Well what can I say except for sorry for disappearing over the last few weeks but sometimes life throws a curveball that you just have to deal with and the half term definitely was a half term I will never forget. My husband was seriously ill in hospital and I have never been so scared in all my life but I knew I had to close the webshop so I could concentrate on my family. This has been one of the best benefits of being my own boss as I was able to close the webshop, with no prior notice, to deal with this family emergency. With the help of my mother, sister and nephew, along with my neighbours and my husband’s work I got through it. The support of my family and the phonecalls and messages from my close friends helped me find the strength I needed to keep everything together.
Anyway, four weeks on and my husband is home. He is on the sick from work but on the mend and I am watching him like a hawk. I am so grateful to the consultant who operated on him and put my mind at rest when I was at my worst. Now we have a long road to full recovery but we are taking it easy and enjoying each day as it comes.
On the baking front, I did have one order for the beginning of March which I really didn’t want to say no to which was a Birthday Cake for my close friend. It was for her daughter who is football mad and I had been planning for this cake for weeks and I really didn’t want to let her down. The day my husband was discharged from hospital was the day I baked the cake but I had to bake two cakes as I messed up the first one – “more haste, less speed” – was the problem as I was in a hurry to finish in order to go and pick up my husband when he was discharged. However, the first sponge didn’t go to waste as my family ate it all thanks to my daughter decorating it with the left over buttercream after I had finished the Birthday Cake.
I made the football out of Rice Crispie Cake mix and moulded it into the football shape with a bowl. The sponge was chocolate and sandwiched together with chocolate buttercream and covered in green fondant to resemble the football pitch. With royal icing I piped on the centre spot and lines to give detail to the cake. I added the cake topper for her and the photos of the birthday girl in action were stuck to the sides of the cake.
Also, I baked and decorated Vanilla Cupcakes for treats at the party which my friend was having later for her daughter. The whole birthday cake was a family affair as I roped in my mother and husband (just home from hospital) to help me with the decorating of the cakes on the Saturday morning before they were collected by my friend. 🙂
The reopening of the webshop was my husband’s suggestion as he didn’t understand why I couldn’t be baking for customers rather than just my family and the baking “keeps me out of trouble” according to my husband. This last week, I had a couple of orders to break me in gently but it was strange to be busy in the kitchen and not hear my husband working on the phone in the other room – something I will have to get used to no doubt??
This last week or so, I have orders for Millionaires Slice, Cake in a Jar, Empire Biscuits, Sprinkles Cake and Fudge to keep myself busy but I am hoping to start on the gloss painting soon which I need to get done and then heading into spring I have two more rooms to decorate so I am on the hunt for some wallpaper I think?
This last fortnight, after some lovely spring like walks with my husband around Causey Arch, which is near where I live, I have decided to share this post. I wasn’t sure about sharing too much about what has happened recently in my own life but after talking with my husband and sharing with him what I have written he is happy for me to share as it shows how quickly life can change and that it is so important to live each day to the full and enjoy your time that you have with your loved ones 🙂