choo-choo......

sometimes i like to get creative. scrapbooking occasionally {very occasionally these days}, picture taking, blogging, etc. you catch my drift. i should have stopped there. but, i didn't, and so we come to this post. the post about the time i thought i should make noah a cake but didn't realize how much time and work and time and time and more time it takes to create such cake or cake{s} as i subjected myself to. and really, to several of my co-workers too. like michelle. and karalie. and patty. {who doesn't have a blog, but she should!} what initially started with an idea to make a thomas cake, somehow that turned into a thomas cake, and many small cakes decorated with candy and placed strategically on licorice tracks. in all honesty, it sounded simple. bake a few cakes, star some frosting {using big stars of course as to speed up the process}, put some candles on it and we're good. um, i was W-R-O-N-G. wrong in how to bake said cakes, wrong in the idea that shortening can be exchanged for PAM, and hugely wrong in the time it takes to decorate ONE cake, let alone many a cakes. let's start from the top.

first, i admired this thomas, as well as the beautiful picture on the front of the little train pan. they are pretty aren't they. and the detail, wow. this is going to look great!

i had specific instructions. make cake mix according to box, then cut tops off of cakes. turn over and they'll just slip out. OR NOT. what i failed to tell my amazingly cake talented friends is that i need very specific instructions. things like- no, sprinkling flour will not be enough, and no, pam is not a substitute for crisco, and no, you can't take them out of the oven, edit pictures for an hour or so and then come back. i am a cake mold making/decorating virgin, and i knew none of this. lesson learned when my engine came out looking like a pile of coal. sweet, that's just who noah asked for at his birthday party. thomas, james, gordon and some coal. well, the coal is here. the trains, not so much.
round two. {side note- it is now roughly midnight thursday night} success!! {well, success for a first timer anyway}

now, being the experienced cake baker that i am, i lathered on the crisco. with.my.hands. loaded on the flour, poured the dark chocolate batter in and hoped for the best. she came out beautifully. only lost one chunk, which i also learned can be fixed with any mass amount of frosting. WHOO HOO!!!!! {it is now 1:30- and both cakes are finally baked, cooled and stored for friday's decorating}

also grossly underestimated cake decorating time. by roughly 3-4 hours. i allocated about 2-3 hours friday morning to decorate these beautiful cakes. and in that 2-3 hours i also accounted for chit-chat, child disciplining and snacking, and even a few breaks. WRONG AGAIN. we could have easily spent another 2 or 3 hours touching up, smoothing out, candy-ing and perfecting these cakes. but in the end, all was well. and this new little 3 year old was all smiles. which is all that mattered.

thanks for all the help michelle- i couldn't have done it without you!