It was such a pleasure to make David's and Kelsey's cakes!!  What an undertaking this was!  The Millennium Falcon took quite a bit of figuring out! Kelsey's "5" tier Bride's Cake gave me the chance to learn new techniques which are always fun for me.  I REALLY enjoyed making both of these cakes.  David is my youngest son, and Kelsey is so precious; it seems like she has always been a part of our family.  She's "MY Other Daughter!"  David and Kelsey are such a perfect fit for each other.  Both are so tender-hearted and seek God's will in all they do!!  Kelsey is a Labor and Delivery Charge Nurse and David is a Music Minister, where Kelsey also sings with him and plays piano.  They are always tending to the needs of others, one way or another.

              As with all my major works, I spent weeks dreaming and planning.  David is a "Star Wars" fanatic so he chose the Millennium Falcon.  Kelsey knew what she wanted and drew it out for me.  It is always such a help to know what someone wants.  Of course, these were both things I had never done in the past.  I had never done "Sugar Flowers" before.  I Googled and found some good tutorials but there's nothing like "hands on" with a HUMAN right there with you to answer questions.  My husband, Steve, who is always with me through thick and thin, drove me all the way to Stafford, Texas, to the "Cake Craft Shoppe" for a Sugar Flower Class.  This shop is Southwest of Houston, about 3 hours 23 minutes, 226 miles: one way!  They were not doing Magnolia Blossoms, BUT I got to work with the Gum Paste and techniques of making "one petal at the time" and wiring them together to make a full blossom.  The class was a two-day class, but we could only be there for one day because the "farm" waits for no one, and I had to get to baking!  Besides, I was doing David's Millennium Falcon at the same time!

              Day 1:  First things first!  BLOSSOMS!  NO!  PRAYER 1st, ALWAYS!!  NOW, blossoms.  I colored some gum paste green for the leaves.  I formed the buds and flower centers by hand, put a wire in each one and cut slits in the flower centers to make them realistic looking, and then stood the wires in Styrofoam to dry.  I cut out all the petals and gently put a wire in each one.  Then, I pressed them one at a time in a mold to make the veining on the petals and lay them in an apple protector to have the proper curves and let them dry.  Then, I did the same thing for the leaves.  Can't forget the Millennium Falcon!  I formed the top gun and radar and put them on a surface to dry.

              Day 2:  PRAYER!  Today is the day to form blossoms out of all those petals, flower centers, leaves and buds!  First, I dusted the slit part of the flower centers with green and a little gold; and the petals with a hint of pink, green and brown; and the leaves with a darker green to make them look realistic.  I then picked a flower center, and nine petals for each blossom; arranged them; wired them together and covered the wire with florist tape.  Then, I wired a bud and leaf to each one and covered the stem, once again, with florist tape.

              Day 3:  PRAYER!  Baking Day!!  Today, I baked two 14-inch, two 12-inch, two 10-inch, two 8-inch and two 6-inch cakes for Kelsey AND baked the two 12-inch and one 8-inch cakes for the Millennium Falcon!  While they were baking I made my Buttercream.  After they cooled, I crumb-coated and iced them ALL with Buttercream, placing each one in the fridge to set.  WHEW!!  That's a lot of cake!

              Day 4:  PRAYER!  Time for covering ALL these cakes with fondant!  I did Kelsey's bottom tier with a bark design.  The next tier has a crackle effect so it would transition from the bark to the smooth texture of the top two tiers.  I then covered the Millennium Falcon in sections because of some places being raised and others lowered, as well as, the cockpit and front of the ship being separate from the body of the ship at this time!  I extruded fondant for the lines and dots on the ship and cutout and placed the windows.

              Day 5:  Prayer!  Prayer!  PRAYER!!  I stacked Kelsey's "5" tiers and made sure it was level before I put the next one on.  There are wooden dowels between each tier to support the one above, and a very long dowel that goes through the whole cake to keep anything from shifting.  I then cut out the silhouettes of Kelsey's and David's engagement picture and Sharky (the dog that David had for 15 years, whom they had recently lost to cancer at the age of 17).  During all this week, MY PRECIOUS husband, Steve, had been preparing for the Rehearsal Dinner Feast!  Lasagna, Italian Bread, Salad, tea and water.  Not to mention, he worked a full time JOB and was helping gather decorations and lighting for the wedding.  David's younger sister, Ashli, was flying in from Alaska, so we drove to Dallas to bring her home!  My cousin, Joanna Goldman, (while we were gone to Dallas) did the bread and put the Lasagnas and bread in the oven at the proper time to have them hot and ready for the Rehearsal Dinner!  After a perfect evening Soiree, it was time to FINISH the Bride's AND Groom's Cakes!  Steve stayed up with Ashli and I for a while so I could pick his brain about Kelsey's tree on her cake.  (After this past week my brain was DEAD!)  Ashli stayed up most of the night with me...she painted the Millennium Falcon while I did the tree, carved a heart with Kelsey's and David's initials, did the shell boarders on all tiers and placed the silhouettes and Magnolia Blossoms on the cakes.

              Day 6:  Prayer, Prayer, PRAYER!!!  I am so tired!  This evening is IT!!  I made a "Just Married" sign and cans for the back of the Millennium Falcon.  I placed the fondant strings and cans on, but when I tried to put on the sign it fell and was damaged...DO ANOTHER ONE, NOW!!  Steve and Ashli are standing there watching and waiting...  I say, "They can't start without us and the CAKE! I closed my eyes for a few seconds and breathed deep and slow... The sign is cut, and breathing through each letter, it's done and ready to be put on the cake!  The letters were, of course, still WET!  I tried to hurry, but at the same time, I tried NOT to rush!!  How was I going to put this sign on and not mess up???  Slowly and SO VERY carefully and BREATHING, I placed the sign on the back of the Millennium Falcon!  DONE!!!  Thank you GOD!!  There's no way I could have done these cakes with out the hand of God holding on to me!!

                   As my precious son and his bride cut their cakes I couldn't help but cry!  It    was such a perfect evening!  The "icing on the cake," so to speak, was my    98-year-old Momma, Lois Lewis, sitting on one side of me and my husband,    Steve, on the other side!  This transpired in one of our hay meadows.  Kelsey's    parents rented a tent for the Rehearsal Dinner and Reception; and the Ceremony was in the open with people sitting on hay square bales covered with family quilts!  All siblings worked together to get things set up and string lights and put torches along the path leading to the ceremony.  It was all absolutely    BREATHTAKING!!!