The Cake Boss Rocks!

I watch every Monday as Buddy and his crazy family bring joy into the lives of so many people.  They have made beautiful cakes for everyone from  the folks at Sesame Street to a drag queen who wanted a cake big enough to pop out of while wearing a christmas tree costume (what a funny episode with Miss Richfield 1981).  Buddy made a life size cake of his wife for her thirtieth birthday and an amazing cake of all things New Jersey for the Governors inaugural ceremony.  He is an ispiration as a baker and with all the "reality" shows out there, it's awesome to watch such a genuine family.  A family that has stuck together through the toughest times and built this amazing business that has lastest three generations.

I had the chance to visit Carlos Bakery in Hoboken NJ this past April thanks to my big sis. 

I was awe struck as I studied all the cakes on display and took mental notes on everything...

I hung out by the consultation area

I stared at all the photos on the wall of cakes and the family at Carlos

And ate the best Canoli I have ever had

I pride myself on learning new things from Carlos Bakery.  Whenever I make a cake I always think of how Buddy would do it and then just go for it.

Thanks Carlos for making me want to be a better baker and for teaching me not to be afraid to take a chance with it.  I have had fun doing these cakes so far and am excited for my future making them for Paiger's Creations.  

Make sure to visit Buddy and all his family at www.carlosbakery.com and be sure to watch them on Monday nights on TLC.  AND, if you're ever in Hoboken...go to Carlos Bakery and taste a little bit of heaven.

Take a look at my blog: Cake Anyone that I posted in March for a few of the cakes I've done.  There's more photos to come.
Have a great night everyone!

Mucho Love,

Paiger

A Letter To My Dad...

Hi Dad....

I just wanted to drop you a line since I can't call and tell you that I love you and I miss you.

You would be proud of me these past eight years.  I feel I've overcome quite a lot.  I've been very sick but with the Lord's healing power I became a healthy and active woman.  I am married to a wonderful man who has taken the greatest care of my heart.  Do you remember introducing us to your friends as your son Dean and his wife Paige??  Well, Dean does.  He felt so special that you loved him as much as you did.  You two will always be brothers in Christ and strongest of mighty warriors.  Dean says tug on your ear for him.  The girls talk about you all the time.  I love introducing them to their Pappa Dave and sharing all my wonderful memories of you.  I just wanted to tell you thank you for being the greatest father and for teaching me how to be a woman thirsting for the Lord and loving my family.  You and Mom have helped mold me into who I am today and I will never have the words to justify how greatful I am.  I feel you looking down on me every day and I hope that I'm doing you proud.  I am so blessed to have been your daughter and I will always love you with all my heart.  Give Grandma, Grandpa and Pop Pop a big hug for me up there and I will talk to you soon.

I love you Daddy!

My Last Kinder Grad...

Well, ladies and gentleman...
It's official!  I have two daughters out of Kindergarten.  Emma Graduated last year and Gracie just graduated this morning.

There's my happy little graduate!

Here are proud Mommy and Daddy!

To celebrate this wonderful achievement...Mommy dove into her Italian heritage and made a big 'ol batch of Pasta e Fagioli (pasta and beans).  Its something I remember my Nanny making when I was little.  It was one of my favorite comfort foods and still is and Gracie who is a very picky eater actually liked it.  Rock on!

Have a great night everyone!

Paiger

One Of My Great Mistakes...

This week is always a test of emotion for me as I approach the day I lost my Dad to a brain tumor.  I think of him everyday regardless but instead of feeling sorry for myself that he's not here to be with me, enjoy the relationship he had with my husband or meet and play with his granddaughters...I'm trying to focus on the memories of my Daddy.

One of my favorite things to think about is sailing with him.  When I was in high school, we used to take a couple trips to San Diego every Summer.  My mom and dad would rent a Catalina at the marina and we would stay on the boat the whole vacation.  We would sail in the morning, sight see during the day, go out to dinner and then snack on cheese and crackers while sailing into the sunset.  It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and not just visually.  I look back now on those times and remember feeling so peaceful and so full of love.  If there were any differences going on between me, my dad, my mom or my sister....it all melted and we would just enjoy eachother.  We were closer to God and closer to eachother.

