QUIDDITCH ~ QUIDDITCH ~ QUIDDITCH

Tomorrow is the day ... Ravenclaws Soar High and Mightily SCORE!

SOAR AND SCORE!

GO TEAM!
I'm nervous and excited. I feel like I should be wearing sweats or something for tomorrow and some kind of brow band to keep the sweat from my eyes! (LOL)

I have a basket of various yarns next to my chair, my needles and hooks lined up on a tray, and I think I'm heading to bed early so I can get up at a decent time.
To complicate matters, I have a young wizard going off to watch muggle baseball tomorrow. Great fun for him ... but right in the middle of my prep time with the team.

I'm happy to say his ride picks him up at 8:55 ... but I hope no later than that! I won't be able to give him a fantastic sendoff otherwise! Praying his ride shows up about 8:45 instead! (Is that selfish?)
Gryphon is raring to go. He's all set up in the same room with me and I've prepped a table with a laptop in hopes it will be high enough fro him. Not sure how comfortable it will be, but we can always readjust the furniture again. Love magic ... things just miraculously happen!

To my team ... I'm so proud of you all pulling together and coming out like this. We are going to do fantastically well!

GO RAVENCLAWS! Woo-Hoo ::loop-de-loop on my broom::

SOAR SOAR Ravenclaw!

SOAR RAVENCLAW!!!!!!!! Gearing up for Quidditch this weekend. Wow, the tournament this past weekend was fast and furious with Beater trivia. I am praying my Beaters are on their game!

In the meantime, a bit of fun. Last week we selected words to be used in a mad-lib. And here are the results of my off-the-wall and odd selections:

Harry Potter And The Curse of Dudley

Harry Potter, the boy wonder, the (dumb blond) of the wizarding world; sat alone in his tiny bedroom scratching his (cochlea) and cleaning the (henna) out of Hedwig's cage. This summer wasn't nearly as boring as his previous summers had been.

Over the summer, his cousin Dudley had grown quite frightened of him. Harry secretly kept cursing him, even though under age use of magic was strictly forbidden outside of Hog(psoriasis)'s school of (Germ-X)craft and (Ego).

It seemed the wizarding world turned a blind (uvula) when it came to Harry, and he never got in trouble for his... transgressions.

One particularly memorable curse on Dudley happened on the (1,964)th of June. It was so hot, you could (solicit) a (tweezer) on the sidewalk.

Dudley sat on his enormous (thorax) in front of the telly, spooning (drum)ful after (drum)ful of (apple pie) down his throat. Harry thought he looked rather (polar bear)ish, with his piggy little eyes and fat body.

Harry got an evil little grin on his (thyroid gland) and raised his wand behind Dudley's head. "(QUI DOCET DISCIT)" he shouted; which translated to English means "Turn this boy's head into a (star fruit) and make him dance around like a (black bear) with (arachnoid cysts)!"

And that's just what Dudley did! He (warped) off the couch, screamed "(KNORPHLYTIACLE)!" to the top of his lungs, and began (fabricating) on the floor, while turning in circles and flapping his (coccyx).

Harry was laughing so hard, he almost peed his (truss). He was still laughing, and Dudley was still flapping, when Uncle Vernon came thundering down the stairs. He had gone a nice shade of purple. He looked at Harry, shaking in anger, then looked at Dudley, horrified. "(A WOMAN WHO SEEKS TO BE EQUAL WITH MEN LACKS AMBITION)!" he screamed, then calmly turned and walked away.

Harry and Dudley looked at each other in abject confusion. Harry shrugged his shoulders in a "beats me" gesture, and the two cousins sat on the sofa, temporarily forgetting their animosity toward one another.

Dudley lifted the half empty (drum) of (apple pie) and offered it to Harry.

"Don't mind if I do!" said the bespectacled young man, grabbing a spoon and preparing to dine.

Dudley's (coccyx) gave one mighty final flap, and the boys had a most enjoyable evening, indeed.

