All this Clutter!

Last month, one of my girlfriends jokingly said that I’m a hoarder. I was offended by her comment but the more I thought about it, the more I started to believe it.

 I admit that I have a bad habit of purchasing items that I already have at home. I always open the new item before finishing the other.  I couldn’t help but wonder if I had a mild case of hoarding.

Earlier this month, I headed to the washroom to clean out my cupboards. Most of the items  you see below have been sitting in my cupboards for at least five years. I refused to throw them out – especially my Bath & Body Works products. I had convinced myself that I would finish the body washes and lotions at some point. Now, they’re all dried up and useless.

Next stop was the kitchen. Here’s all of the half empty baking containers and packages that have been sitting in my cupboards and fridge.

 I’m embarrassed folks.

While doing my research on hoarding, I came across the “How Serious Is Your Clutter Problem? Quiz”.  Based on the number of questions I answered “yes” to, I only have a cluttering problem. I’m not a hoarder!

I shared this info with two individuals and their response was “there’s really no difference between the two”. WRONG! There is.

Hoarders have an obsession with collecting stuff and experience anxiety when having to part with them.

 Clutterers allow things to pile up but are able to discard them without suffering from anxiety.

Hoarders don’t realize they have a problem and need professional help.

Clutterers recognize they have a problem and are able to help themselves.

My resolution for the next 21 days is to clear these half empty bottles and containers before purchasing new ones. I can and will get this cluttering problem under control!

Do you know of anyone that suffers from hoarding or has a cluttering problem?

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 Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

Pet Peeves

I always tell people if they want to see me get upset, just be late for our appointment. 

Nothing gets under my skin more than people who have zero respect for time. If we agreed to meet at 2, I expect you to be there for 2 – 2:15 the latest. If you are running late, do me a favour by calling or texting me. Don’t expect me to know that you lost track of time or got stuck in traffic. I’m not a mind reader for heaven’s sake!

By being late, it shows me that you don’t respect me or my time.

I don’t know how many family members and friends I’ve blasted over the years for this.

Mind you, I’ve mellowed out over the past ten years. Unfortunately, I started doing what I hate the most – being late and not calling or texting whomever I was meeting. It’s gotten to the point where people expect me to be late. I don’t want to be known for that. As part of my Happiness Project, I’ve made a resolution to start being on time again.

Here are some other pet peeves that drive me insane:

1) People that wear socks with sandals. Socks are to be worn with sneakers only.

2) People that don’t spell check before sending an email. Some should do the same before sending a text.

3) Parents that make up their children’s name. I believe that every child’s name should have a meaning.

4) Men who do the whole “psssst” thing to get a woman’s attention. I’m sorry, do we look like dogs?

While looking on line for what others consider pet peeves, I couldn’t help but laugh at the following:

Couples who sit on the same side of the booth when there is no one on the other side

Couples that own a dog together and call themselves Mommy and Daddy

Anyone – male or female- who says “We’re pregnant”. Are they sharing a uterus?

What is your #1 pet peeve?

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Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

Au Natural Cakes

For the past few weeks while looking for some new cake ideas, I've seen pictures of cakes without icing on the outsides. I wondered why people would post pictures of half finished cakes.

Last Thursday, I came across an article, "Trend Alert: 'Naked Cakes' have nothing to hide" in the Toronto Star. Halfway through the article, I realized the cakes that I've been seeing on-line were the same cakes that were being described in the article.

Naked Cakes are cakes with bare sides. They have become the newest wedding trend since 2013. Many are garnished with fresh fruit or fresh flowers. 


Well...I've officially hopped on the bandwagon. Simply Delicious will now be offering Naked Cakes. I decided to change the name though. Naked Cakes sounds so... plain Jane. The new and improved name is 'Au Natural Cakes'.

I made my first Au Natural Cake today. Coconut Cake with Raspberry Butter Cream icing garnished with fresh raspberries.

Au Natural Cakes are not just for weddings. They can be a part of every special occasion: Birthdays, Anniversaries, Bridal Showers, Baby Showers, Graduations...well, you get the picture.

The benefits of ordering an Au Natural Cake is that they're more cost effective (and less work for us Cake Decorators!) and perfect for those that don't like their cake drenched in icing.


What are your thoughts on the newest cake trend?

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Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

The Key Ingredient

I recently posted this picture on Simply Delicious Facebook page and it happened again last Saturday.

I was just about to make the icing for a cake when I realized I forgot to buy more High Ratio Shortening. Bulk Barn - the only place I can buy this ingredient - was closed. I was supposed to deliver the cake for 8:30 that night. 

No need to panic. The cake was for the next day. I called my client, explained the situation and told her I'd have it ready for 10AM.

I drove to Bulk Barn on Sunday morning thinking that they opened at 9. They opened at 10 - the same time I was supposed to deliver the cake.

I remained calm because I knew the function wasn't until later that afternoon. I called my client and told her I would take a few dollars off her order and offered to drop the cake off at the venue. She appreciated the discount but told me that the event was taking place in Stoney Creek. "Where is that?", I asked. Close to Niagara Falls.

Time for plan B. 

The only solution I came up with was to go back to the bakery I used to work for. Since I left on good terms, they had no problem helping me out.

Here are 3 things I learned from this experience:

1 - Always make a list of ingredients that need to be purchased. Mental notes don’t seem to work for me anymore.

2 - Never worry a client.

