Even though I deemed August to be birthday mania month, I still had quite a few weddings.  Sooooo in case you didn't see them on my Facebok page...here they are!

August 15- 300 cupcakes at the Sportz Page in Belmont: smore, cinnamon roll, chocolate chip cookie dough, vanilla raspberry, vanilla, and chocolate twinkie.  I loved combining my tiered stand with the stair stands the couple provided. Cupcakes were also put on the head table with their beautiful painted bottles.  

The second wedding I did for August 15th was picked up and set up by a friend of the couple.  It was 124 cupcakes (carrot, chocolate chip cheesecake, and gluten free carrot) at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.  Love the rustic wood stand they used!

The first wedding for August 22nd was at Century Barn in Mt. Horeb.  I was beyond excited to set up there (I have always wanted to).  To top it off...I got to set up on old whiskey barrels...another thing I have always wanted to do!!  So far this set up is probably one of my favorites (if not my very favorite).  I used a combination of my gold stands, stairs, and crates to set up: monster cookie, chocolate chip cookie dough, funfetti, triple salted caramel, lemon raspberry, and chocolate peanut butter craving cupcakes.

I did another wedding on August 22nd.... but sadly I don't have pictures yet!  (Tears)  I made 264 cupcakes: chocolate peanut butter, dark irish, lemon raspberry, vanilla strawberry, smore, and dairy free chocolate.  Hopefully I will have pictures of this wedding to post soon!

The last wedding of the month was 250 cupcakes at Deer Valley Lodge in Barneveld: red velvet, vanilla, vanilla raspberry, chocolate, and chocolate mint.  I have done a setup with these stairs and crates before, and I was so happy that even though I have done this set up, it still looked very different because of the location and table decorations.  I felt like a sneaky undercover person or something setting up this wedding.  The couple was getting married right outside the reception hall so we had to get in and out quickly.  So right before the ceremony we got into the hall, started setting up as they got married, and were snapping pictures as we heard the clapping.  That was our signal to skedaddle!  We drove away as the receiving line was going....success!

Thanks for another week of orders!  My crazy September has officially started :)

I've officially named September wedding month....and August is birthday month!  Why is August birthday month??  It's not necessarily the month that has the most birthdays overall, it's just the month that has the most birthdays for me personally. In consecutive weekends I have birthdays for my nephew Liam, my godson Sully, and my niece Chloe.  I have a new little niece (Charlee Jean) who isn't technically an August birthday, but I'm counting her in the birthday madness because her birthday party will fall the weekend before Liam's most years.  

So August feels like Christmas in our house.  I had a box of presents in the spare room waiting for each party; just like Christmas, minus the tree, and plus cake.  Which is what I want to focus on for this blog post...the cake/cupcakes!

I've had the pleasure of being the dessert provider for all these birthdays for several years or their whole lives.  I love doing it because I pretty much get to do what I want for them.  Which is great because I can try something I've been wanting to do, or do something a little more over the top that may not normally get ordered.  

A few years ago I did two tiered cakes for Chloe and Liam.  At the time I was still just baking for friends and family at home and didn't have experience in tiered cakes...so I used their birthdays as a chance to get some experience and do something fun for them.  

Now onto what I made for this year's birthday mania...

Liam's birthday comes first in the August birthday mania.  He's a very active little boy, so for his 5th birthday he wanted a sports themed cake and sports he got!  I've found that most kids prefer to eat cupcakes over cake (shhh they don't know they are the same thing).  So for Liam's sport theme I added "pop tops" to vanilla and chocolate cupcake cake sections.  Upon seeing it he immediately wanted to know if he got to keep them.  He did!

Up next was my sweet godson Sully (Sullivan).  This little man lives all the way in LaCrosse so I don't get to see him much.  So every time I see him it's like he's grown up soooo much.  I can't believe he is 3 already!!  Sully was originally going to have a Thomas the Train theme, but after riding the train at the zoo, the two now go hand in hand.  So animal train it was!  I made the shaped 3 out of monster cookie and chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes, and the top train and all the animals out of fondant.  I was told that when he was asked "what do you want for your birthday?"  he would respond "cake!."   Was he destined to be my Godson or what?!

