Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting | Recipe

Today I baked carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and they were so delicious that I had to share the recipe with you guys on my blog. In actual fact, the cupcakes are 100% vegan because we ran out of eggs and so I used mashed banana as a substitute (I literally googled egg substitute and mashed banana came up....it's an oddly brilliant idea) but the cream cheese frosting is definitely not vegan. 

I found the recipe on a baking blog which I will link below and I'll include the changes I made down there also. I will admit, my cupcakes don't look half as good as the pictures I was going off, especially the cream cheese frosting which was a bit of a flop but hey, I tried! 

CUPCAKE RECIPE HERE

Changes made:

- Rather than using two eggs, I mashed up one large banana and used this instead.
- I added 3/4 cup of sultanas

Tip: The cupcakes are a lot nicer when left in the fridge for a few hours

Let me know if you end up baking this recipe and any suggestions on what to bake next! :) 

xx

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ANOTHER PUPPY?!

Drum roll....

We adopted another puppy from the RSPCA! 

Meet Ivy, a 5 month old English Cocker Spaniel that was born at the RSPCA after her parents were rescued from a puppy farm. 

After Oscar was all settled in to his new life (you can read up about his adoption HERE), we decided that we wanted to adopt another fury friend for him. Conveniently, there was another lot of English Cocker Spaniels going up for adoption at the RSPCA and I managed to get one before they all went (perks of being a volunteer there). Our new pup is 5 months old, meaning she is a lot younger than our 1 year old Oscar, and has been renamed from Roberta to Ivy :) 

Having two dogs means twice the amount of fun but also twice the amount of work because they're both young dogs from shelters that need a lot of training and attention. I'm not going to lie, the first week of having Ivy was quite stressful but it didn't take long for me to find my own two feet and create a routine that works for everyone. It also helped that I knew how much work I was putting myself up for and so I was definitely prepared! 

It's really important that you consider all aspects of owning one or more dogs before you get them to ensure you're giving them the best life possible and are able to take full care of them. For your wellbeing and for the dogs wellbeing :) 

And for the part you're probably most keen to see....a few pictures of the rapidly growing and gorgeous Ivy! 

xx

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About Me | 50 Facts

Hey all!

You may have noticed there's been a decreasing number of blog posts lately and that is simply because I haven't had a lot to write about. There currently aren't any products I feel are worth talking about and in terms of life, well, it's been pretty uneventful.

I thought it'd be fun to do a 50 facts about me because I personally love reading reading these types of posts and if you leave a comment below giving me a few facts about yourself, we can get to know each other a little better :)

Here goes....

1. What color is your toothbrush? 
Pale blue and sparkly. I love it.

2. Name one person who made you smile today: 
My baby boy Oscar (he's a dog, don't fret) and my Mum :)

3. What were you doing at 8 am this morning? 
Enjoying my last few moments of shut eye. Bliss.

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? 
Doing the dishes and vacuuming, such fun times I have....

5.What is your favorite candy bar?
I'm not sure I have a favourite. I don't really eat candy bars, just frozen yoghurt ;)

6. Have you ever been to a strip club? 
Indeedy. Living on college can result in doing strange things. Enough said.

7. What is the last thing you said aloud? 
"Oscar, what are you chewing?" (he's a puppy and he chews everything he's not supposed to). *Sigh*

8. What is your favorite ice cream? 
Cookies and cream but once again, I prefer frozen yoghurt! I have a very unhealthy obsession with fro-yo.

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? 
Water. Gotta stay hydrated!

10. Do you like your wallet? 
Haha this question is so relevant to me right now. NO, my wallet is a cheap one from a show bag at the Royal Melbourne Show. It rarely closes due to too much coinage and it drives me bananas but I'm too stingy to buy a new one!

11. What was the last thing you ate? 
Broccoli with soy sauce. I know it might sound strange but honestly guys, it's the bomb.

12. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
Nope, saving all my moolah for a rainy day.

13. The last sporting event you watched? 
I rarely watch sports so I'd probably have to say AFL football because my Brother and Dad watch it all the time. I'm sure to have walked past at one point and seen a few minutes ;)

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? 
Ummm....normal flavour? Just regular popcorn with salt and butter, I'm not a huge fan of sweet popcorn.

15. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone? 
My Mum :)

16. Ever go camping?
I used to go camping all the time as a kid but now that I'm older and everyone's lives have sped up a little, I rarely get to go. It's a shame though because camping is one of my favourite things EVER and although I enjoy materialistic things, there's nothing I love more than getting out into nature and just forgetting about all that stuff. 

