Cake Inspiration

I have cakes on the brain and have been emailing with my blogging friends about ideas for Sienna's upcoming Vintage Circus party - while I have decided on a cake I have been scouring some other sites to see what others have done so here is a wrap up of some great circus themed cakes.















This here however is the winning cake - I will post more details about this cake next week



Leanne

Ms Nosybella: How did you... break bad habits?

Ms Nosybella is back, asking all the questions I ever wanted to know about other people but wasn't drunk enough to ask.

This week I'm wondering if you've successfully stopped doing something that you used to love doing or want to stop doing something that you do right now. Habits. Erksome things.

Three habits I've broken and how:

1. Smoking. See, I wasn't always the clean-living, virtuous type you see before you now. Pack a day of Peter Styvies and during my wanky uni days I even rolled my own Port Royals. Nice. I stopped for a year when I went overseas. A whole year and then, wham, back in Ciggieville. Let's face it, Europe is a hard place for ex-smokers.  Only 50 people on the whole continent are non-smokers . 

The next time I seriously tried to stop (as opposed to giving up for about 2 hours here and there or foregoing lighting up at 8am for a week or two) was when I was pregnant with my first baby. That was seven years ago and I've had about 10 cigarettes in all those years. I just don't want to be a smoking mum.

2. Never exercising. For years I told myself that running around chasing a busy, busy life was plenty of exercise. And cleaning the house is a workout, right? But one day I just left my house and went for a run. Well, a shuffle more like. I don't know why I did it but I do know that it felt really good. Go on, puff yourself out a little and make your muscles burn a little a few times a week and I promise you're going to feel good about yourself. It's a mental thing.

3. Diet Coke. I'm two weeks clean after chugging down 1 or 2 or sometimes 3 cans of diet coke every day. Somehow drinking that much of the black stuff seems even dirtier than the smoking. I am drinking copious cups of green tea in exchange. So far, so good. But I really, really miss it so it's going to be a bumpy ride.

And a habit that I would love to break but am so far unsuccessful:

Overeating fats and sugars. My colleague at work, who is a personal trainer and Fitness First instructor in his spare time (annoyingly healthy and one of the reasons I fake liking Gaga) is helping me with this one. "Don't eat your feelings, Maxabella!" he calls whenever I express a desire to clean out Darrell Lea. I kinda want to slap him senseless when he does it, but I'm sort of grateful too. I'm the Miss Universe of Self-Delusion when it comes to training my eating habits. I mean, I can eat half a block of Whittakers watching The Biggest Loser. I just mustn't want it enough... I've actually started a sister blog to Maxabella to try and explore these issues.


Your turn now... any habits you've squashed or would like to?


I really, really want to know...

Let's Talk About Sex...

... the sex of your baby, that is!

Now my due date is looming closer (less than 7 weeks to go!) I've been dreaming more and more about the sex of my baby.

Girl or boy?

Technically, it's a 50/50 chance either way. I'm one of 3 girls. Dan is one of 3 boys. No clues there! Of course, I'm enjoying everyone from complete strangers to close family members having an opinion but I think its funny when they ask me what I think, as though the mother has some sort of special intuition... because the truth is, I have absolutely no idea! I don't have any particular preference either; I already have my special little girl (I desperately wanted a girl first time around) and, whilst I'd like my pigeon pair the idea of two little girls sounds rather sweet to me too!

I must admit, I was impatient the first time around, and I found out the sex as early as possible. I was desperate to start planning a nursery, a wardrobe and a name and those things were a lot easier if you knew what you were having! My planning was a lot easier once I knew, and I never had any regrets about finding out. It therefore surprised me how many people were shocked that I already knew, and wanted to know what I could possibly have to get me through my labour without the surprise at the end (um, how about meeting my beautiful daughter?!)

I haven't tried any of those old wives-tale techniques for guessing the sex of your baby - you know, like dangling your wedding-ring-on-a-string to see whether it circles or sways...

If I was pressed, I would have to admit I am getting boyish vibes this time around - the nursery definitely sways more toward a boy which was an unconscious act, and I've been looking at boys clothing in the stores without even being aware of what I'm doing. But maybe that's just a protection mechanism so I'm not shocked if something other than a girl (which Im used to) pops out.

In the end, it really doesn't matter. Boy or girl, I already know I will fall in crazily in love with it. But I must admit it's been nice to experience the surprise this time around, and I dream of the sense of anticipation I will feel as my baby arrives and I finally hear the words "it's a ...... "


Did YOU find out the sex of your baby before it was born? What were your reasons for finding out/ not finding out? Would you do it differently next time around?

My little aqua book: Pretty Baking

Pretty Baking by Torie Jayne
Pretty Baking by Torie Jayne
Pretty Baking by Torie Jayne


For my third post in the series "my little aqua book" I share with you pages of shops that sell the prettiest baking goodies!

Have a sweet day!