The final birthday in August mania, the original August birthday, is my niece Miss Chloe.  Chloe turned 6 (going on 16) this year and loves animals just like me!  I incorporated zoo animals with a "girly" tree in the middle.  I had to add the owl because her grandma (my mother-in-law) loves owls.  Chloe knows this and had to make sure grandma saw it.  This was a fun one to make and I'm so glad she is a fellow critter lover.    

Next year this little lady, Charlee Jean, will be kicking off the birthday mania at the end of July.  Can't wait to see what all her birthday themes will be!

Thanks for another week of orders!  Hope to see you at the open day Friday...it's the last one until October!

I never realized just how popular September was for weddings...until last year, when my September 2015 started filling up like crazy with weddings.  And my oh my did I ever get wedding inquiries for September!!  I have been booked for the 12th and 19th for a long time now and have had multiple people who have really wanted to book those days.  Unfortunately, I maxed them out at three weddings each so I couldn't take on any more.  Do you know how hard it is to say no to somebody who REALLY wants your cupcakes at their wedding?!

I currently have nine weddings booked for September.  Considering I had a total of 12 weddings last year (pictured above), I'd say nine in one month means Steph's Sweet Treats has done a lot of growing over the past year!  I am by no means trying to brag, I'm doing this post to let customers know they need to order now.  If you have events in September, my availability is going to be very limited.  Pretty sure I might just need to take a sleeping bag to my shop!  I won't actually do that....but if I could get somebody to make regular deliveries of Bob's Bitchin' BBQ to me that'd be great!  I need my energy (and BBQ) you know....

So please, if you want to order for September please do so now. If you haven't heard yet, there won't be an open day for September...so you better come to the August 28th open day since it will be the last until October!   Weekend cupcake orders for the majority of September, will be limited to the flavors I am making for weddings.   I hate to limit it, but I have to.... otherwise I will be a crazy person...well crazier than I already am. 

Due to the weekends filling up and it being a regular occurrence for me to have a big variety of flavors to make for the weekends, I'm thinking of doing an email list/group if I can get people interested.  I normally have a dozen minimum per flavor when you order.  What I am proposing is to offer a mixed dozen for last minute orders of flavors I am already making for weddings/full weekends.  I would send out a list of flavors via email on Tuesday and ask that people respond with their orders by Wednesday. If you are interested in being part of the email list please send me an email!

Another quick note I want to tell people: Along with a lot of orders, comes a lot of posting on Facebook.  Facebook limits the number of people that can see business posts, and in order for more people to see them, more people need to like and/or share the posts.  Every little bit helps Steph's Sweet Treats grow, so I appreciate every bit of help from customers!  If you want to make sure you see my posts, you can also get notifications by going back to the "Like" button...the one you already pushed (or I hope you did) to follow the page to begin with.  If you click it again you can then click "get notifications." Voila!  When I post you will get notified that I did so.

Don't forget about wedding referrals!  If you know someone getting married and you refer them to Steph's Sweet Treats, and they book...you get a gift certificate!  Note: If you are getting married September 2016... it's already filling up so contact me soon!  

Thanks for another week of orders!  Please spread the word about ordering ASAP for September!

I love seeing people's reactions when they come into Steph's Sweet Treats for the first time.  From the outside, my little brick building may not seem like much, but I've put a lot of time and love into making it mine.  A lot of which is reflected in the decor I have around the bakery.  I wanted to take a moment to give shout outs to a few of my favorite pieces since they were made by hand from some special people and/or small businesses.  

Let's start with one my newest additions to my shop.  My "Welcome" graphic!  This graphic was designed and made by Wilson Graphics.  I was beyond happy with the way my decal turned out.   I sent them the dimensions, wording, and what I wanted for a look....rustic, fun, and chalkboard...and they came up with this beauty!  Now, I can't look at this picture without noticing the (also fairly new) front counter.

This front counter is soooo much bigger than my old counter.  It holds four cases instead of two, has shelving on the backside for more storage, and most importantly...it was made by my Uncle Flipper.  His real name is Phillip, but to me he is Uncle Flip  (or Flipper).  

