Countdown to THE BIRTHDAY CAKE

Rory's 5th birthday is Friday, 8/8/08. (I keep getting reminded that its coming up by the TV because that's the same day the Olympics start.)

Rory wants a Barbie cake, and I've come across this wonderful creation at Betty Crocker.com that looks really cute and girly. It uses a *REAL* Barbie doll placed in the center of the cake, and then the lower half of the cake is her skirt. My own personal expectations for the outcome of this cake are pretty high. (Although I am trying to be realistic: I've not ever been really successful at the piping of frosting, [which is necessary to cover the doll's upper body], and I'm not sure I have the skill to cut the "dome" off of the inidvidual cake layers without them breaking in half.) I have wisely chosen NOT to show the Betty Crocker picture to Rory in the hopes that she'll be super-impressed with whatever low-rent version I am able to pull off. (This is also why I have not posted a link to the beautiful Betty Crocker version.)

Even though the big day isn't until Friday, I'm starting my prep work today. Here's a rundown of the tasks I hope to complete:

Monday: *Buy cake mixes, frosting, candy sprinkles and Barbie doll.
* Re-read directions printed from website.

Tuesday: * Watch a Betty Crocker web wizard make the entire cake on a video.

Wednesday: * Complete positive visualization exercises by imagining myself making
perfect frosting swirls and rosettes, and trimming the cake layers swiftly
and easily. (I might even try to dream about this perfection.)

Thursday: * Take a nap in the afternoon.
* Bake cake layers, assemble, and frost after the kids go to bed.

Stay tuned for updates on my progress...there's more to come!