Thursdays are kind of my favourite 
1. You guysā¦ I am ashamed. How did I miss out on the fact that yesterday was National Bake Cookies Day?!? Can we just pretend that the white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies I posted on Monday were in preparation for the big day? (say yes and Iāll give you a cookie)
If not, here are some bloggers who are clearly more on top of things than I am:
Oreo Chocolate Crinkle Cookies via Fit ān Cookies
Gluten-Free Shortbread Cookies via The Healthy Maven
Double Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Cookies via Lexiās Healthy Kitchen
National Bake Cookies Day via The Lean Green Bean
2. Speaking of cookiesā¦ Remember those two failed, meltdown-inducing batches I told you about? I figured it was high time to share the incriminating photographic evidenceā¦
Mmmmm. Tasty, no? Actuallyā¦ they are pretty tasty. Iāve slowly been picking away at that melted cookie heap, and itās not half bad. But I guess itās hard to go wrong with a pile of butter, sugar, and flourā¦
3. And since weāre sharing secrets, hereās a fun oneā¦ Throughout the month of December, I wear Christmas socks more often than not ā even when Iām out and about.
Itās probably not too bold a move since Iām usually wearing boots and no one can tell, but itād definitely make for an interesting conversation starter if I ever found myself in a place that required the removal of footwear. Is it weird that I secretly hope thatāll happen?
4. You know whatās been missing around these parts lately? My face! I havenāt posted a picture of myself in quite some time, soā¦ hi! (note: I am wearing Christmas socks)ā¦
I need to get a little more consistent with the whole selfie thing, especially since I always love seeing the faces behind the blogs I read. I think itās high time for another round of As We Speakā¦
5. Itās also been a while since Iāve shared a grocery haul, and since I know Iām not the only one whoās nosy about what other people put in their carts, hereās a random restock that happened earlier this weekā¦
old fashioned oats // quick oats // all purpose flour // raisins // cocoa // white chocolate chips // cinnamon
mushrooms // pears // oranges // bananas // cucumber // avocado // broccoli // apples
ā¦ aaaaand my camera somehow lost the third picture, but just imagine:
[yogurt // cottage cheese // almond milk // deli chicken // apple butter // salsa]
6. Remember that spaghetti squash that I admitted to holding hostage in my pantry last week? Turns out that 3 months is a few months too long to just let it sit there. I finally got around to cutting into that sucker the other day, and this is the lovely surprise that awaited me insideā¦
Aliens Sprouts. A quick Google search suggested itās still safe to eat, but I think Iāll pass 
7. Hereās a quick tip for you on this fine Thursdayā¦ If you find yourself struggling to drink enough water throughout the day, try drinking it through a straw. Colder weather makes water a little less appealing, but Iāve found that itās a lot easier to get down when it comes up a straw.
8. I canāt help but wonder if the dogsled carrying my Naked3 palette got lost in a snow storm somewhere. I placed my order with Sephora 2 weeks ago and Iām still waiting for it to show up. I need to get Balto on that.
9. Speaking of Balto, did you know that happens to be one of my favourite childhood movies? Iāve watched it so often that I can pretty much recite the entire movie by heart ā same goes for Land Before Time and All Dogs Go To Heaven. But the #1 best childhood movie, in my books? The Last Unicorn ā and I know Arman agrees with me on that one 
10. Alright, enough of my random ramblings ā time for me to read yours! Thanks so much to anyone who joined in this weekās linkup ā I canāt wait to see some of the random stuff that youāve been thinking about!
I LOVE āThe Last Unicornā! Other childhood favourites for me were āThe Sound of Musicā and āSwiss Family Robinsonā. My roommate actually had a cookie āfailā that looks similar to yours last night. She forgot to add the second cup of flour and we were left with a tray of buttery, sugary, chocolate-chippy goodness to pick away at.
Stay warm in Edmonton!
You and me both, sister. Haha missed out on baking yesterday. I guess I did bake by throwing some frozen cookie dough into the oven? Not sure that counts. I alwayss wear festive socks! Most of mine are fuzzy and I love them. Iām not ashamed to take off my shoes, ever, unless I have leggings on because socks and those just look weird.
