Rosie the Riveter

Surprisingly, I haven't been making many cakes recently. 

Only two in October, and one of which an order. So I guess it's fair to say I'm craving cake. 

The first cake was a repeat that could be appreciated so many times over. 

A pumpkin, chocolate, cream cheese cake, which ganache. 

Always delicious in my book and as expected it disappeared rather quickly.

The second cake was an affair. I always feel fondant makes for a grand affair. 

In reality kneading fondant is the main chore, giving one carpel tunnel, 

all the while worrying about the finished cake.

Fondant cakes are something that is meant to look a certain way, while icing is so versatile...

Each is different and has its applications.  Here, fondant was the obvious choice. 

I was given no instruction other than to make a Rosie the Riveter cake,

so I took the liberty of using a sort of comic book style and I'm quite pleased with the results. 

As always, I hope it tasted good!

Colder days mean more time for the kitchen, so hold on tummy, I'll fill you up!

Colder days mean different types of projects: 

Tidying up, organizing, sorting, preparing, dreaming, planning, reading, 

while wearing long-johns and wooly, downy, furry everything. 

Having animals and still having high standards of cleanliness inside our home has meant 

a rather bothersome amount of cleaning, very regularly. 

It has also brought me to consider what I'm using to clean. Obviously it has to work.

I like soap, rags, and water, but what I needed was a germ-ridding spray. 

I mixed a cup of vinegar with a cup of water, added and stirred until I dissolved  

a 1/2 cup of borax, and added about 15 drops of tea tree oil.

So in one spray bottle there's cleaning, deodorizing and disinfecting all in one. 

Interestingly, it leaves almost no sign of a vinegar or tea tree scent, 

just freshness, which is good because we don't ultimately care for either!  

Don't those flowers just make you want them to last? As an oil, perhaps?

On the subject of essential oils, I'm quite interested in distilling some of my own. 

It's totally okay if you want to, 

but I'm not into spraying them around my house or diffusing them, 

since for me it not only makes the air feel heavy and thick 

(and unclean like the air needs serious degreasing), 

but becomes a lingering smell refusing to vanish despite fresh air... 

but rather to use them for homemade natural cleaning and cosmetics.

I think lavender, calendula and rose could be places to start. 

But this falls under the above category of dreaming... 

Speaking of dreaming, I think this little one might be!

Snuggle time with mama in the sun. 

oh so cute