Ok, so it always happens doesn't it!
Let’s go back to the beginning and I’ll explain why ‘it’ has happened in the first place. Or... what ‘it’ interfered with and why I was doing the thing ‘it’ interfered with to start with. Or something.
At the start of this year right after having our first baby decided I had too much spare time (passes out from laughing at this point) and committed my previously sane self to making cakes. Not professionally, nothing that silly or impressive. I’m not that smart! But, just, ya know, one for each of my (adult) family members for their birthdays for a year, oh, plus Miss E’s 1st birthday cake (coming in December – watch this space). So, about... one, two, three.... seven... ten.. fourteen. About fourteen. Plus, along the way I’ve picked up a mother’s day cake, an extra birthday cake for my sister in law as a payment for two free ovens (it’s a long story, and yes, I DO need two ovens in my kitchen!) and an engagement cake. So, maybe like, seventeen. Oh, and a cake for a sick friend and another birthday cake. So, nineteen. I’m sure that’s all, for now.
I’m not sure why I decided to do this. Well, I kind of am. I like decorating cakes, baking cakes etc and I figured it would be a good test to see if I’d be an okay cake maker professionally. I’m unfortunately or fortunately a bit of an anal retentive perfectionist and my cake making skills are FAR from perfect so it’s been a challenge, and I’m not sure I want to do it forever.
I decide I would try to make different types and styles of cakes to suit each person. So, I started out with a bang. My father in law’s birthday was late February. I made a two tier butter cream covered chocolate piped decoration extravaganza of a farm cake.
It was kind of cool. I was happy. Father in law was, amazed, and very full of cake. (See below-sorry about the dodgy background to the photo, I've since learnt to photograph cakes better!)
So, since then I’ve made some good cakes, some not so good cakes and some in between cakes but they’ve all tasted good.
This weekend it’s my brothers birthday (Friday actually) and he’s hard to please. What do you make for a 28 year old, single, fishing, drinking, shooting, car loving maniac of a brother. Boys are hard but this was tough because everything I could think of was WAY outta my league and I was time poor as it was. 3D Pagani Zonda’s being out of the question I eventually decided to make fishing cupcakes. But, oreo cheesecake cupcakes cause normal ones are WAY too boring for him. So, I shamelessly stole the idea of fishing cupcakes from nothing but country’s guest post on TidyMom’s blog and the recipe for the cheesecake cupcakes from Handle the Heat.
I decided to make a really firm round of blue jelly, pop it in the middle of my awesome white cake stand and pop the cupcakes with fishing poles facing in around the edge so they could fish in the pond. I ended up having to use ½ sour worms instead of fish lollies for the cupcakes as I couldn’t find any fish at the shops so I was all set to go when at the last minute my awesome mum found clown fish lollies at the Tanunda lolly shop and so I hooked fish and worms onto little metal hooks made out of earring posts from my beading craft box.
I decided to make a really firm round of blue jelly, pop it in the middle of my awesome white cake stand and pop the cupcakes with fishing poles facing in around the edge so they could fish in the pond. I ended up having to use ½ sour worms instead of fish lollies for the cupcakes as I couldn’t find any fish at the shops so I was all set to go when at the last minute my awesome mum found clown fish lollies at the Tanunda lolly shop and so I hooked fish and worms onto little metal hooks made out of earring posts from my beading craft box.
I think it looks cute, what do you think?
And a close up of the cute fish...
And a close up of the cute fish...
The ‘it’ that happened was a husband away for a Period of Discernment retreat for the day and a baby that refused to sleep and a house that forgot to invite the cleaning fairies and some wonderful family members/friends that were driving past and stopped in (with warning and I was so glad to see them as we’ve not caught up for ages) and my folks who came to take me and the not sleeping baby to the park and and and... my brain melting. So, I’m sitting here in the quiet of my house, starting to write this blog entry and waiting for my loving and awesome hubby to come home with hot chips (to go with steak cooking and salad made) and a DVD as it’s date night YEY! But my body aches and my head hurts and I realise I’ve entirely over done it this week after having gastro on Sunday/Monday and swimming 2.2k’s in 55minutes (a minor miracle for me as I still live in post pregnancy pudgy land) and making the cake and the baby not sleeping and and and...
However, I’m also reminded how amazing it is that I have legs to swim, I’m not sick all the time, I’ve got awesome family and friends, I can make (and eat) cake even if it makes me fatty patty and my baby is a blessing... my hubby buys me hot chips (fat again!) and we have date night every week. Sigh. Awesome.
I’m constantly reminded that I am fortunate compared to heaps of other people and while hubby and I do our best (though sometimes we slip) to care for other people I’m slightly confounded as to how to teach our kids about taking the moments to give and love and share in a constructive manner. Thankfully, I’ve a friend that writes an awesome blog (shameless plug) who answered (in her words) some of these questions recently. Pays to think about it I reckon. Check out her blog, mustard seed beginnings and share your thoughts.
Let me know what you think of my cake! I’ll put up a post soon with a ‘cake achieve' of my 365 days of crazy cake making fun.
x