My Uncle Flip means the world to me.  I will always cherish this wedding picture of us because he is picking me up.  This is something he ALWAYS does when he hugs me...so I asked my photographer, Kelsey Jean Photography, to capture it for me.  I don't know exactly why this gesture means so much to me, but it does.  He is always there to help me and has done so much for me personally and when it comes to Steph's Sweet Treats.  See that beautiful arch we are standing under??  He made that!  He also made a stand for my wedding display, which I now use for all my wedding tastings.  

He also installed all the cabinets in the bakery.  He works long construction hours, but still took the time, and made the trip to Dodgeville, to help me out. So my Uncle Flip is a part of Steph's Sweet Treats.  He has put a lot of time and energy into it and that is priceless and beyond meaningful to me.  Quick shout-out to Brett, family friend who I've known since I was born.  He also helped install cabinets and tear down walls.  Thank you, thank you!!

Next up, my signs from Un-BLOCKn-Believable Creations.  Before opening Steph's Sweet Treats I had ordered last name blocks for my parents and grandparents from Un-BLOCKn-Believable.  So when I opened, I asked for some custom hanging signs.  And boy oh boy did she deliver!  The "Steph's Sweet Treats" above the Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake, and the four signs to the right "cupcakes, cake, cookies, and more" were all made by her.  She's too does it all on her own and is out of Galena Illinois.  Check her out!

And last, but certainly not least, it is the newest decoration to be added to Steph's Sweet Treats....this adorable canvas sign! This sign was handmade by my friend Morgan. I cannot get over how cute and perfect it is for Steph's Sweet Treats.  She sent me this saying in a text one night and after seeing how much I loved it, she sneakily made it into this for me!  She surprised me with it at last Friday's open day and I immediately found a spot for it.  She makes beautiful signs (I have another amazing one in my house that she made for a wedding present-pictured below.)  So thank you Morgan for being so talented and thoughtful!  If anyone needs an awesome custom sign, let me know and I can put you in contact with her.

Don't worry Aunt Pat I didn't forget about you!  Many of the little knick-knacks around Steph's Sweet Treats were given to me by my Aunt Pat.  The cupcakes that hang on my front counter and get so much attention from children...Aunt Pat; the teddy bear holding a cupcake (on the chair my mom got me-thanks mom!)...Aunt Pat; the kitchen aid timer on the table...Aunt Pat.  Thanks for finding and giving me some great goodies!

Now when you come into Steph's Sweet Treats you will know the story behind some of the decor. The pieces that come from friends and family mean the most to me and are irreplaceable.  I hope you now see why I take so much joy in seeing others reactions to seeing the inside of Steph's Sweet Treats for the first time.  It's not just me who has made it look the way it does. It's other small businesses, friends, and family.  

Thanks for another week of orders and for helping me sell out on Friday's open day!

I've noticed that the blog post readers seem to enjoy the posts that have to do with my personal life or fun bakery information.  So.... in the spirit of what's been popular.  Here's a combination of both!

I've talked about the grease trap before, so I won't go into a whole bunch of details.  But in case you haven't read/don't know.  Bakeries and restaurants have to have a grease trap to intercept grease and fats from entering the city water supply.  Lucky me...and my husband...get to clean it EVERY month!  It's definitely not as smelly as a restaurant or bars is (thank goodness!), but it's still not very pleasant.  So here's my husband and I preparing to clean the trap.

Sometimes I get oh so lucky to have my husband swing by and do my dishes.  This mostly happens on open days since baking, helping customers, and doing dishes all at once can be a challenge.  I couldn't resist taking this picture when I peeked in the kitchen one day! He's tall...so hunching over the sinks hurts his back...so he stands like this.  I on the other hand, am so short that I'm practically in the sink trying to do the dishes.

Ok.  It's a little hard to see in this picture...but I promise they are there.  My husband stole my stool and sat (well slouched) in it during my last open day.  When he got up, I noticed wrinkles on the top from him slouching in it!  My pretty little stool now has wrinkles.  They have since faded a little bit...but I can still see them because I know they are there!

 


I stand for a very long time when I bake.  I tried sneakers, but found my memory foam Nike flip-flops to work better.  But wearing them in the winter wasn't so great.  When they got a little worn I went in search of something that would help my foot, ankle and back pain from standing.  I do stand on mats, but after 12+ hours...nothing seems to help.  After searching and searching, the same thing kept coming up....crocs.  So I bought a new pair of the same Nike flip flops AND a pair of crocs.  And I must say....they are super comfy!  

