What Happens when I read books about food....

I finished The Irresistible Blueberry Bakery and Cafe and this is what happened. 

Yummy Blueberry Muffins.

Seriously I spent the whole book just daydreaming about blueberry muffins. I had to make them. It was an intense need to finish the book and then make the marvelous muffins. Never mind what time it is...never mind if we have already eaten...I MUST MAKE THE MUFFINS.

This is not the first time this has happened to me. 

Every time I read cozy books that involve bakeries or food I am suddenly in my kitchen measuring out flour, butter, and sugar. I simply cannot help myself.

TV and movies do this too....for example I have been watching a lot of British TV lately and I now find myself craving high tea type moments. I want lovely cuppa with a biscuit.....What is that? I'm not British. However they make it sound so lovely I just want to join in...

It always happens. I am so susceptible to suggestion. Does anyone else suffer from this? 

In any case...Here's the muffin recipe I found via Little Sweet Baker. They taste lovely. 

Bakery Style Blueberry Streusel Muffins

• 2 & ½ cups (310g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp (13g) baking powder
• 1 tsp (5g) baking soda
• ½ tsp (2g) salt
• ½ cup (114g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup (200g) sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (250ml) milk (any kind, whole or buttermilk is best)
• 1 tbsp (15ml) vanilla extract
• 1 & ½ cups (230g) blueberries
• For the streusel topping
• ¼ cup (50g) sugar
• 1 tbsp (8g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp (10ml) unsalted butter, melted
• ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F and spray or line a 12 cup muffin baking pan. Prepare the streusel topping by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sugar, add the eggs, mix, then add the milk and vanilla, mix again.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently combine using a rubber spatula until moistened. Fold in the blueberries until just incorporated.
5. Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups, top with streusel and bake for 5 minutes at 425F, then keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the heat to 375F and bake for another 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

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What I Read: August Reads

It was a bit of a slow book month for me. Not because the books weren't good or that I lacked in having a massive "TO READ" stack but simply because I was busy and the time to sit and read wasn't as available. I am making up for that these past few weeks but right now it is time to share what I read in August!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling- It is no secret that I am a Harry Potter fan. I love the series, I collect them whenever I see one at the thrift store or garage sale. I love rereading them and I love the audio books. Also my husband surprised me on our honeymoon and took me to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Seriously, I am a major Potter Fangirl. 

So I knew Cursed Child was coming out and I knew I would end up getting it and reading it. I wasn't sure however since it was in play format that I would LIKE it. All big Harry Potter fans will know what I mean about this.

So did I? Well.....It's Complicated. 

Pros: I loved going back into to the HP world. I loved seeing favorite characters again. I love the excitement from a new HP book. Also I truly LOVED Scorpius as a character. By far her stole the book and probably steals the entire play.

 Cons: The format. Hated reading it as a script.  I was so disappointed by how angry everyone seemed to be...there was so much hurt and miscommunication that I was really confused most of the time. Also the massive jumps in time didn't help at all...I mean YEARS go by with just a page turn. I wasn't into that. Without giving spoilers I will say this: Albus is my least favorite and honestly I don't for a MOMENT believe that his siblings would treat him differently. Maybe I am in the minority here but my brothers would never act like that. The big plot twist? Personally I will never accept it as canon. I remember distinctly groaning and saying "Yeah NO."

So it was a good story but it didn't have the magic of the others and I am glad that J.K. has announced that Harry is done. I would love for her to continue to write about the world of HP but I agree...Harry's story is over and there is so much more to the Wizarding World that I want to read about! I gave it 3 of 5...that ending just...eh.

Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin- I was finishing up my "mood" of thriller/horror/psychological madness with this book. I really liked seeing Young Tessie and all her damage and her relationship with her best friend Lydia. I also really enjoyed Older Tessa and the damage that had been done being one of the Black Eyed Susans...the only one that survived. I liked the build up of this book and I really enjoyed Tessa's search for the truth of what happened that night. I was shocked by the ending a bit but at the same time I expected "parts" of it. All in all I gave it a 4 out of 5.

The Wednesday Group by Sylvia True- I wasn't sure what this book was to start with. I just picked it up on a whim at the library and started reading during one of my bouts of insomnia. This book is about a group of women that meet weekly to discuss their significant others' sex addictions. I hadn't expected to be as drawn into this book as I was but I fell in love with the characters pretty early on and I simply had to KNOW what was going to happen next with some of the couples. I don't know much about sex addiction but I felt like the representation of the women affected by it was probably pretty accurate. It was a quick read and really intense at times. I ended up giving it 3 of 5 only because the ending was pretty abrupt. 


Be sure to join the linkup and share your own books! 

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Life Lately...

So last week was a bit topsy turvy for me. I'm not going into it because it is all personal stuff but today I am back to blogging and I thought I would share some of the pictures from some happy times these past few days. 


The weather has been better around here so I've been trying to make sure that Kyra and I get out and about to explore the world. 

Park time fun; caterpillar, MASSIVE mushroom

Also last week we went to the Renaissance Festival and while it was fun it was also pretty hot that day. Still Kyra was cute as ever. 

Pumpkin Spice is taking over. I don't mind. Still...is there a flavor Oreo won't try? 

People keep telling me that avocados are the best. I have never gotten into them. However I was told to try it on toast with red onion, salt, and pepper....and I really liked it. Damn it. 

