Coffee anyone?

If you live in or near Rochester please come and join us at Drury's florist, as they are holding one of the world's biggest coffee mornings tomorrow the 25th Sept, from 11am onwards, all proseeds go to the Macmillan Cancer Support.
I've baked up a batch of coffee cupcakes with organic fairtrade chocolate mini button tops and flower and swirly coffee icing. Just right to go with a coffee or two.

The cupcakes and i are lucky enough to live only a little way across and up the road from this beautiful family run florist and get to see the wonderful window displays first hand and the pretty twinkley lights at night. It looks magical at the moment with it's Alice in wonderland theme.

Alice's dress, the mad hatters tea party, cupcake flowers on cake stands and in tea cups.

And a full blown flower cake in the shape of the Queens crown. Complete with red roses.

If you can make it, come along and show your support for a wonderful chairty and fabulous little business. Pick up a bunch or two of flowers, a plant for the garden or even a gift or treat for yourself. It's all in a good course (i hear they even stock a certain Miss Mollycupcakes but shhh! you didn't hear that from me ;) lol). Hope to see you there x

Dust off the coffee cosy and get your pinnies on. And lets see how much money we can all raise.

Wishing anyone else that is holding an event tomorrow the very best.

Love,

Choc Brownies & Chutney

For Ben's birthday i took a leaf out of Mrs Bun's cook book, thanks honey. And made him some yummy chocolate and marshmallow brownies. I did try and do cupcake ones but they all turned out to be a little flat lol much like the ones on the cake stand. Tasted yum though even if i do say so myself :)


We've just finished Molly's second week at school and her first week of full time hours, more about that at the end of this post. It's going well, she's loving it.
Ben had a row of cards and there seemed to be a bit of a theme to them, we all know him so well lol can you spot what it is?

That's it! farming, the cupcake's got him this fab red tractor one with a crop of carrots and i choose the Stanley dog because we'd love to have one of them if we owned a house with some land.

On to some presents and the farmer and allotment theme continues with how to store you produce, keeping poultry and rabbits on scraps (i just thought it looked interesting hehe!) and a fab paper pot maker from the cupcakes for all those baby seedlings.

Ben has taken to this growing larch like a duck to water and we've had a wonderful crop of tomato's, so thinking of ideas on what to make with them all, i found this book for him too. And last week he made this little lot. Red tomato chutney anyone? We'll be eating it for years now lol I'm only joking Mr cupcakes, i love that you've grown and made this yourself, it tastes lovely.

If you fancy having a go yourself here is the recipe, i think if you click on it becomes clearer. If not the book is called The basic basics jams, preserves and chutneys handbook by Marguerite Patten. Good old Amazon, although i could send loads on there if i let myself. So many fabulous books but hey that's what wish lists are for right! lol

I must warn you all though, just one thing about making chutney. Yes that's it the smell yuk! cooking vinegar isn't the nicest smell in the world and i was even smelling it when i was out lol and asking my friends can you smell that? they must of thought i was going crazy lol

Thankfully the lovely Claire at Elfie & Me came my rescue with this yummy scented homemade soy lavender candle, thanks honey. It's done the trick and the plug in freshener has cleared the air until the next lot of chutney and pickling making takes place. The lovely Claire is doing a demonstration of candle making at the young woman's WI I've started going to, it's held in Daisy's playgroup hall and yes I must admit I'm a little bit of a Helen Mirren and my good friend Ali is Julie Walters lol we sat and did lots of giggling when told that we could get someone in to talk about their hanker chief collection LOL I think things like candle making, cake testing and wine and coffee drinking is more along the lines of what we'd like to see. And we're all fighting for the buns in front of the bosoms pose in the calender hehe! (i do think i should get to do that pose, after all I am miss cupcakes. wink wink!).

(cute toadstool keyring available on Claire's website Made In Pixieland, shameless plugging for ones friend I know, but hey she'd do the same for me.)

I had to just share these 2 photo's with you because I am so happy that I've completed this order. And this is only 1378 of it the other 1000 is sailing it's way to South Africa. For the last few months as well as moving house, I've been painting like a crazy woman, praying that I don't end up with a repetitive strain injury and fitting in customer orders and stock for fairs I've been too. Argh!

There are cute stars big and small, hearts primitive and country and maple leafs (sorry you can't see them) but they are very small and fiddle. Plus loads of packs of pegs (not photoed). Don't they all make you think of Christmas? argh! i said the C word lol

Anyway now it's all done i can get on and work on my own Christmas range, god i said it again lol and if anyone wants Mollycupakes stock be it trade, gift or treat please feel free to email me for price lists or just order though the website because normal service has resumed. I'm very much looking forward to getting stuck in to my next big thing.

