A Year of Baking

Damien and I have been baking for a full year now! Well I guess it's more like making a dessert, but it's mostly been baking cakes. Here is a recap!

2022

January - Lemon cake with lemon frosting (3.5 stars)

February - Pineapple upside down cake (3 stars)

March - Chocolate cake with mint chocolate chip frosting (3.5 stars)

April - Strawberry cake with white frosting (3.5 stars)

May - Hummingbird cake (4 stars)

June - Chocolate chip cookie brownies (not rated)

July - Coconut cake (4.5 stars)

August - Tuxedo cake (4.25 stars)

September - No baking, but tried chocolate fondue (not rated)

October - Apple cake with cream cheese frosting (4.3 stars)

November - No baking, but made buckeye balls (not rated, but probably 5 stars)

December - Christmas sugar cookies (not rated)

I would love to redo the mint chocolate chip cake because I messed up the frosting the first time. Damien doesn't seem as interested in baking as he used to be so I'm not sure if it's going to continue. We did make a cake for January which was our best one yet! I even wrote down the recipe because it was so good. Will post later!

EDIT: Okay I'm finally getting around to posting about our January 2023 cake--an Oreo cake!!! It was a white cake with crushed Oreos and a cream cheese whipped frosting with crushed Oreos. SOOOOO good!

Selfies

It's rare for anyone to take a picture of me, but sometimes I'll attempt to take some selfies if I'm in the mood to be disappointed lol. They are usually met with "is that REALLY what I look like?" Anyways, I'll keep some of them because years from now I'll wish I had them, especially realizing that as we get older that we're not usually going to look any better, right? It's hard never feeling satisfied, whether that be with hair, skin, weight, nose...whatever. I'm on a journey right now to try to learn to love myself more and to accept the things I cannot change. That goes beyond appearance too. The last year and a half has been the hardest I have experienced yet in my life with having my heart shattered. The next year and a half will be challenging as well as I'm going to be retiring from the military next year. I'm both excited and terrified at the same time lol. I'm so thankful for my support system for their unwavering support. I just can't express enough how grateful I am to them. Wow, I started out this post thinking I was just going to post a couple of selfies and this has turned into a journal entry. It's therapeutic though. We have limited time on this Earth and I want the people who are important to me to know how much they mean to me and to show a little bit of vulnerability too which is hard for someone like me to do sometimes. I love you all 😊   

Christmas 2022

My Christmas post a little bit late because there was a delay with some of Damien's presents, but it was an overall great Christmas this year. Scott came over to open presents, then we watched a movie and he stayed for dinner. 

Damien and I decided to make Christmas sugar cookies for December instead of a cake. I forgot I didn't have a rolling pin so I had to use a can of PAM cooking spray, haha

We are not great decorators lol

I ordered myself a new tree this year because I wanted a narrower one to fit the space better. Plus this one is pre-lit! I also got some snowflake lights to hang above the windows

Christmas morning! Damien opening his new mattress

A new ipad!

And of course he's excited for more Robux lol

I don't usually have presents to open for myself, but this year I did! Damien got me the Hillshire Farm set and candles (which smell great) and Scott got me a cookbook and a $25 Walmart gift card to buy the ingredients for my first meal. Very nice! 

Damien's gifts from:
- Great Grammy and Grampy Whitehill and Grandpa Whitehill: The latest ipad
- Scott: An ipad case
- Great Grandma, Tom, and Grandma and Grandpa Hanks: Bed frame and queen-sized mattress
- Sarah: $25 in Roblox Robux, alien playing cards and five black "$100" poker chips from Las Vegas, large Hersey's kiss, Hersey's cocoa bomb, and a side table (purchased later). I'm also intending to get him some new bed sheets when I can find some I actually like
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!

Post present-opening nap? lol

Christmas dinner! I made a roast and Scott brought pasta salad and cheesecake.

The size comparison of Damien's ipad mini that he's had for years and wasn't keeping a charge very well anymore and his new ipad. He loves it!

My first meal from the new cookbook: crispy pork wraps. They were okay, but I don't think I'll make them again. I think they'd be good with a different sauce

Damien's bed frame didn't arrive until after Christmas and the mattress that was opened on Christmas Day was a full-sized mattress in a box marked as Queen and had to be exchanged. But here it is! Scott helped assemble the bed frame.

Since Damien lost his headboard for storage, I got him a little black side shelf for his lamp, clock, and books. I think it looks great! Damien said he sleeps well on the new mattress too :D

Oh I forgot to mention, the bedframe has LED lights with a remote to change the colors.

Damien loved all of his gifts! Thank you to everyone for your contributions! I know I have some things I want to purchase for myself with the money I was sent, but I just haven't gotten around to selecting anything. I have some ideas though! 😁