Now for a bit of fun motivational/inspirational stuff: 

Welcome back Monday. 


Don't forget to join the Show Us Your Books Linkup tomorrow!

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Friday Favorites 9/2

Bringing back Friday Favorites this week because I've been on a Pinterest kick lately and just wanted to share with you some of my awesome finds! 


Beauty: 

I am in love with this look. I have to find that lavender color!

Actually rocked this one the other day. Love it.

Fashion: 

Just feels like fall and Halloween to me!

Nerdy Girl: 

I want to do this so badly to one of those cars!

I need these nail wraps. Like now.

Funnies: 

Food: 

Whatchamacallit is my FAVORITE candy bar. I must make these!

Song of the Week: I heard this one the radio the other day and remembered just how much I love this song. 

Happy Friday Everyone!

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Currently....

It's September! I cannot even begin to express my excitement that fall is on the way. I am SO READY for sweaters and cool nights and as you may have seen on my Monday post I am already starting my fall decor!

So here's what's been up....


Reading.....The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop and Cafe....just getting into this one. So far I'm enjoying it. 

Watching.....The Night Of. Actually we finished it and honestly I can say that it kind of lost me at the end. I won't give any spoilers but UGH...is everyone stupid??? Not sure if I will watch Season 2.

Loving.....This awesome primer/setting spray from Hard Candy. It works so well, is super hydrating, and smells awesome. Plus it is budget friendly!

This was $8 at Walmart!

Wanting.... This palette from Anastasia Beverly Hills. It is so beautiful...but it is sold out.

Excited.....for The Renaissance Festival!

 

So what are you up to Currently?  

Don't forget the linkup today! 

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Review: Makeup Brush Cleaner

Morning Everyone, 

Today I thought I would share an awesome product review with you all!

As you all probably know I am a makeup addict. I love it all and I have a massive collection. 

The one downside to loving makeup? 

Cleaning Dirty Brushes. 

I clean my brushes fairly regularly and it is always a hassle. It takes a long time especially if you want to be sure they are super clean. 

Now there are many different types of brush cleaner available but usually they are pretty pricey. Also I have done a DIY one that worked for a few months but eventually gave out on me. 

Then I stumbled upon this little item while shopping at Marshall's. 

It looks VERY similar to the Sigma brush cleaning mat however it was only $5.99. Since that is more in my budget range I thought I would pick it up and give it a go. *Side Note- I did a quick review on SnapChat and that is where the pics are from so if you are wondering why they are formatted that way...well that is why.


First off- It is smaller that ones I have seen before but I have a fairly small sink so I don't think that is a big issue. 

Now for the brushes. 

I am currently using Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap to clean my brushes to make sure they are getting a deep clean. More often than not I use Baby Shampoo though. 

Now for the scrub test. 

Oh Yeah! Super Clean! Great Success!

Before

 After

 I was really surprised by how well this worked! It cleaned my brushes so quickly and I had to use less soap than I normally would have since I just dispensed a dime size on the mat itself and scrubbed until the brush ran clear. It took WAY less time to do and I felt like they got a deeper clean than when I just scrub by hand. I also loved that the mat had suction cups on the bottom to keep it still in the sink while scrubbing the brushes. 

This mat gets a ten out of ten from me! If you happy to find one at Marshall's or T.J. Maxx I would HIGHLY recommend picking one up if you are a makeup lover like myself! 

*Note- I was not paid for this review and I purchased this myself. I just wanted to share my awesome find with you all! 



 

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Weekend Recap: Fall is Coming!

Saturday: We decided to get out of the house for a bit and headed up north to check out the "McDonald's of the Future". It was pretty nice all in all. The touch screen order system was cool but the Mom in me kept thinking about germs....and while they are currently offering unlimited fries we did not partake in that. Kyra really enjoyed the play place, which was pretty cool. 

She is so cute. Seriously.

After that we stopped by T.J. Maxx to do some searching. I didn't find what I was looking for but I did find a pretty awesome Headless Horseman to add to my Halloween decor! 

He is pretty awesome.

Then we stopped by Michael's and got my favorite purchase of the weekend. 

This is Thaddeus. I Adore him.

He is huge. Kyra LOVES him, but insists his name is Toad.

Then it was time to do some thrift shopping and that meant more Halloween fun and goofing around. 

She was so excited to take this picture.

Epic Halloween Thrift Store finds!

After playing around we finally hit up the grocery store for necessities and then headed home. Honestly by the time we made it home we only had the energy to make some sandwiches for dinner and then it was bath time bed time! 


Sunday: Kyra and I woke up extra early for some reason and we spent the morning playing Peppa Pig and Little Charmers. Then Robert took over for playtime and I did I few chores. I knew we were going to my parents' for the afternoon so I wanted to make sure the house was at least decent before we left. 

Sunday dinner at my parents' is always fun. Also my mom and I are of the same mind. BRING ON FALL. 

I swear she is like Martha Stewart of the Midwest. Everything is so nicely decorated and of course the dinner table looked lovely. 

We stayed and visited for a long while and then headed home. I wasn't feeling super awesome at this point so we decided to just watch movies and relax. We ended up watching Heart of the Sea which was surprisingly really interesting. I had thought it might be a bit boring but honestly I was completely into the story. Also...Chris Hemsworth. YUM. 

That was our weekend! What did you all get up to? Anyone else over eager for Fall???

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