Cakes Sausage rolls and blooming chocolate!

Umm I'm starting to think I may have a karma debt..
The weekend follwing my birthdy we hd a meeting to decide what we are going to do with the new company... lots of things were planned and I have a sales team so it was all steam ahead!!
Well more like a grind to a halt as I got 'Man flu' I felt like death warmed up on toast!
4 days in bed and weeks behind everything I couldnt get to my new shop and since the aircon had been left on by the time I got back there lots of the chocolate had bloomed damn it and a chocolate show to go to! I could'nt go to work because i delt with older people and food, But all was not to bad I have new shop neighbours who are really funny nd the plans they have for their business will help mine a lot I hope.

With being behind I didnt even get chance to do anything for the local craft competion, yet again I was the latest entrant and nervous as anything. All the things I had planned didnt get done and on top of that I had a really special cake and matching cupcakes to make for a birthday today.
So from Friday night I didnt stop baking for hours and then again really early on sat morning, saturday evening and this morning...........

Disaster struck yesterday when after running out of room baking I moved the almost finished cake, covered it and left it while I baked for the show..... Argh the cat sat on top of the things i'd put over the cake and squashed it!!!

The cake was a really special recipe of a Royal Velvet red and purple base soaked in kirsch syrup with kirsch jelly and champagne buttercream, it was to have a purple and pink fondant covering with cut out's and a pearl sort of garnish.. The first problem was the fact it was fondant straight onto the cake as Tess didnt want marzipan and just the icing, so when the cake got squashed the icing embedded into the sponge!!!
Since I had to get to the show I couldnt do anything at the time... To cut a long story short..... Marzipan became my best freind! Sorry Tess!


From This....









To this eek!!!










Won 2 1st prizes, 2 2nd Prizes and 2 3rd prizes at the local show and have a re-designed cake to take with vanilla and white fudge cupcakes.. And a serious need to go to bed...


Toodle pip x

Sleep Sleep where are you come back all is forgiven!

Sleep is a luxury I have not been partaking enough of this last week, it seems I look at my bed and then it's already time to get up again. Between Cake making and delivering, soap packaging (umm not made a lot for a while must find some time to make more), Working (thankfully only 3 days a week and still with the wicked cook from the south being a class a B**, Family coming and going and a birthday I still managed to get my shop ready for opening within a week!!!

It was a close call the chocolate colored paint just would not dry and my eyes were stinging with painting in such close quaters and my poor daughter I'm sure has lost weight from sweating it was so hot..

I thought I left 60hr weeks behind me when I stopped working in the city (london) boy was i wrong, My poor house looks like a bomb sight with packaging and boxes and I dont think I have done any housework to speak off, but at least I can find my bed for a few hours each night..

I still need to find some chocoltiers to supply my shop as I would prefer crafts people instead of wholesalers, so if anyone knows of any please please let me or them know...

Ok typing is getting a little blurry so I better go I have to be up at 6am for work then 8hrs in the shop ohhh I must be crazy!!!!

Toodle pip! x

Fresh Starts, new name, new life, new outlook and a new shop!!

Really speedy post here because so much has happened and so little time!
after what can only be classed a strange year and a bit.... I thought it was time I sorted out a few loose ends and made some real plans, well my plans went there own way as they tend to but the results are....
Everything was planned to change on my birthday and trying to get some things to fit in were difficult but I managed to pull it all of.. So on my birthday (yeah)...

My divorce was finalised
I legally changed my name
I formed a limited company
I signed for the keys for my new shop
I played golf (argh dont know what i was thinking)
And I am learning to fly!
I've told my work I will be leaving (eventually)

From next week i have promised myself that the quiet time in the shop will be used for all my internet things and since i will be bringing all my little online businesses together then I will be blogging ect.. after all I need a record of what could totally blow up in my face but what the heck i will have had fun trying.....


What a brilliant week.... I hope everyone else is having a positive time and if not I'm sending positive vibes your way...

Toodle pip

Happy 21st Birthday

Today is my sons 21st birthday so as a treat I've arranged for him to have microlight flying lessons starting this afternoon...

Then it's of to work again xxxx

Wibbly Wobbly

We have been playing some more with Shower Jelly this week in time for a new market stall we just did yesterday, well I say we I had nothing to do with the market that was my new executive sales person (my boy lol). He looks cute trying a chocolate face mask..

