Adventure Time with Heather and Vicky!

Hi lovelies!! ! Yes I'm back already! I have had a very exciting and busy week this past week. I got to spend some time doing some fun things with my best friend Vicky (Hii Vicky!). I really wanted to share about the fun places we went and our adventures.

My face from like 2-3 weeks ago. Hiiii! 

We FINALLY got to go to my birthday surprise. Where exactly did we go?  We went to a tea house!  As well as my favorite tea shop.

It was such a beautiful tea house called Tea with Tracy. It took us about an hour to get there but it was SO worth the drive! Plus the drive was fun, singing to Fall Out Boy and the Wicked soundtrack. And of course....Take Off by 2PM . I HAVE to listen to that song whenever I'm on a 20+ minute drive.

When we walked in, I was seriously in awe. It was just so beautiful!! The place didn't look like a typical coffee shop or cafe. It was very classy and charming. It was small and cozy.  I felt like every inch of the place was meticulously decorated. 

Even when I went into the bathroom, it was stunning. They had nice tea related pictures hanging on the wall and Victorian styled china dishes to hold things such as paper towels in the bathroom. I didn't go back to take pictures because I didn't want to be that creepy person bringing their phone into the bathroom. They even had a good sized shelved area displaying the teas they use, available for purchase.

There were two rooms in the tea house, when we walked in we were led to the seemingly smaller room, to a little circular table. The table was beautifully decorated, I was just so giddy with excitement. It had a white cloth tablecloth. A cute little lamp, a menu in a cute ornate frame, cloth napkins with silverware and a china sugar bowl with sugar cubes and tongs. 

There were also beautiful china tea cups and saucers. This was my tea cup:

This was Vicky's:

The room had lace curtains and really cute twinkling string lights I like to refer to as fairy lights. They really added to the atmosphere. Even the chairs were beautiful!

We were given a good sized menu of all of the teas that they serve. I was really impressed of their selection. They also had two themed sections. Princess teas:

And superhero teas!

We decided on strawberry green tea and their afternoon tea menu. We were brought a beautiful tea pot with our tea. 

We also got beautiful glasses with water. I was even able to get lemon and honey, which I frequently put in my tea. I was brought some itty bitty lemon wedges in a cute little cup.

With the tea house's afternoon tea course along with the pot of tea,  we were each able to pick a type of little tea sandwich, each a large scone and we each got to choose a dessert. We were brought lovely china plates and the food was brought on equally lovely china plates on a sort of cupcake stand.

These are the tea sandwiches we chose! Vicky went with chicken salad, I went with baked ham and Gouda.

These are the scones! Their scone options were limited and a bit out of the ordinary. We both got cherry almond, which was delicious! They also brought us whipped butter for the scones and homemade strawberry jam in a cute little cup.

For dessert, we each chose something different. Vicky went with chocolate chip cookies of which she got two of. I went with Swedish brownies. 

Now I expected actual brownies, so I was really surprised with what they actually were. Swedish brownies are actually pretty much almond flavored cake with a brownie consistency. It was really good but very rich and sweet. I couldn't even finish one and had to bring the leftovers home.

Here is Vicky being all cute and gorgeous as always ❤. 

Our afternoon tea was very lovely! The food and the tea were wonderful. The atmosphere was beautiful and it was nice to have a little tea party and catch up. I hadn't seen Vicky since June and I missed her so much!!!

From there, we drove to my favorite tea shop Simpson & Vale, the shop that I discussed back in February. We walked around looking at and smelling the teas. I was beyond thrilled to be back and thrilled to introduce Vicky to more types of tea since she is just starting to get into it. As part of my birthday gift, Vicky bought me a tin of tea and some samples of some other teas (thank you so much again!!)

I got a tin of Creme de la Berry which is a wonderful strawberries and cream flavored green tea. The samples I got are Creme Brulee, English Toffee, Strawberry Cupcake and Chocolate Caramel.

We went to some random shops to browse afterwards. We ran around Home Goods trying to take pictures together. This annoying woman kept following us every time we tried to go to a deserted isle. 

This is the first time since I was 18 that Vicky and myself have taken a picture together!! It definitely needed to happened, we both have changed so much since high school. I look like a hot mess admittedly. It was a rainy, but hot and humid day. I don't fair well with heat and humidity. We had been out and about for most of the day so at that point, I was sweating and my makeup was running. Plus my hair was up.

They had just started to get their Halloween decorations in so of course I was spazzing over those and some beautiful tea cups. Seriously, I go nuts when I see stores start to put out their Halloween products. It's the perfect time of year to shop for my year round decor! XD

On Thursday we went on another adventure to the mall for most of the day. I had been achy for days after this adventure, on Friday I could barely walk. I made the mistake of wearing flip flops to the mall, but it was worth it because I didn't get as overheated as I normally do in sneakers.

We had such a blast shopping! It was a beautiful drive to the mall, a very bright sunny day. The clouds looked like a painting.

I took a picture of the beautiful old carousel that the mall has near the entrance at the food court. When I was a little kid, one of my dad's relatives worked running the carousel so I would get some free rides on it.

