The Year In Review, with pictures

Well if you are a regular reader of my blog you will know its been a full on year, and really one that I never want to repeat again. But amongst all the heartbreak, hard slog and sickness I've had so many great experiences, this post is a good way for me to remember that.

So, the year in review:

Jan - Our darling 17yr old staffie died, I turned 30 (eek!). I also found a small lump in my left breast.

 Feb - My first wedding cake and a very memorable trip to Gisborne with some awesome friends. A definite first - appearing on TV in Nestle New Zealand's Hottest Home Baker. Something I won't ever be repeating again! Hehe. And I started baking up at Belmont Park Racquets Club on Saturday mornings.

 March - A month I'll never forget. I was baking like a crazy woman. I even had my first competition. My first born turned 8. On the 2nd to last day of this month I was diagnosed with breast cancer after a biopsy on my breast.

April - The most somber Easter we've had, followed by amazing support and rallying around of family and friends. CT scans reveal no spread of cancer. Surgery on the 16th to remove my breast followed the next day by mine and Owens 11th wedding anniversary.

 May - A 2 night stay in a hotel by some fab anonymous people. I get an awesome new camera. The first of 6 rounds of chemotherapy start. Owens beloved 96yr old grandmother dies leaving a huge gap in our lives. My hair falls out and I get a nifty new wig.

June - My brother visits from Chile. Johnny turns 3. Life is a blur. I stay in a hotel for a week!

  July - We are saved by the arrival of Alison who swoops in and takes care of us all.An angel in human form. I get sick and have a 5 day stay in Auckland Hospital. Now halfway through chemo.

August - A tough tough month. By now its been a long slog of chemo and getting sicker each time. Start doing my thankful posts as I had lots of time on my hands to thank those who've been helping me get through it. The last day of the month brings my final dose of chemo.

September - I talk at a pastoral care evening at St Pauls, we go on a family holiday. We have a months break before radiation starts.

October - I start doing heaps more baking as my body starts to return to normal. I do the Dove Pink Star Walk. Radiation is a breeze compared to chemo so I sail through it.

November - A crazy busy month. A book is published with 2 of my baking pics in it. Very proud. I meet Simone from Greatfun4kids, lovely lovely woman. I finish radiation. We have a party.

December - I am interviewed for The Parenting Magazine (Autumn issue next March! Yay!) about my baking. Life gets back to normal. Katie turns 6.

I am SO excited about the coming year. There is life to live and so much to celebrate. Thank you to everyone who has read this blog and supported me. My blog friends that I have never met (except you Simone!) you have been lovely and it has been a pleasure being part of the blogging community with you.

Here's to a NEW YEAR!

This one is about hair...again

This is me on Christmas Day. See how fast my hair is growing.
A girlfriend told me I reminded her of Jean Seberg.

I'll take that!

Chocolate Ginger Seashell Cupcakes

These beauties are just my regular old fudge cake recipe with about a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger. Yummo.

Topped with a simple chocolate vanilla buttercream and some Belgian seashell chocolates and a light dusting of edible gold dust!

These made some great presents for Christmas. I've noticed lots of people are making homemade gifts, in particular food, this year. I LOVE getting food for presents! How about you?

Not just any ordinary ginger cake...

...but my mums birthday cake.

Last year we had lemon cake. This year we had so many plums I thought we could use these somehow. So I made a 4 layer ginger cake with plum jam and cream in between the layers. Covered again in more whipped cream.

Topped with raspberries and truffles from my earlier post. Looked like a winter wonderland kinda cake. And NOT a weight watchers dessert by ANY means.

Chocolate Truffles

These were made with leftover cake bits from a Christmas order I had mixed with dark chocolate ganache, some chopped hazelnuts and dried apricots.

 

 
Rolled into a ball

and covered with a variety of coconut, cocoa and for a bit of extra excitement, some chilli chocolate. Deeeeeelicious.

 

Start how you mean to go on...

I had a visit from a very wise person and you know when you've had those conversations that really end up being a revelation to your own life? Well I had one of those today. Thank you dear friend.

I've been thinking about priorities and all the things that are rapidly piling up on my plate and how much I should take on and how much I should let go. Forget. Discard. Tough decisions to make but ones that ultimately affect my family and my life.

One pattern I've come to realise is that in my life I've had a lack of  being able to make boundaries, to say no about giving my time away to people. This is something I'm and I'm sure many others are constantly guilty of, and it becomes a burden on my family when I give my precious time away to things that, well at the end of the day, don't matter to them. Yet my family wear the burden of my lack of time or grumpiness. This year has been a year that I don't wish to repeat, nor do I think that God had given me cancer but I've gained many many things that I can count as blessings along the way. This includes people and events, but the biggest by far is the cutting out of all the crap I've tended to drag around with me. The expectations to look and do good. To please everyone all at once. Being hard on myself when I screw up and forgetting that I'm just human.
Well I've decided to change that. To let go. To just go with the flow, not to please others at cost to myself or those I cherish. Starting today. Focus on the important things and the rest will follow.

Today was my darling Katie's 6th Birthday and unfortunately her birthday falls into one of the busiest times of the year due to her being 13 days late (the longest 2 weeks of my life!) - and this year I am just so exhausted and tired of the thought of living up to expectations and competing to have the best cupcakes and best ideas and best all round everything. So I canned the beach party with games and fish and chips and big exciting themed and decorated cake in favour of a weekend of friends and memorable times. Katie went to some of her good friends birthdays, and yesterday we went to GLOW the carols by glowstick event put on by our church St Pauls at the Vector Arena. It was a whole weekend of partying! And I didn't have to do a thing!
To top it off today, her actual birthday, Katie popped off to school to hang with her friends, play games and at morning tea I brought in some cupcakes to share with her class. Seeing her face was such a treat. This is all she needed. For me to put aside some time and make her feel special. We had some friends over for a play after school. A lolly scramble. A packet mix cake ( I hear you gasp...well Nigella does it!) to give to the kids and make together. Decorate the cake with M&M's, marshmallows and an assorted handful of candles. Voila! Impromtu party, good friends and cake! And what's more. A relaxed mum.

Start how you mean to go on is one of my mums sayings and at this time it comes to mind.

Start how you mean to go on. Focus on what's important.

I'm still here

Last week we were given the opportunity to have a break away in the Coromandel. Suffice to say it was BEAUTIFUL. But unfortunately I damaged my lens (thanks to "someone" dropping it in the sand) and am unable to photograph my food until I get it fixed/replaced. Boo hoo!!! So gutted!
Anyway I got some great photos in before it happened but I'm having some problems with uploading them. Will post these when this glitch is fixed.