Make Lemonade

It came to me last night while I was mixing up my fifth batch of cannoli cream. I have a GREAT idea for a new line of baked goods. They will be themed and they have to be just right. I thought about a lot of things last night. While I was whipping up the cream for the tiramisu and dusting the top of the tray with cocoa powder, I thought about how much fun I have when I put together a party. Not a huge party; just a small intimate get together.

Lucky for me, my ex let me throw two get-togethers at his apartment last year. The first was a Super Bowl party, which I loved because all the food was stuff I would eat while sitting out in front of the TV- empanadas, nachos and cheese, chili, and quesadillas. The second was a Lost Series Finale wrap party. We didn't get too many rsvp's for that one, but it was  their loss. I had a menu with things like: "Not Penny's Potato Boats", "Kate's Bucket O'Tears-tini w/ Jack's Lychee Balls", and a bunch of other food I made up awesome "Lost"-themed named for.

If it's one thing I'm good at, it's coming up with a great menu, and thinking of a great little name to go with whatever theme I'm working with. Yes, I'm utterly fantastic at that.

So, in light of everything that's been going on in my life and my struggle to get back on top of my baking world, it suddenly struck me. Why not combine the two? Take all the fucked up stuff and turn it into something very NOT fucked up.

I'm so excited about this plan. I've been writing all morning, outlining the initial test batch. I even have a great idea of marketing this thing and getting every one's attention. With the holidays coming up, my busy season will start in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping to get my new idea up and running by Valentine's Day, but I want a soft opening before Thanksgiving to see how the market will receive it.

I can't begin to describe how incredibly alive I feel again. I'm finding myself underneath the mountains of emotional crap I've been buried under. I have a very positive hunch that my idea is going to take off. I have to make sure I execute it right. I need to find people who can give me the help I need, and I need to be able to pay them for their services so that I won't owe anyone anything. That's the worst of it; being in debt to anyone.

So, after I have my thoughts all penned out and some initial diagrams sketched, I will need to find myself a new artist and probably someone who can advice me on proper business practices. I've been skating along on the fringe of actually legalizing my business and making it official. I know I don't have the money to hire an accountant right now, but I'm sure there's a way to do this in the cheap. I just want to make sure I don't fuck it up, and that I do it right.

That's another thing I learned; if you want something to work out and last, you have to start off on the right foot. That's the foundation. Your foundation always has to be solid. Or it all falls down.