Pearl and Poppy

Oh my goodness you guys, I am so, SO sorry that I didn't complete this book review back at the end of March! Well, Little Women was a fantastic book! It took me a little while to finish reading because of school, but I would say I finished it around mid April. I don't know about all of you, but I personally love books set in the 1800s. Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors, and so I am always looking for similar books. Little Women takes place in Northern America during the Civil War (at the beginning of the novel), but the war doesn't totally affect the story other than the fact that the girls' father is off fighting. The story revolves around four young girls living with their mother and follows their lives as they grow up, fall in love, start families, and just experience life. It was nicely written and didn't get boring at all. I can't decide whether I should write any spoilers because I have one complaint that I am still frustrated about, but I would give away the whole thing if I said it.... I don't think I'm going to, but if you think you have the same complaint comment below. I'll give you a hint: it has to do with Jo and her choices once she is grown up (actually just one choice that COMPLETELY threw me off). Anyway, if you've read Little Women and need to vent about this choice, I am here for you because I read the book like 3 months ago and I still am not over it. Other than this disappointing choice of Jo's (the second oldest sister), the book was a lovely read! 10 out of 10, I completely recommend.

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Do you love reading, but can never find that perfect book? I have the same exact problem, but this year I am trying to expand my library. Well here on Pearl and Poppy I'm going to recommend a book at the beginning of each month, and at the end of the month, I'll post my interpretation of it and some discussion questions for the comments! I'll be choosing a mix of popular books to classics to random ones that I find in the local used bookstore. I'll give each book a review after I read it, and hopefully that'll inspire you to dust off those books that have been sitting on the shelf and give them a try, too!

So today I was sitting at home doing nothing because for some reason I didn't have school. I could have done homework, but am I really going to do that on a Friday? No. I was getting pretty hungry, so I looked in my pantry and saw some Ghirardelli brownie mix! Then while I was looking for vegetable oil, I found a pack of Oreos and an idea struck me! OREO BROWNIES!! I'm probably not the first to come up with this idea, but either way I was convinced they would taste fantastic.

This is the brownie mix I used with just regular Oreos.

Ghirardelli brownies taste fantastic on their own, but who doesn't love a little extra something... especially if that something is Oreos! The first thing you have to do is preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Then make the brownie mix the way it tells you on the box. When you are ready to put the mix into an 8x8 inch pan, only pour half of it in or enough to just cover the bottom of the pan. Then set in full Oreos on top of the batter. I only put 9 Oreos so that there would be one in every brownie square. Cover the Oreos with the rest of the batter and put the pan in the oven for the amount of time it says on the box. I put mine in for 45 minutes.

Guys, it's been a long week, and I think I really need a spa day... said me a couple days ago when I was literally so tired I could hardly walk. So what did I do? Got my favorite snacks, some bubble bath, and a few candles and turned my bathroom into a getaway spa.


 Want to follow in my footsteps? Get on your most comfy bathrobe and twist your hair into a knot because this will be the most relaxing day you've had in a while.

Start out with the bath. Get a really nice bottle of bubblebath (or make your own using the recipe here like I did) because it will make the experience 10 times better. Or if you want to go the more scented, colorful route, get a bath bomb from Lush! Those are always super fun because they're fizzy and they have oils in them that make your skin feel super smooth.

Next, get your snacks. I decided to go with some substantial and healthy(ish) snacks, so I got my favorite cheese, some crackers, pistachios, grapes, and to add something sweet, some mini marshmallows. I paired this with a nice glass of grape juice (and no, it wasn't wine thank you very much) and soaked away while nibbling on crackers and cheese!

After my bath, I felt relaxed and ready to start my week. All my stress had gone down the drain!

What's your favorite way to relax?

Xoxo💕