I think I might have stumbled upon the birthday cake solution for all birthdays to come! This cake was a huge hit with the birthday boy AND it didn't take me all night to decorate. Here's my advice: save yourself the time- decorate the cake simply and throw a much-desired toy on top! It's even better if the toy correlates with the party theme as ours did- Star Wars the Clone Wars. Like my fondant planet? Our big six-year-old was so excited to get the lego ship off (which took me longer to assemble than it did to ice the cake) that it was a couple hours before he realized he never even ate a piece of cake!
In our household the time between Halloween and the end of January is major push time. Our oldest little boy (now SIX) has his birthday right around Thanksgiving, then there's Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year and finally the youngest little boy's birthday at the end of January. It's a concentrated period of time where most of our toy accumulation occurs. This is quickly becoming a problem in our overstuffed, small house. So now that the birthday party and Thanksgiving are over, I am desperate to start sorting through toys before Santa arrives. It's always hard to dedicate time to chores like these when I'd rather be making things. And I've got a long list of gifts on my handmade holiday list. So, I'll probably work in spurts- tackling one cluttered toy bin a day until we've got boxes and boxes of toys to give away and plenty of room for new toys. The question is, do I involve little boys in the process so we don't end up with any surprise disappearances? Or do I just move about independently and play dumb when inquires are made about a toy that has been passed on to the Goodwill? "It'll turn up," I've been known to say.
If I plan my time right, there should be enough hours between now and Christmas to get it all done. There are lots of crochetted socks and toys to whip up, the holiday baking list (I'll share soon), Christmas quilts, tote bags and personalized gifts to get busy making. So, maybe I should just stop sleeping. That would certainly give me the time I'll need. I'll sleep on Christmas Eve.
If I plan my time right, there should be enough hours between now and Christmas to get it all done. There are lots of crochetted socks and toys to whip up, the holiday baking list (I'll share soon), Christmas quilts, tote bags and personalized gifts to get busy making. So, maybe I should just stop sleeping. That would certainly give me the time I'll need. I'll sleep on Christmas Eve.
