Elbow grease is the best polish. ~ English Proverb

Many of you (reader 8!) know that Makenzie's first birthday is quickly approaching - I think I've mentioned it a time or two.  I love to plan big parties... weddings, employee appreciation dinners, and now first birthday parties!  I have a list of things I want to do... its long. and somehow gets longer as I find cute things on the internet (etsy.com!) and think: I can do that! Her theme for her birthday is rainbows - you know the 1980's style with the clouds at the bottom.

I have been crafting a bunch to get ready for the big day - making a tutu, bloomers, invitations, photo collage, decorations for the room, a flag banner and even the smash cake for a photo op.

I got a sewing machine for Christmas last year and decided it was time to dust the box, get out a box cutter and pull it out for the first time... I've been busy with a newborn, give me a break! Matt helped me by cutting out a template to use to make the flags for the banner. I ironed the fabric over and pinned so it would be easier to sew.  It turned out great... all 18 (EIGHTEEN!!!) feet of it! oh well... bigger is better, right?

This weekend I decided to make the smash cake as a trial run... and figured it would be a great photo op for Makenzie!  I decided I would dye the batter all 6 shades of the rainbow and carefully layer them in the pan and bake it all at once.  This took a lot of patience as the batter is pretty thick! It took 1.5 boxes of mix and I thought it would only take a smidge longer then the time recommended on the box...  an hour and a half later it was done baking... at midnight. It looks great... but didn't turn out how I envisioned. I thought the batter would stay in perfect layers... oddly enough it ended up looking like a target symbol... however the colors did stay separated! Today I frosted and decorated, we laid out plastic tablecloths, stripped Makenzie down to a pair of bloomers and let her have it... but she didn't want it. What child of mine doesn't want delicious cake (I tasted it and it was good!) she stuck her hands in the frosting - tasted it, took one look at her colored hands and started crying. so my envisions of my daughter covered in frosting and cake... foiled. it only took one baby wipe to clean her up. Sometimes plans don't turn out the way I intended.