Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets: Book Review

I can't put these books down; I'm pretty sure I'm obsessed with Harry Potter... now if only I can figure out a way to get to Hogwarts ;] Who's up for a trip to London?!


Synopsis from Barnes & Noble:

The eagerly anticipated sequel to the astounding smash hit Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is finally here! No need to wait — Harry's back for his second year at Hogwarts, where the infamous Chamber of Secrets has been opened for the first time in 50 years. The monster that is unleashed is literally petrifying Hogwarts students (turning them into stone, that is), and who is the primary suspect? Harry Potter himself. Add to this some enormous spiders, a Deathday Party, a ghost named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and lots and lots of suspense, and you'll soon find yourself engrossed in another terrific tale in which magic does exist and good eventually triumphs over evil.


My Review:


I think the first thing I need to do is stop comparing the book to the movies; partially because they are not comparable, and partially because they are extremely different in some aspects. 
It wasn't as if I didn't like this book, because I did, but I didn't like the beginning when all J.K Rowling did was repeat things that those who read the first book would already know. The first few chapters were quite boring, but as soon as Harry got to Hogwarts things were quickly getting more interesting, and more mysterious. From the Chamber of Secrets Opening and the new Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart, to Moaning Myrtle and the enormous spiders in the Forest, you're bound to be kept on the edge of your seat throughout this whole read. 
You'd think that by reading this I'd fall more in love with Harry, but I absolutely adore Ron. He's such a hero in disguise. The three best friends, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, battle through yet another mission, and well you'll just have to read it yourself. 


My Rating: 5 Stars

"Voldemort.. is my past, present and future..." - Tom Riddle

Re-do Room

I'm beginning to re-do my room. It began about a month ago, and is still slowly progressing. 


I've currently bought a bedding set, which includes three small throw pillows, a duvet cover & comforter, and white sheets.

Source: Bed Bath and Beyond

I'm looking everywhere for the rug in the above picture, but can't find anything remotely close to it. 

I also received a cute lamp for Christmas.

Source: Target

Not only did I get things to switch my layout, but I also received prints for my walls.

Source: Target

Source: Target

I was looking on Etsy as well and found this adorable "Keep Calm and..." Print & I knew I had to have it!

Source: Jenny Holiday on Etsy

I love all my finds, but I need more storage, as well as cute things to put on my shelves. 

To- Do List Now: DE-CLUTTER & ORGANIZE !

New Year, New Resolutions

New Year's Eve was spent very low key with my family, relatives, and of course Sal. I figured we had so much alcohol left over from Christmas Eve, it would just make sense to stay home. Plus the prices to actually go out to a bar or a club were atrocious. While I baked [using my new BabyCakes maker!!], my mom set up the games that we would play. Once everyone arrived we enjoyed some desserts, drinks, and board games like Apples to Apples, Scattegories, and even card games like 'Screw Your Neighbor.' We tried playing Scene It: Comedy Movies, but by then everyone was having too good of a time to want to sit there and play games. 

Using My BabyCakes Maker - Cupcakes from the Box

&

Chocolate Cookie Dough Truffles - Recipe soon found on my Baking Blog

So we went downstairs, and were ready to watch the ball drop. Before we knew it we were counting down.. 10... 9... 

8... 7...

 6... 5...

 4... 3...

 2... 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! 

We all screamed and shared our love, as we participated in good luck traditions. Hopefully this year will be a much better year for my family, than last year. It's quite personal, but my family in fact went through tough times. I'm actually thankful though, because we grew extremely close because of it. 


If I learned one thing in 2010 it's this ... it's not about where you are, what you're doing, or the amount of time you spend... it's about being with, and surrounding yourself with those who you love, and love you in return. Nothing can ever compare to being with loved ones, and enjoying oneself. I wouldn't trade these moments for anything. 


Last year, I set goals for myself ... I wanted to become a more organized person, as well as a more productive one. I also wanted to get more in shape, and volunteer more often. Now although I haven't gotten in shape [I can't believe a year has gone by and I haven't flattened my stomach! ugh], I have attended the gym, took kickboxing, and jogged a couple of times throughout the year. I have become more organized, and also extremely productive. I not only volunteer for the March of Dimes Organization, still, I also just recently became a volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I'm also going to begin volunteering at a local hospital in the Child Life Department. So overall I had an extremely productive year.