We first hit Lush, I was devastated to find that they were totally out of their wonderful face masks. They just released two new ones that I really wanted to try. I had brought my 5 empty product pots to turn in for a free mask via their recycling program. The store was expecting a shipment of masks later that day, we went back to Lush probably 4 times and found out that there was a problem at the factory with the shipment. It figured that the one time I can get to the mall that I couldn't get a face mask. It's infuriating!!!

We then went to Bath and Body works, mine and Vicky's love ❤❤❤❤. We spend so much time walking around smelling everything. They were just beginning to get their fall scents in and I never had gotten to sample their fall scents before.

From there we went to Sephora. We had a funny experience there. When looking through skincare a Beyoncè song came on (Naughty Girl), suddenly the music got REALLY loud and we were wondering wtf it was about. We then realized that a Sephora employee was walking around singing to it really loudly. It was SO funny!!

On our way to Forever 21 to look at clothes we came across a new store called Kiko Milano that drew us in. It was a makeup store!! It was small but had a lot of nice products all at seemingly decent prices. Not drugstore prices but certainly not high end. It was like a little boutique. They had a large sale going on so we thought we would take a look. Vicky spazzed a bit over the price of the nail polishes they had on sale. We both LOVE nail polish.

After that  we hit CVS and the beauty supply store to look at more nail polish. I helped Vicky choose a blush from the Nyx clearance sale they had. We then ventured to Forever 21 to look at clothes.

We checked out Claire's because I love to get earrings from there. They always have some really cute ones. I was hoping to find some tea cup earrings but could only find latte and coffee ones. Oh well the hunt continues!

Lastly we went to Hot Topic. We always go there last because we KNOW we'll end up blowing all of our money there. I spent a good while looking for the anime section and going back and forth looking at necklaces. I really wanted a Ouija board cameo necklace they had but the price was a bit steep for what it was.

They had a separate small Attack on Titan section, small Black Butler section, anime shirt section and Dragon Ball Z section but I couldn't find the rest. I was miffed because I had yet to see anything Sailor Moon related. The anime shirts they had were Blue Exorcist, Soul Eater, AOT, DBZ, Sword Art Online and Bleach. I didn't take many pictures because Hot Topic is so damn dark!! I did see these awesome AOT water bottles. Yes, I spazzed. No I didn't check the price, I was afraid of the expense to be honest. 

I FINALLY found the rest of the anime stuff and accidentally yelled "Yes, I found my section!!!"...I got some odd states xD. I spazzed so hard at the extra Black Butler stuff, Sailor Moon stuff, SAO and the Free! Wallet.

Curse you horrible Hot Topic lighting! 

I laughed my ass off when I found this, an Attack on Titan Titan mask!! XD

While waiting for Vicky to decide on what else she wanted to get to take advantage of the sale I looked through the bucket of buttons at the checkout desk. I was looking for a Sailor Moon one but couldn't find it. One of the employees literally dumped it out to help me find a Chibi Moon button, but we kept finding Saturn ones. Why did no one want you Saturn? ;___;. If I didn't find the larger Sailor Moon button I would have gotten you Saturn. I also found a Black Butler Button and a Kirito one. I already have an SAO button so I didn't get the Kirito one. The employee was awesome, we chatted for probably 20 minutes while Vicky tried to decide what to buy. We talked about Sailor Moon and how much of a bitch Rei is to Usagi a lot of the time. She was really into anime and Harry Potter. I love Hot Topic employees!

I was having asthmatic problems and I was exhausted so from there we left the mall and headed home. But it was such a wonderful and fun day!!

So what did my mall haul consist of?

At Lush, I got a small slice of their Rockstar soap. I am in LOVE with their soaps. This particular one smells like candy. I also considered Honey I Washed The Kids because it smelled like heavenly caramel.

 I got samples of D'fluff and Angels on Bare Skin to Try. I was all out of Ocean Salt and couldn't buy a pot so I got a sample of that as well.

YAY for lazy pictures!!!! 

At Sephora I just got 3 samples, two face masks and Too Faced Hangover primer. I've been DYING to try it. Vicky purchased one of Sephora's new house brand sleeping masks and one of their sheet masks, I'm excited to hear her verdicts on the products.

At Bath and Body Works I got an Iced Coconut Coolada shower gel and a French Lavender & Honey lotion. The lotion I got for free because I had a coupon, the shower gel I got on clearance. I refuse to pay full price for anything at B&BW because I know that just about everything eventually goes on sale and they always email coupons. 

The Iced Coconut Coolada is described as having the key notes of coconut milk, passion fruit sorbet, orange zest, creamy vanilla and lime ice. To me it smells like coconut with a hint of pineapple and vanilla. It is a refreshing summery scent. I didn't like the scent of the matching lotion but I LOVED this shower gel. A thing to keep in mind with B&BW products is that the scents of matching shower gels, body sprays and lotions often differ at least a bit.

The French Lavender & Honey is described as having a fresh blend of French lavender, lily of the valley and nectarine de province warmed with sun kissed honey and white oak must. To me it smells like sweetened lavender. It reminds me a bit of one of my favorite Bath and Body Works lotions, Honey Sweetheart. This is also my first bottle with the new formula and packaging. I am loving the feel of the new formula!!!

Sorry for the shit-tastic picture! 

