Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. Aristotle

If you see a friend without a smile; give him one of yours. Proverb

The only beautiful things are the things that do not concern us. Oscar Wilde

The greatest treasures are those invisible to the eye but found by the heart.

Why am i doing this? Read it here….

Dr Seuss once said that “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams”

Today i dont really have enough mental power to let you know what my husband has done over the week for me, but each week when i sit down to write ‘the things he does’ it really does give me a time out to think about just how much i love him and just how much he really does do for me.

I remembered this quote because the other evening i had a bad dream.  I cant remember it exactly but i remember waking up in a startle sweating pankicking that something had happened to my husband.

As i lay there not able to sleep i realised just how deep the love i have for him is…. It is a nightmare to me to think of a life without him in it…

The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in. Morrie Schwartz

I know he loves chocolate so the flavour of the cake was easy, but when it came to what on earth i should make the cake into i had NO idea… I mean 11 year old boys right? What on earth do i know about 11 year old boys?

ANYWHO…

I asked him.

And guess what 11 year old boys want their cakes to look like?

Lamborghini (yes i had to do a spell check on that one…)

Now when he first told me i thought to myself, a car, easy, not too hard…. OH MY was i wrong…

Do you people know what a Lamborghini looks like?

Let me show you….

My heart started pounding, you know that kind of anxious pounding you get when you start thinking you have gotton yourself in too deep?

So then my step son found this image for me to use…

And i began thinking, yeah i could maybe manage some sort of version…

So it began…

The Cake – Chocolate of Course

Stuff You’ll Need (recipe taken from “Gifts From the Kitchen” by Annie Rigg)

• 300grams dark chocolate (i used 70%)
• 200grams unsalted butter
• 6 large eggs, seperated
• 200grams castor sugar
• 150grams almond meal
• 1tbls plain flour
• pinch of salt

How i did it

Preheat the oven to 170 deg cel, grease and line a tin of your choice.  As i was making a car cake i used a wide square loaf tin.  You may just have to adjust the cooking time depending on what tin you use.

Break the chocolate up and place in a heat proof bowl with the butter.  Place in the microwave and zap for short bursts stirring in between to melt.  Set aside to cool.

Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer on high until thick and pale. Slowly add the cooled chocolate mixture and mix until smooth.  Fold in the almond meal and flour.

In a separate clean bowl whisk the egg whites with the salt until thick and hold stiff peaks.  Slowly add the whites to the chocolate / flour mixture making sure not too loose any air.

Place in the tin and into the oven for about 50-60 minutes depending of course on the size tin you have used.  Make sure you check in on it every so often and if the top is browning too much be sure to cover it.

Once cooked remove from the oven wrap and freeze.

Now to the carving and the icing of the car cake…

I didnt actually manage to get many images of the creation as i was totally in a zone and really really focused on getting it right.  My husband managed to find me a model car to work off and i created a template on paper to sort of guide me on the shape.

Basically like with making any shape cake i got the basic details down pat and left the rest to the icing.

and yes, yes i am a VERY messy cook!

Anywho…

I am not sure if i actually did this right as i have never used marzipan before, but i gave it a shot and it sort of worked…. There is always a next time to figure it out better!

I used premade marzipan and bought some dyes.  I kneaded the marzipan out and added the colour, using icing powder to dust the bench.

I rolled the marzipan out and used some warmed jam as glue on the cake before placing the sheet of marzipan over the cake…. Umm does that make sense?

The marzipan is rather like play dough and i was able to, more easliy than expected, form the shapes i required for the car, stick them on and smooth the joins over.

I am sure most of you have done this sort of thing before but to be honest i was quite impressed with myself for my first real attempt at creating a ‘designer’ cake! Anywho, here it is… Let me know what you think!!

Oh and FYI the cake is DIVINE! Very heavy, kind of like fudge very easy to mould / carve!

and here is just how much fun we had with all the family eating the very very rich cake!!

To my dearest little miracle,

Its not your birthday, far from it, but to me today i look at that number and think of just how quickly time has gone by since you were born.

500 days ago my life truly began.

500 days ago i began to realise just what was important in this lifetime.

500 days ago i while it may not have seemed like it for a long time, i began the process of healing, truly healing from the inside out.

500 days ago i realised why god put me on this earth.

500 days ago i realised that there is nothing more precious in this world than family, then the amazing love you can hold in your heart for one little lady.  I realised that life isnt about what you have but about who you have, i realised that possessions mean nothing if you dont have anyone to share them with.  I realised that learning all your life means nothing if you cant teach someone those lessons and I realised that giving you my all is everything i could have ever desired.

So much has happened in the past 500 days, since you entered my life and in all honesty i am a better wife, a better stepmom and a better person simply because of you.

I love you. I love you. I love you. And if i could cuddle you all day long i would.

Love from a mother that is.

Only mothers can think of the future-because they give birth to it in their children. Maxim Gorky

One day at a time–this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering.

Why am i doing this? Read it here….

hmmm what to write what to write?  Let me see…

1. While i went to bed at 9pm on NYE (yes shame, shame on me) my husband and i did watch a movie together, which was a lovely treat
2. OH, OH, OH the bestest husband in the world took george and i to the zoo last week! We had so much fun as a family – it was just wonderful.
3. Mr awesome totally looked after george for me while i worked this week (although i really think he enjoyed the time playing with little miss gorgeous)
4. He has just ducked down to the hardware shop to get me some child locks for all the doors and drawers little gerogii is now getting into!
5. He actually said one of my meals last week was, and i quote “yummy”!
6. Oh and as silly as it sounds this afternoon when my husband asked me how my tummy was (i had a bad ache yesterday) it made me feel really warm and fuzzy inside knowing that he cares about it
7. Oh and again as silly as it sounds, he cleaned my car out for me… And i am a grot when it comes to the insides of my car!

Oh he has been so wonderful to me over the holidays, i am going to miss him when he goes back to having to work!!

If we don’t change our direction we’re likely to end up where we’re headed. Chinese Proverb

January

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October

November

December

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still. Chinese Proverb