bella celebrated her fifth birthday this weekend. yes, 5. no, i don't know how that happened. as it turned out, she had a perfectly clear recollection of last years school cupcakes. she grabbed the book and started perusing. okay, i may have given her a gentle reminder. you know i love that book. her first request? the rats. she begged for the rats. and i gave in, but in the end (while making our rat list), we realized the rats were made with lots of candy and used two cupcakes each, not entirely appropriate for a room full of 4 and 5 year olds. her second pick? "the cute little duckies". from one extreme to another::
if you ever make these, here is a trick that will save you a few ducks and a ton of frustration. when forming the beaks, add a little post to the back and then freeze them. when it's time to assemble, gently push them in. this way they will stay put and won't disrupt the yellow frosting::
and after the final assembly::
these were tricky but worth the effort in the end. things always seem uncertain until the final touches go on. once the eyes and the beaks were in place, all the little imperfections became less noticeable. i hope.
