It's been awhile.

I haven't blogged in awhile. Not because I don't have anything to write about. I have just been way too busy. I acually have many notebooks full of writing that I need to organize and type and I would have so many blog posts.

Summer months have been super busy with lots of weddings to cater. Dessert/cookie buffets are an awesome way to feed your guests at any wedding. Let me know if you are in the Portland/Vancouver area and would like to discuss Megs Creations catering your wedding. Also have been working on many other ventures for Megs Creations. I am putting together a promotional sampler to take around to many of the local coffee shops, boutiques and resteraunts to try to drum up some more wholesale contracts.

I also have been busy with the kiddos. Regal Cinemas has the free movies each week that we have been going to. Check out if any theaters near you have been participating Family Free Film Festival http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx?state We have also been going to the library and playgroups alot. They were so used to being aroung so many kids from my daycare. Now with the daycare closed I am trying to get them as much interaction with other kiddos that I can.

Anyways I am gonna try to blog more. Hopefully you will be seeing some tips, recipes and many more blog posts coming soon.

Read more...

Megs Creations defined

Been struggling lately with where I am going with all this baking and mixes. I love it so much and definitely want to make it into a very successful business. The way things are right now is making me go crazy though. Between my wholesale orders, my local orders, craft shows, my etsy orders and now with wedding season all the catering orders. I love each and every one of these ventures but this has really boomed into more than I can handle. Need to figure out what my focus will be for now and run with that. I have so many great ideas for new recipes and can't get them made fast enough. Been jotting down notes constantly. I have so many ideas for blog posts half written out. I have so many recipes that just need that final testing.

So you can see my dilemma. I am just way overwhelmed and that is not even counting all the other things going on right now. How do you focus? How do you find your motivation? Ultimately how do you decide which would be best for you and your family? How do you let the things you just dont have time for go? Something obviously needs to change. I have an assistant but still I can't get everything done. I have so many passions that I just want to pursue them all but not enough of me to go around.

Read more...

Price changes

So I am doing a complete overhaul of my shop. Tomorrow I will be closing my shop for a few hours(10am till about 1 or 2 pst) to change so many things. I will be editing my policies, all my descriptions and lots of photos. My packaging is changing as well. Right now as things are in my shop I am not making anything at all. I have struggled with the decision to raise my prices. I have no other choice if I am going to make this a successful business though. I am not out to make a fortune or anything. I am a licensed and fully insured food processor and not just a little home baker anymore. My prices need to reflect my professional bakery and quality ingredients used.

Right now my jars and cookies are a super bargain. So take advantage because unfortunately the prices will be changed to the below prices by tomorrow afternoon. Go take advantage of some great deals http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5858455

My jars will only be listed in these quantities. I will gladly do custom orders for other quantities but to keep things organized in my shop these will be the listings.
Glass quart jars
Single jars $8 plus $6 shipping
3 jars for $22 plus $13.50 shipping
6 jars for $40 plus $25 shipping

Pint jars
Single jars $6.50 plus $4 shipping
3 jars for $17 plus $9.75 shipping
6 jars for $30 plus $13.50 shipping

My cookies will now be listed in 1 or 2 dozen listing only. I would love to do custom listings for other quantities but I will only be keeping listings of 1 or 2 dozen in my shop.
1 dozen standard size cookies will be $10 plus $7 shipping
1 dozen new cookie mini bites will be $6 plus $4 shipping
2 dozen standard size cookies will be $18 plus $9.75 shipping
2 dozen new cookie mini bites will be $10 plus $7 shipping

There will also be a whole new line of mixes which will get listed tomorrow and wednesday.

Read more...

New packaging sneak peak

Here is a sneak peak of my new packaging. Most everything in my shop will now be packaged using these chinese takeout boxes and using the pink and brown polka dot motif. The prices and quantities/sizes will also be changing quite a bit. The mixes will be dramatically changed. Prices for shipping will be so much better. The cookies are now going to be sold at much smaller quantities but packaged like a beautiful present. Will be blogging and officially revealing the new packaging over the weekend.

Read more...

Packaging Update

Received my new packaging. There has been a couple issues with size. I am brainstorming different ideas to make the tons of bags and such that I ordered work until I can buy some things that are larger. I believe I have figured out how everything will now be packaged. My whole goal has been to help save on money and lower shipping costs. The glass jars are not profitable for me. Shipping is so high. Actually looking back at the numbers over the last couple months I am not profiting anything.

Friday morning I am going to be changing a lot of things in my shop, including prices. I have struggled along time with the decision of raising my prices. After finalizing my licensing and insurance this last month my overhead went up dramatically. Therefore I have had to brainstorm some new ideas to make things more profitable for me yet still make it desirable enough of a price to encourage sales. My cookies will be packaged differently and listed in different quantities starting friday morning. Also my jars will only be limited to approximately 25 varieties still available in the glass mason jars. I am discontinuing at least 30 flavors of mixes. I think 125 mixes is just too much right now. I also will be packaging differently my mixes. Therefore there will be a whole bunch of changes to my mixes.

The mixes I am discontinuing are:

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Covered Raisin Cookies
Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Orange White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Scottish Shortbread Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Pecan Chewies
Chocolate Walnut Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Chip Brownies
Butterscotch Fudge Brownies
Molasses Cookies
Lentil Soup
Black Eyed Pea Soup
Tortilla Soup
Gumbo
Chicken & Rice
Santa Fe
Chicken & rice
Greek Lemon Soup
Cajun Chicken Soup
Maple Muffins
Biscotti Mix
Multigrain Pancake Mix
Gingerbread Pancake Mix

The above listed mixes are $12 total with shipping for a limited time only.

Read more...

Wordless Wednesday

Read more...

Heartbroken

My grandmother has decided to go back to her house and stay there. There is nothing I can do. We went today to see her. I had been very concerned about her all week. She just sounded awful on the phone but she is so strong and independent. Today was a real scare. She has lost so much weight in such a short time, she can't be more than 100lbs now. The later part of this week she was at home all by herself. Which is my biggest worry right now. Today I wouldn't leave till someone came to be with her. My grandmothers niece, my second cousin, came to stay the night with her. My aunt is going to go tomorrow and stay with her for a while. She demands to stay home. Which I don't really blame her. Who wouldn't want to just stay home in there last days. Especially at the beautiful ocean. But she would be so much closer to most all of her family up here. I just worry about her there all by herself. I am going to do everything in my power to beg all family to just take turns and we can make sure someone is there at all times. I just can't bear the thought of her by herself anymore. Not after what I saw today. This fucking cancer is progressing so quickly now(sorry for the language). It's not the death that I am hurting from. It's what she is going through until then. So much pain, complications and just the stress.

Yesterday my 3 year old asked me if mema(his name for my grandma) is dying? I didn't know what to say. I avoided the question for now. He must have overheard me at some point. Now I am definitely watching what I say around the kids. Not that I haven't been, but now I am being really really careful. Now I am trying to think of how to explain this all to him especially but really both of my kids. How do you explain death and cancer to a 3(4 next month) and 2 year old. My children are extremely intelligent. They are quite close with her and they get that she is sick. Soon I am afraid I am going to have to explain the death part. I am lost at what to say. We are a christian home and believe in heaven but I have never explained any of that to my children. How do you go about explaining death to preschoolers?

Read more...