Cake, etc.

Lifespan of a cake

I spent all morning making stupid fondant roses and within ten minutes the starving horde of eight-year-olds had reduced the cake to this:

Arabella’s birthday was pretty low-key.  I don’t remember the last time I had a child whose birthday has fallen on a Saturday.  That meant Mister was around to take the birthday girl out for a breakfast date.  Then we had a party at Michael’s (which is not very expensive as far as kids parties go.)  All kids like crafts, so it was a big hit, especially considering I planned the party three days in advance (such a procrastinator, I know.)


Arabella got a new bike for her birthday. 

You would think a bike would be the most popular present of the day. You would be wrong. Arabella rode it around the cul-de-sac once and came in the house crying that it’s “too big and scary”. We just barely taught her to ride a two-wheeler a month ago, so I guess I shouldn’t be suprised. Still, that wasn’t quite the reaction I was hoping for.

The most popular present turned out to be this:

Yes, 480 pieces of body art. Ooookay. Now Arabella will be able to open that tattoo parlor she’s been dreaming about. Hopefully it’s the one present Jasper will manage to destroy.


Apparently I overdosed on homemakerness this week between Enrichment (teaching 20 women to make aprons.  Fun but stressful.  Mostly stressful.  I don’t want to cut out fabric again for a very long time.) and birthday festivities (including the treat I made for Bella’s class–the infamous “cookie cake”)

I came home from the birthday party and fell asleep for two hours.  Turns out I had a fever and couldn’t even manage to make Arabella’s birthday dinner. (Eggs and toast. Seriously.  That is what she requested. Strange, strange girl.)    


(No other symptoms so I don’t want to hear about infecting a bunch of little girls with Swine Flu, OK?)

| Filed under Birthdays

16 thoughts on “Cake, etc.

  1. Sweet sweet girl, SWEET SWEET ROSES! How in the heck do you that? Can you teach us on Youtube or something?

  2. I am impressed, not that I didn’t think that you could do that, but the fact that you were whipping it together just before the party.

    Is it strange that when I saw the second picture I knew that you were at Michales? I love that she was so into the body art present…that is going to be a fun one.

    As for the aprons that you made for enrichment, I saw one of them and I was wondering how to get one…I can sew it myself, but I think that I am really going to need that cute pattern.

  3. That was a beautiful cake, and just perfect for such a sweet girl. And you have the pictures to prove to her in 10 years that you did it!

    We just had enrichment this week too. Did everyone else (as in your students) think making aprons was fun or stressful?

  4. Oh. my. gosh. I can’t believe that cake! It’s amazing. I’m so jealous. Are your cake skillz self taught or did you go to a class? I think I need to take a cake decorating class. My skills are PITIFUL.

  5. I LOVE the cake! You are such an awesome mom to make something like that, especially with how busy you are!

  6. My. jaw. is. still. on. the. floor.

    WHA? You are amazing—I mean—bloody amazing!! We just learned how to make fondant roses on Ace of Cakes—-but how did you know? So gorgeous that cake was—and looked so yummy—and a cookie cake?

    Are you going for mother of the year?

  7. That is beautiful, and I love the cookie cake. One of my goals this summer (and this lifetime) is to learn to make cakes with fondant. I got a daisy cookie cutter and will buy some mentos, and the one thing I want to do this summer is make pretty lemon yellow cupcakes with daisy tops. I am duly imressed! Hope you feel better.

  8. The cake is beautiful! I am so impressed! (The one with the flowers isn’t bad either!) ha – teasing!

    Hope you get over your swine flu quick! 😉

  9. Oh my goodness, Jennie! That cake is stunningly gorgeous! So is the cookie cake. I wish I could have been at your enrichment too, but we had to be at another stake meeting at the stake center. Love the bike. Tell her you’ll ride it if she doesn’t want to. Love the Michael’s birhday party idea as well.

  10. FANTASTIC, Jennie! That cake was more gorgeous, if possible, than the Birdhouse one you made for India when she was 2. I’m amazed, but not surprised. You are outstandingly talented!

    Hope you feel better soon! Love you!

  11. is there anything you can’t do? btw…i saw cheryls apron and i think they are absolutely adorable…i want one! can you cut more fabric 😉 the cake is awesome too! happy birthday arabella!

  12. How beautiful are all of those pictures?!

    Ok seriously, your blog makes me want to have kids more than any other site out there!! You’re so down-to-earth, funny, and you make it look easy. Even though I know it’s not, it’s cool to see you can be happy, even/especially with 6 KIDS!

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