I'm quitting!

So, I've recently been diagnosed with GERD. To live with this, one doctor says that I can have a normal diet, but another says I actually need to be really strict with what I eat, as my body is repairing, and to reduce the risk of further damage to my oesophagus, etc. Well, I have not been really strict. Or even a little bit strict.

Because of this, I've realised recently that I am completely addicted to sugar. I would easily (and often) accidentally eat through a whole packet of lollies and an entire box of ice creams... Sometimes within an hour! I've decided that I need to do something about it. And so, I'm going to give up sugar (just for a month!) in the new year.

For me, this "sugar" includes lollies, chocolates, biscuits, cakes, ice cream, and soft drinks - everything that sugar is added to, either physically by me when I cook, or is already part of the main ingredients. I'm not going super hardcore giving up particular fruits, breads and pastas. No way, José! One step at a time, eh?

I know this won't be easy. I am imagining headaches, unbearable cravings, and constant stress! And that's going to happen on Day #1. January is going to be really hard! But I've researched and researched benefits of cutting sugar out of the diet. My body (and life) will benefit from cleaner eating.

Has anyone else given up sugar? Have you remained sugar-free? How hard was it on a scale of 1 to "Just hand over that chocolate bar or I'll punch you in the face!"? Do you have any tips that might help myself and/or others be successful in giving up sugar?

Here's a poem I stumbled upon the other day:

'Twas the week after Christmas, and all through the house,

Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibble, the eggnog I'd taste,

All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales, there arose such a number!

When I walked to the store (less a walk, more a lumber)

I'd remember the marvellous meals I'd prepared,

The gravies and sauces, and beef nicely rared...

The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese,

And the way that I'd never said "No, thank you, please"

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt,

And prepared once again to battle the dirt...

I said to myself, as only I can

"You can't spend the winter dressed like a man!"

So away with the last of the sour cream dip,

Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip.

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished

'Til all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie, not even a lick,

I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or cornbread, or pie.

I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore...

But isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle,

No longer a riot.

Happy New Year to all,

And to all a good diet.

Sadly, the author is unknown! I thought it was brilliant, and my favourite line is the carrot one. It reminded me of this picture I've seen floating around the internet, too:

So... Is anyone else keen to join me

on this quest for better health in January??

JOY to the WORLD!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Late last night (of all nights) I decided to begin constructing a gingerbread house (which wasn't actually a gingerbread house, because it was made of shortbread). After seeing photos of many other gingerbread house creations, I also wanted to make one! But, different.

You may or may not remember, but I wrote about a friend's book launch I went to a few months ago for her book Wonderfully Madison. The launch day coincided with the birth of famous royal birth, Prince George, and I wrote some thoughts regarding royal births.

Thousands of years ago, God had made a promise to this guy called David, that one of his descendants would be king, and his kingdom would rule forever (see 2 Samuel 7:1-13). Christmas is the celebration of Jesus' birth- the beginning of the answer to that promise (see Matthew 1:1-25 or Luke 2:2-21). To me as a Christian, that's a pretty big deal.

This morning at church, I was reminded that Christmas isn't just about remembering Jesus' birth. He grew up into a man (a perfect man), who performed many amazing miracles; who taught his friends what it meant to follow Him; who calmed the wind and waves with his voice; and, who was beaten and killed because of humanity's rebellion against God. He was born king, and he died on the cross as king. And, he rose again, still as king, whose rule is forevermore. Christmas is just part of the incredible story of God's love for us (see the whole Bible).

So, I made this "gingerbread" house,

representing that very first Christmas Day :)

It is simple. It didn't take me that long to complete. I didn't spend hours agonising about where I am going to put all the marshmallows, Smarties, or musk sticks (and trust me, as a perfectionist - it usually does!!!).

It is purposefully simple, because God's love for us is perfectly simple (see John 3:16). And so today I proudly sing:

JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD HAS COME!!

Merry Christmas!! :)

Christmas Eve!

It's Christmas Eve! Which means there's only:

ONE

MORE

SLEEP!

Which also means it's time to share some last-minute Christmas treats and decorations I've made, because after tomorrow, it's too late! Life becomes about New Years Eve plans, and making "resolutions" for 2014. Lights start to come down; Christmas trees are packed away; recycling bins are full and await to be collected...

Anyway, here we go!

