Up, Up and Away!

(Image Credit)

I have been M.I.A this month, I apologise. Life has been pretty hectic planning our overseas trip and taking care of Grandpa and the family. I am sad to say I just haven't had time to do my cupcakes for charity sale for April, I am going to make up for it by having two sales in a month later in the year, but I cannot help feel like I have failed on my resolution.

Tomorrow we take off for our holiday in Tokyo and Beijing, I will be sure to take many photos and blog about it. This will be my boyfriends first overseas trip, and my first time in Asia, so we are both so excited and very nervous too. There has been so much work in research and planning, I had no idea there was so much involved, but thank goodness for the internet and google, they have been my best friend of late!

I am very excited to see my friend Kim, she is taking time from uni to show us around Beijing and I am so grateful for that!

I haven't made any cupcakes this month other than a batch for a baby shower for a girl at work. The cupcakes were strawberry and white chocolate, with cream cheese frosting. I'll leave you with the recipe, see you when I get back!

Strawberry & White Chocolate Cupcakes - Recipe from taste.com.au
Makes 18

Ingredients

• 60g butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup (115g) caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup (250ml) milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups (375g) self-raising flour, sifted
• 250g (1 punnet) strawberries, washed, hulled, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup (95g) white choc bits

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 16 x 1/3 muffin pans with paper cases.

2. Beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla.

3. Use a large metal spoon to fold in the flour until just combined. Gently stir in the strawberries and white choc bits.

4. Spoon the mixture into the cases. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until golden.

ஐ Happy Easter! ஐ

Happy Easter Friends!

Hope you have all had a lovely holiday weekend!

I have had fun playing with a printable Easter kit I won from a recent give-away from Paper Glitter! Thank you Linnette!

I made Vanilla Cupcakes from a recipe Clara of I Heart Cuppycakes wrote about recently (they turned out beautifully, I recommend it!). I popped a caramel filled Easter egg in the middle before baking for a delicious Easter surprise!

Back to work tomorrow sadly!

Cupcakes for Charity - March

So, I am a couple of days late on posting about my March fund-raiser, but this week has just been so busy! I assure you I did sell all of my cupcakes in the last 2 days of March, I just haven't posted about it until now. I keep leaving it till the last minute, which makes me stressed out! I must remember to be more organised for April, as we will be flying out of the country by the 25th!

For March I raised money for the Animal Welfare League of South Australia. A very wonderful organisation dedicated to the care and welfare of lost and abandoned companion animals. If you would like to make a donation too, here is their website.

I tried to sell cupcakes at my sisters high school this time, I made more cupcakes of a smaller size, and charged a lot less each. Unfortunately, I guess the school kids weren't the right demographic, as I was only able to sell a dozen there! I took along the cupcakes to my Grandpa's rehab hospital, where the lovely nurses there bought a few more. So the remaining I had left I took to work and they sold like hot-cakes, I guess the cheaper price went down well.

The whole process of doing these fund-raisers each month is quite fatiguing, and at times disheartening. The amount of times I have had to listen to people exclaim that I am charging too much for the cupcakes, it gets me really down. I have a much better understanding of the people who dedicate their lives trying to get people to part with their money for a good cause, they must have very thick skin. Not that I am going to let this stop me, I am determined to do a fund-raiser every month this year if it kills me!!

The cupcakes were vanilla cupcakes, with colourful chocolate chips through them, frosted with vanilla butter-cream, and topped with a cute bone shaped lolly/candy:

In other news, I would like to show you the crochet I have been learning. Back in February I mentioned I was being taught how to crochet by the lovely ladies at the Brown Owls craft group I have been attending. I have been enjoying making granny squares while I watch TV in the evenings, I find it helps me wind down after a busy day, it's very relaxing.

My Grandma was so delighted when she found out I was learning to crochet, as my Great-Grandmother was an avid crocheter. I was very pleased when Grandma gave me her collection of vintage crochet hooks, and showed me a few of the tablecloths and doilies she had of her grandmothers. I can only hope the hooks have some lucky effect on me and I can become as skilled at it as her one day! For the moment, I am still learning, and the granny squares a little wobbly, but I guess that will only improve with time and practice! I cannot wait to make enough to make a blanket. Aren't the bright colours fun?

It's not long until our holiday to Tokyo and Beijing! I am having real troubles organising our vaccinations, apparently there is a national shortage of the Hep A vaccine. Luckily I found out about a "Travel Doctor" in the city who has some left.
My other dilemma is finding out whether or not we should be buying a Japan Rail Pass or not, I am not sure if we will use it enough in just Tokyo to make it a worthwhile (and very expensive!) purchase. If anyone has been there and has any advice please do share!

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend. I will be posting about my Easter makings soon!