A Cup Of Tea & A Slice Of A Passion Cake

Yesterday before I started on the housework I had a cup of tea and slice of cake.  As you all know it is very lazy just to sit and drink tea and eat cake.  Not wanting to be lazy I did a bit of scrapping whilst having my tea and cake.  I just have to say the cake was delish!  I'd got the recipe off the internet for a carrot cake last year (sorry don't know where).  That word 'carrot' cannot be uttered in this house as for sure the kids would go running to the hills, so I renamed it passion cake and the fact there are carrots in are never ever mentioned!  Being a sharing sort of person, I thought I would share such yumminess with you all.

As it is a healthy cake - got fruit, veg, nuts and fibre - I can't possibly cook it with the kids in the house, so with much sadness I had to leave the ironing yesterday afternoon in order to bake some cakes.

(Healthy) Ingredients

8oz wholemeal self raising flour (fibre)

5oz soft brown sugar

1/4 pint sunflower oil 

2 eggs 

4oz walnuts (nuts)

4oz sultanas (fruit)

2 ripe bananas (fruit)

1 carrot (vegetable)

2 tea spoon baking powder

1/2 tea spoon ground cinnamon

If you don't like nuts or sultanas they can be left out.  As you can see I didn't add walnuts, as I didn't have any.

This recipe makes a 1lb loaf and 3 muffins or 2 x 7" round cakes or 12 muffins.

Method

Heat oven to 160

Grate carrot.

chop/mash bananas

Place everything in a bowl and mix.  

That simple!

Cook for 45 mins to 1 hour for loaf/cake.  

Muffins 25 to 30 mins

Leave to cool

Yummy Frosting

(the not so healthy bit)

6oz full fat soft cheese 

2oz softened butter

4oz icing sugar

couple of drops of vanilla essence

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl & mix.

Spread over the cooled cake

If you like it can be decorated with walnut halves or marzipan carrots (at this point I'd got some walnuts!)

Slice & enjoy with a lovely cup of tea (at this point you can think about doing some housework but it is really NOT recommended)

I Like Fridays.....

During term time Fridays are mine.  All mine.  I work Monday to Thursday and I have kids under my feet Saturday & Sunday but Fridays are different, they are all mine, to do as I wish.  Well that was the theory!  Since the kids went back to school in September not one Friday has come and gone when I haven't had appointments to go to, extra day at work or sick kids.  Well today, Friday is all mine again!

I am sitting here thinking I really should tackle that ironing pile, perhaps do some housework or even continue with the decorating of my scrap space.  But all I can think about is doing nothing apart from a little scrapping.  A girl can dream right?

But sadly there is that ironing starring at me with evil eyes, the cobwebs are waiting to attack and as for the fluff on the floor....why I just can't say what that wants to do to me.  My scrap space *needs* completing urgently, I have to move my desk from the lounge for Christmas lunch, unless my guests want to eat in my half finished scrap space......now that's an idea.

So off I go to start the never ending & unthinkable task that is housework.....but before I do, a nice cup of tea and slice of cake won't go a miss......and I might as well be sociable and pop the tv on to keep me company while I scrap as I couldn't possibly just sit & drink tea and eat cake now could I?

 ;0)

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?

Here we are again and its Wednesday.  Didn't join in last week and I can honestly say it doesn't feel like two weeks since I was last showing blogland what was on my desk.  Wasn't at work yesterday and fancied a little scrapping to pass the time.  But what do I do?  Do I use up some of the 8 scrap kits I have already started or open one of the untouched 9 kits I have?  Hhhhhmmmmm, lets open a new one!  So here you can see some of the Scrapagogo August kit along with usual junk on my desk:

And this is what I made:

That now leaves 38 LO's to make over the next 18 days if I am to complete 50 LO's in 50 days!

As usual if you want to join in and have a look at lots of other craft desks around blogland (including international blogland I'll have you know) visit head WOYWWer Julia.

Thanks for looking and hope you all have a great chilly Wednesday.  Remember wrap up warm and be good as Santa won't come!

The Crafty Book Cover I Forgot

Forgot to show you this yesterday:

The cover to my Journal Your Christmas mini book.  All prepared and waiting for the 1st December!

Its not too late to sign up with Shimelle for the annual workshop.  Anyone else taking part?

Twelve Days

It has been twelve days since my last post and so much has gone on and the time has just flown by.  There has been a big change in my life lately and I may be tempting fate but......things may finally be on the up.  Really don't want to tempt fate so can't really say exactly what yet but it is for the good and things are going really well.  I'm happy and the kids are happy.  Anyway enough said but if you are friends on facebook you probably know what I'm talking about.

Having a relaxing hour this morning on my own.  To be honest I really should be tackling the ever increasing mound of ironing but blogging is much much more fun.  As I am off to the hospital for an MRI in an hour I think I deserve a little bit of 'nice' time.

Not really had much time for scrapping apart from over the weekend when I completed 6, yes 6 LO's.  All Halloween based:

All made with American Crafts Boo papers which I brought then promptly went & found some Halloween papers in my stash!  Just typical but they will be put to use as I have some 'Witches School' photos to scrap from Shugborough Hall.

I also went to the NEC Hobby Crafts the beginning of the month.  Very disappinted with what I saw.  Went for pretty paper & thickers and to be honest apart from some Echo Park (Christmas Papers) and older ones there was nothing there at all.  Very short on thickers.  To be honest it was aimed at card makers more than scrappers, but I should have known better than to expect pretty paper.  Lots and lots of spell binders, buttons, ribbons, glittery 'stuff' and punches.  None of which I wanted or needed.  So I came home empty handed; didn't buy a thing!  


However........I did attend a brilliant workshop with Shimelle where we made this:

My garland is still in pieces as I need to finish a couple of the tags off and I am gong to add some more so I can make it longer.  It really was a fun packed couple of hours with new techniques and lovely easy fabric flowers that are so effective, yet so simple (Freya came home and made one on her own, they are so easy!).

The entire class was done with Freya sat on my lap as the budding 'scrapper' had to have a go!

Would love to say thank you to the lovely Fiskerettes for organising this class and to Shimelle for the experience - well worth it.

May struggle to complete my current scrap busting challenge - I now have 40 LO's to complete in 20 days - 2 a day?????  Two LO's every day is a challenge at the best of times especially during the week and the fact I am trying to squeeze extra hours in at work to enable me to have time off over Christmas is not going to help.  I am going to try my best and I must try to get in front by the end of this weekend as I am at some point in the next couple of weeks dismantling my craft unit to move back upstairs where it belongs - something that needs to be done before Christmas.  Nearly at the stage now of lining paper going up in my scrap space and then paint.  Can't afford the flooring this side of Christmas so it will have to wait but in order to seat all the guests; a definite 10, possible 13 for Christmas the expedit & desk needs to go out of my lounge.  To be honest I am going to miss having it in the lounge as I have been able to just sit, scrap and watch tv/kids which has resulted in more scrapping time.  If I have to shut myself away upstairs I know my scrapping time will be reduced and be limited to when the kids have gone to bed; sadly they are still at the age where all hell breaks loose if they are not constantly watched.  But as they, say needs must.

Enjoy your day, be it a chilly one and I hope not to be absent for so long next time.