Double Chocolate Sour Cream Brownie

I used to be a terrible brownie baker. I think I've mentioned this before! I avoided making brownies as a rule because I couldn't guarantee if I made one, that it would turn out as a delicious as it should. People always say brownie is so easy, but somehow I just couldn't seem to get it right. 

Either I over baked it, and I have a slightly burnt, dry, crumby chocolate cake, or I under cook it, and have a gooey, sticky chocolately mess!

Work in Progress: Granny Stripe Crochet Blanket

You might know they I have just started to teach myself crochet. I had my heart set on making a really cool crochet basket with this HUGE amount of t-shirt yarn (nearly did a bad yet apt typo then! ;) ) that I have had lying around (see here) but after literally a million tries, with several different patterns, I've put it on the back burner for now!
A blog I have started following for a while now, Maybe Matilda, posted a tutorial for this gorgeous baby blanket. And not only that, this tutorial has PHOTOS! The thing I can't quite get my head around yet is reading crochet patterns, so anything with photos or video, I am really into! 

However, even with this super easy tutorial, I am still foiled by crochet! I'm onto my third attempt now, having failed spectacularly with the first go:

I bought some smaller hooks for this attempt, but still failed...!

Although you can't really see, the edges were really going uneven and I couldn't continue with it being so crazy! 

This is where I'm currently at:

And already I'm a bit off track! I have no idea how one end it straight and the other seems to become uneven! (Actually I *think* it's because I made one mistake at the end of a row, I didn't think it would be a big deal, but turns out it is!) 

Hopefully as I go on I'll get the hang of it and end up with a nice even edge! I can't bear the thought of unpicking it a THIRD time when I like this version the best so far! 
Any tips??

One Step Peanut Butter Cookies

A lot of people have been asking and sharing on Facebook and Instagram what they are making for school lunches this year. As I have a toddler, this doesn't really affect me! But, he does go to in-home care twice a week while I'm working I send him along with a packed lunch, usually exactly the same thing every time! So I am always looking for recipes or ideas of things I could put in his lunch box or for when we're at home. At the moment he's pretty fussy, so the menu is fairly limited!
Everyone knows this recipe, it's so easy, I think will freeze well and takes minutes to make. It's also a great one for kids to do themselves as there's barely any measuring either. Not one of the healthiest ones, but sometimes you just need something quick and easy to fill the gap right?!

What I'm Reading February 2014

I've always been quite an avid reader, except for about 5 years during and after University where I was so sick to death of academic reading, I needed a bit of a break. 

I thought you may be interested to know what is on my bedside table! That in of itself is a bit of a joke because last Christmas (2012) I was lucky enough to be given a Kindle e-reader. It's definitely up there in one of the best gifts I've ever been given. I know some people would be put off by reading off a screen, but I actually have no trouble and sometimes I even think it's easier. 

My main reading time is before I go to sleep at night in bed. I like to read for half an hour or so (realistically this is usually more like 45mins to an hour as I always get caught up in the story!) and I generally lie down. I used to find it quite hard when reading a large novel  (either large in size or number of pages) to hold the book while I'm reading, my hands would get a bit sore and tired turning pages. So for me, the beauty of the Kindle is that I'm reading from a small novel and only tapping the screen every now and then to "turn" the page. 

(If you're not sure what a Kindle is or you're wondering which model I have, click here). Also a quick mention of the pictures, because I only own electronic copies of these books, I have used images I took from my Kindle. So this isn't a particularly visually stimulating post sorry! (not sorry- it's about the books!)

So without further adieu, this is what I'm reading...