Yesterday, the moment that every home baker dreams of as soon as they find out about the magic of stand mixers finally arrived for me: my KitchenAid Artisan was delivered! I considered running to the truck as soon as it got here, but I realized I would then need to haul the 25 pound box to the kitchen myself… so I decided to let the UPS guy do his job.

It’s shiny, and beautiful, and in Martha Stewart blue—KitchenAid sells it as “Ice” blue, but it’s no coincidence that it matches her brand color so well. Its arrival also means a welcome respite for my poor 5-Speed Ultra Power hand mixer, which I got nearly eight years ago as a “make-do” interim until I could get an Artisan.

As a great bonus, the rebate for it also includes a free subscription to Food & Wine magazine. I can’t wait to get baking; I think I’ll start off with some cupcakes this weekend. :D