3rd Birthday Party

E's third birthday was last Sunday. We had a train party because trains are his current obsession. I had so much fun organizing this party, I think there is a frustrated party planner in me... what with the Wedding and High tea I planned last year for my sister. It is nice that he is a bit older now so they can play some party games. We did pass the parcel and some train craft activity. The train cake was the first cake I had made on my own. My mum made the cupcakes last year and for his first birthday mum helped me make the aeroplane cake.

Cookies and craft

My friend organised a Cookies and Craft party for some little friends of her son. It was held at a cafe in a local park. The cafe holds these one day a week. They get out some little boards covered in non stick paper and fill bowls with various things to decorate the cookies. On arrival every child dons an apron, sits down, is given a ball of shortbread dough and selects from some plastic cookie cutters. Each child is given a baking tray of their own lined with baking paper to put their finished creations. These go into the oven and while they are baking the children are given a paper bag to decorate in which to put their finished cookies. It was a fun morning and I thought it was an interesting business model.

Christmas activites

My friend from Mother's group held a Christmas craft party for the kids, so I decided to make some gingerbread men with E to take to the party. I must admit I find it hard to relax and let him get too messy while cooking and crafting, I am too much of a control freak and my husband hates mess too. The recipe is a great one from Donna Hay's Modern Classics 2. I want to use this recipe to make a gingerbread house because it made a nice sturdy gingerbread.



She read a book about the Christmas story, we sang Silent Night and we did some craft activities like these star pictures using bits of paper stuck on vellum with a star frame around it. When you stick it on the window it looks really pretty with the light shining through it.

Ethan's First birthday

My little man is one year old. On the weekend we had a party for him in the local park amongst the trees.



We wanted to make a cake based on a train, plane or spaceship but I didn't like any of the designs in my kids cake book. So I created this design loosely based on Ethan's toy aeroplane. I found this easy and very tasty chocolate cake recipe. My Mother made up a new buttercream icing recipe using buttermilk and a dash of vanilla. It tasted amazing! The licorice was pulled at by one of the eager young ones before we sang Happy Birthday, that's why that part of the plane is flapping in the breeze!