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Ugh, did you ever just have one of those days? One of those days where nothing seems to be going right? I spilled so much flour this morning. What a waste. And then we ran out of coffee beans. Well, just the light roast, but so many people enjoy it. Turns out I thought I'd ordered enough, but apparently not. I'll have to order extra next time.

Just... all my fault. I can't even blame it on anyone else! Such a bad mood.

Maybe a hot chocolate and a scone will help.

From Hearts to Shamrocks! We've got all your heart-shaped cookie needs, discounted for after the holiday! And I'm bringing in mint lattes and Shamrock cookies early! Because I can't help myself. Please don't mind my rainbow and pot of gold decorations all around the bakery.

If I never see another Valentine or glitter ever again, it will be too soon. Despite the cleaning I did before I left yesterday and the janitorial staff cleaning - there is still glitter from the children’s Valentine party all over my classroom. The kids had fun though and that’s the important thing right?

It would be nice, very very nice, if my friends stopped dying in my dreams.

That is likely too much to hope for, I'm sure.

The past week and a half have been the best days of my life: getting engaged to the most amazing woman in the world, my best friend moving back into town, and the business Rick and I set up is taking off.

[Filtered away from GOTG crew]
Plus my Dream crew are here!
[End filter]

Honestly not sure how life could get much better 😎

This is what I do when I'm stuck inside because of the snow. I bake. (Seriously? Snow? C'mon.) Ben's been out playing in it, but I let Merlin handle that. Maybe it's the Southern Belle buried deep inside, but I'm not all that fond of the snow.

I'm making Snowball Christmas Cookies. A little late for Christmas, I know, but the snow part is fitting? We'll have them on special at Baxter Bakery, along with all kinds of Hot Chocolate (try it with Sparkling Milk!) to help fend off the cold.

I have to admit I am glad not to be working today. For many reasons including still being stuffed full of food from yesterday and not having to deal with whatever injuries people get from fighting over black friday deals.

Apparently even though we don't have Thanksgiving in the UK the Black Friday deals are taking place. Madness.

Come in to Baxter Bakery with your "I Voted" sticker, buy a Sparkling Latte, and get an "I Voted" cookie for fifty cents today only!

I am not looking forward to the glucose screening test I have scheduled for tomorrow morning. I'm also not looking forward to not getting to eat breakfast tomorrow morning either. Hopefully things will be normal and I won't have to have the three hour long test.

Nothing new in dreamland, thankfully enough. I'm curious though as to what's going on with the monster that's been chasing Sherry. I have a theory on who it might be, but I'm not exactly 100% sure yet on that. I guess we'll see once the dreams continue on for me.

Baxter Bakery is now taking pre-orders for Thanksgiving pies! We're here to serve all your Thanksgiving bread and pie needs. Don't wait to reserve your pie! We might run out! ;) Come on in and have a dollar off your Sparkling Latte for anyone who reserves a pie.

Hard to believe that this time next week Audrey and I will be celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary. We have two beautiful kids, a wonderful home and I still love her with all my heart. I'm a pretty lucky guy.

I can't believe that Bea is just past five weeks. It's gone by so fast! I can't wait to get back to work full-time. I took a couple days coming into the shop to help out, and I'm just thrilled at how well things are going without me! I miss you all so much, though!

I'll bring the babe in next week to meet some of my regulars. If you want to catch up, please let me know!

Merlin & Audrey

How's the little one doing?</b>

Gwen

Would you like to join me for dinner tonight? I know it's late notice so I understand if you're busy.

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One week into my Maternity Leave and I've gone completely stir crazy. Ben and I are hanging out all day, playing alphabet games and reading books, and all I want is to not be pregnant anymore! (Aka, to have the new baby out and in my arms! Hopefully less than 10 days to baby. Fingers crossed for me?

I'm finally starting to feel human again. Whatever's going through the county right now is apparently from my dreams. My bad.

The bad news is it's contagious so maybe if someone starts bleeding from the eyes you shouldn't touch them. The good news is, if my dreams are anything to go by, it should pass in a day or two. And hey, only like, four people in my dreams bit it so there's that.

My first two days with my new students went wonderfully. I'm excited to start our first full week of the school year tomorrow and I hope they are too.

