Birthday Weekend

This weekend was Mr P's birthday, yesterday to be precise. The weather was cooler than it has been, but still nice for the time of year so we all got out in the garden. We're getting prepared for the arrival of our new hens later this week (fingers crossed). When we first moved up, Bruno was in his 'Houdini' stage and regularly escaped from the garden so we completely blocked off the back and it's stayed that way ever since. Removing the boarding and cutting back the trees behind have added about 5-6 feet to the length of our garden and it's in this space that we will be putting the hen house. It's shady spot under the enormous tree that grows at the end of our garden and the ground underneath seems to have done very well by being left to nature. Hopefully it will be perfect for the hens to scratch around in.

There was quite a lot of dried up old wood so we decided to have a small bonfire. It certainly took the chill out of the air and the children went off to the corner shop in search of marshmallows.

Toasted Marshmallows on our camp fire

It was lovely all being out in the garden, everyone was helping in their own way and Mr P was working incredibly hard as we had to remove a 2 metre concrete post that turned out to be buried a metre into the ground making it 3 metres of concrete that weighed a ton! The time went so quickly and it was only when I popped back into the house that I realised it was close to 8pm and none of us had eaten since lunch, apart from the marshmallows! Time flies as the saying goes.

Yesterday we'd planned a visit to Jodrell Bank for Mr P's birthday. His parents came along too and the weather was lovely despite the cool breeze.

The Lovell Telescope

A printout of readings being taken by the telescope

Interactive touch-screen learning

Dinner after a lovely day

We headed back to Mr P's parents after a nice meal to round off the day.
I'd made some Rolo Cupcakes for Mr P's birthday. They were similar to the Snickers Cupcakes I'd made for him before but instead of peanut butter in the icing I used dulce de leche in the butter cream & topped them off with a Rolo.

So all in all we had a lovely weekend and best of all it doesn't end there. The children are on Easter holidays and Mr P is off with us all week, so there are plenty more adventures to come I'm sure.

So Far So Good....

I'm determined for this year to be a good one. I feel like we're due one, but I also realise that you can't just sit back and wait for good things to happen. There are certain things that I hope will happen, but they are not in my control. So while I watch and wait I'm going to make some good things happen, little things but who knows where they will lead?
I wrote a New Year blog post and I have to say the amount of lovely comments, messages and emails I received really gave me a boost. Everyone commented on what a positive post it was, I had said in it that one of my aims was to be more positive about things and once you write something in a blog and tell the world about it, you have to do it....right?
I'd like to think I've had less downs and more ups, it certainly feels that way and yes I know it's only the middle of January but that's me being positive!

This year I'm going to try and say Yes more. Yes to more things that I want to do. It's no secret that I haven't made many any friends since moving North and that's not because I'm not friendly or approachable, the opportunity just hasn't arisen. Drop off at two separate schools to start with didn't help, nor did finding a job where you work alone in a different location everyday, so how do you make friends?

I met four amazing ladies (Juju, Julia, Helen and Fran)  through the wonder that is Twitter and met up with three of them in Manchester at the Christmas markets. It was like meeting up with old friends, not new ones and the only downside is that we're pretty spread out in terms of where we live, but that won't stop us meeting up as and when we can. I class them as real friends and I'm very much looking forward to meeting up again very soon.
Helen, who lives closest to me, couldn't make the markets, but had previously asked me along to a Clandestine Cake Club. I didn't go. If I'm honest I was too shy to go along. I would have known no one and I had no one to take either so I didn't go (Sorry H x)
 I've previously let too many things pass me by, well not any more!
Helen, amazing lady that she is, was setting up a new branch of The WI and again asked me along. I ummed and arred  about going, as again I would know no one and had yet to meet Helen face to face, but other than that I could find no reason not to go. I had a word with myself. For work I stood up infront of a hall full of strangers on a daily basis and yet I was stalling going somewhere to meet like minded people in my area. So that settled it, I told Helen I'd be there and went along to the meeting.
At the meeting I of course met Helen, in person and sat myself next to a lady, who happens to live very close to me indeed! We'll meet once a month, but there will be sub groups set up with the opportunity to learn new skills or crafts and share interests too. Suddenly I don't feel so alone.

