Chris's New Year's Resolutions

2019 is my year. I can feel it. I’m getting married in September, and that’s already a huge change, so I might as well tackle everything else as well. I’m done with saying that every year, then panicking in July because I’ve actually gained 15 pounds instead of losing 20. No more excuses and procrastination, I’m taking 2019 by the horns.

First off is getting my finances in order. I was in college through my early to mid 20s, and I lived like a college student, spending my money on drinks and fun, without ever thinking of the consequences. Now that I work full time, I’m ready to get things sorted out. My goal is to set an appointment with a financial advisor by the end of January, and start getting things in order. I want to start putting a bit of money aside for a house, and start paying off my credit card and student loan debt.

Second is finally getting my life and home organized. My plan is to write down everything I need to do each day the night before, so I can keep it all in order and get it all done. I have huge memory issues, so I’m hoping this will help me out. I also want to get my house organized. We moved into our house in April, and I unpacked the important boxes, and then every single other thing got stuffed into our spare bedroom, still in boxes. Every couple of months, I go in there and unpack approximately two things, and then I get fed up with the space and leave. No more. I’m over this waste of space. A smaller goal of mine is to finally buy a desktop computer, and I want to clear out the room and turn it into an office with a computer and makeup desk as the centerpiece.

Not my photo. From Paper Magazine.

One goal that may seem crazy, but is totally doable, is walking 3 million steps this year. That may seem like a lot, but it’s actually only 8000 or so steps a day. I can do this. I’m going to keep track of how many steps I walk a day in a spreadsheet, and then add it up at the end of the year. I’ll let you know how this goes at the end of 2019.

My last goal ties into the one before. This is to finally shed 40 pounds. I rejoined Weight Watchers, and I’ve lost 10 pounds this past month. I want to lose another 40 by December 31^st of next year. Along with Weight Watchers, I also belong to a gym, and I’m going to make a concerted effort to actually use the membership. I was up until December, but then work got crazy, and I dropped off the planet. Planey Fitness, that is! Hahahaha I’m hilarious. I also want to get to a place where I can say I’m mentally healthy. I struggle with depression and anxiety, but this year I want to try to calm the firestorm in my head. I’m not really sure what the plan is for that yet, but I’ll get there.

So this is the plan for 2019. I can do this. I will do this! Let me know what your New Year’s resolutions for 2019 are in the comments below!

Last Minute Gift Guide

Hey guys!

It's almost Christmas and as always, some people haven't finished shopping yet. It's manic.
I put together a little gift guide for you guys to get the gift idea juices flowing. 
Happy shopping!

 So this first "category" is giving me very cozy/homy vibes.

The second "category" is beauty related. Any of these items are the ultimate pamper yourself type of gift. Everyone deserves to be pampered!

The third "category" is for that person who really loves drinking, baking and food.




The reason I did not put links is because I chose these specific items for their looks. It's more meant to just give you a quick idea on things to get. Also, it's so close to Christmas that you wouldn't be able to order online. I did find a lot of this stuff on the Chapters/Indigo website.



I hope that this helped if you're scrambling for some last minute gifts this weekend!

I wish you guys the happiest of holidays, a merry Christmas and a very happy new year!

Recipe: Rocky Road Bars

Christmas baking season is upon us, so I thought I would share a staple recipe in our family baking tradition. Every year without fail, we make these rocky road bars. Honestly, they're delicious and my favourite square by far!

This recipe will make approximately 36 bars.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups of graham wafer crumbs
1/2 cup of melted margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups of flaked coconut
1 package of chocolate chips (semi sweet)
1 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows 
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup of melted chocolate (you can use more or less - up to you)

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 350 F
Combine the graham crumbs with the butter and press it firmly in a 13x9 pan.
Sprinkle the coconut over the crust - create an even layer.
Add a layer of chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.
Optional - add a layer of nuts
Using a spoon, drizzle the condensed milk over all of the layers. 

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Once out of the oven, drizzle some of the melted chocolate over.
Let cool and cut into squares.

It's a very simple recipe, but super delicious!


