I stupidly agreed to do a confirmation cake for my church just two days after my son's big first communion party. To some of you who do several cakes a week this may not be a big deal, but for me it is. I have 5 kids under the age of eight with a ten month old. I baked, iced and smoothed the day before the confirmation. I stayed up till two in the morning making the dove and thought all I had to do was the roses, border, and the words. No big deal. Then the nightmare started! I not only was taking the cake but we were also attending the ceremony so I had to make sure that everyone was dressed and ready to go by 4:00. I woke up and started on my fondant roses first before my two year old demon child 
woke up. I wanted them to be a deep red but no matter how much color I put into them they stll looked pink. I added so much coloring that my fondant was falling apart. I tried people's suggestions from here but I think it was to far gone. So I spent an hour messing with it for nothing. I started making buttercream roses instead. My icing was a little soft but I managed to get some decent ones. By this time all of my little ones were awake. I took out my dove to admire my work and figure out where I wanted it on the cake and left it on the counter. Stupid!! I came back and my two year old was eating the bird! EATING THE BIRD!!! I spent an hour making it. 
So I quickly did another one. It did go faster since I already knew how to do it. By then it was noon. I got everything ready to go and put my babies down for a nap and still thought I had plenty of time to finish the cake. I started on the words, no big deal and then when I go to the bottom words I realized I would have to freehand it. I am not very good at that so it took me longer but they turned out okay. I put on the bottom border on and discovered I did not have enought icing to do the top border!!! I didn't have enough time or ingredients to make any more. I called my husband and told him he had to come home earlier than planned because I was about to have a nervous breakdown. 
I decided to get the edges as smooth as possible and just put my roses and some scrolls in the corners. My husband got home and we got everyone ready and while he was finishing up I went to put on the roses and paint the rays coming from the dove with luster dust. Guess what I found. My two year old had put the stool from the bathroom onto a chair and pushed it up to the refrigerator were my roses were. He had pulled the tray down and was just about to put one in his mouth when I yelled nooooooo!!!!!!Yelling at him was not the best thing to do because it scared him and he dropped the tray and started crying. The roses were all broken and I sat down on the floor with him and felt like crying too. I didn't know what to do. I had nothing to put on the top of the cake and we were already late. I loaded the cake up, and grabbed my gold icing and my luster dust and left. When I got to the church I ended up putting the scrolls in the corners and that was it. It was not what I wanted to do. I had envisioned this beautiful cake that would wow people and possible get me some orders. Instead it turned out like this. I know that the cake is not that bad but it is not in any way what I had planned. Do you know what my husband had the nerve to say on the way home? I should have gotten more done on the cake the day before. Then he asked if I had used a different icing because he didn't like it. 
If any of you hear about a bizzar murder on the news where a man is found dead with a bowl of icing over his face, please don't turn me in. It was temporary insanity brought on by temporary stupidity. I think I need at least a week or two to get over this one. It will take me at least that long to clean up my kitchen! 
Mariak, I'm sorry you went through al this agony...bu ttrust me, as a mother of 3 kids, you WILL look back on this and LAUGH...I PROMISE! I found myself trying NOT tolaugh, 'cause I could feel your pain...but sorry...I burst out laughing...so you see, your pain is making others smile. I'm SURE your cake turned out fine...maybe not what you saw in your mind's eye, but fine just the same. My Wilton instructor taught us one thing tokeep in mind...no matter HOW BAD you think your cake turned out, it's STILL BETTER than what most people can ever do!
I saw the cake in your gallery, it turned out beautiful! I can also sympathize, I have three boys, my youngest loves all of my flowers, he calls them candy. I caught him today eating my freshly made pearls like popcorn! His sweet little lips were silver from the luster dust! You made me smile though, you will look back and laughlike I do with my oldests antics!
Your cake is beautiful. Simplicity for me when it comes to religious cakes. I love it.
Oh and I would have soooo heard something like that out of my hubbies mouth. I only have 2 kids but they are 13 mths apart. Thanks for the idea about the icing, I always have extra kicking around. So I won't tell if you won't tell.
