macaroon zoo

Yesterday we had an afternoon tea party. 6 adults and 5 kids who did us all proud by playing beautifully with each other. Babymomma was given free reign in the kitchen all day - total luxury. Ably assisted by Jambeans I made coconut macaroons, fairy cakes and chocolate muffins. Scrummy. The only wibble was when we cut the top of a fairy cake to level it, so we could ice it, and everything just went wrong at that point. (I was only following instructions - what does Nigella know anyway?)

Wet & windy today. Perfect zoo weather!

Felix 1st birthday is a total cakefest

10 rounds with Mike Tyson

It's impossible to change Felix' nappy at all these days. Normally, I require the help of bf to pin him down. Yesterday at the zoo with uncle A, auntie T and cousin A I had to change him toute seule on a changing station that didn't have a strap to keep him place. Result - 10 minutes of struggling and a total babymomma energy crash all afternoon.

Other than that - no new news. London Zoo yesterday en famille. Jasmine and Abagael get on like a house on fire - though J wants to copy everything A is, does and has. Today Jambeans and I made cake for Nani's birthday, which was raw and collapsing when we took it out of the oven, but by the time we had ferried it to Auntie Seema's had miraculously recovered and tasted delicious. Nigella, irritating as she is, scores another goal.

How could I have forgotten the Fairy Cakes?

Speaking of Fairy Lakes, that reminds me, I did more baking last week. I don't know what this fetish is about, photographing my humble triumphs in the baking department and then trumpeting about them on the blog, but I simply have to let my huuuge audience of 2.5 people out there see the Fairy Cakes I made, complete with pink and yellow icing and dolly mixture decorations.

Ta Daaaaaaaa

Jasmine and babymomma bake muffins

Jasmine's first foray into baking showed her to be a dab hand at pouring things into bowls, at mixing and at tasting the chocolate drops (just to make sure they tasted okay). Of course, being a bit of a beginner, it was Jasmine wot left them in the oven for a wee bit longer than necessary so they were a bit dry. But otherwise a good score on the yummy scale.

I took these out of the oven and in that very pointed explaining-things-carefully-to-a-toddler way, accompanied by some judicious finger wagging, I looked at Jambeans and said "We can't eat them yet. They are hot hot hot. We have to leave them here to cool." Then bf and I retired to behind the door where we spied Jambeans pull her stool over to the bench where the muffins were, climb up, peek over the edge and point at them whilst shouting "Cake. Cake. Cake. Caaaake!"

you've come a long way baby

Nicki babymomma and I have been chatting about birthday parties, which reminded me that I made a cake a few weeks ago. It was delivered complete with whipped cream and raspberry topping. The look I was aiming for was something akin to the cake in the Kate Nash 'Fingertips' video (the one where her selfish, alcoholic boyfriend keeps nicking the strawberries that are sitting in lovely-looking cream splodges.)

And I reckon I succeeded rather well. It was a joy to make, a joy to eat and a joy to behold. And it was surprisingly easy (all praise goddess Nigella.)


I feel like I have arrived in supermommy land and I can't wait till Jammie is old enough for us to do baking together. A great leap on from the disaster that was fairy cakes that we tried to make for Jasmine's first birthday.

the goddess is angry

after our muffin triumph we tried our hand at fairy cakes.

the cake bit was fine. the icing was a total disaster. we were so bad bf said we were worse than the losing team in the generation game.

either the goddess nigella pulled that celebrity chef lie on us, by making it sound oh soooo eeeeaaaasy (in the book she glosses through the icing part with a mere "i just use the back of a spoon and smooth it on") or we mere baking mortals have somehow made her very angry.

dear goddess - please spare us your wrath for the party next week. we will accept any punishment as long as it involves eating chocolate in a suggestive manner.

All hail Goddess Nigella

Yesterday

Made Nigella's blueberry muffins yesterday. Yet another triumph from the domestic goddess.

The motivation to bake is because we're having a floral-themed party in a few weeks' time to celebrate Jasmine's due date birthday. A flimsy excuse for a bit of a do really.

I've been panicking for weeks. It was my idea to have the party - it's been ages since I've had one - but ever since the invites went out and just about everyone said yes (why weren't any of them busy that weekend?) I've been mired in party paranoia. Food, entertainment, space (lack, thereof), decoration, what will I wear, is the house safe enough for all the little bubs, do we have enough space? all that worry has flooded in. But the panic has given us enough motivation finally to stow outgrown baby paraphernalia in the loft and offload boxes to the second-hand shop, most of which we hadn't unpacked since we moved in. Just don't open any cupboards in our house without a hard hat, that's all.

Today

Gloriously sunny today. We were planning tozzzz go buy stair gateszzzzzz at Brent Crosszzzzzzzzzzz (admittedly at my insistence - now the bub is crawling I am terrified of going to the loo without fear of her base jumping down the stairs) but such a boring plan didn't fit with such a beautiful day, and when boyfried made his usual joke about going to the zoo we both thought, why not?

Animals were on good form. Took the camera so finally have some more photos to upload. Jambeans' been running a fever today. We think, because of the MMR, but also she's dribbling like mad at the mo so there must be a tooth on the way. She enjoyed the zoo though. Particularly the fish. Man she just loved those fish. Her whole face lit up. I'm sure she thought it was like watching a zillion, enormous tellies, really close up, with no one saying no.