Mom didn't always give me what I wanted when I was a child. Sometimes it was tough but it taught me to be content. I asked for a vintage green Easy Bake Oven for Christmas 3 years in a row. When I was 10 - I received a set of baking booklets and a promise lessons to use the big stove. She came through on her promise and soon I was baking and cooking for the whole family. Every special day I would bake and decorate a cake for the family- a chocolate cake with mint green frosting every St. Patrick's Day, birthday cakes, cupcakes, muffins with freshly picked berries, and cookies, bars and squares and brownies for school lunches for me and my sisters and brother. When I left home at 18 she bought me a Cuisinart that I use to this day and gave me some of my favorite cookbooks with inscriptions throughout such as; "to my sweet girl", ÿummy ", "remember when you made this with blue icing", to my little cook", "will miss your baking", etc.. I still bake with those cookbooks and booklets. I bake for others too. My mixer and recipes come out so I can contribute to my childrens bake sales at school and church. I also love to decorate cakes for my childrens friend''s birthday parties. I just ask the moms if they would like a gift for your child or can I make them a special, unique, theme cake. I have made Barbie cakes, puppy cakes, pony cakes, Cinderellas carriage cake, Spiderman and mermaid cakes and many others.

Now that I look back I see that you don't always get what you when your mom can see that something else is better. Her lessons, cookbooks and those booklets and that food processor have stood the test of time whereas the Easy Bake Oven would have been garage sale fodder by now. What mom gave me instead has lasted many, many years and is a gift that I have shared with countless others.