A Disney classic that I can never get enough of is Beauty and the Beast. I watched it a countless number of times as a little girl. When I was six, my grandmother made me a beautiful yellow gown so I could dress as Belle on Halloween. I was completely obsessed with it and I still am many year later.

The story is about Prince Adam who was cursed to a beast form by Enchantress who saw no love in his arrogant heart for others. The one way he could break the spell was to learn to love another and earn her love in return before the last petal from his enchanted rose fell, which would bloom until his twenty-first birthday. But who could ever learn to love a beast? Ten years later, Maurice, an inventor from a nearby village, becomes lost in the woods and looks for shelter in the Beast's castle, the Beast imprisons him for trespassing. His daughter Belle, a bookworm who dreams of life outside her village, finds him trapped in the castle and offers to switch places. The Beast accepts with a promise she'll remain in the castle forever. In the beginning Belle views him as nothing more than a monster, he views her as difficult and stubborn. But the two soon taste the bitter-sweetness of finding you can change and learning you were wrong.

It is such a beautiful movie and I enjoy it as much now as I did when i was six.

One of my favorite pocketbooks to walk around with is my coach bag. I wore it stupidly not really knowing what it is or how it was made. Researching online, I was amazed with what i saw. I found out how the bags are made and how each and every bag is unique.

More than forty years ago, Coach introduced twelve eloquently simple bag designs with classic, well-balanced proportions. Over the years, they have added a multitude of new shapes, styles and materials, but each collection has the same principles of classic design and American style.
Every Coach product embodies the perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality. Sizes, shapes, pockets and straps are considered to provide maximum efficiency, comfort and convenience. Seams are double-stitched where reinforcement is required. In the glove-tanned pieces, the inside pockets, handles straps and interior bound edges are all made of the same leather to ensure a consistency of color and texture.
Coach selects only the top ten percent of leathers for their quality, strength, character and grain. In the tanning process the untreated leather is rotated for days in large drums where it is softened and enriched with natural treatments drawn from plant extracts, fats and clear aniline dyes. Like fingerprints, no two patterns are alike. The method of slow curing brings the natural markings to the surface, which makes every Coach product original and unique.

Marilyn Monroe

One of my favorite Hollywood starlets would have to be Marilyn Monroe. She had beauty and talent and was well known for her affair with "Mr. President".

She was born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California. Norma Jeane spent most of her childhood in foster homes and orphanages until 1937, when she moved in with family friend Grace McKee Goddard. Unfortunately, when Grace's husband was transferred to the East Coast in 1942, the couple couldn't afford to take 16-year-old Norma Jeane with them. Norma Jeane had two options: return to the orphanage or get married. June 19, 1942 she wed her 21-year-old neighbor Jimmy Dougherty. By all accounts Norma Jeane loved Jimmy, and they were happy together until he joined the Merchant Marines and was sent to the South Pacific in 1944. After Jimmy left, Norma Jeane took a job on the assembly line at the Radio Plane Munitions factory in Burbank, California. Several months later, photographer David Conover saw her while taking pictures of women contributing to the war effort for Yank magazine. He couldn't believe his luck. She was a "photographer's dream." Conover used her for the shoot and then began sending modeling jobs her way. This is basically where her career started. She divorced Jimmy in June of 1946, and signed her first studio contract with Twentieth Century Fox on August 26, 1946. She earned $125 a week. Soon after, Norma Jeane dyed her hair blonde and changed her name to Marilyn Monroe, which was her grandmother's last name. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

The following movies Marilyn stared in:

1962 Something's Got to Give(never completed)

1961 The Misfits

1960 Let's Make Love

1959 Some Like It Hot

1957 The Prince and the Showgirl

1956 Bus Stop

1955 The Seven Year Itch

1954 River of No Return

1954 There's No Business Like Show Business

1953 How to Marry a Millionaire

1953 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

1953 Niagara

1952 Don't Bother to Knock

1952 We're Not Married!

1952 Clash by Night

1952 Monkey Business

1952 O. Henry's Full House

1951 As Young as You Feel

1951 Hometown Story

1951 Let's Make It Legal

1951 Love Nest

1950 All About Eve

1950 The Asphalt Jungle

1950 Love Happy

1950 The Fireball

1950 Right Cross

1950 A Ticket to Tomahawk

1949 Ladies of the Chorus

1948 Dangerous Years

1948 Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!

1947 The Shocking Miss Pilgrim

Her fame grew over the years, but a tragic event struck during a filming of one of her movies. Before the shooting of Something's Got to Give resumed, she was found dead in her Los Angeles home on the morning of August 5, 1962. She remains one of the 20th century's legendary public figures and archetypal Hollywood movie stars.

New York City

One of my favorite places to be is New York City. The lights, beauty, and sights all make it so worth while. Just recently I was there to see the play " How the Grinch Stole Christmas". It was a while since I was there last and I had forgot what the whole fuss about New York was about. Just looking around I was mesmerized by the sights I saw. Even though Times Square was extremely crowded I was still able to enjoy walking around and seeing the view. Rockefeller Center is my favorite place to visit this time of year. The beautiful tree was lit up with beautiful lights and had an enormous star glowing from the top. A pathway of small trees and angels led you to the tree. People just stopped and stared to look at the beautiful sight in front of them. I also love the window displays many of the major New York City stores take part in. From old fashion to modern, the decorations are magnificent. This truly is such a wonderful place to visit during the holiday season. The sights I saw were truly unforgettable.

Christmas Trees

People often wonder where the custom of having a tree in the home during Christmas time comes from. We will probably never know for sure. But there are several historical clues that point out where this custom came from. Thousands or years ago, there were people who believed that evergreen trees were magical. Even in winter, when all the other trees and greenery were brown and bare, the evergreen stayed strong and green. People saw the evergreen as a symbol of life and as a sure sign that sunshine and spring would soon return. Candles, or the electric lights we use to decorate our trees today, are also an ancient symbol. They represent the light of spring triumphing over the darkness of winter.
In ancient Rome, people decorated their homes and their temples with greenery during a special December feast. It was a happy time. No battles could be fought, the schools were closed, and people everywhere joined in the carnival-like atmosphere and gave each other presents.Legend has it that the tradition was begun by Martin Luther in Germany. He was a monk and church reformer who lived from 1483 to 1546. According to the legend, Luther was returning home one wintry night when he saw the stars twinkling in the sky through the tree branches. Luther was amazed by the sight, and when he arrived home, he was eager to tell his family about it. To help them understand, he went to the woods and cut down a small fir tree. Luther brought it indoors and decorated it with candles, which represented the stars he had seen.
The custom spread in Germany, and from there all over the world. In England, the Christmas tree first appeared when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, who was German. In 1841, Albert set up a Christmas tree at Windsor Castle near London to remind him of his homeland. The Christmas tree custom was brought to the United States by people from England as well as by many German immigrants who came in the 1800's. Whatever its origin, the Christmas tree is a beautiful symbol for everyone who celebrates Christmas.

The Grinch

One of my favorite holiday movies would have to be The Grinch. Whenever I see it is on television, I get very excited and anxious knowing that Christmas is here. Although the movie is a little different from the original book by Dr. Seuss, it still is wonderful.

The Grinch (played by Jim Carey) is mean, smelly and scary and hates Christmas. He lives all alone with his loving dog Max on a mountain. He one day decided to ruin Christmas by dressing as Santa Clause and taking away all the Christmas presents form all the boys and girls. His mind is changed when he meets Cindy Lou Who, a little girl from the town of Whooville. The story is classic and I advice anyone and everyone too see it. It is full of laughter and joy for the holiday season.

Christmas

My favorite time of the year is Christmas time. Decorating the front of the house with lights and putting ornaments on the tree are so enjoyable to me. My family is very large and Italian so the holidays are always eventful.

On Christmas eve my family comes over for dinner and exchanging of gifts. I love the smell of the house when the meal is being prepared. Since my family and i are very Italian, we eat fish. From calamari and clams to cake and pastries, everything is wonderfully delicious. One tradition that never is broken is when my uncle dresses up as Santa. He gives all the kids of the family presents and takes pictures with them. It's quite corny but the fun never stops. On Christmas day my family and I go to my aunt and uncle's house where Italian food is stuffed in your face and every desert possible is present.

I love the holidays because it truly brings family together and the fun never stops.