I have often been told that I am an awful person to buy presents for. I never wear jewellery and I don’t like makeup. I like random books and music rather than a set genre. If there is a new game out that I like then I have already bought it and clothes are more of a necessity for me than something I enjoy buying or receiving as a gift. Which leaves Craft items and Cookery equipment. Craft items I receive rarely if ever because I can be quite fussy about what I like and use and I have accumulated so much over the years people no longer know what I do have and what I don’t. Which leaves cookery equipment which I absolutely love receiving as gifts because I usually end up with things that I would never normally think to buy myself .
This leads me onto the latest blogging topic set by the The Quilting Bee which is:

“What was the best gift you’ve ever received and why?”

I think every gift I receive is the best because I know just how hard I am to buy for so I know a lot of thought has to have gone into what to get me and I think the thought behind a present is more valuable than the present itself
That being said there is one gift that springs to mind which is a book called Cakes to Inspire and Desire which was given to me by my sister as a Christmas present.

This book not only contains many delightful decorated cakes with full instructions on how to accomplish them but the first section is completely dedicated to explaining all the basics needed to decorate a cake, from recipes to creams, to how to professionally ice a cake, to basic decorating tips. I now use this book every time I make a cake no matter what size or shape this book tells me the exact ingredients needed and the amount of icing and marzipan required. It has become irreplaceable and was the inspiration to design and make my very first cake which thankfully went very well as it was my sister’s wedding cake.

This post was written for a blog challenge as part of  The Great Bee*Mee Derby being held by a cute Pixel Club I belong to Called The Quilting Bee

I was so happy and surprised to find out that Balqis had passed on the following award to me

and now I will happily pass it onto a few others as is the rules

So I award:

• Balqis  from Part and Parcel of life … – I’m probably breaking the rules here but I can’t not pass the award back to the person who awarded it to me not because of that but because this award is so fitting.  Balqis you are a much appreciated reader. I always look forward to your comments on my blog, they often make me see things differently and they keep me blogging so Thank You Balqis
• Kim Gillick from Mindful Moose – This award is for answering all my questions on your blog, I have learnt quite a bit so thank you,  and for your comments here.
  
• Moonomo from Moonstruck on Earth – Your comments always make me smile and you can’t ask for more than that
• Kitty from Kittys Pitara -  I love getting comments from you and I wish we really could go walking together
• Odliam from Tony’s Blog – I’m happy every time I get a comment from you

It was really supposed to be 6 bloggers that I passed the award onto but I’m not active enough in the blogosphere yet to find 6 unless I wanted to get very random but then the awards wouldn’t mean anything and that I think defeats the point.  So what I will do is award it to anyone who may have been following my blog but not commenting any silent readers there may be out there because I appreciate you reading my ramblings

Now I need your help. As I have said I’m not as active in the blogosphere as I should be and I’m trying my hardest to change this but I am struggling to find blogs I want to follow, when searching they all blur into one and I just end up with a fuzzily head.  So I am asking you to help if you can by leaving a comment with recommendation’s for blogs you like reading. Oh and feel free to recommend yourself