Melting Snowmen Christmas Cake…

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So, it’s Christmas again…and the challenge of decorating the cake came around…
Private Photo (Do Not Use)
We have a tradition in our family, where Dad makes the cake with the help of the children. See above for 2001 photograph, many years ago, now it’s pretty much Caitlin who helps (she’s the baby in this one!) 
After the cake is made, it’s left to me to marzipan and decorate. Up until a few years ago the cake was always roughly marzipaned and then slathered with stiff, peaky royal icing and then I plonked a couple of Christmas cake winter ornaments on top and that was it! We were happy, but a couple of years ago I was inspired by Kirsty Allsopp and used her idea of polar bears on the cake. 
Not knowing if I could duplicate the said polar bears, I disappeared into the kitchen on my own and created… it worked! See here for the result! 
Last year I made Penguins…
Ever since I have cordoned of the kitchen during the decorating process and banned anyone from seeing anything until it’s finished.
It’s even turned into a competition to see if anyone can guess what I might do each year!
This year it was melted snowmen…inspired by trulycustomcakery cake’s Pinterest pic of melting snowmen cookies, and I decided to use her marshmallow technique to put them on top of my Christmas cake! 
Photo by Lisa Shambrook (Please do not use without crediting)
The cake was covered in marzipan and iced with fondant icing, then I put a layer of stiff royal icing to make snow. I added more water to the royal icing to make three icing snowman puddles on top, which I loved as it ran down the sides of the cake! 
Then came the marshmallows…that was the experimental bit…
Place a marshmallow on a piece of silicone or greaseproof paper and place it in the mircrowave. The instructions are not to walk away and watch at all times, as it swells (puffs up) take it out…somewhere between 8 and 15 seconds. Do not let it double it’s size or it’ll just be a gooey puddle. 
Taking them off the paper wasn’t easy either. The original poster recommended covered your fingers with grease to take them off. I covered a palette knife with oil and tried, I did get sticky and I did use way more than three marshmallows, have plenty spare! 
Then I made chocolate fondant arms, orange fondant noses and black fondant eyes, and obviously sugar silver balls became buttons…and there you have it a melting snowmen Christmas cake! 
Photo by Lisa Shambrook (Please do not use without crediting)
How do you decorate yours?

55 Words #39: The Omen

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Every eye watched her, and he knew she knew it.
Nerves jangled as he eyed the ring, surreptitiously slipped around the tip of the cue.
She wriggled her backside, grabbed the cue and aimed. She never noticed the sparkler spin off and fly across the room as she took the shot that broke his heart.

(55 Words)

Written for 55 Word Challenge. Choose a picture and write a story in no more than 55 words… see here for other great entries!

PS. Here’s a link to my 13-year-old’s go at this week’s 55 Words: Secret Hero.

Bad Santa Blog Hop: Red vs Green

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This is written for Sweet Banana Ink’s Bad Santa Blog Hop 2012, and I should probably be honest and say I’ve found it very hard to sully Santa…but here goes!

