Let’s quit.. after this one last cigarette

Finding the motivation to quit smoking

The official explanations for why we should quit smoking cigarettes are basically all the same. Cigarettes have a negative effect on our health and the health of those around us. When I hear or read or see this information, all it does is make me feel guilty. And then I want a cigarette. So I decided to do some internet searching to find some information that would really motivate me to quit.

Why do you want to quit?

I don’t know about you but my reasons for quitting are purely for my looks. I don’t want to look old. I don’t want to look in the mirror again and think wow, I should really quit smoking. As sad as that may be, it’s the truth. With glowing skin and shrunken pores in mind, I began my research.

 Quitting smoking can turn you back into a child

Many keywords later, I discovered this blog post on age reversal which claims smokers lost 13 years off their appearance after quitting. Great. The article even links to an actual study. Even better. Then the idea occurred to me that I should replace my bad smoking habit with a healthier one. After searching up the health benefits of drinking more water, I found an article about a woman who lost 10 years off her face by drinking 3 litres of water every day. Amazing! So logically, if I quit smoking and drink 3 litres of water every day, eventually I’ll have the face of a 9 year old child. I’ve never heard of it not happening.. We’ll see anyway. Because as soon as I’ve finished this post I’m going to have my last cigarette. Ever. And then chug down a big glass of water. The water should cancel out the effects of the cigarette, right? Sure it will.

 But really, I’m over it. I quit. Will you quit with me?

To all smokers who desperately want to quit

Tell me: why can’t you quit smoking?

And how many times have you tried to quit? I’ve lost count of the attempts i’ve made. Most recently, I tried the Stoptober challenge. November 1^st rolled around and here I am still smoking. It’s not like there isn’t a lot of support out there to quit. It’s shoved in our faces on a daily basis that smoking can make your eyes fall out (that’s why those clamps are around that eyeball on the cigarette packet, right?) So why can’t you quit? Why can’t I quit? Well, there was this one time, I did quit smoking for almost two years. Then one evening, someone happened to pass me a cigarette and the addiction began all over again. A year has gone by since then and at least once a week since that day I have promised myself that I will quit after this packet/cigarette/day/stressful event. So many broken promises.

Physical effects of smoking on your health

On top of the emotional hang ups of not being able to kick the habit, there’s the physical side effects. It’s odd because I never really noticed many of the effects of smoking on my body until I started up again. I had smoked so long these symptoms had just become a part of living. I don’t know about you but my least favourite side effects of smoking cigarettes are:

• Waking up covered in a film of sweat
• Uncomfortable sensation in my mouth
• Wrinkly dry lips
• Dry skin
• Phlegmy throat and lungs
• Persistent smell of cigarette smoke on the body ( I noticed this symptom the most on other smokers after I had quit)
• Yellow teeth and fingers
• Discolouration around the mouth
• Dull skin and redness on the face

The list of bad things about cigarettes could go on and on really.  And apparently it does. According to my sources on Google, 7000 chemicals are contained in these hot sticks of irresistible poison.

Clearly, smoking cigarettes does absolutely nothing positive for us. If a granny with a 61 year habit of smoking can quit why can’t we?

Want custom cakes and the new Russian Doll Cupcakes delivered to your venue? OK.

Wedding season is upon us!

It’s been a busy month for the team at Cakealicious Cakes. As the weather heats up, wedding season begins and the custom cake orders have been flying in. But not to worry, our team has it covered and we have plenty of room to take more orders. We have had some amazing feedback from our clients about our custom cakes. Please check out our new Cakealicious Cakes testimonials page to see some of the reviews our customers have given us.

New Russian Doll Cupcakes available now

As stated on our homepage, our goal is to provide Dunedin with fresh and bold cake designs and flavours. So, due to the positive response to our Russian Fudge Cake and to celebrate our first month, we’re introducing a new cupcake flavour to the menu. This is not the typical cupcake you may be used to. Our new Russian Doll Cupcakes are made up of 4 cake layers with a delicious fudgy goo between each layer. So far, our professional cake testers (Cakealicious Cakes friends and family) have been very pleased with the new flavour. As much as we appreciate their feedback, we’d love your unbiased opinion so please, ‘russian’ to Cakealicious Cakes to try one of our Russian Doll samples and let us know what you think. Too busy? That’s OK. If you live in Dunedin and order a box of 24 cupcakes (any combination of flavours) we’ll bring the cupcakes to you.

Yes, we now deliver cupcakes!

We’ve had a lot of success with our cake delivery, and we are now taking cupcake orders. Cupcake orders are limited to a box of 24 or more. Give us a time and a place, and as long as that time is between 9.30am and 5.30pm and that place is somewhere in Dunedin, we’ll be there. You will need to provide us with at least 24 hours notice so your cupcakes are ready and good to go. Cupcake orders fall under the same terms and conditions as cake orders. You can read more about this on Cakealicious Cakes FAQ page.

Russian Doll recipe a long-time in the making

Although it is a brand new item on the menu at Cakealicious Cakes, owner Colleen Brent developed the Russian Doll Cupcake recipe five years ago in the kitchen of her former Auckland home. In fact, it was the original inspiration for the Russian Fudge Cake recipe. Colleen is pleased to finally share her old/new cupcake creation with the customers of Cakealicious Cakes and she says there are plenty more delicious creations to come.

Which Cakealicious Cakes cake won the top spot on opening week?

First things first: “Thank you, Dunedin!” from the team at Cakealicious

Last week was opening week for Cakealicious Cakes, and we couldn’t have had a better start. On Saturday, we set up the bouncy castle and sample table early in the morning and opened the doors to customers for the first time. The bouncy castle was a hit and so were the samples. Thanks to Cakealicious Cakes baker Henry and his bakery assistant Shaun, we had enough samples to last the whole day. The rest of the team were kept busy the minute the doors opened right up until closing.We are all so grateful for the warm response from our customers. A big thank you to everyone who visited our store on opening day and over the past week.

[Image: bouncy castle and sample table]

Cakelicious Cakes best-selling cake

As a regular feature, we will list our most popular cake of the week on our website and provide samples of the winning cake in-store. It was a hard guess for opening week, but most of the team were sure the Butter Cream Chocolate Cake would be a popular choice with our customers. As it turns out, our Russian Fudge Cake took the number 1 spot. Staff member Sarah says it was no surprise as the Russian Fudge Cake samples received a very positive response on opening day. Another popular item was our ready-to-go celebration cakes. To celebrate our winning cakes, we are offering free samples of the Russian Fudge Cake and ready-to-go celebration cakes in-store.

What’s your favourite Cakealicious cake?

We received a lot of feedback from customers about our samples this week and we’d love to hear more. We are always looking for inspiration when experimenting with recipes and creating new cake designs so all and any feedback is welcome.