During my dreaded teen years...I was troubled to put it mildly.  I made a lot of bad choices and hurt pretty much everyone around me...especially my father.  When I was seventeen, I decided to test my parents love by running away.  I pawned all my heirloom jewelry, I packed my bags, I wrote a check from my mothers account for $3000, signed her name, cashed it and bought a plane ticket to Florida.  I had a friend who had family there and we thought that it was brilliant to just get up and leave.  I hurt my mother, I hurt my father and I left my little brother and big sisters with no explanation.  I was just there one Thursday morning before school and after, I vanished without a trace.  Through prayer, patience and some brilliant detective work...it was my mother who had found a tiny piece of paper with my flight arrangements written on it.  My father then got on the next flight to Florida to find me and bring me home.

After running from police, sleeping on the street and just being scared to death...I ended up back at the house of my friends family in Orlando.  On this day it was Easter Sunday.  This family brought me to church with them and when we walked back up the driveway after mass....I saw my father sitting in a car on the side of the street.  I flipped out, ran inside and hid in a closet.  The woman of the house invited my dad in and came to get me.  She told me that I had to talk to my dad and this had to be mended.  She was a very wise woman!  I left the closet and walked down the hallway that seemed to go on for a mile.  At the end my dad was sitting on the edge of the couch just looking at me.  His face showed no emotion.  His eyes were the most blue I'd ever seen them.  I stood in the family room looking back at him as he slowly stood from the couch.  He walked over to me, stopped and fell to his knees.  He hugged my waist while drenching my shirt in his tears.  He asked me why?  Why did I run?  What about our family made me feel like I had to run away?  Are we lacking communication to where that was my only choice?  Did I not trust my family with my problems?
The questions kept coming as he cried harder and my only answer was, "I don't know but, I want to be taken back home".  So that's what my dad did.  He thanked the family for everything they did for me and he walked me out of the house practically in his arms...he didn't let go of me till we had to get in the car.  We flew home to be greeted at the gate by my mom, my sister, my brother and my grandma.  They all just showered me with hugs when I got off the plane.

Now, of course there was a lot of counseling and talking about why I felt the need to do this but I never realized until I was an adult that I was testing the love of my family.  I didn't trust them when they said "unconditional love".  Eventhough it destroyed them doing what I did...they loved me!  They did everything to get me back!  They sacrificed!  That's love!  That's family!  That's unconditional love!

I thank God for my family everyday.
Love your family!  Tell them everyday that you need them and NEVER give up on them.

Have a great night and as usual...Mucho Love, Paiger

Today's Ah-Ha Moment....

What is it about Jane Austen that captivates most women? Why do we crave her and her stories so much? The romances of love lost, love found and of course, love denied is like an addiction to most women. Maybe it’s the innocence from a time when dropping your scarf was the way to catch a mans eye. A touch of the hand was considered too provocative and thus, kept veiled from others around or to walk along side one another alone was an act of passion. When a man placing his hand on the small of your back was testimony of not you being his property that he owns but that you are in fact, the one who owns his heart.
Jane, whom I refer to by first name only by being so close to her novels, is brilliant in her storytelling of accomplished women who, in their right, were strong willed and independent women who deserved the kind of incandescent love that Jane so naturally explained.

Reading the ardent words of an argument between Darcy and Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice, one can see the passion pouring out of every harsh word only to end with two people realizing that they are truly meant for one another. The same love can be said with Knightley and Emma. A young woman so eager to bring lovers together is unacquainted with the fact that Knightley yearned for her without saying a word. The last of my favorites is Col. Brandon and the care for Marianne in Sense and Sensibility. He took care of her at times when she pushed him away without a second thought and his love only grew stronger for her until finally, she came to realize that it was his love that gave her strength. We long for love like that. We long for Mr. Darcy, Mr. Knightley and Col. Brandon to walk into our lives and sweep us off our feet. We compare all men to them but not in a sense of the actual gentleman but, the idea of certain traits that we all hope he possesses. A man of character who is passionate enough to fight and not be afraid to stand up to the woman he holds so dear. A man who will always have that longing for the woman he loves even though they may already be hand-in-hand, he longs for her smile, her laugh, her touch, anything that shines of her essence. Finally, a man who is willing to fight whoever or whatever is a threat to his one true love…even if it is herself.

When you find such a man, keep him close. We were made of man’s rib by no accident. Our job is to protect the most precious of organs…his heart. Like the rib, we are strong yet delicate but we would be broken before letting anything damage the heart that is so willingly entrusted to us. Here’s to the women who love old fashioned and to the men that cherish them for it.



Author to below is unknown but, what a perfect poem…
I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth, or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway
That leads away from change or growing old.
But I can promise all my heart's devotion;
A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow;
A love that's ever true and ever growing;
A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow. 

Getting Back On Track...

After having a tiring and funky week I am making the promise to myself to get back on track with taking care of myself.  I have drastically fallen off track with staying Gluten Free, drinking enough water and taking my herbalist supplements and boy am I feeling the effects this.

