Tale as old as time....

When asked what the best chick flick of all times is, most girls respond with the same few answers: THE NOTEBOOK!!  PRETTY WOMAN!!  WHEN HARRY MET SALLY!!  Now, I'm not knocking any of these movies at all, and I actually enjoy each one--ahem "I'll have what's she's having"--brilliant!!-- but why don't more people think of Beauty and the Beast?  I mean, come on ladies--here's a love story about two outsiders, rejected by society, who learn to love each other for what's on the inside--there's comedy, tears, romance, magic--that's like the ultimate chick flick!!  And do you know what makes it even better------IT'S IN 3D!!!!!!

The Ultimate Chick Flick!

Tonight was girls night---dinner (made by me!) with Maggie, Amelia, and Brooke, followed by reliving our childhood by going to see Beauty and the Beast!  Yes, we laughed at all the cute jokes, sang along to all the songs, and wished, someday, we could have that moment of wearing a beautiful dress, descending a grand staircase, and dancing with a beautiful man in front of a starlit sky!  Does no one else get chills during that scene???  Beauty and the Beast truly is a fantastic movie (fun fact: it is the only cartoon ever--before the 10-nomination change in 2010--to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards)--THAT'S how good it is!  And yes, I'm 24 years old, and yes, I am not quite the hopeless romantic most girls are, but I love Beauty and the Beast, and I love feeling like a kid again, if only for a few hours!

Ok, now that I'm done raving about Belle and the Beast, time for some pictures!  I had some fun today playing around with my Canon 35mm Digital camera, so please forgive me for all the pics.  As mentioned before, I decided to make dinner, which was rigatoni in the crock pot.  Sounded simple enough to me!

This recipe actually required "some" pre-cooking, such as browning up some ground turkey (suppose to be ground beef, but I don't like beef, and turkey is much better for you):

And cooking the rigatoni:

And cutting up mushrooms:

Add a little cheese, some pasta sauce, cook on low 4-5 hours...and you get this:

Actually tasted pretty good (and the girls didn't complain), so I'll take this as a victory.  This recipe fed four people, plus plenty of leftovers, so guess what I'll be eating for the next week!!

Moving on-----Today's outfit was kind of just chosen on a whim--no real planning went into it, just grabbed a shirt, some jeans, and away we went.

Jacket: Simply Vera; Blouse: Target; Tank: J Crew; Jeans: AE; Slippers: Target

I was really trying to find ways to avoid doing work today--this involved cleaning the entire apartment, cooking, and even painting my nails.  Now, along with blow-drying my hair, I would have to list painting my nails as one of the things I hate most about being a girl--it takes forever to dry, you always smudge it somehow, and within a day or two, it's already chipped--all that work for nothing!  But I went through with it anyways, mostly because I wanted to try out my new neon blue crackle polish.  This stuff is awesome and available in a number of different colors.  You paint your normal base color (I chose "Russian Navy")--let it dry, and then paint on the Crackle.  It goes on solid, but then starts to dry in a 'crackle-like' design--so cool!  I like to have fun with my nail polish--it's my way of expressing my fun, quirky side, without having to display it with my clothing!

O.P.I. nail polish

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And now, because I'm a complete dork and was really bored today--here are some fun shots with the Canon!  Since today's outfit was simple, I decided to curl my hair to add a little 'something-something'--that's also one of the pains of being a girl, but it always looks so nice!

Tv setting; ISO: 1600 (quicker shutter speed)

Av setting; ISO: 200 (longer shutter speed)