Business is WONDERFUL!

It has definitely been a while since I had a post BUT that can be seen as a good thing! My business is doing great! Oh my goodness...When I think about how far along I have come from just a year ago I get so excited. Since my last post I have been asked to make my first wedding cake for a client (I did one in school but this is my first bride), I sold cupcakes at a fall festival, created many new flavors, and gotten many new clients.

My bride is very much in love with my work and I was so humbled to hear from her and her wedding planner about what great things they have heard about me. I couldn't believe that my name was getting out there like but trust me I was so glad to hear of it. Before I was officially hired she of course wanted to have a tasting. I have to admit that I was so nervous about this task but my best friend told me to stay calm and do what I do. I get my best ideas just laying around and that is exactly what happened. I came up with so many different flavor combinations that i wanted her to try and she loved them all. I impressed myself!!! (That is always good :-) ) Needless to say I GOT THE JOB! So be on the lookout...May 2011 SMOOCHES will be at a wedding!

A few weeks ago I was a vendor at a fall festival for a middle school and I got many rave reviews on my cupcakes. Now I am anticipating a very busy Holiday season and I am thinking of ways to attract new business and deals for my existing customers. I am excited!!!

Below you will see some pictures of some of my recent work! Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook... www.twitter.com/SMOOCHES_INC www.facebook.com/smooches.sweetsbyelece

Until Next Time.....SMOOCHES!!!

Dora Funfetti Cupcakes

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

Set up and ready to sell at the fall festival

Butterfly Marble Birthday Cake

Key Lime Birthday Cake

It's that time of year again

Here I am at 5:04am blogging because I was awaken from my slumber due to an excruciating sinus headache. I had not realized that it is that time of year again when I have to endure what I consider pure agony and try to get as much rest as I possibly can. While some people look forward to this time of year because of the cool, crisp weather I must admit my feelings are completely different. I hate the feeling of wanting to be sleep but just cannot because I am uncomfortable. I think the worse part of it all is that I take every pill known to man and even use a neti pot to give my self some relief and it is never enough. The doctor always tends to diagnose me with a sinus infection but I have said for years that i convinced that it is much worse than that because no one i know has to deal with this other than me. I guess what they say is true...life is just not fair.(smh) I got up this morning at about 4am in pain and can do nothing but sit here and wait for it to subside and continue on with my day as planned.

This is my life and what choice do I have but to sit here and live it. As I continue to watch the clock and see the time tick away I am reminded that I have to get up and get dressed in about 30 minutes. ::sigh:: Today is sure to be a long day full of complete crankiness from me. Beware everyone I come in contact with on this day. Restless chick on the loose :-/

Until next time..SMOOCHES!

Be Still and Know that He is God

So after my last post I have had some of the most interesting conversations... many unplanned about my future. You know, whether it be my career or personal life. Somethings I want to hear and then some i dont and just not ready to deal with. But anyway, from all of the conversations I had pretty much left me with one lesson...I have to trust God to supply needs. That in itself is not the easiest thing in the world. I have to know in my heart that God will be there and not just leave me stranded but you know im human and i get impatient and tend to ask God.."WHEN WHEN WHEN will you answer those specific prayers I have prayed?" And God continues to say in His own way that what it is I keep asking for I am not ready for and just to be patient. Im sure you know how hard this is. Much easier said than done. I find it hard sometimes to continue to have a smile on my face and pretend like I have it all together when I know Im not all that great on the inside, but i mean what else is there to do??? It is what it is and this is my life and I know that all i can do is live it the best way I know how to.

Right now, there are so many things that I want right at this very moment and I am getting completely frustrated with because I am not seeing the results I want to and I can only wonder if this is meant for me BUT a good friend told me this weekend that I can only be me and take these kinds of things slow. God, I hear you talking to me and using others to get the message to me. Im working on my patience.

And this was another night that I needed to vent somehow...

Until next time....SMOOCHES!!

Lack of Consistency

I wake up some days and I love my life. I wake up on other days and I am like what am I doing here and is this what I am here to do. I see so many people being successful and then i look at me and im like "Forreal Elece! Is this really where you are allowing your life to go right now?" I recall a time in my life when I was so vibrant and each day I was looking forward to the next and now i wake some days and im like I have absolutely nothing to do. I mean please done get me wrong cause i love being in a quiet place enjoying me but when you start adding other people its another story. Idk its really wierd cause im so wishy washy...

