Peeps!

Hi, everyone! Though our previous posts were written by both me (Katie) and Sarah together, today's post is divided into sections. I'm doing the intro and Sarah will be taking care of the rest. After all, she is the chef and this post has to do with baking!

Peeps in a blanket!

Last week, we made these adorable little brownies, which Sarah found on Pinterest. I've linked to the recipe here. Sarah did the actual baking, but she was gracious enough to let me and our little sister join in the decorating fun (and of course the eating, which is the best part). Now I'll pass this post off to Sarah so that she can tell you about the recipe.


Sarah here! For future reference, purple is my favorite color, so if the text is purple, it's probably me writing. As seen above, Katie's writing will typically be green.

Peeps without their blankets

First, I should probably explain why we're posting an Easter recipe almost two weeks after the fact. For one thing, it's never too late for Peeps. Also, our mom gave up sweets for Lent, so I basically gave up baking for Lent. This took some reining in on my part, since I have been a baking machine for the past few holidays. Since I didn't want all the cute spring recipes I had pinned to be rendered useless, I decided to do some post-Easter baking instead. So, the only thing I made in time for Easter Sunday itself were cupcakes to be given away. (They were super cute too. Here's a link.)  

Brownie (and Katie's hand)

Anyway, on to the brownies: They are homemade, but they mix up quickly. The texture was somewhat similar to the boxed mixes - very rich and dense. In other words, these are real brownies, not cake masquerading as brownies.

The decorating was also easy, and something little kids could take part in. Since the brownies hold together well, dipping them in the almond bark was much less difficult than dipping candies. The sprinkles are optional, but why would you forgo sprinkles? All in all, a good recipe that I would make again. The cuteness factor alone makes it worthwhile.

Finished product!

We'd like to thank you all for reading our blog! We hope you've enjoyed it thus far and that you'll be back on May 1st when our next post goes up.

Movie review

Hello, all! 

Since we just saw Disney's live-action Cinderella in theaters, today's post is going to be a review. Potential spoilers if for some reason you have been living under a rock and never in your life heard the story of Cinderella.

Our overall impression of the movie was very good. It was highly enjoyable for all of us, including our little sister, which shows that this movie has potential to appeal to a wide range of ages. To be fair, we do like a lot of children's movies, but our standards are high for what makes a quality family movie. In our opinion, a family/children's movie isn't worth the ticket prices or the time unless it can be enjoyed by teens and adults, too. Children understand and relate to much deeper themes than society gives them credit for.

As you would expect from the trailers, this movie is visually stunning. The sets, costumes and effects are all tastefully done in classic fairy-tale style. The brilliant colors are eye-catching, and the scenery is beautiful. 

The actors were spot-on. The gorgeous Lily James, who you may know as Rose from Downton Abbey, plays Cinderella. She comes across as stronger than is often portrayed, while still keeping the classic essence of innocence and femininity.

The movie took a characteristic Disney approach to the story, but it did expound upon several facets of the tale that were overlooked by Disney's animated feature. (To clarify, we're not knocking the animated movie - we just liked some of the changes that this director made.) These changes included the following:

• We got to see a bit of Cinderella's happy childhood - the time before her parents died. As shown in the trailer, Cinderella's mother gave her a piece of advice before passing away that becomes one of the main themes of the film: Have courage and be kind. 
• Cinderella met the prince briefly in the forest before meeting him again at the ball, so they have a chance to actually talk a little before they declare their love for each other. ;)
• Cinderella interacts with her animal friends and they appear to understand her, but they do not speak as they did in Disney's animated version of the story. We felt that this was a good decision because talking animals tend to work better in animated films than live-action ones (though it should be noted that there are exceptions to this rule).
• The film alludes to pieces of the prince's and stepmother's backstories. Knowing more backstory helps flesh out these particular characters, which makes them more interesting. The prince becomes much more attractive and likable, and the stepmother becomes a more powerful and believable antagonist. Cate Blanchett and Richard Madden did an excellent job of playing these roles.
• Certain details of the magic are briefly mentioned so as to make more sense. For instance, the reason for Cinderella's step-family not recognizing her at the ball is that the fairy godmother worked it into the spell. Also, it's implied that part of the magic of the glass slippers (besides being extremely comfortable), is that they won't fit anyone but Cinderella.
• The audience is given a reason for why Cinderella didn't just run away from her cruel step-family. One never really questions why the animated Cinderella doesn't run away, but - as previously stated - this Cinderella seems stronger and more independent, so a viewer might wonder why she doesn't set out on her own. As Cinderella herself explains, she feels tied to the house of her parents and her childhood, especially since she made a promise to her father shortly before he died that she would keep the memory of her mother alive by taking care of their family home.

All in all, this film is one that entire families should be able to enjoy, and we would highly recommend it for your next movie venture! If you've already seen the movie, let us know what you thought of it in the comments!

Wishing you all a blessed Good Friday and a joyful Easter.