I have had today planned since early March 2019. Christian and I were supposed to be at Disney World. More specifically, at Hollywood Studios celebrating Star Wars Day in Galaxy's Edge.  When the opening date of Galaxy's Edge was announced my friends and I planned a trip for November 2019. Christian couldn't come because of work so I decided I would buy an annual pass and we would go again within a year. We decided on early May to coincide with Star Wars Day (May the 4th) and Mother's Day so we could have his Mom come along for a few days.

At the beginning of this March I knew we wouldn't be able to go due to coronavirus. I still held on to my reservations (dining, fast passes, even our special tours) until Disney cancelled them automatically because I needed that sliver of hope to get by. We were supposed to arrive at Disney early yesterday. Instead, we woke up in our own bed.


Even though we won't be at one of my favorite places, we are still going to make the best of everything. We have our health, as do our other family members & friends, and we know Disney will reopen eventually and we can go when it is safe to do so.

Back in the day I used to watch every Star Wars movie on May 4th. Now there are far too many so I pick & choose and do my best to get through them all! Since we're both still working we decided to start yesterday with the best films - the original trilogy. I also watched Rogue One on my own when Christian tired of the marathon. I will continue watching today while working (Christian works in another room.)

What Order to Watch the Movies In

Everyone has an opinion on the best way to watch the Star Wars movies. You can watch them chronologically, release order, with TV shows included OR Machete Order which cuts out The Phantom Menace, which many deem unworthy.  If I was having a first timer watch - and they have survived without spoilers this long - I would have them do it in almost release order. (Though I do enjoy Machete order, but I put in Phantom Menace)

1. Star Wars: A New Hope
2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
3. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
4. flashback to Rogue One (the fandom is divided on this film, I love it.)
5. flashback even further to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
6. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
7. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
8. flash forward to Star Wars: The Force Awakens
9. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (ugh...)
10. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
11. flashback to Solo: A Star Wars Story

Everything is on Disney+, except Solo is on Netflix for a few more months.

What Else to Watch

• The Mandalorian on Disney+: Even if you aren't a Star Wars fan this series is amazing! The cinematography is breathtaking and the story is fun.
• Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian: A documentary series on the making of The Mandalorian - it's brand new as of today! I have to wait until after work to watch the first episode with Christian. After today a new episode will be released each Friday.
• Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy: A documentary on the original Star Wars trilogy.
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars: An animated TV show. I haven't watched this myself yet, I know...shame on me, but lots of friends recommend it! 

For our celebrations I donned the Star Wars pajamas I bought back in 2015 and we had popcorn in old movie theater soda cups from other Star Wars movies. Wish I had more of them but my siblings and I divided them up, ha ha!

Other Fun Activities

• Play Star Wars video games - there are plenty.
• Do a Star Wars puzzle

Star Wars Baked Goods

If you like to bake, why not whip up a fun Star Wars treat!

• Blue Milk Pudding
• Chewie Chews & Blue Milk
• Ackbar Snackbar
• Yoda Pancakes
• Rey's Portion Bread
• More Official Star Wars Recipes

Forever 21 May the Force Be With You Pajama Top, Forever 21 Trust Me I'm a Jedi Pajama Pants, Sphero BB-8 (he can watch the movies with you and react!)

If you're anything like me during this period of self-isolation you're getting a little stir crazy being inside all day.  I haven't left my house in 3 weeks, the last time I ventured out I didn't leave the car. I tagged along as Christian went to a garden store to buy some soil for our vegetable garden. So technically it's been 4 weeks since I went out in public.

I'm a big movie watcher, as evidenced by my movies seen list, so that's how I've been spending a lot of my free time outside work.  When I say movie watcher I don't necessarily mean I'm seeing every movie that's released. I'm picky with my genres and I enjoy going through old movies to watch the classic actors. But I won't be watching many scary movies or thrillers.

TCM is a great source for watching older movies. Luckily I can use my parents cable login to use TCM's ROKU TV app. You can also use PlutoTV for free and numerous other smart TV apps (Tubi, Roku Channel, etc.)

If there's a movie you're interested in make sure to check for it on JustWatch, it shows where the movie is currently available for streaming. Sadly it doesn't include some of those free apps.

Today I'm going to share some movies that never fail to cheer me up when I'm feeling down.  This list won't include Disney movies because the list would never end.  It also doesn't include some of my favorite series like Lord of the Rings or Star Wars because those aren't exactly "feel good" movies, haha. I'm trying not to share too many so this list isn't fully complete.

I'm sure you've seen a bunch of these already, but that's the point, they're movies you can come back to time and again for comfort.

