Caked on

So!

We had T's birthday party this weekend. The cake we bought him was actually 24 cupcakes with enough frosting on top to make it look like a sheet cake (or at least 1/4 a sheet cake if you are the technical type). I ordered it last Tuesday for pick up on Saturday afternoon. Wooo! I didn't procrastinate on something...finally.

R took the kids to pick it up because I was knee deep in laundry and a slight panic trying to make sure I had everything I needed for this week. Mom and Richard were coming in, we had the birthday party on Sunday, today I had planned to eat lunch with T at school and had to figure out scheduling since I needed to pick up S in the middle of T's lunch period. On top of that, we were having a small birthday celebration here tonight because Mom and Richard sadly, sadly missed the Chuck E Cheese fest (which...too bad, so sad for them - it was awesome!), then tomorrow is T's fall party at school which I so wisely volunteered for, Thursday is S's fall party but T is out of school Thursday and Friday, Friday morning is our parent teacher conference for T, plus a trunk or treat at another local Y (just attending this time, thank goodness), Saturday we have plans, and then Sunday is Halloween. Oh, and I had to make up two sets of gift bags..one for T's party and one for his class.
I'm exhausted just typing that. It's just as exhausting trying to plan for it all. So very glad I'm not a party planner! Overlapping and conflicting schedules at this age do not reassure me about the tween and teen years whatsoever. Maybe we'll end up in a state where the driving age is 8? What? That doesn't exist? Fiddlesticks!

Anyway, Saturday I was running around like a nincompoop without getting all that much accomplished. This is pretty typical when I freak out instead of act like a grownup. Really? All I wanted to do was go back to bed because on top of the crazy schedules lately, I can not shake this fatigue. I'm soooooo tired. All the time.

But wait - I had a point. Oh! Cake. R took the kids to get the cake seeing as how I was still comfy in my PJ's. (Judge all you want, sometimes I need a PJ day.) I told them I'd have dinner ready when they got back. So I'm doing my 20th load of laundry and realize that I need to start cooking something. I'm standing at the stove when the phone rings...it's R. They have no record of the cake.

Ruh roh, Shaggy.

Normally, I would panic right about now. But you know what? I'm too tired to panic. It's just cake. I had made a carrot cake for some reason on Saturday, so I decided if worse came to worse I could use that one. But as R and I were talking, we decided that he'd go back in and see what our options were. Turns out that they made us one while R and the kids waited and then only charged us half price for the mix up. And it was a beautiful cake, too. Thank you, Walmart!

As it turns out, thank goodness Walmart saved us, because the two layer carrot cake I made? Split right down the middle and as if that weren't enough? Then the top layer slid off. To add insult to injury, I actually put the cake on a cake plate, so now there's no way to lift up the top without the top half of the cake plopping onto the counter. On each side. Oh, I am so very glad that I am not a cake decorator. My cakes generally taste yummy, but as for a polished presentation? Not so much.

T's party went off without a hitch on Sunday, and we came back with a little over half the cake left. The kids asked for cupcakes for breakfast on Monday (umm, no.), and I told S she could have one after lunch. Unfortunately, we hadn't completely snapped the lid back on the base, and when S decided she'd just get her own cupcake, the bottom dropped off and the cupcakes landed icing side down on the floor. Ooooops. May they rest in peace in cake heaven beside my sad, broken carrot cake.

That meant that Monday night, R and I were out buying another cake for tonight's celebration. And while it was yummy, I'm relieved that it will be a while before I have to deal with cake again. For my birthday which is just under a month away? I'd like something simple that is not cake. A candle would work nicely in cinnamon toast, don't you think?