yeah I know. We've all had this scenario. Someone wants a cake made and you agree to do it and in their excitement they go from one idea to another idea. God bless Google!

First problem is that it's for next month and we're going away and I have 4 other cakes to make so I'm trying to do as much ahead of time as I can.

second problem is that she is my niece and she is turning 9!

I can hardly send her a contract and get tough on her!

Oh well. Her latest idea is quite cute so hoping she keeps it that way. Maybe i'll pull the telephone out from the wall

Give that phone connection a yank. You might suggest that x-number of days before delivery you can't accept any more changes, and explain why. She is old enough to understand. Good luck.

She's just at the right age to learn, that decisions are there to be made and stuck to. Yes you might have to get tough, not with a contract, but with an "aunty" voice

Give her the plain and simple truth:

"Sweetheart, Aunt Eve81 is going away before your birthday, so I have to plan ahead for your cake. You have to make up your mind by XXXX. After that day, you won't be able to change anything on the cake."

I really need to grow a spine dont I? She would understand if I explained to her but she is such a sweet girl and she is so excited I'm making her cake.

I'll give her a ring later when she comes home from school and tell her I've already started to work on her cake and I'm pleased she's finally decided what she wants. At least then I can still be cool auntie rather than crabby auntie

I don't mind people changing their minds a few times on cake decoration, just don't tell me every time you do it. I would prefer they just keep mulling it over in their mind and then let me know their final decision on decision day.

It's not being crabby, it's being honest.

I always tell people that are close to me (and there for always changing their minds.) that if they want the cake to be the best it can be they need to let me know by X day so I can get every thing together. Whenever I do last minute cakes they are awful! LOL We all have a process + 9 year olds are so much fun to tease-tell her if you dont' get her final idea when you need it she gets a dora cake :p haha

Just remind her that there is always next year, and the year after and the year after, and her 18th and her 21st and her wedding and her babys christenings................. WOW you are going to be busy! hee hee