I had a wedding cake to deliver and just as I was boxing it up, my 3year old ran her elbow right through one of the sides of the cake! I was so upset, but with small children it is bound to happen. Fixed it the best I had time for and needless to say that was the back of the cake and no one evr knew.
Maria-your cake is beautiful! Maybe not what you planned, but nobody knows that but you! Be happy that your little one didn't eat the flowers and bird AFTER they were put on the cake!!
"temporary insanity brought on by temporary stupidity" -THAT is a great line! LOL!
Your cake is beautiful but I understand your frusteration. I had the very same experience last Saturday only I don't have little ones. It was a cake that needed to be taken to my grandaughters birthday party. I thought our little dog was outside so I sat the cake on a chair next to a fan to get it to crust faster. No probelm, all I had to do was put the decorations on it. and all of a sudden I heard lap, lap. HaPa (chinese for "Cutie) was in the house and he had eaten a large portion of the side out of the icing. He did not get to the cake just icing. I scraped it all off down to the cake re-iced it and off we went. My son is still laughing!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so sorry! I am afraid I laughed, not because it was funny, but out of sympathy. I can relate to a smaller degree, only two kids, but same outcome except it was the "wonderful, yet dense" husband that ate my colorflow dots. "They were just dots," he says. What an idiot! Anyway, I really think men don't know what it takes unless they have tried to do it themselves. I think you are one resilient woman. Glad you have a sense of humor about it. That shows some serious control. Thanks for sharing your story. I know it might not mean much, but the cake does look nice!
Sarah
I can understand your frustration, but it really looks fabulous! I am sure what you had envisioned would have been amazing. 
Truely a gorgeous cake! As the mother of three kids 9 and under, I can understand. However, these days my frustration comes with my youngest wanting to help me all of the time..... she doesn't even bother to ask if she can, she likes to pick up the icing bag and ice away.
I am so sorry that you had such a bad cake day! I have 3 kiddos and I can't ever remember making a cake that was not in some way sabotaged by one of them. Your cake is really beautiful. The dove is gorgeous!
The cake is beautiful as are all the cakes in your gallery! You are truly very talented.
On the upside, the children will grow up and eating your cake decorations will be a day of the past. Can I borrow the car? that ends with a phone call from the neighbor saying they were speeding down the road will follow all too quickly. Sigh....(mother of 2 sons). Smile!!!!
I feel for you!! It can be so hard to decorate with kids around...I'm sure that's why most of us with kids decorate at night, LOL. I have three kids, one being a 5 month old baby and two older boys. The boys are always asking me if I have any fondant they can eat. My younger boy put a crack/hole in my fondant covered guitar cake right before she came to pick it up! Luckily you can't really tell in the picture.
Also, one time my older son took a 9 in layer of cake off the counter and was eating the whole thing...like a cookie!
Thanks goodness I don't have a dog to worry about yet!
Courtney
I'm right there with you. I have four kids and my, just turned 3 yr old, eats all my stuff too! Or her other favorite is to stick her fingers in it. The amazing part is she is sooooooo fast. I am right there telling her "look with your eyes...don't touch...And it's gone! I'm glad I'm not along, and neither are you.
BTW, you cake looks GREAT.
Also, one time my older son took a 9 in layer of cake off the counter and was eating the whole thing...like a cookie!
LOL that is too funny!! Look ma - a REALLY BIG cookie! I've certainly broken off pieces of cake before and about ate the whole thing.... but I haven't tried the "cookie-eating" method yet! Too funny.
Your cake turned out great and it doesn't look like it's missing anything! That dove is incredible too. As a mom with kids 8, 7, 5, and 2 I understand how hard it can be. I rarely work on a cake when they're up. I stay up really late to get things done. Or I wait til hubby is home and he keeps them out of my way (he's great thank goodness). My kids haven't yet damaged any of my cakes. My 8, 7 and 5 year old know better and they are really good about tattling on the 2 year old LOL. I do try to put away any cakes I make. I clear out room in the fridge if I can. Last night I made a fondant tooth cake that I was planning on leaving out and had to clear off some shelves so I could put it up and out of the way. It was too big to put in the fridge.
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