The Princess Bride (1987)

I could watch this movie every day and never get bored. You would think with a name like The Princess Bride it would be a chick flick, but this movie is loved by men and women alike. My whole family is obsessed with this movie and we quote it often. Do yourself a favor and watch it if you've never seen it. And read the book! The author wrote the screenplay so it's surprisingly accurate.

A Knight's Tale (2001)

Ahh, Heath Ledger. This is my favorite of his films, so endearing! (Although he's amazing in The Dark Knight as well.) I remember the first time I watched this I was at a sleepover with my sister and our two friends and I didn't want to watch because it sounded stupid and I didn't like the picture on the box. Boy how wrong I was!

Little Women (1994)

A classic if there ever was one, Little Women always soothes my soul. My sister and I had the biggest crushes on Christian Bale in this movie when we were young. Now that I'm older I'm in love with the soundtrack. (The new Greta Gerwig version is also really good, but this one remains my favorite of the film adaptions. Not a huge fan of the 2 super old ones)

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

You can't go wrong with Jane Austen. This movie is so beautifully shot with an amazing soundtrack it's hard to not fall in love. (Funnily enough, this trailer uses a bit of a song from Little Women! Only for a quick moment, but as I said, I love that soundtrack so it was easy to pick out)

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997)

There are so many versions of Cinderella out there, this is by far one of my favorites. The cast, the songs, the costumes! Perfection. You won't stop singing the songs after you watch. I still remember watching this for the first time in my living room in 1997. It aired on a Saturday night as one of ABC's "Wonderful World of Disney" movies.

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

I can't mention I like classic movies without putting one on this list. Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant star in this comedy involving a leopard that still makes me laugh every time. One time I even counted how many times Susan says "David" in the movie and shared it on Instagram. (Spoiler alert: it's 168)

You've Got Mail (1998)

I have to include a Meg Ryan movie! You've Got Mail has to be my favorite. Who didn't dream of finding love through AOL back in the day? It could go horribly wrong, but in this movie it all goes right (mostly, hah!)

Honorable Mentions

• Clue (1985)
• Ever After (1998) 
• Some Like it Hot (1959)
• The Holiday (2006)
• It's Complicated (2009)
• Kate & Leopold (2001)
• The Proposal (2009)
• Romancing the Stone (1984)

I wore this outfit a couple weeks ago to an advance screening of Daniel Radcliffe's new film, What If, which will be released next month. My Carven obsession continues with this fun new skirt! I've always had a thing for their prints but never bought any of the pieces until this year because they're a bit pricey. But let me tell you, they are totally worth it! I've worn my Paris print dress a ton and hopefully can say the same for this in a few months time.

Tee: Everlane, Skirt: Carven (NET-A-PORTER End of Season Sale), Sandals: Sam Edelman c/o ThredUp, Purse: Marc by Marc Jacobs (Saks Friends & Family Sale), Necklace: House of Harlow c/o South Moon Under, Watch: Skagen (Rue La La), Rings: vintage, Brilliant Imports & Mom's, Sunglasses: Cole Haan c/o Marhsalls

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Here's my Halloween 'costume!' Can you guess who I am?....no one?  WILLY WONKA! Willy Wonka is one of my all time favorite movies and over the Summer I realized I had all the pieces to create a girl version.  I always call this purple blazer my Willy Wonka jacket and this ASOS dress from a few years ago has a print just like on his shirt.  Meant to be, right?!  All I had to do was buy some ribbon so my mom could make me a big bow.  I decided to forgo the cane, but I did pick up a hat on eBay.

I'm not actually going anywhere but I thought it was fun and I'm wearing the outfit to work today. Minus the hat and bow, though I will bring them in my tote bag in case I feel like putting them on.

Dress: ASOS, Jacket: Gap (Coco's), Bow: Made by Mom, Hat: eBay, Booties: no.704b. (DSW)

And here's the inspiration:

Last year I did a series of outfits inspired by Halloween films, today I'm re-sharing a bunch because I enjoyed them so much. The dress featured in the last post is still available at The Outnet (when I first did the post it was at Net-a-Porter!)

Original Post: {outfits inspired by films} Christina Ricci as Kat

Original Post: {outfits inspired by films} Vinessa Shaw as Allison in Hocus Pocus

Original Post: {outfits inspired by films} Robyn Lively as Louise in Teen Witch

Original Post: Dream Outfit: Inspired by Fran from The Ugly Dachshund

Let's talk Halloween movies, here are my favorites!  I've been watching them since the end of September, gotta get in all my viewing before Halloween is over. Well, the Halloween focused ones, some of these aren't exactly Halloween themed, but they bring the spirit. I will probably have watched each of these at least three times this month and countless times in my movie watching history.   What movies are on your list?

