Chicky Babe not my baby any more

While the cat has been sleeping on the couch, bed, chair like this....

I have been very busy with work and then last weekend I was quite sick and had a couple of days off work. I am feeling much better now, but still fed up with summer I've had more than enough of warm balmy nights!

I didn't sell my pears or my crow painting but my small little painting sold in the silent auction. The proceeds of the silent auction went to the children's hospital.

It was my little chicky babe's 18th birthday yesterday. She's all grown up- well mostly. She is having a picnic in the park tomorrow to celebrate and I had to make her a cake in the shape of the Tardis. It reminded us of all the cakes I made for them when they were little. I made so many different cakes including elephants, bananas in pajamas, furbies, dinosaurs, Mario riding on Yoshi, roller skates and even Harry Potter. The lead up to birthdays were an exciting time deciding what shape cake mama would make. Bantam Boy once requested a blue dinosaur picking daisies with a orange gorilla. When I said I wasn't sure if I could manage that he replied "I have faith in you mummy you can do anything you put your mind to." Ahh don't you love the absolute belief your little children have in you!

Because my oven is broken (yep! it no longer bakes things, the stovetop works but the oven is cactus! A very sad state of affairs, ) I had to buy a plain sponge cake in a packet to make her cake.

 1:Trim the bits off the side, use these to create the roof of the tardis and the light on the top.

 2:Put a thin layer of icing on the cut sides first to stop the cake crumbs from making the final layer of icing all crumbly. Using an old bone handled butter knife dipped into hot water makes the job much easier and gives you more control of the icing ( I use a packet of pure icing sugar with a couple of tablespoons of butter whipped up with just enough milk or water to make a fluffy icing that will get a slight crispish layer on the outside as it sets making further decoration easier.)

 3: smooth over the icing layer with a butter knife dipped in hot water, mark out drawing lines with a wire cake skewer or a bamboo one these lines can be swept clean with the knife if needed.

  4: Add final details. I used to use a piping bag with a fine nozzle but now days they have outlining 'fudge' in little squeezy tubes you can find them with the cake decorating things in the supermarket. Very easy to use!

Chicky Babe was very happy with the result and was inspired made a dalek cake with the left over cake and icing, she did quite a good job.

I can't believe  that I now have two adult children. One of the women I work with said well that makes you old then.Thanks a lot! I don't think old even though my eyes are beginning to refuse to focus in poor light when trying to thread needles and I am starting to get grumpy with stupid people and wonder where manners got to. 

I have to confess that as I stood choosing a card for my darling daughter I started reminiscing as I read all the mushy cards and I began to cry at the card stand! How embarrassing! 

PS:

Chicky Babe says I can still call her my baby girl. :)