Sewing and Baking

The newly 12 year old and 5 year old have birthdays 9 days apart, so plenty baking.


'Yu-Gi-Oh' is a big hit with my four, so a few characters on a chocolate cake and the eldest was delighted.



Lego fans x 4 also live here! The 5 year old also loved his cake.


Though it turned out ok, the cake was a series of minor disasters - the sugar paste I rolled out wasn't big enough - but I had practically sealed it to the cake with hot jam when I realised - off it came with bits of the cake of course.

Then some royal icing for a cover up on the sides, to which I stuck smarties - a few of which decided to slide off the cake - so I had to keep pressing them on.

And then the icing gun fell right onto the cake, so I had to re-pipe some of the writing and stick some lego icing onto the marks.



Thankfully the sewing is going better.......

These are the ribbons on the lower back of the Feliz underdress - all Farbenmix.


I think the front might look a bit plain/bare with just the pink so I've made a fabric flower with the white fabric, and some of the same ribbons hanging down.

I'll get a move on in the next day or two and try to finish it.

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Easter Holidays

Some Easter cakes, chocolate of course ......





with eggs in nests as suggested by the children ( and eggs donated from his Easter Egg by the second boy)



table decorations with lots of yellow (daffodils have flowered at long last)




and with very active bunnies



and daisies presented (singly!) to me from the garden by my younger two each time they went out



Also

• my husband asking the children over tea how they were - with the usual answers around the table of "perfect", "great", "lovely", and the answer which has had us laughing for days - "heroic" from the 4 year old
• the wife of a friend of my husband asking me if I would make some clothes for her daughter for the autumn - and I said yes! (have had to cut out all the "I wouldn't be good enough" thinking)
• haven't been out for dinner in over a year, and we went out with a couple this week and really enjoyed it
• have found myself able to laugh this past week, and it's like I haven't been able to do that in months
  

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A Birthday and a Wedding Anniversary

My second boy was 10 on Monday 25th, but he had a party on Saturday with 3 school friends. So there was plenty baking, lots of tidying, attempts at planning and it was a great party - according to the birthday boy!


This year the theme for the cake was Star Wars, and it had to have the Yoda figure. I usually do the cake late at night and waking up early to look at how the cake turned out has become a happy ritual for each of the children.




The eldest has a great sense of humour which rubs off onto the second, and he couldn't resist the chance to put the line from Simpsons on the cake..........




The anniversary tends to take second place, though I did another cake on Monday night for after tea, which was a combined birthday & anniversary cake. It's 13 years this year, and we know each other 20 years, also this month - after meeting at a bus station. Lots of good times and lots of not-so-good times, but I'm glad we've made it together this far. Pin It Now!  

A busy week

Busy in my town - floods which destroyed all of what they covered...

Play ground at night:


Town the morning after:


(Photos via Flickr Cork floods)


Busy with my baby's birthday:


She wanted a butterfly cake so I obliged. She is such a joy through it all.



When my head is at it's busiest with racing thoughts, judging , criticising, and strong physical reactions which I'm unable to stay with, and feeling though I can't breathe though I am - then I get physically busy.


4 hours, until 1.30 am, baked mini Christmas cakes and buns and 2 types of icing and made all the boxes.........


for the school Bring & Buy.

Counsellor today, which was a great help. Focused on my truth for now - "I don't want to go back to work right now" which brought on the judge in full swing. But stayed with it and the feelings brought up when I was judging myself. And this evening I have some calmness for the first time in a few weeks. Pin It Now!  

Catching up!!

Having bought Heather Ross fabric early in the year, I have been looking at it for quite a few months, wanting to make the duvet cover but just not getting round to it.
My daughter moved into a bed early May and I had great plans to make a cover.........



...... 5 months later ta daaaaaa! It was really quick to sew....... eventually.



What took the longest was measuring all the bits, the duvet and the fabric.






I love how it looks and more importantly my daughter loves her "Princess and pea" with all her 'buddies' Pin It Now!  

Children and Milestones

Another little milestone in the life of one of my babies. Recently it seems to be all stages and milestones.
My eldest has just turned 11 and the 48 hour labour ending in a c-section still can seem like moments ago.
The miracle baby (born after 3 miscarriages when we thought we wouldn't be able to have any more) has turned 4 and I can still see his beautiful little face and eyes looking towards me when he was being weighed.
My baby - aged almost 2 and a half is just toilet trained and now has a bed. We changed her cot-bed into a bed and it feels like she is really growing up and becoming her own little person, independent, smart. She just got the whole idea of using the potty really fast - the boys were a lot older as I always waited until they were well ready.
The second, on seeing the bed, said "now we don't have to run and lift her out first thing in the morning any more".
As she woke 'the miracle' this morning at 6 to ask him to call me to lift her out to her potty - I am in agreement with the sentiments of the second, especially in my sleep-deprived state which tends to heighten any negative thoughts. Pin It Now!