{"id":9262,"date":"2020-12-04T07:39:54","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T13:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/?p=9262"},"modified":"2020-12-04T07:39:58","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T13:39:58","slug":"the-best-ever-cake-and-feeling-capable-this-december","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/2020\/12\/04\/the-best-ever-cake-and-feeling-capable-this-december\/","title":{"rendered":"The ‘Best Ever’ Cake and Feeling Capable This December"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I made the BEST EVER chocolate sheet cake this week, and I need to tell you a little story about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was Scott\u2019s birthday. He manages essential workers, and this was the first time in many years that he\u2019s been home on his actual birthday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, he\u2019s been working from home since March due to the pandemic and has found cooking to be a stress reliever. This is good news and bad news. Good news because his meals are fabulous. Bad news because now my go-to recipes taste completely bland and uninspired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For months, I\u2019ve watched in awe as he whips up succulent crockpot recipes in between conference calls. Not to mention, he\u2019s always freshly showered and wears matching clothes (overachiever<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always known Scott is a highly capable guy, but pandemic life has uncovered a whole new skillset I didn\u2019t know he had. And while he\u2019s over there killing it, I\u2019ve found myself struggling\u2026 a lot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Scott\u2019s birthday felt like my chance to shine. I\u2019ve got some strong baking skills that never fail me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of going to my usual cookbooks this time, I used one of Scott\u2019s foolproof cooking techniques. He Googles the words \u201cBest Ever\u201d in front of whatever he wants to make. The recipe never fails to live up to its title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using this method, I quickly learned the Pioneer Woman has the Best Ever Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe.<\/a> I studied the many steps and told my 17-year-old daughter the process looked tricky. Natalie didn\u2019t think so and proceeded to \u2018hover\u2019 while I baked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She reminded me to boil the water and questioned the pan size I was using. My brand of cocoa powder was also questionable, as was my \u201cheaping\u201d tablespoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had to go to the garage to cool off because I was afraid that I might blow up if I stood there any longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With arms folded in irritation, I asked myself, \u2018Why is your daughter\u2019s help bothering you so much<\/em>?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just want to feel capable,” my truest voice said.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Truth is, I haven\u2019t felt very capable at all lately.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This season has thrown me for a loop in so many areas that I used to have a good handle on. Lately, all I feel is untethered and unmotivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I gently reminded myself that acknowledging these feelings was brave and healthy. I then celebrated the fact that Natalie has used the past nine months of virtual schooling to become a proficient baker, and she\u2019s eager to show me her skills. If necessary, I\u2019d kindly tell her how much I want to bake this cake for Scott.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I came back into the house to find she\u2019d gone back to her online schoolwork. I happily heaped, estimated, and taste-tested to my heart\u2019s desire. After baking and icing the cake, I placed it proudly on display.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Later that night, our family sat around the kitchen table digging into the succulent cake. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d hoped to get showered for the celebration.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d hoped to have proper birthday candles.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d hoped to have a surprise gift.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of that happened, and none of that mattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the warm glow of the kitchen light, I saw each of us clearly\u2014thriving in new and unexpected ways, struggling in others.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But growth and healing are fluid gifts, not stiff competitions, my truest voice reminded me.\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I promised myself to save \u201cBest Ever\u201d status for recipes, not humans, for the remainder of December, maybe longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because when it comes down to it, it\u2019s all about the Best Ever Moments<\/em> \u2013 the ones that happen around the scratched up kitchen table when we\u2019re lucky enough to celebrate another year of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dear ones, I hope you will consider joining me at my kitchen table for a new session of Soul Shift Lift<\/a>.\u00a0Talk will be real, relatable, and hopeful; growth will be abundant, deep, and lasting. There\u2019s never been a better time to\u00a0make healthy, loving responses a way of life.\u00a0Let\u2019s love and lift each other through the challenges ahead.\u00a0The journey begins February 1. Click here<\/a> to add your email and be notified when registration opens in January at the early-bird price. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deal of the week: My second book HANDS FREE LIFE:\u00a0Nine Habits for Overcoming Distraction, Living Better, and Loving More\u00a0is currently on sale for $4.49.<\/em><\/strong> Click here<\/a> to buy.<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I made the BEST EVER chocolate sheet cake this week, and I need to tell you a little story about it.\u00a0 It was Scott\u2019s birthday. He manages essential workers, and this was the first time in many years that he\u2019s been home on his actual birthday.  In fact, he\u2019s been working from home since March […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1826,1761,1778,1735,1742,1766,1780,1747,1816,1736,1863,1781],"tags":[],"gutentor_comment":5,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/FullSizeRender-scaled.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1fUJF-2po","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9262"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.handsfreemama.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}