Woohoo, it is Friday and I have finally made it to day 15 of the blog challenge. It has taken me *cough* slightly longer than anticipated, ok, so it has taken me 3 months longer than anticipated!  But I have made it!

I have now got into the habit of writing blogs and you know what I really like it. It has been really nice to write about recipes I love, share wedding cakes I have made and detail a bit of how I am growing the business and what my life is like at the Vanilla Pod Bakery.

Though there is still one thing that is a little bit stressful, and this is the fact that is takes me hours (and I mean hours!) to write and edit most of the blog posts! I will write one, then I leave it, then come back to it and edit it, then I leave it, then add photos, re size photos, then edit it once more and then post it. Please let me know if there is a quicker way or if it is just like everything else and takes practice, practice, practice!

But I am determined to keep up the blog writing and bring you news of all the things I love about weddings, cakes, business, food as well as the occasional travel story - of which I am planning to do more of!  And I hope you enjoy reading about it all!

Click here to book.

I am not sure if you know but for the past week is National ME/CFS Awareness week, a week focusing on pushing this hidden illness into the spotlight. So what is ME/CFS and why all the fuss. ME/CFS is a long-term, often debilitating, illness that can affect every type of person, no matter their age, sex or race.  How do I know this, well I have had the illness for the past 16 years.  Yet it is one of those illnesses that most folk know so little about.

"So it is time to spread the word and shout to the hilltops about it" 

http://www.ayme.org.uk/

http://www.tymestrust.org/

http://www.meassociation.org.uk/

http://www.actionforme.org.uk/

Article in The Gloucestershire Echo, 16th May 2015

Recipe:

150g golden syrup
125g single cream
85g brown sugar
55g white sugar
55g butter
1/2 tsp vanilla paste

Method:

1. Gently melt the butter in saucepan and the add both sugars, the syrup and the vanilla paste.

2. Simmer mixture for around 3-4 minutes, until sugars have melted.

3. Remove from heat and leave to cool for a couple of minutes.

4. Then add the cream and stir well.

5.  Return to the heat for 1 - 2 minutes, then either serve straight away of leave to cool then place in Tupperware.

*This toffee sauce can be enjoyed for up to weeks when kept in the fridge.

Let me know what you think and what you add the sauce to.

The cake was make for a joint 30th birthday party for one my lovely clients, the brief was Las Vegas, Casinos and tiered. I was then given free rein.

Two weeks ago I took a rare week off and went on holiday! That may seem very normal for most folks, but as I was sitting on the plan jetting off to Portugal with my boyfriend, I realised I hadn't taken a whole week off to go abroad for at least 3 years! Was this the right thing for me to be doing!? Would my business fall apart if I took time off!?

To Laptop or to not!

During the build up to the holiday I had a dilemma raging through my head - to take my laptop or not! I am not sure if any other business owners have this dilemma as well -  but let me know if you do.
It may seem bizarre but my laptop is such a huge part of my life and my business, that just the thought of being apart from it for a whole week started to give me palpitations!  That is not healthy! I clearly needed a break!

So I took the hard decision to put an out office on and leave it behind. I also thought if I am going cold turkey with the laptop, I should leave the bakery phone behind as well.  But how would I cope!

The view 

Stepping out onto our hotel balcony and taking in the view and the sunshine, I knew I had done the right thing by leaving the business technology at home. Just being in the beautiful Portuguese hills for a week was a fantastic experience. It allowed me to reconnect with myself, and spend some quality time away from Vanilla Pod HQ, and as a bonus the sunshine did wonders for my M.E.  That is not to say, I didn't think about the business....





... I always think about the business, I suppose it is like a loved one, you always think about them but you don't have to be with them 24/7.

But anyway, the hotel we stayed in was amazing and that is what got me thinking....

I am constantly developing ways in which to grow Vanilla Pod and I absolutely love helping people and I would ultimately love to marry the two.  The Vanilla Pod Bakery currently has two key areas to the business - Wedding Cakes and Hen Parties - and two areas which are under development Corporate Gifts and VPB Consultancy. The reason the hotel got me thinking, was as part of the consultancy area of business,  I would love to develop a 5 day retreat/mastermind for business owners. Whether it is for start-up businesses, or baking/decorating retreats, or to help businesses that are 3 - 4 years into their journey facing a cross road situations, I haven't yet figured that out.  But within the next three years I would love to have something like this actioned, and staying in the hotel in Portugal  made me realise it would be the absolute perfect place for my dream to be realised. So watch this space! It would also be great to hear from you if this is the type of event would be of interest?



Importance of taking time off

So this holiday as made me realise that as a small business owner it is so, so, important to take more than a couple of days off at a time, during the year.  You really do need to switch off and live in the moment every once in a while. It gives you clarity on yourself and towards your business.  I have come back feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world. I have even scheduled another week off in September! I am determined to look after my health and business this year, and I want 2015 to become my best year yet.

My 6 Top Tip's For Taking Time Off From You Business:

1. Switch your email out of office on - let people know you will not have access to your emails until x time.
2. Record a voicemail greeting letting people know you are unavailable of x amount of days.
3. Leave the laptop /phone at home.
4. Take a notepad and paper - just incase ideas spring into your mind and you need to jot them down for reference when you get back home.
5. Schedule a day or two when you get back from holiday to get back into the swing of things, unpack, do the washing, etc,  then go live to the public.
6. But ultimately remember to relax, enjoy the view and take a selfie!