The Lala "Oopsy" Cake or The Cake Blog Reject: Part 1

What they say about the shoemaker's family is true.  Although he may put out a fine pair of shoes for any customer, his own wife and kids at home have holed shoes, or perhaps none at all.

In my case, it comes down to birthday cakes.  Of course my kids have to have them - they look forward to their birthdays every year.  Little Miss has been planning hers for months, and the plan has changed several times.  Each time, predictably, the cake is extensive.  So the day she came screaming out of a certain aisle at Walmart, jumping up and down about these strange dolls called Lalaloopsy, I knew she'd finally found something she'd stick to.

So I decided I would surprise her with a Lalaloopsy birthday cake!  Great idea, right?  Not right.  Even though I researched how other cake decorators secured the large cake-filled heads on their itty-bitty necks, I was unaware of the challenges I would face the night before the big day.

First, let me explain how much Little Miss loves these dolls.

One night I had to slip into Walmart to pick up a few baking supplies (butter is significantly cheaper there), and she decided to grab her pretty change purse and check out the toy section.  She ran straight to the Loopsy Dolls to pick out the one she wanted.

Now I am proud to say I have a very smart girl.  We counted out her money and she had nine dollars.  I explained the three prices of dolls in front of us and that none of them were nine dollars.  She would have to decide which one she wanted and save up her money to buy it.

She stared at those dolls, and slowly crossed various ones off of her list.  She didn't like the hair on this one, that one was a boy...but she realized the more accessories that were in the box, the more "spensive" it was.  So she finally made her choice.  She pointed to the $19.97 Loopsy doll.

"I want to buy that one," she said, and then pointing over to a more expensive one, said, "And you can get me that one for my birthday."

Wow.  Okay.

So she washed out the fridge in the house and the fridge in the shop, and she searched the couch cushions and various places she stashed coins, and low and behold, she "earned" the necessary $10.

I took her back to Walmart, and she took the doll happily off of the shelf.  While walking to the cash, she takes the box in both hands, looks into the face of the doll and gives a crazed, guttural laugh like she could eat it she's so happy.

"I just can't believe I'm getting this." she says quietly.  And she takes it home and now sleeps with it every night, box and all.

So her older brother and I get to work the week before her birthday to make a cake that looks like the more expensive doll (the one hidden under my bed).

But I'll talk about it more next time....meanwhile, here's a sneak peak.