I had a few more things to take care of while I was in CA. I needed to prep for Michael's birthday.
Michael had to work on his birthday so I thought it would be really fun to bring in cupcakes for the office. I was going to buy them at a local bakery, but once I realized how expensive it would be I decided it would be much better if I made them myself. Plus it amazes people when you take the time to actually make something yourself. I tested out a new cupcake recipe while I was in SD - it was a home run right out of the gate (I think I totally screwed up that phrase, but you get the point).
I also had to figure out a way to transport my precious cupcakes. I found this awesome cupcake carrier at Crate and Barrel. (Quick product review - Pros: the lid securely snaps to the base, no worries of the whole contraption falling apart as you walk down the street, bottom tray is a cupcake pan - no additional cupcake baking equipment necessary. Cons: the bottom tray bows down in the middle, so the really short cupcakes need to go on the bottom, the cupcakes on the bottom are harder to get out of the tray without smushing the icing.) The carrier worked really well and my cupcakes made it to the office in perfect condition.
My little yellow cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting and multicolored sprinkles were a hit. They made Michael very popular in the afternoon and he received many birthday well wishes as he passed out these treats.
He did get to open a few presents in the morning before work (a shirt from Roxy, and the blackout kit from MomO which included a crank flashlight and two fans - one for Michael and one for Roxy), but he had to wait until after work for the big gift. Because he really was only getting one gift, I had to make it fun to open. I used a cipher wheel to create a code and gave him 12 coded messages, a template, and the cipher wheel. He had to use the wheel to figure out the messages. The messages told him we were going to 2 Braves games in Atlanta! Everyone pitched in towards the gift, it was fun to all pull together to get him something we knew he would really enjoy. (Plus I get to go on the trip too and we're staying at the Ritz-Carlton!)
After gifts we went to craftsteak (it is supposed to be lowercase, even though it is a name) for dinner. Our meal was amazing, but I'll save the details for another day!