I have my moments when I feel so lost and empty like im out here all by myself and no one understands me and it hurts sometimes but then on the other hand im like maybe no one is suppose to understand. Lately there has been a slight disconnect with me and people that arer closest to me and i do think that I cant really let it all out because thats not what people expect from me. UGH! It just gets frustrating. Idk. I have never felt like this for more than a week at a time. Like I said, there is just a lack of consistency in my life in general and it being a year since i graduated i dont see much change in my life. There is some but not much.

Anyway, needed to vent.

In culinary news...im still baking away and im getting more and more business. My website will be up really soon and I am super excited about that. Just keep me and my business in your prayers. I think Im done for the night.

Until next time...SMOOCHES!

I think I am enjoying my life

Well it has been a little over a month since I finished my internship and no I have not found a job. And while some days I wish I had one alot of the days I am actually okay. My business is definitely growing and that has been keeping my extremely busy. What a blessing! I love waking up everyday knowing that I am going to spend my time in the kitchen ALL DAY! I think this week has been my 1st week in a while that I havent had anything to do but it looks like that is going to change as my BFF's bday is approaching. What kind of friend would i be if I didnt make her cake.

Me and the rest of the Smooches team are working diligently to get me more business and I think in the up coming months we are looking to have a showcase. So all my Smooches supporters be on the look out :-) Below you will see some of the latest cakes that I have done for some people.

Birthday cake for a Soror

Birthday Cake for my mentee Mike

Variety of cupcakes (L to R): Key Lime, Red Velvet and Sweet potato

Cupcake Cake for my mini me's 5th Birthday

Birthday cake for my friend Angel

I think I have caught you all up to date so until next time...SMOOCHES!

OMG I only have two more weeks!

There isnt that much to say....I go to work 5 days a week at 5am. I come home at about 1:30pm, take a bath, eat and sleep. That was a routine for a while but since last week I have been baking like no other. Smooches has been booming and I cannot complain about that. I love that I have so many people that are willing to support me and my business venture. SUch a blessing.

I have been counting down the days I have left of the externship since it began and I only have 13 days. Doesnt seem like much but let me tell you when I am in that kitchen at 5am it seems likeforever! But while I am in a hurry to finish I need to be securing a job for me to transition into.

Anywho, i think that is all oh and Ihave 19 days til my bday! WOOOOOOO-HOOOOO!

So until next time,,,SMOOCHES!

I finished school and started my externship

My last day of culinary school was last Friday and I still cannot believe it. I am done with school and do not have to go back! Below is a close up of my gumpaste flowers and the final project. Iam so proud of my cake. I did more than I thought I would be able to. Let me know what you think of the cake and the flowers.

On top of finishing this big cake, I started my externship at the Bakeshop. I have to work at 5am on the days that I have to go in. Im cool with the hours but after I get off I am so tired and usually pass out lol. The bad part about this week is that I have to work onSunday and I have told them that I have to be at church on Sundays! I mean I dont know about them but I go to church! I mean HELLO!!!! Ugh too much. This externship is already letting me know alot about what I want to do and wht kind of place I will want to work at. I knowthat most of the people in my class are going to want to work at the places they are externing at right now but only after two days I think I already know that I probably wont want to work there full time after this is over. Is that good or bad?? I am trying to figure out where I will want to work after this 6 weeks. I mean its only 6 weeks!!!!!! Thats how long I have to try and find some place and work omg! I need help. If any one has any suggestions PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!! OMG! I still cant believe I am going to have to find a full time job and it will be in the field I have longed to work in. I think that is part of the reason I am freaking out slightly. I never imagined that I would have such a hard time figuring out where I want to work. wow! I need to stop stressing and just keep praying. No but seriously, If anyone has ANY suggestions let your girl know lol.

So on Sunday, I had my first corporate meeting for Smooches, Inc! Exciting right!!!???!! My family is just as excited as I am which makes planning this whole thing easier for me. Its good to know that I have their support. Dont forget about your girl though. Let people know that You know someone who can fulfill there sweet needs!!! Please and thank you!

So until next time....SMOOCHES!!!!

It's almost over...