17. Do you take vitamins daily? 
Nope, should I be?

18. Do you go to church every Sunday? 
My Sister got us to go to church when I was little but that didn't really last long. Now I only ever go when I'm staying with my relatives.

19. Do you have a tan? 
It's almost Winter and I'm too lazy to put on fake tan so no. I'm going through a phase at the moment where I'm totally into the pale look and just leaving my skin as it is :)

20. Do you prefer Chinese food over pizza? 
No, PIZZA!

21. Do you drink your soda with a straw? 
Not always but I do prefer to use a straw, yes. It's better for your teeth too, no? 

22. What did your last text message say? 
"shall do. Love you too. Mumxo"

23. What are you doing tomorrow? 
Volunteering at the RSPCA Kennels and babysitting. At least I think I'm babysitting....if not, I'll probably catch up with a friend!

24. Creamy or Crunchy peanut butter? 
Creamy all the way! 

25. Look to your left, what do you see? 
My backdoor and my dog's play pen.

26. What color is your watch? 
I don't own a watch because I just never enjoy wearing them. I'm more of an earring and ring girl, I don't like wearing bracelets/watches and necklaces that much.

27. What do you think of when you hear Australia? 
I live in Australia so I think HOME :) 

28. White or Wheat bread? 
White tastes better, wheat makes me feel better. I rarely eat bread though!  

29. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? 
This doesn't really apply to me since I never go to drive thru places, so my equivalent would be home delivery or picking up the food. My answer to that would be home delivery all the way! 

30. What is your favorite number?
I don't have one but I like the numbers 2, 4, 6 and 9. 

31. Who did you email last? 
The RSPCA dog behaviour team a few days ago.

32. Any plans today? 
Bumming about and watching Keeping up with Kardashians. Shhh, don't tell anyone ;)

33. How many states have you lived in? 
Just the one.

34. Biggest annoyance right now? 
Do we have a year?

35. Last song listened to?
'Born To Die - Lana Del Rey (Absence Remix)' but I'm also really loving 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This - Paloma Faith'. I only wish I was half as cool as Paloma! 

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards?
I don't have the dedication to learn, maybe I should make it my next challenge haha. 

37. Do you have a maid service clean your house? 
Never have and probably never will. I find cleaning to be really therapeutic and it just gets my head in the right space. Maybe if I one day become filthy rich and busy, then I might have a cleaner. 

38. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? 
My black vans :) Love em'!

39. Are you jealous of anyone? 
I wouldn't say jealous but I do wish that I could change some things about myself.

40. Is anyone jealous of you? 
I'm highly doubtful.

41. Do you love anyone? 
My dog, my family and my friends (I'm single). *Awwww vom*

42. Do any of your friends have children? 
Actually yes! There are a few young mummies :)

43. What's your biggest fear?
Caterpillars, worms, slugs and all things similar. Gargh, they give me the creepy crawlies. 

44. Do you hate anyone that you know right now? 
Hate is a strong word, dislike maybe, but not hate. 

45. Do you use the word ‘hello’ daily? 
Probably not that exact word but I definitely use variations of it, if I'm going to be completely anal about this question. Hehe.

46. What color is your car? 
I don't own a car. My dream car is a baby blue, convertible Mini Cooper though!

47. What would be the one thing you’d take to a deserted island? 
Assuming that I'm all sweet for food and water, I'd take a phone if there's reception so that someone can rescue me/can talk to me so that I don't go mad, or I'd take music because I honestly can't cope without it!

 48. Are you thinking about someone right now? 
Not particularly.

49. Have you ever been to Six Flags? 
No but I want to go!

50. How did you get your worst scar? 
I used to go horse riding every week and I scarred my chin on a fall one day. It's pretty much cleared up now but when it was all scabbed up, it looked like I had a beard and everyone used to tease me haha. Sorry for the TMI!

I hope you enjoyed this and good job if you managed to read through the entire post. Don't forget to leave a comment below with a few facts about yourself!

xx 

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Trip to Tasmania

As you would already know if you read my life update post last week, I've spend the last half a week in Tasmania! One of my best friends from High School goes to University there and so I flew over to visit her. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take my good camera or even my vlogging camera with me but I did however take a few pictures of my trip on my iPhone, that I thought I might share on my blog with you guys :) 

Salamanca Markets 

These photos were taken at the Salamanca Markets, a popular place for tourists and locals of Hobart to spend their Saturday (as it is only open on Saturday) morning/afternoon. 

