If I knew you were coming...

image borrowed from Internet Movie Database

I'd have baked a cake. Baked a cake...OK I don't know any more of that song!

I love the movie Father of the Bride. Who doesn't right? But I love the part when they are discussing the costs of the daughters wedding cake. Steve Martin's eyes pop and jaw drops, and he says " a cake is made out of flour and eggs. My first car didn't cost that much!"

When I look at my stockpile, one thing that isn't lacking is cake mixes and frosting. I have a lot. Which cost me mere pennies. And yet, my need for my kids to have "perfect" cakes on their birthdays kept me going back to a variety of bakeries.

So while I am not even close to being a cake decorator, I have tried my hand at making a few different cakes & cupcakes.

Whenever I am upset with how it turns out, my husband likes to remind me that, "all they are going to do is eat it".

Cakes can be a big budget buster when it comes to birthdays, so I recommend you trying out your hand at making your own!

Monkeyin' Around

My baby turned one on Saturday! I can't believe how fast the time went. I swear it was the fastest year of my life!!

Being that he is only a year old, he had no idea that it was even his birthday. But you can't have a birthday without cake right?!

I had found this Taste of Home magazine and absolutely loved the fun ideas in it. But the cover is what really caught my attention! They looked so cute and were way easy!

Monkeys for my little monkey!

What you will need:
1 box of choc. cake
1 container of chocolate frosting
nilla wafers
nutter butters
black & red decorating gel
candies to use for the eyes (the magazine says to use pastel candy for the eyes but seeing as though it isn't near Easter, I just used regular M&M's) So I guess just pick what color of candy you want)

Bake and cook cupcakes according to directions on the package.

Frost, set some frosting aside to use as hair

cut a side off of one of the nilla wafers

put 2 black dots (close together!) for nostrils using the decorating gel

then make a mouth with the red gel

place on cupcake

place 2 candies for eyes and put a black dot with the gel as a pupil

cut the nutter butters in half. Scrape the pb off the cookie (eat it or toss it lol)

attatch a nutter butter to each side

using leftover frosting, pipe some hair on to the top

** I have a fun decorating gun by Wilton that I LOVE. That is what I used for the hair. But you can also put the frosting in a ziploc and cut a corner off. Or skip the hair altogether!**