This week marks my last week of having actual class at Le Cordon Bleu and I cannot believe that my time there has come to an end. I am in the process of finishing up my last practical which is my wedding cake. I am so very excited about finishing this cake because for the longest I never thought that I would be able to put together a nice wedding cake but I have high hopes for myself. Cant wait til its done and I can place yet another picture in my portfolio. Below you will find a picture of the small wedding cake I did last week

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Last week's experiment I did not take a picture of :-/ I made two small cakes for a friends birthday. I am still waiting to hear what he thought of the cakes.

In other news, my sister is coming home this evening! Our family is participating in Relay for Life tomorrow night and the next day (5/15)is my daddy's 63rd birthday!!! YAY!!! (There is a pic of us below).

Im pretty excited about all this weekend has in store.Got a few orders for this weekend as well.I will be sure to place a pic of the bday cake I am doing tomorrow on here as well.

That's all for me right now so until next time....SMOOCHES!!!!

What an awesome week!

This past week was truly amazing!!!

Let's start with the fact that my brother was blessed with another year of life! Always something to be happy about! I later found out that my business was officially incorporated as well. SMOOCHES--Sweets by Elece, Inc. I was so happy ans still am!!! Also on Monday, I began my last class at Le Cordon Bleu! WOW...i still cant believe that I am almost done..can you?? SO on May 17th, I begin my externship at The Bakeshop ATL and I am extremely excited about that as well. Everything is falling into place and I cant do anything but thank God for moving in my life the way that he is.

More and more as I am sitting around, I am finding myself thinking about food and pastries around the clock! That being said many times i get these visions and ideas and cant help but to get in the kitchen and see if what I am thinking up can come to life :-) So this weeks experiment was with white chocolate. I made a white chocolate cupcake with white chocolate icing (pic below). It was yummy but I already see where I need to make a few adjustments. But that is the whole point of experiments right. I already have my idea for next week as a friend of mine wants me to make them a cake and all they told me was to make sure certain ingredients were in it so we will see! I am excited. But before I can jump the gun I must take it a day at a time. I am currently taking a small break as I wait for some things to set up in my fridge for another cake. I cant say much about it because the person I am making it for might not know about it. Pic will be coming soon tho :-)

Thats all for now. More coming soon as work goes into my website and completing my ideas for my business. Get excited and tell all your friends and family about SMOOCHES--Sweets by Elece!!

So until next time...SMOOCHES!!

Well, I did it!

Easter was last Sunday and of course that means that the Lenten season is now over. As I think over the last 40 days I am extremely proud of myself! When i decided to give up alcohol I honestly thought that I would have the hardest time dealing with it, but to mys surprise I had more will power and was able to stand my ground. I feel great about my decision and even better about myself. I even think I may have lost a little weight since I wasnt drinking.

Now, on Easter Sunday I did celebrate with a nice glass of wine but of course I couldnt handle much :-) My family could see..I was BACK!

In culinary news, I only have 2 more classes and then i will be done with school. OMG! I cannot believe it. Right now I am in my candy class and since I love candy, I absolutely LOVE it! Today we are actually going to be making a chocolate box. Who knows, I may be able to sell some chocolates in my business as well. I am still looking for an externship and i have to say it is partly my fault I dont have one but I am buckling down and hoping for the best.

Family news, all is well there. I babysat my nieces on Wednesday and all went well. The family is still the family! I love them!! We are getting ready for Relay for Life on May 14 at Tri-Cities High School and I would love for you all to come out a walk with us. We are very passionate about this event as we have been affected by cancer time and time again. If you are interested let me know!

Until next time...SMOOCHES!!

What a busy weekend....!

Oh my goodness! What a busy weekend I had!! But before I get into all of that, let me just say that I got through this weekend without ONE drink!!! AHHHH! I am so very proud of myself!!!!! Saturday was my friends birthday and her after dinner plans included going to Wet Willies and to the club. I was able to not go and be okay with my decision. I definitely feel like that is a major step for me and what I want to get out of this Lenten season!

Last Friday, I completed my cake for my class. I think I said before that I did a Maple Pecan Cake and when I tasted it I was impressed with the taste. My family has enjoyed it so it may be something that I make in the future with a few improvements I think should be made. Friday night after class I came home to finish the other cake I had mentioned that i was doing for a 13 year old birthday party. Unfortunately, my creative juices were not flowing like I had hoped they would and i went another route from what the sketch looked like. There is a picture of the cake below.

After staying up late on Friday night, ripping and running on Saturday and waking up early on Sunday morning, I crashed on Sunday night! What can I say...I was tired!

