Mothers' Day's coming up!

So I had an idea...

I've got a bit of a wishlist of cake stuff I'd like, and would feel better (and Mike too!) if I actually earned some money for it. So, like any good venture, of the profit (if any!) I'll spend a third, save a third (well, maybe spend 2 thirds shhh!) and give a third away to a charity (open to suggestions here, I support so many!)

Already had 5 orders this morning via Mum and Mike's work! Gonna be busy (just how I like it!)

The "little girls" showing off their pas de barsques in the middle of the local Highland dancing competition day. Lily's the short one (but you'd figured that out!) She's the second oldest too!

That's the judge watching on the right

And they all got a prize from their teacher Any excuse to make cupcakes :o) but there was another reason today...

Happy half birthday Eden!!! Big 3 1/2 year old now!

Welly Trip Photos

Had a great week, packed in as much as we can (how I like holidays to be!). Will endeavour to caption most of these but I've been sitting here at this super-slow computer for far too long and just want some sun! Lunch in Petone - fish'n chips at the beach...

Where there's a stage and a couple of dancing girls...

Showing off...

Eden's Marilyn Munroe impression (well it IS windy Wellington!)

3D movie time

Digging for fossils

Maybe some yoga???

Took this same photo two years ago

Cooper loved playing in this scale model of a whale's heart!

Fly fly butterfly...can you fly...through the sky...

Cable Car - heading to breakfast! (Bit worried as it was quite cold, and I only brought one pair of jeans and one long sleeved top each!!!)

Mmmmmm Starbucks for breakfast! Dark mocha frappuccino = will satisfy all day!

I'd love to make my girls some of these dress-up dolls!

Street entertainment, courtesy of Lachie!

Lily was in heaven...her two FAVOURITE things EVER - together! Giraffe's favourite snack is pohutakawa! All the kids got to feed the giraffes.

And the llama's loved Lachie (maybe because he was tall enough to feed them!)

Lachie wanted to go to the zoo mainly to meet Tahi...he read the book at school (and now owns it too) - the one legged kiwi, who actually doesn't like his prosthetic leg

The kids and I caught the train into town the next day. I finally convinced Mike to let me have a look round Kirkcaldie and Stains (he's a bit scared of a shop like that!), so me and four kids made our way though the shop to the children's world, were there two minutes and the fire alarm went off. Yes I blamed Mike for arranging the fire drill right then! And we never got back there :( as we were off to Junglerama for Emily's birthday party :)

Look at the big kid! (Not me! Cooper THINKS he is anyway!)

All the cuzzies...

The birthday girl (well not til the 23rd actually, will be thinking of you Emily XX)

Cooper didn't take his eyes off the balls!!!

Unless he was following kids up to the top of the slide!

Eden saying goodbye to her "baby" cousin Luke (who's not quite 18 months, and not much of a baby as he's due to be a big brother soon!) - almost eye-to-eye!

This photo should obviously be rotated 90 degrees right, but I like it like this!!!

Lots of shopping that night followed by a good nights sleep (rain, not wind!). Left early the next morning to catch The Funky Monkey's in Palmy. Here's Joe Monkey. Bought their latest CD too, kids have had it almost non-stop (and now that it's in Lachie's CD player, it's not in the car!!!)

Phew.

Thanks so much to Uncle Danny for having us; Ron, Amanda and Emily for the party; so sorry Leisa we didn't catch up (next time have the day off and come play with us!); sorry Biddy, we decided not to come to the airport and bombard you with questions after such a long trip; and big sorry to James for missing your party, but so glad we saw you and Toby :)

Cupcakes

As much as I love decorating cakes, I also LOVE fiddly little cupcakes, probably because you don't really need an excuse for pretty cupcakes - any event will do! And I can design, bake and decorate in a night if I'm feeling "in the mood"!

So here's a few I was playing around with last night. If you like these, you may like the little plan I'm concocting that I will announce when we're back from Wellington.

Ok so this isn't a cupcake, but any chance to give someone a cake...this is a "man's cake" (practising my terribly manly (ahem) filigree..but NO flowers and NO pink)

Holidays Week 1

Eden wasn't feeling too flash this week. Lily was keen to do the holiday programme now that she's 5, so her and Lachie went along for a day and played rugby, did an obstacle course and went swimming. Eden just hung out...

Sometimes I forget (no not forget, I never forget, I just don't always get around to doing anything about it!) someone's birthday (and every other special event) so a random present is in order! I really hope these biscuits made it in one piece...otherwise, this is what they LOOKED like when they left here! (P.S. There's a lot of bubble wrap too!)

Eden, all better, mid pas de basques (although it's Lily who's got the competition coming up...photos next weekend)

And I've been making bibs too...cowboy style!

The bibs are being used well! A banana muffin with an Easter egg on top - just as well, because I forgot to put sugar in them! We tried every recipe we could to use up Easter eggs but we still haven't finished!Cool place to take photos...and have a sing-song in the middle (awesome acoustics!)

That was Stonehenge Aotearoa if you didn't know. Not a replica of the real Stonehenge, a working Southern hemisphere model of it...even if you're not into all that stuff, I just thought it was a cool spot!
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We love miniture railways...and real trains too, but leaving that for next week!

I really wanted a go on this huge flying fox too, but there were too many kids lined up! Maybe next time!

Amazingly strong arms that boy!

Mt Bruce is pretty cool, although going walking in our local bush is almost the same...aside from the kiwi house, weta hotel and monster eel!

Hand fed kaka...

A young kereru, followed us round - they always follow us, Mike must really sound EXACTLY like one! I'd quite like to be a bird photographer, especially if it means a new camera (I shouldn't be greedy, I now have 4!)On the website the "monster eel" looks seriously huge...a bit of a lesson in perspetive for Lachie! Still, these must be bigger than Mike and Kate's "pets"

Lily was the photographer, Lachie the model...hilarious for the audience (me) to watch the kids shooting photos!Taking it all in...very cruisy boyWatching the Hawks beat the Waikato pistons at basketball, very close and therefore cool game! Cooper, as well as the others (despite Lachie's face here), loved the atmosphere and the noise!; he's going to enjoy the Magpies season (as soon as he gets a jacket!)