Cakes and more cakes... I think I will retire

Boy looking back this year I made a ton of cakes....they are fun but take LOTS of time. My favorite thing about making cakes is the end when they're all done and see the person light up when they get them... most of the time anyway. I make them for fun and to make people happy an only charge for ingredients. BUT it started to be hard to do. It seemed every weekend I had a cake and I always have to start them in the evening during the week. So my family started feeling neglected. I decided in the long run it's not worth it. But here are some pics of my last few cakes I made this year.... Enjoy!
And there are cookies too... I did these sugar cookies to give out at Christmas and just to eat of course.

 Snowflake and trees

In January a co worker got married and we had a bridal shower for her at work... I made cupcakes in the shape of a wedding dress with a gum paste flower for decor......

Of course I had to make a cake for Andrew.... but he's not too fond of cake. He opted for Asphalt pie which is Oreo cookies for a crust and Mint chocolate chip Ice-cream.... 

 done up fancy with whipped cream and caramel of course. YUM!

At the end of January I got asked to make a cake for a lady in our ward that was turning 90 ...she wanted a snowflake themed cake in the colors of 'Frozen' this is what I came up with.... it was fun to do.....

My friend Katy Murdock has two cute kiddo's that have birthdays in February and they were having a double birthday.... Max wanted spider man and Maelee wanted Minnie Mouse... these were the funnest cakes ever to make..... Love making this size.

the next cake I did was in March... A co worker 's daughter was having a baby boy. I did this one for her baby shower....

Tuned out pretty cute I think......

Next, I got to do an "Inside Out" Cake for a friend from church's little girl, who also happens to be one of my nursery kiddo's. It was fun... but time consuming. I also did cupcakes to match.

I did these the first of March....See my year was defined by cakes so far....

Next in March comes Jim's birthday. He's my cheesecake man... Every year I can count on him to want Cheese cake.

 He couldn't decide on Raspberry sauce or Blueberry so i made both. I aim to please....I think I agree

with Jim and Andy. Cheesecake and Ice-cream are yummy!

 
At the end of March came a birthday for my friend's little girl Annisten. She wanted a Mermaid cake. So I baked and frosted the cake and the girls came over and had a fun time decorating it...

So fun... I don't think I could have done any better. 

After that cake I had a little rest.... but at the end of May I was asked to make a small wedding cake for a dear friend's son. 

I did gum paste rosebuds to go around the top. It was pretty easy to do . This started the wedding cake requests....

the next two wedding cakes I did were the same weekend, July 10th.... right after the 4th. Whew, glad I made it thru!

The first was for a co workers son

I made the Gumpaste poppies... fairly simple.

The next was for my good friend and birthday buddy...

 Cupcakes and a single their cake wrapped with fondant with real rose petals on the top... I loved the look of this one.....

At the end of July my brother Gary and his wife Carol had a farewell for their mission... they wanted cupcakes with a lone star on them since they were going to Texas. They also wanted birthday cakes for two of their grandkids who had birthdays that same weekend....

They were fun to do....

Then on my very wedding Anniversary, I made a cake for one of my young women. It was a 'naked' cake with matching baby naked cakes. That just means they weren't iced. Just had filling and fruit around it. I liked the way it turned out....

so fun. 

The next cake I made was for my dear dad's 90th birthday..

 I had made him one similar a few years ago... but had to make it again.

It was inspired from the hat that has the saying "on top of old fogey"

And that was my year of cake decorating... I am retiring. Will still make them for family birthdays as needed. But it's too hard to do them and keep up with my full time job.

So I guess now maybe I'll start crocheting... hmmmmmm