At Kiko Milano I got this kawaii nail polish. It's a light sort of robin's egg pastel blue with blue specs in it. It is called Cupcake nail polish, I unfortunately can't find a shade name. They had a huge sale in the store and I got this really cheap, it was under $2. When I put the change down of $2.02 (price + tax. Sales tax is ridiculous in Connecticut.), I cracked myself up by saying "Now that's my two sense cents". Ha ha ha, I'm so punny!! Seriously though, I'm so excited to test out this color. 

Lastly at Hot Topic, I got all of this taking advantage of the buy 1 get 1 half off sale. I love all of their sales. Back when I started shopping there when I was in middle school, they never had sales!!! They also had these little cards they would stamp with each purchase where you would eventually earn a discount. Now they have the HT+1 rewards program.

Anyway, I bought this Black Butler hair bow. Vicky had to talk me into it and convinced me I needed it. She was so right.

Now I can work some Phantomhive realness. Yes...I have watched too much of RuPaul's Drag Race. 

I got this really cute little galaxy hair bow.

This was so hard to photograph ;____; 

I got two buttons, a large Sailor Moon one and a small Black Butler one.

I got this beautiful long crystal necklace. I am VERY into crystal jewelry at the moment.

Lastly I got this Sailor Moon poster. 

I haven't had the chance to even unwrap this. Need to play some poster/wall tetris first!

What the poster actually looks like

They had a good amount of anime posters hidden in the corner. I spazzed so hard when I found them, I probably got some odd looks. I already had 2 smaller Sailor Moon posters in my room so I was a bit hesitant (the other choices were between Soul Eater, Black Butler and Ouran High School Host Club.) But Vicky talked me into it because I'm a SUPER fan of Sailor Moon. Plus it had my Mamoru baby *^*. If I didn't get that poster, I totally would've gotten the Ouran one since I already have a huge Black Butler wall scroll. I have absolutely no idea where to put the poster and I'll have to move stuff to make room, but Vicky was right. I NEEDED IT!!!

My room is becoming SO weeby!!! Or in simpler terms it's turning into a nerdy-ass anime room. I can't help it, I love my shows!! When I get really into something, I pour my entire soul into it. Slowly my room wallpapered with band posters is being covered in anime posters and figures. I love my habitat though, and that's what truly counts.

A few other exciting things happened last week. I began working on a book I was thinking of writing thanks to urging from my friend Natasha (Hey girl!!!! ❤) and of course Vicky. It is non fiction and a bit about my life. It isn't an autobiography but rather of my experiences with something. I'm not sure if I will go anywhere with it or even finish it but it is an exciting endeavor. I miss writing a lot.

I also found out that one of my oldest friends who is like family finally set her wedding date (after being engaged for like 3 years!!) I'm so happy for her and her fiancè. Even more news, I'll be part of the bridal party (I've never been a bride's maid before) and I'll be doing the makeup for the wedding. I know it'll be a lot of work but I couldn't be happier to be a part of her special day ❤❤❤.

Lastly, this blog has gotten over 2,000 page views!! Yaay!!! 

Thank you so much to everyone that reads this blog from the casual readers to my dedicated ones. I love you all so much and am so grateful that you care enough about what I have to say to read my posts. I never thought so many people would read my blog!! 

I'm sorry that this post was so long! I had such a fun time that I wanted to share all of our adventures and my hauls. I hope you enjoyed reading that little slice of my life and that my biggest blog fan (Vicky ❤) enjoyed reading about our experiences too! It's been such a busy and crazy week for me, I'm happy that my anxiety problems didn't totally ruin all of it. I'm starting to slowly learn how not to let it completely control my life.

This week we have Vicky's birthday adventure and another busy week for me. I'm stoked to have some more fun with her and to give her her gifts.

 Hope you all have a lovely day, my dears ❤

Xoxo

Moon prism power makeup

Over The Garden Wall

I recently watched a show called Over The Garden Wall. It aired around Thanksgiving time on Cartoon Network last year. It's a 10 part mini series cartoon. Quite a few friends have urged me for months to watch it and praised it highly, but I just hadn't gotten to it. One day on a whim I found some episodes on Cartoon Network on demand then the rest on YouTube so I watched it.

This is another one of those posts that took me weeks to write. I actually probably worked on this for about a month. I watched this series about 2 1/2 times to try and catch more of the metaphors and references...plus because I loved it so much!! I wanted to be as thorough as I could be when explaining my theories and present as much evidence as I could to support them.

Over The Garden Wall (or OTGW) is about two half brothers named Wirt and Greg who are lost in the woods. They spend the entirety of the series trying to get home. On the way, Greg frees a little talking bluebird named Beatrice when she is stuck in a bush. Beatrice grants Greg and Wirt a favor for their help, in which she agrees to help them get home. They face many obstacles like avoiding the beast in the woods that everyone is afraid of, witches and frog police. Yes...I said frog police.

Wirt is an awkward, self conscious, cynical and worry prone teenager. Greg is a goofy eccentric, free spirited and happy little boy. He is always spouting nonsense and giving the frog he found on their journey countless names (such as Wirt and Kitty), trying to choose the perfect one (He later settles on Jason Funderburker.). Greg's frog is indeed the same one from the very beginning of the first episode. I also believe that the frog is the one telling the story. 