This year I hope to:

• Exercise Daily
• Blog More
• Volunteer More
• Begin Writing My Book
• Travel
• Bake
• Laugh & Smile More Often

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Christmas of 2010

Every year, since my aunt passed away, my family has hosted Christmas Eve at my house. This year my brother and I went to Target and purchased a bunch of things to decorate the house in order to surprise our mom and dad. Since I was baking the desserts, I decided to decorate the dessert table, while my brother decorated the fireplace and living room.

A bowl with ornaments, NOEL sign, two snowflake bowls with candy canes & hershey kisses, a candle [or two], a cheers plate, a snowman plate, and a cupcake tree holder; as well as a festive tablecloth. 

Desserts too!

Holly Cupcakes - Recipe on my Baking Blog 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Peppermint Cream Cheese Filling  

- Recipe on my Baking Blog

Grandma's Cookies - Secret Recipe

Pumpkin Roll

I have to say, I loved decorating my table, as well as baking most of what was on it. It was great to hear what people had to say about what I baked, mostly good things. However, I think the next time I make the Red Velvet Whoopie Pies, I'm not going to use cocoa powder. I've been told it was just too much chocolate. 

I feel like the morning dragged on, but once everyone got to my house, the night flew by. Everyone arrived by 6:00 P.M and were gone by 10:30/11:00 P.M. 

There were a few that stayed until about 1:00 A.M, and we were busy having a great time to even notice how late it was getting. 

Santa would be stopping by with presents soon, and my brother and I [still little kids at heart] wanted to get to bed and wake up and jump on our parents bed. 

I really rather just give presents to my parents and brother, instead of receiving any. However, I did receive gifts that can help me re-decorate my room, and I'm rather excited about that. My parents best present from my brother and I was a collage of professional pictures we had done of the both of us. They loved it so much they ended up crying!

Santa left Sal cowboy boots. He absolutely loved them, and put them on the minute he got them. Sal gave me a beautiful Skeleton Key necklace from ETSY and a Television, which was a huge upgrade from my older television.

I'd say this Christmas was rather successful, and memorable to say the least. 

Even my dog had a great christmas! ;]

21 on 22

I celebrated my 21st just last week and I have to admit, I did so with class ;]. No I did not end up hugging a toilet at the end of the night, nor did I wake up with a horrible hangover like some of my friends. I drank just enough to enjoy myself and the company I was with. 


The night prior to my actual birthday I went to dinner with some friends for my friend's birthday, since hers is the day before mine. Afterwards we went to a local bar, and I had a drink in my hand at 12:00 midnight. Well a shot first and then a drink, of course. I was lucky that some other friends decided to show up and I got to share my birthday morning with my closest friends, as well as friends I hadn't seen in awhile. 

My friend, being the birthday girl the night before, handed her crown over to me. It was quite odd though; I was a whole year older, and yet I felt as if I was still just a child. I didn't feel any older, but I did feel slightly as if I needed to start accomplishing more as my teen years were gone, and I was becoming an adult, slowly but surely. However, the week of my birthday I decided that no thoughts would enter my mind about the future or even the week after. I wanted to enjoy my time with my friends, as well as my family.

After the bar, we headed over to the diner. I didn't eat anything, considering I was too happy and giddy, as well as taking care of my friend hugging the toilet. Unlike most girls though, I didn't become a b*tch and leave her there [although that thought entered my mind], I decided to make a joke out of it and even tried to take pictures. However, my other friend, my angel on my shoulder, told me no. Come on though, how funny would that have been?

Unexpected pictures are the BEST.

The following day, on my actual birthday, I got my license changed to the big girl license [ha] and got ready for the night. I, along with a bunch of friends and my family, went to 3Forty Grill in Hoboken. Although it was rather chilly, I'd say we had a rather warm gathering in celebration of my birthday.

Flirtini & Me ;]

My Delicious Dinner.

My Dessert - Sad I asked for my own candle?

My Love 

My Friends & the Beautiful View of NYC

My Family

It's amazing to see how much I'm surrounded by love and passion. 