Quidditch, knitting, and Mad-Libs ... what's the world coming to?

Oh my, what have I done? I have gone and volunteered to be Quidditch Team Captain for the Ravenclaws. I only hope I can live up to it! I'm not in any way, shape, or form, a Quidditch player, but I can organize the living daylights out of anything! Here's to seeing if my years of OCD will pay off! Ha-ha!

In the meantime, word games. I like word games. In order to facilitate and fill in the spots for an upcoming Mad-Lib, I humbly give my responses to the following:

1. a verb solicited
2. a number 1,964
3. a body part uvula
4. an abstract noun ego
5. a noun Germ-X
6. a skin condition psoriasis
7. a body part cochlea
8. type of person/stereotype dumb blonde
9. a substance henna
10. a fortune cookie phrase in all capital letters A WOMAN WHO SEEKS TO BE EQUAL WITH MEN LACKS AMBITION
11. article of clothing truss
12. verb ending in "-ed" warped
13. neurological disorder arachnoid cysts
14. an animal black bear
15. a fruit star fruit
16. a latin (sounding) phrase in all capital letters QUI DOCET DISCIT (he who teaches learns)
17. a body part thyroid gland
18. a large animal polar bear
19. a food apple pie
20. a body part in plural coccyx (tailbone)
21. a verb ending in "-ing" fabricating
22. a nonsensical word in all capital letters KNORPHLYTIACLE
23. a container drum
24. a body part thorax
25. a noun tweezer

Little Bit of a Mess

Okay, so this mess is the result of a secret kal and it has been a headache! This pair of socks was started as two-on-one-needle, but then had to be separated to DPNs because of all the bobbins! I've never knit with bobbins. To date, I'm still running in ends. These sheep are a definite headache.

For the other sock (not pictured here) I decided to carry all the colors. I'm so glad I did. The end result is just about the same. You can still see colors through, but FAR less ends to run in.

Care of Magical Creatures Homework

Well, I made it down to Hagrid's for Care of Magical Creatures and thoroughly enjoyed myself and the class. I think Hagrid really gets a bad rap. He's very knowledgeable about these mysteriously phenominal creatures.

I did find I needed to have certain items for the class that I neglected to bring with me on this first trip, but will remember in the future. They have been placed in my pack ... after receiving a reducio spell, of course. I don't know as I could carry all of it AND my books!

Supplies needed for Care of Magical Creatures:

1. Special heat-resistant gloves to protect my hands from the nasty effects of some animal salivas as well as blast-ended skrewts, and other HOT items ... they are well padded, too, so they can protect my hands from sharp pointy things and the bites of some creatures who may desire to sink their teeth into something meaty ... like a hand!

2. Goggles to keep debris with special lenses to protect against bright blasts from a blast-ended skrewt or dragon breath, and the spray of nastiness from unknown creatures.

3. Salad tongs to aid in the picking up of gross things, baby blast-ended skrewts, and small eggs (as I do not want to leave my scent on the eggs when observing them and being able to return them to their nests).

4. A camera to take photos for my scrapbook and notebook to aid in learning and remembering what I've been taught in the Forbidden Forest. I feel this is important, because then I will nto have to rely on memory. I can also keep a running recorded record of my findings and continued research.

5. A blanket to cuddle and help care for baby creatures, to wrap them up and protect them.

Part two of my Care of Magical Creature's homework is a quiz about House Elves.

1. House elves have a pasty, clay-like coloring to their skin and are only about 3 to 4 feet tall. Their ears are large and bat-like, never missing a sound, keen like those of a canine. House elves eyes are large and bulbous, softball-sized orbs with a glassy appearance, always aware. Their noses are small and can be pointy or squashed in appearance, as different from one elf to another as human beings' noses are different. Their attire is generally that of an old used pillowcase, tea towel, or other household item transferred into clothing. House elves arms and legs are long and gangly, their hands and feet seeming larger than required for their body size, and their hearts are so giving, wanting to fulfill their needs to the family for whom they work.