So with you all as my witness...Paiger has started anew today and will not fall off track again (well, hopefully)  I did not realize just how much this routine has changed my life for the better until I broke from it for a week.  It is amazing....and I will share it all with you.

Thanks to a beautiful and amazing woman named Kandee Johnson (visit her on youtube and on her blog at www.kandeethemakeupartist.blogspot.com) I have added a few things to this routine that increased the effects and have helped me tremendously...  Thank you Kandee!!

I take 3 supplements when I wake up:

  1.  Maca Root - Great for your eyes and skin

  2.  Echinacea - A natural form of antibiotic that builds your immune system

  3.  Fish Oil - Great for cardiovascular health

I take a 2oz shot of Organic Acai Juice

Visit them at www.tahititrader.com

I will usually snack on a couple of Gluten Free Sesame Seed bars and a bunch of water just cause I am not a breakfast kind of person.  Then at lunch it's usually fish or chicken and veggies followed by a smoothie snack and thanks to Kandee Johnson...Nutiva Hemp shakes are thee best.  

Visit them at www.nutivahempshake.com

Now, I'll be honest...you HAVE to add a few things to this to make them taste as fantastic as I say they are.  I'll mix in some frozen fruits, coconut oil and sometimes some frozen yogurt and YUM YUM YUM.  They give me a ton of energy and just make me feel great!

So, this is day one back on the right track.  The only downfall today was not eating enough but, I will work on that tomorrow.  I look forward to day 2 on the right track and getting some energy back.  Thanks for hanging in there with me you guys!

Have a great night and Mucho love,

Paiger

What A Loser I Am....

Ugh...so I haven't blogged anything since last week.  I seem to be in a funk.  Just one of those weeks where you're energy seems to completely escape your body and I'm just pooped out all the time.  Tomorrow I am going to Lockhart Texas to help my mother-in-law close up shop on her house and move all of her things out.  That will get my blood pumping and break my funky, tired and moody behaivor.

More to blog later and I promise more happy blogging.

Have a great night everyone and of course....MUCHO LOVE

Paiger

What's In My Purse...

Okay, so after hearing how I carry way too much junk with me...I thought, "hey, I am bored tonight so let's really geek it up and share just what exactly I tote around with me."  This is for all my buddies and my hubby out there who joke with me for lugging around my "suitcase".

ENJOY!

            Let's see...where to begin....

* Pink/Brown Zebra make-up bag

*Pink/Black Zebra misc bag

* Zebra camera case

*Pink daytimer with sunglasses and zebra business card case

* Pink/Black iphone 

*Sesame Seed snack bars (Gluten Free of course)

* Lighter, USB memory stick, Chapstick, Hand sanitizer and lotion

*Cottenelle wipes (when you have kids you have to have some sort of wipes handy)

*Flower wallet

*Orange notepad for all my brilliant writing notes (ya know, like, what's in my purse?)

* Red portfolio of cakes and paintings I've done

What's in my pink/black zebra misc bag?

*Gum, hair ties, perfume sprays and eye drops

* Cold Care which is the greatest hemeopathic cold medicine out there

* Tums, Beano and Pepto tabs cause...ya never know what might arise.  Ha ha ha

*  Tooth whitening pen

* Cuticle oil pen

* Ear buds for my tunes

Last but not lease...what's in my pink/brown zebra make-up bag?

* NYX eyeliners
* Make up brushes
* NYX lip gloss
* Botanicals Lip gloss
* Avon lip conditioner
* Eye lash curler
* Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara
* Urban Decay Shadow Primer
* Bare Escentuals Plumping Lip Gloss in Buxom
* Urban Decay Ink For Eyes in Brown
* Urban Decay Matifying Powder (The greatest and my most needed)
* NYC eyeshadows

So there you are.  This is all the "junk" I carry with me all the time.  I probably don't use half these things daily but, hey, just in case.  The famouse three words of women....Just in case!

Have a beautiful evening and ladies...be proud of the fact that if your nearest drug store runs out of anything, you'll have the means to fully restock the entire store.  Ha ha ha

Mucho Love
Paiger

May The Force Be With You....

Not much to write about today.
It was my day to be domestic and do laundry, clean house and get things fixed around the house.

So, to leave you with something for today to show you all just what a dork I am...
Here he is...Darth!  I got a little Darth Vader toy from McDonalds and decided to put him in my car and give him the job of my little navigation Jedi....

He's my little nugget Jedi.  Just too cute to be a bad guy!

