Move over Martha

I think I have mentioned my fondness for cooking....as opposed to baking....there is a marked difference in the two activities. God did not see fit to bless me with baking skills....particularly those required for cake baking and decorating. My good friend Kellie...well she has the gift...she can make things that look like this.....in well, just under 2 hours.....FREEHAND....maybe just occasionally looking at a photo.

Oh I grieve a bit....I WISH I had it in me but it's just not my gift. And to prove my point, let me take you back a few years to Miss Lilly's 2nd birthday.

Lilly was obsessed with Dora the Explorer back then and as a result, we had a Dora-style afternoon fiesta for Lilly's birthday party. There was so much about that party that was FUN FUN FUN...planning the mexican style menu (Chicken Spinach Enchiladas if you must know and they were AWESOME) and making the party favors...even planning the activities for the party guests was great fun. But there was this one important detail....a cake....a Dora cake...and I was certain the nice folks at the Publix Bakery would be happy to oblige and I was prepared to dial the number. Until my dear friend Julia stepped in and said "Angie, we can SO make a Dora cake...my Mom made every one of my birthday cakes growing up and I have watched her enough...this will be (pun coming) a piece of cake. What can I say...I got caught up in the moment and agreed...yes, Julia - WE WILL MAKE THAT CAKE. WE CAN MAKE THAT CAKE.

So I went to AC Moore armed with a list...Dora cake pan, cake release spray, pastry bags, tips, icing tints, ingredients for buttercream frosting...you name it, if it was on the Wilton cake making aisle, it was in my cart. We were armed and ready for Dora. Oh....poor....poor Dora.

I made the cake early that day....let it cool properly and we commenced with our creation by mid afternoon...long story short....at 8pm, my kitchen looked like this......

And Dora, well let's just say she strongly resembled Dora from the "I was burned in a fire" episode...and people, it was NOT GOOD.

The miracle of the Dora cake story...once I got completely AWAY from the decorating corner of my kitchen and left Julia to her devices, she was able to skin graft the burn victim and well, by midnight, we had a Dora the Explorer that was fit for a party.

She still looked a SMIDGE like she might have forgotten to apply sun screen to her face (yes I was in charge of icing tinting so still....my fault!) but after many MANY long hours and a disaster zone of a kitchen, we had this to present to our birthday girl. And as stressful as the evening was, we laughed alot...and I do mean...ALOT.

So...after that experience, I have made it my mission to steer completely clear of pastry bags, decorator tips and such. But this....

this I could handle.....cake mix from a box, frosting in a tub, and Easter peeps....lots of peeps and jelly beans....and I would say, I might be a baker after all!!!

Happy Easter to our friends at preschool....Lilly is armed with your party cupcakes and Mommy still has her sanity (and kitchen) in tact!!!