It was World Book Day on Thursday and Devin decided he wanted to go as Horrid Henry. I can’t take credit for his outfit though because, although I bought jeans and a blue jumper, Helen at work sewed a big yellow stripe on it for me. Still, he was pleased with it.
Now that my swap partner has received my parcel I can reveal all. Meridian Ariel organised this swap to coincide with the release of Tim Burton’s re-imagining of the Alice in Wonderland tale. Loving all things Burton-esque I decided to take part. My partner Katie is an extremely talented knitter, so I was very excited to be matched up with her. I was also pretty nervous because, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not particularly gifted when it comes to crafting. While googling Alice in Wonderland craft ideas I stumbled upon some amazing Japanese material which I knew I had to have. The idea of making a pencil case was inspired by that and the fact that Katie is a teacher. The fabulous Vonnie was an absolute star in helping this idea become a reality, and I couldn’t have done it without her. I also found some heart themed tea lights to represent the Queen of Hearts and a lovely Cheshire Cat notebook.
Please excuse the dirty wall in the photo - small children and all that.
Anyway, in return I received this:
I must admit, I was secretly hoping that I’d receive some knitted socks and am absolutely over the moon with them. Katie also sent some chocolate which a certain someone devoured before I could take pictures. I want to say a huge thank you to both Katie and Apryl for making this swap so enjoyable.
It seems that Devin is taking over my blog. He has started experimenting with his cake making and this week he came up with the cakes above. He made a batch of chocolate and a batch of vanilla cupcakes. He used my recipe for the chocolate ones but substituted cocoa powder for Cadbury’s drinking chocolate (because he prefers milk chocolate). The result was a much lighter, terrifically moreish cake. He then decided that pink butter icing and sprinkles were the way to go. I think he made a wonderful job. I, on the other hand, prefer my usual gooey chocolate icing so made some of that for the remaining 12 cakes.
I think I’ll let him flick through my various recipe books to come up with something to bake next weekend.
In much better news…all my studying is done for the year. Well, that is if I pass everything. I’m just happy that over the past 4 weeks I have managed to get all my assignments in by the deadlines. Now I get my life back. It feels so good to be able to pick up a book and read for enjoyment…or to sit and watch a film with the kids without having to multi-task by typing at the same time.
Yesterday I received my swap parcel from the Alice in Wonderland swap. Tomorrow I shall post mine. There will be a blog post during the week sometime.
In Scotland we have 2 days for half term. 2 days! So far today I have taken my car to the garage to have the exhaust fixed, taken Devin to get his hair cut…and have done very little else. I’m putting off finishing my Forest School portfolio because I just can’t get into it. I’m going to end up working late tonight. However, by the end of the week it will be finished and I can stop moaning about all the studying I have to do.
I spent most of this weekend in the kitchen. On Saturday I friend came round for dinner so I made a yummy Paella followed by a low fat Oreo Cheesecake. Last night I had intended to order a chinese but I found a recipe for a kind of Sloppy Joe with Garlic Bread on the Good Food website and decided to give that a go instead. Much as I loved the flavour, it was just too much meat. Hubby and I decided that if we were to make it again we’d substitute half of the minced beef for vegetables.
Other than that I have been spending my time with the kids, so I shall leave you with a couple of close ups.
This weekend Brodie decided she wanted to join Devin in our new Sunday feature ‘Baking with mummy’. I figured something easy would be best so, after consulting the trusty Nigella Bible (How to be a Domestic Goddess), we settled for fairy cakes. Strangely, I have never made plain fairy cakes before so it was a bit of an experience. I have also discovered the secret of baking with both children: make 2 batches of cakes and only have 1 child in the kitchen at a time. Brodie went first. I measured out her ingredients and she added them to the bowl when I told her to and used the handheld mixer to mix it all together. She did need a little help transferring the mixture into the muffin cases (we both ended up covered in it) but all said and done, the whole thing was a success. When it came to icing, I spread the icing on each cake and she topped them with sugar animals. Devin managed to do much more himself this week. Not only did he weigh out his own ingredients, but he managed putting the mixture into cases and doing the icing himself. I have never *really* enjoyed baking with the kids but this was fun and stress free. Hubby dearest has declared the fairy cakes ‘moreish’ and the kids love eating something they have made themselves.
