Scary. Seriously.
I found a design I loved and felt confident it would be beautiful! I went into full swing, planning, creating, imagining and waiting for the week before the shower. I baked the cakes ahead of time and froze them for a few days, which allowed me to trim them up, fill them and crumb coat them much easier. Here is the base of the cake..crumb coated...I was feeling more confident and prepared than ever!
Friday night rolls around and I prepare for a long night, as I know the design I have found is intricate and like nothing I've done before, but I am still feeling great! One of the most time consuming parts of this project was coloring the fondant, which is all made stark white. To get deep, rich colors you must knead and knead and knead, and when you think your done kneading, you knead some more. All the while, the fondant is naturally sticky, so you much keep your work area coated with Crisco and/or powdered sugar. Oh, and of course I forgot to get disposable gloves to protect my hands from the dye, thus, this result:
A crazy mess, I tell you! I really wish I would've taken a picture of the extraordinary pile of dishes I created. That was quite an accomplishment!
On to the good part. As I began to cover the cake, I began to panic. Literally. My poor husband and daughter weren't sure what to do with me, but I stood there (when I really wanted to collapse on the floor in a big puddle), staring at my mess and trying to figure out how late Costco was open so I could order a last minute cake. I feared complete disaster and utter failure. I know I sound dramatic, but in that moment I had built something up in my head so great that I had nowhere to go but down from there. Had pride gotten a hold of me? My husband being the amazing man that he is comforted me, hugged me, encouraged me and then because he knows me so well, swept up my sweet 6 year old and took her out for the night. I suddenly had the whole house to myself and I knew I needed to clear my head.
I needed inspiration.
I threw on some worship music and just started working. Then something happened. A song came on that I have heard hundreds of times. But in that moment, I heard it all different, and I knew God knew that I needed to hear the words.
"You make beautiful things, You make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things, You make beautiful things out of us." Have you heard that song? If you haven't, you need to listen to it. I mean really listen to it. Ok, just so you don't have to go around looking for it, here it is for you:
I found inspiration.
I continue to find inspiration.
I am continually reminded of the beauty that God sees in His creation. In me. In you.
I am reminded of the potential that God sees in us. In Judges 6:11 Gideon felt completely incapable and illequipped to answer the call that God had for his life. He questioned his abilities and ultimately questioned God. The angel of the Lord came down and spoke this to Gideon, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."
Aren't we all mighty warriors? That night I was a mighty cake warrior. You may laugh but I'm kidding when I tell you that I put on my armor and I was ready for battle. I would not let myself be defeated by my enemy. In this case, my enemy was self-doubt, insecurity and fear. And before I knew it those lies were squashed beneath my tired feet as I danced around my kitchen at midnight! Not because the cake was perfect, because it was far from that. But because I was victorious and the job I had set out to do was completed. God is so faithful to meet us where we are in every moment of weakness. And actually, The Lord waits for us to surrender those moments of weakness to Him, so that He can show up and ultimately bring the glory to Him!
The result, in my opinion, is perfectly imperfect, and although this was so much fun (and a huge relief!) to deliver to the baby shower, the moment I shared with God that night far surpasses any confection creation, even if it is strawberry filled, buttercream goodness!
~Andrea
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