BabyCakes.

If you are my friend on FB, you probably saw a few snippets about my latest adventure... BabyCakes!

I'm partnering with my new friend/former sister-in-law, Sara (we'll save that for another post). Read her version of how BabyCakes started HERE.

Now here's my side:


I have yet another (that makes three) blog out there in the blogging universe. It's called "Love Me True" and I only share it with a few people I really trust. It's where I blomit (blog vomit) all my crazy. It has funny little antidotes about forgetting to pick up my son from school and frilly underpants (two separate posts!), an honest battle against my eating disorder, well-timed curse words and brilliant metaphors. I started it because I was too afraid to share the whole me here. On this blog, things are/were light and fluffy and easy. It seemed easier, at the time, than taking the risk and hurting someone's feelings, offending someone with my feelings, or taking crap for those feelings. I started Love Me True just over a year ago. HOLY COW has this last year changed me. I can't say for sure if it was a year's worth of time or what I experienced in that year that did it, but change indeed.

During the adoption, I didn't only blog the light, fluffy, easy stuff. I blogged it all, and it felt good. There was some backlash, but way more people identified with the way I was feeling instead of judging me for it. And sometimes, what I wrote even HELPED people. I read back thru Love Me True today and realized not only how far I've come, but that had I put a lot of that here for the world to see, it may have helped someone too. So, I plan to do that. Soon. But I'm getting off-topic...

As I was reading thru those old posts,  I saw one I called "Career-ADD" where I discuss what I want to be when I grow up. Yes, I wrote it at age 29. At the top of the list were: special education teacher, pastry chef, and missionary.

Well, I'll be... (Southern accent required)

What is a special education teacher?
Is it different than helping my son with autism use flashcards to tell me how he feels instead of throwing something across the room? Is it different that using sign language when I speak to my daughter with Down Syndrome so soon she can communicate as well?  Is it different that finding fun, creative ways to challenge my uber-smart oldest?  Don't I advocate for those that are "different"?  I don't know about you, but I think all my kids have "special needs" because they are all different people!  However, even by society's definition, I would probably consider myself a special education teacher. (Too bad Tennessee Tech University hasn't given me a degree that says so.. yet).

And pastry chef? Oh, how I love me some pastries. I looked into culinary school, but it is so expensive. I've been baking cupcakes for quite a while. It would probably require a therapist to figure out how it started exactly, but once it started- there was no stopping it. I love it. And not just the tasting part! I love the creative process and the art of it. I love being challenged to create and dream something wonderful (usually). I have had several people politely request that I start selling and there has never really been an opportunity to do it. So when Sara presented the idea ( you read her post, right?) with a slightly under-developed plan to go through with it, I was all in!

Yes, let us bake cupcakes. And SELL cupcakes. But it gets better... let's do it with a purpose.
"Sweet treats on a MISSION."

Know what else I learned this year?
I AM a missionary.

I am a person on a mission. Sometimes, my mission is just about one person. One very special-adorably squishy- little Ukrainian- person. Sometimes, more than one special, adorable, little Ukrainian person.

You may have seen me mention Melody. I adore her and she needs a family fast.

And Titas. Oh, sweet boy. I LOVE Titas so much!

I so badly want to help them both find a family!

And then there are those families who are ready and willing to rescue these orphans. On the adoption blog, you read about my friend, Kate. Kate and I flew home from Ukraine together with our newest little loves and they are already ready to go back! Not because it was such a blissful and easy experience, but because that's where their little girl is. They just need the funds to get there. There are so many other families in the same position. One family was EXTREMELY giving when I was in Ukraine and needed help getting home, and now they don't have the finances to complete their own adoption. I HAVE to help. I don't have cash at my fingertips to give, but if I can bake cupcakes to get it, I will. I'm on a mission.

25% of ALL orders from BabyCakes will go toward a family in the process of adopting a child with special needs through Reece's Rainbow.

A different family will benefit from each month's sales. Right now, sales will help bring "Mayah" home to Kate and her family :)


You can stay most up-to-date by following us on Facebook, but I will try to do occasional updates here too to let you know how it's going! Spread the word, order some cupcakes, and help bring an orphan HOME!

Already, we have several orders ready to make a difference!

BabyCakes!  Get excited :)