Baking necessities.

I've come to the conclusion that there are some things I can't do without any longer. Especially if I am going to keep up the baking kick that I am on. So I am putting together my wish list. (Things I will be able to afford eventually, that I of course, will buy for myself, because really there isn't anyone to buy them for me) Whew, that was a run on sentence if I ever saw one...
(I'm a bit ADD today)

First off, I want one of these bad boys

KitchenAid Artisan Series White Stand Mixer - KSM150PSWH $200

...and on the less expensive side, one of these. G Rosenthal Imports GFS-5 Stainless 5 Cup Sifter $5

While expensive, these I would own forever, so I think it would be a good investment. Especially for my flour and sugars. Prosave 9G57 Rubbermaid Hopper-Front Storage Containers $85

I desperately need one of these. No more labeling my shelves with pencil. Brother PT-1180 Electronic Label Maker, 1 Line, 6W x 2-2/5D x 5-1/10H $28

I've got a strange LOVE for OXO utensils. So beautifully crafted. *Sigh* OXO Silicone Spatula - Small $4

My spices are such a mess right now - One or two of these would set me on the right path - I love that you can only have one layer of spices in each rack. Keeps me from overlooking ones because they are hidden. Rev-A-Shelf 4SR-21 Door Mount Spice Rack $29

I desperately want metal measuring cups! All the plastic ones I have ever owned are crap. All-Clad 5-Cup Measuring Cup Set - 8700800515 $35

So, for now, these are the things I desperately want, but can't afford, and will be saving for, for a while at least.
I spent my days off baking some new recipes and some old ones that I was attempting to perfect. You know what I never learned when I was learning to bake? That the ingredients are put into a recipe in a certain order for a reason. You don't go trying to change what has already been written down unless you are ok with failing. I made Betty Crocker sugar cookies and they came out light and airy (something I have never seen a sugar cookie do) and everyone loved them but now I'm worried that I may not be able to re-create the same cookie ever again. Or maybe that is how they were supposed to turn out...
I also attempted snicker doodles again. Different recipe this time. And per my friend M I subbed shortening for the butter. What a flop. They had no taste. I have this problem, it's deep inside (like in my genetics), that won't accept failure. If I fail at something I must keep trying till I do it right. Therefore it is bugging me that I can't seem make a tasty snicker doodle to save my pea-pickin' life. The batch before this one was so hard that they could have been used as stones for lake skipping. Fail. 
Also gave brownies from scratch a try. They seem to have a much milder chocolate taste than the boxed variety. The recipe suggested I top them with a no-bake fudge frosting which I made also. It was also mild in comparison to it's canned counterparts. Great for someone who doesn't want a strong chocolate taste. I think next time I may substitute the water in each recipe for coffee to see if I can boost the flavor that last little bit. 
I remade my pumpkin cookies and didn't put the ingredients in in the correct order. My butter wasn't soft and it was like 2 am and I didn't want to wake my roommate by turning my mixer on for long periods of time, so they wouldn't hold the form that I put them on the cookie sheet in. Made me kind of sad. I thought they looked ugly by themselves and if you know me, you know I can't serve people ugly food, so I whipped up butter cream frosting and made little sandwiches out of them. Super tasty. For some reason the frosting came out absolutely perfect. I don't know how to re-create that either. 
It's so very therapeutic to bake. I even enjoy the clean up. I want to build a homemade light box so that I can photograph my creations once they are done. Eventually I want to put together a cookbook for myself and have photographic explanations for things that I have learned, such as how to peel/core/chop and apple quickly and efficiently. It would be awesome to have a light box set up in my kitchenette to photograph the things I make.. Ohh.. I'm having an inkling. Gunna build one this weekend!