I started cooking and baking when I was ten years old and have loved it ever since. I even did it professionally for a few years before my son was born. For the last three years I've been cooking for a semi-annual weekend woman's retreat. It's a ton of work but I love it. My mom (when she was healthier), my sister and I try to get together every year to bake hundreds of Christmas cookies (nine different family recipes). Lots of hard work, great memories and tons of yummy cookies for our whole family. At a large Oktoberfest party we attended my husband overheard some guests doubt the stout infused chocolate cake I brought was homemade because it looked too perfect. Does it get any better??? I was getting ready for my girlfriends to come over for dinner and I went to invert the heavenly smelling chocolate mint bundt cake I had baked from scratch when my hand slipped and it shattered on the kitchen floor. PAINFULL!!!