Afterwards I went to another bar, this time in hoboken. However, upon my arrival, sliding into the bench to sit, I was struck with ... A SPLINTER in my leg! I was in the bathroom for about an hour trying to get it out! Finally I gave up, but not until the boss of the bar got me tweezers, and Sal's friend got me tweezers as well. It was just no use. After ripping my stockings, making friends in the one stall bathroom, and in tears, I left the bathroom and took a long sip of my margarita. Sal's friend who had joined us, was so angry that the manager didn't offer to pick up the check or buy me a drink, at least, that he went up and talked to her. She eventually caved and got me another margarita. I mean it was the least she could do, I thought. I didn't ask to have the splinter in me and spend an hour in the bathroom.

Splinter PIcture.

I swear those things were making me happier as the night went on!

My new friend!

After the bar and several discussions later telling me that I didn't need to go to the ER, we went home. The next morning my neighbor who is a nurse came over and told me to put VICKS VAPOR RUB on it for 24 hours and cover it with a BandAid and it should draw the splinter out. So I did. A little splinter wasn't going to stop me from going out with my softball team though!

My girls

Shots !

 Softball Team... or at least the ones that matter!

I could not thank these individuals enough for celebrating my birthday with me, but who I really should be thanking is Salvatore. He has made me birthday so memorable. Without him I wouldn't have been able to go to the bar, a gorgeous, classy restaurant, another bar, and yet another bar. He paid for pretty much everything, besides a drink or two, in which my softball ladies and mom bought for me. It saddens me that my friends didn't buy me a drink or even suggest that they would. I mean it was my 21st birthday. However, I won't fret about little arguments like that, but I will always remember it. 

The following morning, my brother [bless his soul] was able to get the splinter out. 

The pin & the splinter [below it]. 

I'm almost positive we didn't get it all out, considering it seemed much longer when I was trying to get it out the first night, but I will not worry about it too much. I wanted to keep the splinter as a memento of my 21st birthday, but I lost it. Woops. At least I have a picture as proof! 

Overall, I had such an amazing week and I look forward to what my 21st year has to bring me!

A House Fit For Us

12.17.07. It honestly seems like just yesterday that Sal asked me to go out with him, while we were ice skating on a frozen baseball/soccer field. And yet, three years has passed already. Yesterday was our three year anniversary [wow]. We joke around saying that we're surprised we haven't killed each other yet; because we're honestly a lot to handle, and together we're even worse [haha]. We joke around way too much, and we're both stubborn as anything. So it's quite interesting to be around us. 

So, unlike our past anniversaries, which Sal has gone all out on each and every time, we decided to have a relaxing quiet night. I had work until 6 and Sal didn't get out of work until about 8ish. We went to Target with my brother and his girlfriend, who are home from college [ yippe!!!] and bought gingerbread houses to make. We wanted to have a contest to see who could make the better gingerbread house. I knew the night was going to be great, as soon as people started staring at us laughing so hard in Target.  It started off quite funny, and it only got funnier...

Considering there were two different houses in the box, I chose the one above.

While Sal chose the bigger one, with the broken tree.

Sal's gingerbread house still looks descent, but when he got out the whipped cream, I knew we were in for a good laugh. 

The whipped cream didn't just end up of the gingerbread house, but also on...

my brother...

his girlfriend & ....

Sal

I was actually the first one with whipped cream on the face, but since I had the camera, no pictures were taken. 

Yesterday wasn't about how much money was spent, or where we went, or even what clothes we were wearing, it was about being together, and bonding as individuals. Over these past three years, I've learned that you can't stop someone from being who he/she is, especially when those characteristics you were trying to stop, were the ones you fell in love with in the first place. Not only that but when you let loose a little, and not try to be so perfect all the time or have everything go your way, it night ends up exactly how you pictured it anyways, just with a lot less stress. 

I can't really explain to anyone how much this boy really means to me. Sure we fight, but what healthy couple doesn't? He's seriously my best friend, and I would have no idea who to tell all of my stories to. He's always there for me with open ears, whenever I need to talk, which could be for hours. I am so thankful I have him in my life. These past three years would not have been as joyous, fun, or exciting without him. 

I love you Sal.

Even if you can't make a gingerbread house... there's always room at mine :]