Much of my time has been taken up with studying and writing essays. My final uni essay of the year is due in on Thursday and then I have two weeks to finish my Forest School portfolio. Eek! The good news is that I have done my first aid training and am now qualified to be a First Aider in an outdoor setting. Work is busy but I’m enjoying it. Although I haven’t had a chance to do anything crafty for ages I have been cooking and baking. Tonight I made some beef burgers with garlic and chilli. Unfortunately they were devoured before I got a chance to take a photo. Devin has taken an interest in baking so last week we attempted Nigella’s Banana Bread. It turned out rather well but the kids weren’t too enamoured with it so I took it to work where it was gobbled up.
Tomorrow Devin has requested that we bake something with chocolate in it so I’m going to look out some sort of biscuit or cookie recipe this evening.
In other news, I went shopping for supplies for the Alice in Wonderland swap today. I’m hoping to get crafting when I’m on holiday in a week or so.
I still haven’t written my essay. I have finished watching season 2 of The Wire though. Seriously, I just can’t get into the zone. I’m going to have a go at writing something tonight when the kids are in bed but basically I’ve resigned myself to a late night tomorrow.
So, today we baked bread. Well, when I say baked bread what I mean is that Devin emptied a packet of bread mix (Parmesan and Sun-dried tomato) into a bowl and mixed it with some water before kneading and stretching it, shaping it, leaving it to rise and cooking it. He did a rather wonderful job and both he and Brodie declared it delicious.
I also received a rather wonderful present in the post yesterday. This gives me yet another opportunity to big up the amazingly talented ilovespoiltpig. My rubbish picture does not do this piece justice. I absolutely love it and have been wearing it constantly.
The deadline for the Alice in Wonderland swap organised by Meridian Ariel is fast approaching. I have a stickie note on my computer with ideas for projects but am undecided in terms of what to make. I think I may be having a crisis of confidence because I know that I’m not artistic in the slightest. I also realise that I wont have a great deal of time to make something, what with all my uni deadlines, but I want to make something cracking for my swap partner.
So, once again I find myself unable to bake and craft. Have I lost my mojo? Not this time. I was involved in a slight car accident last week (I was hit from behind by another car) and now have whiplash. After a couple of days of resting and relaxing I’m now going to try to pick myself back up and get into the swing of things. It’s strange how quickly you feel depression creeping up on you when something disrupts your life. Not being at work, sitting at home all day, really gets to me. I guess it shows just how much I love my job.
This week I shall once again be crafting an essay. I may not be able to put my bra on properly by myself, or straighten my hair, but I will find a way to get this blooming essay done. As January comes to an end we’re a little bit skint, so I’m going to try using up the ingredients I have in the house this weekend. I’m thinking that bread and biscuits will be doable.
Plain sponge cake is not a thing I’ve ever made. If I’m making cake, it’s a chocolate cake I desire. However, this week I found myself making plain sponge on two separate occasions. At the weekend I made a Boston Cream Pie, which is basically two sponge cakes sandwiched with creme patisserie and topped with a chocolate ganache. The sponge was amazing but I had slight problems with the filling and topping. My creme patisserie wasn’t thick enough and, having never made it before, it didn’t dawn on me that it wouldn’t thicken much when it was cooled. Still, it tasted divine. Then the ganache split slightly and no matter what I did, it just didn’t have a smooth and shiny consistency. All in all, the cake looked messy but it tasted great.
Then last night I had a go at making a birthday cake for Brodie, who turned 3 today. The kids love the chocolate icing I make but I find that the combination of that and the chocolate cake is a little much for them. So, I decided to have a go at another sponge cake. This time I filled it with raspberry jam and pink vanilla butter icing before topping it with some more of the icing mixture. The wee sugar bees which adorn it were part of a christmas present from my mum.
I’m actually giving bits of this cake away to those who visit us in order to stop myself from eating it. Being a Nigella Lawson recipe I dread to think how many points are in each slice. My cake testers assure me that it’s yummy.
Today is my 31st birthday. It’s been a bit of a non-event because today was also the start of the new school term. I woke up to be greeted with about an inch of snow (and ice) and drove to school where the snow was so deep I couldn’t even get my car into the car park. Still, pupils and teachers arrived and we set about having a ‘normal’ day.
There is no crafting or baking about my birthday; there was no cake (I approve of this due to healthy eating/dieting). However, I received some awesome gifts. My husband has pre ordered the new Lostprophets album and also bought me a couple of books: Tall, Dark and Dead by Tate Hallaway and Fugitive Cultures but Henry Giroux. My brother sent me a Pigeon Street retro bag from Truffle Shuffle. All in all it’s been a calm, relaxing day…which is just the way I like it.
