Destinations that are Top of my List: BEDAOutmumbered

I have a few places I really want to visit and they are of course listed in my bucket list too. First of all I really want to visit the Harry Potter Studios. It's very possible this will happen for me this October as a birthday treat with my Mum who is also a lover of Harry Potter and my daughter who may or may not be interested in the geeking out that's sure to happen.

The London Eye is another place I want to visit despite my slight fear of heights. I've climbed Snowdon, I'm pretty confident I can do most things now to be honest! It would just be so amazing to see that fantastic view. I'd like to do a whole bunch of things just hubby and I.

There are several castles I want to visit because of my Tudor interests:
St.Mawes and Pendennis
Hatfield Castle (Elizabeth 1st)
Hever Castle (Anne Bolyn's childhood home) there will be many more though, England is home to some amazing castles.

I want to visit the Titanic Museum because it just fascinates me and I want to go to Buckingham palace even just to have my photo taken at the gates, I don't care! I love our royal family.

Finally I want to return to my childhood home to see how things have changed. I want to see Westonburt, where I grew up and Tetbury, the town I lived closest to and also the town I went to school in. Hopefully a certain friend will be able to help with this one next year!

Notebook Review from Viking

Recently, Viking contacted me about reviewing one of their notebooks from their very wide variety on offer on line. As you should know by now I'm a huge stationery fan and never turn down a notebook (or letter writing kits, or stickers, or pens or...okay I'm a total stationery geek) so I was only too pleased to have a browse online and see if anything jumped out at me.

I really wanted to go for a different look. Viking has a great variety of notebooks on offer from hardbacks, to firm but flexible notebooks, to lined and not lined, coloured or themed they have it all. I wanted to break away from my usual pink and pretty type notebook and finally, after a fair while, I found one that I really liked:




I'm not a coffee drinker at all but it does remind me of my love for sitting in a coffee shop with my favourite hot chocolate and orange syrup.

The notebook arrived in great time and is of a really good quality. The covers are firm but flexible, as it's a A5 size it fits just nicely into my handbag which is important for me and my coffee shop stops! It's lined which is always top of my list and the design is really just lovely.


Inside the notebook you have a long piece of ribbon to mark your place, so handy and another thing I always look for when purchasing a new notebook. You also have a place at the front of the book to write down your details incase you leave it behind in said coffee shop as I have done before...


So, if you haven't checked out Viking before then I really do recommend them for their great customer service, speedy delivery, wide choice of notebooks and other stationery and of course, the quality of their product.

Cupcake Mumma

Let's Talk About Depression

I've woken up this morning feeling slightly cross. I'm in agony with my back, my children are screaming and then I log on to the internet and read about the press and their usual spiteful, uneducated, dangerous and disrespectful reporting into the death of Robin Williams. So I want to write about depression. I want to tell you how depression makes me feel. I want to educate those who can not get their heads around why someone would feel so worthless, so pathetic, so utterly alone and helpless that they'd want to leave their life behind no matter how 'amazing,' and how 'perfect,' it appeared to be.

Depression, something that I've suffered from since my early teenage years, without knowing, without labelling myself with it, is a disease. Like any physical illness depression spreads through the mind, the body until life feels impossible. Depression:

Great Bloggers Bake Off 2014: Cherry Cake (Free From)

The Great British Bake Off is back! That means The Great Bloggers Bake Off is back too! Hurrah! This week the challenge was very simply, cake. Mini cakes, cherry cake and um cake.

I went for a cherry cake. Not a Mary Berry cherry cake just a big standard cherry cake with some butter icing. Yum yum. Just like last year all bakes are Gluten free, Dairy free and Wheat free.

I simply took a normal recipe for a Madeira cake and bunged in 200g of glacĂ© cherries. I baked until golden brown and clear when tested with a butter knife at 180 and left the cake to cool. I mixed up a whole box of icing sugar with vitilite butter, added pink food colouring and refrigerated until I needed it. The pesky cake must have still been a little hot despite having over an hour to cool because I noticed my icing sliding a bit. Oh well!









