This my dear friends, is one of the easiest and most delicious cakes to whip up (honest, I promise!!).

This basic cake recipe is the one that I used for The Rainbow Cake and use almost every week when I want to quickly make a batch of cupcakes or a quick vanilla cake.  It's one of those "throw everything in the bowl and mix" type of cake batters (my favourite kind) and then add any extra flavours that you want (chocolate chips, coconut, orange zest etc).  

The original recipe comes from Meredy at Count It All Joy and is definitely one of the recipes I use most often.  I've taken Meredy's recipe and added coconut, but if you don't like coconut you can leave the coconut out and have a plain vanilla cake or add your own extras to the cake batter.

Vanilla Coconut Cake

Ingredients

1½ cups of Self Raising Flour
1 cup white sugar

1 cup shredded coconut
½ cup of milk
2 eggs
125g (4 oz) butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line your cake tin (I made two smaller cakes and layered them with vanilla frosting).

Put all ingredients in a bowl and beat on medium speed for five minutes. That's all there is to it!

Pop the cake in the oven for approx 30 mins (may need longer depending on your cake tin).  This recipe works great as cupcakes too, bake for about 15 minutes.

Once your cake has cooled, ice with vanilla icing or frosting and enjoy!!!

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Joining in with Tasty Tuesdays.

As this year moves quickly by, a rather large season in my life is about to come to an end.  For the last 12½ years I have been a mother of at least one pre-schooler, and I have fully embraced that role and all that it entails.  

Next year we will be sending our baby and fourth child off to school.  Our oldest will also be entering High School (and the teenage years - eeeek!!).

I am excited and thrilled, and yet I also know that this will be a rather massive change in my life. I keep telling myself that I deserve a gap year (filled with visiting thrift stores and reading books in our hammock), but who knows what I will get up to (Symon has big plans for me, some of which involved painting our house).  I'm glad that I can trust that God has exciting plans ahead (which hopefully don't involve home renovations).

I've been thinking about change and seasons a lot lately when it comes to parenting and motherood, and here are some wise words of advice I've gleaned from here, there and everywhere...

Children do grow up quickly...

You've all heard people say it... "Enjoy them while their young, they grow up so fast".  Sometimes when you are in the middle of sleepless nights and tiresome days, you long for the school days (maybe even the growing up and leaving home days) to come as soon as they can!

But, they are so right!  Before you know it, your wee ones will be skipping off to school, then University or employment, and you may just be wishing that you could go back in time and make the most of those precious moments you had together when they were young.

Embrace the years you are in and make the most of each day.  Less housework and more lingering and loving is something you will never regret (well, maybe you will when you have surprise visitors, but hey, they'll hopefully understand).  Look for things to be thankful for and enjoy, even in the midst of the craziness of life.

Make time for yourself...

It is so important to make time for yourself, your hobbies and relationships.  All too often people can get sucked into the all consuming vortex of parenthood, that they forget to foster their marriage, friendships and life in general.  Keep in touch with your friends and keep involved in life.  Yes, you may have to simplify your life a little to adjust to your new role, but when your children grow up and move on, you won't be left feeling like an empty shell with nothing to do and no purpose.

Mothers are Awesome!

All too often we can downplay our role as parents.  Have you ever been asked what you do, only to say, "Oh, I'm just a Mum".  Seriously - mothers are some of the most influential and important people in the whole world!!  Be proud of your role, embrace it and don't make excuses for it.

Motherhood is a privilege...

I think sometimes we forget what a privilege it is to be mothers.  I know of many people who dream of having children. Yes, motherhood can be hard, but the blessings far outweigh the challenges.  Let's remember to grizzle and complain less, and be thankful a whole lot more.  Children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3-5), so let's treat them that way (even when they don't deserve it) and remind ourselves that motherhood is a privilege.

When it comes to seasons, it's important to remember that seasons don't last forever.  Make the most of each season you are in.

♥

Linking up with {Life Made Lovely Monday}