Pun Party for Med students 

As my friend studies Medicine at University, she had a pun themed party for her course on Saturday night. We dressed up as 'Oh Deer' and 'Holy Cow'....and I'm sure you can tell which is which. We had such a good time and I met loads of lovely people! :) 

Ps, Can any of you recognise this makeup look? I've done a previous post on it HERE, except I was fake tanned and did it ever so slightly different to this time.   

Being couch potato and going home 

Because we didn't get home from the pun party until about 4:30am on Sunday, we spent the rest of the day being couch potatoes! We lounged around watching chick flicks and horror movies (which I luckily fell asleep for during the first 15 minutes and was spared the gory details) and eating junk food. My friend's boyfriend also came over and brought his super cute doggy friend, Milly :) 

On Monday, my last day in Tasmania, I really only had time to take in the scenery of Hobart and it's beautiful, sunny weather and then head home in the early afternoon. 

I'm so glad I made the effort to book some flights and head over to see my friend. Not only was it nice to catch up wither, it also gave me a few days just to relax, forget about any worries and just have a good time. I think it's so healthy to give yourself a break every now and then. 

Have you ever been to Tasmania/been on a holiday recently? 

xx

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New Puppy & Life Update!

Hi all!

So you may or may not be wondering what happened to my 'Thowback Thursday' post I talked about in my previous post and why I haven't posted since. Well, my life has changed a lot since then and definitely for the better....my family adopted a dog from the RSPCA (hence why I've been so preoccupied)! :)

My family and I have been looking to adopt a dog for quite some time now and last week we found the perfect one. His name is Oscar, he's an English Cocker Spaniel and is almost 1 year old (his 1st birthday is on the 12th of May in fact!). Oscar is the baby of a puppy farm rescue and has unfortunately had to spend the first year of his life in the shelters until the RSPCA were given permission to put him into adoption (along with many other cocker spaniels) and so hasn't had the training nor experience that a normal 1 year old dog might have. Because of this, he can be quite timid at times and needs constant treats to reward him for being 'brave' but so far (touch wood) he as adapted to home life extremely well!

Since I feed oscar, take him out for the toilet and have in general just spent a lot of time with him, he's become my little shadow and follows me absolutely everywhere. In fact, as I type this Oscar is snoring on the couch, tucked up beside me. It's really nice to have a little companion (and personal heater) with me all the time and I'm just so over the moon about him being here.

Oscar apparently prefers to sit on top of his crate, rather than inside it. Haha. 

My next life update, so to say, is that I'm going to Tasmania this week to visit my best friend who attends University there. It's going to be so much fun and she has loads of things planned for us to do, so I'll be sure to take heaps of photos to share with you on my blog when I get back. Yipee!

Last but not least, I'm thinking of going back to University. Eeep! For those of you who don't already know, I'm currently taking a GAP year (I didn't take one after High School and went straight into my first year of study at University). I found a course that looks extremely interesting to me and am actually thinking of discontinuing my previous course and starting something new. Rather than being nervous or apprehensive of changing my direction, I'm actually very very excited about the prospect!

And on a side note, Happy Mother's Day to all the beautiful mothers out there (for yesterday, I know)! I hope you had a wonderful day with your Mum and other loved ones :)

Mother's day brunch that my Brother and I made for Mum 

Now that you're updated about the ins and outs of my life, what about yours? Has anything new or exciting taken place in your life recently? Let me know! 

xx

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Country Getaway

Ever since I was a little girl, I've spent a few weeks each year up on my grandparents farm where my Mum grew up. It's about a three and a half hours drive from the city where I live, and consists of acres and acres of beautiful countryside. When my mother was growing up they had cows, chickens, sheep, dogs, cats, you name it. Now, because there's only my 98 year old Grandma living on it, there's just cows and a few crops but as you can imagine, there's always loads to do.

This past week I've been up on the farm and thought I'd bring along my good camera to take some pictures to share on my blog! I had a really fun week driving the ute, tending to the cattle, mushroom picking and catching up with all my relatives that live in the area. My Grandma's house is quite old and so it felt a little like I was camping but just with a roof over head haha. The toilets don't flush so you have to get buckets of water each morning to manually flush the toilet, the hot water doesn't work very well, there isn't any heating, limited amounts of wifi and reception and more than the odd mouse running around. I must say however, this did make it all the more fun because we had so many laughs and inside jokes by the end of the trip!

Being a country girl at heart, it was really nice to get out of the city for awhile, breathe some fresh air and also catch up with extended family.

When's the last time you had a change of scenery?

xx

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Reflective Monday

Hey friends!

Bit of a different post today. I see this blog as an online journal to share my passions and opinions, and of late, this is what's been playing on my mind.

