Hello at last and goodbye for now

Oops, kind of left you in the lurch there! It's been a busy two weeks with work (chattys and sewing) and school (the end of term school play for Little Guy) plus the kids were both sick for two days each. Not the same two days so I was tied up with that. They are both better now.

Chatty Cafe has been really keeping me busy along with the other students I teach outside of the cafe system. To minimize prep time I have been working on developing a 'workhorse' recipe for cake that can be whipped up easily, using readily available ingredients AND that is easily adaptable to other flavours. So far it's been a success. It started as a cinnamon tea cake (the original recipe from Australian Women's Weekly). This is a plain cake topped with melted butter and cinnamon while it is still hot. Next I doubled the recipe and made it Vanilla Cake with Almond Topping. That was very tasty but I wasn't a fan of the almond mess with each bite. Today's cake was really really delicious but a little dry as I tried skimping on butter. It's a Lemon Walnut cake, a really divine combination. Once I nail the recipe I will share it, maybe you'd like to test-bake it? I think it will work well as a chocolate cake, that's my next plan.

Now to the serious news, I am not going to be blogging here for a while. I feel the time has come to step up my game again and present a more cohesive image, branded under the name Mee a Bee. I've polished up my other site and for the time-being at least I am blogging over there. It's very hard blogging in two places as I have been attempting to do on Mee a Bee for the past year. I ended up scrapping the whole blog and starting again this month there. You might think it's a bit more professional and while I try to build up a few good posts it's not so personal in nature. I love being able to mind dump here (and thanks for listening) but I need my business to really soar.

I do hope at least some of my new posts are of interest to you - it's still me and my thoughts, just within a tighter framework to keep it relevant (to kids, parenting, family life). PLEASE come over and comment! And, I am seeking contributors! Under the Now Hiring tab.

Other big things, for me, I am finally getting some Chatty Cafe how-to notes on paper. I might actually have enough ideas for a little booklet. Our Chatty Cafe five year anniversary is this coming April! So ... I know there has been some interest in the Chatty Cafe Manual, I have one person on board ready to review it, anyone else up for it? It might motivate me to type it all up properly!

Lastly, two nights ago, Mr. Mee a Bee told me that we will not be able to afford any trips back to New Zealand, or anywhere else for that matter, for the next six to seven years. He may have been exaggerating but we are hoping Noodle gets a placement in a private school next year. Our travel fund is now our education fund. Unless! I save up myself. CAN I DO IT? Yes I CAN! Wish me luck. I'd love your continued support, but if we don't meet again for a while, thank you, thank you, thank you! I have loved every minute as Blooming in Japan. I'll still be blooming and once it's all up and running properly I'll probably be back here with more boring photos of my kids :) and wingeing about them not eating their dinner.

Please visit me at meeabee.com

Jacqui xxx

Of course I am on Facebook, look for my name rather than the Mee a Bee page if you'd like to stay in touch with me personally, I'd be honored. I might finally get to meet all of you lurkers!!!