May the force be with you all!

Mucho Love

Paiger

My Poor Nugget...

Okay...so Paiger is a klutz!  I went down to Lockhart yesterday to help my mother-in-law pack up her house that she is leasing out in order to live with us.  Things were going really well.  We were getting a lot done until it was time to move her curio cabinet.  There was a large piece of wood on the top of it that serves only a decorative purpose and it was not attached to the top for whatever reason.  The cabinet started teetering once we began shuffling it across the room and in a split second, the large decorative piece of wood fell down and cracked me right on the head.  OUCH!!!  I have to admit, quite a few bad words came flying out of my mouth coupled with many "F" bombs.  Once it stopped throbbing, I went on moving the case.  I felt something wet on my forehead and figured it was because I was working up quite a sweat...until I wiped it away with my hand only to find that it was red.  Again...more bad words!  I cleaned myself up and had to snap some pictures of it.  It really doesn't look that bad but it did hurt like a MoFo...

I ended up with a slight concussion, I think.  Last night I was real sick, couldn't keep my eyes open and was super dizzy.  Today was a little better though.  Still had a headache this morning but it's gradually going away.

Me pouting cause I'm such a baby!

Now for the happy stuff...

I woke up this morning to breakfast in bed made by my husband and the girls.  They made me eggs and bacon with a banana and a Gluten Free chocolate bar.  I even had and RC cola to help me wake up.  Yum!

Once we got home from church, I took a two hour nap and then hung out with the girls while they played with their friends.  It was a simple day, a relaxing day and a day of reflection on my life and how wonderful I truly have it.  I thank God for my life.  I thank him for allowing me to be the mommy of these two beautiful little girls, the wife of a man who God sculpted to be my perfect match in every way and to be an artist and create for a living.  I love all three of my jobs!  

Happy Mothers Day to all you beautiful women out there.  

Mucho Love, Paiger

Love, Love, Love...

I saw this quote today and thought it was simply beautiful:

"I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me.  Love is knowing all about someone and still wanting to be with them more than any other person.  Love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of.  Love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees whan they walk into a room and smile at you."

AUTHOR UNKOWN

Love like it is the last day of your life and let everyone see God 

shining through your eyes into their hearts.  

Have a wonderful night everyone!

Paiger

Strawberry Fields Forever....

On my way to seeing my magnificent Bethesda Fountain...we came across something I didn't expect to see.  Below is The Dakota.  These are the apartments where John Lennon lived and where he was shot to death on December 8, 1980.  

After entering the park at Central Park West and 72nd...there is a sign greeting you to Strawberry Fields.

You walk through the beautiful path of gorgeous trees and tulips...where you end up at the IMAGINE memorial in dedication to John Lennon

It was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon this site where an acoustic band was playing Lennon and Beatles songs while people were laying roses down one by one.  I was incredibly moved being witness to this and thinking about the impact it has on so many.

I may not agree with what Lennon said about christianity but I do agree with his thoughts on love and peace.

"Give peace a chance...cause all we need is love"  John Lennon

Do something nice for someone today, tomorrow and every day for the rest of your life.  Let someone pass you on the road, go in front of you in line at the grocery store or just smile at a stranger on the street.  It will make a difference in their life and in yours.

God Bless You!

Paiger

My Dear Bethesda...

There is a place deep in a beautiful park tucked inside a beautiful city....where I run to in my mind whenever I feel a little stressed or when I need to escape to gather my inspirtaion to write.

That place is the gorgeous Bethesda Fountain within Central Park in NY.  Last time I was there I was 12 and now 21 years later...I was back.  My wonderful sister, Kim planned to take me to NY during my visit with her and her family in New Jersey this past weekend.  I was so excited!

Unfortunately, the fountain was under construction when we arrived but that didn't stop me from soaking in every last moment of being there.....

A beautiful place...

 and my go to for relaxation.   I mean...it's just gorgeous there, even with the most well-known part covered up.

To finalize my visit with my long lost friend named Bethesda...I picked up a breathtaking photo from a photographer selling her work around the park and she even framed it for me.  

Thank you NYC for being a wonderful city with so much to share (more beautiful sites to come in future blogs) and thank you Bethesda Fountain for being my perfect get-a-way.  I often have visions of sitting by the water with my strawberry cucumber smoothie (it used to be a warm bagel and coffee but, Gluten Free living has changed that).  I sit by the water with my notebook, drinking my smoothie and writing my masterpiece novel!  Thank you for helping that dream along.

Have a great night everyone and of course....MUCHO LOVE, Paiger