Enjoy!

 

Review: Ole Henriksen Facial Sauna Scrub & Cold Plunge Mask

I love trying out new skincare, especially masks. Or anything to help my skin. I tend to have combination to oily skin and I like trying new things to control my skin.

At Sephora I saw the Ole Henriksen Pore Balance Facial Sauna Scrub and the Cold Plunge Pore Mask. They're both from the Balance range and I picked them up as a set.
To be honest, I already owned the scrub but (spoiler alert) I loved it so much that I bought another.

The facial scrub has volcanic sand, green fusion complex, neem seed oil and AHAs. What's nice about this scrub is that once you start rubbing it into your skin, it starts to heat up. Hence the name "sauna scrub". They recommend using it 2-3 times a week, which I agree with. The scrub isn't too abrasive on the skin, but you don't want to over do it anyways. 

The cold plunge mask was really something new to me. Firstly, I LOVE the colour. Am I the only one who partially judges a mask by how it looks? Yes. Okay, let's move on...
The mask has clay and snow lotus extract. It's quite cooling on the skin, which is slightly alarming at first, but then it feels a bit more soothing. When the mask dries down, it doesn't feel overly tight which I like. To take the mask off, you rinse it off with cool water. I don't know about you, but that goes against everything I've heard before. Usually, you would take the mask off with warm water. 

Both of these products recommend using a toner and moisturizer afterwards. They don't necessarily say to use these products together, but since they were sold as a set, I decided to try that out.

It works well. The scrub heats your skin, which opens your pores, enabling you to really purify your pores and get rid of dead skin. The mask afterwards feels refreshing and the coolness would help to close your pores after extracting impurities. To me, they just make sense together. Definitely use a light moisturizer afterwards to make sure your skin is balanced and quenched.

I've used this quite a few times now and I really like it. Even my boyfriend likes it, which means something! Dare I say, it might be one of my favourite masks? I love the different temperatures and sensations on my skin. It leaves my face feeling clean and my skin stimulated (if that's the right word?). I have combo/oily skin, but even with dry skin I don't see you having a problem with this. 

I would highly recommend using these two products. It definitely makes me want to try more skincare from Ole Henriksen! Honestly, everything I've tried from them so far, I have ended up loving. They are seriously killing it with their skincare. I applaud them.

Have you tried these products? Let me know in the comments below!

The scrub retails for $34 (Sephora) and the mask retails for $44 (Also Sephora).

Until next time,

Fall baking favourites

It's no secret that I'm obsessed with baking. I have a favourite recipe for every season, holiday, and special event. Fall is one of my absolute favourite times to bake though. It's not too hot to have my oven on for hours, and there's just something so cozy and homey about having fresh baked chocolate chip cookies or banana bread on the counter. Which is why today I'm giving you guys two of my favourite fall recipes, golden Crisco walnut chocolate chip cookies, and triple chocolate pumpkin seed banana bread!

First, the cookies! The recipe for these can be found on the back of any package of golden Criso, but I need to make sure that EVERYONE knows about this amazing chewy, soft, chocolatey marvel. Just make sure to not add 1 cup of baking soda like I did the first time I made it! I was making them for my siblings lunches and I ruined a triple batch because I wasn't paying attention. Oh well, lessons learned, even if I cringe every time I think about it!

Golden Crisco walnut chocolate chip cookies

3/4 cup golden Crisco all-vegetable shortening

1 1/4 cups lightly-packed brown sugar

2 tbsp. milk

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 375ºF.

Beat shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl with mixer on medium speed until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto baking sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Next, the banana bread. I happened upon this one on www.twopeasandtheirpod.com while looking for a chocolate banana bread recipe earlier this year. I'd never made chocolate banana bread before, but I'm so happy that I did! I am in love! It's so soft and moist and full of chocolately goodness!

