Practice Cake

Matt is working late.

Project #1 for the evening is a practice cake for Tessa's Birthday.

I'm a big fan of the practice cake.  It allows me to try out the recipe, the pan, the tools.  

It also allows me to eat cake.

Tonight I made a from scratch vanilla cake, which I added a few drops of almond extract to - because I have a serious almond extract addiction lately.

I baked it in my springform pan.  I was nervous about it leaking...but all went well!

I picked up a cake leveler today from JoAnn's.  

Interesting product, a cake leveler.

Or maybe it's not that interesting.  Maybe I just suck at using it.

Anyway, long story short, the cake tasted good but didn't look it.  Don't know how much use that leveler will be getting.  At least I know the pan works and the recipe is tasty!

Project #2 for the evening...

Hairbows!

Tessa's pen pal, Karissa, turned 7 on april 26th.  We've had a letter to mail her for a while, but I decided to hang on to it and send a Birthday package.  Just got around to making her gift tonight.

If i remember right, her favorite color is blue.  So I made these cute blue and pink hair clips for her.

Tried them on Tessa, to make sure they worked :)

Project #3 - Mothers Day Cards!

One for each mom - luckily there are no divorces in either family, so I only had to make 2 ;)

I looked up quotes about mom to find something to write in them.  I'm not a Hallmark employee, and even if I were I think I'd have a hard time writing something like

"for all the times you were there for me...

here's a card."

The quote I decided on cracked me up - hope the mom's find it as entertaining!

"Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children becuase they are more certain they are their own" - Aristotle