I’m really not lovin’ 2006. Just trying to make myself a stupid cake became a huge saga. First was the impromptu hour walk to try and get the right cake mix (with my swollen toe in the snow… hey that rhymes!) and then there I was, all contentedly mixing my cake mix and thinking, hey! I should tale photos to show my adoring fans!

So, it started out all right…
This is like, the original mixer. I grew up with my mom using this mixer for all cakes and baked things. I inherited it when my mom got a new one a few years ago. I wanted to make my own cake. I just HAD to take a photo of making my own cake with my mom’s mixer!

This is the original spatula that my mom would use in her baking. It’s even got a chip out of it from being caught in the mixer blanes one too many times. I LOVED this spatula.. there is something about the texture of it I just adore, so I took it when I moved out. heh.

And whirrrrrrrrrr goes the mixer as it mixes up my cake!

Jinx was curious about the mixer noise. It’s sorta like the popcorn popper and THAT throws food on the floor sometimes. So exciting! He stayed around and helped me with the cake in hopes that some food would fall.

I had to taste it to make sure it was going alright, didn’t I? Yum! (before the eggs were added!!) So, yeah, I took this shot and then POOF! My mixer BROKE! It just stopped working in the middle of mixing the cake batter. No! Not good! I still had to make icing! GAH! Luckily the batter was smooth by then and I didn’t have to worry about cake mix lumps in it. But I was so angry! Here I was all excited about what I was doing and the STUPID THING BREAKS DOWN! *fume*

Let’s not forget that my whisk broke and also my timer was broken, too. I was not having a good day!

I managed to get the icing done with no problems though. I did have to melt the butter down in the microwave, and I hate doing that because the icing starts out so runny. But it turned out just fine. The secret is almond extract and a little vanilla.

I certainly love it! Icing is the best. I made it almost as good as my mum’s!

Jinx is hoping that even though the noise has stopped and mummy has been swearing and yelling a lot that he still might get some food. You never know when something could fall on the floor! He’s been patrolling to make sure everything is ok!
Jinx approves of the icing, too. It’s always good to have a back-up taste tester, just incase your own tase buds are off that day!

And voila! Cakes! It’s at an odd angle because I had a puppy licking one hand and trying to balance the camera in the other.

Once they were cool I could start icing them. Which was good since Shawn was on his way home from work. I wanted to have this all done by then.

And here FINALLY! is my cake. The cherries sort of drooled on it, but it’s pretty and happy and bright and CAKE!

Happy, happy CAKE! I even got little colourful stars for it! It’s not as nice as the cupcakes that Meritt made for her daughter, but it still made me happy (even if I did do it myself!)

Funny story about the cherries.. Jinx got one (see, something DID fall!) and took it to EVERY room in the apartment. He’d spit it out on the floor, look at it, lick it, chomp a little and then carry it to another room and do the same thing! He finally ate it in the bathroom. What an odd dog!

See the little red splotch on the floor? That’s the cherry. heh. Ignore the furball hanging out of his mouth and on the floor. Jinx kept finding the dustbunnies to drop the cherry on. Ew.

Here he is still playing with the cherry. Wait, that sounds wrong. Anyhow, this was right before he walked back into the bathroom and ate the stupid thing.

So I made my cake and had it too. Shawn and I put candles in it after dinner and sang me happy birthday. I feel birthday closure now. I’m not telling you what my wish was, but I can tell you it had something to do with wanting this stupid year to get better!