The market had only been planned a week but we didnt plan on my computer to suddenly develop a fear of starting and running correctly!!!

Panic stations........ Loads of products made but no labels .....

3 days to fix the computer with it only being ready on sunday so I had to stay up half the night printing and labelling over 200 items some of them new so the labels had to be done on the fly...

But we made it just in time... It was a good day according to my son and we saw a small profit which was surprising since it was a tiny market and a monday we are looking forward to next week.... The shower jellies were really popular as well..

Sales are going well at The Emerald Grove in Malvern But due to the computer problem my second delivery for the shop has not even been packed and sent.. I really must get a move on with things...

This week my son is 21 so I'm of to plan a mental day for him and his party..... toodle pip xx

Time and Time again...

I cannot quite work out why I never have time, I do my shopping and banking ect online so i'm not popping out so much and spending hours trawling the shopping center, We don't watch TV and my young adults help with the housekeeping, I work about 2 mile away from home and I'm finished by 2pm but I never seem to have free time to blog or catch up with online goings on!!

Anyhow yesterday I decided I needed to make some more shower gel but for the life of me it just would not work correctly I checked double checked then got the OH to check but hours later it was still cooking I gave up after another 4 hours my poor crock pot needed a break. The resulting soap lathers well but wont hold a bubble and is not clear umm!!!! Well i'll leave it sequester and see how it goes but I dont have high hopes for it...

Its been a busy week as it is since I have been covering for the cook at work while she is on her holiday but still managed to fit in a night away in norfolk and a kite festival at the weekend since my ball tickets somehow got lost and I couldnt get anymore...

This week has been a strange one due to it being the anniversary of my sisters death last year that was yesterday which probaly accounts for the terrible cake i made at work and the way the gel turned out, thats why i asked someone else to check the measurements my mind was a little of balance. Funny how things go that way when your pre-occupied.

Today I'm going to make chocolate cupcake soaps just for the hell of it and since my family are all cupcaked out with the mega baking i've been doing! I'm thinking mad colors since I have some new colors to work with I'll post pictures when I get chance.

Hopefully if there is still light I can go in the field behind me and fly my new stunt kite which has already been crashed more times than flown..

Opps time running out again ...

Toodle pip xx

The Honest Scrap Award

Honest Scrap Award

Fantastic I've been awarded The Honest Scrap Award from fellow blogger Daisy Soap Girl http://daisysoapgirl.blogspot.com/
In her words ' I'm not sure what an Honest Scrap Award is but I'm believing that it means you're honest, enjoy your craft and work hard at having others enjoy it as well. As with all good things it is time to pass the award on to others so that they will know that their blog work is appreciated.' Thank you so much daisy I love your blog it certainly makes me smile.

According to the requirements:

1. I must thank the person who gave me the award, list their blog and link.
2. I must list ten (10) honest things about myself & a copy of The Honest Scrap Logo on my blog.
3. I must select at least seven (7) other worthy bloggers & list their links
4. I must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above three requirements also.

10 Honest Things About Me

1. I love trying new things out normally I never get very good but I have fun trying.
2. I am a shy extrovert.
3. I cry over certain adverts so I stopped watching TV.
4. I believe in the magic of nature.
5. I am astoundingly bad at housework.
6. I was the bullied little nerd at school who ended up a page 3 model.
7. I always get my words muddled up when talking to people.
8. Green was always my favorite color until I became 'old enough' to wear red which is just after me being to old to wear a white dress.
9. I have so many friends that sometimes its hard keeping in touch.
10. I always try to do to much as I cant stand disappointing people.

And The Award Goes To

1. http://aunee.blogspot.com/ love the creative stuff!
2. http://ladybugsoapworks.blogspot.com/ great soaps!
3. http://divabodyproducts.blogspot.com/ love the commutations!
5. http://eljay1980.wordpress.com/ Hugs and stuff!
6. http://diaryofthesubstitutecook.blogspot.com/ Fun cooking!
7. http://purplediva.wordpress.com/ you rock girl!


Congratulations to the above bloggers it was a tough call I wish I could just send awards to all the blogs I read.

Toodle pip xx

Sickbed posting and surfing!