That is all for now! And until next time...SMOOCHES!

Sorry so late but an overview of the weekend..

Hey Hey Hey!! I so meant to blog about my weekend before now but Monday I didnt do a thing and I didnt do a thing on Tuesday either.

But anyway, I did SO MUCH BETTER than last weekend in reference to having a alcoholic beverage. I went out to a party on Saturday with the Bestie (who by the way is NOT following my blog...problem? I THINK SO!!). Anyway, SHE was waiting for the clock to strike midnight so that she could torment me with alcohol. I kept telling her no but she was very persistent. So Our other friend, Jasmine, kept saying DONT DO IT cause she wasnt going to be drinking either. So in an attempt to shut Brittany up Jasmine bought us each drink and I can say with a clear heart I did NOT enjoy it like I normally would. AND, that was all I had or thought about having for the entire weekend. So While I did not go without I definitely cut back which is a BIG STEP for me! I am so proud of myself! Yall just dont know!

This weekend will present itself to be a challenge as well because Jasmine's birthday is on Saturday and she has already stated that I will need to partake in some beverages! I must say NO! The devil is busy working through those closest to me lol!

Anywho! In Culinary news this week we have a project to do where we are getting to create our own cake flavor with a few requirements.And let me say, I was excited but I am losing that excitement because i still have a million thoughts running in my head. I must begin work on this thing tomorrow :-/ I also got a cake order from one of my dad's co-workers. This lady ordered a cake for her 13 year old daughter who LOVES ACE OF CAKES(in my head...My name is NOT Duff!!). She wants this cake and I am nervous because I have not worked with fondant EVER and have no desire to want to work with it. But I am going to do it and I called on the help of my lovelyLS, BWhite to sketch (You will find it below) something for me since I have to have a visual before I can begin. Im still nervous about this cake as well and will need to begin working on this cake SOON! Cant wait to see if my final product comes out anything like this sketch.

Family news!Same ole thang! The fam was at the house this past Sunday and we enjoyed each other as usual! Laughing and talking and playing with my babies(my nieces)!

So thats all i have for now! Check out the sketch and my babies!

Until next time....SMOOCHES!

Sweets Sweets and More Sweets

Today was great! Aside from being able to actually get dressed in real clothes, I had a great time out this afternoon with my Best friend, Brittany! We started off at Mary Macs where I ran into my pastor, Olu Brown. We laughed and talked there and headed out to Highland bakery. Anyone that knows me and Brittany, we cant go anywhere without getting turned around in some way shape or form. That trip should have only taken about 5 minutes it took us maybe 10 lol. Even with my phone I kept missing turns. ANYWAY, we got there and looked, looked, and looked some more before settling on what we wanted there. After making our purchases, we headed out with treats in had off to Chocolate Pink. This trip should have only taken us about 10 minutes even going here I missed a turn lol. BUT we got there and we were both taken away with the cuteness of this place! We browsed and browsed and made some selections and took a seat. We dissected every bit of our dessert but enjoyed it nonetheless. I'm going to see if I cant get her down there for cupcake happy hour LOL...she might protest!

So I now have three places marked off my list. Next up we have Alon's bakery and Metrotainment. I need to get to these places before Tuesday of next week. Bakery hunting is definitely fun but got me excited about having my place! OOOOOOOO I cannot wait!!

I have yet to eat all the sweets that I bought today but I plan to indulge later this evening. What I have had thus far I am impressed!!! ll

Anywho...time for class! Until next time...SMOOCHES!

How did I do over the weekend??

Sooo, this Saturday my best friend, Brittany, and my friend from culinary school, Nicole, went to Noche on Saturday night to just hang out. Britt and I got there and were instantly reminded of the bars in Athens, Ga! It definitely took us back :-) Anyway, Brittany went on and on about how she was about to get drinks and I thought I was gone have steam coming from my ears because I couldnt drink. Brittany reminded me that I could have a drink on Sunday(midnight) but I had been back and forth about whether or not I was going to actually drink on Sundays. Well the clock struck 12 and...... yea, i broke down and had a drink. Sadly, it was not even that great :-/ I took this as a sign that I didnt need to drink at all. Well, Sunday after church we went to my aunts house for her house blessing and i had some wine then too. smh @ myself! This Sunday though I am definitely NOT planning to have drink so PRAY FOR ME cause I definitely feel like I gave into temptation. On the up side, I enjoyed my family on Sunday. It felt like forever since we were together enjoying each others company so I needed it. LOVE THEM!!

