I have a new obsession.

I am almost 50 years old and have avoided this activity all my life despite coming from a long line of women who are very proficient at this skill – it is something I have always thought was beyond my abilities.

In my lifetime I have borrowed and bought the product but never imagined the joy that comes to someone who learns how to bake.

Yup! My beloved bought me a shiny red stand mixer and I am like a kid with a new bike – I have been buying flour and yeast and have dragged my mom’s old recipes out to discover cinnamon buns, homemade bread and buns – I even made my daughter a birthday cake for her 24th birthday.

I thank the bakeries over the years who have supplied great cakes for her, but this year felt like a great accomplishment to make a cake.

Baking has always intimidated me because it usually represented too many rules and exact measure and I’ve always considered myself more of a big picture person.

That, and a miserable attempt at pie in my 20’s and an episode of burning Pillsbury Rudolph cookies and making my then four-year-old cry has always stuck in the back of my head.

I was driving too hard and too fast to slow down and watch dough rise and its now time to enjoy this simple pleasure.

As I was working on some homemade rye bread this weekend I was thinking about our home and how we are slowly working through the renovation process.

We are taking our home one piece at a time as budget and time will allow us and gradually improving each space. The bread takes in total over three hours, so it is a significant time commitment but the results along every step are very rewarding.

Every individual step is interesting and victorious to watch and, like our home, comes along at a relaxed pace.

This is a process that can’t be hurried, and you cannot take short cuts.

If you want wonderful results in your home renovations, you want to be as patient as baking bread and use the right materials with the right amount of time.

Bread needs a certain rise time, paint needs the full dry time between coats – there are no shortcuts! You have to let things set and dry and sometimes rise before the next step can take place and sometimes it takes more time than you planned and then frustration hits BUT…the end result is worth it.

Our experience and my experience renovating older homes has taught me that it is better to not rush but to go slowly and patiently. In my younger days I would want to rush through a renovation because I was so eager to see the final results that I faced a few disasters. Paint didn’t adhere because the prep wasn’t sufficient, tiles ended up on the floor because the glue wasn’t left open long enough and quick cover ups weren’t the best in the long run.

When the proper steps are taken, and time is allowed for necessary rising (or drying), the results can be very satisfying.

Perhaps it’s time to dig in and get some flour in your hair or some paint on your clothes! Maybe you have a hidden flair for something fun that you have never tried before.

Kim Wyse is a Central Alberta freelance designer. Find her on facebook at ‘Ask a Realtor/Ask a Designer.’