Red vs Green

It was Rudolf who blew the whistle, and Old Nick’s face was one of sheer inglorious humiliation. Dasher snorted and Dancer turned away.
“You got the wrong man!” Santa blustered, desperation turning his face as scarlet as his suit.
The elves shook their heads and tightened their grip on the old man as he tried to dig the heels of his famous black boots deep into the frigid ground.
He began to weep as they dragged him, his tears freezing as they dripped from his white beard.  “Prancer! You tell them, we can work this out!”
The reindeer huffed and jingled the bells hung around her neck. Nick tried again, “Tell them Prancer, Vixen? Any of you? I’m innocent!”
His reindeer stood in silence, their eyes gazing down at the snow, until Comet nuzzled Cupid. Sadness glazed Cupid’s dark eyes and a tear slipped down her face. Nick tried to catch Cupid’s eyes as he was dragged unceremoniously past, but the little reindeer turned her back.
“Donner! Blitzen! You know me!” Santa cried, “We can come to an arrangement!”
Donner faltered, but Rudolph pulled rank and Donner stayed put, avoiding the old man’s gaze. Blitzen stood coldly and stared right into Nick’s eyes, and the old man shivered.
When Mrs Claus arrived she was pale, and not just because it was a cold night. She was flanked by several elves and she pulled her fur coat tight around her ample body. Nick bit his lip and her eyes froze him to his core.
“I always knew something was wrong…but I was never able to put my finger on it…” she began with pursed lips and folded arms, “It was when you gained all that weight, and grew a much bushier beard. You blamed it on excess mince pies and all those glasses of milk! Milk!” She shook her head. “Oh boy, was I foolish? You’ve been creaming off the profits ever since!”
“Darling!” Santa protested, “You don’t know what you’re saying!”
“I think I do, and I even found this!”   She pulled a moth-eaten coat from beneath her own fur and waved it in front of her. “It’s green!”
Nick balked. “And that’s what you’re judging me on?”
“It’s what you used to wear!” she hissed. “I thought you changed it because you wanted something new not because you were sponsored!”
“It was old…”
“So are you, so you should know better, you’re an icon, or you’re supposed to be!” She narrowed her eyes and hugged the old evergreen cape to her chest, burying her face into its soft, fur collar. “You’re supposed to be impartial…charitable…”
“You have no proof!” Nick lifted his fist.
“That’s just where you’re wrong…” she said in triumph pulling out her brand new smart phone. “Take a look at this!”
You Tube filled the screen and a jolly, red-faced Nick stared back at them holding a red and white can.
“You went corporate!” she spat.

(495 Words)

Five Sentence Fiction: Devotion

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Photograph by Lisa Shambrook (Please do not use without permission)

A pale, yellow moon rose over the mountain crags and their necks entwined as they basked in buttermilk moonlight. Her wings shone, sparkling iridescent, as she nuzzled her mate, and he nipped playfully as he stretched his turquoise wings. They soared beneath the blanket of night, spiralling down to the outcrop and landing at the mouth of their cave.
Deep within the rocks, deep inside, safely ensconced amongst jewels and a nest of gems, rested their treasure.
Rays of pale moonlight swam through the cavern and Gwawr’s lavender mist filled the hollow; as her smoke cleared, Dynevor blew a fierce, golden flame at his companion’s feet and warmed their cherished, marbled egg.

Written for the wonderful Lilliemcferrin’s Five Sentence Fiction 
See more great entries here:

The Next Big Thing: Beneath the Old Oak

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I was recently nominated to take part in The Next Big Thing by the lovely Donna McNicol, where we let you in on all the info about one of our works in progress…I chose my NaNo novel:
Photograph by Lisa Shambrook (please do not use without permission)
What is the title of your Work in Progress?
Beneath the Old Oak
Where did the idea come from for the book?
When I first met my husband I read my future mother-in-law’s poetry and really enjoyed her writing, ‘The Death of a Tree’ was my favourite. Years later, a seed (or acorn) of an idea crept in and I had to run with it, and with her permission I’ll add the poem to the back of the book. 
It’s about the life cycle of an old oak…and piqued my interest when I thought about all an oak will have experienced in its life…
What genre does your book fall under?
YA, the accompanying story covers some graphic and heartrending times for fourteen-year-old Meg.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Meg would be played by a young Emma Watson, someone who could convey holding the weight of the world on her shoulders, and her mother would be an actress like Emily Blunt or Anna Friel who could portray a complete breakdown.
What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book? (Okay, I used four sentences…)
Meg’s mother is anxious, depressed and neglectful. Meg thinks her mum is broken and wonders if she’ll be next, or is she already broken too? Meg wants to escape, but her mum beats her to it. Solace is found in a huge, old oak tree and Meg begins to learn to grow…
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Right now I’m planning to self-publish as it’s a sister book to my earlier book ‘Beneath the Rainbow’ already out on Kindle.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
This story was put on the back burner, but when I joined NaNoWriMo I knew it was the one I’d write. All the backbone was there, the story just needed fleshing out and writing, so the majority of its first draft was written in 30 days for NaNo… There’s still about 10K left to write (to add to my NaNo 50K), and I’m taking my time with the ending.
What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
Not really sure right now, my reading is so eclectic I don’t know anything out there the same. Meg’s story is heart rending and fits well into YA.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The poem inspired the oak tree and I inspired the rest, to explain…I suffer anxiety and depression and have been through much of the experiences in the novel…I write what I know. (Though the novel is fiction)
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
How would you feel if you leaned against a huge, ancient, old tree and it spoke to you? Not with a voice, but with emotions and imagery…your hands tingle and prickle, and your mind floods with emotions so great you are overwhelmed. You are privileged to experience fragments of the old oak’s history…  