Now miss Molly has been at big school for 2 weeks now, just finishing her first full time week this Friday and this is one of the things she's learnt already lol how to use the computer. Yes Mummies one as well. I've never really let her go on it before only to see things I've opened like blogs and to talk to my Mum and Dad on Skype. And now I'm so surprised and proud of how she's able to work it be herself. Getting on to the Cbeebies website and watching trap door and the Muppet's on you tube. Mr Cupcakes is very proud and says like father like daughter, he's a fabulous computer programmer and thinks that she'll be teaching him a thing or two very soon lol

This new time apart from one another has made the cupcakes closer and they've played more when together. Daisy even asks is it time to get Molly yet on her days off of playgroup. I do have to say that straight after this photo was taken they fort like cat and dog lol so things really are just like normal LOL

The house is so quite when they're both away from me, I've found myself talking to the cats more not that they listen. Just give me the odd look every now and then, thinking "whats she going on about now, I'm trying to sleep" lol

Well it's the start of another week tomorrow and I've a few more boxes that need emptying, had a trip to Ikea today and got what i thought would be a fab storage unit for Mollycupcakes stock. But oh bum why does everything in Ikea look so good there and to big when you get it home. Now i have to rethink my whole storage arrangement's again argh! I just wanted white shelves to put my pink boxes on. Silly old me forgot about the flaming step that runs along the inside of the conservatory wall. Now it just looks like a big white thing sticking out in the room, oh sigh! i just want to be sorted in my work space. There is fabulous light for painting but no storage, maybe once I've got all the other crap out of there it will look better.

If any of you know of someone that wants to buy a 100 or so beanie Eeyore's please let me know. (don't ask! lol)

Have a good week.

Hugs,

x

Birthday Boy

Happy birthday Ben/Daddy.

We're going to fill your evening with love and happiness.

Lots of kisses and cuddles.

Fun and cakes.

Happy birthday, your the best fiancé and Daddy we could ever have. I know you had to go off to work today but we're have a lovely evening together, I'm making cakes!!! and cooking you a yummy meal. And the cupcakes are planning things at school and playgroup awww. See you soon.

Love you forever x

15/09/2009

One last big day out before it's all change in the Cupcake house

This was Molly's smiley face first thing this morning before setting off to big school. I see before me a beautiful little girl, ready to set off on a new adventure in life.

But in my heart i still see her as this tiny little bundle snuggled up tight on my chest, just happy to feed, sleep and feel safe.

In Mummy and Daddies arms.

A happy little fairy at Christmas, sitting up by yourself and then....

... on to your first steps. Look at those chubby cheeks, i could just kiss them all day lol

Then before we knew it off to playgroup you went.

And now today the 7th Sept 2009 your first day at school. I feel a little lost with out you here but i know you're safe and sound. Learning, playing and making new friends. And after a few tears off you went taking the teachers hand to draw and paint me a lovely picture. Well done little cupcake, each day will get easier. And you'll enjoy your time away from me, knowing I'll always be back to collect you at the end of each day.

Knowing the summer holiday's where drawing to a close and just popping off on the bus or train anytime we fancied would be a thing of the past, i took both the cupcakes off to the big smoke for a trip to Covent Garden.

Lots of schools must have gone back because it was lovely, no standing on the train and you could move around without bumping into each other. We stopped and watched this clever man juggling knifes and eating an apple while riding a unicycle. Daisy loved it and clapped and shouted yeay! she even gave him her 50p for sweeties at the end. Awwww! bless her and of course i replaced it for her, so she could get a treat. lol

Talking of treats, if you get a chance pop up on a Thursday to the food market and have one of these yummy cupcakes from Crumbs and Doilies. Their blog and website is pretty yummy too. (Daisy's face is very funny in this photo, the sun was in her eyes lol). We walked around and looked at some other stalls, stopped off at the Disney store (sigh!) got a birthday card and present, food from Marks and sparks and finished off by stumbling into Cath Kidston, oh how did that happen lol

And after some ooww's and lots of aww's from myself at all the loveliness in there and some playing with the wooden Stanley dog, making sure he was tucked up in one of the floral dog beds before we left. The CK shop assistant's loved the girls and said i could of left them in there all day playing lol wow what an offer hehe! I didn't know Miss Cath Kidston had babysitting services in her shops! does she do coffee as well? lol

We came away with a bag of goodies and made our way back to the train station. I didn't fancy hitting rush hour with the cupcakes and was very glad I'd given myself a deadline for getting home. No standing on the train again yeay! two happy, sleepy, cupcake filled faces left London ( you can see they've had sugar lol) and me a happy Cupcake Mummy with her blue bag of treats. It was a nice day but i did forgot to take more photo's sorry. (Note to self for next time).

