Monday 3 January 2011

It's a new year and oh yes someone important's birthday

Hello everyone, thank you all so much for popping in, wishing us well over Christmas and happiness and memorable times for 2011. I don't know about you, but for the first time in a while we seem to have had a "seamless" and smooth festive season, other than the odd cough/cold, we had no upsets, family squabbles and drama. It has been a good time of reflection, prayer, family here in the UK and abroad, some present opening, a few January sales bargains and just chilling ;0) around the house.

I even managed to stay up till mid-night on New Year's Eve and had a little Babycham glass of this bubbly

It's most unusual for me to stay up till mid-night, I usually make a point of avoiding the clock striking 12, not sure why, I think it might be linked to my mum not particularly liking new years eve.

And then when we woke up we remembered that a certain Mr. A had turned 40 on 1/1/11 and so some baking needed to be done


Little Miss. Alice chose her all time favourite malteser chocolate cake made with lashings of butter, horlicks and eggs from Nigella Lawsons book Feast...


{If you have a beady eye you may have been able to spot all the page crinkling, spoiling and use of this page which has been used on many a happy birthday cake making}

So we did some-a-mixing




 and eventually iced and decorated a malteser... oops who ate all the maltesers last night? Oh dear it has to be minstrels decorated cake instead



Not quite as perfect as Nigella's cake but it was altogether a happy birthday and a happy new year to Mr.A and all who embraced the very rich and dense chocolate cake xox

Meanwhile, despite the grey, dullness outside and lack of beautiful sunshine this was being considered


My little knitted handbag creation...



Something I've been creating over the festive season which now needs a pretty lining before completely revealing to all of you lovelies.

So here's wishing you all a slightly belated but beautiful, sparkly, creative and memorable 2011. Look forward to all your lovely creations and inspiration over this coming year xox

7 comments:

  1. that cake looks amazing!
    I went to my friend's birthday party last night and she had made a cake from the same book... i think I got high off that cake, I couldn't stop laughing after I had eaten it, everything was so funny.... and I don't think there was any alcohol in it at all! Must have been the sugar and cream!
    Is it still freezingly cold and snowing at your place?

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  2. Hi Penelope, lovely post . Happy Birthday to Mr A . and happy new year to you :0)
    Your bag is looking good , can't wait to see it finished .
    Can I ask how you manage to get your photos to come up so big on blogger. I have mine set to large but they're still smaller than i would like
    Thanks
    Jacquie x
    Oh nearly forgot... love the mosaic too :0)

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  3. That cake looks spectacular yum yum.
    I also like the look of your knitted bag, beautiful jewel colours.

    Jo x

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  4. Hi Penelope,
    Oh I love your post, so much, as always! (how many times I told you that? :) )
    Happy birthday to your Mr A! Love your knitted bag, the colors look really beautiful! Also the cake looks so yummy, how wonderful you are!
    Wishing you a Happy New Year!!!
    LOL, xxx

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  5. Hello! just found your blog so thought I'd pop by, say hello and have a good read!. Love the look of the cake. You can't beat home made.
    Happy New Year!

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  6. I love the look of your knitted bag - can't wait to see it finished.

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