As you grow older, you begin to realise that a lot of people you befriend drift in and out of your life. Not everybody is guaranteed to stay there. But then there are those few people that stick around forever, no matter how long of a drive away they are or how many oceans separate you.

Then it got me thinking. These people in my life, that stay there forever, have one massive thing in common; their actions speak louder than their words. When they say they're there for me, they mean it. They'll come and see me face to face, send me a letter or do something that takes real effort.

I just wanted to say, for those people in your life that are always making an effort to be there when you need them, don't take them for granted. You'll begin to realise that people who stay true to their words, who do nice things for you and who will try and help you out regardless of whether they're capable, are people worth keeping in your life. People like this are rare, and you should treasure them like the special gems that they are :)

And to all those gorgeous people that send me letters, emails and travel oceans to see me, I love you very much and appreciate it more than words can say.

When's the last time you went out on a limb for someone?

xx

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I went on a New Zealand adventure...

...and it was pretty incredible.

The initial reason for the holiday was to see my sister perform in the ballet over there (which we did, 6 times over) but we also decided to make a road trip out of it. My Dad and I hired a car when we arrived in Wellington and drove over 1000km throughout the week to different little towns that each had their own style and backstory (such as Napier and their Art Deco street signs and shops). 

We drove around narrow, one way roads, through native NZ bushland, along steep and curvy bends in scarily heavy rain and around absolutely gorgeous bays. Honestly, if you want to experience the most beautiful parts of New Zealand, a car is a great way to go. 

My favourite place that we visited was a fisherman's town called Coromandel. It was a reasonable sized town in comparison to some of the other minute cottages we passed, it was extremely neat (as with most of the towns we passed by) and each shop was carefully painted to match the pastel/striped theme going on. I think we also lucked out with the weather when we stayed here because there was hardly a cloud in sight, very unusual for New Zealand. 

The food in Coromandel was great (if you find the right place, I don't recommend you try the local fish and chip shop. Unless you have an acquired taste for cardboard), and the motel we stayed in, 'The Olive Tree', was also a highlight of my trip. For instance, the shower in this motel was the strangest, most entertaining shower I have ever come across. It looked a little like a time machine and when you hopped inside there was a mirror with a control panel below. The control panel allowed changing neon lights to flash about the shower, music to boom out of the speakers and it even told me the temperature outside. The fun didn't end there, the shower also had a seat and a million and one different shower heads that sprayed water out in all different directions of the booth, depending on what setting you put it on. Honestly, I was in fits of laughter for a good amount of time when I saw it (and don't tell me you wouldn't be too)!! Not to mention the tap was a little space agent looking too. 

The rest of the trip after we dropped off the hire car was spent exploring Auckland and one of the islands close by. Auckland also had some great places for food (to be expected really, considering it's a bigger city) but you do have to walk down odd alleyways and side streets in order to find them. 

Driving around the coast near Coromandel 

Two of many, many sheep in New Zealand 

Napier Beach

Napier Art Deco 

Although I had an awesome time adventuring around NZ, I was definitely ready to come home. I was exhausted and even as I sit here typing this blog post, my eyes sting and strain to concentrate on the screen from powering on 2 hours of sleep and no coffee, but I'm determined not to sleep too early.

I. can. do. this! 

I hope you've all had a wonderful week and are getting excited about Christmas because it's just around the corner!! Yippee!!!

What's the last adventure you went on?

xx

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Farm Adventures!

Greetings all!

I know it's bad to say this but apologies for posting less frequently lately. I've been on a roll over the past few months but lately I've had a terrible case of bloggers block and figured it was better not to post at all than post something I'm not truly passionate about.

Anywho, my mum and I travelled up to my Grandma's farm over the weekend and we had a really lovely time. The air was fresh, nothing like the city air I'm constantly breathing in, and it was just the perfect way to spend my last weekend of the holidays.

Whilst I was there I practiced driving the manual ute around the farm (I'm still getting my hours for my license), finished reading 'The Longest Ride' by Nicholas Sparks which is such a gorgeous book and I highly recommend it to anyone, spent some quality time with cows and just generally had a nice time recuperating before I go back to University *cry*.

Here are a few snaps I took whilst I was there...

Morning fog 

Meet Brindabella, the friendliest of cows! 

Driving around in the ute 

I'm so lucky to have grown up being able to spend weeks on end playing around with my siblings and cousins in the open space. My next mission it to convince the relatives to buy a horse for the farm, that would be the cherry on top ;)

Where did you used holiday as a kid? 

xx

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