Lisa and Kristin's Blog: Does anyone want a free cat? and High School Graduation

Sparks is lucky to be alive tonight because I almost killed him! It was just a regular Tuesday night. I came home from work, let the cats outside to play in the back yard and went outside to pull some weeds. After a little bit I came in and started to make dinner. Annie took it as her cue to start begging for her dinner. I started getting the cats' dinner ready and Kitka came running, but not Sparks. I fed the girls and called for Sparks, but he didn't come. I still wasn't too worried because I had seen him shortly after I came in the house and figured that he was happily playing outside. I kept making my dinner, but just couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to go check on him. I went out back and couldn't see him. I got some of his treats and started shaking them at the door... nothing. I came back inside to make sure he wasn't locked in the basement again, or asleep in one of his favorite hiding places... still nothing. I put on better shoes, put on a sweater and went back outside to search the back yard more thoroughly. He's never left the back yard before except for when we've accidentally left the gate open, he's blatantly walked out the front door, or snuck in the garage. I turned over every leaf in the back yard and was convinced that he wasn't back there. The gate wasn't left open, so I searched the garage... nothing. By this point it was starting to get dark and I got frantic. I came back in the house, and did the aerial search of the neighbors' yards from the bedroom window and couldn't see him, so I grabbed a flashlight just in case and hit the street. I walked up and down every street in our neighborhood trying to figure out how he could possibly have gotten out and even trespassed into yards that connect with ours to see if he had found his way under one of the fences somehow... still nothing. I didn't know where else to look and without any clues as to which way he might have gone, and not really even knowing if he was even out front, I headed back home. I walked in the door to see a cute, cold, cross eyed, Siamese face, pressed up against the glass of the sliding glass door begging to come in. I was so mad! I let him in, but we are still not talking to each other. He has been so naughty this week! I know that he's mad because Kristin is gone, but he doesn't have to take it out on me! It's not my fault. Kristin, when you get home you better watch your step carefully, and look before you climb into bed because there is going to be a poo chunk waiting for you somewhere.

On the bright side, Kitka left a green mousie and a pink mousie on my bed tonight. I just love that! Also, my new shoes finally came! Actually, they came yesterday, but I didn't have time to write about them. After dinner I went to the neighbors for dinner and after I came home and cleaned the kitchen and changed the litters I was just too tired to write. I finally ordered a pair of red high top converse for my niece's graduation. When she was 4 I got us matching outfits including these shoes and we got pictures taken before she moved out of state, not to return until 12 years later. She loved the shoes, but obviously, outgrew them. Her parents have bought her a few new pairs over the years, but I guess it had been a while since she had a pair that fit. She finally got a new pair for her birthday last year and has been asking if I would also get a new pair so we could get new pictures. It's taken so long only because these shoes are crazy expensive and I just haven't been able to justify the money. Luckily, I we had enough money from our tax return to get them and they were already paid for before I knew that we were going to have to replace the water heater, otherwise, I can't guarantee that I would have gotten them. Anyway, I'm happy to have them before her graduation next month so I can wear them on her special day. She is so funny about her shoes. She has worn them with dresses, to school dances, and for her senior pictures. It really makes me happy to have a connection to something that she loves so much. I can't believe that she is 18 and graduating from high school! Time sure does fly. I also can't believe that I agreed to make her a cake for her graduation party. How do I get myself into these things?

I've decided cake making is a little bit like learning a new language. Most people know a few things and can say simple sentences or count to 10, equivalent to following a simple recipe or spreading canned frosting on a cake mix cake. Some people are very fluent and know the language well, equivalent to making extremely elaborate and fancy cakes. I'm at the point in between where I know just enough to get myself in trouble... like when you've been studying a language and can start great conversations and ask perfectly grammatically correct questions with an impressive accent, but have no idea what the other person says when they respond, or what you are supposed to say next. So you smile and nod a lot and find out later that with your nodding you've agreed to voluntarily jump into an active volcano as a peace offering to the fire Gods so they won't unleash their wrath on the village. I've made some very decorative cakes before, and I've figured out a few secrets for leveling off the layers and stacking the tiers, but in the end, I cover the thing with frosting, and use food coloring spray paint, rock candy and toys on top to decorate the rest according to the desired theme. Last year I started experimenting with gum paste to make figures to place on top instead of toys, but it is still sticking stuff into a frosted cake. The results have been good but have created the illusion that I know more than I really do. I've never used fondant, or covered an entire cake with it, or made anything fancy like you see on TV, so needless to say I'm a little bit nervous about the cake that my nice picked out for me to make. Here is the goal.

As you can see, it is all decor with no visible cake, plus WAY more figures than I've ever made at one time for any other cake before. My hangup with fondant is that I just don't understand how something that is covered in a crusty sugar blanket with a severe lack of frosting is supposed to taste good. It just doesn't work out in my mind. We'll see if I can figure out how to reach the desired goal, while still having visible cake and frosting, and having it taste as good as it looks. I guess I have a month to figure it out.

Here are a few pictures of the niece, and the shoes.