Ever have one of thoese days? It started Fri. morning when a coworker/friend of mine stoped by work and told me about her plans for Sun. Both of her boys are finely back from Iraq after 2 1/2 years. She has had a yellow ribbion around the tree in her front yard the entire time they have been gone. Well Sun she is having a cook out, ribbion cutting ceremony for them. By the time she finished her story we were both in tears. ( my husband has done lots of time in war zones, no fun and hard on the families) So anyway the entire time I'm at work I'm thinking I want to do an awsome cake for her. I get off work at 4:00. I pick up cake mixes, powder sugar, crisco stix and pan spray. Picked up some flag, hot dog and hamburger picks from work. ( I work at a bakery) and head home. Fix dinner and decide to start on the cakes. I get everything in the bowl and run out of eggs. By this time it's after 7:00. Get back in the car and go get eggs. Come home and get the first set of cakes in the oven. I'm still not sure what I want to do but I'm thinking two stacked tiers with a tree like I did for the pooh baby shower cake. I try to get on here to find ideas and the site is down. Not good. Keep trying while the cakes are cooking and look through all my old wilton books. Finely get on here and still can't find anything. The cakes come out of the oven and I got to make the second batch. I just have a little batter left from the first mixes so I decide to try out my mini wonder cake mold and use it for something else. I get this great idea. I've been trying to do it all worng! Put the dang tree on top since it's the important part anyway. Good now I have a plan, go to get the next box of cake mix and relize I've used them both already. I'm Not going back to the store again! So I look to see what I have to go with funfetti cake. Finely decided on chocolate. Most everyone likes chocolate. Get the last cake out of the oven at 11 and decide to decorate them in the morning.
Skip to next day. I have to be at work at 11:00. I get up at 7 and make the iceing. Everythings goes pretty good for the top layer and the tree, until I go to put the flags around the tree. I don't have enough. I finely remember some candy one's I have so I add them to make them strech. Go to make more iceing and discover I'm out of butter. Still not running to the store! I add tub butter and hope it works. Iceing comes out very soft but I'm running out of time so it has to work. I get the cake done and it looks pretty good but I decide to take the top of the tree off to move it. I drop it! No time to redo it, so I make the repairs the best I can.
Box it all up and then remember I have the truck with no air conditioning! It's 100 and something outside and a 15 mile drive to work. I shower, get dressed, load up the cake and pray the entire way to work. Pleading with God to spare the cake. When I get there the top of the bottom layer has cracked open and all the bark on the tree has melted off. I take the cake into work and throw it in the cooler. Luckily I had the stuff at work to fix it on my lunch break. Anyway to finish off the story the lady I made it for stoped by after work for a surprise. She had no idea I was doing this and she cryed when she saw it. She did have air so hopefully the cake made it to her house safely.
http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1230163 The picture looks crooked. I hope it's just the picture and not the cake, but after all it's been through who knows.

Sorry you had such a bad time with this cake because the cake looks beautiful and you were so nice to do this.

That cake sure doesn't look like it has been through heck! Great job.

What a time!!! Sorry you had all of that rough stuff to go through for such a wonderful thing to do for some one! I am going with "it all stayed together just fine!!"

the cake looks as awesome as your heart! I wish there were more people like you!

by the way you described it, I thought I was going to see a mess!!! Well....it is beautiful and you know.....after everything that those two boys have been through....they deserve this cake so it was worth the effort!!!! Good job and beautiful cake!!!

Sorry you had such a rough time, your cake looks great. I never would had known you had gone through so much. I'm sure with your friends reaction it was all worth it. With all you went through and still pushed on and got the job done, you will have lots and lots of blessings .

LOl I was expecting to see a diaster cake...you did a GREAT job pulling this one off. My hats off to YOU...

well i say you did a great job repairing!! I can't even tell anything may have been wrong with it. Your a great friend to go through all of that for her boys.

What a wonderful thing to do for your friend and her boys. Thank god they're home safely. My brother was in Iraq for a year and I think I held my breath the whole time. The cake looks terrific!

We've all had those days - the heroes among us are the ones who keep plodding through to get the job done! Kudos to you and your heartfelt effort for your friend and her boys! What a way to honor them!

I was also expecting to see a big mess, but it is a great cake!! Super kudos to you from a Marine-Mom!!!

ditto what has been said... i never would have suspected you'd had so much trouble. you were working with the weather against you and under a time constraint and you managed to pull off a great cake. i love the tree on top (minus the yellow ribbon - very nice!). the fact that mom cried when she saw it is a testiment to your big heart. nice save btw...

Most of us would have quit a several different points but you just made it work. Congratulations! Your hard work will be remembered by that family and the cake looks great.