I've been MILKED!

Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook Release Party 2011

I live the good life when I am surrounded by sweet eats and sweet peeps.

XO

Sums

*photos by bkbooth and by adrian fussell for guestofaguest 

the day has come. too quickly a reminder of what is gone and what has been gained.

‎

God saw you getting tired

and a cure was not to be.

So he put his arms around you 

and whispered, "Come to Me".

With tearful eyes we watched you 

and saw you pass away.

And although we love you dearly,

we could not make you stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,

hard working hands at rest.

God broke our hearts to prove to us,

He only takes the best.

****

You have seen the below videos before but please re-watch to help keep Daddy Butch's memory alive.

This video is special to me because it was one of the last times I got to surprise my Daddy and see such joy on his face.  I can NEVER keep a secret when it comes to surprises and I had to do my best for this one. The whole family was in on it and it worked like a charm.

He was the happiest man on his last Father's Day here on Earth.

♥♥♥

This video was taken when we realized that I was not just home to help Daddy get well again.

We were slowly facing the fact that things were going downhill and the fact that he could no longer speak to us was heart-breaking, so I did my best to get him to speak through his beautiful smile, which I now carry around for him.

And lastly . . .


Dear Daddy, 
I picture you singing this to me on a daily basis, 
knowing how lost I have been since you passed away, but knowing
that I am who I am because of you and Mom, and that I will be okay and dealing with your loss
will get easier.





(Eve Cassidy singing Cyndi Lauper's classic -- Time After Time)

Love,
Sums

Simply cruising!

hello friends.

thank you for the love after reading yesterday's post. 

i felt the need to be honest. that is all.

love,

sums

♥♥♥

And now moving onto happier things,

I would like to introduce you to my new friend.

Please give a warm welcome to the newest member of the B-B family -- my new cruiser.  

(Business in the front. See the woodgrain peeking through?)

&

(Party in the back and a peek at part of my Halloween costume)

She will be helping me get to and fro work instead of dealing with the MTA, because they think that no one works on weekends. Jerks. Shuttle buses that take hours? No. Thank. You.

So, some of you might think I am nuts, being I am 34 years old and all, but I used to skate a lot a looooooong time ago, so I am not a newbie, just bringing it back. ;)

XO,

Sums

Almost a year later . . .

As the 'anniversary' of my Father's passing quickly approaches, I find myself thinking a bit about how losing him has affected my life in good and bad ways.  

The good being my new career in pastry, doing something I love each and every day and learning to live life to its fullest at all times.

The bad being I find myself detaching from people I love because I think it may be easier if I lose them as well. I avoid looking at photographs or listening to songs that spark certain memories because I only get angry or sad.  I often feel cheated and lonely so I try to fill the void with things that may not be good for me in the end. 

Re-reading the good and bad sound a bit contradicting, don't they?  My thoughts usually are, actually. 

I have tried so hard to keep moving forward, to make everyone proud, to find my inner smile and keep it bright but many a times, when I stop, I realize that I am filled with a ton of pain. Pain that has been hidden. 

Folks, I keep my mind and body busy.  I work hard and play hard. But at the end of the day, it's all done to try and keep the pain that is in my heart at bay. I cannot face it right now. The truth is, a year later, I still don't know how to cope with the loss of Daddy Butch.  And the question is, will I ever know how?

All my love,

Summer

Hop(s) without the scotch!

Milk Bar took a field trip to the famous Brooklyn Brewery.

Talk about neat-o mosquito.

We brought them cookies and sweets and they gave us beer, beer and more beer.

It was like being in a Willy Wonka factory but filled with yeast and hops!

(a peek inside the magic beer making machine)

(all of the different types of beers we tried)

(shiny, happy, people machines brewing)

(specialty bottles waiting to be shipped out)

(sweet message for us on their to-do list)

Happy weekend, folks.

Miss you, all.

I will be working tomorrow and Sunday but back to say hello on Monday.

Love,

Summer Athena

sweets

Just two creations . . .

fondant flowers and bows

chocolate leaves

Love, 

Sums

just . . .

. . . me with upside down rainbows and being a squirrel trying to get a nut.

yule love it!

Just a little creation that I made at school.

Do you see the lil' shrooms?

;)

fam in nyc!

My MawMaw, Aunt Deby and Uncle Neil came to visit us for a few days and it was amazing to have family here. I miss my loves so much!

Isn't she the cutest?

Brunch at The Park NYC after I dropped off some bourbon truffles for a wedding.

Being silly in the Meatpacking District. 

My whole family loves sweets that they even eat them off the wall!

About to see Anything Goes and we got to see Bobby C. perform!  

Mama and DeNiro = Yummy.

Mama wanted to take him home. 

Aren't they a cute couple?

Love,

Summer Athena B.

Mascara, anyone? Everyone? Yeah, you right!

{SIDE-NOTE:  If you need a prompt to enter, tell me WHY you love mascara!}

I am a woman.

I love pretty things.

I love accessories.

But there is one accessory that I know some of you don't have.

Confidence.

Yup, more women need it.

I did not always have it and sometimes it fades.

It's one of those things you constantly have to work on.

Kinda like your favorite ring. You have to shine it up when it tarnishes or fix the clasp when it breaks.

You get my drift, right?

And there is always that one thing (maybe two) that helps us feel our very best, right?

There are two things that help me feel confident:

A good hair day and mascara.

I have short hair and do not leave the apartment without it being fixed. And I never ever leave home without mascara. If I had to choose one make-up product for the rest of my life, it would be mascara. And trust me when I say that I have tried them all.

So, when Blogher contacted me about Cover-girl's "Facing the World with Confidence" asking me to share my story, I was thrilled because it was a way to spread confidence to other women and talk about mascara!

My story is a little different. You see, I just switched careers. I went from a corporate job to becoming a pastry cook. Now, I know what you are thinking...pastry cooks need to feel confident? Of course they do. We make other people's special days even better, so we always need to love what we do. And boy, do I! I am a new person now that I am doing something I am passionate about. I am more confident than ever before. 


And how does this tie into COVERGIRL LashPerfection™? Because it was the only thing I wore to do my first trail at the bakery. And now that I have the job, it is the only thing I wear on my face. It makes me feel and look bright eyed working long hours.  And to top things off, it shows off my best feature -- my eyes.

I truly love Lash Perfection Mascara and may have already bought a tube to carry around with me wherever I go. And while we’re on the subject of make-up and looking great, you might want to check out the “Looking Your Best” posts in Life Well Lived section for Blogher. There are some great application tips and ideas for switching up your look for fall!  

I know. I know. This has been all about me. You want to know what is in it for you, don't cha? Well, how about $50 gift card to drugstore.com to maybe, perhaps, buy some mascara for yourself????

Awesome, right???


What are you waiting for? ENTER!

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.


It runs from 10/4-11/4!!!  HURRY AND ENTER!


Be sure to check out BlogHer's Promotions & Prizes page!

I'm on a truck: food, that is.

Celebrating the awesome Chef Christina with All-Clad.

Me with a fellow pastry cook and FCI alumni, Micaela.

Truffle demo!

We gave everything out in an hour flat!

People love their Milk Bar truffles.

PS -- I met one of the guys behind KorillaBBQ. 

Super nice and awesome and they are selling one of their trucks for $50K. 

Anyone interested in going in on it with me? 

I wish!!!!

Love,

Summer Athena