Mums For Change

I was recently selected to be part of an amazing campaign called “Mums for change” which is run through the Child Sponsorship group PLAN! The campaign is an opportunity to learn about children in developing countries through introducing them to child sponsorship.

James and I have been sponsoring a child through PLAN for about 3 years now, and it is a cause and a group that I strongly support and believe in.

It helps to show the impact efforts from child sponsorship have not only for a child but for entire communities. I really like PLAN for a couple of major reasons.

• They focus on Child Rights.
• They work to implement projects/initiatives that help the community to support themselves. Plans will have sustainability and help fight poverty long-term not short-term.
• They make the children part of their solutions, letting them take part in deciding how they want their communities and countries to be.
• I like the fact that they continue to support these children after they are grown, in order so that they can in turn help their communities. (For example through education and training and small grants to open businesses)
• And on top of that it has no political or religious affiliation. Which for me I like, as I am an agnostic (grumble about it later) really like as it means that these people can support whatever political or religious perspectives they choose without fear of not receiving help.

 
As part of my selection into the campaign, I need to host myself a little get-together to share information about child sponsorship and PLAN. I’m organising it for next weekend, so I have my fingers crossed I get at least a few interested people turn up to hear me yabber on about my little part in this cause I strongly believe in.
Wish me luck x

Listless??...not me!

If this hasn't already been made radically apparant, I'm kind of a little bit of a huge-ass list writing freak. This fact about me, which is often the cause of a certain amount of teasing by family and friends, is extremely handy and at times sort after.

I love list making, I love to plan and organise, I find it highly theraputic in oh so many ways, for someone like myself with a chronic illness it is also excessively useful for working out my limitations for the day, I get to tweek plans to my satification.It of course gives a sense of being in control, we all love control, admit it, I'm not the only one, and finally plays right into my hands as a skill I can use for my future career aspirations (Event management/Event planning).
Today on my list of lists I am currently in the mist of updating a few of my lists, as well as finishing up a couple new ones.

1. My mid-winter cleaning to-do list,
2. Possible holiday itineraries (about 5 different ones),
3. List for my little sister Engagment party at the end of the month; Decoration Options list, Food lists, My Preping Lists (Decorations and Food,
4. Updating my Movie list (we own 600+),
5. Updating my Book list,
6. Planning a Tea Party/ Hire Tea for next month with my friends,
7. Collecting photo files to a list to get printed.  

Yes, yes I know...sort of kind of sad, but hey I enjoy it :)

So right now I am sipping my cup of tea, while I half watch Jurassic Park, typing and writing away on my lists while my little man sleeps, not a bad way to spend an hour or so if I don't say so myself! x

A day of toil in the kitchen

Today my sister and her best mate came over to mine for a ‘Baking Test Day’ for her engagement party at the end of the month. It was just a day to try out a few recipes we plan to use on few dessert items and to work out timing and other things so that we can get them done as swiftly as possible.
Anyway I spent my time making this..

Its a Red Velvet and Vanilla checkerboard cake with a strawberry cream filling and vanilla fondant icing with chocolate dipped strawberries around the bottom.
I’ve never made this beast type of cake before, nor have I ever used fondant. But I went in to it with this picture of what I was going to do in my mind thinking it would be okai.
I was wrong. Nothing I had planned in my head seemed to work out, during the assembly, where I had to cut each cake in half and then cut even shapes out of each piece so I could swap them to the opposite cake and fill them to stick them together, we ended up calling it 'disaster cake'. It looked a mess!
I was really let down with myself and my supposed inability to deliver for my sister. But determined to make it look atleast slightly appetising I set about decorating the thing. I was not particularly confident at this point as I have never worked with any type of fondant. Luckily (thanks to watching the show Cake Boss) I was able to think up a couple of ideas to spruce it up a little. Using a letter opener and a ruler I was able to add a quilting-esc effect. Which luckily with the help of the sugar balls looked okai.
Finally I decided, "stuff it! I may as well play around, i have nothing to lose" and attempted to do a marbeled blue fondant flower. i must say I was pretty chuffed with how it turned out.
All in all, while this stupid thing drove me bat crap crazy while I made,assembled and decorated it didn't turn out half bad. Really it wasn't a bad effort, if i do say so myself, for a first attempt at this type of cake and for using fondant in any way shape or form.