the page turn heard around the world

We simply could not pass up the last chance for a Harry Potter book bash. Jared and I giggled our way to sleep on Tuesday coming up with ideas for costumes. Wednesday we headed to a couple of thrift stores in town (Krissy, you were right, there are good ones) and picked up some starts for our party clothes. Friday was spent "conjuring" up the rest.

This is the best picture we have of all of us together. I know, I look creepy, but Jared looks good so it's worth the sacrifice.
For all you muggles out there we are: a muggle-dressed wizard, Tonks, a mandrake, and a seeker.

We headed to a bookstore around 9pm hoping for a huge party. It was huge, but not much going on besides us. (heh heh) Really though, Isaac caused a stir and had a regular paparazzi following snapping photos with camera phones. We decided to leave and head up to another bookstore up the road since there wasn't anything happening there. On the way we saw another bookstore (#2) we didn't know was there so we stopped only to find out they weren't starting until 11pm. We got back in the car headed to bookstore (#3). Glad we did---it was super. There was a Snape debate, trivia contests, tons of people dressed up including a 50 year old woman as Dobby wearing an old bag and a costume contest which Isaac won a gift card! Look at him clutch it.

Do you like Umbridge next to him? Around 11pm we headed back to bookstore #2. There were tons of games, pizza, an ugliest sock party (in honor of your favorite house elf), and another costume contest. Isaac took the cake again winning a free copy of book 7! We felt kinda sheepish because we certainly didn't seek out the fame and fortune with little Ike. There were some really great costumes.

The crazy thing is Isaac is a screecher! Seriously we have had to leave places because he just likes screaming and getting people to look at him. We thought a mandrake costume fitting because then his shrillness would be comical and not obnoxious. He was an angel the entire night. Right. If you don't know what a mandrake is it's a magical plant in Harry Potter that when you pull it out of the ground it's a screaming baby at the roots. "The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to humans, so special care must be taken when growing them. Even as a baby, the Mandrake's howls can knock a person out for a couple of hours" (Harry Potter Lexicon). Fitting, right?

Here's the drawing by Mary GrandPre so you get the idea.

Anyway, it was fun and everyone's reactions made it worth it.

Natalie's costume was a snap to make. We bought a woman's black velvet dress. Cut off the sleeves, using the bottom of her skirt cut out new, long-sleeves, cut a slit up the middle, made a simple hood, finished the edges and wahlah! A robe. We found a red and yellow boy's shirt, cut it into strips for the scarf, painted a ball gold adding wings, found a long stick and some weeds pulling it all together with hot glue for the broom.

I guess I must finally be getting along with my sewing machine because the last couple of projects I haven't had to unpick a single stitch---for the first time in my life no exaggeration.

I kinda liked having pink hair. If it were socially acceptable (at least with the people I social with) I'd consider long term pink for me. We found this great leather jacket that was very witchy and I printed out "The Weird Sisters" on iron on paper for Tonk's t-shirt. Pieces of cake.

Anyway, look at these amazing shoes we found for Jared! He looked great. A huge umbrella would have finished off his costume nicely, I think.


THE book is upstairs burning a hole on our dresser. Jared and I have read every book together so we've been reading over the weekend. I have a confession: Jared fell asleep as I was reading last night and I couldn't stop! (gasp!) I read a few pages ahead. He rolled over, spied me sneaking in the extra pages and I closed the book with a hee hee hee grin. The night before I was the one who drifted off. He woke me up at the end of the chapter, read me the last line (which happens to be a huge turn of events) and then closed the book. I drempt all night about it.

Okay, enough Harry Potter. I'm trying to be so good.

The Days Are Just Packed...

Unpacked books today. It was like opening treasure box after treasure box. By the time I finished unpacking all 812 boxes (not really, but it sounds dreamy to have a library that large, doesn't it) I had set aside no less than a dozen books to read. So many great books, so little time.

Well, actually...

Earlier in the day, Natalie asked me what I was doing. "Just playing a game." (Scrabble, by myself, all four places, third time in two days. Packed, packed days.)
"Why?"
"Oh, I'm bored, I guess."
"If you had a ring pop you wouldn't be bored."

Tuck that advice away for a rainy day. Then I reminded myself only boring people got bored, and the last thing I want my daughter think is her mom gets bored, so I jumped up and opened some remaining boxes.
Very exciting. The days are remarkably busy. So remarkable I will remark on it.
Natalie's imagination has exploded.
We have a boater-oater (living room floor rug) which can only be accessed by a bridge of couch cushions across the hot lava (surrounding wood floors). Unless you happen to have magic feet (she's the only one) or are a dragon puppy (Isaac) which as you know are magical, too, and can freely move across lava. A very convenient solution to participants who have a tendency to roam.
When not on the boater-oater we play car (also involving couches) and drive as crazy as possible going over very, very bumpy roads. The bumpier the road, the crazier the bouncing, right? Apparently we are in the business of picking up cute little babies who appear on the side of the road (whenever Isaac pulls himself up to check on us periodically) and take any traveler willing to brave the rough riding. Stuffed animals, dollies, assorted toys, errr...I mean friends and sisters and daddies.
She's crazy. And that's the way we like it.
I took a good look at our carseats today and decided they could use a wash. First time I tried washing Natalie's seat. Please. This is a child's carseat. I acutally had to consult the manual to get it off. Kids eat, sleep, and everything else in these things. Could we get a little more "child" friendly here?

Okay, seriously? I just posted a photo of this. Sigh. (More evidence of my questionable time usage.)



Still we manage to somehow keep ourselves entertained.