I'm a new mom and an advanced practice nurse. I love to spend time with my family. My favorite times are cooking with my mom and my son. I love to bake and decorate cakes. I love cookies! My dream would be to have a bakery. For as long as I can remember, my mom and I have spent the holidays in the kitchen. I absolutely can't wait for the holidays! We spend months planning and hours preparing the holiday meals. I love the smells of the holidays-- spices, breads, buttered rum... it's so warm and comfortable. I guess the greatest triumph was hosting my first holiday. It was mostly successful. I tried "non-traditional" recipes and everything went well. In fact, those "non-traditional" recipes have become our new traditions! In reference to the above, I overloaded my oven and ended up burning the bottom of two casseroles. I had to take them out of the pan, leaving the burn on the bottom, and serve them jumbled in a bowl. I don't think people noticed, but I was stressed!