Sad, sad, day when you lose an egg.  That's about it for this picture hehe...dropped an egg on accident...

In addition to these behind the scenes pictures, I wanted to talk a little about my very first parade as Steph's Sweet Treats.  I participated in the Farmers Appreciation Day parade this past Sunday with my husband, parents, niece, and mother-in-law.  We handed out pens and can koozies....and I am so glad I didn't hand out anything edible.  It was hard enough keeping up and making people happy with pens and koozies!  I can't imagine what it would have been like if I would have handed out samples.  Even though we had a lot to hand out, we still ran out by the end.

I must say I was a little disappointed in some of the parade viewers. Don't get me wrong, seeing a bunch of customers, meeting new ones, and hearing positive feedback was great; and the good did outweigh the bad.  However,in addition to noticing some viewers get upset about not getting something edible, my dad overheard some people (adults mind you) that called my mom rude for not giving them koozies.  Apparently, they had been standing in a row behind a few other people waving their hands and reaching for a koozie and didn't receive one.  This really upset me.  First off, these are items I purchased to give away to people...they were not free to me, they were free to parade goers...so I feel complaining is not nice.  Secondly, my mom did not see them.  Thirdly, even if she would have seen them, we could not possibly hand something to every single person.  If you've been in a parade, or even just watched parades, you know what it is like.  You hand something to one person, and ten others run over or start reaching for one as well.  So I'm sorry if you did not receive a pen or koozie.  You were not purposely excluded.  We did our best to spread out the items, but it is so difficult, especially when so many people are trying to get something at once. Thanks so so much for all the kind and supportive customers who came and enjoyed the parade and gratefully accepted free items or did not care that they didn't get anything.

Thanks for another week of orders and I hope to see you all at next week's open day!

This week's post is a mix of my life AND the bakery.  If you follow the blog, you know I took a mini vacation to Door County back in April.  When I get away it's usually during the week (since most orders are for the end of the week/weekend). Which is fine and dandy....except that means my husband has to miss work....which he absolutely hates!  So...going away on the weekend has become very challenging.  

Last year, for 4th of July weekend I was baking for a wedding.  This year, I didn't have a wedding and didn't have a lot of order inquiries for the weekend so I tentatively decided to not take orders.  My parents have a house in the Northwoods that I have yet to visit.  I went to their old house many times, but have not had the opportunity or time to get to this one.  And getting away on a weekend with the bakery is few and far between...so I decided to take the holiday weekend to do so! Of course, the week leading up to the holiday I got inquiries for orders.  Everyone was surprisingly understanding about not being able to order, or gladly chose to take their orders early.  I hate hate hate saying no, but I know that it is sometimes necessary.

I swear they weren't really as upset as this picture looks.  This was on the way home so Hanley (dog) was worn out and Smudge (cat) was probably mad because he hates coming home.  He'd rather stay on vacation :)

The Northwoods is probably my favorite place to go.  No matter how much you love what you do, getting away can be one of the best feelings.  I could be doing nothing but drinking coffee and  reading a book..but if I'm in the Northwoods it feels amazing. When we go up north my cat and dog travel with us...oddly enough my cat is great traveler.  He loves water too..he's a strange one! 

So I took the weekend off to enjoy the Northwoods with my husband, parents, and pets.  We went on several boat rides around the chain of lakes, relaxed, and played pool a lot...which I am not so great at but it's fun to try!  I also fished a tiny bit, but didn't catch anything which I was slightly relieved by.  I use to fish a lot when I was a child, but now I have this weird thing where I feel bad for putting a hole in a fishes lip and then throwing it back in the water.  I also feel bad about stabbing a worm...especially since they don't have eyes and can't see it coming...so I used an artificial lure.  Strange...I know!  I should probably just be a vegetarian....

June Wedding Recap
I post pictures of all the Steph's Sweet Treats weddings on my facebook page, but since not everyone sees them, I thought it would be fun to post the pictures and information of them on here once in a while!

