I am a native Texan and grew up in the Panhandle of Texas, in Amarillo & Canyon.  I graduated high school from Bay City High School and Nursing School from Texas Women's University.  I earned my 4 Masters Degree in Emergency Nursing, Critical Care Nursing, and Endochrinolog, as well as Hospital Administration from the University of Texas.  I found out I much prefer hands on nursing and patient care to being a book nurse.

I learned cake decorating from my mom and grandmother.  Mom did these incredible cut/sculpted cakes out of a 9x13 or rounds....no special shapes for her.  Mommy did beautifully decorated round or sheet cakes with these amazing flowers out of icing and beautiful piping.  She had 5 tips and did extraordinary stuff.  She altered the tips using masking tape.  My great-grandmother did vegetable sculpting and flower arranging.  I am still striving to do what they did effortlessly.  I am mostly self taught, with about 1-2 classes per year since 2001 if I am lucky.  I found Ladycakes in 2001 on a random I'm bored and lonely for Jim and can't sleep night.  It has been my source of inspiration since.

I started cake decorating in 1973 when my brother gave me a Wilton cake decorating course for my birthday/Christmas.  I went and decided this was cool.  I still have those tips and that board from the class.  I started doing cakes in my spare time to earn college money.  Mom and dad had 2 of us in college at that time, then 3...they were blue collar and money was very tight.  It was money to buy clothes, gas for the car, and insurance.  I forged ahead and did wedding cakes, not knowing what I was doing.  I did them for nursing students, medical students, and doctors while I was in nursing school.  I had always had a reputation as a phenomenal cook, then I had business because the cakes were pretty too.

I did a ton of character cakes when the kids were little but quit doing them for money when a gal I know got dinged by the whole copyright law and lost everything.  I stopped for about 7 years and got back into caking when Jim was deployed for the first time.  I had wanted to go to the Wilton Master Class for years and years, and finally went and my love for cake came back in full force.  I still strive to do perfectly lovely cakes and broaden my horizens with new and different techniques with every cake.  I was bullied into fondant and love it.  It's like edible Playdough.  Everyday, I learn something new.

I donate several cakes a month to various charities and youth organizations and get paid to do about the same amount.  The standard cake I do is buttercream.  Fondant is not widely accepted here in my area, except as a decoration.

I work out of my home and do only a few cakes a month due to my full time job as an RN.  I do more cakes when Jim is deployed than I do when he is home.  I have refused to let cake dominate my life, but I dream cakes frequently.  I can't wait to let the dream become reality.  I do frequent demonstrations on various techniques using buttercream, fondant, and gumpaste.  I also teach Girl Scout Troops, as well as do a cake decorating party for pre-teen and teenage girls.