Oh yes that’s right. I finally finally finally got myself a proper stand mixer. A Breville BEM800XL Scraper Mixer Pro 5-Quart Die-Cast Stand Mixer to be exact! And oh yes, I really did name her Xena: Warrior Princess, because she is fierce and sexy. Do you think I’m thankful and happy and ready to do a celebration tap dance on the rooftop? Well if you said yes to the former and no to the latter, then you’d be right! But I’m even more thankful for the reason I received this mixer.
As you may know, I hosted a nation-wide cookie swap through my blog earlier this month. Since I never did an an update, what you don’t know is that we had 72 participants and we swapped a total of 3,574 cookies. Each person was only required to mail a dozen cookies to three people each (that’s 36 cookies per person) but we averaged more like 50 per person this year. That is partly because our group just loves to bake and share generously, and partly because we had an extra incentive.
One of our swappers, Marcia L., told us about Cookies for Kids Cancer, a nonprofit organization started by a mother of a young son who died of cancer to help raise money for pediatric cancer research and support families going through what she did with her own son. The organization is geared to help you raise money for pediatric cancer by hosting bake sales and cookie swaps.
After learning about Glad’s matching program through which they would donate $1 per cookie swapped, I registered our swap and people went crazy with the swapping! Marcia herself sent the most, with a total of 280. She swapped with 15 people, and then volunteered as a “Cookie Angel” and sent cookies to a couple people who did not get their cookies. She definitely was our star swapper, though we had many who went above and beyond (shout out to Eileen, Debbi, Shannon, Selby, Paula, Linda, Cynthia, Laurie, Eliza, Tamara, Sonya, Jessica, Jolie, Kathryn, Marlo, Kathleen, and Amber!), taking on extra matches and becoming cookie angels for those who got stuck with a dud swapper (thankfully we only had three this year, half as many as last year. Progress!).
After I counted our total and reported it to Glad, Marcia informed me of a perk for the hostess that I hadn’t been aware of when I signed up our swap.
I guess you can’t even tell I was excited can you? LOL! Besides the wrong ill-fitting mixing bowl on my old mixer, it also had a beater that constantly fell out and had to be pushed back in. In that video of Dennis making my birthday cake, if you fast forward to 1:52, you will hear the loose beater clacking against the other beater. That went on for five minutes (Dennis thought that’s how it was supposed to sound-lol) and I gladly cut most of that footage. So yes, to say I was thrilled is really an understatement. I have wanted a proper mixer for no less than five years and just by doing something fun that helped pediatric cancer patients, I got my mixer. Wow.
I’m so thankful for Marcia who told me about the Cookies for Kids Cancer organization. I’m so thankful to all my swappers who did a little extra to help raise more money through our swap for pediatric cancer research. And boy am I ever thankful to all the aforementioned people, Breville, and Cookies for Kids Cancer for making it possible for me to finally realize my dream of having a quality stand mixer. I am so happy about this whole situation, it’s just a continuous circle of giving and helping!
Here’s a short video of me testing out my mixer for the first time and of course I initiated it with bread dough (I made my favorite Honey Oatmeal Bread). It handled it great and was so quiet, it didn’t even wake Dennis when I started it up at 3 am. I’m a happy girl. :)
Veronica's Cornucopia 
Congrats on the new mixer Veronica!! I know you will put it to good use. My Kitchenaid mixer is 23 years old and still works like the day I bought it. I’m sure you will have a long, happy relationship with Xena. Thanks for hosting the swap. I really enjoyed participating and it was such a great bonus that our cookie baking raised money for kids cancer. Happy New Year to you and Dennis!
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Laurie I just woke up after two hours sleep to put the bread in the oven or I wouldn’t have gotten to your comment so early! Bakers are hard core, I tell ya. LOL! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookie swap, I know I enjoyed hosting, and I agree it was such a nice bonus that we could raise money for kids cancer by just having some fun. Happy new year to you as well!
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A thing of beauty! I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more! Congrats!!!!!
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Aw thanks Renee!
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That thing rocks! You so deserve it! Can’t wait to see all that you make with it!
