Somebody's having a BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Tomorrow is Sweet P's birthday!!!!!  Hip HIP HOORaaaayyYYY!!!!  I can hardly wait!!  Although I always wish I could afford to buy more stuff for the sweetest man on the Planet...I still feel like this birthday will be a very heartfelt and homemade celebration!!  And here is the reason why....

 Okay...  I used a cake mix... but Rome wasn't built in a day people!!!  HA HA!!!  P decided that he would like a strawberry cake for his birthday and well...  I may have gone overboard, just a bit ~

Here is just a bit of the strawberry cake mix on my mixing spoon... the question you are asking your self is... Did I lick it?  OF course I did!!!  What kind of baker do you think I am???  I must test it all..  he he!!
For quality, right?? 

Here it is in the NEW cake pans I purchased just for this GREAT cooking adventure!!!  If you know me personally you know that I just don't bake, cook, or explore the kitchen that often...  But today was actually FUN and I am so excited for P to see what I have made just for HIM!!

 Okay, this is the 2nd layer, I forgot to take a picture after I gussied up the top... So here is what I did ~

 First thing I did was put strawberry frosting on top, then I added strawberry preserves...

 Then strawberries on top of that!!!! 

 Here it is at 3 layers!!!  I know this is incredible!!!  For me... THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!  LOL

The cake at 4 layers total!!  So now it's just chillin in the freezer waiting for the final covering of icing!!!  I know it looks a bit uneven, but like I said, "Rome wasn't built in a day"... 

In the mean time here are some cool presents that I purchased for P...  Lately we have both grown very tired of young Hollywood, so its back to classics!!!  Here I have a classic film noir - Call Northside 777, and Sunset Boulevard, From Here to Eternity ( this one is a fav of us both), and I thought he might enjoy The Bridge On The River Kwai.  I am still waiting for one more, keeping my fingers crossed that it comes by tomorrow!! 

 So earlier today I was slicing strawberries and I loved the inside of this strawberry with the little heart....  Future painting?  I think so!!!!
 

 And drummmmm rolllllllllllll pleaseeeee....  Here it is all covered up with butter cream frosting, yes out of a plastic container...  but still delicious!!!  Mmmmmmmmm....  AND Yes I again, licked my fingers, the spatula, and the knife too!!!  HA ha ...  I am really wondering why I don't bake more often...  BUT Thank goodness I don't with all this licky goodness, I would be even BIGGER!!!!  Yikes!!  So maybe once a year won't hurt, too bad!!!  Hummmmm....   
I do know that is going to be ONE sweet cake, meaning rich, and we are going to need a Gallon of MILK to drink with it!!!  LOL  Opppssss.....

 Here are P's final 2 gifts...  Created with my own 2 hands, imagination, and happy thoughts about him, the whole time I was working on them!!  It is a bit nerve racking making something like this for someone...  How about they don't like it or get it??? 
This is a painting of P's mandolin.  The very first time I saw it, with all of its curly ques and character, I knew I wanted to paint it!!!  It took me forever!!!  I would work on it be frustrated and then stop..  but finally I am happy with the finished painting!  I hope P is too!!!! 

A little close up view...  Lots of color!!  It makes music after all!!! 

 This painting I started just in case I wasn't able to finish the Mandolin... P is a man who loves his apples...  So this is just a little ways of saying "P, you are the apple of my eye!!"

 I had so much fun with this painting!!!  I did a lot of it with my fingers!  Finger painting can be very therapeutic!!  It wasn't going to be a open apple...  it just sorta happened that way!!! 

  Here is a little close up detail...  FUN, huh???  Well I better get busy around here, the birthday boy is back later today and tomorrow we celebrate Sweet P!!!!!  C U later... V !!