Pinterest Crafting: Stout Cupcakes

I'm not really doing these as often as I hoped but at least I'm trying, right? This time I thought I'd try one of the hundreds of cake recipes I've pinned.

Stout Cupcakes

 Matt and I had the day off together so we decided to do a little baking. I wanted to try something we'd never done before so I scrolled through my Pinterest and found this pin. They are basically chocolate and stout cupcakes with a bit of coffee, a ganache on top and finished with salted pretzels. The full recipe can be found over here, Matt and I just halved the ingredients as we thought 36 cupcakes between two of us was a little greedy! The cakes themselves were really yummy and went well with the pretzels but we really messed up with the ganache. I think we managed to split it but personally even if we had got it right the extra chocolate made it a little too rich for me. I'd definitely make them again but next time I'd add a creamier topping to balance it out.

Exciting News...

I entered this picture into a competition on Facebook for the National Trust about a month ago. The competition was being used as a way to collect people's Special Places from around the country and this tree is most certainly ours. I've talked about our tree on this blog before and this photo was the most recent one we had.

Anyway, long story short, we made the shortlist for the competition! So we're down to the final 10 and we now rely on people voting for our entry on Facebook. So if you do have an account please head over here and vote for us, I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you in advance!

Weekend Adventuring

Technically this was a little Monday adventuring but seeing as I had to work all weekend and it was a bank holiday so I think that it still counts. The weather looked deceptively nice so we headed out for a walk through the park. It wasn't long before we were fed up of battling the wind though so we headed back inside and cuddled up watching movies and playing computer games. We had fun whilst we were out although I must admit that it was Matt that took the photo of the squirrel. I managed to convince myself that the squirrel was much too close and therefore likely to attack us so I slowly backed away while Matt happily snapped pictures. It was a nice little walk outside and unsurprisingly there were no squirrel attacks!

Weekend Adventuring

 

We finally had a chance to have a proper Sunday adventure. It was perfect. A walk up on the hills surrounding Bath, walking hand in hand and talking about the future. I cherish the time I get with Matt away from the distractions of day to day life. The time that we can spend talking about where we're heading, what we want and the things we are waiting for.

Time in nature with this man at my side never fails to reinvigorate my very being.

Everyday Life

 

 

 

1. Matt hanging out with our new sloth friend
2. Trying out new soft drinks
3. After a couple of days of sun my freckles decided to show themselves
4. We left some of the hearts up in the bedroom after Valentine's and they never fail to make me smile
5. Evening light through the bedroom window

Wednesday Challenge Update - 15th May

I'm back to my weekly challenge updates now and I've actually managed to finish two books this week so here goes.

From Goodreads

The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson

From Goodreads:
A thousand years ago evil came to the land and has ruled with an iron hand ever since. The sun shines fitfully under clouds of ash that float down endlessly from the constant eruption of volcanoes. A dark lord rules through the aristocratic families and ordinary folk are condemned to lives in servitude, sold as goods, labouring in the ash fields. But now a troublemaker has arrived and there is rumour of revolt. A revolt that depends on criminal that no-one can trust and a young girl who must master Allomancy - the magic that lies in all metals.

I have to admit that I did something really naughty with this book...whilst I was reading it I looked it up online. Of course I read something that I really didn't want to and it almost put me off finishing the book. Silly me! Luckily I carried on because I loved the whole thing and I cannot wait to get stuck in to the second one. I feel like it's been ages since I discovered a new fantasy and I'm glad that I've found one to obsess over. 
 

From Goodreads

XO - Jeffery Deaver

From Goodreads:
Kayleigh Towne is gorgeous with a voice that is taking her to the heights of the country pop charts. Her hit single “Your Shadow” puts her happily in the spotlight, until an innocent exchange with one of her fans leads Kayleigh into a dark and terrifying realm. The fan warns, “I’m coming for you,” and soon accidents happen and people close to Kayleigh die. Special Agent Kathryn Dance must use her considerable skills at investigation and body language analysis to stop the stalker—but before long she learns that, like many celebrities, Kayleigh has more than just one fan with a mission.

Jeffery Deaver is easily one of my favourite crime writers and although I prefer his Lincoln Rhyme novels I still really enjoy this one. I love how he surprises you with a plot twist and it completely changes how you see the book and just when you're getting settled he throws in a couple more twists. You never really know how it's going to end until the last few pages and I really enjoy that. I can't stand a crime novel where you can easily see how it's going to turn out. 

So there we have it. Two books closer to my target of 50, I'm now at 23. I feel like I'm going much slower this year and that I'm not stretching myself as much. I may need to do something about that. As always you can keep up with what I'm currently reading on my Goodreads page or look at all of the past weeks of the challenge here.

Pinterest Crafting: Sock Sloth

I, like many others I'm sure, spend way too much time on Pinterest. I can spend hours scrolling through and pinning things I like, especially if I should be doing something else. Since I'm on there so much I thought I'd challenge myself to actually do some of the things that I see and like. I am pretty good already at using some of the recipes and crafts that I pin but I though that I'd step it up a notch and document what happens on here. So, anyway, this is my first attempt.

Sock Sloth

I really enjoy making sock rabbits for my friends with little ones and I love sloths so when I saw this pin I knew I had to try it. The tutorial is originally from here and it was nice, clear and easy to follow so I won't reproduce it here but head on over there if you want to make your own.

 

So here's the little guy all finished. I didn't have the right colour threads and it was my first time sewing felt so I know he's far from perfect but I do find him cute all the same. I'm glad I pushed myself to try something new and I'm already scrolling through my pinterest trying to choose what to make next.