Triple chocolate pumpkin seed banana bread

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large brown bananas  (1 1/2 cups mashed)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1/4 cup canola, vegetable oil, or melted coconut oil

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup dark chocolate pumpkin seed Bark Thins, chopped

• 
  

1. Heat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Add the melted butter and oil and stir until combined. Stir in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, don’t overmix.
5. Mix together chocolate chips and chopped Bark Thins. Stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chip and Bark Thin mixture.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate mix over the top of the bread. Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out mostly clean, you might have some melted chocolate chips on the toothpick and that is fine. You just don’t want a lot of gooey batter. Check at 50 minutes, just to be safe. Oven times vary.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack. Let the bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the bread and carefully remove from the pan. Let the bread cool on the wire cooling rack until slightly warm. Cut into slices and serve.

You can also use a bundt pan, as I clearly did in the above picture. I find this makes for a prettier finished product.

Note-the bread will keep on the counter, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 4 days. This bread also freezes well. To freeze, cool the bread completely and wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost before slicing.

Also, a personal note - I got this recipe from www.twopeasandtheirpod.com, and they used just a cup of chocolate chips. I'm sure this would be delicious as is, but I find the dark chocolate and chunks of pumpkin seed add a whole new depth of flavour, and the seeds a new texture. Also, if you don't have dark chocolate pumpkin seed Bark Thins, as I don't always, since they only seem to be available in the fall at Costco, you can just use 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate with a couple tbsp. of chopped pumpkin seeds.

I really hope that you enjoy these recipes as much as I and anyone I force to have some has! Let me know in the comments below if you try either of them, or what your fall favourite is!

I Tried Using a Diva Cup

Menstruation cups are becoming a more and more popular method to maintain your period. They're eco friendly, cost effective, easy to use and generally risk free. That being said, I decided to give one a go. Anything to make my time of month easier - I will gladly do.

I decided to go with the Diva Cup - purely because it's arguably the most common one, therefore making it easy to find in stores. I usually choose a tampon as my weapon of choice because I don't like how a pad feels. It makes me feel like I'm wearing a diaper, I find it smelly and messy. I like tampons because they're easy to use, discreet and relatively comfortable.

When purchasing the Diva Cup, they only have two sizes:
Model 1: Recommended for women under the age of 30 who have never delivered vaginally or by caesarean.

Model 2: Recommended for women aged 30 and over or for women who have delivered vaginally or by caesarean.

Those being the only options available, I went with model 1.

I found the cup was a little difficult to put in. It's awkward and a bit uncomfortable. You have to fold the cup a certain way, insert and twist it to create a suction. I found the process to be a bit time consuming and it's hard to tell if it's in correctly. Diva Cup does say that it may take a few cycles of using the cup to get used to inserting it properly.

To be honest, I was terrified of overflowing the cup. Sometimes my flow can be pretty heavy (tmi?), but even on the heaviest day, it never overflowed. Saying this, I did experience minor leakage. It was nothing major, but I would feel more comfortable knowing that there was zero leakage. Since I never bled enough to make the cup overflow, it must've been down to the cup not being inserted correctly. User error.

Like the rest of our bodies, vaginas come in all different shapes and sizes. I don't necessarily think that only two models (having had birth vs not having birth) are enough sizing options. Someone could very well be inserting the cup properly, but because the size/shape isn't correct, it could cause leakages. I'm curious if other menstrual cup brands have more sizing options and if it's proven to be more effective.

One really nice aspect of the cup is being able to wear it for such a long time compared to a tampon. You just need to ensure that you remove the cup and clean it twice a day. It's also safe to wear over night - bonus! Diva Cup does have it's own wash for the cup that you can purchase. It's mildly scented, cleans the cup just fine and re balances the Ph levels. As you wear it more often, you'll adjust to how often you need to empty it. Unlike a tampon, it's not as discreet. If you work somewhere with a public washroom and you need to take it out and wash it, you might feel uncomfortable doing that out in the open sink area. If it works for you, emptying in the morning and night works well.

Removing the cup itself can be messy at first until you get the hang of it. Otherwise, it's very simple. Using a cup really allows you to get to know your body better during your period. Using a tampon or pad, you can't exactly measure your flow, but with a cup it's easy to do and it's handy to know.