I decorated with fresh cherries and voila, a free from cherry cake! I'm very pleased with my first bake it tastes good but is a bit too heavy, I'd prefer it a lot more softer but it's not too bad. The cherries didn't all sink either so that's a win!


Are you watching the Bake Off? Why not get your bake on too?

Cupcake Mumma

#BEDA Day 6 My Best Friends

I have several best friends who mean a hell of a lot to me. The first, K, I have been friends with since 2007 when I posted on a parenting site asking for advice. After that initial open chat on the forums we started e- mailing, then texting and then letter writing. It's now 7 years on and we still do all of those things regularly.
The sad thing is that we live so far from each other. I'm in Cornwall and she's near Cambridge. It's a long way to travel and expensive for both of us but we have met. Last year I visited family and we had the best time meeting each other. We both have two children the same age, just a few months a part each. She knows everything about my life and is the least judgmental of anyone I've ever met. The only reason I haven't fully named her is because she doesn't know I'm writing this! She'll know who she is though and I love her loads.

There's little introduction needed for my sidekick and other best friend Kat. Another online friendship that has just happened and blossomed. Kat and I first met when we were to climb Mount Snowdon in 2013 with team honk. I'm so glad we clicked, otherwise we'd be travelling to wales, just the two of us, in Kat's car and then bunking up together. Awkward if you don't get along but we had no such troubles!

We've held each other's hands virtually since that day and know everything there is to know about each other and our families. I get along wonderfully with her boys and we've stayed at each other's houses a fair few times (2 days until she visits with the crew!!)
I love both her and her boys a lot and have a soft spot for her little Chaos despite his erm, livlyness (I don't think Kat would use that word I'm sure ;) I plan to be the supplier of prettiness and cupcakes to her fourth and first (and final!) little one- a baby girl!


















So Kat and K, I love you both very much!

Cupcake Mumma


Little A's Dream Bedroom

I came across Little Stuff's blog and discovered a competition I'd thought I'd enter. All you have to do is go virtual shopping for either your dream lounge or a dream bedroom and show off your finds in a blog post. So, as I love a good browse I thought I'd go hunting and list my ideas for Little A's dream bedroom. Midges only needs a lick of paint and a little TLC but A's is stuck in a boring rut.

So, with all the images linked to their original site, I give you Little A's dream room!

I love this bed and I know Little A would too. He's still in a cot bed because he loves it so much but it's time he moved on to a big boy bed! We do have one on stand by but it won't last him long so to go up to a single bed straight away would be ideal. The football theme is ideal for A and his love of his footie (like his father!) I think we wouldn't have too much trouble at bedtime with this fab bed.

Football Rug

I'd buy a few of these rugs and place them in the middle of his room. He'd really love them and they'd make a great finishing touch.




I love these reversible duvet covers and I love buying bright colours. I wouldn't want to over power his room with football related items so I think it would be a lovely way to break it all up a bit.

A great kawaii like cloud cushion for his bed. The cloud fits the bedding perfectly and I love a funky cushion to finish off beds and sofas in the house.

Spiderman Lined Curtains - W66 x L54 in


These curtains are certainly no match for the room theme but it's important to have dark curtains in a little ones bedroom and he adores spider man. Failing this, I'd go for a plain dark blue curtain but I couldn't find that online this morning.


Storage Library

I love this shelving unit! There's a bit of colour, it's perfect for all of A's books and you can even store extras on the side.

Kansas 6 Drawer Chest

I prefer my children having chest of drawers rather than wardrobes. They both get messed up in my experience so it's not that they can look after their clothes better it's just they take up less room. These drawers are lovely and simple, his teddies can still sit on top and it's far better than the plastic rubbish he has in his room currently!

So, with some paint and touching up, his room would really be the ideal room. Its fun, its got several of his likes in there and there would still be plenty of room for him to pull his Lego and toys out, both of which could be stored under his bed and hidden! Ideal for a growing boy who hates to tidy up!


#BEDA A Special Memory

I always think it's really hard to narrow down all those memories you've kept to just one special one. I, like many people, have a lot of fantastic memories. Climbing Snowdon, doing the race for life with midge, my first beautiful dog who was my best friend and so many hilarious school memories.

