Saturday, March 26, 2016

Batman vs Superman Reaction


What I liked:
  • The face off between the two heroes was everything I expected and more. 
  • Wonder Woman was amazing. I actually would have loved it if she had a more prominent role, but I understand why since she's getting her own movie
  • Lex Luthor was a fascinating villain who had a really interesting plan that I will need a second viewing of the movie to really appreciate. 
  • I won't spoil the ending, but I will say that it was really well done and planted seeds to lead perfectly into the next movies.
  • The cameo of The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg.
What I didn't like:
  • There wasn't an explanation to connect how the Dark Knight Rises ended with where we find Batman at the start of this movie.
  • There were a couple of "slow" moments in the movie spent rehashing how Batman's parents died that I thought were unnecessary.
  • Even though the ending was well done, I don't think it was believable considering what movies are still to come (if you've already seen it you know what I'm talking about).
  • The idea that Batman would go to such lengths to take down Superman didn't seem right to me.

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Chocolate Pumpkin Bread


I modified this recipe to create a bread that was just a little healthier than the original. I made half the recipe since I wasn't sure how it would turn out. Here's what I did:
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 6 tbsp sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup milk with 1 tsp vinegar stirred in
So I ended up doubling the pumpkin, adding less sugar, eliminating the yogurt, adding more milk and adding more butter. I don't like chocolate chips or nuts but if you like those I'm sure it would taste great in the bread. Next time I would probably add a little more milk since the batter was a little stiff. If you prefer a sweeter bread you can add the correct/recommended amount of sugar. I baked the bread in mini loaf pans so the baking time was only about 30 minutes.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Shopping for Shorts


I've been doing some online shopping for shorts since I have no guarantee of finding my size in the store. There are so many styles to choose from that make choosing a size very difficult. Boyfriend, girlfriend, and regular styles each require a successively smaller size. And each clothing company has a different size chart so I can't even buy the same size from each store. Actually I have the same problem with buying jeans online.
I have noticed that most shorts are either really short or really long with not many in between lengths. I prefer a length longer than a 1-in inseam but shorter than the bermuda style.
At this point I've tried shorts from Gap, Old Navy, Kohls, JCrew, Amazon and American Eagle. I will probably make a trip to Annapolis, return some of them and possibly see if any other stores have what I'm looking for.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Clearance Racks


I went to Kohls to return a few items and decided to browse the clearance racks. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with these racks. Sometimes I can find something at a really low price (like today when I got a shirt for 5 bucks). On the other hand, I have a hard time finding clothes in my size especially after the selection has been picked over. I've always wondered why the racks are so disorganized (clothing size not matching size on hanger, clothing sizes and clothing types not grouped together). I guess this is why I end up buying most of my clothes online.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Cold Grilling

It was in the 40s outside today, but we went ahead and had grilled burgers anyway. It was a little strange to put on a winter coat to step outside and grill. Last year my family and three other families from church split a whole grass fed cow. The beef is more mild tasting to me than regular beef from the grocery store. It's also a little denser (especially the ground meat) because it is aged longer.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Tea tree oil soap


This felt like a lazy Saturday even though we made two batches of soap. This is the orange and black soap we made yesterday and I love how it turned out. The curly pattern is different from all our other soaps. People have been asking us for a soap made with tea tree oil and we finally made one! I also realized this evening that I forgot to walk on the treadmill today. Whoops.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Orange and black soap


After a short day at work I came home to help my mom make more soap. This is what one of them looked like in liquid form right after we poured it into the mold. I'm not sure what the name of this one will be, but it's scented with tea tree and lemongrass essential oils.
Today was one of those days where I didn't eat a proper lunch and just snacked on carbs all afternoon. I really need to find some better lunch options. We had spinach pie for dinner, so at least I got in some vegetables today. After dinner I made some more of my favorite fruit dessert.