Sex And The City 2: A Review

*** Spoiler Alert *** For all you ladies who haven't seen it yet, stop on by when you have :)

Last night, my girlfriends and I got dressed up, had dinner and drinks, then went to see SATC 2. We were very bad and snuck cosmos into the theater (some of the people sitting near us were jealous, haha). I was excited to see it since I loved the first movie so much. Here is what I thought;

• This movie was less serious and more flighty than the first. It did cover the problems everyone was having, but some of them were a tad ridiculous.
• Fashion didn't take as much of a front seat as it did in the last. It was less about labels and more about Morrocan/Middle East style outfits, which were beautiful, but sometimes a little cheesy (see Miranda above).
• It was nice to see Charlotte frazzled for once... all we usually see is the perfect Pollyanna who has it all, but this time she shows that sometimes you just need a break.
• I love Samantha but they couldn't have aged her any more in this movie. Her whole problem was preventing menopause and when they confiscate her pills and creams in Abu Dhabi, she hits it hard and ages before your eyes. It reminded me how old she really is (52). 
• Even though Carrie and Big's marital problem seemed a tad trivial, it was very relatable in that after the newlywed stage is over, the second year can be a bit boring and "un-sparkly". Big's whole vice was wanting to watch tv all the time and Carrie wanted to always go out. I've heard that before.
• Miranda decided to quit her big lawyer job when her boss started treating her like crap and she couldn't take it anymore. If you know Miranda, you know she can't stay unemployed long.
• They did touch on a very serious subject that happens in the Middle East; if you display public affection of any kind, you can get arrested and Samantha definitely does. Of course she would, right?
• The karoake part had to be one of the most cheesiest and unnerving parts of the movie. Who would sing "I Am Woman" in an Abu Dhabi karoake club? 
• The gay wedding? So over the top. Swans, all men choir, white everywhere, dresses to die for. I would have rather seen Barbara Streisand than Liza Minelli... her dancing to Single Ladies was exactly how a 70-something woman would dance it.
• I love Charlotte but who wears vintage Valentino while baking cupcakes with two young children??
• Carrie and Aiden was the biggest part of the movie. Of course there was still chemistry and of course they were going to kiss, who ever doubted it? She did the right thing by telling Big but it's understandable why he was upset. 
• The movie was actually taped in Morocco and boy, this makes me want to go. I could do without the sand and camels though :)
• Carrie and Big's apartment? Gorgeous!
• I love the difference between the first class way they arrived and the lower class way that they left. As Carrie said, "Oh how the mighty have fallen". 
• There was one big lesson they taught in this movie; every marriage/relationship is different. Some are very traditional and some make their own rules. Nobody is completely right when it comes to love. 

Overall, I am disappointed it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. There was some great moments and some not so great moments but it's sad that the whole series might end on that note.
 
If you have seen it, what did you think of the movie?

My Furniture Project: Day 1 and 2

Some friends of ours called us one day and said there was some free bedroom furniture that their neighbor was giving away and they wanted to know if we needed it. We never thought of making another guest bedroom upstairs but considering I have one room that just has boxes in it, I said "Why not?".

The furniture was in great condition, it just wasn't the style that the hubby and I go for.

I knew I wanted to paint it, I just wasn't sure what color. I asked the wonderful Camila at High-Heeled Foot in the Door on some advice on painting wood laminate furniture and she helped out tremendously! I was deciding between blue and green on the color and decided green would be the more modern choice for me (My style is a mix between modern and traditional). I chose the color "Bell Pepper" from Olympic (the bottom color).

The first day, I primed both pieces with Zinsser Cover-Stain Oil Base Primer Sealer.

The second day, I went to work on the first coat of my color.

Your eyes are not deceiving you... the first coat is very bright! My husband saw it and flipped out but I had to tell him that it will get darker once the other coats go on, so he said he will wait to pass judgment until it is done (What a great hubby :p).

My goal is to finish the coats by the end of the week but we have company staying with us this weekend so it might have to wait. Once it's painted, I would like to enhance the detailed etching with a gold color and cover the cardboard in the armoire with a fun, printed fabric or paper (hence why I didn't care I got paint on it).

So what do you think? Am I crazy or do you think I can actually pull this off?

N's Wedding Pictures

My best friend's wedding pictures are finally in and they turned out great! I was so honored to be her maid of honor and stand beside her on such a special day. The weather didn't cooperate so it had to be moved indoors but that didn't stand in the way of love and happiness :)

 

Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!

