Let Them Eat Cake!

First Mate turned 8 today (let's not even wonder about where those years have gone!) so it was decided that a Minecraft birthday cake was in order. 

I don't mind the whole 'kids birthday cake' thing to be honest. I'm pretty crafty and like a challenge so when the request came, I was happy to oblige. 

As with almost everything, I first turned to Pintrest for some creative inspiration. And I was not disappointed. 

It turns out that half the mothers in the world have been tasked with making Minecraft cakes and in true motherly style, have plastered their achievements all over social media. Because let's face it, no one will ever appreciate your efforts as much as another mother who had spent her night elbow deep in green icing, delicately carving the face of a Creeper out of chocolate twirls. 

I'd love to share the Pinterest pictures I used as inspiration for my cake but unfortunately I couldn't find the original sources to be able to give adequate credit to the original creators. 

Instead, please feel free to delight in the marvel that is First Mate's Minecraft birthday cake- a collaborative effort between myself and thousands of other Minecraft savvy mums from around the world!

And, just to do my bit for global cake making inspiration, here are a few other birthday cakes I've made over the years. 

Happy birthday First Mate!

The Captain.

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Morale Boosting #2

Back here I spoke about the importance of morale.  Here's a few things boosting my morale at the moment.

 Nutella Cupcakes

Just three ingredients folks!

No, I'm not kidding.

A friend posted them on Facebook and there was no way I wasn't trying those bad boys out.

These ones are straight out of my kitchen but head here for the original recipe.

New Rug

Gotta love the Rocklea Markets. 

My great new bargin rug brightens the place up a bit.

Auslan Books

So excited that my new Auslan books have arrived from Deaf Australia.

I learned Signed English many, many years ago but this year have been doing an Auslan course (Signed English and Auslan- not the same thing).

I'm loving feeling more and more confident with my Auslan communication skills.

New scarves

Another market bargain- five scarves for $20. How could I resist.

Especially after the First Mate reminded me to make sure I bought a black one, not just coloured ones because 'black goes with everything Mum'.

I love scarves.

I love scarves so much I might even devote an entire post to them.

Stay tuned for that :-)

What's boosting your morale today?

The Captain.

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How do you like THEM apples?

How versatile is the humble apple.  I often buy them when they're on special and make up a batch of stewed apples. Nutritious, delicious, inexpensive and oh so many different uses!

Stewed Apples

1kg apples (any you like!)

1/3 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp corn flour

Makes approx 900g of apple mix

This recipe is more art than science folks. Adjust any or all ingredients to your taste. It all works equally well.

Peel and chop apples. 

I like to finely dice them but you can chop them any way you like.

Add all ingredients except corn flour together in a saucepan.

Cover and simmer until apples are tender. This will take approximately 20 minutes.

Don't forget to stir regularly!

If desired, add the corn flour dissolved in water to the mix to thicken the syrup.

Voila! A delicious batch of stewed apples ready to use.

But what to do with it?

First Mate loves it with Golden Syrup on oats for breakfast.

Hoeing in. 

Note the piece of string sitting on the breakfast table. He carried that around with him all day.

With pikelets and cream for afternoon tea perhaps? 

Did someone say apple crumble cheesecake slice?

Oh, I think so!

Other uses-

• Apple crumble
• Apple and cinnamon muffins
• Omit the cinnamon from the recipe then blitz the final result up for apple sauce perfect for roast pork
• Omit the cinnamon and sugar from the recipe then blitz up for completely natural baby food
• Substitute apples for pears- they work just as well

I'd love to hear your suggestions!

And to sign off with a bit of gratuitous fun, here's one of my favourite clips from one of my favourite movies, Good Will Hunting.

How do you like them apples?

The Captain.

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Morale Boosting

mo·rale

  [muh-ral]  

noun

emotional or mental condition with respect to cheerfulness, confidence, zeal, etc., especially in the face of opposition, hardship, etc.: the morale of the troops.

