My sweet little Isabelle turned 5 yesterday and I can't believe how time has flown. I would swear that we just brought her home from the hospital. How can she be 5 already?!
Of course, when turning 5, only a Fancy Nancy birthday will do. We invited friends and family to come over on Saturday to celebrate, so I tried my best to put together a soiree (that's fancy for a party) that would be fit for my little princess. There were feather boas, pink gauze fairy wings, sequined tiaras and glittered bowlers. There was a butterfly pavilion and a big bouquet of gorgeous roses. In case anyone needed a fancy word for something, there were helpful signs posted around the house to give you a hint. The little girls, big girls (I wrestled Callee into a tiara) and some of the boys got fancied up and a glamorous time was had by all!
The fanciest of all was the cake. I think I must have lost my mind on this one because I decided to do my first cake with fondant. The pre-made fondant was expensive and tastes bad, so I got the harebrained notion to make my own. The recipe sounded simple but the process was a lot messier than I expected. There was much sugary stickiness and not-so-sugary swearing under my breath. At one point, Tim even offered to go out and just buy the pre-made stuff in a box. I was too stubborn and it was too early in the game for me to be willing to admit defeat, so I persevered and ended up kneading the fondant into reluctant submission. The next day Callee rolled the heck out of the stuff and the fondant had no choice but to admit defeat and cooperate. There was some gnashing of teeth when I realized that I still had to make buttercream frosting in order to adhere the fondant to the cake, but it ended up adding just the right touch, in the end.
I baked 2 cakes - one 10" square and one 8" square - and used the fondant to make them look like stacked presents in Isabelle's favorite colors. The bottom layer was pink with white ribbon and the top was blue. Of course, being admittedly insane, I decided that plain blue fondant was not fancy enough so I use a teensy 1/2" cutter to punch dots out of the blue and replace them with pink & white ones. The whole thing was topped with a simple, white fondant bow. I must admit that I was totally charmed by the outcome. The cake was light, fluffy & moist; the buttercream added a nice texture and a slightly lemony flavor; and the fondant looked beautiful, tasted like the marshmallow bits in Lucky Charms, and people actually ate it. Most importantly, Isabelle loved it! Nothing like the sweet taste of success. :)
Tim and I did our best to fill the house with good food and even better friends and family. Tim always manages to cook really good food for a crowd and make it look easy. Callee literally rolled up her sleeves and helped with everything - from fondant to fairy wings, she was there. I couldn't have done it without them. The entire day seemed enchanted as grown-ups chatted and laughed while the kids raced around, clad in fancy dresses and smiles. Mission 101 played up a storm while the little girls showed off their fancy footwork. As Tim and I sat snuggled on the sofa, surrounded by amazing people and incredible music, I turned to him and asked, "When you were in high school, did you think your life would turn out so good?" He said, "I never even imagined that this kind of life could ever be this good." *sigh*
All of the hard work and agonizing over the planning, decorating and baking was worth it when I saw how much Isabelle noticed and appreciated each detail. For days before her party, she would get all excited and just giggle with delight as I told her what I had planned. On the actual day of the party, she reveled in it all. She was in a glorious mood and the sun seemed to beam from her. She laughed and played and danced and sang until I thought I might swoon. I almost pinched myself to make sure she was real and was really mine. She is perpetually filled with life and love, mischievous and bright, with tender kisses and a wicked sense of fun. I love being around her and would carry her in my pocket wherever I went, if I could. I'm totally enamored with this beautiful creature who landed in my arms 5 years ago.