Rainy Day Activities

Hello everybody,

I love rainy weather! Just the thought of listening to the rain while snuggling up in a cozy sweater relaxes me. The only time I don't like the rain, is when I'm at school. Walking to school in the rain is horrible, because your shoes fill with water and your legs get very wet. At lunch there is nowhere to sit because the ground is wet even under shelter. Its freezing cold because the uniform requires us girls to wear little skirts with thin tights and short sleeved shirts.

The first few days of this week have been the rainiest few days in Australia in a long time. It was non-stop heavy rain and was extremely cold. Our wifi was constantly dropping in and out and our phones and TV's didn't work, so it forced me to get offline for a while, which was been nice to be honest. I now have a list of things I like doing on rainy days that don't include going on my phone or watching TV :)

1. Take A Walk

Yes I know it is dry and sunny in this photo but I
couldn't take my camera out in the rain :(

Grab your umbrella, a jacket and head outside. Just because it's raining, doesn't mean we can't go out and enjoy nature – right? Plus, it's always so pretty outside in the rain. It's also really quiet and empty outside because everyone is inside sheltering from the rain! Even though socialising is fun (as awkward as I am) it's still nice to head outside and have some alone time.


2. Re-Organise Your Room

I clean my room a lot – I hate having it messy, because if my room is cluttered, so is my mind. Re-organising your room can be a great way to update your room a little, and make it feel clearer and nicer. If you are having trouble starting (because it is kinda like a chore) just look at nice rooms on Tumblr or watch Room Tours on YouTube. Even though it will make you jealous of other rooms, it will motivate you to make your room tidy and organised like the rooms you looked at.

3. Bake!

I love baking, it's fun and a good excuse to eat sweet cakes. I've been making cupcakes, cookies and even pancakes! Have a sweet feast with your family and eat the yummy treats you made!

4. Do Some Scrapbooking

I really enjoy scrapbooking, mainly because I love taking photos and when you scrapbook things you can look through old photos and remember things you've done. I am currently making a high school scrapbook, where I am pasting in photos from year 7, 8,9,10,11 and 12 of me and my friends. It will be a good thing for me to look back on when I'm an adult. Scrapbooking is fun and easy, all you need is a scrapbook, photos and coloured pens and pencils.

5. Read

I am a massive bookworm – I can literally sit and read for hours on end! My favourite books at the moment are And Then There Were None, We Were Liars, The Intern and To Kill A Mockingbird. And Then There Were None is my favourite mystery novel by my favourite mystery author, Agatha Christie. We Were Liars is a book by E. Lockhart full of drama, romance and mystery. The Intern is a book written by my cousin, Gabrielle Tozer (DISCLAIMER : I'm not being biased) and it's an easy read for teenage girls. It is one of my favourite books regardless of the fact that my cousin is the author. In English this term, we are studying a novel, and we had to read To Kill A Mockingbird. It's definitely a classic and I really enjoyed reading it!

That's all for now,

Spring Baby aka Jess xx

♥

The Furry Friend Tag!

Hello everybody!

I have been tagged to do the Furry Friend Tag, so here it is!

1. What is your pet's name?

I have one dog, and he is called Cauchy (pronounced co-shie). My dad (mathematician, former maths teacher) named him after a famous mathematician but I don't know anything about him.

2. What kind of pet is it and what breed?

Cauchy is a mini-poodle, so he is tiny with super curly hair! 

3. How long have you had your pet friend?

We got Cauchy in late 2013, so we have had him for roughly 18 months.

4. How did you get your pet?

A friend of a friend owned him previously, and they were unable to look after him anymore, so they gave him to us along with all his things :)

5. How old is your pet?

Cauchy turned 3 earlier this year - we bought him a squeaky toy for his birthday and it is already broken! Haha I'm pretty sure he thought it was real and attacked it!

6. What are some quirky things about your pets personality?

Cauchy is pretty lazy - but whenever someone gets home he leaps up from his pillow (which he drags around the house to wherever he wants to sit) and starts jumping all over them! He also sings along whenever my dad plays the piano!

7. What does your relationship with your pet mean to you?

I love Cauchy! I don't remember not waking up to a morning greeting from him! (I say a morning greeting, but this really means he comes up and jumps all over me.) He means so much to me, and I couldn't wish for a better pet.

8. What are some of your favourite past times with your pet?

I love taking Cauchy on morning walks in sunny but cool and brisk weather. I also love being in the car with him. When we drive down to my grandparents farm, I mind him in the back of a car. Cauchy has a harness that attaches to the seatbelt buckle, and it gives him freedom to move around a little bit while staying safe. For the whole 3 hours of the car drive he will be asleep either on my lap or by my side. The only bad thing about being in the car with him, is that when he has gas we need to put down all the windows and blast the air-conditioner! (Yep...it's gross, I know.)

9. What are nicknames that you call your pet?

I don't normally call him anything other than "Cauchy" or "Boy" but my dad calls him "Cauch" sometimes. My youngest sister also calls him "Cauch-Cauch" which is pretty adorable, but let's face it - it'd be weird for anyone other than a seven year old girl to call him that haha!

I hope you liked this post! I had so much fun answering these questions - they made me really appreciate my dog. I would definitely like to do more tags in the future. I tag Crystal (Crystallized Daisies) to do this tag! 

Bye for now!