Finally an uneventful week, well slightly uneventful I've been laid up with a bug most of the week and hidden inside my quilt feeling sorry for myself by day 3 I felt I was going nuts not doing anything.
Thankfully all clear now so I'm back at work tonight but today I have a mass of gardening to do with all the vegetables to plant and a lawn to seed so its back to being busy again...
I came across a great giveaway site while surfing about ... you should check it out it's pretty cool ..... http://www.prizey.net/

Toodle pip x

I Love Cupcakes Giveaway

Oh second blog of the day .. I was surfing around catching up with everything I seem to miss in a daze and came across Patrice's cupcake give away at soap seduction. she makes the most amazing Shea butter cupcake soaps my mouth waters when I see them.. Well she is having a cupcake giveaway so surf on by her blog to see the amazing soaps she creates as well as her super bright shaving soaps they make mine look positively dreary... well done Patrice....

toodle pip x

oops forgot the link http://thesoapseduction.blogspot.com/

Wicked witch of the mill!! With crabs...

What a week it has been again, I dream of having an uneventful stress free week the way my sister dreams of her next holiday or car. It started rather fine when I got a new smoker which I'd been after for a while since I adore fresh smoked food, I had an idea for smoked crabs so of we trotted to Norfolk for their well known cromer crabs!
After battling arctic winds and freezing cold (ok it wasn't that bad but it sure felt like it)OH forgetting his wellingtons and the silly idea of trying to peddle our pushbikes on sand (it really does not work)we came away with the grand total of 'one' crab eek... so we cheated and popped into a fishmonger on the way back to grab some more.. Smoked crab is defiantly nice but we thought the mackeral we smoked was better especially when I was stuffing grapes with it (ok i ran out of bread lol)..

So a nice start to the week, I received a call from an agency I had chef'd for since a client of theirs had asked to have a meeting with me???? I was puzzled but went along.
I was asked to head a restaurant someone is developing and help give its food a wow factor... Oh after last night there was a wow but not a good one.. I was not due to start till next week but went in to see how the current staff run things... I have never had such a bad experience cooking 'ever'..

None of the prep work was done so i was chasing my own backside all night, the present cook had a real problem with me and spend 2 hours on vegetable prepping but when asked where was the vegetables for service she said she hadn't done them she had done her soup for the next day instead with the vegetables...... this was 15mins before service!! 30mins each starter she took and would put food on and promptly forget it. An order for a table of 9 on an anniversary dinner was found screwed up in the bin, I have a routine with orders and since the order was not on the order rack it was not done .... disaster!!!!!! The owner bless him was yelling at the cook until I stepped in and took total responsibility after all if I am to be head chef there the buck stops with me...

Where the wicked witch of the mill comes into it is one of the waitresses was a pure 'bitch' lots of funny comments about only being my first night and not coming back and being extra smarmy nice to the cook she is who we suspect in the missing order fiasco for what reason we cannot fathom. By the end of the night after scrubbing down and discussing it bless the cook comes out with the fact she did resent me turning up she thought she would lose her job (she nearly did) to me, she was shocked about the order and towards the end she did muck in and thanked me for sticking up for her awww.
Frankly I didn't think I would be going back but the owner wants me to still give it a go the poor guy was devastated. All this happening and still doing my regular chef job, making soaps cupcakes and melts, I worked 18hrs yesterday home at 1am and at my next job at 7am opps I thought it was 7am I didn't realize the clocks had changed..
Sadly my housework has suffered from the constant working but that can wait for another day.. my OH is cooking dinner for me and I am sat surfing the net with a bottle of bubbly and I cant believe he just asked me for gravy granules lol I don't use them...
So i'm of for a rest until later but at least i get a few hours sit down... toodle pip x

7 sins sinful cakes

I finally got the draft of the website up and running yeah....
I've also already got 2 orders and it only went up yesterday...
So short post as i have cakes to make .... toodle pip xxx

www.7sinscakes.co.uk

Princess pickled onion from the planet cheese.....

Busy Bust Busy that's all I seem to be but by the end of the week I look back and wonder what I have done!
The last two weeks though I think have had the most impact of this year!
I was at my wits end with everyone moping around and feeling down so I decided to take action!
My darling princess pickled onion from the planet cheese had been really down since losing her apprenticeship last month and the fact she would lose her college place after all her hard work, bless not only that a social butterfly finds it hard to spread her wings with no income! So the queen of planet cheese came up with a plan......
I called in a favor which funny enough cost a favor at the same time darn it my favor maths must be out, I took on a temp second job for a few days which got a recruitment friend out of trouble but meant working almost 18hr days for a few days, the result both my beloved apples of my eye are working temp jobs to get them through till college finishes and that means it lightens my financial load and they pick up references to boot! I hounded the college and my girls ex boss the result she is fast tracking her qualification and fingers crossed qualifies in 13 weeks then she can take her dream job on the Stella cruise line..