June 6th wedding: Dodger Bowl in Dodgeville.  350 cupcakes: vanilla, chocolate, vanilla raspberry, vanilla strawberry, red velvet, chocolate peanut butter, and funfetti.  This wedding also had cupcakes on the centerpieces of the reserved tables.  This rustic yet whimsical display was provided by the couple.  

June 13th:  300 cupcakes set up at the Belmont Convention Center: vanilla, chocolate, and chocolate chip cookie dough.  Love, love, love these rustic cupcake stands!  They were provided by the couple, but I would LOVE to have them for myself for others to rent.  

June 20th: This was a double wedding delivery day.  The first went to the White House in RIchland Center: 200 cupcakes: vanilla raspberry, chocolate, ultimate marble and chocolate chip cookie dough.  The displays were again provided by the couple.

Second wedding of the night: Wisconsin Riverside 310 cupcakes: chocolate chip cheesecake, smore, lemon raspberry, and strawberry cheesecake.  This couple rented their table display from Enhancements Flowers & Decor in Dodgeville.  I don't know if everything was rented from them, you'd have to check with the company, but I know a lot of it was.  Loved that this table had it's own little section of the reception hall.  It was in a little nook with a light and everything.

Thank you for another week of orders!  See you at the Farmers Appreciation parade!!

In case you didn't know, Steph's Sweet Treats only opens once a month. Once a month?!  Yes, yes I know.  It's not that often.  But there's reason and logic behind it.   I promise!  It's just me, myself, and I running the bakery, so when I opened I chose to bake by order.  After opening to the public for Valentine's Day last year, I realized it drew a crowd and created a "special event" for the area.  That's when it hit me that I should aim to open once a month.  I plan to stick with this method since it has kept me busy! 

I try to keep the open days around the same time of the month, but events, especially weddings, have thrown that off.  I've had some people wonder why I only open once a month, and what goes into it...so I thought I'd do a post telling everyone about it.

I've talked a little bit in the past about why I bake by order and only open once a month, but in case you need a refresher: 
-I'm the only baker/owner so I do all the work.  
-I want Steph's Sweet Treats to be different and unique.
-Opening once a month creates more of a crowd and makes it special.
-Opening daily wouldn't move the same amount of product-I don't think the area could sustain more than one open daily bakery.

So...what goes into an open day? The first thing I do is try to find a day that works.  Which is always a challenge because I never know what orders are going to pop up for that weekend. Recently, I had an unexpected wedding pop up on one of my open days and it worked better than expected since they chose mostly from flavors I was having for the open day.  Since wedding season is in full swing, availability is very limited at Steph's Sweet Treats.  For this reason, the next two open days fall on wedding weekends.  For these open days, I will base flavors on the wedding orders and probably have less cupcakes available.

Once I have a day picked, I start picking flavors.  I like to do one gluten free, two flavors that are deluxe level and at least six that are specialty flavors.  Sometimes I go overboard and do more specialty flavors (because I can't decide) and throw in some regular vanilla and chocolate as well.  For June's open day I did: Gluten free vanilla strawberry, birthday cake, funfetti, thin mint copycat, raspberry white chocolate cheesecake, strawberry rhubarb, hot fudge sundae, Mississippi mud pie, and peanut butter cookie dough.  (Plus some random extras I had throughout the day)   I try to throw in a few flavors I've had at previous open days, a few go-tos/favorites, as well as some flavors that are new to open days.  

Depending on the orders for the week and weekend, prepping for the open day can vary.  Usually, Wednesday is when I do prepping of things like, frosting, fillings, crusts, etc.  Thursday, in the wee hours of the morning, I start baking.  I like to bake things the day before they are going to get eaten.  I have found, at least for my recipes and methods, that sitting overnight helps develop flavors and makes the cupcakes more moist.  Then, 12-14 hours later when I finish the cupcakes, I get my display cases out, write on the menu board, stock up my stickers and containers, have my husband put my signs up around town, and head home for a little sleep.

Every open day I do I feel like a kid on their first day of school...I can't sleep!  I love seeing customers, seeing their reactions if it's their first time, catching up with repeat customers, etc.  Even though I have to wake up early and get going again, it's always hard for me to sleep through the night because I'm excited to wake up and see everyone!