CHRISTMAS PUDDING POPS:

Inspired by various looking Christmas pudding-looking cake pops I've seen lately (which aren't actually made with Christmas pudding), I wanted to make some with Christmas pudding!

I used my cake pop tray to mould the Christmas pudding into shapes (which ended up being a waste of time because the chocolate didn't go on as smoothly as I had hoped!)

N.B. Christmas pudding is a lot heavier than chocolate sponge cake!

I used white chocolate ice magic for the 'sauce' part, but had to hold the fondant holly and red M 'n' Ms in place until it was set enough...

The Christmas pudding originated in England, and various 'charms' were often inserted into the mixture, granting particular luck to the one who found them in their serve of pudding. Sadly, these pudding pops don't have coins, rings, thimbles, anchors, or mini wishbones inside them, but really, everyone's a winner when Christmas pudding is served!

FABRIC CHRISTMAS WREATH:

Inspired by a friend's Christmas tinsel-like decoration made the same way, I wanted to make a  fabric Christmas wreath.

I bent and shaped a wire coat hanger to be as round as possible. I had green, red, and white strips of fabric ready to be tied onto the hanger. One by one, I tied them in knots around the wire. Of course, I had a pattern of how the fabric would be tied on (dark green, dark green, light green, light green, red/white), and eventually, eventually, it's finished and you can add a bow or hang a giant bauble in the middle of it with a rubber band, or just leave it as a plain wreath :)

I had also made mini fruit mince pies out of puff pastry and Robertson's Traditional Fruit Mince in a mini cupcake tray... I had put mini puff pastry stars on top of them, too... But, I forgot to take photos of them! I can tell you (unbiasedly, of course) that they were really tasty, especially still warm right out of the oven.

Hope you have a good night's sleep this Christmas Eve!! :)

Dear Santa...

Ah, Santa Claus. The man whom everyone has a different opinion about... Don't worry. I'm not going to write a post about my views on Santa. I'm going to share a creative Santa-based cupcake I have just made!

Much like the pretzel reindeer pops that were inspired by stumbling upon creative and tasty Christmas treats on the internet, I'm sure you've seen these before, too.

SANTA HAT STRAWBERRIES!

Made on chocolate cupcakes, I piped buttercream icing, dipped it in coconut, placed the strawberry on top, and put some more buttercream icing and sprinkled coconut on top. So simple, yet so so tasty!

I love Christmas, I really do. It's an incredibly busy time, but especially this year, I'm so excited about it! I enjoy watching Christmas movies (my favourites probably being Home Alone), buying and wrapping presents, listening to Christmas songs, and seeing my children making plans to get up super early on Christmas morning to make Mum and Dad breakfast in bed... Just kidding, but that would be  really lovely, hey.

Okay, maybe I will write a little something about my views on Santa.

My 10 year old and I have recently chatted about the "idea" of Santa. He is at the age of doubt, repetitive questions, and repetitive questions. This chat, though initiated by him, I think only went as well as it did because I stumbled upon this letter that has been making its way through the internet. When prompted, Ben told me that the idea of Santa was to get kids to behave for their parents or they won't get any presents... Which led to a discussion about what it means to be "good" and "naughty", and about receiving something even though we don't deserve it. We discussed God's love for us, and the greatest gift he gave to us - Jesus! We don't deserve forgiveness or eternal life, but God still gives it to us through the death and resurrection of his only Son.

As I gaze across at our Christmas tree, surrounded by colourfully wrapped presents, I am excited about seeing them be opened soon. There's a certain joy of giving and receiving at Christmas time, and it fills me with delight.

And, alright, I'll admit: I'm also delighted because this is the first year that all three of my children have had their photo taken with Santa without a family member needing to jump in due to tears.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Christmas angels!

Today, I had a spontaneous urge to make (painted!) Christmas crafts to attach to some teacher gifts this year... I felt like making angels, using paint, my children's hands, and wooden pegs (only because I found heaps today while "de-cluttering").

I started with Jonathan. Thankfully, he enjoyed smooshing his hands into paint, which made the process far less painful (and messy) than I originally anticipated.

Though I made it up as I went along (with the "idea" in mind) I needed:

- Wooden pegs

- Sticky dots/tape

- Yellow paint & paper

- Angel faces

- Co-operative children (optional, but definitely helpful).