I also got to play with new soap this week and the pictures are of my Ayurvedic benzoin, chai and neem soaps. Tonight I have bath melt favors to make and 3 dozen blueberry chardonnay cupcakes to attempt. Mind you thats if I can fit it in with trying to make my website work eek if anyone knows flash pretty please can you give me a few pointers as I have tried everything to link my urls... it at www.7sinscakes.co.uk..

Gotta dash

Toodle pip xxx

Womens thoughts and flying kites

WHY WOMEN CAN'T SLEEP
Have you ever wondered how a woman's brain works?
Well....it's finally explained here in one, easy-to-understand illustration:

Every one of those little blue balls is a thought
about something that needs to be done,
a decision or a problem that needs to be solved.

A man has only 2 balls and they consume all his thoughts.

I feel I've been juggling all of those blue balls at the same time lately so today i'm chilling out.... Well chilling making 3 dozen cupcakes and a whole batch of cherry bath bombs and bath melts.
The plan was to have the 2 websites finished this week and uploaded both the soap and the cupcake sites are almost done, but we have had an incredible week here...

I have had fav reviews with my cupcakes with one person comparing them to The hummingbird bakery in south kensington uk now i must admit it left me a little blank until I opened this months delicious magazine and there in full color was the hummingbird bakery 'cupcakes suppliers to the stars' oh i was jumping up and down with excitement!

My crazy young daughter has decided she wants to work on a cruise ship so is fast tracking her stylist course which means mum's taxi has been running at full pelt, my dear little sister is visiting so we have been doing girlie things like shopping staying up late on the couch watching movies. She had loads of fun at the beach flying kites with me and getting sand in her knickers hehe.. I have a few days not working which is such a relief as yesterday was an 18hr work day...

The new month new me is coming along nicely I spent 2 days having my hair done and it is now dark chocolate and down to my waist, I started my exercises and can proudly say I've done about 5 situps well it's a start I might work on my ankles today! Getting back to exercise is really hard I think about it more than do it and in my mind gym i'm really fit mind you trying to do the housework by mental telepathy just does not seem to work maybe i'm doing it wrong hehe..

I've been reading some friends blogs and i must recommend Daisy May's Purple diva
http://purplediva.wordpress.com/

Well I must get on and do some more work or i'll never get to the amazon.. heres a picture of what I want to do in the amazon umm maybe I am crazy .......


Toodle pip xxx

New Month New Start.... Day two of March and already is a mixed feeling month...
Today was one of those days where everything that could go right for me did, I had a meeting at work and let the boss convince me to go back and on a slight promotion..
I also found all of last years missing data which included all of my insurances and recipes and product information files I had been stressing over for 2 mths. I got a rave review from the cakes that had arrived at the testers places and one food critic loved them, The website is coming along nicely as is the Fairy Alchemy one.... After a busy strange time it was a lovely refreshing change..

Whilst all the things I've been working towards is slowly coming together it is tinged with sadness. a lot of my friends and family have been affected in the job cuts across the country and some are suffering from it really badly. It's affecting everyone differently with some now spending the day in bed crying to the ones who are goggle eyed staring at job advertisements and applying for every single one. Other friends don't talk about promotion or getting a new job as much, even people with what was once a secure job are worried.
I went through similar a few years back when I lost my job, I had invested all I had family, career and money in relocating to a high flying job so when it happened to me I had no reserves and was living in a strange place... It took a long time to turn around from that and i learned what was important and not and it changed my point of view on a lot of things. I went back to basics and i went back to the things I actually really did like doing after all wearing a suit really got on my nerves..
The only advice I can offer is go back to basics and if you cant have what you want then want what you do have. Material goods can always be replaced but people cant. It's said there is light at the end of the tunnel don't concentrate on the light just know its a tunnel..

Toodle Pip ....x

7 Sins

Quick update.... Company boss called me and apologized for the farce at work while she was away.. They want me to go back but I can take a week to think about it paid .. Oh what a bonus.. I will think about it!
Also hopefully next week I can launch 7 Sins my decedent sinful cakes online site, so I possibly will be not blogging this week we shall see .... toodle pip !