Pictures courtesy of Jason Angelini

Zoya Charla; My New Favorite Nail Color

I was lucky enough to win a nail polish from Zoya (who I got all those other polishes from in the exchange) and I chose Charla because I had heard so much about it.

I decided to use the last of my press-on nails and give Charla a go. I put on my nails with as much glue as I could and they turned out pretty natural looking.

Then I painted 3 coats of Charla on them. In the pictures, the white tips are still pretty visible but in real life you can't see them.

I absolutely love this color! These pictures do not do it any justice; it's a beautiful blue/teal color with green specks of glitter... very reminiscent of a mermaids tail (at least that is the consensus). It's my new favorite nail polish and I've been getting some great compliments on it.

If you want to check it out for yourself, you can find it here :)

Can You Be Too Attached?

I like television. I always have. I know it's not necessarily healthy to watch tv so much but when there are so many good programs on, I can't help myself. Some are just entertaining, but some of them, some of them really get to you and you invest so much time in them that they almost become a part of your life.

Here is an example; Last night was the series finale of Lost. I started watching Lost 2 years after it debuted ( I watched the first two seasons on DVD) so I've invested 4 years or so into the program. Lost isn't just some show that comes on and gives you something to do for an hour. Lost is a commitment. Lost is you saying you will watch every single episode so you can get questions answered and still think you know what is going on (which you never do). You get caught up in the characters and their lives unfolding in front of you. It's some powerful stuff.

Anyways, last night, after the 2 1/2 hour finale, I found myself crying (because of the events of the finale mostly) and becoming sad that the show I loved for 4+ years was actually over and I'll never see a new one again. My husband was at a friend's house and called me to ask how it was. I told him I thought it was great and he could tell I had been crying. He asked why and I said I was sad the show was over. He then replied " Really? It's just a television show!" He didn't understand that I was so emotionally attached to the show and he apparently felt that because it's just tv, it's kind of ridiculous to get that attached.

So, I will ask you. Are there any shows that you are invested in or attached to? Is crying over a show ending ridiculous?

Science Sunday: Top 10 New Species Discovered in 2009

New species of fish, worms, and plants make up the top 10 list of new discoveries in 2009. Some of the most interesting species are:

• The dracula fish, found in freshwaters of Myanmar, have two front fangs used for sparring with other males.
• The psychedelic frogfish, pictured above, was discovered in the waters of Bali and has a very unique pattern that camouflages it in the colorful floor of the ocean.
• The bombardier worm was discovered in Monterey Bay and shoots glow-in-the-dark "bombs" to predators when it feels threatened. 
• The killer sponge is a carnivorous deep-sea sponge

The complete list is located in the article and it's fascinating to see all the different kinds of species that can be discovered in a year.

Article and Photo: LiveScience.com

Payday... Finally!

I am finally free from wedding debt! The credit card has been paid and I can now finally start saving money again! I do have to factor a couple of things into my money-managing for the next two weeks...

Sex and the City 2

I will not only be going to see this opening night, but I am also joining the Bon Bon Rose Girls on Saturday for their SATC 2 event, so I need to make sure to have plenty of money for the drinks and movie :)


MAC To The Beach Collection

Not only does SATC 2 come out on May 27th, but the newest and most exciting MAC collection hits stores as well. I have been waiting for this for months and I'm allotting enough money to treat myself to 2 great items from this collection. Which items, I have no idea, I just want to go and play with the colors!

Beach

Speaking of the beach, it's been a long time since I've gone and I'd really like to make it there this weekend or next. Between gas money and parking, I would like to make sure I have enough to lounge out in the sun (with plenty of sunscreen, of course) and read my summer book.

What about you, what is coming up that you need to allot money for?

Chic Bathing Suits For Summer

I'm not going to lie, I haven't bought a new bathing suit since I went on my honeymoon 2 years ago. They are still in great shape and still quite stylish, but I hardly go to the beach ( which is shocking, considering I live in Florida).  However, if I did buy a new bathing suit, these would most certainly catch my eye :)

Stripe Bikini - Target

Jantzen Vamp One Piece - Macy's

Bandeau Buttercup - Everything But Water

Ruffled Bikini - Target

Jantzen Heritage Collection - Dillards

Becca Kaleidoscope - Everything But Water

Poll: Pick Our Summer Getaway!

The hubby and I were talking this morning about potentially going on a mini-vacation this summer. Right now, our first priority is saving up to get him a new car, but if we end up having a little extra lying around, we wanted to go somewhere for the weekend.