So, there are upsides and down sides to maternity leave. One downside is the almost self imposed isolation, I mean really he's almost two months old and I'm still making a production about possibly taking him outside, despite the fact that he's totally ready for it. Apparently, Orange County has made me paranoid and I really have to pack almost everything to take out on little trips.

But then, the upsides are pretty fantastic...
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We've reached the home stretch. Just over a month to go, and I'm nesting like crazy! The new nursery is perfect, and Ben's room is flawless... my own bedroom could use a little cleaning, though! And the kitchen looks like a torando went through there, as I finished making cookies and meatloaf and about six side dishes. My hunger is back full force, but my stomach is being squished to the size of a pea by the head of this baby!

I'm thinking that it may be time to start prenatal yoga. ...at 33 weeks. Anyone have any recommendations?

Don’t forget on Monday for one day only you can get your special July 4th cookies from Baxters Bakery (both locations)

These are available to buy all day or get one free with any purchase of a sparkling drink :)

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Father's Day cookies are on sale at Baxter Bakery. Half price with purchase of a Sparkling Latte!

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Finally. My kinda pizza.

I have to remind myself that naps are a bad idea. Now I'm sore, bruised and pretty ticked off.

I was trying to get away from the damn mayor, only to get hit by a car in the process and then captured by one of his cronies. I got away, and then ran into a cop I thought I could trust. Unfortunately said cop is the mayor's son, and now? Now I'm being taken to the slaughterhouse.

Great.

Went to get a coffee and I think...the barista was flirting with me? But what is the honest difference between a chat and flirting?

I just wanted a coffee.

I rather enjoy not being the pregnant one this time.

Well, sprained my wrist. It shouldn't get in the way of work too much considering most of what I do is teach a spinning class, but it might get in the way of self-defense classes. This is a pain. At least most of the people who come to class already know most of the moves. Maybe I can get a volunteer to help me.

Memorial Day Cookies available at both Baxter Bakery locations now through Tuesday! These delicious sugar cookies are frosted with stars and stripes. With a hint of vanilla and royal icing, they make an excellent treat to go along with your sparkling latte!

Proceeds from the sale of these limited edition cookies will be donated to the Veteran Services Center here in Orange County.

There are two cable service vans across the street from my house, and as I'm laying here, trying to read, I can hear them opening and closing the doors. It's ridiculous. How many times do they need to open and close those doors? I keep thinking that someone's going to knock on my door, since the vans are so close to my house. I get all tense. Don't ring the bell! I think, since Ben is taking his nap. But then nothing happens.

I got up to look through the window, but I got dizzy and had to sit down again. Maybe I should be napping with Ben.

Okay, since I'm officially under house arrest and my car keys have been stolen (not like I can fit behind the wheel anymore anyway), I need some help.

Netflix suggestions. I'm going cross-eyed reading and movement isn't all that great an idea, so I need something to rot my brain. Nothing overly long, I've got two months before free time will be a long forgotten memory, but I need some stuff to watch.

I need to fill a swimming pool with shea butter. Or, at least, a spa. I thought that I had all the stretch marks that I could have after Ben... but apparently not.

Goodbye, bikinis. Goodbye forever.

Some of the staff told me this forum was a great place to meet people and make friends. Now that's time to say hello, all I can think to say is a simple question:

Who can recommend the best farmer's market in the area? I woke up today with a terrible craving for fresh pears.

I know what I'm doing tomorrow.

Oh man! I felt the baby move! Sorry if that's an over-share, but I'm just really excited!

Is anyone else as excited about Corned Beef and Cabbage as I am?? (Is this the pregnancy cravings talking??)

1. crazy brick wall turning into a door. whaat?
2. wand finally
3. yeah, i have it
4. no, i can't do anything with it because i don't know any spells
5. wtf dreams?
6. that old dude was kind of weird. i mean, i guess he was okay because he helped me find a wand, but he's just real odd.
7. i can feel your jealousy radiating all the way from here, amycus
8. idk. i needed an even number. be jealous, amycus. jealooooouuuusssssss.

I went to make an appointment with my Optometrist, since my vision's a bit blurry... and it turns out that he's retired. Now I need to find a new Optometrist. My OBGYN didn't have a referral. You'd think they would... like, know someone? So I thought I'd post it here. Can you believe that I don't have a single optometrist as a customer?