The morning of an open day I wake bright and early (again) and start baking (again)!  This time around it's for the weekend orders that are not related to the open day.  I try to get everything baked so I can go back throughout the day and finish frosting and decorating whatever it is that needs to be done.  So if you come in and I'm running around in back, I'm trying to finish an order, baking, doing dishes, or washing containers all the cupcakes were stored in.

I open at 6:30 in the morning because there's always a few people who go to work early and want to stop before work so they don't run the risk of not getting any after they are done with work.  Lately, getting my door open by 6:30 has been a challenge.  It takes a long time to load my cases now that I have four of them....I have no idea how I survived on two cases before!  So I start loading the cupcakes around 5:45 am, then move things around so I have space for the rest of the cupcakes in the kitchen while keeping the weekend orders separate.  

In the first hour of being open I try to get as many of my weekend orders done as possible and get any pre-orders packed up.  I got lucky this past open day and didn't have too many orders for the weekend.  Normally, I would have been freaking out about not having very many weekend orders, but since it was an open day, I was pretty relieved.  I also knew that people who would have normally ordered chose to just use the open day cupcakes for whatever their weekend events were.    

This open day was extra special for me.  My Grandpa and Grandma Carley came from Richland Center to see me and get some cupcakes.  They do this often, but it never becomes any less special.  Plus, my grandpa said "I'm pretty proud of you kid."  Tears!  The words "I'm proud of you" always make me get teary-eyed, but having it come from him means even more.  To top it off....my cousin and Godson came all the way from LaCrosse!!!  Such an amazing feeling to see them walk into my shop.  I don't get to see them that often so their long trip to see me was extra special. 

My husband stopped by after he got done with work and did my dishes and kept me company...thank you, thank you, thank you!  It was a busy day, so even though I had the weekend orders finished, I had not had the chance to do the dishes yet.  He also brought me lunch....which took me three hours to fully eat.  Like I said...it was a busy day!  I was running around so much my husband said I was making him tired just by watching me.  I love every minute of it though!

I started the open day with 671 cupcakes, but with some extras I had from my weekend baking and the baking for the wedding tasting I had to do the next morning, I put out 736 cupcakes...and sold them all.  Did I mention how amazing all my customers are?!  Thank you all so much!  Thank you for another week of orders and helping me sell out the open day!  Hope to see you all on July 24 for the next one!

I bet when you saw the title of this blog post you were thinking one year of business....but I meant one year of marriage!  This past Sunday was my one year wedding anniversary so I thought it would be the perfect time to tell you a little more about my biggest supporter, number one fan, and cupcake taster.  My husband and the other half of Steph's Sweet Treats!  

-Side note:  Quick shout out.  The amazing photos throughout this post come from my photographer Kelsey Jean Photography.  You can contact her at 608-214-5357 or [email protected].  Give her Facebook page a like while your at it too.  Do it!

So by one year I really mean 10.  What do I mean by that?  Even though we just had our one year wedding anniversary, we've actually been together for 10 years.  We are high school sweethearts.  I actually had a huge crush on him in 8th grade...sorry I digress. High school sweethearts are rare, but oddly enough our class has five or six sets of high school sweethearts who got married in the past few years or are about to be married.  It seems like we all dated for an eternity before actually getting married.  Something I am now very thankful for.

I'll be honest and say dating for years and years is not always something I saw the bright side of.  When everyone around you dates for a year or two and gets married and you've been together for way longer than anyone you know and aren't married, it can be a little tough. But the thing about being a high school sweethearts is that you literally grow up together.  You go through petty high school dramas, moving out of the house, getting careers, homes, etc.  That's a lot of changes!  Most people get married a year or two into a relationship and have to weave their way through these new aspects of life and new aspects of a person. We got to go through a lot of that before getting married.  We've gone through ups and downs, figuring out life...you know, typical life problems. 

Don't get me wrong, I know things will still come up the rest of our lives and things won't always be rainbows and butterflies, but having dated so long, I feel like that experience makes you pretty strong since you've already hashed out a lot of problems.   I'm in no way saying high school sweethearts or long term relationships before marriage are in any way superior to anyone else's.  I'm saying, for me personally, having the chance to work through so much before getting married, worked for me and made us stronger.  I also realize, it isn't the case or circumstance for everyone. Everyone's story is different and I just want to share ours with you.

