Vintage on line

I'm not quite sure how it's possible that my 1st born is 15. It sure seems like just yesterday she was grasping cheerios with her pudgy little hand. Now she is grasping for her freedom with both fists, refusing to be anything other than what she wants to be. No longer content to conform to her parents expectations, she is proving to us and herself that she is her own person. I suppose that's how it should be, although it has been quite an adjustment for everyone in this house. This has been a year filled with many bumps but I wouldn't trade it for anything because in the end those bumps brought us closer together. She is a bright, dramatic, beautiful, hilarious, tender-hearted girl and we all love her very much.

Her birthday cake (above) based on one from Country Living (below) doesn't look as perfect as the one in the magazine, but it was made together by a mother and daughter who at times this past year didn't even want to be in the same room. It was baked with love, laughter, mistakes and a big mess. I think that actually makes it the most perfect cake ever made.