I have a confession.

In my 22 years of existence..this was the FIRST drizzle cake I ever attempted.

ME?! A huge lover of baking who adores any type of cake never making a classic drizzle cake..why didn't I do it sooner?!

I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but I just went rogue hoping for the best. It's safe to say this creation/recipe was a roaring success. This would be the perfect thing to have on a lovely summers day at a picnic..or freshly out of the oven on a chilly winter's evening. It's super easy and super delicious. 10/10 would recommend.

Ingredients:

• 3x Eggs
• 170g Self Raising Flour
• 170g Softened Butter
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• Rosemary (I just used 1-2 teaspoons of it chopped)
• 110g Icing Sugar
• 2 Lemons

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius
2. In a large bowl mix eggs, flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, the zest of two lemons, and chopped rosemary.  (I just used a wooden spoon to mix this but if you have a kitchen aid or similar then use that)
3. Pour batter into loaf tin (8x21cm) and bake for 30-45 minutes until slightly browned on top or poke a knife into batter and if it comes out clean. 
4. For the drizzle combine icing sugar and lemon juice. Once mixed, stab multiple holes throughout the cake as this will be where the drizzle will run down (I did about 15-20 holes). Pour the drizzle evenly over the cake - the cake can either be in it's tin or placed onto a plate. 
5. EXTRA: For presentation I added lime juice and icing sugar together to make a thick icing to glaze the top (as you can see in photos). I also added some rosemary to give it a rustic feel.
6. ALSO: If you wish to take the cake to the next level feel free to add a tablespoon or two of vodka to the drizzle (I did this and it was great!).

Since starting work I realized how much time I now spend indoors, it was a bit of a shock to the system. After doing thirty hours of work in three days I was itching for an adventure - for fresh un-airconditioned air and nature. Thankfully, my best friend was also free and keen for an adventure. This was a miracle in itself because we're both nurses and it isn't often that we both have the same days off. So we set off on a 2 1/2 hour drive to Springbrook National Park in the Gold Coast. This has been voted one of the most beautiful places in Australia and I felt a little daft for never visiting here, so it was a pleasure to be able to finally explore it.

Sooooo I officially graduated university! Well, technically I had already graduated but yesterday I had my official graduation ceremony where I wore a (hogwarts) gown, a grad hat, and walked on stage. It was all very exciting but nerve wracking of course. Me the whole time at myself: "don't trip you fool, don't trip!". Luckily I didn't fall and actually pulled it off really well.

Thought i'd add in some photos of my grad and do a little "this is the makeup I used" kinda thing.

February was a kind month to me. It feels like so much has happened and I haven't shared much of it here! So i'll give you the run through.

Firstly, my new job ROCKS. Honestly I am so fortunate to love my job this much. The photo up there is me in my little pinafore, the pinafores are very cute. Sadly I don't get to wear them much because I wear scrubs 24/7 at work. If you are new to this blog then you might not know that I am an operating theatre nurse. After slogging out three years in university I was very lucky and got my dream job and didn't even have to move away! I love my job because I feel a sense of happiness knowing i'm helping people, it's mentally stimulating and i'm constantly learning cool stuff, and all the people I work with are super lovely. I couldn't be happier with it. If anyone wants a blog post ever on what studying nursing was like or how the job actually is then let me know, or feel free to message me :-) ALSO am going to do a "longwearing makeup for work" blog post soon cause I think i've finally cracked the combination to making it last through the 10 hour shifts.

Secondly, with a new job comes....MONEY. Throughout the whole of January I was skint, literally. I didn't want to work my agency job as it caused me to have meltdowns anytime my phone rang so I decided just to leave it and get by. After a few months of not spending money it's nice to be able to do things to treat myself again: I got my eyebrows done, bought some make-up, have gone out to nice dinners, and got an eyelash lift + tint (blog post to come on that sometime next week!). I'm still going to be a savvy lass and save the majority of my pay but it's nice being able to spend things here and there.

Thirdly.....I SAW MY FAVOURITE SINGER LAST NIGHT: ADELE. *hyperventilates*. She was incredible. Marvelous. The epitome of talent. The whole concert my face was probably like the heart eyes emoji. She put on a fantastic show. Now I know some of you may go "but...all she does is sing? like will that really be a good show??" but it was probably the best concert I have been to. What I liked about it is that she didn't need to be elaborate. She didn't have back up dancers, didn't have changing sets, multiple costume changes..she just was her. Between songs she would just casually chat to everyone in such a humble manner, thanking the audience for giving up their Saturday night to see her cause we could be doing something better. I just really enjoyed how talented she was but still stayed humble and herself. So if you have the chance to see her: do it!

Today I am sat on the couch, laptop on lap, wearing my overalls, eating a toastie, and blogging away whilst Made In Chelsea plays in the background. It got me thinking of how I am portrayed online. On my social media accounts I must come across as so put together. I post about my nice little travels, how cute my dog is, happiness in finishing my uni degree etc. No one really gets to see the unglamorous side of me but then again I think we all alter the way we're perceived online to some degree.

I don't mind being seen as "put together" in the realms of instagram and facebook (cause lets face it: who willingly puts up unattractive photos of themselves on social media?!) but I want my blog to be a different story. I feel like a blog is where you can be your most honest self because it's your little space on the internet. I guess you could also take the route of having it all lovely and put together, which is a totally fine thing to do as well. I'm not life goals though. I'm still a 22 year old girl figuring things out. I make the fatal mistake of doing winged liner last minute (I never learn!!), I order like a 5 year old at a bar sometimes (who can say no to a peanut butter cocktail? not me!), I always struggle to find a pair of jeans that are actually flattering, and I don't have a photographer boyfriend who can take candid photos of me. In some realms of my life I think i'm killing it (I have my dream job of being an operating theatre nurse) but there is always things I could improve on...ahem...a regular fitness routine or taking flatlays.

• Vegetables and a dip. Vegetables could be: carrots, beans, celery, cucumber..anything you can cut into nice little  dipping shapes. For the dip it could be anything! At the moment i've been using an avocado one (mmmmm).
• Air popped popcorn. You can either make your own or buy those little packets from the grocery store. Make sure to look for the brands that don't have a ton of added sugar or salt in them. 
• Nuts. I like those cute little packets you can get from the shops. Nuts are great cause they're really filling and may get you by until lunch. 
• Fruit! I love making fruit salads. 
• Protein balls....recipe below! 

Now this is one of my rogue salads where I basically chuck in a bunch of ingredients. It turned out really well though! I like adding cous cous in because it makes a salad slightly more filling (everyone hates the post-salad "i'm still damn hungry" blues). 

My nanna has always been one of my biggest inspirations. At 87 years old she still has all the elegance and grace one could ever dream of having. She still loves colour coordinating her outfits, wearing brooches, doing her hair, and applying make-up. One of my favourite memories was taking her out on a spur of the moment shopping trip and once we got to the shopping centre she realized she forget to put on lipstick so she asked if I could apply one of mine of her. I just love that, at 87 years old still caring about how you look and wanting to feel nice.

I decided it would be a lovely idea to do a post on my Nannas tips on beauty. She has always been super glamorous and never lets me forget how all the boys would chase after her when she was younger. The pictures at the top are ones of her when she was in her early 20's. No wonder all the boys loved her!! Heartbreaker Nanna.

Skincare Tips:

1. "Always clean your skin before you go to bed and always put a good moisturizer on"