And let me tell you...as soon as I came to the acceptance that I was perfectly happy and didn't need marriage...we had a house, cat, dog, and a stronger relationship than ever..we got engaged!  It was the last thing I expected.  We had just gone through a small home renovation.  If you've done any home renovation you  know it's stressful and takes quite a bit of teamwork.  I don't know if this experience is what triggered Aaron (my husband) to get engaged, but whatever it was, I'll be forever grateful for. Because even though I accepted the possibility of not ever getting married, being married has brought us even closer.  

I always joke that it's a miracle Aaron hung on to me so long since he likes to trade things in pretty regularly....4-wheeler, dirt bike, house, truck, etc.  Well he's hung onto this last 4-wheeler for quite awhile so it must rank well too.  He always shrugged off other people's questions about marriage, so when he asked me to marry him (with cupcakes!) my first response was shock and I said "since when??"  And then of course I said yes!

Warning!  Mushy picture ahead.  Couldn't help but share this one.  I feel like Kelsey and sun flares have become a thing for our photos.  And I love them!

I'm sure you've realized by now that I like organization and planning.  My husband is pretty opposite of this.  Which makes him pretty awesome for putting up with the craziness that is my Type A personality.  I mean..come on...we got engaged, planned a wedding, and started a business in a little over a year's time.  That's a lot!  But boy oh boy did my need to be organized come in handy. I like to do things myself, but Aaron is always there ready to help if needed, or force his help when I'm reluctant to accept it and he sees it will ease my stress.  He painted walls at the bakery, did some dry wall sanding, went on equipment runs, and still helps out by cleaning the grease trap, going to get supplies, and doing the occasional sink full of dishes. 
 
Even if he's not there to physically help me, he's always there emotionally.  Whenever I have a long day, stressful event, or doubt myself...he's there.  (And of course he's there to taste test new cupcakes)  On a more serious note, I honestly don't know how I could stay sane without him.  I've taken on a lot in the past couple of years and he has always been nothing but supportive.  He has literally let me chase my dream.  It is scary to start a business, especially financially, but he believes in me...so he never shows any fear or doubt.  Him having my back is a huge key to Steph's Sweet Treats continuing to be a success.  

Being married to someone who owns a business probably isn't easy.  Especially since I'm the only person running it.  I'm at the bakery for really long hours, come home exhausted a lot (which makes Friday nights not so much fun most of the time); I'm always talking about ordering something, the latest cake/order, or anything bakery related, always returning calls and answering questions, etc.  Yet there he is...he's even dedicated most of his Saturdays to delivering and setting up weddings with me.  Who knows...maybe I can even teach him to bake so he can help me and I don't have to give my secrets to anyone else!  Ok, maybe that's a stretch...or is it??  I know he could do it and I know he would help me if he could.  So maybe I'm not too far off in saying that.  Don't panic Aaron.  I won't be throwing you into the kitchen for my open day baking :)

Warning!  Another mushy picture below.  But it's another sun flare so I had to share.  Plus I added a few more photos from our one year anniversary session since Kelsey does such great work!

Lastly, I just want to say happy anniversary to my husband again.  Thanks for being there with me through this crazy business journey, being my biggest fan, loving me for me, and being as goofy as I am.  In 10 years we've grown a lot, learned a lot, and been through a lot.  All of which have made us who we are today and has made us stronger.  Life isn't easy, but with you by my side, I'm confident we can handle it.  I love you!!  

Thanks for reading my mushy blog post everyone and thank you for another week of orders! I hope to see you all at my open day Friday!

In the year and a half I've been open I've had a lot of requests for job shadowing.  The interest is only increasing (which is great and flattering), but I thought it would be a good time to address it...and address why I do not do them.  I get it, job shadowing is a great chance to get a glimpse into a future career, but my situation is a little different than most businesses.  