I started with the painting part (as it could only get easier after that, right?). One hand at a time, I collected  my 3-year-old's handprints:

While they were drying, I stuck the angel faces to the tops of the pegs:

Once the handprints had (mostly) dried, I needed to figure out how I was going to attach them to the pegs... This was idea #1:

With some thought (and more time for the paint to dry completely), I decided to cut around the fingers, so there would be less white. And, instead of attaching the handprint wings at the palm, I thought they looked a bit better joining the thumbs together, which makes idea #2:

The handprints were then taped into place, and the pegs attached (I used sticky dots for that part for extra strength).

Before I started, I'd wanted each of my children to make these for their own teachers. But, looking at the size of Jonathan's handprints against the pegs, I figured that perhaps the others can do something different. Plus, there's so many Christmas crafting ideas on the internet! Footprint Rudolphs, handprint Christmas trees/Santas/elves, fingerprint Christmas lights etc.

Today's craft has certainly gotten me excited about Christmas crafts! Maybe we'll do some more next year.

The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid!

I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people.

A Saviour has been born for you.

He is Christ the Lord!"

Luke 2:10-11

Christmas: The beginning of a wonderful love story :)

Rudolf the pretzel reindeer...

So (as probably everyone else, too), I've stumbled upon many different Christmas style'd cake pops and individual treat ideas all over the internets lately... Santa hats made with cream and strawberries, Christmas tree cupcakes with strawberries (hmm, lots of strawberries), and various reindeer faces, for example.

As there's only a couple of weeks until Christmas (and school), and since I'm feeling like being creative again after being unwell, I thought I'd give something like this a go!  Except, opting for something I didn't have to bake and/or wash up... Because I'm feeling a bit lazy.

Following my sister who recently made some Oreo 'pops', I gently pushed Oreo biscuits onto cake pop sticks with some melted chocolate. I instead used double stuffed Oreos, though, so that I didn't have to squeeze the end of the sticks together with pliers like my sister did... See? Lazy.

Basically, once they were dipped in melted chocolate, I worked out (the hard way) that they set best laying down on some baking paper, not upright in the egg cartons. Faces became quite droopy very quickly that way! It was much easier attaching everything while they were flat.

I ended up also learning that there really wasn't any need to break the pretzels so that they looked more like 'antlers'. I was making a big mess, and it wasn't necessary. Full pretzels fitted perfectly in between the (double stuffed) biscuits of the Oreos. Once everything was on and they had set a bit, I transferred them back to the egg cartons:

Cellophane bags were easy to slip on while they were sitting in the cartons, too. Many discount shops sell them for just a couple of dollars, and they add a nice finished touch:

Overall, these were pretty simple (and quick!) to make. It was a bit tricky trying to balance how many Oreos I could dip before attaching the eyes, noses, and pretzels. It's best to have them all attached while the chocolate is still soft, but, if your chocolate sets quickly, you can still dip the pretzels into some left over chocolate and gently push them in.

These were really fun to make, and the best thing was that there was minimal washing up!

Here's my Jonathan carrying them to play group to hand out to his friends:

It's a great idea for school staff or play group, etc. Perhaps even your child's classmates. If you weren't as lazy as me, you could probably even attach a little reindeer style'd "Merry Christmas" tag, and write from your child (or you!)... Such as these that I designed after they'd all been handed out:

And, if you're going to use an egg carton to transport them, it may look nice if you covered the egg carton in Christmas paper/stickers, or write "Merry Christmas" on the front or something... I would have done that, but, you guessed it - I was lazy ;)

Creative pathology!

In the last couple of weeks, while doctors were working out what was wrong with me, I've had numerous blood tests... I'm pretty If you've ever given blood or had a blood test of your own, you would be accustomed to the procedure:

- Squeeze/contract your fist;

- Have the strappy thing tightened on the top half of your arm;

- {Grit your teeth and look away while} the needle goes in;

- Blood is collected;

- The strappy thing is removed;

- The needle comes out;

- You're told to hold the cotton wool bud on your arm while the doctor or kind blood taking person fetches a bandaid...

Sound familiar??

Well... Not at the hospital I was at! When the time in the taking-of-my-precious-blood came, I was expecting to be told to hold the cotton bud tight on my arm... But I wasn't! I was even already reaching my other arm over, ready for my job, when this happened:

GENIUS! I think everyone who takes blood should do this. The pathologist didn't take the strappy thing all the way off! She just loosened it, and tightened it over the cotton bud while she fetched the bandaid.