I will continue to use the cup and I hope it'll get easier and be more efficient with time. Hopefully I'll be able to correct the slight leakage problem - if not, maybe I'll look into other brands.

Have you ever tried a menstrual cup? How did it work out for you? Let me know in the comments below!

Turning over a new fitness leaf

Attempting to lose weight is a tricky thing. You feel compelled to tell people so you have something to be accountable to, but then you feel like a failure when you can’t stick with your goals. But if you don’t say anything to anyone, it’s so easy to skip the gym once, twice, forever, and order pizza for the second time in three days. On top of that, weight loss culture is everywhere. Blogs, magazines, cookbooks, the fact that we should be trying harder at losing weight is constantly shoved in your face.

That being said, two months ago, I decided to join the gym again. The decision took a lot of thought, as time and time again, I’ve joined the gym, gone for a few weeks, and at the most, a month, and then it tapers off into being just another bill I pay, with no benefit at all. I did my research, and finally picked Planet Fitness, as there are two locations, one close to where my fiancé and I do our shopping on the weekend, and one right on the route home from work.

This has always been one of my biggest issues when it comes to the gym. My old one was an almost 15 minute walk from my house, with no buses going to it. Having to walk 15 minutes there, and then 15 back, sometimes in knee high snow doesn’t exactly encourage me to go. I’ve found great success in going to a gym that’s on my bus route home. I can see some definition on my arms, and within two months, I’ve been able to increase the weight on the machines from 35 to 55-75, depending on the machine, and I can go longer and harder on the arc trainer. I’m also using the elliptical for the first time in my life. I can use it for a whole 10 minutes!

I also bring my fiancé every Sunday, and he’s gone from being scared of stepping foot in a gym to coming with me every Sunday. Seeing his confidence go up makes me feel amazing. He’s even talking about getting his own membership at some point (right now, he’s a guest on my membership).

The biggest lessons I’ve learnt are to take it at your own pace and not worry about making it a huge deal where you tell everyone and set up expectations, and find a gym that works for you. Those two things make all the difference in the world.

Do you have any tips for successfully becoming healthy and fit? Share them below, because I’d love to know!

What I've Learnt About Love (so far)

It’s a lie. Love is not a fairy tale like the movies make us believe. In fact, nothing is really as it seems. You see relationships from an outsider’s point of view and it looks glossy and perfect. Movies make it seem so magical and (for the most part) easy. I have learned that is not the case.

 When I was younger, I guess I didn’t really understand what true love was. I thought that when you fell in love, everything was just perfect and everything fell into place. You wouldn’t fight or disagree because you loved each other. I figured when it was right, it didn’t require any work whatsoever. Go ahead and laugh at my naivety.

I realize that I was very caught up on a certain kind of person. It’s okay to have a “type”, but be conscious that the person you end up with, may not necessarily be your type. I'll be completely honest in saying that my boyfriend was not my type when I first met him. I honestly didn't think it would work out because of our differences, but something in my mind told me to stay. I'm glad I did.

I am in a relationship that is going on 4 years. I love him. I think he’s the one, but that is not to say that our relationship is perfect. We bicker. We argue. We fight. But we also love and support each other. We are not perfect. To be completely honest, we recently got through a very rough patch.

Some days I feel head over heels in love with him and some days I don’t even particularly like him that much. But that’s normal. Spending so much time with one person – you’re bound to get a little sick of them a little bit.
Saying that, how do I know he’s the one? Because we made the choice to commit to each other and love each other no matter what. Love is a roller coaster – there are so many ups and downs and it’s hard. Not everything falls into place like I thought it did. That’s just not realistic.

It takes a lot of effort sometimes and a lot of compromise. But the key is that this person makes it all worth it. You wouldn’t want to go through it with anyone else. They make you look back on your previous relationships and make you think, “Woah. So this is what true love is.” Everything you thought you knew is out the window and it’s a whole new experience. It’s kind of like your soul just feels complete and happy.

Love isn't always as clear as night and day. There's a lot of uncertainty and it's terrifying. It's so scary to be so open and vulnerable with someone. Letting them into your mind and life, trusting them and giving them your heart to hold. It's not easy. 







