Two upper-class teenage girls in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. Together, they hatch a plan to solve both of their problems-no matter what the cost. (IMDB)

This is a decent thriller. The majority of the film failed to draw me in, but the last half was actually very good. I really enjoyed the use of music and silence and how the film focused more on building suspense than just showing graphic violence (which it could have totally done).

Rating: 6/10
Buy/Stream: Amazon, Youtube

A few years ago, I found a recipe on Pinterest for "healthy peanut butter cookies". Somehow, when you leave out adding any flour to them it makes them healthy. However, considering how much sugar it uses, I disagree with the "healthy" title and think moderation should definitely be used when consuming these yummy snacks.
My favorite thing about this cookie is how easy you can experiment and make them your own. I usually make the batter according to the directions and then save half of it to play around with. I have added things like Nutella, chocolate syrup, and chocolate chips and it has always turned out delicious. This time I tried adding a bit of cocoa powder, which is why the cookies in the images are different colors (the darker ones being the experimental treats).

*As mentioned above, this recipe was found on Pinterest. I have been unable to find the original source, so if you know, please mention it in the comments so I can link to it!

From Academy Award (R)-nominee Hiromasa Yonebayashi - animator on Studio Ghibli masterpieces Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo, and director of When Marnie Was There and The Secret World of Arrietty - comes a dazzling new adventure about a young girl named Mary, who discovers a flower that grants magical powers, but only for one night. Mary is an ordinary young girl stuck in the country with her Great-Aunt Charlotte and seemingly no adventures or friends in sight. She follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest, where she discovers an old broomstick and the strange Fly-by-Night flower, a rare plant that blossoms only once every seven years and only in that forest. Together the flower and the broomstick whisk Mary above the clouds, and far away to Endor College - a school of magic run by headmistress Madam Mumblechook and the brilliant Doctor Dee. But there are terrible things happening at the school, and when Mary tells a lie, she must risk her life to try to set things right. Based on Mary Stewart's 1971 classic children's book The Little Broomstick, Mary and The Witch's Flower is an action-packed film full of jaw-dropping imaginative worlds, ingenious characters, and the stirring, heartfelt story of a young girl trying to find a place in the world. (Rotten Tomatoes)

Mary and the Witch's Flower is the first full-length feature released by Studio Ponoc, a company founded by former Studio Ghibli producer Yoshiaki Nishimura. This film had several former Ghibli animators working on it, so I had an idea of what to expect when it came to animation. The classic Ghibli style is definitely there, but the story itself just seemed a bit lacking to me. I did not find myself caring about any of the "human" characters in the tale but did find myself heavily invested in the cats Tib and Gib. If the movie had just been about them, I would have probably enjoyed it more. Overall, it felt like Studio Ponoc wanted to use their first official outing to pay tribute to where they came from and I am actually very interested to see what they do next to build their name in one of my favorite genres.

Rating: 6.5/10
Buy/Stream:  Youtube, Amazon

Squeezed into a coat closet with his classmates and teacher, first grader Zach Taylor can hear gunshots ringing through the halls of his school. A gunman has entered the building, taking nineteen lives and irrevocably changing the very fabric of this close-knit community. While Zach's mother pursues a quest for justice against the shooter's parents, holding them responsible for their son's actions, Zach retreats into his super-secret hideout and loses himself in a world of books and art. Armed with his newfound understanding, and with the optimism and stubbornness only a child could have, Zach sets out on a captivating journey towards healing and forgiveness, determined to help the adults in his life rediscover the universal truths of love and compassion needed to pull them through their darkest hours. (Goodreads)

I do not believe I have read a book that was more heartbreaking than Only Child. I found myself with tears in my eyes the majority of the time I was reading it. The reactions are all very human and believable and the mindset of the six-year-old Zach is exactly what I would expect. While his father takes the more silent suffering approach and his mother deals with her grief by focusing all of her anger on the family of the shooter, Zach (who is also dealing with PTSD from surviving the tragedy) deals with grief by listing and separating his feelings so they are no longer "all mixed up". His approach is ultimately the most mature solution and I loved how well the author portrayed this (and how it eventually helps his parents as well). What I appreciated the most about this book though, was how it dealt with the shooter and his family. I have read many other books with this same sort of story (from different point of views) and I am pretty sure this is the first that encouraged sympathy to all in involved. Even better, this is encouraged by a child and helps his family come back together.

Rating: 4.5/5
Buy: Amazon, Abebooks

Book image and summary via Goodreads.

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Ballerina Dominika Egorova is recruited to 'Sparrow School,' a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. Her first mission, targeting a C.I.A. agent, threatens to unravel the security of both nations. (IMDB)


This was an "I want to watch something, but not any of the 30+ movies I have saved in my Netflix queue" movie choice. I did remember being mildly intrigued by the trailers when I first saw them, but I did not have any real expectations on if it would be good or not.
It felt very long to me. There would be extended periods of nothing really happening and then wham bam we have some sort of weird sex stuff or a small torture/fight scene, only to go back to another period of blahness. Overall, I just never felt myself being drawn into the story (which wasn't horrible) or caring about any of the characters. I was also very disappointed by Lawrence's performance. She is absolutely capable of amazing acting that feels real, but in Red Sparrow, she just seemed bored the entire movie, regardless of who she was interacting with. I assume she was trying to pull off being "cold" and it just did not work for me.
I did find it interesting how they used the moments of gore and sex in the film though. It was never "over the top" or glorified and instead was very much just matter of fact. We do not see much of it, which actually made some of the scenes more intense. The ending was also very interesting, but because of how overall monotonous the rest of the film was, it just felt underwhelming.

Rating: 6/10
Buy/Stream: Amazon, Vudu, Google, iTunes

The SEEDS OF CHANGE® brand has been a leader in the organic movement since 1989. We are proud to bring you a complete organic experience, from seed to plate. Our quinoa & brown rice blend is made from certified organic ingredients and is so easy to use: just microwave it for 90 seconds or stir it in the skillet. You’ll love using it in your favorite recipes or whenever you want to add a delicious, nutritious, organic touch to your meals.

Before trying this, my experience with quinoa had been both limited and not that great. This was absolutely delicious though. It is quick and easy to fix and the smell and taste remind me of the Minute Rice cups (chicken flavor).  I tried it with chicken, but think it would also work wonderfully with pork chops or a veggie-based meal. The retail price also happens to be pretty decent, so I can easily see myself adding this as a regular addition to our grocery list.

Rating: 5/5
Buy: Walmart

Image and product summary via PinchMe.