She takes the cake

I've reached the age where weddings are around every corner. In youngstown, it's not a wedding unless you have a cookie table that stretches for miles. Having an itch for baking and a natural sweet tooth, I always put these tables under a little more scrutiny than the average wedding goer. There's nothing more off-putting than biting into a visually stunning treat and finding its contents to be sub par. It's even more disappointing to uncover this quality in others. 

In the honeymoon stage I'm currently living in, there are very few days where I don't hear a "you're beautiful"( or some other ordinary attempt at flattery ) out of my husband. ( yes, newlyweds.). Admittedly, I'm not the best receiver of compliments, my feedback is almost always filled with an eye roll and "well I hope my insides match the outside, because looks fade, handsome." Though he says they never will, I'm sure those compliments will melt away just as our looks someday will.

In the creation of all things, the contents are just as important as the finished product. We are no exception to that rule. Unfortunately, we live in such a fast paced world where our profile picture, status, and latest tweet depict who we are. We've created a technological world that somehow is more invasive, yet less personal. This lifestyle has made it more convenient to network, but quicker to judge one another without even exchanging a word. 

In an attempt to beat the odds of a judgmental society, we have to leave our mark in other forms aside from our outer beauty, (and our profiles). This is partially why I enjoy baking, gift giving, and other arts so much. Each time I give something I've created, it's a sweet taste of who I am. (In fact, it pains me to find that I cannot make a living solely on acts of kindness alone). After baking for a wedding this past week, nothing was more rewarding than hearing our bride say "These cookies are so pretty, and they taste even better." We can spend bank accounts on a beautiful and intricately decorated wedding cake, but if it doesn't taste as good as it looks, our efforts are a waste. 

We are the cakes, the pies, the cookies, all put here to look beautiful and someday be gobbled up. As we sit here on this giant round plate awaiting our fate, all we really have to offer to others is our goodness. If your ingredients inside aren't equally appealing, all your left with is beauty that will inevitably someday spoil. Does what's inside match what others see? If not, maybe it's time to change your recipe. Share your sweet goodness, because that's what truly takes the cake. 

For a little spin on our favorite, try this aroma pleasing summer quencher.

Lavender Lemonade:
1 tray ice cubes
1/4 cup dried lavender
2 cups boiling water
3/4 cup white sugar
8 lemons
5 cups cold water, or as needed

Place ice cubes into a 2 quart pitcher. Place the lavender into a bowl, and pour boiling water over it. Allow to steep for about 10 minutes, then strain out the lavender and discard. Mix the sugar into the hot lavender water, then pour into the pitcher with the ice.
Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the pitcher, getting as much juice as you can. Top off the pitcher with cold water, and stir. Taste, and adjust lemon juice or sugar if desired. Pour
into tall glasses, pull up a lawn chair and a good book, and relax.
Compliments of Allrecipes.com

Thirsty?

As July 4th is peeking its head around the corner, I can't help but think we Ohio natives have just an ounce more appreciation for these sought after summer days. When the weather breaks, we're like aunts to a picnic. All the sudden there is a mad dash to get outside made up of people you've never seen before, who seemed to have tripled. A recent trip to Kelley's Island uncovered this lemonade stand and brought back a fresh batch of sweet summer time memories.

It seems your world is composed of a series of No's when you're a kid. No speaking without raising your hand, no name calling, no rough housing, no talking back. Summer was the same, but with a few that were much more appealing. No school, no alarm clocks, no shoes, no bed time. It was 12 weeks where we weren't taken seriously, and our biggest project was making lemonade. I see now those months out of the classroom are where I may have learned the most. 

Kids are funny little creatures. We so easily forget that we all were once in their tiny shoes. We spend billions of dollars and endless hours teaching them manners, math, and maturity and seem to forget that they have just as much to teach us. At one point or another you came across that sign in your classroom that we all know by heart. "Treat others as you want to be treated." This rule, plus a stack of others, is all you seem to know as a child. We are drilled from tots to teens with please and thank you, waiting our turn, and respecting others. What happens when we have to make our own rules as adults? Stress, chaos and emotions help us easily create a new set of rules. When we no longer are under the command of our elders it is easy to put the golden rule, and a plate of others, on the back burner. Think back to kindergarden, ( tough isn't it?). Realizing it or not, your day was overflowing with learning to share, taking turns, listening when others were speaking, and yes, practicing that ever so annoyingly popular, golden rule. What would happen if your waiter said, "Excuse me Sir, but you forgot to say thank you when I filled your glass." You'd probably look at him like he needed some meds and throw out any thoughts of a tip. When we aren't reminded often enough of these simple rules, it's easy to forget. Call me crazy, but suddenly that 5 year old looks pretty smart. 

Children hardly ever come across the same faults we face as adults. Most kids are carefree, inexperienced and unbruised. As we age, every life is going to be faced with challenges, tragedy, and defeat along the way. Children don't get caught in the trap of life distractions to toss them off course, whereas these days, we seem to go flying from the smallest gust of wind. Remember being a child? You can get kids to do just about anything for a little sugar, and they have found their happiness. Somehow as adults we forget about that simple pleasure, and let the lemons in our lives consume us. The bitterness that results from that consumption makes us pucker up instantly leaving a sourness that can linger longer than we may have expected. Some people live their lives blind to their bitterness, taking in all that will fall victim along with them. The trick is to quench your own thirst with your inner child. Even that lingering bitterness can be sugar coated. Indulge in the sweetness of success, the meaning of that golden rule, and the richness in your life. And do I need to say it? Make lemonade. Remind yourself often of those easily forgotten rules. The next time someone says you are acting childish, think back to that kind hearted 5 year old hidden within us all. Use your manners, and politely say, thank you. :o)