So what's the point of this post really? I guess to say that love probably isn't what you think it is. Don't get too caught up in the gloss and the image of perfection. You could let something really good slip by. Relationships are work. Love is work. It can be hard and it can be easy. It's definitely worth it though. I had this idea of what a perfect relationship was and how love should be and I was completely wrong. I almost lost the best I ever had. I would hate for the same to happen to you.

Fairy tales, movies and books are nice and it's okay to wish for those things, but remember that they're not real.
Love is not just a feeling. It's also the choice we make to stay committed to someone.


I hope everyone finds someone to love and to be loved by because when it's good, it's the absolute best thing in the world.

Recent Winners finds!

I recently moved, and I am now within walking distance of a Winners. I've loved this place for years, but now that I'm so close, my new favourite pastime is to head there after work at least once a week and scan the racks for good deals and interesting finds. Now that I'm going more, I've managed to find more than just a good deal on Batiste dry shampoo. Below are a few of my best recent finds.

Look at how adorable this purse is! It was $30, which, to me at least, is a tad pricey for something so small, but it's honestly so amazing. It has the zippered pocket that you can see from the front, then right behind, a little pocket that closes with a magnet, then the whole open inside that opens from the top and has a little "secret" zipper pouch in the back of the inside. It holds everything I need, and my favourite part is that in the big pocket, it has card slots, so I no longer need to carry a wallet. Love it! And such a cute colour for fall!

A while ago, for no particular reason, I became fixated upon owning a pair of black Adidas sweatpants with the word Adidas written on the leg. I was not going to rest until I got them. I checked the Adidas outlet, their website, and Sportchek, and could not find them anywhere. I just happened to be browsing through the men's section one day, looking for clothes for my fiancé, and there they were, the sweatpants of my dreams. For only $45! At least $20 less than any of the other Adidas sweatpants I'd seen in other stores. They're so soft and cozy, perfect for evening walks in the fall, or just lazing around the house!

I've recently started trying to get back in shape, and wanted something a little fancier than an old grocery bag. I looked at a few in a few different stores, but this came out the winner. I love the minty colour, and wired piping around the edges give it structure, which is great. And only $20!

Please ignore the wrinkles in the pillow! I had to test it out before I could say if I liked it! For literally years, my fiancé has complained that my pillows are too thin, so we've finally done something about it. I was looking for something that wasn't too hard and dense, but I didn't want it to be so fluffy that it didn't support my neck. These Calvin Klein pillows are the perfect in between. Somehow firm and light as a cloud all at the same time. And only $30 for two!

While we were in the checkout line for the above pillows, it was going very slowly, which gave us too much time to look at all the snacks they strategically place in the checkout area, and we got trapped with these. But I'm happy we did. It's been years since I've had these, but they're as good as I remember. Delicious crispy cookies, and amazing hazelnut chocolate inside. Yummmmm. I believe they were $3.99. Kind of pricey, but a great treat!

Last but not least, we have one of my favourite cooking gadgets. When I lived with roommates, one of them had a handy dandy steaming container very similar to this. Prior to moving in with this girl, I never ate broccoli. Literally never. She showed me that it can be amazing with just a little bit of water, some salt, and a vented steaming bowl. It is now one of my favourite vegetables, and I eat it all the time. All I do is sprinkle the broccoli with some water and salt, pop the lid vent, and put it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Voila! Perfectly steamed broccoli, a great addition to any dish, but most especially mashed potatoes. I'm pretty sure it was only about $5!

I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of my favourite recent Winners finds. Let me know yours in the comments below! If you're in the States, I hear Ross and TJ Maxx are similar to Winners? Have you gotten anything interesting there? I want to hear about it too! I love hearing about bargains!

Skincare: My Current Favourites

Hey guys! Today I just wanted to do a little post to share some of the skincare products I currently use.

Let's start with taking my makeup off. I love the Garnier Micellar water to remove makeup. It's affordable, gentle on the skin and completely removes my makeup without making me breakout. If you haven't tried it yet, I would definitely recommend it!