Like. A. Boss!

Perhaps it's because she works in a hospital and would take blood however many times each hour (probably with many patients not being able to use their other hands), but what a fantastic idea. She was a bit taken back by my amazement at her method - I didn't need to do anything!

Will you help me spread the word??

Next time you have a blood test - share this idea!

P.S. As I'm not very happy about using the phrase "strappy thing", I researched and found it's proper name: tourniquet. How about that - you learn something new everyday! (unless you already knew that) :)

... Still doesn't help me understand the song by Evanescence, though.

Ohhhhh Deadpool!

Birthdays. The days that come just once a year to celebrate the anniversary of someone's birth. A day of gift giving (or receiving if it's your own), food, cake, laughter, and enjoying the company of the person who's birthday you're celebrating.

It was Husband's birthday this week! As my gift to him, I was finally discharged from hospital for the fourth time in just over a week... Yeah, it's been interesting.

After my last post, I thought it was over. I had no pain, so I was good! My body was fixed! ... Sadly, after a couple of days of my body tricking me into thinking this, the pain, nausea, and vomiting came right back, and I returned to Emergency another 2 times in 3 days. Still without a diagnosis, I came home again and again without an answer... In the meantime, Husband had to cancel his birthday dinner.

During those two days when I thought I was better (and before the celebrations were cancelled), I had managed to organise some things to make Husband feel special. Birthdays mean a lot to him, and as I'd been out of action for 4 days already, I wanted him to be the centre of attention for a moment. To feel appreciated, loved, and important.

Mixing my desire to do/make something special for Husband, some creativity, my desire to remain youthful, and knowledge about Husband (you'd expect to gain a fair bit of info after being married for 10 years), I made PARTY BAGS!

I called them "REUBEN'S 33RD BIRTHDAY - SURVIVAL KIT"

If you're having trouble reading what I put into them (which were red paper bags with printed out/coloured in Deadpool eye mask things) I've added a bigger version, plus a picture... He was very touched that I had put so much effort into it for him. And so he darn well should be! Haha. Just kidding. He was so amazing while I was out of action and in hospital so many times. There's only so much patience a guy can have! As they were slowly handed out individually, it was nice to overhear him tell a couple of friends that "she gets me." <chuffed>

DEADPOOL: Like you really need to ask!
GUITAR: Reuben plays this instrument (among others). If conversation gets awkward, ask him about his band, or to show you his guitar collection.
If that fails, open the GUITAR and you'll find BUBBLES: They will make him laugh watching his dog try to catch them.
SOUR COKE BOTTLES: His fav lolly.
TURKISH DELIGHT: His fav chocolate.
THONG: Reuben loathes thongs, and even calls his wide a bogan whenever she wears them. Beware if you wore thongs tonight. Quickly go and put some ugg boots on! Strangely, they're more acceptable.
MINI POM-POM: Believe it or not, you being here tonight makes Reuben feel a little fuzzy.
DINOSAUR: He's getting old! But hey, so are you! Mwahaha.
BALLOON: In Reuben's fav colour, what's a party without balloons?
ANACONDA: Well... Just 'cos :p

As it turned out, a few days later (with continued symptoms) I was severely dehydrated and admitted into a private hospital, which became my home for the next 3 nights, to be discharged on Husband's actual birthday, finally with a diagnosis of what had been causing the chest pain: "reflux esophagitis"... Reflux! Something that I thought only babies get (though explains why babies scream and cry so much when they vomit - it hurts!)

And, because birthdays need some form of cake (and since I felt bad that his party was cancelled), I took out a cake from the freezer (something that I also made when I felt well in-between hospital visits) when I got home, and attempted to ice it as his favourite Marvel character, Deadpool:

So although the birthday celebrations didn't quite go according to plan this year, I still (along with Deadpool) want to wish my loving husband a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

We're aiming for a non-hospitalised/cancelled birthday next year :)

My achy breaky heart...

Well this week has been somewhat intense! With what started as some nausea and tummy pain Saturday afternoon, moving into vomiting and what was not diagnosed but I suspected later to be heartburn on Sunday; this cycle (of pain, vomiting, doctor's appointments, and heartburn) continued for 3 more days until it became an excruciating combination of nausea and chest pain Wednesday morning, when Husband (who had the foresight to stay home from work 'just incase') decided to "stuff the local blood tests, I'm taking you to hospital! ... Just let me shower first."

