Whoa! I can't believe it's been almost a MONTH since my last post! The holidays really took it out of me (like I'm sure it did everyone else). Actually, I guess my holidays were relatively easy, despite how they felt so crazy. They were certainly pleasant. I had a wonderful Christmas getaway in the Poconos with my pals:

Aren't we a hot bunch? The flannel was all planned for effect. No, seriously, it was!

New Year's was easy and fun. I, like many of my friends, stayed close to home, avoided the crowds, and kept it easy. My theme was "No trains. No buses. No Manhattan. No stress." It worked! It was also pleasantly "warm" on NYE - a balmy 45 degrees. Trust, after that insane blizzard, 45 degrees felt amazing.

I'm back to work in my kitchen, with several projects coming up for the month of January. The Ace Hotel called for caramels for a sales trip to LA last week. I really can't say enough how much they have helped me out getting this business off the ground. They're really wonderful and they promote the heck out of me.

On that topic, check out this article. I'm extremely flattered to not only be included in such a glowing review of the Ace Hotel, but to be mentioned personally is a real thrill for me. So exciting!

Also,  check this tweet from  Food Network's Andrew Zimmern, host of Bizarre Foods:

Crazy! Big thanks to Bianca for the tip. Can't believe I missed this!

Obviously, one other big thing you've undoubtedly noticed is that I have a website now! My good pal Randy has been putting up with my endless requests, doing mock-up after mock-up, tweaking tiny things, changing colors subtly, etc. I'm pretty sure I qualify as a "nightmare client," but I am so pleased with the results and I really appreciate his efforts and his patience. Obviously, the site isn't finished, but I'll soon have information up for cake flavors (and hopefully pies), and another page with information about the caramels and other confections I'm working on, so keep checking back. Please.

As an aside, I'm looking at my cat, Loretta, snoring on my sofa, and I sometimes can't believe what a big cat she is. Not fat big, but like wild cat big. Her feet are huge. She gets on my nerves sometimes, but I love her a LOT. That's all.

Well that's my update for today. I have a feeling this year is going to be pretty huge for A Baker in Brooklyn. The ball is rolling faster and faster, and while the Christmas season took me by surprise and I struggled to keep up on the caramel orders (almost 3,000 pieces!), I feel refreshed and ready for the next step, whatever it is. I still second-guess myself and my abilities sometimes, but it's slowly getting easier to work through those feelings and feel more confident in my abilities. A friend recently suggested I stop writing so much about my insecurities and write with more confidence, but I think it's a really important way to work through them and I hope you don't mind.

Working on a cake this morning before working at the bar, so I have to get back to it. Happy new year to all of my readers!