To further remove any makeup straggling behind and to over all cleanse my face, I turn to my tried and true Noxema. I've tried multiple higher end and drugstore cleansers, but basically always return to this guy. It's not that the others didn't work (they did!), but I was going through them too quickly and it was getting pricey. Noxema is a good price that lasts a long time. It really cleanses my skin without the stripping it of all it's natural oils. Whenever I use it, my skin feels tingly, fresh and very well cleansed.

My favourite mask of the moment is definitely the Aztec Secret Healing Clay mask (thanks Amazon for the ugly sticker on the container). I've talked about this before on here and it's amazing! It's best to use it with apple cider vinegar and once you get past the weird smell, it does wonders for your skin. It draws out all the dirt and sebum clogging your pores. It feels very very tight when it starts to dry and even makes your face pulsate. It really brings your blood closer to the surface. When you wash it off - don't be alarmed at how red your face is! It's probably best to do this mask at night or when you have nowhere to go right afterwards. After the redness goes away, your skin will feel amazing.

Every once in awhile, I like to use these Bioré nose strips. My nose is the worst spot for me blackhead wise. These strips really work and pull the nastiness right out of my pores. It's disgusting, but also very satisfying? I used one the other night and I was shocked at how  such a large piece of grossness was in one pore. 

After my face is nice and clean, I like to give it a nice dose of moisture. I really like the Shseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer. My skin is combo. My T zone can get super oily. This cream is nice because it's light. It doesn't make me feel greasy or anything like that. It just makes my skin feel healthy and soft.

For an eye cream, I'm enjoying the Ole Henriksen  Banana Bright eye cream. It does just what it says - brighten your under eyes. It's a nice light and cool feeling cream. I definitely notice the brightening and it depuffs slightly too. 

I also have the Milk Makeup Cooling Water. It's essentially a stick of a gel like consistency that has cooling effects. It helps depuff your eyes and generally refreshes you. It's definitely a summer must have.



Have you tried any of these products? What are your current skincare obsessions? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time, 

Rhubarb crisp

I recently found myself invited to my future in laws, and decided, an hour and a half before we were to be there, that I should make a dessert. I quickly threw my cupboards open, but could not find a single thing that could be made that quickly, or didn't have the ingredients for my old standbys. Also, my fiances family are not ones for overly sweet desserts.

It suddenly occurred to me that I had rhubarb in my freezer that my grandma had sent back with me at the end of a recent trip home. I suddenly knew I had to make something with it, as being tangy and tart, I figured it would be perfect for his family. A pie couldn't be made from scratch and baked in an hour and a half, but a crisp certainly could. I quickly Googled a recipe, and the following recipe, from www.geniuskitchen.com, was the first one to come up that I had all the ingredients for, and it turned out perfectly. Even my fiances ultra picky brother asked if I could make him another one if he bought me more rhubarb. It was a hit all around, so I want to share it with you today!

Genius Kitchen Rhubarb Crisp

• 8 cups rhubarb, chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Combine rhubarb, sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and cinnamon and put in an 8 x 8" glass baking dish.

Combine flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, and melted butter, and sprinkle over rhubarb mixture.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. Let cool until just warm and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family did! Let me know in the comments below if you make it, and whether it was a hit!

WOULD YOU RATHER: Harry Potter / Fantastic Beasts Edition

So today I watched the new trailer for Fantastic Beasts and it got me right in the feels. I started to feel nostalgic of the good ol' Harry Potter days and thought I would do a would you rather. Now I know I did one of these not that long ago, but this will be different and it's just what I was in the mood for.


WOULD YOU RATHER... 

 1; Have Ron for a friend OR have Hermione as a friend? 

I would have to say Hermione. I love Ron but I feel like he isn't always as good as a friend as he could be. He lets his feelings and jealousy get in the way. Hermione is strong, smart, loyal and independent. Of course I would want to be friends with someone I admire.