Dwight D. Eisenhower once said “Morale is the greatest single factor in successful wars”. Now, of course, in its literal sense we could certainly argue there is no such thing as a successful war. However, figuratively, this statement can be  accurately applied  to the battle against the daily grind.

Taking time to boost morale can be the difference between facing opposition with a calm, cool head or racing in with guns a-blazing. And we all know the later rarely ends well.

Here's a few things that have boosted my morale lately.

Coffee with my BFF, Queen J. 

A kitchen table, multiple cups of coffee, chocolate cake and two containers full of almonds (natural for her and oven roasted for those of us who like food with flavour) is the perfect way to spend an afternoon if you ask me. 

There's nothing like being able to spill your guts in a judgement-free cone of silence to relieve some of the emotional weight we tend to carry.

Writing the shopping list. 

I actually really enjoy this. I love trawling through all my recipes (of which I have many!) and planning the weekly meals.  

Doing the grocery shopping without a list is a sure fire way to spend too much money!

The manuscript. 

The First Mate has decided he wants to have a book published and spent the morning drafting the first chapter on the laptop.  

For a boy struggling with his literacy skills at school, it warms my heart to see him engaged in such an activity.

Comfort food!  

Speaking of heart warming… I'm loving winter cooking right now. Rich, hearty, delicious. 

Such a pleasant way to warm up!

What's boosting your morale today?

The Captain.

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To Blog or not to Blog

I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a blog for ages.  I even set one up a few years ago but never actually posted anything.

Many people have told me I should write. Maybe because they think I have something interesting to say, maybe because they are sick of hearing me talk about myself and hope that by me having another platform it lets them off the hook!

Either way, I’ve finally decided to give it a crack.

But where do I start?  What kind of blog do I want to write?  All the “How to write a great blog” articles say you should write about something specific. Have a theme, a niche audience, a gimmick. Alrighty then.

I’m a sole parent.  I have been since I was pregnant.  My son (the 6 year old First Mate) has ADHD. I have battled post natal depression. Somehow, we are both still standing.  There is a blog in that I reckon....

I work. I work at what I will refer to as the chalkface, a great term I have affectionately pilfered from my good friend Flora Fascinata. My job is a crazy mix of amazing fulfilment and brain numbing monotony. There is a blog in that I reckon....

I love language and culture. I love learning how to speak (or sign!) other languages. I love listening to people talk about their culture, their customs, and their beliefs.  I want to experience the world. Because I was foolish enough to drop out of uni when I was young, I’m now trying to catch up by studying part time. It’s hard. It’s fascinating. It’s stressful. It’s rewarding.  There is a blog in that I reckon....

I’m in lust with paper. Beautiful paper. I make cards, invitations, gifts. Anything that requires me to cut out little bits of fancy paper and glue them together.  On occasion I sell my wares and am hoping to grow this venture.  There is a blog in that I reckon....

I cook. A lot. Probably too much considering there are only two people living in my house.  I’m passionate about the financial and physical benefits of home cooked food. I am forever looking for ways to produce inexpensive, simple food that passes both mine and the First Mates checklists. And when I do, I like to share them with every living person I know. There is a blog in that I reckon....

So friends, this is why I have stumbled at the starting blocks of blog writing. What’s my theme, my focus?

I’ve finally decided to throw caution to the wind and say bugger the ‘experts’. I’m going to write about everything. The whole kit and caboodle. People are a sum of their parts and my world has many insanely complex, deliciously entertaining and surprising uplifting parts.

If you stay tuned long enough you’ll probably hear about how I hate to hang out washing but I don’t mind cleaning the shower. I’ll share how it feels to have your heart broken by a little boy so distressed about school it’s a daily battle to get him there. 

No doubt I will want to show off my latest card creations and boast about the big bulk cook up I’ve just done. You can commiserate with me when I’m up till all hours trying to finish a uni assignment and have to start work early the next morning. 

And maybe I’ll be echoing your own thoughts as I document the trials, tribulations and triumphs of everyday life as a single mum.

Who knows what will happen and where we'll end up. All I can say is..... Cover me! I’m going in!

The Captain.

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