One thing at a time....

So, things are progressing really well for us!  And try as I might, I cannot get Taryn to write a blog post out here so rather than keep you all in suspense of what we've been doing to spread the One of Each word I'm giving in and writing for us!  LOL.  We are finding that the more we accomplish, the more there is to accomplish!  At face value, this would seem really frustrating-as if to ask ourselves, when will we ever get ahead???  But knowing how much our little victories are contributing to the dream we have of One of Each really drives us to keep working and to keep going.  We have experienced an outpouring of support from people in our lives which we appreciate so much!  It really helps to know that others catch a glimpse of our dream and are cheering us on with encouraging words and valuable feedback.  What also helps is the incredible resources we are finding around us in loved ones and friends who are more than happy to help us in areas that we could not do as well on our own!  For example, Taryn's wonderful brother-in-law is doing so much to illustrate the vision we have of the One of Each logo and we are so excited about the ideas and insights he has given us!  The logo is nearly finalized so be on the lookout for official branding!  Order forms are now available!  Please email us to receive one!  We've narrowed down our favorites to 12 options we will offer initially along with some special Valentine's Day offerings as well.  These options with descriptions are:
**Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie-a bite-size version of your year-round favorite!
**Taryn's Famous Oat & Chocolate Chip Cookie-Taryn's own secret recipe of oatmeal and chocolate chips
**Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Ball-a perfect combination of crispy rice, and peanut butter and just enough chocolate to top it off
**White Chocolate Dipped Cookie Ball-there is only one way to describe this-if you like the original oreo cookie, you are going to LOVE this
**Snoodle Bite-a yummy bite-size spin on the traditional snickerdoodle
**Strawberry Danish Bite-Strawberries and Danish Dessert layered with a whipped cream mixture atop a cookie like crust....secretly Taryn's favorite and contributed by me! (*wink, wink*)
**Mint Dream Brownie Bite-chewey, cakie brownie with the perfect amount of mint and dipped in chocolate
**Coconut Paradise Bite-this conglomerate of coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch bits and walnuts is sure to leave you wanting more
**Pumpkin Roll Bite-includes all the deliciousness of a full roll but in a bite-size square
**Rami's Ridiculous Carrot Cake Bite-not like your typical carrot cake, this one has substance! Packed with carrots, raisins and walnuts and topped with rich cream cheese frosting
**German Chocolate Brownie Bite-just like it sounds...so, so good!
**Salted Almond Caramel Bite-you haven't had a salted caramel like this one!  A special homemade caramel recipe that's been passed through the generations of my family combined with almonds and a perfect hint of salt.

We are also excited to offer bite-sized heart sugar cookies and white chocolate dipped red velvet cake bites for your loved one's on Valentine's Day!

Though we work together and seperately as much as possible on weeknights, Saturday has become our "day of One of Each".  We pack our schedule with all of the errands we want to run together and of course find time for taste-testing and brainstorming ways to improve our already tasty treats!  I'm going to sign off for now but stay tuned for photos of our bake-off tomorrow!  :)

cutting & cupping; trial & error...

We are learning so much along the way...from what's going to work, what doesn't, how to improve this and that to how well we work together as a team!  And I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg!  We are in for a journey, this is certain.  Something tells me these long days, extra work and late nights are all going to pay off.  It's hilarious to me how Taryn and I get along and work together...laughing with her and brainstorming with her is so much fun, a little zany and full of unexpected learning.  Just tonight, for example, she managed to shatter a glass bowl in the microwave while melting butter.  I know she isn't the first person for this to happen to but it happened directly after she charred a batch of snickerdoodle bites (we're still working on names) and I joked with her that perhaps she shouldn't be left in the kitchen without adult supervision!  She laughed and agreed with me which I'm so happy for because it shows she appreciates my sense of humor instead of being offended by it.  Today we managed to accomplish a lot...again.  The business cards turned out pretty darn good for a first try and our logo which we designed (we have ZERO designing experience mind you) I feel like is something to be proud of!  We (I mean Taryn and Austin) assembled the boxes and then Taryn and I added our business cards with a bow.  We then finished "cutting and cupping" (this is quickly becoming on of our favorite phrases) the goodies and then lovingly boxed them.  We feel like this first round of yummies is a really great mix of both of our styles and tastes.  So far they have received really fabulous reviews and we are so excited to share them with people who don't have a biased opinion.  I can't wait to hand out our samples and receive the feedback!  We truly feel that this is the perfect goodie gift for anyone from co-workers, to clients, to prospects, to family and loved ones and we would love to customize and wrap a beautiful gift for you!  I've attached a photo of our initial sample & some other funny things.  Please visit us on Facebook and Twitter and let us know what you think!  We would love your wishlist of things you want to see in bite-sized portions so we can make your "One of Each" dreams come true.  ;-)

In the beginning........

This all started about a month ago when Rami and Taryn were surveying a variety basket of baked goods from a local bakery and Rami made the comment that she wished each one was made in bite-size so she could try them all without guilt!  One thing led to another and next thing you know we had designated a special "pink notepad" to begin scribbling ideas on!  For the next several days we would talk excitedly in hushed tones about the things we wanted to accomplish!  Although the idea of One of Each came to fruition several weeks ago, today is our first official day of operation.  Taryn has been carting around "the pink notepad" of ideas for weeks, jotting down any random thoughts that came to our minds and we set an appointment in our calendars to have an all out bake-a-thon......ALL DAY....today.  Here is an idea of what our day has looked like so far:

9AM-review recipes, compile shopping lists, create a 'to-do' list
10AM-pick up packaging supplies, color samples for logo design, baking supplies
1PM-business lunch at Rubio's
2PM-Bake-a-thon 2012 begins

That doesn't seem too bad, right?  Two girls, hanging out, eating lunch, baking all day....every homemakers dream.  Actually it seems the more we have accomplished the more we needed to!  Talk about cramming weeks worth of work into one day!  While baking our hearts out, we have registered the business, designed a logo, created a business card, created a facebook page and a twitter account and an email account all in honor of One of Each.  Now at 9:30 PM....a solid twelve plus hours later, we are still hard at work baking, sampling and packaging.  We are driven by so many incredible things to come!  Stay tuned for pics of the process and of the finished product.  We can't wait to share them with you!