Last fall, the Aegela Centers for Middle Eastern Dance celebrated our 2nd Annniversary at our studio in The Common Space Too (The Martin School) 10 South Holland-Sylvania, at Hill Ave., Toledo.

This was my first 'professional' cake!!! I think she looks like a belly dancer, but I want to try again!!

Kindergarten Graduation

So, danielle and I had another cake to make. A friends' son was graduating from kindergarten and she needed a cake. We made a marble cake with a fudge frosting between the layers (yummm!).

We made the little graduation hats out of fondant and they turned out pretty well.

Cupcakes for kids!

So my friend, Danielle, found this book called Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make. A VERY cool book if you are into cupcakes.

So, I am a Junior Achievement volunteer (JA is the world’s largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs) and I had to make a treat for the students that I volunteer for at McGregor Elementary (Toledo, Ohio). I teach 1st and 4th graders so Danielle and I found some great cupcakes in this book.

For the 1st graders, we made the alligator cake. Is he not adorable???!!! The kids went crazy and had frosting all over their faces!!!

For the 4th graders, we needed something a little more sofisticated!!!! So we made puppy cakes.

These turned out equally cute!!!

Active Rain

Have you heard of ActiveRain? ActiveRain real estate network allows real estate agents, mortgage professionals and brokers create a customized profile.

So I created a profile thinking, ok this will be fun, give me something to do, a way to meet other Real Estate Professionals.

I am SO ADDICTED!

I am on the site day and night, meeting agents and lender from everywhere, learning all sorts of new things, and not just for the industry. There is even a group for people who like to cook!!!

What are you still Carrying?

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there were 2 holy men traveling together through the countryside. They came upon a beautiful young woman sitting and sobbing by the side of a stream. She said she was afraid of drowning and asked them if they would help her cross to the other side of the water. Without saying a word, one of the monks picked up the girl and carried her to the other side of the stream where he gently put her down. She thanked him and went on her way. The two men then continued their journey. After a while, the monk said to the one who had carried the young woman, "How could you do such a thing? We have taken vows of chastity. It is forbidden to even talk to a woman let alone touch one." The other monk lovingly replied, "When I came to the other side of the stream, I put her down. Why are you still carrying her?"

This is one of my favorite stories. I reminds me that I need to let things go.

Girls Night Out

So last night, the girls and I went to dinner as we tend to do on Tues. nights. As usual, we had a great time! This week, it was Danielle and myself, as well as my dance buddies Rachel, Sandy and Tina.

We went to Capers Pizza on Byrne near Heatherdowns.

We started off with some beer and wine (it was tax day, I needed something), and for me, the wine selection was pretty good! We had a great Reisling.

For an appetizer, we got the onion rings and they were very tasty! For dinner, of course we went the pizza route, splitting the Chicken Ranch and Taco Pizza. Both were very good!

Bonus, their prices were so low, I was able to eat and drink for under $15 including tip!

Capers Pizza Bar:
2038 S. Byrne Rd.
Toledo, OH 43614
(419) 389-9900

Who Packs your Parachute?

This is one of my favorite stories and I need to think back on it often. Enjoy!

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

Charles Plumb, a US Naval Academy graduate, was a jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb.

"I packed your parachute," the man replied.

Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man grabbed his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him, "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."
Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb kept wondering what the man might have looked like in a Navy uniform. He wondered how many times he might have seen him and not even said good morning, how are you or anything, because you see, he was a fighter pilot and the man was just a sailor.Plumb thought of the many hours that sailor had spent in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he did not know.

Now Plumb asks his audience, "Who is packing your parachute?" Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day.

Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down. As you go through your week, month, and year, recognize the people who have packed your parachute and enabled you to get where you are today!