The Art of Cupcakes x 3

Just a quick how to for Fabulous Valentine Cupcakes.

Have a Meme bake the cupcakes with the help of GrandGirlies.  x 3.

Allow GrandGirlie#2 to follow through with "an idea" to put marshmallows in the middle of the cupcakes so there would be a "surprise" in the cupcakes by letting Girlies poke them into the batter.  x 3.

Be sure to do this is AFTER the batter is already filling the cupcake tins 2/3 full, thus allowing chocolate batter to be everywhere.  x 3.

Do not think about marshmallows expanding when they are baked taking surrounding ingredients with them.  Thereby the cupcakes runneth over.  A lot.  Making sure that when the cupcakes are somewhat forcibly removed from the pans that chocolate and gooey melted marshmallow is everywhere.  On everything and everyone.  x 3 or maybe 4.

Be completely unable to take photos of said event due to amount of chocolate on everything and everyone.  Until chocolate batter had hardened on surfaces to an amazing degree.

Laugh about this.  A lot.  x 3 or maybe 4 or possibly even 5.

When cupcakes have cooled sufficiently, have a Papa frost them with the help of same GrandGirlies.  x 3.

Meanwhile have the Meme look everywhere for the heart and red themed decorations she knows she bought at the end of February LAST year.  Before the move.

Working in total confusion, completely miss getting pictures of the Papa and Girlies x 3 eating the frosting the cupcakes together.

In desperation because Girlies x 3 are waiting to decorate Fabulous Valentine Cupcakes dig out:
     1.  Candy necklace kits put back for a rainy day
     2.  Snowy pearl sprinkles from the after Christmas sale
     3.  Demerra sugar because it at least sparkles
     4.  Purple, black and white sprinkles - after Halloween sale
     5.  Jelly hearts in ziploc bags x 3

Hope that no one notices the white things in the Halloween sprinkles are really ghosts and that the jelly hearts in the ziploc bags were raided from Girlies Valentine treat bags. x 3

Design Techniques x 3:

#1.  Seriously and meticulously place each and every bead or sprinkle exactly where it should go.

Creating amazing small works of art that the Meme did not get pictures of because you are so completely self sufficient that you need no help and tend to get ignored a bit because of this.

#2.  Place some larger design elements in place and then using a specially crafted folded paper tool pour sprinkles into empty design area.  Filling completely.

And totally.  Pat into place thereby insuring even more chocolate frosting on fingers and under nails.  Don't notice sprinkles rolling all over table and floor.

Give a deep sigh of satisfaction when you realize there is not one more spot left to put anything on your own work of art.  Suddenly notice sprinkles rolling all over table and floor and try to retrieve them, thinking just maybe you missed a spot.
    
#3.  Remove candy design element from package.  Do a Test Taste.  5 or 6 times.  Place 1 design element on cupcake.

Study cupcake and decide where to put 2nd design element while continuing Test Tasting.

Decide that one large central design element is needed.  Smash Pat into place and proclaim "DONE!"

 
And "pitty."

Continue Test Tasting because your piece of art is DONE.  And so are you.  Perfection can't be repeated.  But Test Tasting must be.

A lot of  pretty.

Someday I may write a profound post on how much more joy I take from times like this with my 3 Girlies than I did with my 2 babies.  Because of changes in me and the lessons I've learned.

A post about how beautiful and unique each child is and how marvelous their imaginations and their small creations are.  About how I ignored that when I should have paid attention to it the most.  Because I was too busy making sure they did things my the right way.  About how much fun it is to have sprinkles rolling all over the floor and chocolate all over clothing; it's not just a mess to clean up.  About how I now know that you turn around one day and all the mess is gone.

And so are your babies.

Only a memory remains and it is the making of that memory and the content of it that is important.

Yep, someday I may write that post. 

I'm sorry Rae and Josh for every moved sprinkle, corrected construction paper project and rehung Christmas ornament.  And thank you for laughing about it for me now.