3 - Never burn your bridges. If I didn't leave my previous place of employment on good terms, I wouldn't have felt comfortable going back and asking for help.

In the end, it all worked out. I was happy and so was my client.

Visit on Thursday for "Au Natural Cakes".

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Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

My Candy Addiction

I must have been in my early twenties when I discovered Fuzzy Peaches. I would finish a bag within a half hour or less. Overtime, they became my comfort food. If I wasn't feeling well, I'd buy them. If I wasn't in a good mood, I'd buy them. If I was stressed out, I'd buy them. If I was on cloud nine, I'd buy them. Sometimes I would buy them just for the sake of buying them!

By August 2004, I realized I had a serious problem. I was addicted to candy. It wasn't just Fuzzy Peaches but also Wine Gums and Swedish Berries. I decided to challenge myself. I was going to do a candy and chocolate fast for an entire year. I told my siblings and close friends my plan and asked for their support. Some of them laughed and told me I was crazy but promised to help me.

August 6, 2005 ended my year long candy fast (with the exception of one or two slip-ups). I felt good about myself for completing this fast. If I could do without candy and chocolate for an entire year, I could do anything! I ended and celebrated this monumental event with a pack of Jolly Ranchers.

The celebration continued that weekend. I bought every kind of candy I could get my hands on. The following week, I promised myself that I would keep my candy intake under control so that I wouldn't have to torture myself again.

Fast forward 10 years and I'm back at square one. This time it's worse. Some weeks I would buy candy everyday. I'm afraid to look back at my banking statements to see how much money I wasted at Bulk Barn, Walmart, the Dollar Store and even Shoppers just to fill my craving. 

Last year, my Naturopathic Doctor was shocked at how high my sugar level was. He told me I needed to scale back and to come back in four months for a follow-up.   I didn't go back.

I tried to do another candy fast at least half a dozen times but failed.

Well, it's a new year and I'm trying again. December 31st I had my last bag of fuzzy peaches. I won't be as crazy this time and eliminate chocolate. Just candy. With all the baking I do, avoiding chocolate would be next to impossible.

Now I'll have to find a healthy alternative to fill my candy craving.

I have 12 months to come up with a game plan on how to keep this addiction under control for good. Once I figure it out, I'll let you know.

Any suggestions for a healthy alternative to fill my candy void?

What addiction are you trying to overcome/have overcome?


Visit next Tuesday for "The Key Ingredient".


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Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

My Happiness Project

Like most, at the end of every year I create a bucket list – a list of things I would like to accomplish the following year. Every June I review my list and realize that I’m nowhere near accomplishing my long list of goals. By the end of the year, I'm lucky if I'm able to cross off 5 items. I always told myself that there was always “next year”.

Last month, I came across “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin – a book about her twelve month resolution plan to happiness. Every month she made new resolutions with the hopes of keeping them for the entire year. I thought this was a pretty realistic way of accomplishing my goals so I decided that as of January 1^st, I was going to start my own happiness project.

For the month of January, my focus is on Spirituality – to spend more time with God through prayer, daily Bible reading and scripture memorization.

One of my goals has always been to start a blog.  It’s something I’ve wanted to do but didn’t have the time nor was I ready to commit. Now I’m ready. I finally turned my dream into a reality.

Special thanks to my sister, Winter, who inspired me to start blogging.

Will I be happier by the end of 2015? Who knows. Every year I like to try something new and this year it happens to be “The Happiness Project” – tackling my dreams and goals one month at a time.

What resolutions have you made this year?

What steps will you take to accomplish them? 
    

Visit on Thursday for "My Candy Addiction".

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Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)                                                                                       

More about Me

My name is Monique Findlayter. I’m the oldest of 5. I was born in North York, raised in Scarborough and currently reside in Ajax.

I'm a Readaholic
My love for reading started when I was in Grade 2. During the Summer months from Grades 3 to 8, I remember visiting the library and borrowing 20, 30 and 40 books at a time and finishing them within a week or two. 

As I got older and life got more hectic, I was lucky if I was able to read five books a year. This year I made a resolution to read one book a week.

For the past few years I've been meaning to start a Book Club. Next month, 13 ladies will be joining me for our first Book Club meeting.

I'm a Bakeaholic
My earliest memory in the kitchen was at the age of 4 mixing Jell-O powder with hot water (under my Mom’s supervision of course). From there, I remember helping my Mom bake every chance I got.

 As soon as I was able to operate the oven on my own, I started baking.

When I was either 13 or 15, I told myself that one day I was going to run my own bakery.

Twenty years later, I may not have my own bakery (yet) but I turned my hobby into a business. Back in 2006, I started  Monique’s Cheesecakes. In 2011, I changed the name to Simply Delicious. I now specialize in the 4 C's:  Cakes, Cheesecakes, Cookies and Cupcakes. Thanks to my Mom and my late Grandmother for being my inspirations.

I'm a Musicaholic
When I was 7, my parents enrolled me in piano lessons. Right before my final year of high school, I told my parents that I was no longer going to take lessons. 

After a 7 year break, I finally started playing again. I was then encouraged to start teaching. September 1, 2007, I started Piano for Beginners. 

After getting laid off from my job in December 2012, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a full-time Piano Teacher. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

People always tell me how lucky I am to be doing what I love. You too can do the same. 

"Allow your passion to become your purpose, and it will one day become your profession". ~Gabrielle Berstein