Cake-- Part 1

I have been increasing intrigued with the cake making thing. Now all my dear family, I can hear you snickering behind my back already! For the rest of you, yes I confess, I've never "liked" to make birthday cakes. I really have never even liked to EAT cake. And frosting, yuck for the most part. Yes, under stress, and I do mean STRESS, I've made my kids birthday cakes. Some even were pretty cute if I do say so. Usually I take anyone's offer to make one for me, or I buy one. Stress-FREE, right?
Well, I've spent the last several years being terrifically impressed with Lynisha's cakes she's made, here, here, here, here and my favorite, both in creativity & taste! So after "helping" (I know, it was only watching, tasting frosting, which by the way was so good I couldn't stay out of it..., and then spreading frosting on cakes) Lynisha on Jeanne & Floyd's cakes, I decided I had to try it for myself.
So, drum roll here please......I'm making a birthday cake for Rebecca & Meshayla's brithday party tomorrow. I'm using Lynisha's cake, filling & frosting recipes/instruction, so surely that means it will work, RIGHT?
All right, so a little more background here. Another reason I hesitate on this one, is that I can't stand a mess while I'm cooking. When I was growing up, the way I learned to do things in the Kitchen was get all of the ingredients out ahead of time, make the stuff, then deal with the huge mess. put all the stuff away, clean up the counters & deal with the mound of dirty dishes you made. I can't stand that, so the idea of making a cake, filling & frosting then decorating was/is a little intimidating to me to say the least. The last thing I want is the kitchen wrecked "just for a cake"
But, I did decide that surely If I've learned to cook large meals, & bake bread without ending up with total chaos, then somehow I can do the same things with a cake right?
So #1. Start with a clean kitchen! Check, did that.
The last months I've tried to quit doing quite so much multi-tasking. It stresses my brain. However for this operation it's a necessity if you don't want to spend time cleaning up afterwards. It's a no-brainer. Clean as you go.
I just took the cakes out of the oven, they look great, the filling is in the fridge cooling, my counters & stove are clean, dishes done & sink shined. So far so good.
Now, Do you suppose I can figure out how to do that while I'm making jelly?????
Stay tuned for Part 2.........