I narrowed it down to 2 choices...

Beautiful Savannah, GA

or Tropical Key West, FL.

Both destinations are acceptable car rides away (Key West is 7 hours, Savannah is 6). Both have plenty of things to do and great places to stay. We've never been to either location so we are kind of torn. That's where you come in!

Where should we go for our Summer vacation?

Real Simple Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to everyone for entering and sharing your favorite magazines. I really enjoyed seeing what else everyone likes to read :) The winner of the one year free subscription to Real Simple magazine is...

Melissa from Oh, My Darling!!

Congratulations Melissa! Please email your address to butterflychk500@yahoo.com so you can receive your prize :)

Movie Mania!

I have been catching up on some movies that I missed in theaters and thought I would give a short review on each of them. Don't worry, I won't be including any spoilers :)

Nine

This movie makes me want to be Italian! I love a good musical as much as the next person (Chicago and Mamma Mia are a couple of my favorites) and this one doesn't dissapoint. Great music, stellar cast and eye-catching cinematography. I usually rate a musical on how many songs give me goosebumps and this one delivered quite a few. The biggest surprise of the movie? Fergie.

Avatar

I absolutely thought I was the only human being left on the planet that did not see this movie in theaters. There was something about the real life mixed with CGI that didn't thrill me so I let everyone else see it. Needless to say, I was an outcast. I finally saw at home in HD, which I know is no way comparable to seeing it in 3D in a theater, but I heard they were re-releasing it out on screens so I'll have to catch it again. If I could describe the movie in one word, it would be "incredible". I loved the plot line (I'm a sucker for Pocahontas-type stories) and the imagery was just breathtaking. Plus, it didn't hurt that Sam Worthington is such a hottie :)

Sherlock Holmes

Ever since Iron Man, I've been a big Robert Downey Jr. fan. There is just something about him that can make any movie watchable and funny. He is great in this movie, as is Jude Law and Rachel McAdams. I enjoyed the look of the movie and love that Guy Ritchie does slow motion and real time to show you how a fight sequence goes. It was very entertaining.

Have you seen any good movies lately?

8th Picture Post

Thanks to Krystal's Kitsch for tagging me for this game! It's simple... find the 8th picture in your 8th photo album and post it with the story behind it. I went to my facebook because I have 30 albums there, haha.

This is sort of an odd photo but it will make sense. I was at a USF football game (which is played at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and it was one of those rare early afternoon games they have. We were playing Louisville and we were celebrating the armed forces, so they had a group of parachuters come down onto the field carrying flags from both teams. It was pretty cool and I got some great shots of them :)

I tag:
1. Hey Gorgeous
2. Lovely Violet
3. Haute Whimsy
4. Lipstick at the Mailbox
5. The Zhush
6. Gouldylox Reviews
7. Pearls and Poodles
8. Pining for Nordstrom

Science Sunday on Monday: Science Open Thread

Sorry I'm late with my Science Sunday, I had one of those weekends where I really didn't feel like doing anything :)

Since some of my followers aren't really into science or certain scientific topics, I thought that I would open it up to everyone by having an open discussion about science. So, I will be listing 10 questions that I would like for you to answer in the comments section so I can learn if science does or did play a part in your life. You can pass on any questions if they are not relevant. I look forward to seeing your answers!

Questions
1. What was your favorite science class in school?
2. Did you ever want to be a certain career growing up that had to do with science?
3. What was your best science project in school?
4. Do you read any science magazines or websites?
5. Name one thing you believe is the best thing scientific discovery yet.
6. Evolution or Big Bang?
7. What is your favorite animal?
8. Any science-based movies you love?
9. Do you believe any science classes prepared you for the real world?
10. What area of science are you most fascinated with?

Don't forget to enter my Real Simple magazine giveaway here!

Also, I still have some cosmetics up for grabs at my blog sale, so stop by and check it out!

L's Wedding Pictures

I would like to thank all of you for your wonderful advice regarding my work issues. I agree that the term "loitering" is comical and ridiculous at best but I have learned to keep to myself and leave conversations as strictly business-related. I guess my downfall was trusting my coworkers as friends and thinking they were people I could talk to. Lesson learned :)

My friend L got her wedding pictures back and they turned out great! I had so much fun being a part of this wedding and I can't wait to get that dress shortened into a cocktail dress!

Photos courtesy of Kellie Day Photography