The Purple Door Kitchen: School starts again!

The siblings go back to papers, projects, early mornings and sack lunches tomorrow.
(Yay! Sack lunches...I can't wait to pack up all sorts of yummies.)
I'm a tad excited. I like "Back to School" time. All of the school supplies and notebooks are so fun, and you can wear sweaters in the fall weather...but I'm going to miss Laura and John Mark way too much.
My amazing sister (and best friend) takes all of the astounding photos on this blog. She has a great eye for composition and I shamelessly use her talent for my own gain. (It's ok, I pay her in Starbucks Frappaccinos.)
My baby brother on the other hand, is never afraid to tell me when a baking experiment tastes less than perfect. I love when he comes into the kitchen and asks "Do these ones taste good?" or even better "Are these for us?" Yesterday I baked 6 dozen desserts for a back to school teacher's lunch at the high school that was today. John Mark cracked every single egg for me and didn't get any shells in the bowl. I do believe I've taught him well.

The "naked" cupcakes and cookies

I realized today and yesterday that what I do at "Purple Door Bakery" isn't just me. The people I love are just as essential for this dream to get off the ground. When I woke up at 5:30 this morning to frost cupcakes, my mom was already sitting on the couch waiting for me to come downstairs so we could start working together. She cleans up after my messes for me all the time when I slack off, and she is the best encourager a girl could want.
My dad, having owned his own business for several years always has golden wisdom on supply, demand, customers, advertisement, risk, investment, pricing, pretty much anything! And I wouldn't be able to have any kind of website without his computer smarts behind me.
My sister, of course, is my faithful photographer, assistant delivery girl, music playing, stay-up-late-with-Candice-while-she-bakes-her-booty-off, all around awesome helper. I've promised her, when I ever get a store front, she is my very first cashier. I wouldn't want anyone else anyway.
And John Mark is just a hungry, cheerful, and egg cracking inspiration. For a long time when he was younger he used to want to open a French Restaurant with me. He wrote out a recipe book and watched "Ratatouille" a bajillion times. One day he said to me: "Candice, one day will you fly with me to France so we can learn how to make french food together and open my restaurant? I can be the chef and you can be my assistant." Of course I said yes...We haven't taken the trip yet. But our food is still tasty whenever we bake together.
But enough with stories about my family! You want the line up of tasty goods that went down at the Teacher's Lunch today! Righto!

Earl Grey Citrus Cupcakes