8/28/2002 05:34:46 PM|||Amy|||Lauren will be a year old in a couple of weeks. I'm designing an architectural masterpiece of a cake in my mind. If I actually try to make it, I'm sort of curious if it will turn out. The idea came from a Disney family website. If I try it, then I will post pictures but I'm not ready yet to talk about what it is.

I was thinking of having a party for her, but I have two problems. One is money. The other is my parents. I can't invite friends to my parent's house and my parents can't leave their house. (I'm not being mean - my mother can't take the stress.) So, I could have two parties - which I may well do, but I am only going to make one special cake and all the requisite baby pictures of baby covered in cake will be with the special cake. I could make one special cake and one semi-special cake and take pictures of both. Then, there is the money issue. I would like this to be the sort of party where a group of forward thinking adults (some with children) can meet, have a few drinks and good conversation, witness my daughter bring in her first year, then everyone makes a responsible and safe drive home. However, since I can barely afford the ingredients for the cake - how in the world could I afford any of the rest? Also, do I really want closet alcoholics around my children? Actually, I think the people I would invite would behave perfectly well around the kids, but they do drink a lot and they have expensive tastes in booze. I'm starting to feel the pressure. I need to figure this out fast.|||80843386|||