Kera's 6th Birthday & Mermaid Cake

Before we left on our week long family vacation, we had Kera's Birthday party. It was so easy and the weather cooperated perfectly. Kera wanted a swimsuit/sprinkler party outside with a pinata and mermaid cake. She invited just a few friends from school & church and I planned it for an hour & a half, just enough time to be a party but not too long that the kids start getting bored.

Here's the birthday girl with her mermaid cake. It was the easiest birthday cake ever. I found the recipe in a cupcake/cake recipe booklet from Betty Crocker. It's basically a yellow cake baked in two round cake pans and one small oven-safe bowl. You use any old barbie you have, cover her in saran wrap and then cover the saran wrap with fruit roll-ups. Then you frost the cake and add fishy candies--we used Swedish fish and nemo fruit snacks. The girls helped with that part and loved it. Oh and you take some of the frosting (I used store-bought that I'm trying to use up) and tint it blue and then use a fork to put it on the sides, which makes it look like waves.

The kids played in the wading pool & slip n' slide for almost an hour before the breeze came up and they got cold, so they all got dressed and we did the cake, pinata and presents.

The pinata is just one we picked up at Wal*Mart, and it actually one of those ones you pull the string instead of hitting with a bat. I like these ones, they are so much safer!! The kids got through almost all the strings before Kera's friend Samantha picked the right one and let out all the candy. They didn't eat any candy at the party, instead I put it in their goodie bags, which made filling them easy! It really was an easy party and Kera loved it, which I guess is all that really matters when it comes down to it! :-)