Star cake

I made this cake last night for a friend. Her sons birthday party was this morning. Honestly it's not an overly clever cake- three layers, green, blue and red inside, matching stars on the outside...store bought fondant, a cookie cutter and a couple of spare hours. Not in itself really a blog worthy event, however, there is one element that has had an effect on me. It was the kids. 

The mums were impressed enough, some of them anyway, but the children just stood there silently reaching out and touching the stars one by one. I watched another girl sit quietly eating her layers completely focused on the different colours on her plate. A simple enough cake but still managed to catch their curiosity. That is the best compliment! 

Creative gratification

I'm beginning to wonder how long this will last....this cake phase. I expect it to end sooner or later. I suppose more than anything it's easy. By that I mean, dinner, where I used to have most of my creative fun is now mixed in with feeding the baby, bathing the baby and bedding the baby, so we are lucky to have more than tomatoes on toast some nights. 

                

Cake however, can be thrown together relatively easily, baked and then left to be assembled after the baby is down. It 'fits in' easier I should say. And let's face it, you ice the thing, throw some coconut on the sides, some fruit or flowers on top, and 'boom', your creativity bone is satisfied........ As long as you stay off Pinterest and don't continue to feed your creative side with more ideas. Oops. 

Cakey Dreams

            

So I'm having this thing where I think about cake an unusual amount recently. Okay, more than unusual amount. I go to sleep thinking about cake, I dream about cake and I wake up with cake on my mind. It's happening far too often. 

           

I've had a couple of good excuses to have such thoughts but I doubt these excuses cover me to the level of cake dreaming I've been doing...

              

              

I guess I've just discovered that there is more than just chocolate and carrot. Even more than red velvet...... My cake mind is being blown. Mostly thanks to 'MasterChef' and those Adriano Zumbo cakes....... Lets just say, I see cake in a whole new light now. 

Winter breakfast

             

Winter is here. Porridge has become a normal event- mainly because we can both eat it and I don't have to make two breakfasts. Learning, slowly, the tricks of the mother-trade. And anyway, who doesn't love a big bowl of porridge and berries to feed not only a chilly body in the morning but a beloved sense of nostalgia? 

Consistent house guests (CAKE!)

   

Pear and Nutella tarte tartin. 

It's the small things like these that dot throughout my meal making that bring me so much joy. These simple pleasures that, whilst lack the grandure of my great cooking quests, have been walking through my kitchen as if regular guests. 

I realise my cooking style has been changing. From elaborate, to simple. From great discovery to gentle consistency. Healthier to some degree- that is, mostly healthier....except for all the cakes. 

And chocolates. 

And tarte tartines..... 

Just discovered blogger has an app. I guess if the blogging was to continue, it would have to change style too..... 

lilac wine and a new season

So there is this moment, a significant moment that happens once a year. Every year. It happens when you are doing something trivial like hanging out the washing or retrieving the mail or, like in this instance, driving.

A few days before I officially became a mum I was out doing an errand run and admiring the Jacaranda tree's. Having recently burst into in full bloom, the suburban streets were wearing the brilliant lilac like a jewel necklace. I wound down my window and let the warm breeze surge into the car as I sped along. I even remember the song on the radio - ('Nueclar season' by Charli XCX) I hadn't heard the song before but it got me bopping along whilst enjoying the warm air flood in and defrost my skin. Then, just like that, there it was. 'That' moment. The moment when you realise that winter had stepped out the door and summer had arrived with a gusto!  

(I must note, in Perth we really only have two seasons; summer and winter. Spring and autumn kind of disappear in the sharp season changes)


The new season was here and I can tell you I was very VERY ready for a new season.

New song, new bloom, new season, new adventures.

So obviously that was a while ago. Its February now. My little Baby is now just over 4 months old. (4 months! where did that go??) It has been a wonderful 4 months though. My husband is wonderful and works like a horse in the 40+ degrees so that I can stay home and play mum to this wonderful little girl. Yep, girl. Her name is Eden. She was 4.2 pounds and 52cm long. That's right, big and healthy despite my sickness in the pregnancy (It lasted right up until I gave birth!)

And she is wonderful. she smiles and makes a beautiful satisfied 'ahhhh' noise when shes finishing a feed. She giggles when I drum on her full belly and she sings along when she hears music. She loves snuggles and quite to my surprise, so do I. Though this new season isn't always easy, it is definitely a real delight. There is so much I want to do, to cook, to achieve and though I feel bound within strict limits, there is so much here to explore that I don't think boredom or cabin fever is likely. At least not yet.

Its true I do have a lot of 'new' to get used to. There has been (as expected) a lot of change, and the one thing I've realised is that the old ways are not working in this new season. For starters, I've all but shelved my camera. Instagram will have to do for now (have you ever tried to hold a wriggly baby and take a photo? It's nuts!) Cooking of course has taken a whole new route. Enough time for a shower is a rare gift, so quick easy meals it is. My husband has also joined a gym in a new effort to loose weight and get fit (amazing how becoming a dad can motivate you) so there is a weight loss diet to get my head around (not as easy as I thought....what the heck is a kilojoule anyway? - plus I have to hide my chocolate and eat cake in secret!) Baby Eden is slowly starting on solids (I know nothing about baby food!)

Despite all the change, slowly slowly, I am getting the hang of things around here. I am also the proud owner of a new Thermomix, which is going to help more than a lot....that and my husband was given a Webber for his birthday (woohoo! man-kitchen!) Once a week I still try and wrangle myself a few extra minutes in the kitchen to 'play' a little longer on making dinner. I read recipe books in the toilet. I plan dinner parties in my head. I watch TV chefs whilst breastfeeding. And I eat cake at EVERY opportunity.

Nope, the plot might have taken a sharp turn, but this story is definitely not over.

A new job title......

My Mother is an incredible woman. Actually she is my hero a wee bit. She was reasonably young for a modern day mum when she became pregnant with me. Yet despite the circumstances being far from convenient ones, she chose to not only to continue with the pregnancy but to raise me as well. That’s a big decision for a young woman to make. I respect her for that alone, but I do respect her for much more too. She was a good mum. She was honest and open yet able to bring correction well, she let me be my own person and took the time to learn who that was every time I decided to change. She taught me many things like how to dance to the radio and how to hypnotize a garden lizard by stroking its belly. She also taught me how to make healthy meals on a shoe-string budget and sparked my passion for beautiful homes and decorations.

I say all this because what I need to clarify that she was(is) actually a very good mother.

I say all this because what I am about to say next may have alone painted her as something else.

She’s a lousy housewife.

My Step-father once bought her a copy of Mrs. Beeton’s book on Household management, I still haven’t figured out whether it was a joke or he actually wanted her to get inspired….probably a little of both.

Okay, okay, ‘lousy’ might be a bit harsh, but household management certainly isn’t her strong point. However, to be fair, it’s a trait I too have taken on. My house does have the deception of being cleaner and more organized than hers, but for one reason and one reason only……I have less stuff.

 I’m catching up fast.

There have been so many changes these last few months; it’s been hard to keep up with it all.

I am no longer working and earning which firstly leaves me with more time but less money. And where the general running of the house has been a shared responsibility, the cleaning now falls to me, as does the paperwork, bill paying, emailing, errand running and while, ‘of course still the cooking’, it’s now on a much stricter budget which means more function less creativity in the kitchen.

Oh what will I ever do?? This is potentially a disaster waiting to happen.

 Everything is changing.

I am now in the training process of becoming a mother and household manager.

Pray for me.