Having my children is definitely near the top. Mainly the holding them close afterwards, the relief, the joy. With my son I got to catch him under the water and cuddle him quickly. That's incredibly special to me.

My really special memory though is marrying my soul mate. Walking up the aisle to greet him, exchanging vows, walking away as husband and wife. Our whole family gathered in happiness for us. Midge was a bridesmaid and Little A was toddling around in his suit. It meant everything to be blessed as a family. The party afterwards was wonderful and everyone had pulled together to help us make our day wonderful.




We married in a beautiful church and celebrated it opposite the sea in the hotel we had our first night away in as 19 year old first time parents. That sounds nuts. Our room was beautiful and we stayed there for two nights. I remember after everyone had gone to bed I stood looking out at the beautiful view with my new husband. I hadn't shed a year all day and then all of a sudden the happiness overwhelmed me and my husband took me in his arms for one of his wonderfully protecting, comforting hugs.


It's quite apt that I should write this. In 2 weeks we celebrate 2 years of marriage. I'm very lucky to have my Husband and our wedding day is definitely the most special memory etched into my mind.



Cupcake Mumma

#Dicraftswap Book Swap!

Julys theme for the Dainty and Ivory craft swap with Hannah was books! I love books. Novels, notepads, notebooks all kinds of books! My partner was Claire who took a lot of time and effort in thinking of the perfect swap gift for me. Here's all the beautiful goodies together:


I was sent this lovely notebook which has been hand decorated by Claire. Inside I can record all the books I read and leave some notes about them. I love this idea. Inside I had some pink note pages with envelopes to add to my collection.


Claire remembered I loved anything to do with the Second World War and sent me these reproduced items. A numbered ticket, junior ration booklet and Identity card.


I was sent this very sweet mouse which will be re homed with little trouble! She's so cute!


Here's what I sent to my partner:



I took the book swap quite literally and sent my partner a book I had finished reading. I like to pass books around and hopefully this one will be read and enjoyed. I made the cards myself, added a gratitude angel which I am loving making at the moment. I thought I'd a little vintage mirror with nail files for something special and some toffees, well, just because! I loved the woodland embellishments and felt they fitted the theme really well. I'm so pleased with both what I sent and what I received this month just like I have been since this project started! 

This month I'll be blogging about the Disney swap which has caused me no end of trouble! Buying was fine, making has been different!

Cupcake Mumma

Portsmouth Fun!

Last week I went on holiday with Midge to a family wedding in Cambridge. In order to get to Cambridge we stayed with my cousins in Portsmouth which turned out to be a lovely addition to an already fabulous weekend.

After we had had the wedding (which was beautiful) we decided to end mine and Midges stay with a lovely family day out. My cousins thought midge and I would enjoy a day out at Canoe Lake Splash Park which is also very close to the beach so there was a nice view!

The children got to put on their swim suits and play about in the fair sized play area which let's off water from water sprinklers. Some of the water went high up in the air and other sprinklers let off water in arches. It was lovely to see the children running around, darting about over the hills and under the water arches.

There's plenty of grass to sit down on, we placed ourselves under one of many trees to grab some shade. Plenty of others had the same idea with their toddlers sound asleep on blankets.

My older cousins enjoyed a zip wire and next to the park was a large play park with slides, climbing frames and swings. We didn't go in here but as your standard play parks go you know children are going to enjoy it, we were there for the water fun!


Everyone enjoyed an ice cream from the local cafe and I also had a small pot of very tasty chips whilst my cousin had a coffee. The main reason we both purchased the latter was because our children needed the loo (at different times) and these appeared to be the only ones accessible to us. The public loos looked like they were closed off a long time ago! Being the cafe toilets they like them to be used by customers only so  we purchased our items and the children got to use the loo at the same time. A little inconvenient but obviously the public ones were closed for a reason (much like the ones down where I live which were just trashed.)





So, if you're in Portsmouth this summer and fancy a super cheap (or even free with a picnic and no loo stops!) I'd recommend taking the children to the large parks at Canoe Lake Splash Park.

Cupcake Mumma

#BEDA Ten Years From Now

I'm going to go with a list post for today's prompt by Outmumbered. Enjoy!

