Since this was the first week, we experimented a lot with the different tips; first on a plastic sheet, and then on cookies.
These were the best designs I could make.
I think I've got the stars down.
And this was the worst. It soon turned into my "test" cookie when I tried a new tip.
Note my attempts to make grass on the left, and leaves on the right. I made the center blob using a tool made for roses. Yes, I was really trying.
Even writing was a lot harder than I thought it would be, especially the fancy cursive.
Our instructor also showed us how to level a cake, frost, and transfer designs in piping gel. Next week we have to bring home-made frosting and a 1-layer cake to decorate. Then we try our hand at cupcakes, and a double-layer cake for the grand finale!
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I also went running today! Go Me! I had to bundle up with mittens and a hooded sweatshirt because it was so cold, but I stuck with the program, doing a 20 minute combination of jogging and walking. I could have pushed myself to run longer, but I'm supposed to stick to the plan and not jump ahead. Tomorrow I'll bump it up a little bit when I run the "week 2" program with a coach at school.
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I also started reading a new book on my kindle, called "Twentysomething: Why Do Young Adults Seem Stuck?" It's fantastic. Written by a mother-daughter team (a baby-boomer and a millennial), it explores the possibility of a new life stage called "emerging adulthood" and why 18-29 year-olds don't quite feel "grown up." Once I got past the disclaimers and technical talk in the intro, it really sums up how I'm feeling at this point in my life! The whole first chapter is full of great examples, but here are a few points that stuck with me:
"We're presented with too many choices and maybe a little too much freedom as well . . . It causes us to be mildly dissatisfied with just about everything we do, not because what we do isn't great, but because we feel we could always do more."
"The more choices you make throughout the day, the harder each one becomes for your brain, and eventually it looks for shortcuts"--either by being reckless and impulsive, or by turning into "the ultimate energy saver: do nothing. Instead of agonizing over decisions, avoid any choice." (mostly a quote from John Tierney in the New York Times Magazine)
"How many choices are too many? The maximum seems to be about six. More than that . . . [and you get] sloppy, expedient decision-making. . . . As if in self-defense, you start making choices almost randomly." "Offer people three alternatives and only 21% will make their selections using "elimination strategy," which is not a whole lot different from eenie-meenie-miney-moe. . . . Give people 9 options, and they essentially give up; 77% of them will revert to choosing whatever they land on at "moe.""
If you are a twenty-something like me, or have a twenty-something, you will probably find this book really interesting. I can't wait to read the rest of it.
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Shout out to my poor kitty, who fell in the washing machine and was trapped for hours yesterday! I think she has a new lease on life. She definitely purrs a lot more than she used to.
