Spongebob Squarepants!

Well, I finally ventured into making a cake and getting paid. I've been so nervous about this for so long. My biggest fear? What if I screw it up? I don't want to be responsible for ruining someone's special day. Common sense tells me to just look at what I've done thus far--wedding cake, multiple party cakes for family, etc. etc.--but I just couldn't get over that fear. Finally, a guy my husband works with asked him if he thought I'd be willing to do a cake for his son's second birthday. The lady who was supposed to do it backed out at the last minute and he was desperate. When my husband called me to ask, I immediately tensed up, held my breath, clenched my teeth, and probably sent myself on the verge of a stroke before I finally squeeked out, "What does he want?"

"Spongebob, I think. But it doesn't have to be anything elaborate, just a simple cake," my husband replied. Nothing elaborate? Does the man not realize that everything I do borders on the edge of obsessive compulsive with the finite detail? I can show someone a picture of anything I've done thus far, and while they are ooing and ahhing, I'm listing all the things that I could have done better. But I suppose that's the nature of most of us type A personalities.

So Mike (my husband's friend from work) emails me a picture of this spongebob cake he wants, with the promise of ordering the plastic characters to go on top. I look it over and immediately know I should be able to do it, no problem, but the ol' terror of screwing it up creeps in and I debate telling him it looks too hard. This guy and his wife came to my wedding, mind you. They saw the wedding cake and know what I'm capable of. As I rationalize out a gazillion ways to tell him I can't do it, that part of me that felt bad about his son not having his coveted Spongebob cake takes over and I agree without a specified price.

You see, that's another stumbling block to ever owning my own cake decorating business. I have no idea what to charge?!!! I hate coming up with prices. Sure, you can devise a reasonable price based on all the work you'll do (it takes me many hours to do a cake, sometimes days), but a trip to Walmart's bakery will show you quite frankly that they could get a spongebob cake, a wedding cake, or just about anything else they want for a lot less money. Who can compete with Wally World? So then you begin to wonder, is it worth it? Maybe I should just stick to making cakes for family for free. Then I don't have to worry about screwing it up (they'll still love me), or getting paid (because family always wants stuff for free). But that would make be a big ass chicken. Alas, I'll probably get into the cake decorating business one baby step at a time, throwing a tantrum the whole way.

All that being said, I don't think my Spongebob cake turned out too shabby.

Oooo...Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!

Absorbent and yellow and porous is he.

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!

If nautical nonsense be something you miss...

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!

Then drop on the deck and flop like a fish!

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!

Yes, I've been watching that show far too much. Ha ha