 Wirt is constantly frustrated by Greg and placing all blame on him as well as Greg's father, Wirt's step father. Beatrice is a bluebird because she threw a rock at a bluebird in annoyance. This bird cursed her and her family. She is rather irritable and very insistent on getting the boys to Adelaide, the supposed good woman of the woods promising that she can help them get home.

Do not assume that this show is purely for children, as I initially did. It really is quite dark for a children's show and it has many hidden meanings throughout the series. It reminded me a lot of the musical/movie Into The Woods. There are some silly, playful and nonsensical moments throughout the series but they offset the dark and creepy moments well. As it goes on, it becomes darker and darker.

Most of it has an old timey early American feel to it. Though some characters feel like they are from various time periods. Episode 3 has a "Little House on the Prairie" era feel to it, especially the school teacher's attire. In episode 7 with Lorna and Auntie Whispers, Lorna has a Puritan look to her. Various characters throughout the series have a Victorian look. I am quite certain I have spotted 1920s era attire.

The animation and feel to it is very unique, I have never seen a show quite like it. The animation is also very well done.

There are many songs all throughout which are very well done. The cute Adelaide song as well as "Potatoes and Molasses" got stuck in my head after watching, I didn't mind. I love the song that the woman in the tavern sings. I'm not sure if it has a specific genre/type of song name but it is one of those "spooky" storytelling jazz songs (like the one from Tim Burton's Corpse Bride).

The music really fits the theme and feel of the show and totally feels in place with each character. Fitting with the characters that seem from different eras the music draws from different eras and genres such as some 1920s jazz, Victorian and early American sounding music. The song that the Pottsfield citizens are singing in the beginning of episode 2 reminds me of some songs in old Disney cartoons, such as the Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol cartoon. They didn't pull an American Horror Story and play modern music in an old timey setting. Everything felt in place and true to each era.

The voice acting is superb and there are some very well known actors in it such as Elija Wood (Wirt), Tim Curry (Auntie Whispers), John Cleese (Quincy Endicott), Christopher Lloyd  (The Woodsman) and the boy that plays Greg plays Tiffany in Adventure Time.


Warning: major spoilers ahead! You may not totally understand the rest of this post if you haven't seen the show. But if you want to see the show and/or don't mind please continue to read.

The major antagonist of the show is the beast. From the beginning to the end we see a woodsman warning Greg and Wirt about the beast lurking in the woods. 

We are told that the lantern the woodsman carries holds his daughter's soul and if it goes out she will die. The woodsman is always chopping down trees, the trees which the beast uses to claim children. He also needs to chop them to make oil to keep his lantern lit. Everyone they meet is afraid of the beast. The beast tries to prevent Greg and Wirt from getting home, he tries to lure children and kidnap them.

In the end, we discover how the brothers end up in the woods. We see Wirt in a more modern bedroom on Halloween night...which at first I found quite strange. From this scene, I assumed that the show takes place during the 80s or 90s.  

Wirt was making a mix tape for his crush, Sarah. He pulls on a costume and plans to give it to her after the football game of where she is the mascot. Greg shows up after helping a neighbor with her yard. Upon Wirt chickening out of giving the tape to Sarah because he hears that Jason Funderberker (whom the frog is later named after) is going to ask her out, Greg gives it to someone who in turn puts it in Sarah's pocket.

Extremely embarrassed at the possibility of Sarah and Jason listening to the tape together (which contains poetry and clarinet), Wirt tries to follow them to the cemetery to get the tape back. But of course they see Wirt. When Wirt and Greg join them, the police show up and as a Halloween joke tell the teens (and Greg) that they're arrested. Thinking they really will be in trouble, Wirt and Greg run away. As a result, they nearly get hit by a train and tumble into a lake and sink down into it.

The woods, and the unknown in the woods is a metaphor for a sort of limbo. Both brothers are drowning in the cold water. So the woods is the place they are transported to, stuck between life and death trying to get back home. Which really explains why we see characters that are from such old time periods.

Over The Garden Wall  seems quote a lot to be a reference to The Divine Comedy which depicts a man named Dante's travels through hell, purgatory and heaven. One of Dante's guides is named Beatrice.

If you pay close attention, there are various hints in the dialogue pointing at the unknown being limbo/death. It would also explain why some characters seem to be from different eras.

When they first arrive in the woods, they truly have no idea how they got there. They are just walking and suddenly Wirt realizes they are lost and insists that they need to get home.

The woodsman calls the boys lost souls at the start of the series. There is another layer to the lost souls element. Wirt is a very awkward and even lost before he arrives into the woods/unknown. He is very unsure of himself and self conscious. This becomes clear in episode 4. He goes into the tavern to ask for directions to Adelaide and he is asked who he is. He is unable to give a clear answer as to who he is, he doesn't truly know who he is so he is lost in life as well as the afterlife. I feel like this journey was not only to get back home/to continue living but also to find himself and figure out who he truly is.

When in Pottsfield, a character (I don't think they had a name) says "Aren't you a little too early? I mean it doesn't seem like you're ready to join us yet".  When Wirt says that they're just passing through she replies with "Folks don't tend to pass through Pottsfield." Meaning that Wirt and Greg are too early to join the dead. People don't tend to pass through Pottsfield because they're dead and it becomes their final resting place.