With trouble breathing, walking, and talking, mixed with 3 days of not eating, vomiting, and the on-and-off chest pain (which heartburn medication stopped working on), I reached beyond the point where I didn't know how much I could take... An ECG proved my heart was fine, yet the pain kept getting worse, and my life came to an emotional climax right before I was injected with morphine.

Then, it became a bit of a happy blur... Through blood tests, x-rays, vitals, repetitive questions*, and history checks, there was no explanation of why I had such severe pain in my chest. Whilst waiting to see the doctor in hospital, though, when the morphine was quite clearly working, I was already thankful that I could finally take deep breaths properly, and could enjoy decent, pain-free rest (yes, even on a temporary hospital bed with my jacket as a pillow).

* "No, I'm not pregnant" - "No, there's no tingling in my fingers" - "Yes, I'm allergic to cats" - "I would love a prescription for morphine, please"

Husband observed me in pain for days, and concluded that after a certain point of endurance, I move from cranky petulance to full-blown fragility, thinking I was most certainly dying... Of course, I would never say such a thing out loud, and he must have been hearing things.

Today is the first day this week I have woken up without pain. I have my suspicions of what it was, and despite grey hairs at 28, I do know that it was not a heart attack.

My trip to the hospital yesterday also meant I got to bring home souvenirs... I love souvenirs. They're like mini-presents to yourself. Sadly, I did not bring home an answer to what was happening with my body.

Because everyone loves bandaids and ECG tabs, right?

Today, I'm feeling very thankful for many things.

Things like:

A generally healthy body.

It became blatantly obvious that when there is pain in a body, it becomes almost impossible to do 'life' normally... For me, a pain as common as heartburn became quite crippling.

Husband.

He took over many of my roles this week, as well as keeping all of his own with work and various other commitments. He made school lunches, did housework, washed up, brought laundry in, folded it all up, took care of children, shopped, cooked, cleaned, all while I was in bed either resting or hurling into a bucket.

Friends and Family.

My family was in contact everyday to see how I was going. I had friends take children to and from school for me, and who cared for them each afternoon while I was unwell and on the days Husband was at work.

My children.
They were also pretty great through the whole ordeal. They brought me drinks, buckets, wrote me "get well soon" cards, and generally looked after themselves when they knew I couldn't get out of bed.

Access to medical care.

We have good doctors very close by, and a hospital only 15-20 minutes away. The hospital staff were great, I was seen to promptly (could have been because I stumbled in thinking I was dying), and through excruciating pain, they helped and supported me as they attempted to work out what was wrong. And, did I mention that they gave me morphine?

Life.

I am thankful that I am still alive (yes, I know it wasn't a heart attack!). I am thankful for my faith in God, who is sovereign, gracious and loving, and for the opportunity to really appreciate all of these things that I frequently take for granted.

I am calling today "Thankful Thursday."

Baby, baby, baby, OH!

Babies... They are everywhere at the moment! Is it the weather? Is there something in the water??

I like babies. Not in the same way that I like chocolate and coffee, but the first few months of a baby's life is my favourite age... I think I'd have them all the time if they didn't grow up and turn into children.

Husband also likes babies, but can't eat a whole one...

In my three pregnancies, I've had just one baby shower, which was a surprise one organised by various ladies of the church we were at at the time... I didn't, and still don't like being the centre of attention, but baby showers are a lovely way to celebrate an upcoming birth, play fun games like guessing what the name of a baby pigeon is, and to give cute and/or necessary items to the mother-to-be, especially if it is their first, and they don't already have everything you could possibly need for a new baby, plus a thousand extra things you don't.

Recently, I've been involved in the dessert-making for two baby showers. Duck cupcakes last weekend, and this weekend: a pregnant belly cake. I've seen these cakes frequently, and occasionally wondered what it would be like to make one... * This is my story.

* Imagine the Law & Order bells.

A friend was given the job of organising the cake for his sister's baby shower. Knowing (somehow - was it photos on Facebook, maybe?) that I make cakes for fun, he asked with brilliant confidence in my abilities, if I was able to make this cake:

I remarked to him that the baby trapped inside the cake was in breech position, and they'd have to cut the belly open to get it out. How many men know what a baby in breech position is? One more now.

