I've been a huge slacker!

I'm sorry to all of those who check in on a regular basis. The second half of June is VERY busy around our house. We usually start things with Father's Day (this year it was a little early so it didn't fall in the week from hell). Next is my anniversary (June 18). That happens to be my husband's Nana's birthday too. June 22 is my MIL's birthday. June 23 is The Princess' birthday (she turned six this year). June 25 is hubby's birthday. Seven days with a minimum of five events to celebrate and depending on where Father's Day falls we can have six events!

Birthdays are a big deal for me. I grew up with your birthday being YOUR day. You got to pick the dinner menu and you were made to feel special. Because of this I have been very firm about our little girl having her own birthday party. Because of my hang up about birthdays things that week are probably more difficult than necessary. I won't let dh get presents from other family at her party, etc. She is the child and she deserves to have her day all to herself. She is only going to be little once! Maybe when she gets bigger she will want to change things but until then I'm here to stand up for her rights.

This year Dh surprised me with dinner at a very nice restaurant for our anniversary. I really appreciate all the effort he put into getting a sitter, making reservations, etc. but truth be told I would have been happy going out for a chicken sandwich and a milkshake. LOL. What can I say, I'm cheap about some things. Not everything though. Don't try to get me to wear cheap shoes. I won't do it.

So my Princess really wanted a Barbie cake for her birthday this year. I've never done one but I was willing to try. Going all out on a birthday cake usually means I did a two layer 8 inch cake instead of in a 9x13 pan. But I was willing to try the Barbie cake. And butter cream frosting. And fondant. And decorating tips. And....

We had a party for a few friends over the weekend so I made cupcakes. I got a bee in my bonnet that they needed to have a swirly top like you might picture on a classic cupcake. That only required trips to three different stores until we found the right tip. Lots of time online to find a recipe for frosting with great reviews and I was set. I have a fabulous Kitchen Aid mixer and it was perfect to get it all done. The cupcakes were chocolate. Half had vanilla frosting colored pink and the other half were chocolate. They were all topped off with either white sugar crystals or rainbow sprinkles. I was very pleased with the final product. That is a big deal for a perfectionist like me!





The Barbie cake was done on Em's actual birthday. I made a marshmallow fondant for the dress and bodice of the doll. The actual cake was covered with butter cream before the fondant was put on. I used a thicker butter cream frosting for all of the flowers, etc. It took a long time but again I was happy with the results! Em was thrilled and told me it made her birthday perfect. What more could I ask for?




Hopefully things will settle down around here. If not please be patient with me. We are trying to enjoy the summer and stay cool in the desert heat!

Heather