2015: Best.Year.Ever.

This is it. We are in our last few hours of 2015. It’s been a year full of laughs, heartache and surprises but I made it.

Here’s what I loved most about this year:

Five years ago, I made a mental note that I wanted to throw my Dad a 65^th birthday party and I did. 

Nine months later, he’s still talking about how it was the best gift he’s ever received.

I spent my 34th Birthday with my girlfriends...80's style.

Out of all the cakes I made, this Neapolitan cake is my favourite 2015 baking project.

Isn't she lovely? I finally have two mixers again! I’m sooo in love with my new Kitchen Aid 5 quart Architect mixer. The glass bowl is by far the best feature.

Finding out I was expecting was a shocker but at the same time the best news I’ve ever received. I have approximately 2 weeks and 5 days left until I meet my Princess.

What were some of your 2015 highlights?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

One little cupcake coming right up!

A few months ago, my life took a surprising turn…I found out I was pregnant.

After getting over the initial shock, the reality of the situation began to sink in. I was finally going to be a Mommy. After burying those dreams late last year, my dream was finally coming to pass.

I’ll never forget seeing my little one at my first ultrasound appointment. He or she looked like a little shrimp. I then wondered if I would be able to eat shrimp during my pregnancy. 

After my appointment, I headed straight to the grocery store and bought a bag of shrimp to have with my dinner that night. Thank God I was able to keep it down. I then nicknamed my little one “Baby Shrimp”.

After going for my second ultrasound appointment at 8 weeks, I couldn’t help but cry. His or her tiny head was forming. His or her tiny arms and legs were beginning to sprout.

At the end of my 15 weeks, my pregnancy became more real when I felt that first kick and saw that tiny foot make an imprint on my tummy. All those fears of my Baby Shrimp not being alive quickly vanished.

There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for choosing me to carry this child. This has been an amazing experience thus far (minus the sleepless nights and back pain). I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world.

He or she has already been a blessing in my life and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for him…or her.

Only 2,688 more hours to go until this little cupcake is finished baking!

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

My Happiness Project: Binge Watching

I’m in month seven of my Happiness Project.

Last month’s resolution was supposed to be Doing the things I love: Read, Bake & Play. Unfortunately, things took a different turn and I didn’t get to do much of those things. Since I’m on a reduced teaching schedule this month (yeah for Summer holidays!), I have all the time in the world to catch up on my  baking, reading and playing.

That Dessert Night I had to cancel last month, it’s going to happen by month end.

July’s resolution is to quite simple – I’m going to be a Binge Watcher this month. For those that know me well, I’m not a fan of television. I think spending endless hours in front of the tv is a waste of time – hence the reason why I refuse to pay for cable.

Since it is the beginning of my Summer holidays, I thought to myself, why not do something that I wouldn’t normally do…like spending endless hours watching tv.

No, I’m not going to call Rogers or Bell and sign-up for cable but I just might sign-up for a free month of Netflix. I’m going to finally catch up on some of the baking shows I used to watch and I still have five seasons of Fresh Prince to get through.

I might as well enjoy my two months of freedom because before you know it…BOOM…it’s September and I’m back to my regular schedule.

 What resolutions have you made for this month?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

   

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)

Baking is my Therapy

There was nothing like heading to Bulk Barn after a stressful day to buy a bagful of candy. It was my quick fix.  It helped calm my nerves. It put a smile on my face.

Since the start of my year long candy fast, I’ve had to find an alternative.  I found it. When I’m stressed, I turn off my phone, put on some old clothes, blast my music and head to the kitchen to bake. There’s nothing like it.

I know that baking won’t solve my problems but just for a few hours I can forget about them and spend time doing what I love the most.

During these times, I end up baking too much that I have to give half of my baked goods away  - unless it’s my Lemon Poppy Seed cake. That’s too good to share!

If you ever call and I don’t return it, no need to worry. I’m probably in the kitchen, singing my heart out and baking.

What’s your stress reliever? 

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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