Sweet nothings

love is a piece of cake.

No, really it is. A simple no messing about piece of cake. Nothing, I repeat nothing, is as appealing to me food wise as genuinely good cake. Its not food, its cake. A whole new food group.
I think its because I bake - I appreciate a good sincere sponge a whole lot more now I know how hard it is to achieve perfection. Since switching to gluten free baking, well; hell, I have climbed a whole new mountain of difficulty in baking. Its NOT a case of just using my old recipes and chucking in gf flour, its a whole new ball game. But we did it and have achieved it, with a heap of practise and using failed cake as chicken food tactics.  So the love in this house really truly is expressed by cake, the actual cake and not the decorations on top. 

My children like their cake fancy - aka overly saturated with things like M&Ms, toffee, sprinkles, choc chips, etc etc. Not me, I like it real, and cake like. Neither does fancy icing impress me much - butter-cream at a foot high just makes you feel sick anyway, and fondant is clever for shapes but pretty damn cardboard tasting. Swirls of frosting is not a talent. Springs-back-when-pressed-sponges on the other hand, are.

I'd say let them eat cake. But around here? You'd have to be pretty damn quick about it. 

 

POTD today...

when he ran...

Excellent stories...

...behind each and every photo, and in all the gaps between them. LOVE THAT!
Brighton, June 2013.

 

ten on tuesday. no really. 4th june 2013

1) Its Tuesday, I remembered. holy heck. I can feel myself grasping a little bit more sanity back and rationalising things. Behold my lovely blog to keep me sane and on the right track of days times and damn nice people who comment :) 

2) Lately it seems to be hash tags that are making me chuckle. Once solely used to 'keyword' things on sites such as Instagram, they are now all over my world and often very very funny. 

3) I have the app Happier, and I am liking it so far.. You know how us scrapbookers and story tellers are always on about 'being grateful for little things' and taking the time to appreciate  the now? {we are right by the way ;) }
Well this app askes you to write down every day three things that make you happy. In a very cute way with room for photos and sharing. I've really struggled to find things some days, and not had any trouble on others.  I like the way it categorises items so I can see what brings me more happiness - like being outdoors, being with friends, family etc. Its cute, not pushy.

4) Teen daughter is in Paris, France. She has a work placement from her current job over to one of their branches there for two weeks. I hope its going okay. I've only had a couple of texts...  She traveled by herself - via taxi, train, plane and thats a pretty big deal :) Okay - the big deal is she traveled by herself on all those and didnt get lost/end up in Morocco! I know plenty of much much older adults who couldnt do that! 

5) This weekend is a girlie trip with some of my dear friends. Its going to be, basically, silly fun. And lordy, I need me some silly fun. High heels, wines, dancing, shopping, chocolate, and no doubt a fair few stay up silly late putting the world to rights type conversations. {Please dont think Mr Britguy is left out, he's been on two boy's ski trips already this year, he's just fine!} Can somebody remind me to bring the phone charger, camera battery and heaven knows what else. We girls never EVER knowingly underpack!!!

6) Mad crazy rush over the last few school weeks to fit everything in before the summer break. There are trips and clubs and special days and a list as long as my arm of things to take in. I am the worlds worst mother at this stuff. I cannot keep it straight and organised any more. Which is why I adored this link, from facebook, to this blog the other day. I HEAR HER!!! 

7) Having started to try on swimwear for hot days, beaches and vacations... can I just say its exhausting shopping for it. Its exhausting stripping off to try each piece on, its exhausting figuring out the forty billion shapes, styles and designs, and its horrendous seeing the price of some of that stuff!! I have a body complex after any swimwear shopping trip.  

8) Buttercups have overtaken the bluebells down the lanes around here. The colour shift is quite impressive. Poking out from under hedges or filling the grazing fields...

9) Look at this little lady I have had the pleasure of photographing...

she was not sure about sitting on the grass at first... and had to sample a bit to check it out ;) 

10) Leaving you with this one of my nephews and my little people, out on a walk I dragged them on :) 

 

six for tea @ ten

Mollie's turning ten did not involve a party as such. A trip to London, ears pierced, gifts from a particular shop and 'tea' at Fortnum & Masons in London...but no party {hard life no? ;) }
But a girl of ten has very important friends, and quite a lot of them too. So we rounded up a few and had a birthday tea instead.
As I took this photo, of girls on the very edge of growing up, I wondered how the same group will look in a few years time... I recall such photos with Teen daughters friends at this age, and how the group ebbed and flowed over the next few years; who changed, who didnt really, who left, who moved,...etc etc.  
Ten is a rather lovely age I think, one last year before they are not your little people any more.
Heres to the little Yummies, and the years ahead of them.

decade-icious

 Adoring the big b&w photo of her, a glimpse of grown up her, I think. We are laughing while taking the 'ten fingers' shots because I told her next year she has to use her toes too. {Actually I cant remember what we have done in the past, I think by 11 or 12 the big kids were too cool for photos and to actually smile at their parents was not the done thing... maybe I have my cynical glasses on, I dont want any teenagers again thanks}  But right now, age ten is a flash of brilliance; a gorgeous simple age, where by it just being your birthday is enough to have you beaming all day.  Or maybe thats just Mollie. There were gifts, and phone calls from those big siblings, cards and glitter, cookery lessons, free chocolate {for being charming} vanilla GF sponges ...and much laughing and happiness. This girl just is happiness. Happy birthday Mayhem, we are grateful for you. 

London snapshots.... part two

London snapshots....

a few favourites from our first day in London...

monsters in the walls...

Seriously - did you see the Dr Who finale last night? OMG.
I'm not sure whats the matter with me, but my obsession with Dr Who is getting a bit out of hand. {Okay so a lot of it is a ridiculous crush on Matt Smith I admit... but anyway...} Enjoyed last night very much, tho I personally havent a clue what his name is still...anyone? 

I'm working on a tardis of my own - any day I may indeed own a blue box at the end of my garden. If I have my way. And I've never stopped adoring K9 since I was about 6...

And lookie here- we have our own alien crisis - Monsters in the walls. {Holy freaking macro shot this weekend...}

Dr? I'm waiting ;)