Cakes of the future

There's a light, a small spark just visible in the distance. I keep moving blindly towards it, tripping over dirty nappies, tricycles, Lego bricks and urine-soaked sheets as I inch my way closer. What will it be like? To breathe the fresh air of freedom. Freedom to finish my own sandwich. Freedom to finish anything. I'm by no means an over-achieving mummy, but I long for the opportunities to be creative again. I was a graphic designer for ten years and that was so much a part of my identity, that when I gave it up and started selling tickets for a living when I became pregnant with my first son, I wasn't sure what my life had become. Was I a failure? Giving up too easily? Then I was born into motherhood and I had a whole different reality to adjust to. One that my new profession fit into quite nicely. Fast-forward five years and each day leads into the next, seemingly more quickly than the day before. My eldest son is thriving in school and my baby boy is two. More and more, as that glimmer in the distance grows brighter I see that my future may hold opportunities to be creative again. Along the way I have moments few and far between to be creative, but they are there. That is what I'd like to show here. That inner journey to hang on to my creative self and try to enjoy the path that motherhood is taking me down.



For my littlest prince's 2nd birthday, I made this Thomas and Friends Toby the Tram Engine cake. It took about 4 hours to decorate, and I used chocolate buttercream icing to stick on loads of Cadbury's Fingers and the rolled fondant roof, bottom plates, windows and the face I sculpted (also made with fondant). About 2 hours into the job, I seriously doubted that I was going to finish it or that it would look decent. So I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out so cute! This is one of many crazy exercises in fairness that I put pressure on myself to do. I wouldn't have dreamed of embarking on such a project had I not made a similar Thomas and Friends Rusty cake for my Big Boy on his 2nd birthday. When I was the mother of one. And sleeping. God, how I miss the sleep!