Birthdays & Cupcakes & Cocktails....Oh My!

I finally brought my camera today.  I know...it's about time!!!

Anyway, I'm going to share a jumble of pictures from events over the last week or so...and also some from TEN's birthday :)

(me, barbie & babbo natale @ happy hour)

(big crowd @ happy hour!)

(irish nachos = heaven = my favorite thing EVER = i could only eat these for the rest of my life)

(after TEN's bad behavior last friday night, i ventured downtown and ran into a friend who was celebrating his birthday.  i may (or may not) have had too much to drink that night :-o)

(looking at this picture i'm going to say i probably did have too much to drink)

(here i am "posing" in front of babbo natale's fireplace at the valentine's day cocktail party.  i'm not really sure what look i was going for, but i'm going to guess "sexy".  didn't quite make it did i?)

There aren't a great bit of other funny/silly/whatever photos from the cocktail party.  Well, there is this one:

(i'm not sure why this cracks me up so much...but it does kindove sum up the night...for me anyway!)

Now, let's just skip over last week.  It wasn't a very good week.

On to TEN's birthday!!!

Friday night TEN wanted a "low key night".  After work I decided to make his birthday cupcake cake.  Did you get that?  Birthday, Cupcake, Cake.  Yes, that's right.  A cake that looks like a cupcake. 

I bought a mold for this cake a while ago, and I've just been dying to make it.  I followed the directions perfectly.  It should have been so easy.  But, it wasn't :( 

Cake NUMBER ONE started off looking quite lovely in the oven:

However, when the cupcake cake was done....it really hadn't filled up the mold at all!  It was like it didn't rise or something?  I was convinced I had simply mixed it too much, played the radio too loud...something.  Never fear though!  Aren't I clever to have made this the night before TEN's birthday??  I figured I would just pick up another cake mix on Saturday and have another go at it.

The positive news is that Louis adored his new organic chicken/liver wrap treat!  I purchased it to keep him busy while I was baking (or attempting to) the cake :)

TEN came over and we went to friend's house.  Then, we went downtown for just a little bit.  Home early to rest up for the big day! 

(by the way...TEN was very touched that i had attempted to make him a cake, and that it failed miserably.  he thought it was "cute".  i, however, did not.  i was going to show him i could make a darn good cupcake cake!)

On Saturday (TEN's actual birthday) we slept in, went to lunch, ran to the grocery for another cake mix, packed up Louis and moved him to TEN's downtown apartment with us for the rest of the weekend.  Very lazy, relaxing day.

I thought I would proceed with making cake NUMBER TWO.  Please note that I was not stressed at all.  The infomercial said this cake was easy as can be to make!!  No need to grease the mold, it was nonstick of course!  No need to do anything!  So, I began the second cake.

Now, let me interject and share with you now what the cake was supposed to look:

(now this is from an advertisement, so obviously one cannot expect their cupcake cake to look this perfect)

HOWEVER,

(this is an actual cupcake cake that someone made.  obviously it isn't nearly as attractive as the advertised one, but it surely looks nothing like mine!!)

I began making the cupcake cake:

(notice how confident i was??? it was 4:18 and i wasn't stressed at all!! until i took these out and saw that once again...the cake had not filled up each of the containers.  was i supposed to put one mix in EACH container?  the directions did not say this...but i'm beginning to wonder!)

(EGADS!!  this non-stick mold is not showing it self to be very non-stick is it?)

(all of this was left in the mold!!)

(this is where i began to panic.  **yes, this is cooling on a waffle maker.  TEN does not have a cooling rack**)

(once again...non-stick part of the advertisement is NOT proving to be correct)

Let me interject here to tell you that at this point I still have not lost it.  I'm a little anxious.  TEN is saying "well, I'm sure it will be just lovely...and it's the tought that counts".  But it isn't is it?  It isn't the thought that counts.  It's the fact that I have a crappy, falling apart cupcake cake and two jars of icing to potentially hold the damn thing together that counts, isn't it?  Sigh...I began icing...

(at this point TEN begins to see that this probably is not fixable.  he starts chuckling and grabs my camera.  thanks.)

(yes, dear friends...THIS is supposed to be a cupcake cake.  in my denfense, i really didn't have a lot to work with since the batter never fully rose, and then 1/2 of it stayed in the form. but alas...)

(you almost can't tell how terrible it looks on the table.  what you also can't see is that we've had to put a pile of napkins under one side of the cake plate because the cupcake cake attempted to slide off the side of the cake plate.)

(TEN insists that he adores his cake, and even puts a votive candle on top to make a wish)

Quite a few of our friends tried the cake, and said it was delish!  Although that should probably make me feel better, it didn't:( 

The best part is...I got angry and threw the cake mold away.  Then, I later decided that I was going to keep making this cake until I got it right.  So....now I have to buy another mold.  Hang tight friends.  You will be so freaking impressed with me when I get it right.  I just know it won't take long!

We all went out for a night on the town.  It was great fun, with great friends...and PLENTY of cocktails.  Overall, success!!  TEN pronounced that he had a most fabulous birthday...which is all that really mattered to me :)

(my thank you kiss)

(ending the night with a cocktail. finally time to relax!!)

Sunday was a lazy day. Just what TEN and I both needed. We snuggled on the couch with the pup. Watched movies and slept a little bit more...

Here's to fabulous birthday weekends!!  Thanks to those of you who weighed in on what TEN shall be called moving forward.  I am sticking with TEN.  He liked that best as well :)

T