In 10 Years...


  • I *might* have another little one. Hubby wants to wait until A is a little older and that's fine by me. At the age of three he still loves his cot bed, has just started potty training and still gets tired out walking! I'm happy to wait but I'm sure we'll have a third by ten years!

  • Hopefully I'll be qualified in something. What that is I just don't know yet.

  • I'd like to still be living in the same house. There's plenty of room for us all, the garden is a lovely size and we're happy. As with any rental property you're always a little anxious but I'm hoping the family won't want to make any decisions on this house. I've often thought about moving more towards Cambridge way to be nearer family but renting is hard enough to go through in your own county let alone with housing benefits and another county completely!

  • I hope we'll have chosen a really good secondary school for Midge to move up to. It's a big fear of mine because of my school years and the bullying I suffered.

  • I hope Hubby is in a better job and one he's happier in. I' d also like to think he'd have passed his driving test and be driving a car!

  • In ten years I hope we'd have explored a bit more the UK and complete some of the many attractions on my bucket list!


Where do you hope to be in ten years time?




 Cupcake Mumma

#BEDA Favourite Quote

I have a few quotes I like to keep in my head and remind myself of from time to time.

My most important one is and always will be:

"If you've nothing nice to say, then don't say anything at all."

Nothing comes close to this quote for me. Words hurt. They really can take a wounded person and completely destroy them. Have I ever said hurtful things? Of course I have and I remember them with sadness that I could be so cruel. Swearing at my mother as a child, wishing someone dead in my teens, the bile I told myself as an insecure teenager, words that came out to hurt a girl at school who I had a long standing feud with..I'm not proud of a single one if those moments but they live with me with this quote because being nice costs nothing, and if you can't be nice, friendly, kind then just walk away.

"Let go of what is not yours graciously"

This is important to me because the quote really speaks to me when I miss people in my life that are just not there anymore. Mostly they are friends that I felt very close to and they have moved on with their friendships or entered relationships. They have chosen to move on and missing them hurts but they're not mine, they are their own person with their new circles and I have to accept that. I'm reminded to do it graciously because that stops your sadness turning to bitterness which is easy to do when you care very much for people and will probably never see them again.

outmumbered

Cupcake Mumma

Blog Everyday in August: All About Me!

So, once again I am having a go at a bit of blogging everyday. I feel a lot better about this one hosted by the lovely Outmumbered. The prompts don't bore me, they're not asking too much and I think I'm more than capable of fulfilling the challenge which I've not done for a while!
I barely got a chance to breathe yesterday so blogging was out of the question! I therefore have combined days 1 and 2 which actually work out really well as the prompts are:

An introduction and a recent photo
20 Facts about yourself.

So, if you've never been here before (you're missing out ;) I'm Hannah and I've been running Cupcake Mumma for nearly 3 years as a hobby which I love. I have a lovely husband and 2 little ones who feature regularly and will do until they say otherwise! I like to read, write and am a bit of a collector of all sorts. I'm a total memory magpie so if you invite me to an event, chances are i'll waltz off with something to remember it all by.

Here's the most recent photo I have of me at my cousins wedding with my Midge:



































Now for 20 Facts about me:

1) My favourite time of year is Autumn
2) I was born in October
3) I always celebrate Halloween bigger than any other celebration
4) I'm a big collector of postcards
5) And Care Bears
6) I have one pair of matching underwear *sob*
7) I love hamsters
8) I love snail mailing, craft and gift swaps
9) My favourite colour is pink
10) I love a man with a hairy chest yum yum!
11) I'm intolerant to wheat, gluten and milk
12) I love reading Tudor history
13) I will die happy after I visit the Harry Potter studio tour
14) I was raised by wolves..just making sure you're still with me...
15) Peaches are my favourite fruit
16) I live in Cornwall
17) The Killers are my favourite band
18) I hate being too cold or too hot
19) I love hot chocolate and continue to drink it through a hot summer
20) I'm an introvert and happy!

I'd love for you to link up your blogs in the comments to make sure I definitely see your posts if you're also joining in. If you click the badge below you'll be able to find out more and join in yourselves!




Cupcake Mumma