Spring Baby aka Jess xx

♥

Mini Autumn Look-book // with FlutteringMad

Hello everybody,

Yes, this is an unscheduled, mid-week blogpost, but it's because I am collaborating with FlutteringMad (Natisha)! We also did a collab on her blog, so you should definitely check it out too! (Both our posts are fashion related.) I hope you enjoy our Mini Autumn Look-book.

I really like Natisha's outfit, she is wearing a grey sweater that says “relax” and some denim blue skinny jeans, rolled up at the bottom. She has paired the outfit with some light grey canvas shoes.

The sweater is from Cotton On, and the jeans are from Factorie. She purchased her shoes from Glassons.

I love how the even though she is wearing a lot of grey, her outfit isn't dull as her very blue jeans and different shades of grey vary the colours.

I am wearing a cropped white and blue striped shirt under some light washed overalls. I am wearing red vans just to give my outfit a little colour.

My light wash overalls are from Just Jeans, my vans are from DFO and my shirt is from H&M.

During Autumn, it is very easy to only ever wear dark colours, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't wear colour, too. My top and bottom are similar colours, but my red shoes add a pop of colour, and they contrast with my blue outfit.

If you want more collabs, let me know in the comments below! Sometimes, two people contributing to one post can make the content a lot better, as twice as many ideas are used. Natisha and I are thinking of doing a mini look-book and fashion staples post once every season, so you have a Winter Mini Look-book to look forward too!

Don't forget to check out our collab on Natisha's blog!

Bye for now,

Spring Baby aka Jess xx

♥

GRWM : Roadtrip

Hello everybody,

This holidays I am going on a roadtrip with my family down to my grandparents house near the coast, and it takes roughly 3 hours to get there by car. When we are down there, it will be pretty sunny but windy, as it is by the sea. Personally I love long car rides. They are a chance to relax and take things slow and look out of the window to see the world. 

I am going to be taking you through what I do before and during the roadtrip!

Before you leave, you have to pack (duh haha). We are only going to be down there for 3 days, so I didn't need to pack much. I have packed my things in this blue Typo backpack. I just packed some clothes (prepared for any weather), pajamas, swimmers, a book and toiletries in the main pocket. 

My bathroom things (e.g deodorant, face-wash, moisturizer) are in the pink polka dotted bag, and my hair and makeup (concealer and mascara) is in the black bag. I don't think I need a lot of makeup if I'm going to a farm! 

In the front pocket, I packed things I need in the car, my headphones, phone and fluffy socks. I also like to take my eye mask so that I can sleep because we are driving at night. Unfortunately, I can't read in the car without feeling awful in my stomach :( It sucks because reading seems like a great way to pass the time in a car. 

In the car, I normally listen to music or sleep. I like to have a snack in the car with me incase i feel a bit peckish. I decided to bring some grapes because they aren't too filling, they are sweet and healthy, and they are easy to pack and share around with anyone else who wants. 

I always dress as comfortably as possible before leaving so that it is easier to sleep since we are driving at night. I suggest wearing leggings, fluffy socks and having a jumper with you incase. I normally scrape up all of my hair into a ponytail to get it off of my face and neck. The car journey doesn't need to be a fashion show - comfort over style! 

Let me know in the comments below what your favourite kind of vacation trip is!

Bye for now!

Spring Baby aka Jess xx

♥

How to Make the Perfect Easter Cake

Hello everybody!

So, for Easter, I made my family an Easter cake, and it was so adorable and tasty I just had to show you! Lets get baking!

You will need:

• 2 cups of self raising flour
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 125g butter
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cups of milk
• 1/2 cups of caster sugar
• 
  

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.

2. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until combined. 

3. Pour mixture into a round cake tin and bake for 30 minutes. You know the cake is cool if when you poke it with a skewer, the skewer comes out clean.

4. Remove cake and let it cool.

5. When cool, cut the cake in half horizontally. (You will late stick the two halves together with icing.)

Now for the fun part - decorating!

You will need:

• 100g of softened butter
• 250g of cream cheese
• 3 cups of icing sugar
• 1/4 cup of cocoa powder
• Chocolate fingers* (i.e enough to cover the edges of the cake)
• Shredded coconut
• Zip lock bag
• Green food colouring (I had to mix yellow and blue)
• Mini Easter eggs
• Marshmallows

*Chocolate fingers are long biscuits coated in chocolate

Method:

1.Combine butter, cocoa and cream cheese. Blend in an electric mixer.

2. When blended into a fluffy texture, add icing sugar. Combine on a low speed. Now you have delicious cream cheese icing.

3. Stick the two layers of cake together with the icing. Cover in the rest of the icing, all over the top and sides. 

4. Place the chocolate fingers all around the outside of the cake.

5. Fill the ziplock bag with the coconut, then add a couple of drops of green food colouring. Seal and shake the bag until all the coconut has turned green.

6. Cover the top of the cake in the green coconut. This should resemble grass.

7. Cut the marshmallows horizontally with a serrated knife. Place 5 around half an easter egg to resemble a flower; the marshmallows as the petals, the easter egg as the centre. 

8. Drop a couple of easter eggs onto the top of the cake.

And your done! This cake is super cute and absolutely delicious! It also looks super adorable and really suits Easter and Spring with its vibrant colours! 

Bye for now!

Spring Baby aka Jess xx

♥