And I've also signed up to go to the next meeting of a local CCC  where the theme is Patron Saint of Cakes. I have no clue what cake I will make and take along, so suggestions welcome! But as the organiser pointed out, it's not a competition, it's just for fun. Fun......yes....I think I remember how that works!

So that will be two new things I've joined or taken part in this month already!
I'm also set on making foodie things that I've never made or maybe never tried before. Some of them are simple, like tomato soup! No, I had never made it before, not until last weekend, that is. As for cakes I want to look more at using royal icing or sugar paste to decorate small and larger cakes. I've never tried, so today I took a tiny step in that direction and made some cupcakes for MB's birthday. I usually just do swirly butter icing but today I did some with Royal icing too.

I hope she'll like them. I've got a little glittery pink '8' candle to stick in the top cake for her.

On the sewing front I aim to make my first garment. I've had the pattern and the fabric for months, just been putting off trying it. Not for much longer, well until next week. It's only comfy pants or house trousers for my girls, but as M pointed out to me the other day if I don't make them soon, she'll have outgrown the pattern!

So, I think it's so far so good on the 'new' front...I wonder what else new will come from there first steps I've taken? New friends, new crafts, new skills.....who knows, but it's all very exciting!

Half Term Hols

I always love the October half term and this year was no different. We were treated to lovely autumnal weather on most days which meant washing on the line and walks in the park. We did so many things this past week that it has flown by and I really can't believe that it's back to the old routine tomorrow!

MB was spending the week with us so we had our full quota of children for the week. There were lots of things to fit in, some of them pretty routine but as is often the way they have to be done while were off from work/school.

We had trips to the park

Our Fabulous four

Bruno taking a rest 

Beautiful Autumn colour

After trips to the park we made time for hot chocolate and dvd's, we all enjoyed some quiet time after the fresh air.
We only had one whole day at home I had a job to do that I'd been putting off for a while. You can read about it here. I also had a couple of little sewing jobs to do and I'd promised L that we could make her Sock Monkey from a kit I'd got her for her birthday. We did it together and she's turned out pretty well, I think.

Careful does it!

She's taking shape

Ta Dah!!!!!

Trips to the shops were also required this week as my birthday always falls in half term. Mr P had given the children money so that they could each choose and buy their own gift to give to me. Two trips were required. The first to the local shops, as R had picked something from one of the many Christmas shop brochures we had lurking, and the second to a shopping centre. The girls went off one way while R & I were left waiting for them, so we had a wander in a few shops of his choice. He's really not a lover shopping of any kind but he was quite happy browsing in the 'boy' shops!

A sign of things to come?

We squeezed in a family trip to the cinema to see Johnny English, which made all of us laugh out loud along with all the other families. It was really lovely to hear so much laughter.

And then came the big day, my birthday! It has to be said that by the time my birthday comes, I've usually run out of steam, but this year the children and Mr P had been plotting and planning so I went with it as they had all put in so much effort.

I got up to banners on the walls and balloons all over the floor, my gifts (there were a lot of them!) were all presented beautifully and the children were all so excited that you'd have thought it was their birthdays!

Each one had chosen gifts that they thought I'd like, without help from any other adults and I was so touched and amazed at what they'd chosen.

Felix trying to blend in

From R, a two tier cake stand and two candles in glass jars to go on my dressing table. From MB a pencil case complete with contents for my work bag so that I no longer have to scrabble around in the deepest darkest corners of my work bag for a pencil only to discover there isn't one there! And two pretty nail polishes. From M and L a basket decorated with ribbons full of wrapped goodies including, chai tea, posh coffee, shortbread, a hairclip, socks, hazelnut syrup (for coffee) and pretty tissues.
Mr P ordered me some beautiful underwear from Victoria's Secret in America. It fits like it was made for me and made me feel very special.
After all my gifts and cards were opened L painted my toes for me and M made some lemon cupcakes. I'd decided that I'd like to go out for lunch instead of dinner so that's what we did. We headed to the local carvery for a nice roast dinner and we weren't disappointed. We all left rather full and came home for a relaxed afternoon doing nothing much, which was perfect.
Later on M presented me with the cakes she'd made. They were her first attempt at piping and I think she did a pretty good job.

