Cookies, Cakes and Pies.......Oh My

It's nearly thanksgiving and I'm sure everyone is getting prepared. Besides turkey or ham whichever you prefer or maybe a nice prime rib there are lots of other preparations to be made. I however have the task of just doing the baking. I've done a bit of baking early nothing much maybe five dozen cookies, a good practice run. I've made some cream cheese sugar cookies and still am looking forward to doing some holiday fudges, some sugared citrus rind candy, more cookies some pies and a few cakes. Today I think I'm going to make some fondant butterflies and work on a few hummingbirds for a cake I have to have ready for the beginning of December, just practice ones that way the templates can be all done and will be easier to make and assemble when it's time to do the cake. So i took a couple of quick photos of the cookies I just finished, snowflakes and Margaritas. All packaged and ready to go!

Orca Birthday Cake

After yesterdays disaster I believe I have partially redeemed myself. After a few changes to the design and some labor my wife's birthday cake is done. I told her I dropped it and it was destroyed because I want her to be surprised. It is an Ocean/Orca (killer whale) themed cake. I know she wanted an Orca cake having gone kayaking with the Orca's in June. Anyways.....

FAIL!!! Cake Disaster.

Well I've experienced my first cake disaster. It is the first time working with sugar sheets an I must say it was an utter FAIL.
I used a local bakery to print out the sugar sheets, looked online for directions for proper use and yet..FAIL.
As a novice baker I find it difficult to learn new techniques, having no formal training everything must be self taught. There is tons of information online and local bakeries are usually happy to print you out sugar sheets or sell you boxes or containers but the only way to learn is to do it (short of going to culinary school). I have been fairly satisfied with most of my baking projects so far but this one, on a scale of one to ten, a one.

So this is what I ended up with.