Birthday success!

Finally, I was able to pull off a kids' birthday in England with success!! whoopee. In order to accomplish this, I started a few weeks ago ordering US cake mixes that I could use to make a cake and cupcakes - for you in the "older" set - now kids have a little celebration at school hence the need for cupcakes for school and a separate cake for the party. The one thing I forgot was that I didn't bring my muffin tins with me. I was not going to let that defeat me. Little "fairy cake" papers squished together in a cake pan should work, right? WRONG. The first batch of cupcakes spilled out of the muffin papers creating a huge globby mess. Into the bin they go. Fortunately for me, I had ordered an extra box of cake mix. Found some foil muffin liners and started all over. Success, although they were misshaped and kinda funny looking, but once they had icing (canned icing, see next story) and sprinkles B was happy. Next, the cake. Now I used to do cake decorating as a hobby and had brought a few of my basic supplies with me, but I am fairly particular and expect things to turn out looking well. B decided she wanted a "dolphin" cake and I made the mistake of asking her to draw what she wanted it to look like. After I reigned her in from the "dolphin world in the sky" I finally talked her into a basic cake that I could make with the 4 colors of icing tint I had since I cant find any different colors here. She insisted on helping, which is great, except for the comment at the end of a l-o-n-g baking, decorating day - "Mom, it's not the best cake you've ever done". thanks alot! I think little 9 year old hands had a part in it too, which she was completely forgetting. Part of the problem - as usual - is that my US icing recipe does not make up as well with English ingredients. Yes, it seems like it would, but no. I even saved a bar of Crisco for the day so that I could make sure and have what I needed. I thought 1kg of icing sugar would make up the same as 2lbs of powdered sugar, but not exactly, which caused several trial and error icing issues. In the end I think things turned out fine - one smiling dolphin in the middle of the sea. Not too many colors needed. Then at the party her friend (from a European country) says, "dolphins are brown, not gray" Well not in America they're not! We have gray dolphins just like the cake! All that aside, she had a great party at the ski center where they did sledging and mini ringo riding - basically riding plastic sleds and inner tubes down hills covered in a white AstroTurf type surface. The place told me to invite 20 and to expect about 10 since I was having it on a week night. I agreed since it on a school night, in February, outside in the cold air - but surprisingly, all but 2 children were able to come. They had a blast! It was pretty cool and had rained just prior to the party, but the kids were dripping with sweat. B did one more very nice thing, she suggested a coin donation in lieu of kids bringing gifts. I expected her to raise about 20 GBP, but instead she raised more than 165 GBP. She is donating it to Global Angels where she can designate to feed and educate a child for a year. With that much money, I think it pays for 4 kids. We were very proud of her and thought it was a lovely gesture to make.

So today I sit back, clean up the mess and pat myself on the back for FINALLY having a successful birthday celebration in England. Took a year to get here, but made it.

B is in red helmet

B, L and another friend

The cake!