Later on in that same episode  after finishing their punishment bestowed upon them by the mayor or leader of Pottsfield for interrupting their celebration, Wirt insists that he and Greg still want to leave. Their leader in turn says that they'll "join us someday". The citizens of Pottsfield are revealed to be skeletons in costumes made of pumpkins. I should also mention that Pottsfield is a reference to a Potter's field which is a grave for unknown persons, many times unmarked. This makes a LOT of sense since in Pottsfield they dig up the skeletons from unmarked graves. The skeletons from these graves rise up and are welcomed as citizens to Pottsfield.

If you watch the cemetery scene, you will notice a tombstone with the name "Quincy Endicott" on it. He is the wealthy tea business owner we see in episode 5 where Wirt and Greg pretend to be his nephews to try to obtain the currency needed to board the river boat they need to travel on to get to Adelaide.

The woodsman warns Wirt to keeps high of body and spirit or the beast would claim them. Meaning he must keep up hope and keep his spirits high or death will claim him. He needs to keep fighting to live.  As we get closer to the end of the show, we see it become colder and start to snow like crazy. As Wirt loses hope of returning home, he lays down in the snow to sleep and the beast begins to claim him. The beast and the cold/snow are death. The longer he's in the water/becomes colder the closer he is to death and being claimed by the unknown of death. He stopped fighting to live so he essentially is dying.

Greg lays down to sleep next to him but has a "dream" of a heaven like place. I truly think it was Greg dying and going to heaven. He is allowed a wish, but decides to help his brother get home instead. So he gives himself over to the beast so that Wirt can be free. In a way, he gives his life to the grim reaper to save his brother. The beast is either supposed to be the devil or the grim reaper. He is always enticing and stalking  people towards death and the unknown. Using trickery and other means to get what he wants.

Greg begins to die at the hands of the beast. But Wirt out smarts the beast when he discovers that the beast's own soul is the one in the woodsman's lantern not his daughter's.  He tricked the woodsman into caring for it. Wirt is able to rescue Greg and the woodsman vanquishes the beast.

We then see Wirt and Greg being pulled from the lake and Wirt wakes up in the hospital. He has returned home. He then sees Greg there too. The beast's defeat is a metaphor for them defeating death in their near death experience.

We see a montage at the end of all of the characters. Beatrice and her family are human again, the woodsman has his daughter back. Once you watch the entire series, I suggest going back and watching the opening of the first episode. It shows foreshadowing of the entire series such as a little girl becoming annoyed by a bluebird (revealed to be Beatrice before she threw the rock at it) and two children playing with a toy boat in the river (a reference to the riverboat with the frogs). 

The riverboat can also stand as a metaphor for the boat on the river Styx. The river Styx is a river in Greek mythology between the world of the living and the world of death. The ferryman of Hades, Charon transports the souls of the dead across the river to move on. In mythology, you have to pay the ferryman to get on the boat. Wirt having to have 2 cents to ride the river boat is a reference to this.

I should also point out that Wirt with all of his doubts and worries has a fear of the unknown as most teenagers do. He fears what could happen if Sarah and Jason listen to the tape together. The unknown could also stand as a metaphor for his fears. After all, after the accident he is transported to a strange place with his little brother. He knows absolutely nothing about what happened or where they are. He just tries to seek out what he knows - his home.

Things, especially characters aren't what they seem at first glance. 

For example, we first think that Auntie Whispers is evil and eating children. But really Lorna is, Auntie Whispers is trying to protect Lorna from herself as well as others. I also want to mention that Auntie Whispers bears a resemblance to Yubaba from Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away. 

Beatrice as well isn't who we thought she was. At first we think she is trustworthy and truly wants to help the boys get home. We discover that she has an ulterior motive. Adelaide is really a wicked witch, she promises Beatrice that if she finds her a boy slave she will give her the scissors to turn her and her family human again. Beatrice does have a good heart though, she only wanted to save her family. She started regretting bringing the boys and does whatever she can to delay them.


We see some character development with Wirt when he awakes, finally realizing how important his little brother is to him and to start taking responsibility for things. Sarah informs him that she does want to listen to the tape with him. Wirt isn't the cynical teen he once was, realizing that he can get the girl of his dreams. We also do see some character development with Greg, Beatrice and even The Woodsman. Greg becomes serious and responsible at the end because he wants to help his older brother. He knows how important it is to him to return home so he stops spouting his nonsense and does everything the beast asks of him to try to return Wirt home. Beatrice realizes her faults and that all of her actions do have consequences.The Woodsman stops letting The Beast control his life and he finally stands up to the beast. By doing so he is able to return home to his daughter.

Overall this is such a wonderful show.This show has so many layers and hidden meanings to it. I may not have even picked up on them all but I tried to discuss as many as I possibly could. I totally recommend watching it no matter how old you are! It's seriously great. The entire series is maybe two hours in duration so it will not take much time. If you have seen it, comment and let me know your thoughts! Until Next time <3 

Xoxo

Stay Creepy 

Long Hair Problems

I love having long hair. In fact, I take pride in my long hair.  It has become a part of who I am. My mother refers to it as "the mane". It has taken me many years to grow it out, after I made the mistake of getting it cut just above my shoulders when I was 13. However long hair can be a pain in the ass!! So today I will be discussion some of my daily struggles with my hair. Some of these are admittedly comical, others rather annoying. My fellow long hair girlies will understand my pain!