In culinary news, we are doing cakes and its wearing me out! We have not been getting breaks and every night I have been leaving with an attitude cause either I am hungry, my feet hurt or my back hurts. UGH! I know it will all pay off in the end. That is what gets me through. Today, I started my bakery hunt for potential externships. There is one place that I think I would LOVE to go but I am trying to have an open mind and check out some places. Today I went to Blanchard Bakery in Hapeville, Ga. UHHHHH...not the place for me. It was a very small place owned by a family but there was nothing in the bakery to choose from :-/ Needless to say, all i got was cookies and the one I ate was okay but I was definitely hoping to get some pastries (lol) so not the case. I had been thinking that I would like to have someone accompany me to help me choose and i thought of my bff because she will indulge in a sweet treat with me anytime!!! Tomorrow, we have a lunch date at Mary Macs (YES!!) and are gonna visit Chocolate pink( I am very excited about this trip because I have heard so much about it and the colors of this place are the EXACT colors I have chosen for my own place...and no i am NOT changing my colors lol). I think I might drag her to Highland Bakery and maybe Alons although I am not as excited about Alons. I need to be making a decision about my externship VERY VERY SOON! ::anxiety starting to set in lol::

Anywho, be blessed! And until next time....SMOOCHES!

When I think about the goodness of God...

As I have been sitting at home today, I could not help but think about how God has truly blessed me. I like to just sit and think about it and sometimes I just cry cause I know that I am not worthy of the things God has done for me. Today was one of those days. I just kept saying to myself Lord, You are so good to me and I immediately had a song on my heart and had to hear it. It is a song entitled, "Lord, You are so good to Me" written by a musician at my home church, Andrews Chapel United Methodist Church and recorded by what was then the Young Adult Choir (Choir No. 2) that both of my parents were apart of. About two years ago the choir that I sing in there, the Voices of Faith, sang it at our concert so I popped in that DVD to hear this song. As I listened to the words ("You are my protection and You give my direction. You are peace to my soul and the half about You has never been told. Whenever I need a friend on YOU I can depend. Lord Lord, YOU ARE SO GOOD TO ME!!!") I became overwhelmed because He has been just that to me. I had a point in my life when I felt all alone but i knew God was there!!!!! Just as I know He is there now! God is just so awesome and I dont ever feel like I can say it enough and WHEN I THINK ABOUT HOW GOOD HE IS...oh my, I just get a feeling on the inside of me that i cannot describe.

I was sitting here thinking about His goodness and thought why not share! I am sure God has blessed you all beyond measure as well!

That is all I needed to say at this moment! Whew! What an awesome God we all serve!

Until next time....SMOOCHES!!

Hope you enjoy the ride..

HELLO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!!

Last night I got the great idea to blog about my journey through this Lenten season and this morning I decided it would cool if I blogged about my remaining time in culinary school then just my life in general. I certainly hope that you all sit back and enjoy this ride that i call my life.

As many people know today is Ash Wednesday and starts the season we call Lent. Each year I give up something that I am very attached to and I seek much needed clarity from God. Last year, I gave up something that I did not think that I could live without, MEAT! But to my surprise I was able to go without it for 40 days and I felt like a new person. I felt healthier and like a new person. So this year I decided to give up all alcohol. Do not be alarmed, I do not NEED alcohol in my life but i do like wine and usually have a glass after class. When things are going badly most of us say that we need a drink of some sort to help calm us down but for the next 40 days I will not resort to alcohol to calm me down. I am extremely excited about this Lenten season and what I will gain from it. Today's devotion in the UPPER ROOM says that Lent is the season to "Repent and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15) and I plan to do just that. Keep me in your prayers.

While many Christians will be at an Ash Wednesday service, I will be in class! No complaints though I love what I am doing and I know that all of these long nights will soon pay off. This past Monday we started a new class. I am now in my cake class and anxious to see what new things I will learn within the next three weeks. My time in culinary school is going by so quickly and I cannot believe it. I will be out in the industry before I know it. Oh dear God, that means I have to get a real job. WOW!! I guess this is what growing up is all about. No complaints though...God is showing out and I love it!

Until next time....SMOOCHES!