Simply Kate's Kitchen Update

Let me begin by saying that I felt so blessed that what started as a little hobby had grown dramatically the past months. The success of Simply Kate's online business is attributed to all of my customers who trusted me with their orders. Luckily for me, this hobby turned business is giving enough income to pay for our utilities, monthly food consumption, and other expenses. At times, I even earn more than the pay I used to get when I was still working full time. It is hard to get it off my system now. But concurrent with the past nine months of work are some sacrifices that I have to take. One of that is contact dermatitis.

March of this year when the first signs of contact dermatitis started on one finger on my left hand. A single itch that I thought was an ordinary insect bite. Then I realized it just wont bug off. It disappears now then comes back later multiplying each time until the skin on my fingers started to dry out and crack.

I checked with a dermatologist and she was giving me a term I couldn't understand but which was called contact dermatitis in layman's term. I was told that the reasons for the skin problem were stress (being the # 1, as she said), heredity and irritant. Setting aside stress (as I refused to believe in in being a factor), I was thinking the main culprit was the constant exposure to dishwashing liquid. At that time, I did everything on my own, including washing and cleaning up of baking utensils. That prompted me to get a househelp that could do the washing part for me.

Five months of having an assistant didn't help though. I have finished several creams already but conditions only got worst. Now they're on both hands. Believe me I haven't grown cuticles on my fingers anymore. Aside from allergies on my hands, I got some on my neck and both arms. I found out that the culprit wasn't dishwashing soap. They're flour and confectioner sugar. I tried working with gloves on. It works when measuring flour but doesn't work when making fondant and molding toppers. I just couldn't work on them unless with my bare hands. It has really become a big problem for me. The skin on my hands is constantly peeling off. They're full of tiny cuts and rough all the time. I haven't touched the faces of my babies and haven't rubbed their backs anymore. I can't even rub my face without getting scratches from my rugged hand and worst, every other activity involving the fingers (writing, typing, anything) is not without pain. I have wasted lotsa bandaide already and unless I take some time off from baking, this would never go away. This is starting to give me what we, homebakers, call the baking burn-out feeling. If before I can mold figures non-stop for 8 hours, now, a straight two hours is already too much to bear.

I felt that if I continue to do even something that I love dearly, it's not helping both myself and my customers. And as I have the power to choose and act on my own, I choose to have some rest and put aside baking that involves too much exposure to the elements that contributes to my skin problems. I promise myself to do other productive things, anyway. Research, tutorials, baking blog perhaps. I am allowing my hands to heal for now. I am not completely shutting my kitchen doors, I am just regulating the flow of orders. :)

So, to those who need customized cakes and cupcakes, please note that Simply Kate's couldn't make them at the moment until further notice. If you like something in any of my works and want them copied by other bakers, go ahead. A lot of my fellow baking sisters can do them for you. Dont' go any further, check out the link below and find a homebaker near your area.

http://filipinahomebakers.multiply.com/photos/album/68/FHO_Official_Business_Directory

Happy Holidays!

Thanks for your understanding.

Kate