• Getting caught in your pants or bra

Yes, this really happens to me! My hair is about mid butt length if not longer. It will get tucked into my jeans sometimes. It even gets caught in my bras when I'm putting them on, if I don't have my hair up. I have had times where I have clipped my hair into my bra clasps. Hence why when I'm at home not really doing anything, 80% of the time I have my hair up.

• Wind

The wind is my enemy. If I don't have my hair secured like crazy on a windy day, I end up looking like Cousin It from The Addams Family. Even worse: open windows in a moving car. Hair whips around everywhere and I can't see a thing.

• Adds heat

Having long hair in the summer is torturous. If I leave it down I swear it adds 10-20 degrees of extra heat. So I try to keep it up, my favorite being in a bun because it keeps all of my hair out of the way. Ponytails are fun because I can use my hair as a whip xD. So don't piss me off when I have a ponytail going on!

• Clothes get damp after a shower

I have this problem a lot. Even if I leave my hair drying in a towel for a while, if I keep my hair down after a shower my clothes get damp. Damp clothes aren't fun! So I tend to keep my hair up and let it dry partially before taking it down.

• Takes forever to dry

Long hair really does take forever to dry!!

• Requires extra care - Can get brittle or dry

If you have long hair, chances are it will require extra care. The longer it is, the more likely you are to have brittle hair. My hair is pretty strong, but it can get really dry. It requires extra care such as using moisturizing shampoo/conditioner, using a leave in conditioner and using hair masques.

• Getting tangled in it while sleeping

Yes...it happens to me all the time!! I will wake up with either my hair wrapped around my neck or around me in some odd way. Even worse - when I wake up with it underneath me, I move and end up pulling my hair.

• Getting hair caught in things

Sometimes, I will get my hair caught in drawers. I've gotten it caught in seat belts and car doors before as well. Luckily this one does not happen to me a lot.

• Thinking it's a spider

I hate this the most. Very often, my hair will brush against me and I will think it's a spider crawling on me. Spiders are my mortal enemies....I hate bugs in general but nothing makes me run faster and scream like a little girl like spiders. So naturally I will feel something on me and dart up in bed freaking out. Oops.

• Sitting on your hair

I know some girls with super super long hair have this issue. I have only sat down once to find that I was sitting on my hair.

• The cutting hair comments

Not that I truly want to cut my hair...but after a while the comments from relatives scolding me against cutting my hair gets irritating. Especially if I'm just going to get a trim. If you want to look at long hair so badly... fucking grow it yourself!! Don't tell me what to do with my hair. The only comment I dislike more in regards to my hair is the classic "Why don't you cut it then?" when I bitch about my hair.

• The dreaded hair cut 

I know many girls with long hair absolutely dread going to the salon. Many times when you JUST want a trim they decide to hack a lot more off. So your beautiful long hair that you loved so much becomes much shorter. Oh the horror!!!

There you have it, my long hair problems!! I have a few "problems" posts planned for the future, so stay tuned for that! Any long hair problems that I didn't mention? Or if you have short hair, short hair problems? Comment and let me know!

Until next time (whenever that is)

Xoxo

Moon prism power makeup

The Gigantic Harry Potter Post

I talk about so many different things on this blog: movies, shows, fashion. But there is one major thing that I don't really discuss: books!! So I am starting with my favorite ones of all time: Harry Potter. This post literally took me weeks to write so I hope you all enjoy it. 

The Harry Potter series consists of 7 books and is written by J.K Rowling. They are about a boy named Harry Potter. He lives a perfectly boring and ordinary life with his horrible and abusive aunt and uncle.  On his 11th birthday he discovers that he is a wizard, that his parents were as well and that they murdered by the evil Lord Voldemort. He goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he meets his best friends Ron and Hermione. Together they always stumble upon mysteries which in the end result in having to save their world or their school. When Voldemort returns, Harry must defeat him and save the future of the entire wizarding world. 

I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I have been for most of my life. When I was in kindergarten, the books started becoming popular. I would go home on the school bus each day and see all of the older children holding the books and discussing them.  I remember the back cover of the Chamber of Secrets used to freak me out a bit for some reason. At the time there were only two books released. I remember them being very controversial when I was that age. Mostly because of the super Christian people being against anything to do with witchcraft and holding book buntings. Book burnings make me sad :(. Oh those poor, misguided, ignorant people. 

For Christmas when I was in first grade  my parents gave me the first two books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (called the Philosopher's Stone in the UK) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. At the time, I detested reading. It just bored me so much! I started reading Sorcerer's Stone and for some reason was bored (BLASPHEMY!). But then I decided to pick up Chamber of Secrets. As I read if, I became hooked. It completely changed my life and soon I became an avid reader. I will forever thank my parents and JK Rowling for giving me the gift of the love of reading. It is one of the best gifts I have ever received. After I went back and read the first book, my obsession started. 

The books became a huge sensation with the release of the first four books and soon, the Sorcerer's Stone was released as a movie. I was ecstatic and extremely obsessed. My grandmother brought my cousin and myself to see the movie and I was in awe. There was my beloved Hogwarts and characters that I spent so much of my time with, right there on the screen in front of me. 

