Emma bakes a cake

Emma thinks baking is crazy fun!

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Okay, to be fair Emma didn't exactly bake the cake, but this morning was the first time she was present during the cake making process. Until now, I have done all my baking during her naps, but with Tom at school and Lily at playgroup, I decided it was high time for her first Mummy/Daughter baking experience. I have very fond memories of baking with my own mother and hope my children will have similar memories of our times together. I also believe it's never too early to start having your children alongside you as you work. They learn an incredible amount just by watching you.
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As you can see from the photo, Emma rather enjoyed her first baking experience and was completely unfazed by my very noisy, 30 year old food mixer. Tom appreciated our efforts and devoured two slices of cake this evening. School seems to make him hungry!
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Emma admires her first cake (Shame she can't eat any of it!)

Contrary to appearances, I promise you this Somerset apple cake is not burnt. It just turned out darker this time, probably because I used dark brown sugar instead of the light brown sugar I used last week. I freely substitute ingredients if I don't have the correct ones to hand!
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Sisters

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Welcoming Autumn

I love Autumn! I enjoy each season in its turn, but Autumn is my favourite by a country mile. As soon as the temperature drops and I can smell Autumn in the air, I start wanting to nest in the worst way. It drives me straight into the kitchen to bake comfort foods and I suddenly want to put cinnamon in everything!

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It was the first official day of Autumn on Tuesday, so yesterday the Podlings and I welcomed my favourite season with an Autumn tea. I baked a Somerset apple cake and a tray of flapjacks, cut sandwiches into leaf shapes and served them alongside sliced apples and freshly picked blackberries (Lily and I picked them on our way home from playgroup). I decorated the table with pine cones and Cox's apples (by far the tastiest apple in my opinion) and put some of my Autumn decorations in a jug for a centrepiece.

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My Somerset apple cake was made with wholemeal flour and contains apples and cinnamon, two flavours I strongly associate with the season. Tom loves it and had two slices for tea and shared Mark's piece at suppertime!

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Lily decided that since there was a cake, we really ought to sing 'Happy Birthday'. At her request, I put a candle in the cake and we sang 'Happy Birthday' to Autumn! Tom and Lily love it when I do little teas like this for them and they really enjoyed this one. I rather enjoyed helping them out with the baked goods too! I'm rather partial to Somerset apple cake and would never say no to a piece of homemade flapjack!
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Two months old

Emma at two months of age

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Emma is two months old today and now weighs 9lbs 6oz. She continues to sleep well at night, but she isn't too keen on the new school routine. I normally have to put her down for a nap less than an hour after feeding her at 6.30am. As far as she's concerned, that's a night feed thank you very much! She's not a morning person, rather like her mum!

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She does a good line in baby talk and burbles away quite happily when she's content. She often talks with her mouth full though as she has now found her hands and likes to try to stuff her fist in her mouth.

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Why do you keep sticking that camera in my face Mummy?
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She continues to be the main object of Tom and Lily's affection and bears their attentions with great fortitude. She is amazingly tolerant of them considering the frequent kissing, cuddling and general manhandling she receives from them.

She's a happy little soul and smiles readily, especially when waking from a nap. I look forward to seeing how her personality will develop as she gets older, though I wish I could stop her from growing up quite so fast.

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A very British barbecue

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Emma joins the library

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In this family of bibliophiles, you are never too young for your own library card. Emma joined the library this afternoon at the tender age of 8 weeks old. She looks pretty pleased about it too!

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Unfinished business

I am the queen of unfinished projects. Mark will testify to the number of sewing and knitting projects I have lurking in cupboards that need to be completed. I started making this pram blanket when I was expecting Lily. We didn't know what we were having, but I had such a strong feeling the baby was a girl that I went ahead and embroidered the rather girly design anyway. Somehow, despite her being two weeks late, Lily arrived before I finished the blanket and she never used it. I was going through my sewing cupboard the other day and I found it folded in a bag. I'm actually quite proud of the work I did on this blanket and when I saw it again I decided to use it for Emma, regardless of the incomplete embroidery and raw edges. Who knows, I may never get another chance to use it. When I put it in the pram, I fold over the raw edges so you can't see them and the incomplete embroidery is hidden under the pram cover anyway. All you can see is one of the completed embroideries at the top of the blanket. I would like to finish the blanket before Emma outgrows the pram, but at least I'm now using it anyway. It is just too pretty to keep unused in a cupboard.
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The bird is actually three-dimensional as I stuffed it from the back of the blanket. Roses and daisies are my favourite flowers, which is one of the reasons I love this design. I adore bullion knot roses. I'd put them on everything if I could!