The next in line does things a little bit different.  He joins the military, sees the world, returns home to find true love.  They get married and off they go together to see the world.  Ahh, but I still have my baby.  Or so I like to tell myself.  She leaves home, comes back, leaves home, comes back with a boyfriend in tow, leaves again, only this time she's not coming back.  She's in love and ready to get married.  It just really hits hard when it's the last one. 
     The "Darkness" starts to creep into your life as the children step out.  You don't see it coming. At least I didn't.  All in the matter of six months I lost my children (Yea, I know they are adults but they are still my children).  One moved closer (two hours away, across the state line, but still better than 3000 miles), one took his family (my precious grandson included) and moved several states away, my oldest graduated college finally (I had been keeping my two other precious grandsons while she was in class), and the baby got engaged.  What was I to do?  No more children or grandchildren surrounding me.  I didn't know what to do so I did nothing!  Wow was that a big mistake.  I started to stay up late, then sleep in.  I lost interest in everything because life as I had known it was over.  I just couldn't find happiness anywhere in my life.  Until...
     A ray of sunshine.  My baby  was getting married and while she really didn't need any help with any of her wedding plans she did need one thing ...a cake!  She knew exactly what it was that she wanted and she wanted her mom to make it.  It didn't matter to her that I had never made a gumpaste flower let alone an orchid.  She knew her mom could do anything!  She would call every evening to see if I had started on the orchids yet.  She pushed me with her belief in me.  I couldn't tell her that I didn't know anythiing about gumpaste, so I took the advice of a very wise man, my son and went straight to "Youtube" and "Google."  He had told me very recently that there is no excuse these days for not knowing something when you have "Youtube" and "Google." It is amazing, you can find anything you need on the internet and being self taught, this is just perfect for me.  It took me a day of practice but I did it!  She had the cake of her dreams for her dream wedding and I, once again felt like "Mom."  Here are the orchids!

I have discovered a new hobby! 
Tomorrow: How to make gumpaste orchids!