MOST of my socks are holiday themedā¦because my mother insists on gifting them to me for every occasion! It gets kind of embarrassing when I need to take my shoes off at someoneās house. Because Iām 25ā¦
As a self-professed cookie monster, I canāt believe I forgot national cookie day either! I think the cookie bark looks pretty good, though.
This might be TMI (but, as a blogger, is there such a thing?), but I also wear Christmas underwear (trees, snow flakes, etc.). It just makes me happy.
I also wear Christmas socks throughout December (I even wore green/red argyle knee socks to my company party last week).
And I have to agree, those are my some of my favorite movies from childhood, too.
Have a great Thursday!
I absolutely love the old school disney and pixar movies. Have you seen Frozen yet? SUCH A GOOD SOUND TRACK (Iām not sure if that should be one word or 2ā¦) Any who, your face is beautiful : )
Frozen was absolutely adorable! And yes, yes, YES to basically anything and everything Disney or Pixar.
So between you and Arman, I think I need to watch this Last Unicorn. Iām definitely intrigued! And YES on the Land Before Timeā¦maybe the first 3-4, I think they lost me when they got to 112 or whatever number theyāre at now for those damn movies. Other childhood favourites were Tom and Huck, the Magic Voyage, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and Beauty and the Beast. Now I kinda want to watch that last one againā¦.
And I was early on the cookie baking too. But I did eat some yesterday, so do I get points for that?
Christmas socks are clearly the way to go. I donāt have any right now, but I miiiiiight have pug socksā¦.:-p
YES all those movies were my favorites! Although Land Before Time got kind of wonky towards number 10 or so lol sometimes enough is enough!
And if it makes you feel better, I totally missed national bake cookies day as well. LAME! But those fail cookies? Iād bet theyād make a great crumple on top of yogurt. Just sayinā¦.
The āfailedā batch looks like textural heaven!!! I would be breaking chunks of those up and putting it on yogurt.. then itās acceptable for breakfast?
LOVE the sock just but a few pairs for stocking stuffers yesterday.. hope youāre keeping warm today brrr!
Oats, cranberries, and yogurt? Sounds like breakfast material to me
I was going to make this spaghetti squash casserole over the weekend. It has cheese and spinach in it. Looks pretty tasty!
I always drink my water out of a straw. I definitely agree that it helps it go down easier.
I love the Land Before Time! Itās been so long since Iāve seen it. Another favorite of mine was The Little Mermaid and Pinocchio!
I totally love Balto and The Land Before Time. Yes love..not loved :p ! I havenāt seen the The Last Unicorn. Gotta fix that!
The melted cookie thingymibob actually looks yummy.
And yes yes please bring on the selfies. Since some of us (me!) cant due to the whole hunted down thing, I adore your āAs we speakā posts.
I woke up today and legit my entire bloglovin was āThinking out loudā themed! Way to go lady! If your blog commenting and treadmill walking didnāt impress me enough your blogging successes never cease to
I also miss your face! And by face I mean seeing your name in my texts. Where ya been??? Currently I am sitting in my Christmas socks (which I wear year round!) trying to motivate myself to get to work even though Iām already 45 mins late! I am the worst employee everā¦
Girlfriend, I am ALL about Christmas socks! I rock āem all throughout November and December pretty much. I have so many pairs that I could wear one every single day of December without rewearing a pair. No joke! I need to put more photos of myself up on my blog too ā¦ but a part of me feels kinda weird doing the whole selfie thing. I guess I should just get over it, eh?
At least you have an adorable baby to keep you company in pictures ā I donāt even have a dog
And it definitely feels weird at first, but I think it just takes some getting used to.
It seems like more often than not, my spaghetti squash looks like the rotten one from your pantry. I donāt even have mine in the pantry for that long, but sadly, almost always rotten. Grrr.
Weāll pretend you were celebrating National Bake Cookies Day, especially since youāve been whipping up all kinds of delicious looking baked goods. Even the cookie fail looks tasty still, & at least you put it to use.
Isnāt it crazy when your camera eats your pictures?! I swear it happens to me all the time and itās so frustrating! WHERE DO THEY GO?! lol
Also, thumbs up to Land Before Time and All Dogs go to Heaven! Two of my all time faves!
