the evolution of harry potter

sorry for the harry potter-heavy posts recently...it will be out of my system soon, i swear!  i spotted this over at how i met your father and it reminded me so much of my own post about harry potter.  i love seeing the side by side comparison of ron, harry, and hermione from each of the films.  if only my evolution from age 11-18 was this un-awkward!

don't you love how they are wearing their hogwarts uniform in every picture except for the last?  just seeing that makes me tear up a little. 

the dog days of summer

ladies and gents, it is hot!  here on the east coast, we are experiencing a major heat wave - one for the record books.  over the past couple of days i keep hearing about how we're in the "dog days of summer", and i always nod right along like i know what it means.  i just assumed it meant the days in the summer when everyone starts sweating (and smelling) like dogs.  i thought it looked something like this:
 

image via raining cats and dogs

or maybe like this....

 

image via talkinghead.blogspot.com/

while that may be true, it's not the real origin of the term.  so i did a little research...

image via solarempireuk.blogspot.com

that's the canis major constellation. it's shaped like a dog and includes the brightest star in the night sky, named "sirius".  starting in july the "dog star", sirius, rises and sets in conjuction with the sun.  ancient peoples believed that this brightest star contributed to the heat that was felt during those summer months and the days before and after this conjunction were deemed the "dog days of summer". 

i thought that was a fun little story to share with everyone.  hopefully i'm not the only person who didn't already know that!  stay cool and find a way to enjoy your dog days of summer!

growing up with harry potter

i think i could argue that not high school graduation, college graduation, or even starting a real-life job marked the end of my childhood, but instead today it is officially coming to a close. no, i am not getting married, having a baby, or moving across the country (yet hopefully!)...instead the series that single-handedly was the most influential literary and cinematic piece of my childhood, finally comes to a close. 

i was lucky enough to see an advanced screening of the movie last night (thanks dad!) and going into the theater i was as excited as i have been for the previous seven films, but also remarkably sad.  after 14 years, i no longer had this to look forward to...no more midnight showings, staying up late for a week in the summer after the newest book comes out because i can't put it down, or anxiously counting down to the next release.  instead, now finally, it has come to a close and as such, the final chapter of my childhood as come to a close as well. 

the cast in the first  movie

the cast now...so grown up!

i am not that ashamed to admit that i will probably see the movie at least 2 if not 3 more times and i suppose there is one final countdown that i can start...when amazon has a complete series of all 8 movies.  i have a feeling that a few of my friends and i will be having some serious harry potter marathon watching sessions. totally cool. 

my all-star picks

today is the 2011 all-star game and the phillies have a few winners going to represent the best team in baseball (which i can confidently say since our record more than supports it).  to celebrate the coming together of both the american league and national league to play...i chose my top all-stars if i got to put together a team based on good looks, swagger, and mad ball skills.

image via http://www.metsfever.com

obviously my first choice has to be chase utley - he is my mvp any day of the week.  that smile, that swing, that butt...everything he does on the field looks too good to be true. he is also the only person i know on this earth that can work slicked back hair.  even cuter? he is about to be a first time daddio.  that is one lucky child.

image via http://www.blairbunting.com

cliff lee - i have to say that i think the day i found out he was coming back to the phillies was the best day of the year...or the quarter for sure.  34 scoreless innings? s-e-x-y.

image via http://smartasssports.com

logan morrison - check out his twitter @lomomarlins and you will understand why after just 5 minutes of reading his tweets i realized he was a real winner. 

image via http://www.baycitizen.org/

image via http://mmii.info

pat burrell - man or machine? even though he plays for the giants, he will always be my favorite baseball player.

image via http://tbtbb.blogspot.com/

joe mauer - jessy's fave on the field.  clearly understandable since he looks 100% italian.

image via http://www.ibtimes.com

josh hamilton - not only did he overcome a drug and alcohol addiction to make it back to the major league but he was also last year's american league MVP.  sick nasty. 

beach hats

one of the best parts about summer is the beach.  and this past weekend, alanna generously invited me to her family's new house at the shore.  it was a beautiful weekend with lots of sun, and we assumed our position as sun-worshipping bathing beauties.  ...by the end of the first day my face was a variation of hot pink and deep red - ouch, sunburn!  the next day i saw a girl my age walking along the water with a really pretty and summery hat, and i immediately decided this was something i need.  i guess i always thought hats were for moms (or grandmoms), but, like i said, this girl was my age and her hat was adorbs.  so i took to the internet to see what styles were out there and if i could find something young, beachy, and even attractive to become my hat...

straw floppy hat with faux leather band and buckel detail from laila rowe

trim straw hat from urban outfitters



pins and needles basic straw floppy hat from urban outfitters



summer straw hat from j.crew

two-toned wide brim hat with bow from zara

overall, i was surprised at how much selection was available for beach style straw hats.  and for the most part, they're actually very affordable!  the styles above range from under $10 to $40, which means you can find a style to fit any budget. 

a party in a box!

this party in a box is one of the most adorable things i have seen in ages! it makes me want to throw an ice cream summer party this weekend so i can recreate it's cuteness...

 

what i really love about it is how simple each of the elements are but it comes together to be the perfect supplies for a summer party.  melanie at you are my fave created the kit and sent it over to her friend emily...check out the pictures from the party.  don't you wish you were one of those kids? 

i think this would be way fun to incorporate into my own birthday celebration this year.   i am finally at the point when i feel like it is just around the corner so i can justify every purchase as a birthday-related essential yet it is still six+ weeks out! at this rate it will be a very expensive next six weeks...

keep calm gallery

sometimes i wish i had another apartment just so i could decorate it with all of the different prints that i find online that don't match my current furniture.  today when i was looking on keep calm gallery, i realized that i would need to have 2-3 apartments to fit all of the prints i like.  i wish their were sold in america so they would be a little more budget friendly, but either way they are adorable.  here are a few of my favorite but hop on over to their website to view all 137(!) prints.

i had to add this one for jessy

the title of this one is "rise above it" - so wise :)

i want my parents to get this one for our beach house

all images from keepcalmgallery