1. Casper: Do I need to explain? Casper shows that kids movies back in the day are way better than junk they make now.

2. Hocus Pocus: I could watch this all day every day.  Perfection. (although I could watch most of these movies a million times and never get bored, but that shouldn't take away from it's awesomeness!)

3. Beetlejuice: Ghosts, a goth Winona Ryder, what else do you need?

4. Teen Witch: An 80s classic (starring Blake Lively's older step sister), I wanted to be Louise when i was younger and would get so excited whenever this came on TV. Luckily I own it now so I don't have to worry about that.

5. Halloweentown Series (except the third...I don't like that one): They are based on Halloween and a girl who finds out she's a witch, so obviously you need to watch them.

6. Harry Potter Series: no explanation needed.

7. Clue: This is a hilarious movie based on the board game.  Trust me, you'll thank me later.

8. The Black Cauldron: One of the scariest Disney movies I've seen.  The Horned King would give anyone nightmares! I love old Disney, especially the ones hardly no one knows about, like this gem.

9. The Last Unicorn: This was one of my favorite movies when I was little and remains so today.  There are so many amusing things I never noticed when I was younger; you'll see what I mean when you watch.

10. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: It's about candy, so obviously you have to watch it on Halloween! Not the creepy Johnny Depp version though....

Bonus: Have a Merlin marathon! Love this show so much. If you're a fan of the King Arthur legend you'll love this show, it just finished a 5 series run and shows Merlin and Arthur as young boys.

UPDATE: Lydia pointed out that I forgot Practical Magic...oops! Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witches, with some scariness thrown in. This movie is about as scary as I go (there's one scene that totally freaks me out still)

On my last trip to Marshalls (when I was shopping for my brownies post) I came across an amazingly soft Max Studio blanket.  At only $20, I had to have it.  I walked by the pajama section and spotted a maroon pj set by Tahari that was also super soft and once again was only $20.  I haven't bought a pajama set in years, I usually just wear an old tshirt (or one of my brothers' old sweaters) and gymnastics sweatpants. It's so nice to have an actual matching set now. No lounge day would be complete without a nice mug of hot chocolate, so I picked up an adorable maroon mug to match the pajamas and some specialty hot chocolate mix.  Even my nail polish (OPI) is from Marshalls!

This is how you'll find me on most Fall/Winter days.  I love curling up with a blanket in my comfortable clothes with some hot chocolate and a good book or movie. Although I must admit it is usually a movie, I haven't been reading much lately. After we took these photos I settled down on the couch with my family for a Star Trek marathon because my parent's hadn't seen the new ones yet.

Speaking of parents, these photos are by my Dad. Photography is one of his hobbies (along with cars) and we have some of his photographs displayed in the house. I don't know why I haven't had him take my photos before. I guess it's because I feel awkward, we laughed a lot during this shoot. Maybe I'll ask him to do it more often, especially because he's the one with the nice camera, unlike me with my tripod & mid-range Nikon (which I am quite fond of, but it's no DSLR.)



* Disclosure: I have received free products or value from Marshalls or The TJX Companies, Inc. in connection with my affiliation with Marshalls Project FAB.

Two Saturday's ago I took a trek up to the southern part of Connecticut to see one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride, at the drive-in!  I didn't want to go alone so I had Lydia come with me, and it just so happens that it is one of her favorite movies too!  I could watch it all day and not get bored with it and, like most other movies I love, I can say every piece of dialogue and even hum along with the soundtrack (sad, I know.)

Before the movie we stopped at a consignment store where I picked up a cute Calvin Klein overall dress, Apostrophe camisole & Etienne Aicner bag for $15.50! Talk about a good deal.  Then we headed to the drive-in to park our car and were lucky enough to get in the first row! Since we had a few hours to spare we went for a walk to get dinner and once we got back to the drive-in it was completely packed!

Song of the Day: Storybook Love by Mark Knopfler for The Princess Bride soundtrack

Top: Urban Outfitters, Jeans: Free People, Hoodie: Vertigo Paris (TJ Maxx, old), Flats: Marc by Marc Jacobs  (Shopbop), Sunglasses: Ray Ban 'Emma' (Marshalls), Necklace: Geoclassics, Watch: Skagen (Rue La La), Rings: vintage and Mom's


And some fun photos to show how close we were!


And here is one of my favorite parts of the movie, right at the end ;)