Last year was the first time I participated in the Mighty 1190 WIXE Sugar Plum Cook Off. It was actually the first time I participated in any sort of cook off…and I had no idea what the heck I was doing. First, I baked two cheesecakes, cut them both up in small pieces, which I shouldn’t have, then as I was walking out the door, I dropped one…on the ground…in the dirt…that one was out.
When I arrived and walked in and saw all these lovely, beautifully made cakes, I turned and walked out with my cut up cheesecake. #FAIL.
This year, I didn’t feel like making anything. Since cancer took my Mom away from us November 29th, I have not felt like doing anything..nothing can make me smile…nothing having to do with Christmas…but I do it anyway because I have to put one foot in front of the other…move forward, even if it is at a snails pace. I do it because I know my Mom wants me to be happy, she wants me to enjoy Christmas…But as much as I believe that…Christmas just makes me sad. Christmas carols make me cry, baking cookies is like being sucker punched, decorating the Christmas tree was the hardest thing I had to do.
It took me up until the day before the Sugar Plum Cook Off to decide whether or not I was going to participate. But like everything else, this Cook Off was bigger than me. It was bigger than what I am feeling. And I KNOW my Mom would have wanted me to do this. So, in my Mom’s honor I made a Snickers/Turtle Cheesecake for the Cook Off.
Now, if you do not know anything about this Sugar Plum Cook Off, you bring your baked goods (cakes, pies, cookies, etc) down, judges pick the top 10, then the baked goods are auctioned off and 100% of the money goes to helping my favorite charity HomeTown Heroes. If you don’t know about Hometown Heroes after reading my blog, then you must be living under a rock. They help kids who are fighting cancer and their families all year long. Want to know more?
But they don’t just auction off baked cooks. They had Panther tickets (lower level and upper level), Steak Baskets, Fruit Baskets, Corn Hole Games, and so much more. I do not know much about WIXE 1190 in Monroe, but after listening to it, I am guessing they really cater to their community of Monroe and surrounding areas. And this community rallied around HomeTown Heroes.
I dropped my cheesecake off about 8:15 am and while I was there I saw my buddy Mark who dropped off THREE cakes! They looked OH SO YUMMY.
I hung out a while, but because my head hurt so badly, I had to leave before the judging started at 10:00 am. However, I was able to get some pictures in. I tell you what, these people can bake!
This cake was made by Mrs. Kirkpatrick and each ball represents one child HomeTown Heroes is currently working with.
18 balls. EIGHTEEN. And each of them are either currently fighting, or have fought that ugly monster cancer. EIGHTEEN. EIGHTEEN kids who get chemo or radiation….EIGHTEEN kids that have their arms poked and prodded...EIGHTEEN kids who ask “What is cancer?” and whose parents have to answer them. EIGHTEEN. EIGHTEEN kids whose parents look up at the sky and ask “Why?“. EIGHTEEN kids whose parents look to the sky and pray. EIGHTEEN kids who are so very, very fortunate to have HomeTown Heroes in their lives, because even if just for a minute, Hometown Heroes can make these kids and their families feel better. One smile at a time.
Even though I left, I kept the radio on all day to hear who was the judges Top Ten and how much these cakes were being sold for. Mrs. Kirkpatricks Hometown Heroes cake, placed 5th! I am so happy for her! Neither Mark nor I made it in the Top Ten, but Mark did win a 25.00 Cash Prize Drawing just for entering his cake!
All in all, they auctioned off 70+ cakes plus all the other prizes. People could call on the phone to bid, or show up at Hendricks Chevy/Cadillac to bid. My Cheesecake ended up pulling in 80.00! Holy cow! Seriously? That’s awesome! That was ONE cake…Other cakes sold from 25.00 to 125.00+ and ALL THAT MONEY went to help support HomeTown Heroes!!!
Want to learn more about HomeTown Heroes and all they do throughout the year? Then check them out on Facebook – they are always up to something fun!
Katie, this is such a neat and awesome cause.
I’m so glad you went ahead and did it. Your mom would be so proud of you. I know it’s hard, and I have no words of consolation, because I can’t even fathom what you are going through.
I love you, and I’m so happy to see that you were thinking about these kiddos with all that you’re going through!
AND.. I would have totally snatched up your cheesecake and ran out with it! haha! 🙂
<3<3<3
Lisa Johnston recently posted..Sean Quigley – Little Drummer Boy | Awesome, Upbeat Spin on a Traditional Classic!
I love that you’re so strong! Your mom is so very proud, I know!
Thanks!
Thank you for the kind words Katie. Your words reinforce why we have done the Cook-Off for 21 years. What special people the Hometown Heroes are!
So sorry you lost your Mom.
Archie
I will continue to be a Hometown Heroes supporter and Sugar Plum Cook Off participant as long as possible! Thank you for WIXE1190!
Katie, you made your Mom proud!!! Great job!!!!!
Thanks Mark – Congrats to you!
$80!! That is awesome! Is hometown heros everywhere or only local to you?
Not So Average Mama recently posted..A Last Minute Warning to Santa…
This HomeTown Heroes group is local…Thanks! I was super surprised!
Hugs to you sweetie, the holidays are really hard when you’re grieving. Your cheesecake was beautiful and how wonderful that it made so much money for this wonderful cause.
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