This is what i brought home with me, the green and blue mugs to go with our red and pink ones. I thought it was about time we had some more manly colours for Mr Cupcakes lol the darker pink isn't a CK but a Next buy, from Jade to me a couple of Christmas's ago and the baby pink ones from Jo-jo mama. They all go together and look like a yummy sweet shop mix.

Our colourful cupboard makes me smile on the dullest of days. And brings a little bit of sunshine in to the room. Mr cupcake sighs and says "how many cups and glasses do we need?" lol men will never understand the need for prettiness and you never knows coming round for coffee. And they'll come in handy for our wedding garden party next year.

One item purchased was met with approval, our new butter dish. Now the flies won't be nibbling the ends or the cats licking the top, Yuk! it's safe inside it's pretty new home. And look how our red dotty butter knife matches it. Toast in the mornings won't be the same lol

The weekend flew by filled with food shopping, last minute trip for school shorts and coat, an antique fair, some stock making and time on the allotment. Sunday afternoon, we came back and i saw that the florist had changed their window to this beautiful one. It's the mad hatters tea party along with some other things from Alice in wonderland. They have entered into a competition and are holding a coffee morning on the 25th Sept, as part of the Macmillan cancer support biggest coffee morning event. If you live near Rochester pop along and give your support. I'll be showing mine by making lots of coffee cupcakes for it and maybe some new pegs. They've got a fabulous website too have a look Drury's I'm very lucky they are right on the corner of our road. Handy for flowers, plants and popping in for chats.

Wow it's taken me nearly all day to do this post. Miss Molly is back home and looking forward to going back to school tomorrow. She made me the biggest picture and i got the biggest hug and smile when i went and got her. It feels better now today is out of the way, we both know what to expect.

I hope everyone else's day went well, with out any tears, i was good and didn't shed any. I held them all in. And had little Daisy to keep me smiling for the rest of the day.

Thank you for all your messages of support, they mean so much. x

bye bye for now. x

Bank holiday

My bank holiday Monday started with a small fair in the morning until about 1ish. And with the help of Miss Mollycupcakes herself the time flew by.

And before we knew it Ben, Daisy and Grandma where here to pick us up. Off we set to Pluckley for a yummy cream tea here at the village church. You can see from the sky it was a fabulous day for it and the church was run by the sweetest old ladies. Who bake the yummiest scones and chocolate. Hmmm

Molly enjoying a snuggle with Grandma....

and then tucking into a huge slice of cake. check out my cream filled scones lol I am trying to lose weight for my wedding next really! but i have to have one day off a week hehe!

After sitting and relaxing in the afternoon sun, listening to nothing but the birds sing and Molly and Daisy play, we walked around this beautiful place, me secretly hoping that we'd bump into Pop and Ma Larkin and be invited back to theirs for supper. (for those of you that have no idea of what I'm on about and I'm sure that isn't very many. The Darling Buds Of May was filmed here and around this gorgeous little village) Anyway it never happened sigh! So we headed off back home.

The next day saw even more sunshine and Ben had booked an extra day off of work. And we where also joined by Jade. A family vote was held and Whitstable came out as the favourite place to go, off we went. Where fish and chips were eaten, pebbles thrown and lots of photo posing took place lol Miss Mollycupcakes first.....

.... followed by sun posing by the beautiful Jade.....

.... and crazy faces by Daisy lol

Even Grandma got in on the action, doing her impression of a human washing line lol. Note to ones self don't bend down face first into the ruff sea when collecting water in the kids buckets, you end up soaked LOL

Some jumping and snuggles with Daddy cupcake (sorry Ben I know you hate being called that lol but it's so cute, i just have to). X

Daisy has her invisible binoculars on and was watching everything go by.

Then it was time for some much needed relaxing before we set off into the town for a look in the shops and ice-cream for pudding. I hope you enjoyed a lovely bank holiday weekend and the sun shone on you all. It's back to playgroup for Daisy this coming Tuesday and Molly's first day at big girl school.

Just look at my baby now, i remember looking down at her while breast feeding thinking your first day at school is so far away but it wasn't really and Monday is getting closer and closer sigh! my heart feels heavy and I'm trying not to be sad, i knew this day would come but did it have to come so soon! Molly seems fine with it all and can't wait for Monday to arrive, so I'm putting on my best Mummy cupcake smile and spending every last minute i can with her.

We're off out for a girlie shopping day this Saturday, making sure she's got everything she needs. And maybe a treat or two wink, wink.

Mummy and Daddy are very proud of you and will hold your hand for as long as you need us too until your brave enough to let go. Love you Mol's x x x

Good luck to all you other mummies out there going to through the same thing, lets all be strong for each other. Walk them to the gates, big deep breath, hug and kisses, say "see you later on" and turn and walk away. Hold it for one more moment, now cry lol I know that's going to be me.

Who made it this hard to be a Mum?

Hugs to all x