2. Kreacher is the house elf for the Black family.

3. Hermione Granger is knitting hats for the house elves. She leaves them lying around the Gryffindor Common Room, sometimes hidden under objects, in the hopes that a house elf will pick one up and be freed from servitude. However, none of the Hogwarts house elves will go into the Gryffindor Common Room any more because they do not want to be freed. Dobby is not afaid and has taken on the task of keeping it clean and picked up, and as a result, has acquired a large quantity of hats.

4. A house elf is only freed when given a piece of clothing by his master.

5. S.P.E.W. stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare.

Part three is a bonus/extra credit assignment. I have made another beret and this one in a lovely light lavender color.

Transfiguration - Homework 2

This is my personal identification marker for this assignment. It is my wedding ring.

This week I am learning how to transfigure things. I have a list of items I am supposed to be able to charm into something else. Perhaps some items may appear wonky, but I have studied the books rather diligently and I hope my efforts will pay off.

These are the items I gathered to be used in the making of Hagrid's Rock Cakes. My marker is located on top of the Morton Salt container on the left of the photo.

Hagrid's Rock Cakes Charm
Measured, precise, Sugar and spice,
Yeast, and eggs from a hen.
Whirl around, Flour is sound,
Currants to add near the end.
Rise and grow, Heat and so,
Ready to share with a friend.

Wand movements:The wand is held delicately between the fingers, letting it have an airy touch. This is important if you want the cakes to be light and fluffy. Twirl the end of your wand in tiny clockwise circles above the ingredients following a figure-eight pattern. At the end of three figure-eight patterns, flick your wand upward in a quick motion. This additionally adds to the light and airy quality of the cakes. If you are not precise with the wand movements, cakes could end up heavy and leaden.
And, voila! The end result! My marker is located on the bottom right Rock Cake.

The Golden SnitchThe items gathered to transfigure into the Golden Snitch.

Golden Snitch Charm

Zippitty fast bird,
Darned near impossibly seen.
Airy Golden Snitch!

Wand movements: A light touch is required with this charm as you flick your wand up and down during the casting of the spell. You do not want a heavy hand with this one! You will desire the snitch to end up fast and quick, so your movements must be precise. Make sure your wand arm wrist has been limber up prior to performing this charm, otherwise you will not obtain the maximum flicking required to make the snitch quick.
The transformation took place rather quickly, but I had only moments before it took off again ... with my ring! I had to have the house elves help me corner it to get my ring back!

Remembrall
I gathered the items I thought I could transfigure into a Remembrall.

Remembrall Charm

Orb of wonder you will become,
Remembering my thoughts
Long time gone.

Wand movements:Wave your wand over the items as you repeat the incantation three times.

Bowtruckle


Supplies laid in and ready for the charm:

Wood and glue fuse as one
Make this into a Bowtruckle for fun.


Voila! Had to grab the little sucker before he ran away so I could take the photo!



Decoy Detonator
I gathered what I thought would be good supplies and waved my wand over them with my eyes closed. I wasn't sure what was going to happen:


Decoy Detonator Charm:


Blastomus Maximus!Eegads ... I better grab my ring and run!


Nose-Biting Tea Cup



After hunting up the supplies for this transfiguration experiments I grabbed my wand and with numerous flicks and whirls:


Gentle cup for quiet tea

Fascinate me with your teeth!


ARHG! Excuse me while I save my son!



Spectrespecs

I had visions of Luna in my head when I gathered these supplies. What fun!


Spectrespecs Charm:


Witty glasses full of charm
Present me with Spectrespecs to disarm!
Woo-hoo!



Time Turner
This was a little more challenging, but here it goes:

Time Turner Charm:

Time may come and and time may go
But let me pass through it to and fro!


Whee! Yippee!