And the winner is...!

Well, strictly speaking it is suddenly so late that it is not really Wednesday anymore! I would have been here sooner but I've been flagging...
no not tired out - although a bit of that too! Another personalised flag to make - letters of a little person's name to be hand embroidered into place.....
So cakes and buns have had to wait! But I'm here now and I am so amazed that you all had such wonderful cake memories. I shall treasure them all. So many of you remembered your mum's efforts and it is heartening as a busy mum to think that those thrown together cakes will form such happy memories one day!
With this in mind I have chosen Kittikins happy cake memory for all the love her mum must have put into that party even though we all know she must have been so tired and desperate to put her feet up! Here is what Kittikins had to say.....
"My happy cake memory really isn't....for my 5th birthday, I had a joint party with my then best friend and as there were about 40 odd children there and my mummy was very heavily pregnant and was lumbered with all the catering (as friend's mum found an excuse not to do stuff, lol), she decided to give us both a tub of ice-cream with smarties and of course candles on it. I'm nearly 39 and it's still the best "birthday cake" I ever had :)"
Aren't mums just the best!! Do get in touch Kittikins so you can choose your brooch!
All the letters safely stitched in place now.....I so enjoy thinking of the little stranger as I stitch, wondering how they will enjoy their flag and how long it will sit in their room and maybe one day their own child's room.... happy stitching!
One more flag all parcelled up and ready to go to it's new home!
Hope you're all well and getting into the swing of a Happy New Year. t.xxx

Cake for you!

Did I say Tuesday? Well it's Wednesday - is that ok? I don't know what happened to Tuesday. I missed it. I've been busy! Can you see?......
I just had to finally finish this superb book by Mark Cocker. For me a superb book is not about 'unputdownable'. This one I had to keep putting down. I've been reading it since before Christmas but there was so much to savour on every page I just couldn't read it in big chunks. Every page made me want to stop, think and ponder. So, if you want to learn to see in a new way. To notice the beauty in your own back garden - when you thought you had seen it all and couldn't notice anything new.... this is the book. Highly recommended! So you see, I was very busy! And the boy has been busy too...
he finally finished his puppy quilt block so that I could make up a cushion for his favourite rocking chair....(I do wish a little that he hadn't chosen those old curtains for the backing but it's his cushion so I had to let him!)
and then I did a bit of photography for you. Am I the only numpty who can't do these mirror shots? I was trying to work out the angle of the camera to show you my lovely new necklace....close up I kept getting the top of my head or the belt of my jeans, this is the best I did....
So I gave up on the '-in situ' shot and took this one instead which really does show my beautiful new necklace to perfection. I am in love with my 'loved' necklace! And Lisa who makes these and many others has offered a giveaway for you my lovely readers, so I'm going to be doing that with you in February....
and then I heard from Kate who runs a fair trade site and she has offered one of these jolly lovely juice bag shoppers. I love these - they always make me smile they are so overtly recycled! So that will be a giveaway for you in March. Good heavens isn't this fun!
But for January it's my month! And because we missed my birthday (did you spy my deliciously lovely new mummy mug?!) I thought that the most appropriate thing to give you would be cake! Well actually the winner can select from lots of different brooches. We'll talk about that so to be sure you get the flavour you love! Speaking of which - how to enter?
Well, I think I'd like to hear your favourite cake eating memory. Yes - that's it. When was your happiest cake?
For me it would have to be a cake my parents made when I was six - Every year my birthday party was tagged onto my big brothers- he was sensibly born in mid-summer when outdoor parties were far more practical. And every year for the Big Party my parents would build the most amazing cakes for us - always a number each (just like I do for the beautiful boy) and then another one, a veritable work of art - aeroplanes with swiss roll fuselage, galleons with licorice allsort gun holes....
and one year, a castle and fairground - I can remember the late night panic with the toffee walls which kept collapsing and going to bed thinking it was all going to be the most awful disaster. We awoke to lots of sheets of floppy toffee many thrown out into the garden to perplex the birds, and a castle with cream cracker walls! And then there was the fairground. A little girl's heaven! Green coconut grass, sponge cake stalls topped with Tom Thumb pip fruits surrounded by little crinoline ladies. OH how I loved that cake! I recently found this photograph. Of course it's never quite the same as you remember, but the magic is there...
Can you see it?
So, what's your happy cake memory? Was it a birthday, or a wedding or maybe tea out with someone special or maybe it wasn't the cake that was special so much as the location or the occasion. No rules, just happy memories! I'll let you think about it until next Wednesday just so you can savour all those happy yummy moments! t.xx

Where'd you go?!

OK. I admit it. It was me that went. Actually I didn't. Went I mean. I didn't go anywhere. I was here all along just somehow I didn't post. So, today a quick catch up - get all the Christmas, New Years, Snowy stuff out of the way and then I promise not to abandon you again! Ready?
Christmas the beautiful boy had a lovely time seeing distant family and on New Years Day he and I took his new Bird Watchers Pocket Book and headed off to see how many species we could spot in a day.... We cheated a bit by going to one of our favourite reserves here....
It was icy cold, especially after long hours sitting in the hides but the birds were pleased to see us especially as the boy had some yummy treats... do you see those adorable little blue beaks - they're one of my favourites - Puna Teal....
and these are the boys favourites - Mr and Mrs Mandarin - sorry for the shaky picture - not sure if it's because they wouldn't stay still or because I was beginning to freeze to death!
Is it me or is there a textile design being sketched out by these Mallards? Green heads and orange feet, such a pretty pattern.....
The beautiful boy entered 40 species into his pocket book - we didn't cheat too much - the Flamingo weren't included .....
Back home with bonus days off school whilst we were snowed into our village there have been long snowy walks....
across the white fields to the back of our house....
the boy is delighted to be getting use from his choice of camouflage coat, just like a real Antarctic Explorer.......
and sometimes we walked with friends......
and of course on the way we say hello to some of our favourite four-legged neighbours....
they really are the most adorably sociable creatures!
Bear with me whilst I share my favourite snowy pictures ....
a snowy hedge - another textile inspiration methinks ....
and there have been the most beautiful sunsets......
Back down our lane to home and a warm stove.
And just because it amuses me, this is the boy anticipating the Springtime Stork nesting at Pensthorpe - if you've ever seen a Stork on a nest you'll recognise what he's up to..... enjoy....



So, that's us all up to date. 2010 is going to be a challenging year here in the Kitschen household and already I am finding it hard to keep up with my blog so one BIG resolution - try harder!!!!
To get me focussed, as my birthday came and went this week, I think a belated birthday giveaway is needed! So pop back next week and I promise a snow free zone with something exciting for you. Nothing works like a deadline! Shall we say Tuesday? Yes, lets! Happy New Year to you all. t.x