Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

November 20, 2010

We went to see HP7 FINALLY!
Oh, it was definitely the best one so far!!
I could go on and on about the scenes I liked, the ones that made me happy, when I cried, how dark it was, etc.
But all I will say is that I stand by my belief that this book series spends a great deal of time on racial issues--granted, they are presented through the guise of the wizarding world and its races--and thus on an individual's rights and what is right and wrong regarding how each one is treated.

Obviously there are many more themes in this series that could be treated equally, but this is the one that I am most interested in and the one that, in my opinion, transfers well to day-to-day life for everyone. Some individual or group is always grappling for power and claiming superiority over the rest.

This picture was taken after we saw it. We took some at home before we left (see below), but I wanted to get a shot of me wearing glasses, too. Much more Potter-esque. I didn't bother with a lightning bolt scar since I have bangs. Don't we look happy in our Gryffindor scarves??

R.I.P. Dobby the Free Elf

"It was Professor Jackson in the Bedroom with a Magic Vial!" [Shurtleffs' Second Annual Spooktacular]

October 23, 2010

This year's was a Murder Mystery party, and, although it was very complicated and confusing, it was a lot of fun. Everyone looked fabulous. Now you can see I went as a peacock!!

I wore my hair a la Breakfast at Tiffany's with feathers. This was taken to see how it would look.

Hobie helped me prepare my costume earlier in the week. HA!

~*~proud as a peacock~*~

I had to show off my dramatic eye makeup!

I won Best Costume! This is the second time I have won a costume award; the first time was in eighth or ninth grade when I won for my Lady Guinevere costume at Sara Henderson's church. The funny thing is is that my character for the Murder Mystery was Guinevere!

Zach went as Harry Potter--I bound his scarf just in time!

He got his wand from Briley's birthday party favors!

Zach was upset that he cut his hair before the part and couldn't be a shaggy Harry.

(I can't believe my love Prince Allendro--that would be Zach--was behind much of the madness!)

I love this picture below!

The Omicrons took lots of pictures. Of course. :) Rose was an old Hollywood starlet and Erin was a can-can girl--fabulous in feathers, we were!

I do not remember what happened, but obviously it was hilarious! I think Erin was talking about her butt catching on fire, or how she couldn't walk in her dress. Byrds have big buts and bird cages!

We tried to get it together...

...and then my feathers fell off!!

We missed our Omicron sister, Emily!

I think this is when I told them that Yousra calls our sign the blow job face...

Our O's are pretty pathetic.; I can't believe we have done this in public!

Nick was a golfer of some sort...I still don't know who, but I liked his pants Erin made, so I voted for him as Best Costume.

Zipper likes to hide in Erin's tulle!

Charlie crushed Button's wings!

Charlie was an Elmo-obsessed serial killer, and Chris was a Mardi Gras partier. Charlie really was the best performer as Professor Jackson.

Erin and her baby

I loved all of the decorations and themed food! We all toasted the event with signature shots, Death Serum, and I can't remember the last time I took a shot. *lol*

This was so clever!

I loved this mini pumpkins! And these candles were used at our reception (with different ribbons of course).

drink menu: Cat's Brains, Death Serum, and Witches Blood

I can't wait to see what the Shurtleffs have up their sleeves for next year! (I hope it's another Murder Mystery...*shhh*)

Gryffindor Scarf

September 23, 2010

At least something is going right...
so far...

Half-Blood Prince[ss]?

[photo courtesy www.ngepress.com]

September 6, 2010
Happy Labor Day!

I think Potions would be my favorite class. It's like cooking for wizards!

Of course, it really is chemistry, and I didn't care for that.
Perhaps if I had thought of Mrs. Chandler's Chemistry Ranch in terms of cooking...

I'm a sexy knitter for reals, y'all!

September 2, 2010

Looky here! I finally finished my first scarf! :)

It's not perfect, but I didn't expect it to be. I'm still learning the art of gauging. I think it will be a long time before I knit something big (i.e. over 2 x 2 inches) with chunky, fuzzy yarn. (That stuff is a pain in the behind, especially when you drop a stitch.) This afternoon I had finished knitting all of my squares and had bound the end when I realized my last five squares were done wrong!
(That's what happens when you knit in the dark while watching Harry Potter. I need magic knitting needles. ;)

So I detached the five bad squares and redid them.
Hobie now has his own scarf. *tehe*

My funky color-block skinny scarf will look really pretty with my teal dress that I always wear in the fall. I got it at Target. (I love Target. *gush*)
I need to mend the hole in the seam, however...

"I'm not an owl!"

[photo courtesy http://www.cinematical.com/2005/11/17/review-harry-potter-and-the-goblet-of-fire/]

August 15, 2010

This seen tickles me so!
I told Zach is we have kids I hope they are like Harry, Hermione, and Ron. *lol*

From the website at which I found this still photo:
One of the best lines in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is brief, but it does a lot to explain why these films are as good as they are – which, by the standards of kid’s entertainment, is very good indeed. Long-standing friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and title star Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) are feuding, and Ron has asked third-party Hermione (Emma Watson) to convey some information to Harry, even though Ron and Harry are standing about 20 feet apart. Hermione explains how someone told Ron that Hogwarts gamekeeper Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) wants to see Harry, and Harry snaps back how Hermione can tell Ron that … and Hermione explodes with tears, crying out her frustration at how foolish her dear friends are being and the hurt it’s causing: “I’m not an owl!” :)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

[photo courtesy http://techpp.com/2009/07/14/ultimate-collection-harry-potter-posters-wallpapers/]

August 4, 2010

I love so much about this movie: the snow falling in the Great Hall at Christmas, little frantic Doby, Hermione turning into a cat, Moaning Myrtle, Filch freaking out about Mrs. Norris, a young Hagrid looking like he should be in The Cure (according to my husband), a nice Percy, the flying car, Ron's broken wand backfiring, Gilderoy Lockhart, Ron's cowardly heart (although I can't blame him for hating spiders), Ginny's squeal upon seeing Harry at the breakfast table. :)

I could go on and on and on...

I do not like the skittering of the spiders over the forest floor. *ick*

I stand by my opinion that it's a book (at least partially) examining race: mudbloods, purebloods, muggles, squibs, half-giants, centaurs, etc.

Black Forest Cake :)

July 31, 2010

Happy birthday to my brother Matt (and Harry Potter)!! They are ten years apart, but I won't tell you who is older... *lol*

Speaking of birthdays, Zach continued his birthday week today with a black forest cake Beverly made and presents. The cake was sooo good after a delicious dinner of Reubens. I joked that it looked like the burning of Atlanta, but Zach didn't like the cinder left on the cake. ;)