Happy Birthday to ME!!

my weekend was jam packed and left me pretty tired -

Saturday morning, one of my besties arrived (after travelling an hour) - with a carrot birthday cake - for "coffee".

The last birthday cake I had was when I was 21.  Before that, maybe when I was 10 or so - unless I made it myself.  This was a very sweet gesture to begin my 'birthday eve' (my actual birthday was Sunday).

We proceeded to eat large slabs of this delicious cake and enjoy each other's company.  I actually ate the cake for lunch too... two days in a row.

Shortly after, one of my other besties arrived - much to my surprise - and then I knew I was in for something!

eeek - I was totally having a bad hair day!

I said goodbye to the first one - expecting her to be going, and then she announced that she was coming with me!

So I got delivered to a local beauty salon, given a brochure and told that I could have "anything you want - it's already been paid for".  My sneaky husband had been plotting for a few weeks and organised all this without my knowledge.  I almost cried.  Then quickly forgot the tears as I proceeded to be spray tanned from head to toe and having a gorgeous facial!!

I got dropped home for an easy afternoon, later to discover that I was being taken out for dinner!  The kids were taken to my parents' place, we picked up our dinner dates - and off we went - to Ocean's Resort Restaurant!

he NEVER smiles nicely for photos!!  my face is still "glowing" from my facial! (and probably aided by the glass of wine - hehe)

The meal was YUM!  I ate WAY too much and felt a bit sick.  We had heaps of bread & spreads to start, then I had pork ribs, and we all got free dessert!!  A great night out.  I was blessed that my hubby and friends just wanted to celebrate me (they even toasted me!!).

our dinner dates ;-)

My actual birthday was a lot less 'busy' - but I was still blessed with lots of lovely messages/phone calls and time with my precious family....

Here are some of my funky pressies :D

new apron!! I've always wanted one!

me - staunching my apron out (HAHAHA)

the other apron - a cute half one -

mugs and cosies - from a certain moustache loving friend ;-)


YUM!

Some well thought out reads.....

Note, I am hiding the picture of the incredibly slim, toned, non-child bearing, great looking woman in a bikini! hehe.  I don't think any diet book could make me like that! ha.

cards that say "I love my mumma because, she loves me" and show off princess Adelaide's new cutting ability.  Equipped with pictures of me, her and giraffes.....

And some vouchers so I can go on a spending spree (because you can never have enough music or clothes)!!

lucky me. 25 and counting...

Ti-GG-er cake....

A certain Princess Adelaide turned 2 last Friday.

My week was manic.  In between hectic schedules - I baked a heap of mini-cupcakes for playcentre on Wednesday, a cake for a coffee group for Friday (jaffa snake cake - orange cake/choc icing and a packet of snake lollies piled on top - easy peasy), and then I had to master the real cake for her party on Saturday (as well as other party foods). 

I also juggled several melt-downs of my own from feeling WAY too overwhelmed.

Here's what came of Mr Tigger....

And this is what he looked like top down....

This was my first real attempt at such a complicated cake - last year she had a butterfly.  I made a guitar cake for my brother's 21st, but this was rather interesting and tricky to make.

I hired  a tin from the local cake tin hire (which is well worth doing).  It came with instructions on which parts to ice first etc - which made it way simpler.  Made a lemon cake - as thought all that icing needed some balancing out!

What I didn't know - was just making the icing and mixing the colours took an hour and a half! 

Icing the cake - well, it took 3 hours.

The lovely lady from the hire shop told me it actually takes her 3 hours to ice one of these sorts of cakes too - so that made me feel a bit better (seeing as she's made a tonne of them).

The party guests were all family members, with the additon of two of our closest friends who are just like her aunty and uncle...

Gotta recommend these - Pam's giant jelly beans!! YUMMO!

We had some of these too....

And these - just for my wee princess who has an obsession with them on each supermarket visit...

I made some other healthy snacks (seeing as several of our guests were dieting).  Once the party started all my stress melted away!!

Miss PA was very spoilt and loves all her new toys etc.  The thing I found the most interesting - was I discovered that she really LOVES cards.  She went straight for them with each present and spent a good deal of time looking at them (just like her mummy).

Happy birthday my beautiful girl.

x

Humour me.....?

Today, just for fun, I'll humour you a little - here are some pics of Lily -

 with her new "hat"...

 

  

 

She walks around with it completely covering her face - can't see a thing, and bangs into stuff all the time - but loves it....??

 

 

 

 

Humour #2.  We made a cake last week.  A mammoth of a cake.  My little bro turned 21, and my mum asked me to do his cake.  Then she "suggested" it could be in the shape of a guitar.

 

I obliged (I quite like working my creativity out on tasty things).  I'm not that skilled, this is only the 2nd cake I've ever made into something other than an oblong with standard icing.  But I'm learning...

 

  

 

So here is the finished product - before it left my house....

 

 

 

I didn't get any really decent pics - it was so big it was sitting on cardboard which didn't help!

However, (here's the humour), when it arrived to it's destination - it was dropped on the rug in the hallway (it wasn't me).  My 2 hours of icing went out the window :( 

So when I arrived at the party, my cake had been redecorated quickly by my sister.  And looked quite different. 

In my brother's words "still looked good still tasted good so its all good".

I did laugh about it later.

Well, apart from that and a festivity filled weekend - I must update you -

I'm 13 weeks today (scan changed my DD to 15/08), and I'm feeling much less sick, exhausted and nil energy.

So, miss 1 and I went for a stroll in the bush at a local park, and I did 10 mins of rowing.  It is about all my unfit body can handle after not being able to do any exercise for the last 9 weeks!  Working on it!  Will keep you posted on that one.

I'll leave you with this....

the delight of my life......

Humour me Monday.....

Today, just for fun, I'll humour you a little - here are some pics of Lily -

 with her new "hat"...

[caption id="attachment_244" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="show me your hat!She walks around with it completely covering her face - can't see a thing, and bangs into stuff all the time - but loves it....??walking the lawn..."][/caption]

I ♥ birthdays....

This man is my hero.  He is creative, loyal, genuine, fun, forever making me laugh, a great daddy, and he's going where I want to go.  He is my best friend.  Today is his birthday.

So some people who know me, know that I love gifts.  Not so much receiving them, but giving them.  In all kinds of ways and measures, for all kinds of reasons.

I usually think for months in advance about someone's gift, and carefully select it, then take hours wrapping it.



One Christmas, I spent an entire day and night wrapping gifts for my family.  I handmade every bow.

On with the story, hubby's 25 today.

This week, has been a week of COOKING, and getting ready to celebrate.



At his office, birthdays = morning tea for your colleagues = wife cook up a storm = wife deliver at morning tea time = other people eat it.

So, I cooked:

• ginger crunch


• lemon syrup cake with butter icing


• sausage rolls


• mini pastry pizzas


• ham, cheese and mayonaise twists

All ready for his work.



Then, tiramisu made. House tidied. Table set. Grape juice chilled.  All ready for an early birthday dinner with his parents.  I COOKED:

• kumara chips with cinnamon and paprika


• mini pizzas with mozzarella and pastrami


• a fresh salad


• lamb chops

I've never made tiramisu - it was delish... if I must say so myself.

[caption id="attachment_34" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="It may as well been her birthday.... he let her open his presents."][/caption]

Love you honey x