I owned a lot of memorabilia from the series, most of it from book illustrations rather than the movie because at the time there wasn't a crazy amount of movie memorabilia. I  had pretty much anything you could imagine: Harry Potter bed set, pillow, a stuffed Hedwig, a cloth poster with an illustration of Harry, dolls (anyone remember the Hermione dolls they came out with back then? They were like Harry Potter barbies.) I'm pretty sure I had action figures, as well as many different play sets like the potion making game set (where you made various candy "potions"). I even had (and still do) these tins designed to look like the books (opened like a book too). I still have a large number of Harry Potter Christmas ornaments that I still proudly display at Christmas time. 

At school during recess in elementary school I would run around the playground with a group of boys, pretending we were flying broomsticks. I remember I used to lecture one kid for saying Voldemort instead of You-Know-Who. I would then come home from school and play with one of my cousins. Though it was freezing cold November/December we would run around outside carrying sticks "dueling" each other. I would pretend to be a Hogwarts student and he pretended he was from Durmstrang. I would often dance around my grandmother's kitchen to the CD of the Sorcerer's Stone soundtrack. I think that everyone in that house became sick of my playing it xD. 

For Halloween at least three times I was Harry Potter. My parents threw together a costume for me which included a horrible black wig,  these super thick plastic black glasses with tape over the bridge (based on some book illustrations) and a black cape. 

As I became older, my love for the books just increased. I often would sit at the kitchen table at my grandparents house with an old typewriter that my grandfather gave me, pretending to be a writer for the Daily Prophet. I would make up many stories that could have happened in the wizarding world. I would interview various family members about nonsensical events for my version of The Daily Prophet. I guess now I see why I nearly became a journalist! 

 With the release of the fifth book The Order of the Phoenix, I began going out at midnight to get the newly released books. My parents were wonderful for doing that for me, I never even asked. My dad decided it would be fun for me, knowing my obsession. So at 11:30 or so at night, we would venture out to get the book. Every year my local bookstore would open at midnight just for the sale of that book. We would drive by and see the longest line of people, many in costume winding around down town. Seriously, it would wrap around the Main Street! Wisely, my dad decided to go to the local Stop N Shop which was across town and had a decent sized book section. They indeed were open late for the release and the line was short. We went there to buy the remaining books each year, getting in and out within 10 minutes. As we drove home we would laugh when we saw the still huge line of people still waiting downtown for the book. 

When the last movie was released, I was excited yet devastated. It was released the summer after I graduated from high school. Of course, the ending of Harry Potter felt like more of an ending to my childhood than my actual graduation did. I luckily had a few movie passes, so I brought some of my close friends with me to see it opening night. We were all dressed up in our favorite Harry Potter gear (I owned a few shirts that I wore quite a bit throughout high school). 

We all also made our own wands to bring with us. This was before Pinterest and its "hot glue over a stick/chopsticks" tutorial. I made mine by carving a stick from my yard, coloring it with a brown crayon, covering in cheap clear nail polish and adding some duct tape on the bottom to make a handle. At the end of the movie, we all stood up with our wands in the air and yelled "Mischief managed!". Surprisingly, quite a few others did the same thing. I remember crying so hard at the ending. Partly because of how beautiful the movie turned out and partly because I was sad that it was all over! The very last scene killed me because it played the same song that was played at the end of the first movie. 

When Pottermore came out (I don't remember exactly when that was), I signed up right away. I was so excited about all of the extra information we would be learning from it. But I was mostly excited that I finally would be able to be sorted into my Hogwarts house. I proudly am a Gryffindor! I thought for sure I would end up a Hufflepuff. 

If you want to add me, my username is: FeatherJinx4398 . I don't go on there so much anymore, since Pottermore doesn't have an app. 

I have always dreamed of going to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park. Sadly I have never been so lucky. My mom has mentioned for a few years that she wants to save up for us to go, she knows that it would be a dream come true to go there and see Hogwarts. I would probably cry too! One of my relatives (my mom's cousin's husband) actually worked on building some of the rides in the theme park. 

I have read every single book probably about 20 times. I still cry whenever I read about Dumbledore, Dobby and Sirius dying.  I have even read them in reverse order, which actually in doing so you pick up on some additional things like foreshadowing. I have had to repurchase certain volumes and I have them all on my kindle. I can't bear to be without my beloved books!

They aren't just books to me. They're like a friend. I have spent so much of my life with these books. They have always been there for me when I needed someone. Every single time I needed an escape or I was having a difficult time I always had them to turn to. They are the absolute best books I have ever read and I am still in awe at their greatness  whenever I read them. I constantly have new questions whenever I read the books. 

These books have taught me a lot of things growing up like how important friendship is. Do what is right over what is easy, stand up for yourself and never give up. I love the important bonds that these books create. They allow families to bond as well as new friendships to form. 

I could always count on Albus Dumbledore to instill some sort of wisdom. Sometimes the things he says in the books are things that I have needed to hear. During my recent reread of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone, Dumbledore had me in tears. When he is having a conversation with Harry at the end of the book, he says (referring to Voldemort):

"He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign...to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever."

