If I can do it anybody can

I'm a Christian and as we've established this means a few things, Jesus is God, the Bible is His word, and the Godhead is lord and creator of all things. Being a crafter it's easy to admire a creator. It does not mean I will hit you with my Bible on your way out.
Another awesome thing about being a Christian is that I get to celebrate Christmas with unbridled joy. This doesn't mean I spend millions on the people in my life (I wish I had millions to spend on them but let's face it I would just buy craft instead) it means I celebrate the birth of my saviour and jump with both feet into caroling, tinsel and yule log.
On the other hand a few pet hates of mine include Bah Humbugs, argumentative relatives and most of all the term 'Xmas'. First of all it doesn't work phonetically - you'd be forced to say crossmas or exmas and what has that got to do with anything. Secondly if you need to remove Christ from the Christmas forget celebrating it. Thirdly Xmas features in no Christmas carols. Fourthly X just means no, bad or wrong to me as a symbol so why celebrate that?
For all those people out there that use Xmas as a shorter version of Christmas I have a message - don't! The attached picture is a wool wrapped word which I will be selling this year to all Xmas to Christmas converts at a reduced price but prooves if you can wrap and bend wire to make 'Christmas', a pen should be able to draw holly and tinsel and snowflakes and candy canes and rudolph with no bother at all and the full word not a shorter apology for it.
Take that Bah Humbugs!

Every cloud...

It's the end of the academic year and so it's time to reflect on all things education. Part of making this time bearable - because we are northerners- includes a fuddle (not a state of confusion but a gathering of people and food) commonly referred to as a picnic but this is inside. It's a really nice way to end the year and start the summer. In order that this fuddle can be most effective there is a list drawn up with who will be bringing which delectable goodie. Yes fun has started to seep away already but I did say we are in education.

I consider myself a sociable person, I'm happy to divulge my goings on with my colleagues and regularly regale my tales of woe. So when the list went up you can imagine both my surprise and horror as I discovered I was bringing... Wait for it.... Cake. Flipping cake! 

We have established I can't bake. We have accepted this. I was really hopeful they might mean...

But I clarified and nope it was the edible kind they wanted- really not much point asking me! I asked if I could be in charge of decorations instead, put together a really nice patchwork table cloth or something but no, they weren't budging. I had to bring cake. I struggled with this for a while, I even went through the stages: denial- they have the wrong name on the list, nope that's not it, anger- do these people not listen to me at all?? depression- I just can't do it, bargaining (probably came first with the table cloth idea) until I finally arrived at acceptance. So after wrestling with my dilemma this is what was delivered for the fuddle:

Isn't it beautiful! It's an angel cake with icing and sprinkles. The icing isn't perfect but the cake - moist... Let me tell you fish couldn't put it into words! 

I was so satisfied with myself. Everyone was so impressed with my contribution. Even more impressed that I had put it in a box with all the ingredients on so anyone with allergies could make an informed decision. Even more impressed I had costed the cake should someone want to make it for themselves on a budget. And it blew their socks off that I had attached a barcode!

For those of you that haven't worked it out yet- it's shop bought. And I don't even feel bad. Everyone loved it. Which they wouldn't have done had I have try to bake. On the upside, if I continue to make these I will be a lot closer to growing that third boob I mentioned in an earlier post. Every cloud and all that...