What My Mama Always Said

If at first you don't succeed - try, try again.

I seriously need to take a picture of my baking DISASTER. But I haven't found the time to do so - and in an effort to keep this record of our life real - I have to post about my day yesterday...

6:00 am - Jack awakes - fussy as all get out. Deonne goes to get him. James follows suit - shortly after I hear 'Mama - Jack has a fever!'

Awesome.

Because Deonne has a big job to get out today (Friday) I'm nominated to stay home with Mr. Fussy.

Double awesome.

I sound like a bad mom. I totally would welcome the chance to stay at home with one child - to have some one-on-one time with him - but I have so much going on at work right now - and he was soooooooooo fussy (as in - wanted me to hold him constantly - would scream bloody murder as soon as his feet touched the floor) and thought it was a great game to howl and reach for the phone every time I tried to make or return a call - well, it wasn't a fun day.

I did find one activity, though, that he was very interested in and though he was a 'big boy' by helping.

I figured since I'm home - and clearly not able to work while he was so darn fussy - that I'd get ahead of the game for Anna's party and make the cupcakes.

This year, I decided it would be easier to do individual cupcakes, in those cute little cupcake wrappers all displayed on a tier, than a big giant cake. And I like to bake - I think I'm fairly good at it - so around 50 cupcakes shouldn't be a big deal, right?

So I ordered these cute little individual red polka dotted baking cups (like cupcake wrappers - but you don't put them in a muffin tin - just line them up on a baking tray) thinking they looked so sweet - and the red color matches my 'party palate' of red, blue, and yellow primary colors perfectly.

So Jack and I mixed up the batter, I lined up my 50 baking cups on cookie sheets like little soldiers - and filled them up. 2/3 full - just like every other cupcake liner I've ever made.

Because I didn't see the fine print. The fine print that is listed on the WEBSITE and not the package of cups anywhere. That say to fill them no more than 1/2 way up. That I didn't know existed until I called my friend N who had used the same type of cups for her son's birthday party. (With no troubles I might add.)

Popped my trays in the oven, set the timer, and proceeded to carry Jack around the kitchen for the next 20 minutes (because by this time he'd lost interest and just wanted to be held.)

And then it started. My cute little cups started to rise. And rise. And overflow. And erupt.

I ended up with two half-sheet pans full of baking cups that had essentially become one big cake - separated by the rings of the cups beneath the sheet of cake.

It's a helpless feeling.

Watching all that work bubble and explode in the oven - knowing there's not a darn thing you can do about it.

I tried to scrape them off and separate them - thinking that if I could pick off the crumbs and cover the top in icing - they'd be okay.

Nope.

It's kind of funny - the actual cake inside is tender and sweet and everything you'd hope a cake would be. The outsides of the cups, however, are covered and caked (no pun intended) with an industrial-like substance that will.not.come.off.

Awesome.

So I'll be making 50 more cupcakes today. In between hauling Jack around on my hip.

Thankfully his weird fever seems to be gone - and he has no other symptoms - so maybe I can entertain him with some toys while I bake.

Except for that fun fact that the carpet guys will be here in about 30 minutes to clean all the carpets (which are in desperate need of attention.) Meaning J and I will be sequestered to the basement while they dry.

Oh, the joys.............