No. I didn't. My boss told me not to come back and Kirstie was still in the hospital. I just concentrated on her. I didn't think about it anymore. Once she was out of the woods and came home and got back to school, then I thought about my "cakes." People have told me for so many years that I should try selling these. So I'm just gonna do it.

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My husband and I both have computer backgrounds and I figured I could put together a web site and start a business on the Web. One of my friends agreed to host my site. My family and friends told me that I could do it; since I can program computers I can easily figure out FrontPage. So sure enough; I just did it.

The Web was new to me. I looked at it as trial and error; I wasn't really sure how it would go. I didn't really expect to do a whole bunch, or more than what I was doing in my hometown. I have been marketing my products to our community here, like hospitals and craft fairs. I really wasn't expecting the Web to do anything. I was expecting the local market to do more. It ended up reversed.

I was raised by a single mom. I saw how hard she had to work and how she didn't have a choice. She couldn't be with me even if she wanted to. So I think between that and my kid's health problem, with my boss expecting me to work when I couldn't, that made me want to go on my own. I'd rather work this hard to have the flexibility of not having to answer to anybody.

I didn't see my mom as much as I wanted to. And I didn't want that to happen to my kids. So that really pushed me to work hard. The 8-to-5, I did that for years, but then there's the fact that even you work hard for a boss and you need a time off because of a sick child, you are not always allowed.

I started my Web site in August 1998. I did everything myself: I researched what the search engines were and I submitted everything myself. But I didn't get my first order until three months later, in November. And that was only a single order. I didn't have another order until December.

I was lucky that everything seemed to fall into place. Looking for suppliers was easy: all I did was to turn the package over of the product I like and look up the number of the manufacturer. I call them up and explain to them what I do. Some of them were pretty nice and really good about not making me meet the minimum order right away.

But a few refused to give me leeway and insisted I place their required minimum order, which was often too big for me back then. Instead of just trying out 10 or 20 pieces, they wanted me to order cases and cases of their products. That first whole year I just cringed when I had to place an order. I had trouble finding a place for them in the house. More importantly I was thinking, "How am I going to get rid or sell all of these?" But then it always did.

I didn't get any loans - never have. We started by buying in the clearance sections of the department stores and putting a couple of cakes together. We then sell those to hospitals and stores, and that would give me more money to buy more. I was able to keep on replenishing my stocks that way at first.

It's nice because it is a lot more flexible. I hate to work for another boss again who frowns when you tend to your sick child. I would not be able to go back to that life ever again.

But the hardest part is that you're never away from work. It is always right there: 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. It is hard to walk away from. Plus, you have to look for room in your house to place your inventory. We used to put our stocks in the garage, then we bought a big shed.

I have to say it's hard work, but it's nice to think that you're doing it to help yourself and your family instead of a boss. And my kids love to help! The eldest (9 year old) can really help and the little one (the one whom I was pregnant when I started) is my toy tester. He probably tried every single thing. It if works for him, I am confident that it will work for the kids of my customers.

My husband is a huge help. He is so supportive. When the kids are in bed, he will help me complete the orders for the next day. No matter how late we have to stay up. So it is a real team effort. He has an 8-to-5 job yet when he comes home and there's lots of orders, he knows that we've got to do it. He helps a lot.

Primarily retail, but I get a lot of wholesale orders too. In fact, I've developed a wholesale line for other stores and Web sites. At least 30 web sites and about 50 retail stores, hospitals etc. across the country carry my "baby cakes." I now probably put an average of 35 or 40 a day for wholesale orders.

Corporate clients are now a sizeable part of our business. We get a lot of repeat business from a lot of big companies and they just found me in the web. In April, I got my first national celebrity order when the lawyer of the country western singer Clint Black ordered baby cakes for Clint, whose wife had just given birth. That was kind of exciting.

Everyday I get more orders. Every month there's been growth. I am the bookkeeper too (although I am a little behind in bookkeeping) and there are more gross sales every month.