Ladies, I need your help. Here's the situation...
My sister-in-law, Jeanne, turned 50 this year and is about to graduate college with a degree in massage therapy. This is a very big deal.
Jeanne is the 7th of 12 children in my husband's family. She couldn't afford to go to college, so Jeanne went into the Army right after high school and settled near her family once her tour was complete. When she was 25, she became pregnant and her boyfriend left her. Rather than give up her son or go on welfare, Jeanne moved into a small apartment, worked full-time at a job that to this day doesn't pay well, and raised a fine young man. My nephew Joshua won numerous awards and scholarships for citizenship and community service, while in high school, and attended Southern NH University for 2 1/2 years before making the decision to enter the Marines. He served two tours of duty in Iraq and is currently an Urban Combat instructor based out of Camp LeJeune.
When Josh entered the Marines, Jeanne made the decision to go back to school and get a degree in Massage Therapy, with the hope of eventually leaving her dead-end' low-paying job behind and making a future for herself. Its been a financial struggle and a huge time commitment, but she stayed the course and passed her state boards in March. Her graduation is scheduled for May 17th and the after party is going to be at my house.
I know a lot of folks who've returned to school, but not many who've gone through all Jeanne has and who've graduated college at 50. I want her cake to be as special as she is and celebrate both her birthday and her graduation. She has a terrific sense of humor, which I know has helped her over the years, so I want to interject fun into the celebration, but I also want her to know how big an accomplishment this is.
Okay - that's the whole story. Any ideas?
Original Post
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) you could ice it with fondant. (Here, cake shops, WalMart, and craft shops all carry ready-made fondant.