None of the pictures loaded for me
I also totally missed the boat on National Bake Cookie Dayā¦ didnāt we establish awhile ago that there are too many national food holidays to keep track of?!
I prefer water bottles with a straw, too ā it definitely helps me drink water faster. I also like my water to be at room temperature, especially this time of year!
That squash reminded me of the potatoes I found in my pantry after not using them for 3 months. They were growing things and while I think theyāre still good to eat, I could barely look at them without squirming and couldnāt get them in the trash fast enough. Yuck. I love your boots! Are they Frye?
Ooo sprouty potatoesā¦ Yeah those are no good to eat. And my boots are actually from Steve Madden, although I -love- Frye boots!
Oh my gosh I love Christmas socks! If people could see the socks I wore under my boots they would probably think a little less of me. What can I say, I like fun socks.
I also didnāt realize yesterday was national cookie day, but I did bake brownies. So can that count? 
Yesā¦ but only because of all the chocolate
I loved watching Land Before Time as a child, I havenāt seen it in forever. Iāve never heard of The Last Unicorn, but now Iām curious! You know Iāve wondered what you did with your failed cookie test batches, was wondering if you were able to recycle them in some way and now I know!
and I know this is completely random but if you guys decide to do a Canadian blog meet up I would love to come even though I live a bajillion miles away! seriously!
and as we speak Iām also were Christmas socksā¦snowmen!
We were kind of sort of planning one for next summer, but donāt really have anything concrete panned out yet. Have you thought about going to Blend? Thatās one blogger meet up that Iām definitely planning on hitting up if theyāre still hosting it next year!
Iāve read about Blend, but since itās a bigger meetup I hadnāt seriously considered going because it freaks out the introvert part of me!
I was super nervous about my first blogger meet up as well, but thereās seriously -nothing- to be worried about! Bloggers are such a friendly bunch of people, that youāll have no trouble feeling comfy around them! And Blend is one of the more relaxed meet ups, so itās definitely a good one to start with!
Straw tip is so true. For some reason I drink so much more water when I have a straw. And when I mean so much more I mean maybe like a half a glassā¦ Iām still working on taking down more water (less coffee) during the day :/
Answering your #1: YES! (can I have a cookie then?)
We still have our deal though, right?
I also nearly laughed out loud when reading āI canāt help but wonder if the dogsled carrying my Naked3 palette got lost in a snow storm somewhere.ā Iāve joked with Jo and Arman that I would send things by Canadian geeseā I think thatād be faster. Iāll probably use them to send you some monkey bread.
Have a great Thursday, Amanda!
Ooo Canadian Geese sounds like a brilliant mode of transport! Althoughā¦ can you really trust them with bread? Especially the monkey variety????
Ahhh good point. You might just get some geese with a tupperware.
Cookies are definitely my favorite thing to bake! I love being able to mix up recipes and be totally creative!
i wonāt judge you for missing national cookie day. I have a feeling youāll make up for it. Iād take those cookie (thins?) for you. Your mess ups are probably fabulous. Hugs to you and your pretty face.
I missed out on National Cookie Day too, gahhh! Whyyyyy? Good thing I can make cookies any day
And itās so sad that your Naked3 Palette hasnāt arrived yet! I just got an email that theyāre instock online again so maybe that means theyāre shipping yours out soon 
Yay! Iām so excited that I woke up at 3am so I could join in. UGH.
Iām ready for bed now.
I pretty much love your Christmas socks! I love seeing pictures of bloggers ā selfies or not. I guess itās the fashion blog reader in me (actually part of what my inaugural Thinking Out Loud post is about), but I like seeing what theyāre wearing AND who theyāre with AND if they look like I think they should look. Although that one not so much because I usually read About pages once I decide I like a blog, and those usually have a photo. Anyway glad youāre still alive and looking well
I actually had no idea you got into blogging through the fashion route! I follow a tonne of makeup blogs, but the fashion ones are a little more intimidating because most of the stuff is a world above my casual style.
Haha I can definitely relate to that picture of your cookie failā¦ so far no fails yet this season though. Knock on wood!
