I made a smurf cake…

I always start projects with visions of grandeur. “I can do this!” I told myself.  Favorite Husband has learned to roll with my momentary obsessions and as usual – I obsessed.

One of the guys I work with asked me to make a cake to celebrate national surveyors week this week. I looked up everything to do with surveying. I poured over Pinterest.com and found just the cake I wanted to copy. It was lovely. A beautiful blue cake with a lovely white mountain scene on the side.

One of my cake layers fell – but that’s not a big deal….just fill it with frosting, I thought.  It all went downhill from there.   I finally called it at about 11 pm.  I was tired, grouchy and felt like a failure.

I was in wallowing in sorrow in bed when Favorite Husband came to try to cheer me up.  “Sweetie, the cake doesn’t look that bad.”  “Emrick, it’s horrible.  I just want to be good at something – anything – I can’t do anything well!! ”  “Take it in and tell them it’s the sky because they’re always outside” Favorite Husband said. “They’re mostly men – who  won’t care what it looks like.”  “Emrick, it’s blue.  I made a blue cake with a white border… OHMYGOD…I MADE A SMURF CAKE!” I yelled.  Thankfully, Favorite Husband didn’t laugh.  I was heartbroken and completely filled to the depths of my soul with the failure of it all.

Morning eventually came and so did my trip to King Soopers to get a decent cake.

I practiced what I was going to say to explain my failure all the way to work.  When I brought my purchased cake into the office, it was with head down and a quick delivery of my monologue.   There was no screaming or gnashing of teeth.  They were just happy to have a cake to celebrate.  “Oh, okay – well it looks great!” was all that was said.

This was an immense learning experience for me.

There are those that walk among us that are mildly obsessive.  I now have to admit that I am probably on the spectrum.  I don’t count my steps to the bathroom or check the lock to the front door 6 times.  But I am going to work on this issue.  I don’t like things that drive me into a pile of smoldering failure.

It’s cake for heaven’s sake.

Let’s put this all in perspective.  I’m going to fail at something again, because I tried something… again.  It’s life.   We all have to try something new once in a while – we all have stretch ourselves and be willing to end up with a Smurf Cake.

So….coffee and cake at my house tonight.  I’ll provide both!