So here are some pretty inspiring quotes by the very wise wizard:

• "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live" - Sorcerer's Stone 

• "It's our choices that show us who we truly  are, far more than our abilities" - Chamber of Secrets

• "Of course it is happening inside your head Harry, but why  on earth should that mean it is not real" - Deathly Hallows 

• "Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right" - Goblet of Fire 

• "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light" - Prisoner of Azkaban. 

I love the movies nearly as much as I love the books. I say nearly because the books are SO much better. There are many things left out and changed in the movies. The first movie is the most accurate and I feel like they gave up when they got to the fifth movie. 

It does make me sad about some of the things that were changed. It makes me sad that they left Peeves the Poltergeist out. In the books he was always pranking people and being a hilarious nuisance.  They left out the ghosts for the most part after Chamber of Secrets.

These are some other things that purely movie only people will miss:

• Dudley's last words to Harry before he left Privet Drive
• Nearly Headless Nick's Death Day party
• Hermione's SPEW obsession 
• The entire story of Voldemort's mother
• Harry becoming Teddy Lupin (Remus and Tonks' son)'s god father
• Animaguses 
• Who Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are
• Veelas
• Weasley is our king 
• Neville's parents in St. Mungos
• Harry is a huge sarcastic smart ass in the books compared to the movies

There are SO many more things left out, but I'll just leave it at that.

There were also scenes where characters were changed. For example, in the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Neville gives Harry the gillyweed for the 2nd task in the Triwizard Tournament. In the book, Dobby gives it to him. 

Another such scene happened in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. In the book after Malfoy beat Harry and threw the invisibility cloak on him, Tonks found him. In the movie it was Luna. I know these things don't seem to really matter, but they matter to those of us that love the books. 

When Richard Harris (RIP) died it was extremely devastating. Not only because of his loss but he was the perfect Dumbledore! I feel like if he could have lived longer, the movies would have been so much better. Although he did a good job for the most part as Dumbledore, for me Michael Gambon is not the true Dumbledore. He lacked the demeanor of Dumbledore that Richard Harris had and he played a harsher, colder version. I recall in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Dumbledore CALMLY asked Harry if he put his name into the goblet. Sir Gambon took a much angrier approach to this scene. 

One giant knit pick I have with the movies is Harry's eye color. It is a HUGE detail in the books that his eyes are green...Daniel Radcliffe's are blue. They did try contacts in the first movie, but he had a bad reaction to them. They could have digitally altered his eyes instead! It is a big deal because Harry's mom Lily had green eyes. J.K Rowling did say that  it would be alright as long as Harry and Lily had the same eye color. So what do they do? Give little girl Lily in the last movie brown eyes. UGHHHH! 

Alright, I'm done ranting! But seriously, you movie only people miss out! 

Since they are doing a "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them" movie (starring the gorgeous Eddie Redmayne. He was also Marius in Les Mis), I really hope they can make a "Quidditch Through The Ages" movie. I would LOVE to watch some more quidditch. I feel like they left a good chunk of it out of the movies. "Hogwarts, A History" would also be a pretty awesome movie. 

J.K Rowling is my hero. She is a huge inspiration and a wonderful woman. Her twitter account and responses to people are the best, especially when responding to people that hate on Dumbledore being gay. Yes, for those that don't know, Dumbledore is gay which makes SO much sense when reading the last book. 

J.K Rowling has gone through so much. She lost her mother at a young age to Multiple Sclerosis. She survived an abusive marriage. She overcame poverty while being a single mother. 

One day, she was on a train and had the miraculous idea of Harry Potter. From there she wrote the books and planned everything. By the time the first book was finished, she had already had the very last chapter of the seventh book written. 

She would write Harry Potter in cafes with her infant daughter, Jessica. She didn't have a job and couldn't afford child care. She was rejected by many publishers, I think 12. Seriously...people rejected Harry Potter!! She kept going and never gave up, eventually her books became published and she became richer than even the Queen of England. 

She has also donated a huge chunk if not most of her fortune to charities. J.K Rowling gives me so much hope and when I'm feeling down about my own career goals, I remember her story. 

J.K Rowling stands  for Joanne Kathleen Rowling. She was told that boys will not read a novel written by a woman so she had to abbreviate her name and create a pen name  a la R.L Stine style. Ms. Rowling wasn't born with a middle name, so she took her grandmother's name, Kathleen as her middle initial. 

I just admire the woman so much. Even with all of the books written she still has so much knowledge of her world, it's truly amazing. If I didn't have such problems with writers block, she would inspire me to write my own novel. 

I find a lot of the parallels, symbols and metaphors in the book pretty clever (though some took me a while to understand).  Voldemort is basically wizard Hitler. There is a huge parallel between the holocaust and Voldemort's take over and his wanting to round up/kill the muggle borns. 

The dementors also are a metaphor for depression. They over come you, sucking away all of your life and happiness making it feel as if you'll never be cheerful again. 

Anyway, it is time to wrap up this huge post (I did promise a gigantic one after all). I hope you all enjoyed reading about my Potter love and my rambling thoughts. If you're a fellow Harry Potter fan, which book or movie is your favorite? Comment and let me know! 

Until next time (whenever that will be) 

Xoxo

Mischief Managed