Cakes on my new stand

I'm more comfortable being on the other side of the cakes!

 I think it was probably the best birthday I have ever had. Everyone had put so much thought and effort into me having a nice day That means more than anything. My girls had even bought and filled little party bags for us all out of their own money, it was a lovely touch and shows that even though as a Mum, I sometimes feel taken for granted, that they really do care.
It rounded of half term week really nicely. It's lovely just to have time to spend together as recently some of our weekends have been taken up with other things. The next time we're all off like this will be the Christmas holidays, which are getting ever closer. Thankfully another task we managed this week was the children writing Christmas lists, those shopping trips came in handy! I hope you all had a lovely half term too what did you get up to?

Bowling Cupcakes

I'm going to be cheeky and double up on this blog as these cakes are also my entry to this weeks Cake of the week.

This week sees the last of my three children's birthdays for another year. M was happy with a shop bought cake, thank goodness, as her birthday is in the first week of the new academic term, always a busy time. (I've vowed that I will make her one next year, no matter what!) L asked for a Horse cake which she helped me to make although again because of work it was a little late. But she didn't mind and it was my first entry to the Cake of the week blog.
So next is R's birthday. It's actually on Wednesday but he had his party yesterday, so for him the cakes came early! He originally asked for a chocolate tray bake covered in sweeties but I didn't have a tin that was a good size. They were all too big or too small so I suggested chocolate cupcakes instead and luckily he agreed! I told him to leave it with me and I promised him I'd make them special.
I baked the cupcakes on the Friday night using my usual recipe and then sat down to see if I could pull off my idea.
I was originally going to transfer the sweetie topping idea from the tray bake to the cupcakes but then, from nowhere the idea of Bowling Balls and Bowling Pins came into my head. Well, I say from nowhere, R was having a Bowling party but the idea to put the theme onto the cakes just seemed to pop into my head. I like it when that happens!
So I bought a small pack of ready coloured icing and a pack of white icing and once all the children were tucked up in bed I attempted to make the cake toppers.

Fiddly to make but I really enjoyed it 

The next morning I was up early to decorate the cakes. I piped them with swirls of chocolate butter cream and popped on either a bowling ball or pin to each cake.

Cakes ready to go in the early morning sun

Set up at the party

I was very pleased with how they turned out and so was R. His little face when I showed him the toppers when he got up that morning was worth all the effort. He had a lovely party with his sisters and friends and he still has his actual birthday to come!

My Little boy, not sure how much longer he'll let me call him that!

I'm a little horse!

This is my first entry to Cake of the week and I was a little reluctant to share, simply because it's not up to the amazing standard that I usually see presented. But with a little gentle persuasion from some lovely Tweeters I have been brave and put my entry forward.

The cake was made for my daughter L's 10th birthday. She's a lovely girl and rarely asks for anything out of the ordinary but this year she asked for a cake, made by me. I was a little stressed by this because I was just getting back into the full swing of work after the summer holidays and all the new routines that go with 'back to school' season. The best I could do was offer to make the cake on the weekend after her birthday. I simply couldn't fit it in during the week. She was happy with this as not only did she get two cakes, but she got to help make one and it was only a day late, so not too bad!

Genoese made in a 2lb pudding basin!

You had to slice the cake in 3 and sandwich back together with chocolate butter icing. It needed to be a plain cake because the rest of it was made up of chocolate butter icing, chocolate fondant icing and fizzy cola laces!
Once we'd made all the body parts(legs, head and saddle) from chocolate fondant it was pretty easy to assemble.

Neigh!!!!

I usually stick to what I call everyday cakes and I've only ever made two novelty cakes before this one. I have to say we did have a lot of fun making Neddy and he didn't actually take all that long.
And most importantly of all, the birthday girl was very pleased with him. So I guess the Twitter lovelies were right. It's not all about perfection. Good job really!!