Ladytroupe Sweets first Market Day

I did it! Ladytroupe Sweets debuted at Market Day today and it was so much fun.  I have been planning and working on this for quite awhile so to have it all come together and see it as I imagined was so wonderful.

mini Bella nut pies (pecan pie)

Apple hand pies 

I detailed some of the baking over at Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice.  Please go check it out.  I really thought I was going to be running around like a crazy lady this morning but I wasn't and can I tell you how proud of myself I am?  Really proud because sometimes coordinating baking and running a house, cooking dinner, making kids school lunches, and basically being a Mom can be tough and I totally pulled all that and Ladytroupe Sweets off this week with style.  I think it helped that I tried to be super organized.  I had lists about what to make what day, how many the recipe would yield, how long to bake everything, what to put in the oven first, etc. and it all really helped.

People seemed thrilled that everything looked semi-professional with my little white pastry bags, stickers and business cards.  I was happy with how it all came together.  I love the baskets and the vintage table cloth and how all the pretty little pies, scones and cookies looked sitting there on the table.  For me, having everything look pretty means just as much as everything tasting delicious so it was a win-win for me today.  Maybe someone was looking down on me from above to have everything come together without a burnt batch or a forgotten ingredient, but I'd like to think it was all my preparations that helped it go well. Or maybe it was a bit of both.

the classic chocolate chip cookie

Can I tell you a secret about all this?  Today was the first dollar (well, Ethiopian Birr) that I have ever earned doing something that I enjoy.  Really!  I've had plenty of jobs and even the start of a career before I had our first child and never once have I felt the amount of joy as I did today when I accepted my first $1.50 for a beautiful little pecan pie that I had shaped and made with my very own hands.  I cannot tell you how much this makes me smile.  I thought I might be one of those people that just never really knows what they want to do with themselves as a grown-up (other than be a mother-I did know that).  I was OK with this.  I feel completely overjoyed, even energized by the realization that I just might have found my "thing".

It's tough not to receive any immediate feedback on what people think or how everything tasted.  Justin did pass on a few compliments from people who ate their purchases straight away at the office that afternoon.  I only hope people enjoyed everything enough to come back next time!

All in all it was a fantastic market day.

cranberry white chocolate almond scones