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

american flag cake

you might have noticed by now that there are two things that i am a huge fan of - cake and america.  when i saw this cake over at cup of jo, i was estatic!  it is the best possible combination of the two. 

i am going to avalon this weekend with my family to celebrate the 4th and i just might need to add this cake to my to-do list!  i can't think of a better way to honor the best country's birthday than to eat a cake designed like the best flag in history...what do you think??

i am guessing my cake won't look nearly as good on the first try, but wish me luck anyways!

all images from glorious treats

tgif

tgif!  what's everyone have planned for the weekend?? it's supposed to be a fairly beautiful weekend, weather-wise, at least in philadelphia.  highs in the low 80s, lows in the low 60s and mostly sunny both days with only a 10% chance of rain each day.  it sounds like the perfect weekend to get outside and do something!  go for a hike or bike ride, day trip to the beach... or attend a phillies game!  they're back in town after playing away games for the past week. 

we're doing something really fun on saturday with a small group of our girl friends... a massive tailgate at the phillies stadium!  i found out about the tailgate from crossing broad, a philly blog that i read daily.  and let's just say that it didn't take much convincing to get alanna and the girls on board for a four hour, $10 all you can eat and drink tailgate for our favorite team.  it's the second such tailgate of the season, and they're expecting more than 250 people.  it sounds like a great way to spend a saturday afternoon and i hope that we meet lots of new friends who are phillies fans like us.  we won't actually be attending the game - trying to keep things cheap here! - but we will likely head to mcfadden's at the stadium to watch the game on tv with a good crowd.  if you want to join in on the fun, there are still ticketss available for the tailgate - here.

if you're in the philadelphia area and looking for something to do, the 22nd annual manayunk arts festival is also this weekend.  according to manayunk's website, "over the course of two days, artists from as many as 22 states bring the culture of arts and crafts to collectors, buyers and designers."  the restaurants, vendors and shops on main street host the event, offering delicious food and beverage options to add to the experience. 

whatever you end up doing this weekend, we hope you have a safe and enjoyable time as always :)

pizookies...the world's greatest invention

these amazing deep-dish chocolate chip cookies have been blowing up the blog world.  when i first spotted them on cup of jo, i had a  pavlovian reaction and despite having just eaten lunch, i was suddenly hungry and my mouth was watering for a bite of these cookies.

these "pizookies" are baked into the ceramic ramekin, just like a deep-dish pizza (thus the clever name of a pizookie)...don't they seem like the perfect twist on a chocolate chip cookie and a sundae? 

aren't they amazing?  i think that i am going to add them to my to-do list this weekend...who cares about looking good in a bikini when you can have these? 

 

 

 

 

please put that spoon in my hand right now

.

all images via white on rice couple

another hollywood home for sale

last month, i blogged about my excitement over the house from home alone being for sale.  but today, i found out that another hollywood movie home is for sale, and this time i'm even more excited! 

photo via uk dail mail

it's the house from the father of the bride movies!!  father of the bride and father of the bride part ii are two of my absolute favorite movies.  i've probably seen them both hundreds of times and it never gets old.  i always loved the relationship that george banks (played by steve martin) had with his daughter, annie (played by kimberly williams-paisley), and diane keaton is one of my favorite actresses of all time.  the movies were hilarious, emotional, and total classics.  i've watched the movies with friends, and with my dad, and i can't wait to someday watch it with my own kids. 

the other great part about this house is that it's in beautiful, sunny california in the suburbs of los angeles.  you know how much alanna and i love california! 

the 4,397 square foot, five bedroom, four bathroom home was built in 1925 and is listed for $1.35 million.  but! it's been on the market for 49 days so there may be some negotiating room in there.  it also has a huge yard, three fireplaces, and a solarium. 

now, please excuse me while i go pick the money tree in my back yard....