 2; Fight the Basilisk OR fight a Dementor 

I mean obviously I wouldn't want to fight either. I'm not terrified of snakes, but I'd sure as hell be terrified of a giant one like that. A dementor is so scary with how it sucks out all your happiness, but I think I would prefer a dementor... and by that I mean I might stand more of a chance with one.

3; Spend a weekend with Dudley Dursley OR spend a weekend with Kreacher the house elf?

Neither of them are a bright ray of sunshine, but maybe Kreacher? 

 4; Be a Quidditch Keeper OR be a Quidditch Beater?

I'm not very athletic, so I would be terrible at both. However, I'd probably be a terrible Keeper and everyone would make up a new version of Weasley is Our King. At least with being a Beater, I could take out all of my frustrations.

  5; Be sorted into Ravenclaw OR be sorted into Hufflepuff?

Well seeing as I am a Ravenclaw..

6; Have an Invisibility Cloak OR have a Time-Turner?

I don't think I would be responsible nor careful enough to have a Time-Turner. So I'll say an Invisibility Cloak because that would just be amazing.

  7; Receive a Howler in front of your friends OR eat a vomit flavored Every Flavoured Bean?

Well I'd probably actually vomit eating a vomit flavoured bean. Have you ever had one of those? I have and they are nasty. A Howler would be embarrassing, but I'll take it.

8; Attend the Yule Ball OR attend the Quidditch World Cup?

The Yule Ball would be so beautiful and fun, but the Quidditch World Cup would be such a cool event to experience! As long as there's no Death Eaters though.


  9; Spend an afternoon in the Burrow with the Weasley's OR spend an afternoon in Diagon Alley? 

Diagon Alley. It's magical. (Literally and figuratively) 

10; Have Severus Snape as your father OR have Dolores Umbridge as your mother?

SNAPE. Listen, he may have been a complete jerk to Harry, but I understand. Umbridge is simply a terrible, terrible woman. Can you imagine having her as a mom?! The punishments would be so scary.

 11; Have a pet Hippogriff OR have a pet Phoenix?
 
I love both. But also, a Niffler.

  12; Have a flying broomstick OR have an enchanted flying car?

Broom.

 15; Spend a week lost in the Forbidden Forest OR spend a day in Azkaban?

Hmm. Hopefully nothing would kill me or try to eat in the forest. Also if I were in Azkaban would I be like Sirius and not be quite so affected because I know I'm not guilty of anything?

  16; Change the story so that Dumbledore does not get killed OR change the story so that Sirius does not get killed?

Unpopular opinion alert: I don't like Dumbledore. He's a good character, but later on when you learn of his plans for Harry, I can't help but to not like him. I loved Sirius and I loved the relationship between him and Harry. It would have been so nice to see more of that.

17; Spend an hour talking with J.K. Rowling OR spend an hour talking with Daniel Radcliffe?

Oh gosh. I don't even know! J.K Rowling is the mastermind behind all of this and would be so amazing to hear more details and her thought process. Dan Rad was Harry Potter though and he was my first celebrity crush. I was so obsessed with him and I would be the biggest fan girl ever.

18; Harry Potter OR Newt Scamander?

Sorry Newt, but my heart is with Harry.

19; Have a magical suitcase OR Apparate?

A suitcase is cool and everything, but what if I lose it? I mean I could Apparate anyways, but if I could only do one I'd still say Apparition.

20; Grindelwald or Voldemort?

What kind of question is this? I don't think I could say one is better/ worse than the other. I think that Voldemort was a terrible/amazing villain in the story and it turned out amazingly.
We don't really know much about Grindelwald yet. However, I'm interested to see the story he has in the movie compared to the little bit of information we know from the books. Already I don't think it will follow the book. I am eager to see the Grindelwald/Dumbledore dynamic in the movie. However. I don't like Johnny Depp as Grindelwald. He doesn't look right at all. And Jude Law needs a better British accent as Dumbledore.


Let me know what you would pick!
Are you excited for the new Fantastic Beasts movie or do you think it just shoudn't be a thing?

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see a Marauders era movie. That would be bloody brilliant.

Until next time,