Photograph by Lisa Shambrook (please do not use without permission)

I’m now supposed to nominate five further nominees for: The Next Big Thing…I’d love to know more from these wonderful writers:
Stacy: A Jar of Fireflies
Elisabeth: 40 Something Undomesticated Devil
Ruth: Bullishink
Mark: My Souls Tears
Meg: Darcy to Dionysus
There are so many more I’d like to nominate but many have already been nominated…so nominate yourself with my permission if I haven’t tagged you!

Five Sentence Fiction: Time

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Photograph  by Lisa Shambrook (please do not use without permission)
Her mum had been missing for three excruciating days and though the police report had been filed and a search coordinated, her mother did not want to be found.
She stared at her dad, slumped at his computer, and spoke softly, “Dad?” her words no more than a whisper but with filled with a hopeful plea of desperation, “Dad, if I ever run away, will you come and find me?”
Tears illuminated his red, swollen eyes and a quivering sigh escaped his lips as he crossed the room in a few short strides and crushed his daughter to his broken heart, “Sweetheart, if you ever run away and you want me to find you, no matter how far or how long it takes I will find you, I’ll walk every road and sail every sea until you’re back in my arms, I will find you, I’ll always find you.”
She tightened her arms around him, there was no need to worry, no matter how much she wanted to run, to run until her feet were sore, until her legs could barely carry her, she would never hurt her father, and so she would never run. 
She was not her mother.

Written for Lillie McFerrin’s Five Sentence Fiction.

Monday Mixer: Impasse

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This is my first go at The Latinum Vault’s Monday Mixer. The rules are to write a piece in 150 words no more, no less, using at least three of the prompt words. So here we go…

Photograph by Lisa Shambrook (please do not use without permission)
When the mineshaft blew explosions echoed down the corridors, ringing off the walls and Linten wondered if escape had ever been an option. Unbuckling his helmet to ease the clanging reverberation, he grabbed the hilt of his tulwar brandishing the sabre as he stared into the gloom. 
“Light!” he demanded gruffly, spitting dust out of his mouth, and the little moth on his shoulder burst into flames. Linten’s eyes darted about the impasse and fine particles of pulverised rock settled in the crypt, dusting his armour. 
He spoke, his voice echoing, “That’s enough!” He didn’t want to extinguish his moth’s intrinsic luminosity, not when it might be needed again.  Its flames died away and it fluttered nervously.
“Okay…” he spoke softly now, “let’s see if this’ll work…” and he pulled a fast fading evanescent stone from his battered leather pouch. “She said a wish, just one…and I need it now!”
(150 Words)
See more great Monday Mixer entries.

Visual Dare: Disobey

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Anonymous Legacy’s Visual Dare #32

Photo Source: thedeadrosegarden.tumblr.com
Disobey
It was her self-assured smile that caught me… 
No one had ever caught more than a glimpse before, let alone actually snare me. 
I, the elusive ghost of the night, the wild and dark spirit that troubled those who thought they saw me, those whose fear kept them trapped by their own limits.
It was a small girl, with power unseen and an indomitable belief in her dreams that tamed me.
She ignored every warning and waited in the snow, and when I was more than a shadow she smiled, and when winter’s icing sugar snow revealed me, I followed…
(100 Words)