Even though I turn down shadows, I am more than happy to do interviews/ answer questions for school projects about my business, career, etc. (and have done so).  I also participated in mentoring day last year where students were scheduled to come in and got to learn about my business and I walked them through decorating a few Halloween themed cupcakes.  I've also gone to a classroom to give presentations on my business or do a tutorial with a class.  I'm working on doing more things like this in hopes of giving students a shadowing experience without them actually having to come into the kitchen for my crazy day to day baking. If you haven't noticed...I like schedules and predictability.  Shadowing throws me off.  So if I can give students shadowing in a planned scheduled form through events like mentoring day or interviews, I do it.  I'm sorry if you have tried to do a shadow with me and were disappointed in not being able to do it.  Like I said, I'm more than happy to do an interview and am working on events to accommodate students.  

Thanks for another week of orders! 

Self doubt....I'm sure everyone has it at some point in their life, but I've struggled with it a lot since opening Steph's Sweet Treats.  There's no obvious reasons for the self doubt (like someone bashing me..at least not that I know of), it's more of a subtle thing that creeps up every once in a while.  I've had people doubt me, think my business won't last, or think I'm only busy because I'm new in the area so of course people are ordering...they just want to try it.  So the self doubt creeps in and in the back of my head I hear all these people saying "I told you so."  

Instead, I need to take a moment, stay posititve, and follow the two quotes I have in my shop: "Keep Calm and Have a Cupcake" and "You Got This."

Some of the smallest things can bring on one of these self doubt episodes.  For example:

-Having a weekend that isn't completely packed with orders. I've become use to Fridays being crazy busy with orders...so when there's a weekend with only a few orders, it gives me pause.  Instead of beating myself up about it, I have now learned to try to embrace the little break.

-Seeing my competition break copyright laws on the regular.  I know I talk about copyright law a lot...so sorry to be repetitive, but it is definitely something that can hurt my business.  If I refuse to break the law through a  Bucky Badger cake or a fondant Olaf toppers, and the customer doesn't want any of the legal options I give, they will go to someone who will. (Happens almost weekly) Combine this with me seeing my customers comment on (or order) another bakers illegal cake, and I get a very bad feeling in my stomach.  I guess this isn't exactly self doubt, because it's not like I'm doubting whether or not I should also break the law (won't do it!), but it is something I have to constantly struggle with.  No matter how many times I talk about it, it's not going to stop others from making them or prevent customers from going elsewhere...and that's a bad feeling!

-Doing a wedding tasting where the couple doesn't book or having a customer not order after making an inquiry.  I get it...I'm not the only baker around and I should not take these things personally.  I mean people get quotes from construction companies, floor companies, etc. all the time.  So why would I doubt myself when someone goes elsewhere?  I shouldn't! But it is oh so hard not to! The area we live in can also make it tough for small local businesses (as I'm sure you other business owners know)  It's hard to compete with big box stores...it's not possible for me to sell you a cake for $10 without going under in a hurry.  Thankfully I have customers who value my work and baked goodies and come back time and time again and are more than happy to spread the word/promote me.  

Now please don't think I get upset every single time one of these things happens or get mad at someone who doesn't order from me.  It's more of build up that leads to me having a minor freak out or just a bad day that brings me down.   And overall, it's not about those examples I listed above...it's about my own natural self doubt.  What do I do when these terrible feelings of self doubt creep up??  If I'm being honest....I cry and/or get really down on myself.  But only for a little bit!  Thankfully, I'm getting a little better at believing in myself....but I have my days....and I have an amazing husband who is right there to squash those doubts.  I am incredibly lucky to have Steph's Sweet Treats and the self doubt is only natural (at least that's what I tell myself) I can't imagine life without Steph's Sweet Treats and hope to never have to.  

Reading reviews from customers or looking at pictures customers send me is one of the best cures/pick me ups.  I like to keep emails and messages from customers who randomly tell me how good something was or how great their experience was.  I also like to go through Facebook reviews and my customer experience album.  It always puts a smile on my face!  Please feel free to send me pictures and feedback anytime!

I don't want this post to come off as a pity party or force a guilt trip on someone for ordering from someone else.   I am thankful for each and every order I get.  I just want to shed light on something I think a lot of people probably struggle with.  Like I said, everyone goes through moments of self doubt, but I think it's probably heightened for business owners.  Everyone wants to succeed..nobody wants to fail....and for me, I worry about those people dying to say "I told you so." 

Thank you thank you thank you for another week of orders!  Graduation weekend was crazy (AKA awesome).