I liked the Land Before Time as a kid too, but I never really watched the other ones. My favourite movies as a kid were The Little Giants, It Takes Two, and Mary Poppins!
you remind me of how much I need to pull out my infinity scarf to bring home. I have to say I really really like the burned edges of things, so even when they are overcooked I find a way to salvage them. Even the crumbles!!!
Ahhh i loved balto as a kid! Not so much the others (they both made me sad and i wasnāt really a dino fan), but balto was awesome. Begged my parents for a dog just like him for over a year so that i could have one too. Still waiting on that to happen
i love your christmas socks! I wish I had moreā¦thought about getting some for santa to put in joeās stocking but he wouldnāt be nearly as excited as me which would make me sad and iām not allowed to buy things for my own or someone gets cranky..:guess iāll just have to add them to my extensive stocking listā¦i think my stocking list is longer than my Christmas oneā¦crazy?
Everyone seems to think itās a bit weird but I just drink hot water (from the kettle) in winterā¦
I often wear bright socks. People always comment which has led me to buying muted socks for work! Christmas socks, however, are worth the attention!
The ONLY way I get enough water during the winter is from my camelbak. Otherwise I probably wouldnāt drink water at all! The summer is another story..I canāt get enough!
SORRY ANOTHER THOUGHT!!
I bet those cookie bits would be BOMB on some plain yogurt with extra dried cranberries.
Just sayin.
I like the way you think
Iāve been wearing xmas socks more often than not too! Happy late National Bake Cookie day and yes Iāll take one of those delicious looking oat cookies. Thanks for hosting and have a great day!
Funny you should talk about the squash. We have one sitting in our kitchen right now and I was like well she has left hers for 3 months so itās not necessary to eat it right awayā¦(itābe been here about 4 weeks). I guess maybe that is what we are having for dinner tonight LOL.
Amanda ā love your Thursday linkup ā it sure is fun to ramble on!
I didnāt realize yesterday was national bake cookies day either! And yes I can pretend that āthe white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies ā you posted on Monday were for yesterday ā now please may i have a cookie ā STAT!
The other day when my daughter and I were out shopping, a fellow shopper decided to take being ānosy about what other people put in their cartsā to a whole new level, even managing to rummage thru and move things aside in ours to get a good look- gave my daughter and I a good chuckle and convinced us not to park our shopping cart while we go down an aisleā¦
No ā not weird at all that you hope to take your boots off so you can flash your Christmas socks! Good to see your gorgeous face, hoping you are having a wonderful day!
You should crumble those cookies in your yogurt or oatmeal bowls =)
I feel very stupid, but I have to ask this ā my appology is that we donāt have real oatmeal here in Switzerland ā what is the difference between old fashioned and quick oats? And depending on what do you choose them? Sorry if this is really dumb.
The last Unicorn ā love love love it!!!
Old fashioned are just a little less processed so they take a little longer to cook and have a heartier texture. Quick oats are broken down a little more so that they donāt take so long to cookā¦ Theyāre basically the same thing, you just pick one depending on how much time you have and what kind of texture you want.
Ahh Land Before Time was my absolutely favorite movie growing up. I could watch it every day and not get tired of it.
Confession: I donāt own any Christmas socksā¦maybe I should ask for some for Christmasā¦?
That bowl of cookies looks good
National bake cookies day sounds like a holiday I can get behind 100% (and I forgot too- I did make a malteser ice cream cake- which I decorated with chocolate chip cookie crumbs and crushed tim tams however ;))
I love- LOVE- the land before time! I still cry every time I watch it! I recently watched Matilda (another kid favourite of mine) again- and I ate a box of chocolates (like the ones she steals) whilst doing so- my friend and i had so much fun! Next viewing we are making a really amazing chocolate cake! It just manages to somehow enhances the viewing pleasure enjoying food that is in the movie (random- do you ever do that? :))
I would love if you ever feel up to it a post about how your recovery is going and your overall journey- (just saw Lucies amazing honest post- so beautiful!) Only if and whenever you feel comfortable- I know itās very personal!
Merry six days to Christmas and happy Thursday!!
Thank you, Pearl! Happy Thursday to you as well!
Iāve been meaning to post a recovery update for a while now, but Iāve been having a hard time putting it into words so itās taking a little longer than I had hoped. Itās coming, though!