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EX.CI.TING!!!!!!!!!! Whoa – you’ve got the ‘big guns’ now huh? No telling what you’ll be making in the middle of the night! =) You so deserve this special gift. VERY nice – can’t blame you for being super duper excited. You may have to start your own baking business and selling your ‘wares’ because you’re not gonna want to stop using this magnificent machine! Congrats!!!!
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Honestly, I’ve been thinking about that. People have always asked if I’ll ever open my own bakery and I always said no b/c I like to do it for fun and not a job. But I can now see myself opening a cupcake place b/c they are my favorite thing to make…if a little overdone nowadays. So now I’m thinking if I ever inherit a lot of money or have some sort of windfall, I will use it to open my own cupcake place and hire someone to do all the advertising, accounting, etc, so all I have to worry about is the baking. I can see myself retiring into it, so I’m making progress. Maybe one day I’ll actually start saving to do it.
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Congrats! if anyone deserved it, it is you! :)
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Thank you Kim!
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Zena is lovely, and even more special because of the story of how she came to live at your house. Happy baking!
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Thanks Anita!
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Ditto! Well earned & deserved!!!! Enjoy enjoy enjoy and happy baking.!!! and I just love the name :)
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hehe, me too. :)
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YAY!!! You’ve wanted, needed, and deserved a new stand mixer for SO long! I’m so happy you got one, and the way it was acquired is totally awesome. Happy bread baking! ~KB
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Thank you so much. :)
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For how much you bake I know this is going to be put to good use – so happy for you V!!
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Thanks Biz, you know it!
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I know you were super excited to get this V!! Sometimes I’m cooking at 3 am too, so I know you’re liking that it’s quiet too :) You deserved this! The money the cookies raised is awesome too and such a good cause. I’m so happy for you!
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I felt guilty using the mixer and talking into a camera when he was so close and sound travels so well in our house but he said he slept good so hopefully I didn’t disrupt any REM sleep. And yes it will make me feel better using this one as I often am beating away at night (lol, not that way) and feel terrible for Dennis who’s trying to sleep. I too am so happy, thank you for being happy for me!
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That is so awesome, I am so excited for you! Congratulations on all your hard work – you definitely deserve it!
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Thank you Jane!
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Xena is very fitting and I love that it comes with a scraper….luuucky! You’ll be the ultimate cookie butt kicker =)
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I’m super exicted about that too, I won’t even know what to do b/c I usually stand over the mixer and scrape the bowl constantly. With Xena I’ll be free to do my nails or something! lol
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wow Veronica, I can truly understand how happy you are! Xena will make your baking life so much easier. can’t wait to see all the amazing bakes you will make with “her”.
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I know! I’m going to bake her warrior princess butt off!
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I know! I’m going to bake her warrior princess butt off! lol
The happiest people don’t have the best of everything…they just make the best of everything.
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Veronica, I smiled thru your whole post — too funny, absolutely wonderful, and HOOHAH for unexpected blessings! Enjoy many happy hours with “Zena!”
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Aarrgghh… Xena!!! (I was too enthralled to spell her name correctly…)
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I surely will, thank you!
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I need a proper table mixer too. I like yours!
Happy New Year!
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Thanks Angie, I hope Santa brings you one this year!
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Yay, a stand mixer is the best and with a name like Xena, I know you won’t be let down. You did something our of pure kindness and it came back unexpectedly to you. I love it when good things happen to good people.
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Thank you, Rhonda. :)
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I am so excited for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a great and surprise gift!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not live without my stand mixer! !!!!!!!!!!! I can’t wait to see what you whip up and good luck to all those state fair competitors—-they are going down this year! LOL
I echo Rhonda—-you are most deserving. Good things come to those deserving goodness!
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haha, yes, they are going dooooown! lol-thanks Debra.
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Good for you, I’m glad that in doing good you got a nice surprise for yourself! I hope it keeps serving you well for a long time!
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Thanks Mary!
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how awesome! congrats :)
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Thank you Sarah!
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What a totally awesome surprise, and you will definitely use the heck out of that thing!! I am so stoked for you :)
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You know it! And thanks!
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