March...

Well, hello! Long time no see! And yes, I know it's my doing...again...I really don't mean to stay away for so long, but I haven't really felt that I had anything worth sharing on here for some time now. And truth be told, the things that were worth writing about, well, I was just too busy enjoying them to think to write about them! It has been a mixed bag, the last few weeks, and energy levels were at an all time low. This mainly due to a horrid tooth infection that sucked the life out of me! In amongst the clove oil, dental visits and tooth drilling, I have also celebrated my 39th birthday, had a wonderful weekend break away with the ladies from our church, started and finished some sewing projects and kept up with the day job and family commitments as usual. There has been other celebrations too...a dear friend's birthday and Easter, so life has been busy. So, I warn you...This is going to be a picture heavy post! I have so much too share! Go on, put the kettle on...

Easter snaps...

Birthday treats...

Looking back, regardless of the tough days, it has indeed been a lovely month of March. May the loveliness continue into April!

Blessings

A piece of cake!

Well, the summer is here and soon it will be 'Bake-Off' season. I am no Mary Berry, but I do love a bit of stirring, mixing, and cake faffing! The latter being the operative word! I have always tried to make a special effort with the childrens' birthday cakes, since the day I became mum. It's the one thing I love to do for them, because nothing beats the surprise and excitement on their little faces as they puff out those candles! My oldest turned thirteen this weekend...Bear with my while I just sit down for a bit to let that sink in....thirteen...I am the owner of a teenager...Help! Well, of course I had to make a little effort with her cake again, as it's a rather special birthday.

Now, I can't and don't do 'fancy'...My skills don't stretch that far, and smoothly perfected masterpieces is not something I even want to attempt. But I can do rustic! So, with the very popular trend of  'naked cakes' gracing wedding and celebration tables around the world, I thought I'd have a go at making one for my girl. It is a lot easier than having to drape a cake in flawless fondant icing! I merely baked four layers of sponge cake, iced them together with buttercream, and didn't even have to bother with the sides! The idea is to spread none, or just a very thin layer of icing round the sides so that all the layers are visible. Easy..a piece of cake! The fun part was dressing the top. I used fresh roses, daisies, some handpicked sweets, sprinkles, quirky flags and bon-bon toppers. Voila! A very rustic naked cake!

And she loved it...Phew!

Blessings