Anyone know a good eye doctor?

So Audrey and I are happy to announce that we are expecting another baby! He or she is due in September and we're ridiculously excited. As is Ben about becoming a big brother.

Did anyone else eat Green Eggs yesterday? I saw this video about how red cabbage water (the stuff at-home kid scientists use to make litmus paper?) reacts with egg whites and turns them green. Amazing, right? Dr. Seuss would be so proud. You know he would have been 112 yesterday.

[Private to Merlin]
Speaking of 12, we're past the scary mark and can probably make an announcement soon. What do you think?

Super excited about the Grand Opening of Baxter Bakery's second location tomorrow! Hope to see you all there!

I realized that I haven't posted about my dreams lately, but I definitely had some more. So, after arriving in the kingdom Flynn and I had this super romantic evening on a boat in the water watching the lanterns float into the sky. I may be obsessed with painting this right now because it was such an amazing sight and I don't have warm fuzzy feelings towards a dude in my dreams. nope. Unfortunately that was as good as it got for the moment because I gave him his crown and satchel back, but then we spotted the two goons he had stolen it with. He went to go give it back to him and then disappeared. He took the crown and ran!

My mother saved me and I went back to the tower. While there I finally manage to put together that I am the lost princess! Yeah, that's right, I am a PRINCESS. That revelation leads up to a giant fight between my mother and I. The last thing I dreamt about was my mother hitting me and chaining me up to hold me hostage and hearing Flynn call for me from outside the tower.

What. The. Hell.

Pancake day in the home of a baker is a wondrous thing :)

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I have some amazing news! This has been in the works for a while for our company, though we didn't want to make an announcement until it was sure.

Baxter Bakery's second location has been found, rented, and is amid renovations! We'll be opening our second location soon! Stay tuned for more details!

Anybody else hear that it's National Carrot Cake day today? My brother told me when he messaged me this morning.

I don't have time to make one so I think I will be calling at the bakery later on!

Anyone want to plan a trip to New York for rainbow bagels? I'd buy a ton of those to bring home with me.

I watched a little bit of kids tv with Ben this morning and it's awful these days. So dumbed down and just terrible storylines, I've decided I need to show him cartoons from the good old days when his dad was a kid :)

Anybody have any favourites?

Is everyone else feeling Valentine's Day? Or is it just me?

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Come on by Baxter Bakery for heart-shaped cookies, breads, cakes and more! Don't forget to pair your sweet with a sparkling latte!

I think Clair De Lune is one of my favorite songs ever. I just put Ben down for a nap and played it on the little cd player we keep in his nursery... he went straight to sleep. I was so relaxed I sat in the rocking chair and just listened the whole way through... it was beautiful.

I just wanted to share.

Is it sad that I'm excited for school to start up? I've felt a little aimless without school since I got back, but now that'll be changing. I'm happy to have spent Christmas with my family this year since it was strange last year to spend it with my travel study group. But, I was able to force my boyfriend to put on a tie and properly meet my parents, so point in that department.

On the dream front, not a whole lot. I have to admit dreaming about wizard school is actually exciting and I'm a huge nerd for thinking that. I've been practicing what I've been learning in the classes with my wand and it seems to be working! I managed to levitate some objects the other day before accidentally sending the lamp zooming into the wall (oops). I did turn a match into a needle, but I'm a bit afraid of getting a mouse to turn into a matchbox.

Okay, my dreams are so cool! It's not even funny! We have a sport, called Quidditch, that we play on brooms with three different kinds of balls and I'm on the Gryffindor house team as the Chaser. It is so cool! Now I wish I could play it here.

Then, me, Sirius and Peter can turn into animals. It's called being an Animagus and we're the youngest wizards to ever do it. I become a stag. It's so cool! We did it so Remus wouldn't be alone on the full moon. Why can't I do any of this cool stuff in real life?

And if the first two things aren't cool enough, I woke up to two gifts this two morning. First was my wand. Yes, a real magic wand. I tried using it, but nothing happened, which isn't cool. However, I also got a cloak, but not just any cloak, an invisibility cloak. I put it on and I become invisible. Honest to god invisible!!

I can't wait to see what happens next.