I need advice on what to do this week. I am booked with 4 elaborate party cakes for sat and I am so sick with the stomach flu I can barely get out of bed! I had to take off from my regular job as a nurse but I don't know what to do about these cakes. I am a one woman show all around. I have no help and no opition for help. What am I supposed to do?! I mean it's way too late to cancel these orders! These cakes have been booked for months!

I hear yah sister...Many times I have had the flu and been so sick that I barely could get out of bed...The smart thing to do is cancel the cakes but since you have already mentioned there is no way to call someone else and you are the only one....I really don't know what to say because I know that I would be upset to have to call and cancel 4 cakes let alone 1....It is only Tuesday..Maybe you will feel better in a day or so...I've pumped out several cakes on a Thursday and friday before....

Could you find someone in your area with your same qualifications to help you? Or maybe someone can bake the cakes for you under your strict instructions? Maybe you'll feel better to be able to decorate before they're due!

Good luck.

Ugh, that happened to me a few months ago, except I was supposed to donate my cakes for a benefit. The event coordinator said it was totally fine and they had plenty more desserts, but I still felt terrible. It made me feel even worse when I saw pictures from the event and they had my name printed on a banner of contributors.

I really hope that it's just a 24-hour bug and you're able to kick it's butt and crank out the cakes!

Get well soon!

Do you have any cake friends in teh area who might be able to help you out in a pinch? YOu should not be baking if you are that sick, obviously.

I live in the Houston area. If I can help just PM me. Been retired from $$ baking for a couple of years, but can still bake and decorate. OBTW...my hubs is a gumpaste/fondant genius.


*** OBTW...you haven't eaten any eggs lately, have you?

Where are you located?

Knock on wood- I only had 1 incident where I ended up being rushed to the emergency room at 5 am the day a cake was due and unfortunately I had left the decorating to do for the day of so I had to very last minute cancel. Your only options are- cancel all today to give these people some chance of ordering another cake in time or try and find someone to get a jump start on the baking and hope you are back on your feet by thrusday friday to decorate. It would help if you posted where you are as I am sure there are a lot of cc'ers on here that may be able to help.
For future I would maybe reach out to a couple decorators in your area that can step in in emergencies.

Thank everyone!!! Well, as of yesterday and this morning I was knocked on my butt!!! Now I have emerged from the bedroom and have a slight appetite and gonna try to eat and drink. Feels like my energy is coming back. I am just gonna focus on getting better today and tomorrow and hopefully by thurs I'll be able to get to the cakes. I canceled my out of town order for Friday though. Figured that was pushing it. My customer was totally fine with it, and was able to get another cake in a matter of 2 phone calls. Ugh! This is THE WORST!!!!

I am in South Louisiana around New Orleans. Thanks to all of you that are willing to help!! Fortunately, by the grace of god, I got all of my baking done on Sunday. All the cakes are frozen and filled. My mom and MIL have offered to help with the kids and my neighbor has stepped up to do some shopping as well. But, thankfully, I remain pretty organized (because i always have to do cakes around my work schedule) and I do have alot of the prepwork already done...THANK GOODNESS!! I was just freaking because I literally couldn't even stand up yesterday!

I just don't know how you even DO four cakes and be a nurse! Kudos to you and glad you are doing better!

Glad to hear you're feeling better! You must be super organized to do what you do

Hooray, I'm glad you're feeling better

Thanks Everyone!! You all are sooo sweet! I am glad to say I feel a MILLION times better and am back in full force! Whew!! I was freaking because this has never happened to me before!!

But, this brings on a whole new topic (prob should start a new thread, but here goes anyway). Some of you mentioned that you don't know how I do it all, well, it is true, I do have a high stress threshold and I can multitask extremely well (I will thank my nursing career in a high stress area-NICU- for that), but lately, I have just been downright overwhelmed. I literally have been having the same friggin cold for at LEAST a month now and people are starting to comment on how "bad" I look. And now this stomach bug thing has really made me re-think the cakes. They used to be fun, but now they are becoming just one more thing to do in a week. When I tell people I am thinking about giving them up, they tell me how talented I am and that I should just quit my "real" job. I considered that seriously for a while, but the truth is, I like my "real" job and it pays very well and, since I have a little seniority at my work, I finally have the flexibilty that any nurse would dream of (no weekends, no holidays, no nights---really hard to come by as a nurse). Just wondering, can cakes really take over your life and affect your health, because I think, in my case, they have. I have gone through burnout once before, and quit, but then I started back up and raised my prices significantly, and that helped. But, how many "cake lives" can one person have before they really burn out for good!? Anyone in a similar situation here?

Have no words of advice because all I do is cake but wanted to say I am glad you are feeling better!

I'm glad you are feeling better. I am not in your situation as I am working on caking to be my primary business however my thoughts are this:
When you take on too much of anything in your life you will get burnt out. It sounds like maybe you have to learn how to say NO. If you don't have time to take on 5 cakes a week but you still would like to do a cake or 2 now and again as a hobby then just say no! Set a limit for what is too much and stick to it.
Stress can play a terrible toll on your body and if you have been struggling for a year I would say it's time to make a change somewhere. Good luck. We are here to support you!!

I have a high stress threshold also, but it sounds like you need a break (and not just one in bed with the flu!)

I'm glad you're feeling better, but try to plan a mini vacation just to clear your head and de-stress for a little while!

I think I will plan to complete the orders I have throughout September, but don't book any new ones and take the rest of the year off. I will tell any other customers that call for orders Oct-Dec. that I am booked. I feel so bad about my repeat customers though! I have alot of my favorites customers that prob will be ordering later in the year. But, the thought of doing one more cake, makes me nauseaus!!! ---and it's not a stomach flu relapse!!