Smocks and cakes

I could call this a job if I actually made some money from it. I've made three chocolate fudge cakes for people, just charging them for the ingredients, in three weeks; someone just asked yesterday for another. 

When I think about asking people to pay for them, my brain sort of explodes. I use good quality ingredients so the cost of the ingredients alone is a bit in itself. 

How much would I charge? For people I know, knock 20% off? For people I don't know at all, double the price? Calculatedly estimate their monthly income and figure out how much I feel I can charge them and still retain some moral credibility? It's hard to charge when you know you don't like paying too much for things yourself. 

So to avoid having to think all of this through, I just charge for ingredients, and each time, say to myself; "This is the last one."

But it does give me something to say when people ask me "what do you do?" even after you've told them you're a "stay at home" mum. So then they go off with a gentle vision in their heads of me merrily baking cakes in my kitchen all day, clad in a Laura Ashley smock, whilst my three angelic children play softly round my bare feet.

Actually, the truth is that I normally make cakes in the morning to get them out of the way (so I can have more "stay-at-home mum" spare time) While Dan and the boys are safely at the table eating breakfast, I eat mine standing up so as to partially mix up the cake while eating, to save time. Up yours, Health and Safety Regulations! The cake is in the oven by the time we're cleaning up after breakfast (mealtime always looks like a disaster zone around here). 

Usually I manage to keep the boys out of the cakes [I confess there were a few finger holes in the side of the one I made for **** , but as she isn't part of the blogging world hopefully that will remain a secret!]

I'll end this long boring post with assuring anyone who reads this that I do, in fact, NOT wear Laura Ashley smocks.