Time to get back to business having fun ..

Warning this is really long!!!What a day today has been, I woke with a smile on my face because I am finally getting things organized and we had made a lot of decisions (the brood and I) after a family meeting last night.. I should of known then it was going to be a strange day..
I quit my job this morning. It was not planned or anything and it was very quick and to tell you the truth bloody fun as well.... I have a huge intolerance of vicious gossip, I love a good gossip and natter but I make a point of not being detrimental or cruel. In the work place we all come across certain clicks or groups just like at school that stick together only at work the things that happen are called 'office politics etc'. I have confidence in my work and I know my manager had full confidence in me (ok she told me) I had the stereotypical bully tactics today which I found really funny as it was just not that intelligent or well thought out (mind you she had a list) and she had to go as she stated 'for back up' half way through a farce of a meeting (she is the cook and I'm the chef umm go figure my dear). This 'meeting' soon disintegrated (I think it might of been the giggle heard from the cleaner outside of the door bless her they had done it to her) with both of these people just losing it there was not one real valid reason to have a meeting with me also they did not have the authority (manager was on holiday). I was not rude impolite or totally negative, I was firm and nonplussed just casually sat on a chair arm drinking my lemonade. Honestly was I supposed to be impressed by bullies I had been pre-warned about when the major issues turned out to be as important as incorrect sandwich cutting and the wrong number of leeks being available. The other things were mute points as I did have the authority to make the changes I did which at that point of being informed the cook nearly went purple. I'm not frivilous with jobs but this job was taken on with the understanding it was to be therapeutic work and it was quite destressing being in my own little world with my Ipod and cooking and generally having fun with the majority of the people working there. I pretty much had free reign when it came to cooking as long as I stayed within the basic ingredients and if I wanted anything else they would order it for me. I loved making what I call smile food some of the people were a lot older so they may as have as much enjoyment out of food as I can give them.. Ok cut a long story short the difference of working at home and there would of been so little as to only be doing the job I loved doing it. So I thought sod it I dont need this crap and said bye..
Oh this was just before 9.20 am so they were in at the deep end with the cooking serves them right ..... So much more happened but I need to go make crepes suzzette for pancake day and cup cakes for friends ... toodle pip

Life and cupcakes..

It's been a while since I blogged a case of so much internet so little time..
A combination of starting a new chef job and a torrent of family issues has meant that the elusive sit down and have an hour to myself is just not enough time to keep up with the deluge of internet things to do.
I've had health issues which were new to me, I spent over 2 yrs getting healthy and fit following spending the major portion of my life as disabled only to find something unrelated has decided to go wrong.. So I tried to sit back and take stock of my lifestyle and changes I could make to deal with this new issue.
Well it didn't work I was just as uptight and stressed as ever and now back on 'lifetime' eek medication.
I did discover some things on my little journey!!
Life is what you make it and sometimes no matter how many good things in your life you do and the things you help with, there are some people that you just can't please and they will go out of their way to make it difficult and be downright evil and harassing.. These are not rejected ex's or disgruntled friends or anything like that but family members and they can be the cruelest of them all.
I can only have so much compassion and sympathy for people who are cruel because sometimes they cant help it if they are grieving or upset but when people go out of their way to deliberately cause harm to another then my time would only be wasted on them as I can never condone that behavior.
I am proud of what I have achieved in my life against all odds, I may not be rich in money but I am rich in friends and love, I may not have a flash car or house anymore but what I have is mine and I have worked for it. I have 2 amazing children (young adults) and a great extended family that love me for who I am not what I am...
So to my friends and my family thank you from the bottom of my heart and bribery cupcakes are in the mail xx
Oh speaking of cupcakes that is one of my new stress reliefs since my workshop was flooded again and I cant work out there and play soap fairy until the foundations are redone, I stopped making soapy goodies inside due to chef'ing and not wanting to cross contaminate.. Oh yeuk soap tasting cupcakes would not be nice and I have a teeny kitchen..
Si the latest update pictures are my valentines cupcakes made especially for my dad's birthday and for my dear friend who just had my new guardian child... love you sweetie xxx


So back to normal life and blogging I hope.... Toodle Pip xx

The best reason!

My quickest ever post... One of the reasons I've not been posting...Alyx Breenan Gibson my new Guardian son xx