When I checked my last blog post date and had to press the arrow button to go to the previous month’s calendar, I was a little embarrassed.  While the last month has been a roller coaster, to say the least, there are really no excuses for my absence from blogging.  However, I have a lot of news to share over the next few weeks as things settle down.  For now, I’ll just sum up my life during the past few weeks with the following pictures:

carrot cake cupcake

Sweetbites food truckpeanut butter chocolate cupcake

Baking, baking, and more baking.  Last week, I clocked in my longest day at the bakery at 10 and a half hours.  I have been doing a lot of baking and decorating over the past couple days, resulting in longer hours than usual.  We even added a couple new flavors and decorations for Valentine’s Day:

ganache cupcake

Cupcakes filled with dark chocolate truffles!  Topped with some xoxo decoration by myself and my now exhausted wrist!  I’ve heard about bakers getting carpal tunnel syndrome and I can see why!  At least my arm muscles were getting a little work out 😉

Another occupational hazard, besides third degree burns, which I experienced this morning, can be summed up in one photo:
pastry tip stuck on fingerI only wish I was kidding…While decorating a few cupcakes this morning and cleaning out a decorating tip (with said finger), I did this.  And it was completely 100% stuck.  After unsuccessfully attempting to remove my finger from Wilton tip #828, I quickly got the attention of my lovely boss, Sandra.  The following 10 minutes were spent trying to pry it off my finger with whatever we could find around the bakery, putting my hand under warm water (to expand the metal and most likely my skin as well—woops!) and putting soap all over my hands in the hope that it would make it slippery and be easier to pull off.  Unfortunately, that didn’t work and every time I tried to pull it off further, it was cutting my finger more and more.

Luckily the shape of the decorating tip meant that my circulation was not completely cut off (my biggest concern) and we quickly decided we would need outside help.  Our options?  Either a automobile shop with the hope that they could cut it off my finger or an urgent care center.  Don’t worry, this story gets better and better!

I decided I would take my chances with the auto shop, which luckily was only a 5 minute drive away from the bakery.  The thought of doctors trying to numb my finger with shots or waiting around for an hour debating options didn’t sound very appealing to me.  I wanted it off!

So, I walked into the auto shop, apron and all, and showed the auto repair guy my finger, along with the attached Wilton tip.  I’m sure he was incredibly confused, but he kindly pulled me into the garage, found wire cutters, and after a few attempts, was able to successfully cut it off my finger.  The commotion caused a couple other repair guys to come on over and check out the action.  I’m not even sure they even knew what was on my finger, let alone how I could have gotten it stuck there!  I wish I were making this all up!  Sandra luckily documented the whole process with her iPhone for the memory books!  All I can say is, thank god for wire cutters.

cutting pastry tip off finger

The tip cut into my finger in a couple of points, but luckily not deep enough to cause any serious harm.  A little Neosporin and a band-aid, (with an initial weird feeling in my finger that lasted about an hour) and I was back to work…

Just another day at the bakery!  Any one have an extra Wilton #828 tip lying around for me to use?