Happy Birthday, Kate!

Well, I finally broke the curse. It took a lot of effort and energy to get off the couch last night and bake Kate's birthday cupcakes. But I did. And they looked great. She loved them.

Let me explain the curse of a baker. You spend time lots of time planning and executing cakes for customers. They are planned weeks in advance, baked the night before, and decorated at night after the girls go to bed. No time constraints, no stress--and the cake looks beautiful in the morning.

But when it comes to my own kids' birthday, everything falls apart. Usually, I'm so tired the night before from party planning that I end up throwing some sort of cake together the day of the party. Well not this year!! I promised myself that I would not let my second daughter get a second rate cake for her birthday!

So after getting the girls to bed, I started baking the cupcakes and preparing the fondant. Two hours later, I had 15 chocolate monkey cupcakes all ready for Kate's 2nd birthday. I was exhausted at the end, but it was so worth it. Kate loved them and kept repeating "my monkey cupcakes" all morning.

So to Kate, I wish you a year of laughter, fun and exploration! You are one of the funniest little girls I know...destined to be the class clown!

Oh, by the way, I also finished the quilt that I was supposed to give Kate on her first birthday.