I finally accepted the challenge, and the time quickly came around to make it. Everything was baked and ready. Caramel mud: a new specialty. I had plenty of icing, plenty of fondant, and plenty of cake. I'd covered it all with buttercream icing, lay the white fondant on top, and began smoothing it out...

Everything appeared to be going well, until

Oh my GOSH the baby foot!!

In the space of about 10 seconds, my mind did this:

"Craaaaaaaaaap! The baby foot! How did I need to make it again? What colour fondant should I use? Does it matter? Wait, could it work with the baby foot on top of the dress? No. That wouldn't work. Don't be ridiculous! The baby's foot has to come out from within. This isn't the exorcist, Nat! Okay, focus. What colour? Quick! Just do it - the cake is covered! Okay, jelly bean shape. Good. Are the toes too big? Do I care? Yes. I really, really do. It's gotta be realistic. Even though baby's feet don't realistically poke out of a belly like that... Except in exorcist movies. Maybe I'll make the toes smaller. How many toes do babies have? Will the fondant peel back okay? Will I have to make the entire thing again? Is it too late to call and cancel the cake!? Does my hair look okay!!?"

Meanwhile, I had made and attached a foot. With a bit of smoothing out, you (hopefully) couldn't tell that I had almost completely forgotten to add the main part of the cake that people's attention is drawn to!

A bow, a flower, stripes, and royal icing later, and before I knew- it was done. The cake, even for just a moment, appeared blemish free! ... <sigh> If only post-baby bodies were smoothed over and fixed so easily in real life...

Still, I was happy with it.

As per usual, though, when it was picked up, despite expressions of gratitude and wonder from the recipients, I become anxious...

Did it look the way they expected? Will they notice the blemishes? Will it taste alright? Will it feed enough people? Should I have done it differently? Do I really have to clean up now? Is anyone going to eat that block of chocolate? Should I have not had that 4th coffee!? Why do babies have to grow up!!?

Once I move on from that (and I always do: it's a predictable cycle, apparently), I remember the good parts. I tell myself that it wasn't all that bad, and even hint to my husband (who sees me occasionally break down in tears when fears of cake-making inadequacy take over my life) that I actually enjoyed making it, and would happily do it again.

I guess it's not all dissimilar to having a baby...

We're made to forget the pain for a reason, right? Right!?

20 little ducks went out one day...

To me, ducks have always been cute. I remember whenever (even as an adult) we'd go to the farmyard section at the Easter show, I'd spend as long as possible watching the ducklings. With their cute little waddling tails, and their tiny duckling sized slippery dip that they waddle up and slide down... Aaaaaww!

We are lucky to live in a suburb that is home to many ducks, and I never fail to point them out to my children, who seem equally as excited to see them on the side of the road, or by the pond, or right outside our window, resting under the tree.

Earlier this year, Husband and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in Disney World, Florida. During lunch on one of our days there, we watched a little duck family go for a swim in our resort pool, which was one of the cutest things that I remember from our holiday:

Last weekend, I had the special privilege of making surprise baby shower cupcakes for a friend's baby shower. As the gender of the baby was unknown, the colour/theme of the baby shower was yellow, and ducks!

Once my friend showed me a photo of the type of cupcakes she wanted for the day (they were for her sister- also a friend), I started preparing. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to make ducks out of fondant, so I relied on YouTube to help me out (my imaginary career really would suffer if it weren't for YouTube and Google)!

I searched 'how to make a fondant duck' and found this tutorial. It was great! I didn't need to sift through any more videos, because that one was perfect. I got to work making them, and was honestly quite surprised with how easy it was.

Once their bodies were made, I added their tiny beaks, feet, and eyes. Some were made to look like their bums were stuck up in the air, too - so cute!

After wondering whether or not I should, I ended up making some wings for them all, too:

I placed them all ever so gently on top of the cupcakes, which were piped with buttercream icing:

Then the bubbles became the next concern... Once the ducks were made and on their cupcakes, I mixed up some royal icing, and added a little bit of blue, and piped 'bubbles' all the way around the ducks. They weren't perfect, but you get the idea:

And then they were finished!

How's this for Sydney weather- the cupcakes were delivered on a 40 degree Saturday, ready for the baby shower the following day... When it was a maximum of 20 degrees, and raining! Perfect duck weather :)

Lastly, the set up at the baby shower, with a big mummy duck on top: