Beauty and the Beast. It's a tale as old as time, a tale of beauty and love, and it has stolen the hearts of true princesses everywhere. But what can a princess do to celebrate this beautiful story?

I don't know about you, but I can't get enough of the Beauty and the Beast spirit, so I found 10 ways to live like my inner Belle. Be careful, or by the end of this post Beauty and the Beast will take over your life as well!

1. Go See It

This one is pretty obvious. If you haven't seen the new release, GO WATCH IT!!! Cancel your plans, drag your best friend to the theater, and sigh with happiness the entire time.

image found here

2. Dress inspired by it

I LOVE wearing clothes inspired by my favorite movies, and Beauty and the Beast is no exception. One of my favorite parts of the costuming was actually a very small detailing: Belle's ear cuff in the ball room scene. Naturally, I found a few designs that are sold in this day and age to make up for the fact that the wardrobe can't dress me for dinner. Check out this rose ear jacket and gold plate ear vine from Etsy.

I also saw a few Beauty and the Beast clothing pieces at Disney World that they also sell online. This long sleeve shirt is so lovely! This rose purse, though, steels the show!


If you want to look at more Beauty and the Beast clothing collections, look at JCPenny, Kohls, or Macys!

3. Bake something royal

I bake for every occasion, so of course I found some adorable Beauty and the Beast cupcakes from Cupcake Diaries! I love the two designs she presents- one for Belle and one for the Beast.

No Beauty and the Beast dessert conversation is complete without mentioning the grey stuff (it's delicious!) My mom made this recipe a while back, and it is very good! (Although Disney World does it better. If you have a chance, go to Be Our Guest and try it for yourself!)

4. Cook a meal worthy of Lumiere 

Beef ragout
Cheese souffle
Pie and pudding "en flambe"
We'll prepare and serve with flairA culinary cabaret

Make the feast yourself with these scrumptious looking recipes for beef ragout and cheese souffle.

5. Host a Sing Along

Share your love for Beauty and the Beast with others by hosting a sing along party. This doesn't have to be anything fancy. Just pop in the original movie, play it with subtitles, and sing with gusto. The grey stuff is optional but highly encouraged. For other party-throwing tips if you want to get fancy, check out this post from Cutesy Crafts with some cheep and east ideas!

6. Read a book

What is a more Belle thing to do than reading? So really, most of us celebrate Beauty and the Beast every day without knowing it! If you want a great Beauty and the Beast retelling, try out these favorites:

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.  by Jessica Day George. This book is one of my all-time favorites. A must read!

Jessica Day George

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. This is the second book in the Lunar Chronicles, one of the best series I've ever read!

Beauty by Robin McKinley. I've never read this one, but it comes highly recommended. It's been on my to-read list for a while.

Beastly by Alex Flinn. I'm a bit ashamed to say that I've only watched the movie version of this book, but since the book is almost always better, then I'm sure this book is great because the movie rocked!

Harry Potter. Belle would approve.

7. Drink Tea

8. Watch inspired YouTube videos

9. Make your own video

Better yet, make your own video! I want to see what you think. Maybe a music video? A voice over by your three-year-old cousin? Get creative!

10. Indulge in some merchandise 

Every Disney movie comes with the high price of amazing themed merchandise! As Once Upon a Time says, "All magic comes with a price." My favorite Beauty and the Beast merchandise options are this playful coloring book and exquisite puzzle!

BONUS: GO SEE IT!!! 

Princess Hannah

1. Hidden Figures (January 6)

2. Lego Batman Movie (February 10)

3. A United Kingdom (February 10)

4. Beauty and the Beast (March 17)

5. Their Finest (March 24

6. The Zookeeper’s Wife (March 31)

7. The Circle (April 28)

8. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (May 5)

9. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (May 26)

10. Wonder Woman (June 2)

11. Cars 3 (June 16)

12. Despicable Me 3 (June 30)

13. Spiderman Homecoming (July 7)

14. Thor Ragnarok (November 30)

15. Murder on the Orient Express (November 22)

16. Star Wars Episode VIII (December 15)

17. Charming (Unannoucned)

I've been hinting forever at a Simply Tuesday review, but I kept putting it off and life got in the way and you know what I mean. I wanted to give this book the attention it deserves. And so, on its one year anniversary (which is this Thursday), I'm finally telling you all about this wonderful book, and even more, giving you a chance to win the book!


Simply Tuesday, where do I begin? It is a book of grace, of moments, of God's whisper that His power is made perfect in weakness. It is a book that slowly comes into your life and changes you when you're not looking. It is a book that soon fills with pink highlighter marks and hurried penciled notes on almost every page. And for me, it is a book that changed my life.

But I get ahead of myself.


Simply Tuesday's purpose is for Christians to have "small moment living in a fast-moving world." Which is why I don't think that Emily would mind that I took my time reading it. It grew with my my freshmen year, comforting me in just the right times, often bring tears to my eyes.

Because Emily speak so much truth in this book. Truth that speaks to the soul. Truth the helped me understand the soul. Mainly, though, truth about the Truth, Jesus, and how He works among us even now.

She talked of how to be where we are, not where we want to be. She wrote on how to work for excellence instead of perform for perfection. She invites us to look for meaningful, soul-inspiring community and not competition. She describes how to joyfully sit with Jesus in the fog of life, in the crossroads of desire and disappointment. And in all of this she speaks with a Christ-centered focus that's refreshing and real.


Emily writes with such elegance and rawness that I ended up underlining every other sentence and wanting to scream out "YESSSSS" several times, even when I sat in public. Throughout the book I seriously considered if Emily and I were the same person because she oftentimes described life just as I see it. And then she talked of how Jesus taught her to see Him more clearly in this life, and I just had to freak out a bit.

One of my favorite quotes from the book, one that encompass the theme so concisely is as follows:

"Let's dig deep, not to create meaning where there isn't any, but to see Christ, our companion, where he actually is, not where we wish he was. Let's gently poke our sleepy souls, refusing to wait for a big event to wake us up. Let's stop running from ordinary time but begin to sit right in the middle of it." (page 48)


Oh how this book taught me to sit in the ordinary time and see something extraordinary. This extraordinary life isn't always beautiful, but is good and for the glory of God. This book taught me joy even in the midst disappointment. It taught me a soul-rest that transformed last year to something of true beauty.

All of this to say, I recommend this book highly to all of those seeking a soul-rest and adventure in Christ. In fact, thinking back on this book, I convinced even myself to read it again!


Because I want you to read this book so much, that I'm giving a copy of it away! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment. I didn't want to make this giveaway about gaining followers or promoting something, for something always seems fishy about that. No, I'm just giving it away because I so very much want to see what y'all think about it! (Too bad I don't have funds enough to buy a book for each one of you!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, be sure to check out Emily Freeman's encouraging, soul-opening blog.

Leave a comment about one of the books that has changed your life. Do you now want to read Simply Tuesday? And y'all, I cleaned my desk for these pictures, and I'm pretty darn proud of it!

Princess Hannah

There's a lull in the conversation, when someone decides to ask: "So, what's your favorite..."

Uh oh, favorites.

Some may view favorites as trivial questions. Others approach them as stressful troubles that they feel obliged to figure out. I think of them as little window into my personality. Not everything in life deserves or needs a favorite, but sometimes figuring out favorites forces me to chose what I like and helps me discover who I am.

I don't know why I value favorites so highly. Maybe it's because my mind is composed of lists, and there can't very well be five items in the first bullet point. There's a No. 1 and a No. 2, etc. Maybe I like to determine my favorite because it allows me to think of all of the good things in life. Rather than discredit the items that don't make top choice, choosing a favorite helps me to enjoy them all even more because I am thinking critically about them and appreciating the joys that all things bring to my life.

So I think about my favorites. And I ask people about their favorites. And right now, I'm going to tell you way more favorites than you want to know.

Favorite... 

Fiction Book: Anne of Green Gables. This timeless tale of whimsy and tragic mistakes holds a dear place in my heart. I got a collectors edition recently and I must go back and read it yet again this summer!

Buy it from Rifle Paper Co

Non-Fiction Book (aside from the Bible): Simply Tuesday. A review is coming soon, I promise!

Book of the Bible: Romans. (With Colossians as a cloooose second.)

Chapter of the Bible: Ephesians 2

Verse of the Bible: Okay, this one I can't answer. There are wayyyy too many verses that I love.

Movie: Tangled. This is the easiest favorite I've decided so far.



TV Show: Daredevil. (I even wrote five reasons why I love Daredevil for my most recent Odyssey article!)

Musician: Ben Rector. His songs are so realistically adorable and fun! He even has a song dedicated to his taxi drivers and one for the man he sat next to on the plane.

Song: "Here Now" by Hillsong United. This song stills my heart to see God more clearly. It's even more powerful in person!

Article of Clothing: Dresses! (And my favorite dress that I own is my senior prom dress)

See the full post here

Dinner: Thanksgiving dinner. Or breakfast food. I mean, there's ham+dressing or waffles+pancakes. The struggle!

Dessert: Warm brownies and ice cream. Add some peanut butter, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and Reese's and it's kinda like heaven on earth.

Day of the Week: Sunday. A day of rest, family, and most of all, prolonged time with Jesus!

Number: Seven. I really liked being seven.

Color: Did I even ask myself that question??? *looks around blog* *looks around bedroom*

Actress: Audrey Hepburn. The class, beauty, and skills she possesses make me so happy!



Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch. HE IS SO STINKING TALENTED!!!

Avenger: My future husband, Captain America. (See his presidential campaign written by yours truly.)

Social Media: Instagram. I love the pictures, the meaningful posts, and the artistic liberty that Instagram provides! Follow me at @princesshannah_p

Animal: CATS!!!! Especially my furry babies.

Candy: Chocolate. Dark chocolate.



Now it's your turn! Choose one (or more) of these categories and comment below your favorite! Do you value favorites or do they stress you out? Feel free to even do a blog post about your favorite things. I can't wait to see if we have any similar favorites!

Princess Hannah