If she had the proper words to say,

A few weekends ago, I secretly plotted a special treat for my boys and some friends of ours. These friends were picked specially for 1) being such nice people, and 2) actually knowing things about Harry Potter. Why was that a requirement?

Because you can't truly enjoy BUTTERBEER without knowing it comes from Harry's wondrous world!


Butterbeer!

This special beverage was so rich, so creamy, and so very sweet. The deeply caramel syrup makes a frothy foam, perfect for making "mustaches" on your first sip. The homemade brown sugar whipped cream adds a distinct flair to the pretty pint, and we all enjoyed it immensely. To complete the snacktime, I served up fresh Banana Crumb Muffins and Peanut Butter Banana Bites, too.

( More pictures, plus the recipe. )

It was a well-received snack/dessert, and my boys keep requesting for me to make it again (though Jack wants to try it with cream soda next time). In addition, a couple neighborhood boys who *didn't* get to try it have been begging for me to make it again, too! :-)

Did everyone pick up their copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince today on DVD? If you're not moving, you have no excuse. Heck, even if you are, you still don't!

I can't wait to crack it open and watch the extra features. Oh, but as luck would have it, my license plate frame cracked on Sunday afternoon - the day before we hit the road. I was gonna save that puppy with my "SLYTHRN" license plate. Boo.

I've got a fantabulous idea for my next plate, though...

Oh, and speaking of all things fangirly, did I mention that I've now seen New Moon SIX times? I know I mentioned it over on FB, but yeah. Oooh, I swear it gets better each and every time.

/geek to bed

'Cuz in school, yeah. I was a total Hermione. I'm not much now, but I definitely was then.

Your result for The Mega Harry Potter Character Test...

Hermione Granger

Don't fight it...it is who you are!

Take The Mega Harry Potter Character Test at HelloQuizzy

~ meme stolen from jchammonds

( What type of wand do I have? )

Alright. Who wrote the longest entry on your flist today? Was it me?

Sorry 'bout that, but I get very word-y sometimes. Especially when I am trying to get the details in. At least I put most of it behind a cut, right?

For the record, the Ministry supports brevity. "Stick it to da Man!" - that's what I say, and why I write like I do.

*grins*

I'm interrupting the trio of Jack's birthday posts to get this one up in a timely manner: The First Day of School!


Walking down the path together.

Today was a happy day for me. It was a tiny bit sad, for now both of my "little" ones are off to real school, but mostly it was full of proud and happy moments. I know without a doubt in my deepest heart-of-hearts that holding Jack back last year was the absolute best gift we could have given him in regards to his school career, and the confidence and self-esteem he had as he set down the walk today practically left his footprints in the stone.

A.J. never ceases to amaze, either. He is ready for a new year of learning, ready to soak up the most knowledge he can, and he's also really excited about sharing "his" school with Jack for the first time. He was just as proud of Jack as I was, and that was a pleasant revelation. He is in charge of walking Jack to his classroom each morning until we're sure that Jack will get there on his own without dawdling, and he will gather Jack at his classroom door each afternoon before they walk to the exit together each afternoon.

At the 'Meet the Teacher' event this past Thursday night, Jack was a bundle of energy and ease. He had been sorted into Mrs. Mutzenberger's classroom, and, while we had never met the teacher before, Jack was extremely familiar with the classroom - it was the exact same one he'd been in during the three weeks of summer school back in June. Not only that, but several of his friends from summer school were also in his class, and he greeted them heartily while his friends returned in kind. He was giddy to see that his desk was even right next to his buddy, Tyler - awesome! (Bets on how long the teacher will keep these two super-chatters together? *wink*)

A.J. has a young teacher that is newer to the school, but Ms. Johnson seems extremely warm and friendly. She made a fast friend in A.J. when she readily responded to his enthusiasm for Harry Potter. He'd been explaining to her that he'd just finished reading Book One, and that he was about three chapters into Book Two, and she was able to get on his level and "talk shop." I'm excited for him to have just as great a year as the past two have been.

