Kooky Cakes with Naughty Numbers

Thank you to my dear friend for booking the Nosh into the creche today so that I could attend the gym. Maybe it was a needed hint, maybe to be a chaperon, maybe to see the new walking machine. Nevertheless, a great excuse for Nutella on toast. So, really, Thank you! Next week, same time?

And, this year, instead of cutting a pumpkin, and preparing a gorgeous roasted pumpkin soup, we decided to go for calories make scary cupcakes and decorate them instead. Rather, a messy kitchen, dyed fingers, temptation in the cupboard, and a whole load of E numbers to contend with.

Whilst awaiting two skeins of Rowan Cotton Glace to finish my amigurumi kitten, I've been charity knitting for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. These two little jumpers will become keyrings to be sold for £2.50 each. So, should you have a lonely key in your drawer and you wish to purchase a knitted keyring (handbags and jumpers) (UK ONLY) please contact me with your email address where I can forward on the details of where to purchase them.

The Nosh's 1st Birthday Balloon Cake

I'm so pleased with how the Nosh's birthday cake turned out. It wasn't too tricky, well, certainly not as fiddly as the pirates ship which I made for the Bubela.

The balloon cake comprised of two 7" circular sponge cakes placed on top of eachother (Nigella Lawson's victoria sponge recipe). I severed the top with a sharp knife to make a dome shape.

Using Royal Icing (ready made) and a half a teaspoon of blue dye, I kneaded it until it was even coloured. Then I rolled it out large enough to cover the whole cake. I'd never iced a cake using royal icing before so it took a couple of attempts to pick it up using the back of a rolling pin, but I got there in the end.

I reserved some of the icing to make the little bow thingy at the end of the balloon and covered three cookies (also Nigella's cookie recipe) for the smaller balloons.

A proud little mama had lovely compliments on the day, not to mention my lovely little "A" Cookies! Take a look.

Now, with a cupboard full of cakes and biscuits and fingers that magnetise to them, I had to buy something to divert my attention. With me its either tea and biscuits or knitting and needles.

This weeks Women's Weekly Knitting and Crochet special have one of Lois Daykin's gorgeous crochet kitten patterns. I've always admired the wonderful Japanese Amigurumi (the wonderful art of crocheted toys), but I've always shyed away thinking I couldn't possibly. Nevertheless, even though I'm a self taught crochet-er with only a couple of stitches under my belt, I went ahead and put hook to Rowan Cotton Glace.

I've already stumbled across a problem dc2tog (eeek!!). I've done something, not sure what though, oy vey. Maybe I've created a new stitch, or maybe somehow actually managed the dc2tog... who knows?

The traffic is just horrendous on the school run. You could be sitting in it for anything up to half an hour solid. Its a great way to let your frustrations out and fantastic when its that time of the month.

Try it. Road Rage Rocks!

So, I'm in the car, road raging (as usual) around the roundabout "grunt, grunt, grunt".

"What Mummy", the Bubela's nose interupts (as usual).

"Nothing, Bubela its just the lousy drivers, don't worry about it. Grunt, grunt, grunt" - keeping it clean.

"Oh" he sounded saticfied. "They're called women drivers, mummy".

{Gasp} Well, I never.

The pirate ship cake was a knock out.
Boys party.
Go-Karts.
And a pirate ship cake.

Who's the Mummy!

October's here again - Pary Time!

Legs a sprawled, screaming for more pain relief, hubby wiping some sort of damp shmutter across my brow and 36 hours later... out he came - oh the wonderful memories of that day six years ago. Who was it that said you forget the pain?

However, my gorgeous Bubela was born. Six years of adoration, of pride, of nurture, of protect, of worry and bliss.

I love you Bubela and I enjoy every ounce, every inch and every kiss. HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY.

This year, to add to celebrations is the Nosh's 1st birthday. Not such a dramatic entrance into the world as the Bubela, but just as memorable. None of that yoga malarky and bouncing on a ball, none of that squeezing and pushing this time around... Hubby scrubbed up, me laid back (could have been reading Hello so relaxed) and out of the sun roof came the Nosh. A day I had waited many a year for. Oh, the river of tears we had.

Now, one year on and I still want to gobble him up. His first 8 months I feel pleased and proud that he was able to share with his Saba (grandfather). I'm warmed by the fact that he was held in his Saba's arms many a time and his Saba adored him. So, apart from a hectic year of too-ing and fro-ing from hospital, weening the Nosh on the run, and shlapping him out to football practice in the rain he has completed my wealth of a family.


Oy vey, so one year on and I've still not framed this keepsake for him.


And I couldn't make one without the other...

Keep watching... I'm attempting to make the birthday cakes myself this year. The Bubela a pirate ship (arrgh I know!) and the Nosh I haven't decided yet, any suggestions?