I've always been an artist. I've always played with my food. It was only natural I should find a way to combine the two. Though, I'll admit...I was a little conflicted when Jacob requested a Millennium Falcon cake for his birthday. I figured I could pull something off...but could I pull it off while remaining true to the Geek within?
Google "Millennium Falcon cake"...an overwhelming barrage of pictures pops up immediately--filling the entire spectrum from Truly Suck to OMG Is That Really Cake? Since I'm not a professional and everything I know I've taught myself, I was aiming for somewhere in the middle.
Armed with a vague idea of construction, two delicious cake recipes (Better Homes & Gardens red cookbook) and a set of blue prints for the fastest ship in the galaxy (google...I love it)...I set out to make my most challenging cake yet...
One chocolate cake baked in a 10 inch round pan and one yellow cake baked in a 9 inch loaf pan. I usually use a special strip around the cake pan that helps it cook evenly and prevents it from doming up. I left that off this time since the dome actually worked to my advantage. And, despite my best efforts (Crisco and parchment paper), the loaf cake did not want to cooperate. It was the one being carved up anyway. Yeah...that'll show it.
I sliced the round cake in half and filled it with vast amounts of chocolate buttercream to give it some height. Then used the rest of the icing for mortar.
Thin crumb coat of icing and then into the 'fridge to firm up. Only so much decorating can be done with free roaming munchkins! So I cleaned up and made the marshmallow fondant (melted mini marshmallows, water and powdered sugar--it's really that simple). I've discovered it works better if it sits overnight.
Saturday evening...kiddos bathed and tucked into bed...Sean pulls out the birthday boy's bike to assemble and I start rolling marshmallow fondant. (Earlier in the day I had made the sensor dish, the top quad laser cannon and the cone shape for the cockpit so they could have a chance to harden.) There were a few final adjustments on the shape...the Geek inside would not shut up about the shape of the forward mandibles.
For the dark bits I simply added more black food coloring, rolled it out super thin and cut circles.
Once I started piping on the pipes and lines I kept asking Sean to come in and check--I have a habit of going too far, several curse words past when I should have set the piping bag down and walked away. We both agreed it should appear to be in flight. Which also gave me another color to use for the words. Sweet!
So there you have it. Not so difficult when broken down into bits, is it? Just imagine the possibilities!
She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid. I've made a lot of special modifications myself...Han Solo, Captain of the Millennium Falcon
May not be able to make the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs, but it's going to make a 5-year-old's head explode when he sees it!
Very surreal...seems like only yesterday I was throwing a pee stick at his daddy.
Happy Birthday, Little Man! Today, we celebrate YOU!
I love that my children have friends they will know for all of their lives. But they don't need to grow up quite so fast...
Tucking Jacob into bed tonight...
Good night, Little Man...I love you.
'Night, Mommy...love you too...sorry I had a bad day...
Oh, Sweetie...you really did have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day didn't you?
I don't like days like that...
Me neither, Sweetie...get a good night sleep and tomorrow will be better, okay?
Starting to cry again...But what if it's not?
Baby, then we'll both figure out how to deal with it.
Extra hugs and kisses for all.
A very large part of surviving and thriving in this life we've chosen is the flexibility and adaptations to the daily adjustments. For the most part--a few loud hiccups now and then--we've adapted just fine.
Days have routine. Routines and schedules that little ones can depend on can make all of the difference between order and chaos. And as long as a routine remains relatively intact we can carry on with little to no friction or frustration. For example...the structure of the night time routine for my children has remained virtually unchanged since Jacob was three months old. We eat supper. We play and then we clean up toys. Then bath, jammies, stories and bed. Tell the little man that he's going to bed without a bath and he freaks. That is simply not How It's Done. So with this routine firmly in place, we can adapt to small changes with minimal effort and frustration.
For the past two nights their dad has had to leave just before their baths. But because they were already starting in on the nighttime routine they told him bye and good night and went on with the next step. There were no surprises. They knew what was coming next and they knew what to do. Tonight while I was tucking Kyleigh into bed she asked for her daddy and when I reminded her that he had to go back to work but he'd see her in the morning she accepted it, kissed me goodnight and snuggled down with her blanket.
One day our children will be beyond this kind of protection and they'll have to face Chaos on their own. Hopefully we're helping them learn the skills they need to do so. But for now, this is my Job. To keep their little world intact. Regardless.
So how do I handle it when my own world shifts? If last night is any indication...I'm a better teacher than student. I didn't do so well.
For the past ten years there has been a dog in the house. A very large dog. And even though he's been arthritic and near deaf for the past couple of years, he was still here. He still slept at the foot of the bed every night. For all of the years that Sean worked the midnight shift I was never concerned about being in the house alone. No one was sneaking past the beast. Even if they just tripped over him--I would still be alerted to an intruder.
Last night was the first night Sean hadn't been home since we lost Dakota. I was physically incapable of a sound sleep. Every sound woke me up. Every. Single. One. An old house emits a lot of noise in the dark. Even over the sound of the fan and the air conditioner in the window. Now, when Sean is gone, I am our children's first line of defense. It's another adjustment. I'll adapt. Somehow.
One chocolate cake baked in a 10 inch round pan and one yellow cake baked in a 9 inch loaf pan. I usually use a special strip around the cake pan that helps it cook evenly and prevents it from doming up. I left that off this time since the dome actually worked to my advantage. And, despite my best efforts (Crisco and parchment paper), the loaf cake did not want to cooperate. It was the one being carved up anyway. Yeah...that'll show it.
I sliced the round cake in half and filled it with vast amounts of chocolate buttercream to give it some height. Then used the rest of the icing for mortar.
Thin crumb coat of icing and then into the 'fridge to firm up. Only so much decorating can be done with free roaming munchkins! So I cleaned up and made the marshmallow fondant (melted mini marshmallows, water and powdered sugar--it's really that simple). I've discovered it works better if it sits overnight.
Saturday evening...kiddos bathed and tucked into bed...Sean pulls out the birthday boy's bike to assemble and I start rolling marshmallow fondant. (Earlier in the day I had made the sensor dish, the top quad laser cannon and the cone shape for the cockpit so they could have a chance to harden.) There were a few final adjustments on the shape...the Geek inside would not shut up about the shape of the forward mandibles.
For the dark bits I simply added more black food coloring, rolled it out super thin and cut circles.
Once I started piping on the pipes and lines I kept asking Sean to come in and check--I have a habit of going too far, several curse words past when I should have set the piping bag down and walked away. We both agreed it should appear to be in flight. Which also gave me another color to use for the words. Sweet!