And speaking of Harry Potter, it really has been amazing to see A.J. come to love the series in a new way - his own way - as he finally journeys into the books. He'd asked many times in the past couple of years to read the books, but I didn't want him to become overwhelmed with the heavier text of the books by reading them too soon, so I always told him that he could read them once he turned nine (the Scholastic targeted reading age is 9-12 years). In the last month, however, especially with the influence of a "very Harry" summer, it's been a driving desire of his to begin reading. I caved, and I let him start Book One about two weeks ago. He chose to buy the paperback with his money, and he read it cover-to-cover in six days. And he was plugging away at me with questions every time he looked up from the book, asking about things that were different in detail from the films, so I'm certain that he truly read it. Then we spent over two days searching for Book Two in paperback before we located it (all the bookstores are short on the paperbacks right now, in the wake of the release of Book Seven, it seems), and I thought he might just crawl up the wall. He's over halfway through it as well now, and I went ahead and picked up his own copy of Book Three last night to have ready (but he's buying it himself - I just didn't feel comfortable walking away from it while I had it available).

So I have my HP books, and A.J. has his very own. We each love them in our own way, and it wonderful to share such a special connection with him as he begins to truly appreciate one of my favorite things. :-)

But now, onto the pictures of the day. There are several of them - enjoy!

( Back to School, version 2.007 )

My own HP community is still out there, though I've been extremely lax about remembering it myself.

07_21_07 - if you're looking for a place for discussion without overwhelming your flist, that is. :-)

In other news, I remembered a birthday today that I'd been so worried I'd forget (again). Yay, memory!

Now, really.

( Cut for movie spoilers left wide open in soundtrack titles. )

Other than that, what we've listened to so far has been good. I'm on Track 7 currently (and no, I won't say the title!), and it's very nice - balanced well between suspenseful and light and fluffy. Oh, but there's no trace of Hedwig's Theme in the first track in this one either (like the soundtrack to the fourth movie), and it still throws me off. I guess after three consecutive movies using that track for the opener, I'm just expecting it.

My babysitter backed out this morning for tonight. Tonight was to be my first meeting with the Shuttlebugs. I called for about an hour this afternoon, trying to find a substitute, and then I called for another 45 minutes later. I couldn't find anyone. I called the contact person for the group, but she said, "Absolutely not - no children allowed." She was very nice in saying it, and I understand her reasons, but I was so very disappointed to miss the meeting.

I had to get off the phone suddenly with her because my doorbell rang, and it's just as well - I had started to tear up, and I really didn't want my voice to betray me. It's so silly, really, but I don't guess I had realized how much I'd been looking forward to meeting this group for the past few weeks until I was faced with knowing I couldn't make the meeting. I'm happy with what I've made so far - I really am - but by the same token, I also feel very stifled, and I so anxiously want to learn more. This group only meets once a month, and the next meeting is the night before school starts up again, and I'm already afraid I won't be able to make it to that one, either. So in not making tonight's meeting, I really feel as if I'm putting a halt on progress for at least another two months. :-( And so I sniffled a little bit for a minute or two, wiped my eyes, and picked up the phone to call Heather.

And she was just the ticket. We talked for almost two hours, and by the time I got off the phone, I felt much better about everything in general.

I walked out to the mailbox and received a much-needed pick-me-up there, too. After a slow weekend, I had a box chock full of goodies:

- sample of Monistat® Chafing gel
- Eat Better™ ring
- sample of Goody's® Cool Orange™ headache powder
- Whiskas® Purrfectly Fish + bonus cat treats
- my Slytherin earrings (which arrived in a cute, gold drawstring bag)

But the very best thing was a bright yellow envelope addressed to me from Brian. He drew a little cartoon across the front of the envelope, and I giggled when I saw that he wrote 'Sealed with Awesomeness!' across the lick-and-seal in the back. Inside was a very cute Hallmark card (he cares enough to send the very best) of a turtle and a snail, and it was a "Hope you're back on your feet again soon" kind of card. He wrote a funny, sweet message inside as well, and he continued with more cartoons on the outside of the card, as well as adding "speaking bubbles" to each character. It made me laugh, smile and then smile more - the special smile of knowing that someone cared enough to go to such trouble.

And it arrived at the perfect time. As I've said before, I love the Bri. :-)

(Speaking of which, do you remember when that pic was taken, Brian? I have it in 'random' in my images, and not sorted by date as per the usual. And I can't find where I posted it in your journal, either...)