Page 5 - Cupcakes

Acknowledgments

When I think back over the past six years, I know I never would have been able
to write four books had it not been for my family and friends. Thanks go, again,
to my husband, John, for being patient and putting up with my stress as a
deadline approached. And I thank my children, Kathleen, Litton, and John, for
their humor, enthusiasm, and resourcefulness in managing things on their own
while I finished up Cupcakes. Their friends may think it’s enviable to have your
mother be the Cake Mix Doctor. And they may think our kitchen counters are
always lined with cupcakes (they are from time to time), but in reality this
mother is like all working moms, short on time and appreciative of help from
everyone around the house!

Thanks go to Martha Bowden, my right arm, a true friend and a gifted baker
who has helped me meet deadlines time and again. Her creative energy was
invaluable to this book, especially when it came to putting together the kids’ and
celebration chapters. To Lucille Osborn, my friend in Pennsylvania who is a
wonderful food stylist, thank you for your help in planning those holiday
cupcakes, even if it was via the telephone! Lucille helped me visualize many of
these cupcakes before I set out to make them doable for you.